Women on the front line
On International Women’s Day, Al Jazeera’s journalists Teresa Bo, Fahmida Miller, and Maram Humaid reflect on what it’s like to report from some of the world’s most challenging regions. From their experience, it’s clear that women’s voices are not only vital in journalism but also in the communities they serve. Adblock test (Why?)
International Women’s Day is for the few, not the many
Every March 8, the world is flooded with glossy campaigns urging us to “accelerate action” and “inspire inclusion”. International Women’s Day has become a polished, PR-friendly spectacle where corporate sponsors preach empowerment while the women most in need of solidarity are left to fend for themselves. I can only hope that this year’s call to “accelerate action” means action for all women – not just those who fit neatly into corporate feminism, media-friendly activism, and elite success stories. But if history is any guide, the only action that will be accelerated is the branding of feminism as a marketable commodity, while the women enduring war, occupation, and systemic violence face erasure. Year after year, International Women’s Day is paraded as a global moment of solidarity, yet its priorities are carefully curated. The feminist establishment rallies behind causes that are palatable, media-friendly, and politically convenient- where women’s struggles can be framed as individual success stories, not systemic injustices. Advertisement When Iranian women burned their hijabs in protest, they were met with widespread Western support. When Ukrainian women took up arms, they were hailed as symbols of resilience. But when Palestinian women dig through rubble to pull their children’s bodies from the ruins of their homes, they are met with silence or, worse, suspicion. The same feminist institutions that mobilise against “violence against women” struggle to even utter the words “Gaza” or “genocide”. In the UK, in the run-up to this year’s International Women’s Day, an MP and feminist organisations have hosted an event on “Giving a Voice to Silenced Women in Afghanistan”, featuring feminists who had spent months calling for boycotts of the Afghan cricket team. Because, of course, that’s how you take on the Taliban – by making sure they can’t play a game of cricket. This is what passes for international solidarity: Symbolic gestures that do nothing for the women suffering under oppressive regimes but make Western politicians feel morally superior. Let me be clear: Afghan women deserve every ounce of solidarity and support. Their struggle against an oppressive regime is real, urgent, and devastating – and yes, what they are enduring is gender apartheid. But acknowledging their suffering does not excuse the rank hypocrisy of those who wield feminism as a political tool, showing up for Afghan women while staying silent on the Palestinian women being starved, bombed, and brutalised before our eyes. The Taliban’s rise was not some act of nature – it was a direct product of UK and US intervention. After 20 years of occupation, after handing Afghan women back to the very men the West once armed and enabled, these same voices now weep over their fate. Advertisement Where were these women MPs, prominent feminists, and mainstream feminist organisations when pregnant Palestinian women were giving birth in the streets of Gaza because hospitals had been bombed? Where was the outcry when Israeli snipers targeted women journalists, like Shireen Abu Akleh? Where were the boycotts when Palestinian girls were pulled from the rubble of their homes, killed by US-made bombs? Time and time again, we see the same pattern: Feminist outrage is conditional, activism is selective, and solidarity is reserved for those whose struggles do not challenge Western power. Afghan women deserve support. But so do Palestinian women, Sudanese women, Yemeni women. Instead, their suffering is met with silence, suspicion, or outright erasure. International Women’s Day, once a radical call for equality, has become a hollow spectacle – one where feminist organisations and politicians pick and choose which women deserve justice and which women can be sacrificed at the altar of Western interests. Feminism has long been wielded by the powerful as a tool to justify empire, war, and occupation – all under the pretence of “saving women”. During the Algerian War of Independence, the French launched a campaign to “liberate” Algerian women from the veil, parading unveiled women in propaganda ceremonies while simultaneously brutalising and raping them in detention centres. The French, of course, were never concerned about gender equality in Algeria; they readily restricted education and employment for Algerian women. Their actions under the guise of helping women were about domination. Advertisement This same narrative of the helpless brown woman in need of white saviours has been used to justify even more recent Western military interventions, from Afghanistan to Iraq. Today, we see the same playbook in Palestine, as well. The West frames Palestinian women as victims – but not of bombs, displacement, or starvation. No, the real problem, we are told, is Palestinian men. Israeli officials and their Western allies rehash the same Orientalist trope: Palestinian women must be saved from their own culture, from their own people, while their actual suffering under occupation is ignored or dismissed. The systematic slaughter of women and children is treated as an unfortunate footnote to the conflict, rather than its central atrocity. We see the same pattern again and again – concern for women’s rights only when it serves a political agenda, silence when those rights are crushed under the weight of Western-backed airstrikes and military occupation. This is not solidarity. It is complicity wrapped in feminist rhetoric. So, who will actually benefit from International Women’s Day this year? Will it be the women whose oppression fits neatly into Western feminist narratives, allowing politicians, feminist organisations, and mainstream women’s advocacy groups to bask in their self-congratulatory glow? Or will it be the women who have been silenced, erased, and dehumanised – those for whom “accelerate action” has meant 17 months of genocide and 76 years of settler colonial violence? Is this just another “feel-good” exercise, where you can claim to support women across the world without confronting the fact that your feminism has limits? Because if this is truly about accelerating action, then after 17 months of bombing, starvation, and displacement, we should finally hear you stand for Palestinian women. Advertisement But we know how this goes. The speeches will be made, the hashtags will trend, the panel discussions will be held – but
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final: India have ‘no advantage’ over New Zealand
India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak blasts back at assertion that India’s Champions Trophy hopes boosted by Dubai venue. India playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai was a pre-tournament decision, and talk of it giving India an unfair advantage is baseless, the team’s batting coach says as he blasts back against the criticism. Rohit Sharma’s India face New Zealand in the title clash on Sunday at the Dubai International Stadium, where the tournament favourites have been unbeaten in their four matches. India refused to tour hosts Pakistan in the eight-nation tournament due to political tensions and were given Dubai as their venue in the United Arab Emirates. “The draw that happened, it happened before,” batting coach Sitanshu Kotak told reporters before the final. “After India winning four matches, if people feel that there is an advantage, then I don’t know what to say about it.” The tournament’s tangled schedule with teams flying in and out of the UAE from Pakistan while India have stayed put has been controversial. South Africa batsman David Miller said “it was not an ideal situation” for his team to fly to Dubai to wait on India’s semifinal opponent and then fly back to Lahore in less than 24 hours. Advertisement Even nominal hosts Pakistan had to jump on a jet and fly to Dubai to play India rather than face them on home soil. India’s Virat Kohli salutes the crowd in Dubai after achieving a century against Australia in the semifinal [Christopher Pike/AP] The pitches have been vastly different in the two countries. Pakistan tracks produced big totals in contrast to the slow and turning decks of the Dubai stadium. “End of the day, I think in a game you have to play good cricket every day when you turn up,” Kotak said. “So the only thing they [critics] may say is that we play here. But that is how the draw is.” “So nothing else can happen in that. It is not that after coming here, they changed something, and we got an advantage,” he added. India have been the team to beat after they topped Group A, in which they faced New Zealand, Pakistan and Bangladesh. They then beat Australia in the first semifinal. New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, lost the last group game to India by 44 runs before they beat South Africa in the second semifinal in Lahore. India’s Varun Chakravarthy, centre, celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips , right, in Dubai during the final Champions Trophy group-stage match [Altaf Qadri/AP] Kotak said the previous result between the two teams will have no bearing on their mindset going into the final. “That depends how the New Zealand team thinks, but I think we should not think that,” Kotak said. “We should just try and turn up and play a good game of cricket because there is no use thinking about the last match.” Advertisement New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said they are not too worried about India’s advantage. “I mean, look, the decision around that’s out of our hands,” Stead said. “So it’s not something we worry about too much. India have got to play all their games here in Dubai. But as you said, we have had a game here, and we’ll learn very quickly from that experience there as well.” “And if we’re good enough to beat India on Sunday, then I’m sure we’ll be very, very happy,” he added. Adblock test (Why?)
Bosnia’s top court suspends separatist laws adopted by Bosnian Serbs
Laws passed by the autonomous Republika Srpska region reject the authority of the federal police and judiciary. Bosnia’s Constitutional Court has suspended legislation passed by the autonomous Republika Srpska region which rejects the authority of the federal police and judiciary on its territory. The court said on Friday that it was “temporarily suspending” the laws that Bosnian Serb President Milorad Dodik pushed through the regional parliament earlier this week. The laws were passed days after a court in Sarajevo sentenced Dodik to a year in prison and banned from office for six years for refusing to comply with decisions made by Christian Schmidt – the international high representative charged with overseeing Bosnia’s peace accords. Since the end of Bosnia’s inter-ethnic conflict in the 1990s, the country has consisted of two autonomous regions – Republika Srpska and a Muslim-Croat federation, which are linked by a weak central government. Bosnian officials say that Dodik’s laws violate the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the country’s 1992-95 war, binding the two entities under joint institutions, including the army, top courts and tax authorities. Advertisement Dodik on Thursday said he would ignore a summons from Bosnian state prosecutors investigating him for allegedly undermining the country’s constitutional order. On Friday, he doubled down on his separatist drive, calling on ethnic Serbs to quit the federal police force and courts and join the government of Republika Srpska. “We have ensured them a job, while preserving their legal status, ranks, and positions. They will receive the same salary, or even a higher salary than they had,” said Dodik. Dodik later added there were no plans for violent escalation but insisted that Republika Srpska had “the ability to defend itself, and we will do that”. On Friday, local media reported that the Bosnian Serb Republic’s police had forced federal agents from the State Information and Protection Agency (SIPA) out of their premises in the city of Banja Luka. But SIPA head Darko Culum later labelled the reports incorrect, insisting that the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was “stable and calm”. The situation in Republika Srpska remained tense on Friday. The Srebrenica Memorial Centre – where most of the 8,000 victims killed by ethnic Serb forces in July 1995 are buried – said it had closed its doors “until further notice”, citing uncertainty triggered by the ongoing political crisis. “This decision has been made due to the inability to ensure adequate security guarantees for our employees, collaborators, guests, and visitors,” said the centre, which is located in the village of Potocari, in an online statement. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Three Bulgarians found guilty of spying for Russia from UK base
Three Bulgarian nationals based in the United Kingdom have been convicted by a London jury of spying for Russia on what police said was “an industrial scale”. The trio was accused of putting lives in danger as they followed orders on behalf of Russian intelligence to carry out surveillance across Europe on Kremlin opponents, including journalists, diplomats and Ukrainian troops. A jury at London’s Old Bailey court on Friday found Bulgarian nationals Katrin Ivanova, 43, Vanya Gaberova, 30, and Tihomir Ivanchev, 39, guilty of spying for Russia on what police said was “an industrial scale.” The trio engaged in a series of surveillance and intelligence operations over three years during which one of their ringleaders nicknamed them “the Minions”, a reference to the yellow sidekicks in movie, Despicable Me, who work for supervillain Gru. The defendants – who worked for the Russian intelligence service GRU – face up to 14 years in prison when they are sentenced in May along with three other Bulgarian members of the same spy cell. Advertisement The trio’s leader, Orlin Roussev, 47, his deputy Biser Dzhambazov, 43, and co-conspirator Ivan Stoyanov had all pleaded guilty to spying for Russia shortly before the trial. Roussev received more than 200,000 euros ($217,000) to fund the spying activities. The mastermind of the operation was alleged Russian agent Jan Marsalek, 44, an Austrian businessman wanted by Interpol after the collapse of German payment processing firm Wirecard. Marsalek, whose current whereabouts are unknown but is believed to be in Russia, acted as a go-between linking Russian intelligence and the spy ring, instructing them to carry out six serious operations in the UK, Austria, Spain, Germany and Montenegro until their arrest in 2023. “This was spying on an almost industrial scale on behalf of Russia, the Russian state and Russian intelligence services,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, the head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command. ‘Indiana Jones’ HQ British prosecutors said Marsalek tasked the British-based Bulgarian team with spying on Ukrainian soldiers being trained at a US base in Germany, with a view to tracking their movements on the battlefield after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Another operation involved spying on Christo Grozev, a journalist with investigative website Bellingcat, who led a report on the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury, England, with a view to kidnapping or even killing him. The group also targeted British-based Russian Roman Dobrokhotov, editor-in-chief of The Insider, Bergey Ryskaliyev, a former Kazakh politician granted asylum in the UK, and Russian dissident Kiril Kachur. Advertisement They discussed dropping fake pigs’ blood on the Kazakhstan Embassy in London by drone as part of a fake protest intended to win favour with Kazakh spies. Police found a trove of what they called “really sophisticated” spyware in a raid on Roussev’s operations centre in a former guesthouse in the seaside town of Great Yarmouth, described in text messages as his “Indiana Jones garage”. It included homemade audiovisual spy devices hidden inside everyday objects including a rock, men’s ties, a Coke bottle and a Minions cuddly toy. “Really sophisticated devices – the sort of thing you would really expect to see in a spy novel – were found here, in Great Yarmouth and London,” said Murphy. Love triangle Dzhambazov, who worked for a medical courier company but claimed to be an Interpol police officer, was in a relationship with two other defendants — his laboratory assistant partner Ivanova and beautician Gaberova. Gaberova, in turn, had ditched painter-decorator Ivanchev for Dzhambazov, who took her to Michelin-starred restaurants and stayed with her in a five-star hotel. When police moved in to arrest the suspects in February 2023, they found Dzhambazov in bed with Gaberova rather than at home with Ivanova. Both women claimed during the trial that they had been deceived and manipulated by Dzhambazov. Mr Justice Hilliard KC remanded the defendants into custody until sentencing between May 7 and May 12. Adblock test (Why?)
What’s behind the political crisis in Bosnia Herzegovina?
Bosnian Serb leader ignoring conviction, including jail sentence. A deepening political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Republika Srpska, the autonomous Serb region, bans state police and the judiciary after its leader is convicted of undermining the national constitution. Both the US and EU are condemning the move. So what might happen next? Presenter: Sami Zeidan Guests: Srdan Mazalica – Member of parliament and president of the parliamentary group of the SNSD, the governing party in Republika Srpska Kurt Bassuener – Co-Founder of Democratization Policy Council, a think tank in Sarajevo Jasmin Mujanovic – Senior son-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute’s Western Balkans Center Adblock test (Why?)
Nigerian Senate suspends female senator who made sexual harassment claim
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan is suspended for six months after she makes an accusation against Senate President Akpabio. The Nigerian Senate has suspended a female senator after she accused its presiding officer of sexual harassment. Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was barred from office from Thursday and will have her allowances and security withdrawn for six months after she made an accusation against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who denied the claims against him. On Wednesday, the Senate ethics committee rejected Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition about the alleged harassment, citing procedural rule violations. Her subsequent suspension was justified over an earlier argument that erupted in the Senate about a change in her seating arrangement. In a TV interview on February 28, Akpoti-Uduaghan – one of only four women in the 109-seat chamber – alleged that Akpabio made unwanted sexual advances towards her in 2023. “This injustice will not be sustained,” she said on Thursday after she was prevented from speaking in the Senate and escorted out of the chamber by the sergeant-at-arms. Akpabio has publicly denied any wrongdoing. “Since the 20th of February, I have been inundated with phone calls from various Nigerians. I would like to state that at no time did I sexually harass Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan,” he said, speaking at the start of a plenary session on Wednesday. *Letter to the Nigerian Senate* The Petition of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Must Be Independently Investigated and Openly Discussed in a Public Hearing that the Accused Does Not Preside. Two Demands: 1. Swiftly Appoint an Independent Investigator on the Petition of… pic.twitter.com/rdUkDoR7uU — Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) March 6, 2025 Advertisement Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Nigeria’s north-central Kogi Central district, shared a statement on her Facebook page in reaction to the suspension. “Against the culture of silence, intimidation and victim-shaming; my unjust suspension from the Nigerian Senate invalidates the principles of natural justice, fairness and equity,” she said. “The illegal suspension does not withdraw my legitimacy as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and I will continue to use my duly elected position to serve my constituents and country to the best of my ability till 2027 and beyond.” Ethics committee ‘not fit for purpose’? Senate Majority Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said Akpoti-Uduaghan should use her suspension to “learn the rules of the Senate”. “I asked her what she will gain if she tries to pull the Senate president down,” Bamidele said during the consideration of the petition on the Senate floor. Critics like Chioma Agwuegbo, executive director of the women’s rights organisation TechHerNG, condemned the ethics committee’s handling of the case, alleging bias. “The ethics committee to which her petition was referred has shown that it is not fit for purpose,” Agwuegbo said. Many prominent Nigerian figures and groups have called for a transparent investigation. Many women also expressed their anger over the expulsion on social media with some calling it “oppression”. Two groups of protesters gathered at the National Assembly ground on Wednesday in the capital, Abuja, one in support of Akpabio and the other for Akpoti-Uduaghan, chanting ”Akpabio must go.” Advertisement Akpoti-Uduaghan has filed a lawsuit against the Senate president, seeking 100 billion naira ($64,000) in damages. While rare in Nigeria’s National Assembly, this is not the first time a case involving sexual harassment or assault has emerged. Senator Dino Melaye was accused of threatening to sexually assault Senator Remi Tinubu, the country’s current first lady, but was never charged. Adblock test (Why?)
India vs New Zealand – Champions Trophy final: Match-ups, stream, weather
Who: India vs New ZealandWhat: ICC Champions Trophy 2025 finalWhen: Sunday at 1pm (09:00 GMT)Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates After 14 matches and 18 days, the elite one-day international (ODI) men’s competition comprising the world’s top eight teams has whittled down to a battle between the top two contenders. India and New Zealand meet in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai on Sunday. Here’s everything you need to know about the big showdown: Why is Dubai hosting the Champions Trophy final? In the months preceding the Champions Trophy, the ICC found itself in the middle of a deadlock between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI said it wouldn’t send a team to Pakistan, and while the reasons were never publicly shared, the political tension between both countries was understood to be the cause. Meanwhile, the PCB was adamant about hosting all games in Pakistan. With less than two months to go, both sides met halfway, and it was decided that in all ICC tournaments until 2031 that were hosted by either country, the neighbouring country’s team would play its matches at a neutral venue. Advertisement Pakistan opted to host India’s matches, including the final, in Dubai. What was India’s route to the final? Six-wicket win over Bangladesh in Dubai Six-wicket win over Pakistan in Dubai 44-run win over New Zealand in Dubai Four-wicket win over Australia in Dubai What was New Zealand’s route to the final? 60-run win over Pakistan in Karachi Five-wicket win over Bangladesh in Rawalpindi 44-run loss to India in Dubai 50-run win over South Africa in Lahore 🇮🇳 🆚 🇳🇿#ChampionsTrophy 2025 Final 🤩Dubai 📍 pic.twitter.com/mD112FDOIh — ICC (@ICC) March 5, 2025 Who are the players to watch in the final? Virat Kohli (India): The Indian batting great, arguably the best in ODI history, has rediscovered his run-scoring form in the tournament. In addition to his peerless record in run chases, Kohli has a healthy average when playing against New Zealand in ODIs. His 32 matches against the Blackcaps have yielded him six centuries and nine half-centuries at an average of 57.1. Although Kohli only managed 11 runs in the Group A meeting between the two sides, the 36-year-old is known to save his best for the biggest games. Shubman Gill (India): The world’s top-rated ODI batter began the tournament with a match-winning century over Bangladesh , and although Gill only added 57 runs in the next three games, the opener will be key to India’s innings in the final. His average of 74 and two centuries in 11 games against New Zealand make him a player to watch in the final. Varun Chakravarthy (India): The leg-break bowler’s return to the Indian side has left opposition batters in a fix. Chakravarthy made his Champions Trophy debut in the group game against New Zealand, in which he took five wickets to earn the player of the match award. The spinner’s variation will suit India’s needs perfectly on a relatively slow Dubai pitch. Kane Williamson (New Zealand): Williamson is regarded as one of modern cricket’s batting greats, and his never-diminishing hunger for runs in big tournaments makes him stand out in every competition. The former Kiwi captain was his side’s top scorer in the group match against India, and his teammates will hope that on Sunday he can add to his one century and 11 fifties against India. Matt Henry (New Zealand): The pacer is the tournament’s leading wicket taker, but his participation in the final hangs in the balance after an injury he sustained while fielding in the semifinal. Henry was India’s tormentor-in-chief in the group match, and should he play in the final, he will be the Blackcaps’ main threat with the ball once again. Mitchell Santner (New Zealand): New Zealand’s captain is among the world’s top all-rounders in ODIs, and his left-arm spin will be crucial on the spin-friendly tracks in Dubai. Santner is a capable batter in the lower order and has the ability to hit big shots when the need arises. Virat Kohli is India’s leading run scorer in the Champions Trophy [File: Altaf Qadri/AP] What are the key player match-ups for the final? Advertisement Gill vs Henry: The world’s leading batter vs the tournament’s leading bowler. Henry was responsible for trapping Gill early in the group match with an in-dipping delivery and can cause further problems in the final if he dismisses Gill cheaply once again. Kohli vs Santner: Kohli has rarely thrown his wicket away after settling at the top of the order, but India’s leading century maker in ODIs can be susceptible to left-arm spin bowling. Santner’s wily bowling and Kohli’s patient batting could prove an enthralling battle in the final. Williamson vs Mohammed Shami: The Indian pacer’s return after a prolonged injury layoff has unfolded almost perfectly as he has taken eight wickets in four matches. India will rely on Shami’s experience to undo Williamson, who rarely offers any weaknesses in big games. Rachin Ravindra vs Hardik Pandya: The rising star of world cricket with Indian roots has averaged 75 in the tournament, and although he was dismissed cheaply in the group match, Ravindra continues to pose a threat, one that India will hope Pandya’s experienced pace and bounce will counter – as he did in the group match. Rachin Ravindra has a knack for scoring big runs in ICC events [File: Aamir Qureshi/AFP] What’s the weather forecast for the final in Dubai? The final will be played on a bright and sunny day with no chance of rain and a light breeze forecast in Dubai on Sunday. Temperatures will be the highest when the match gets under way at about 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Fahrenheit) and are forecast to drop to 28C (82.4F) in the evening. Advertisement How will the Dubai pitch play during the final? The hosting of all India matches in Dubai while the other teams
At least 22 people killed as gang violence erupts in Ecuador
Rival factions of drug trafficking gang fight over territory in port city of Guayaquil before a presidential election. At least 22 people have been killed in Ecuador’s port city of Guayaquil after rival factions of a drug trafficking gang exchanged gunfire, highlighting the worsening law and order situation in the country before a presidential race. Another three people were wounded in the violence, the police said in a statement as the death toll increased from 19 to 22 on Friday. Police said the gunfight erupted on Thursday after opposing factions of a gang called Los Tiguerones, one of the most powerful in this formerly peaceful country, were caught in a dispute. Guayaquil’s El Universo newspaper described the killing as a “massacre”, adding that the gangs were fighting over the territories they control. According to the newspaper, several homes in the Socio Vivienda district of the city were targeted by at least 20 armed gang members, resulting in the multiple deaths. Images and videos posted on X showed several heavily armed men running around the district of Socio Vivienda during the attack. Emergency medical workers were also seen rushing injured people for treatment, as dozens of government security forces were deployed to the area. Advertisement The latest deaths bring to more than 400 the number of people killed in the area in recent months, El Universo reported. Ecuador is home to an estimated 20 criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking, kidnapping and extortion, wreaking havoc in a country of 18 million squeezed between the world’s biggest cocaine producers, Peru and Colombia. In recent years, Ecuador has plunged into violence amid the rapid spread of transnational cartels that use its ports, like Guayaquil, to ship cocaine to the United States and Europe. Homicides, for example, have risen from six per 100,000 inhabitants in 2018 to a record 47 in 2023. Experts say the gangs are constantly mutating and growing stronger with profits from crime. Guayaquil is the capital of Guayas, one of seven provinces where a state of emergency has been in force for the past two months as the government battles the gangsters. Last month, the right-wing President Daniel Noboa, who is seeking re-election, said he would ask unspecified allied countries to send special forces to help him wage this fight. The violence is not letting up as Ecuador gears for a run-off election on April 13 in which Noboa will face leftist Luisa Gonzalez. Noboa had taken an “iron-fisted” approach to crack down on violent crime, including declaring a state of emergency and deploying the army to the streets. Human rights groups claim the aggressive use of armed forces has led to abuse, including the murder of four boys whose charred bodies were recently found near an army base. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza residents react to Trump’s ‘last warning’ to Hamas
NewsFeed ‘What is there left to destroy?’ Palestinians in Gaza brushed off US President Donald Trump’s warning to Hamas that there will be ‘hell to pay’ if Israeli captives in Gaza are not released immediately, in what he called a ‘last warning’ to the group. Published On 6 Mar 20256 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)