O.J. Simpson dies after battle with cancer
NewsFeed Former NFL star, actor, and acquitted murder suspect, O.J. Simpson has died. Simpson was found not guilty in the 1994 murder of of ex-wife and her friend in a sensational trial, watched by millions of Americans. His family said Simpson died on Wednesday after a battle with cancer. He was 76. Published On 11 Apr 202411 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Akebono, sumo’s first foreign-born grand champion, dies aged 54
The enormous Hawaiian-born wrestler helped raise the international profile of Japanese sumo wrestling in the 1990s. Akebono, an American-born sumo wrestler who became the first non-Japanese grand champion or “Yokozuna”, died of heart failure this month in Tokyo, the sumo association said on Thursday. He was 54. The winner of 11 championships – the 10th most in modern sumo history – Akebono was physically imposing at 203cm (6 feet 8 inches) and 233kg (514 pounds). His fighting style relied on his immense size to thrust his foes out of the ring. Born Chad George Ha’aheo Rowan in Hawaii, Akebono was a college basketball player who was recruited by the head of a Japanese sumo stable, who was also Hawaiian. He entered the sumo world in 1988 and rose to its highest rank of Yokozuna in January 1993, becoming modern sumo’s 64th Yokozuna. He later became a Japanese citizen, taking the name Taro Akebono. As a foreigner, Akebono followed in the footsteps of the even bigger Konishiki, also from Hawaii, and alongside fellow Yokozuna Musashimaru, originally from American Samoa. “Throughout his 35 years in Japan, Akebono strengthened the cultural ties between the United States and his adopted homeland by uniting us all through sport,” US Ambassador Rahm Emanuel Emanuel posted on X. Akebono also regularly appeared as a celebrity on Japanese TV shows, and after retiring from sumo in 2001 fought in various mixed martial arts and professional wrestling events. “RIP to the Mighty Akebono,” posted Samoa Joe, the current world champion of AEW pro wrestling. “The epitome of a Yokozuna, both a warrior and a gentleman. A hui hou.” Akebono is survived by his wife, daughter and two sons. Adblock test (Why?)
Australian women lose bid to sue Qatar Airways over 2020 strip searches
Judge dismisses case because women not searched on the aircraft, says they could seek damages from the airport operator. A group of Australian women who were strip-searched at Doha’s main international airport have lost a legal bid against Qatar Airways. In early October 2020, the female passengers were ordered to disembark their flight to Sydney and subjected to gynaecological examinations to check whether they had given birth. The body searches were part of an investigation into the whereabouts of the mother of a newborn baby who was found abandoned in a plastic bag in a bin at a toilet in one of the terminals of Hamad International Airport. The women later launched legal action seeking damages over alleged “unlawful physical contact”, false imprisonment and mental health impacts. An Australian court on Thursday dismissed the case because the women were not searched on board the aircraft, citing a well-worn international convention covering airline liability. Federal Court Justice John Halley indicated they could instead amend the claim to seek damages from the operator of the airport. In September last year, Australia’s government cited the “invasive” examinations as a reason to block Qatar Airways from operating more flights into the country. The airline said Australia’s decision was “very unfair”. Following the incident, Qatar’s then-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who since became the prime minister, had expressed his “deepest sympathies with the women impacted by the search at the airport” and renewed the Gulf state’s apology to them. “The incident is considered a violation of Qatar’s laws and values,” he said at the time, adding that the officials involved had been referred to the public prosecutor. Adblock test (Why?)
Will oil prices keep rising, and how will that affect inflation?
The increase this year, driven by geopolitical tensions and supply shocks, could hamper efforts to rein in inflation. Oil prices are at their highest level in months and central banks are keeping a close eye on the markets. For the first time since October, Brent crude, the international benchmark, topped $91 a barrel last week. That threatens a rise in gasoline prices in the United States and elsewhere, reigniting fears over inflation. The increase in prices has been driven in part by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Supply shocks after several output cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies are also pushing prices up. Zimbabwe has launched a new currency. Plus, McDonald’s buys back its Israeli restaurants. Adblock test (Why?)
What’s behind Germany’s unwavering support for Israel?
Germany is one of the staunchest backers of Israel’s war on Gaza. Eighty years after the Holocaust, Germany is accused of being complicit in an alleged Israeli genocide in Gaza. Nicaragua wants the International Court of Justice to order Berlin to stop military exports to Israel. German lawyers have rejected the case as baseless and biased. They say Berlin is a fierce advocate for international humanitarian law. For years, Germany has declared the security of the state of Israel is at the core of its foreign policy. As world opinion turns against Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, where does that leave Berlin’s unwavering support for Israel? Presenter: Laura Kyle Guests: Tobias Bacherle – Member of the German parliament and a political scientist John Kampfner – Author, journalist and senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute Shir Hever – Director of the Alliance for Justice between Israelis and Palestinians Adblock test (Why?)
Activists spray paint UK’s Ministry of Defence building red
NewsFeed Activists protesting Britain’s arms sales to Israel doused the UK’s Ministry of Defence building with red paint. As other demonstrators gathered, chanting, ‘Stop the bombing,’ 5 of the activists were arrested by police. Published On 10 Apr 202410 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli attack kills three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh
NewsFeed The Israeli military has confirmed it killed three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who says three of his grandchildren were also killed in the air attack which happened on the first day of Eid al-Fitr. Haniyeh has told Al Jazeera that Palestinian leaders will not back down if their families are targeted by the Israeli army, and that the killings will not affect Hamas’s demands in negotiations for a ceasefire. Published On 10 Apr 202410 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Biden: Israel’s Netanyahu making ‘mistake’ on Gaza
In strongest criticism yet, Biden takes issue with Israel’s approach but not its devastating war on Gaza. United States President Joe Biden has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a “mistake” in his handling of the Gaza war and its repercussions inside Israel and internationally. “I think what he’s doing is a mistake. I don’t agree with his approach,” Biden told Univision, a US-based, Spanish-language television network, in an interview that aired late on Tuesday when asked whether Netanyahu was putting his own political survival before national interests. Biden also said it was “outrageous” that Israel targeted a convoy of US food charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza, killing seven aid workers. “So what I’m calling for is the Israelis to just call for a ceasefire, allow for the next six, eight weeks, a total access to all food and medicine going into the country,” he said, adding that other countries were ready to help as well. “I’ve spoken to everyone from the Saudis to the Jordanians to the Egyptians. They’re prepared to move this food in. There’s no excuse to not provide for the medical and food needs of those people. It should be done now.” Al Jazeera’s White House Correspondent Patty Culhane reported that the interview took place last week, shortly after the WCK aid workers were killed in an Israeli military attack. Biden was only asked one question on Gaza, Culhane said, if “he thought that … Netanyahu was putting his political survival over the interests of Israel”. It remains to be seen if Biden’s staff later walk back his remarks on the ceasefire that he called for, Culhane added. While international pressure is growing for a truce in the six-month war, there has been no progress in weeks of talks with Israeli and Hamas officials as well as international mediators – the US, Egypt and Qatar. Senior officials in the US administration continue to defend and support the war – while sending weapons to Israel – even as 33,360 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 7. In testimony before the US Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin again categorically rejected that Israel is perpetrating genocide in the besieged enclave, where famine has set in, children have died of malnutrition and Israeli authorities have continued to block humanitarian aid convoys while carrying out attacks across the territory. “We don’t have any evidence of genocide being created,” he said. At a joint news conference in Washington, DC, alongside British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the enclave needs more humanitarian assistance. He said what matters is “sustained results” and that means ensuring aid “is distributed effectively throughout Gaza”. While Netanyahu announced Israel has decided on a date for its planned ground invasion of Rafah in southern Gaza, Blinken said the US has not been briefed on the decision and that he is expected to meet with Israeli officials next week. “We do not have a date for any Rafah operation. On the contrary, what we have is an ongoing conversation with Israel. The president has been very clear about our concerns about Israel’s ability to move civilians out of harm’s way,” he said. Rafah, bordering Egypt, is where about 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are taking shelter. Israel has long threatened an offensive there, but the US has opposed this absent a plan to evacuate Palestinians from the area. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 187
Palestinians in Rafah are celebrating Eid al-Fitr with Israeli drones buzzing overhead. Here’s how things stand on Wednesday, April 10, 2024: Fighting and humanitarian crisis On Tuesday, one day before Eid, an Israeli air strike killed at least 14 Palestinians, including four children, in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. Palestinians in Rafah began celebrating Eid al-Fitr with Israeli drones buzzing overhead, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said late on Tuesday. Separately, world leaders acknowledged the suffering in Gaza and Sudan in their Eid al-Fitr messages on Wednesday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that Israel has not apprised the US of any specific date for the start of a major offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, but added that American and Israeli officials remained in contact to try to ensure that “any kind of major military operation doesn’t do real harm to civilians”. Diplomacy and geopolitical tensions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach to the war in Gaza is a “mistake”, US President Joe Biden said in an interview published on Tuesday. Separately, on Tuesday, Netanyahu said there is “no force in the world that will stop us” from completing the elimination of Hamas’s brigades, including in the southern city of Rafah. Several family members of the captives held by Hamas met US Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Tuesday to call for a deal to ensure the release of their loved ones and implement a temporary ceasefire in Gaza. In a hearing on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US does not “have evidence” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his sorrow over the violence and hardships being experienced by Muslims in Gaza and elsewhere in his annual greeting for Eid al-Fitr. “My heart is broken to know that in Gaza, Sudan and so many other places, because of conflict and hunger, so many Muslims will not be able to celebrate Eid properly,” Guterres said in a video message posted on X. In a message wishing “Eid Mubarak“, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese acknowledged that “the suffering in Gaza will mean many Muslim Australians will mark Eid al-Fitr with sorrow”. Ireland will move to recognise a Palestinian state “in the next couple of weeks”, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin told local news site The Journal on Tuesday. Eid Mubarak. pic.twitter.com/473MWspVo7 — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 9, 2024 Violence in the occupied West Bank A young man was shot in the leg during an Israeli raid on the village of Asira al-Qibliya, south of Nablus on Tuesday, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported. Israeli soldiers fired live bullets, stun grenades and tear gas during the raid, Wafa added. Adblock test (Why?)
Olympics: India’s Zareen ready to step out of Mary Kom’s shadow, says coach
The current IBA women’s world boxing champion will go for gold at the Paris Olympics. Two-time world boxing champion Nikhat Zareen is ready to step out of fellow Indian MC Mary Kom’s shadow with a medal at the Paris Olympics, coach Blas Iglesias Fernandez has said. Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom has been the face of women’s boxing in India and her illustrious career inspired a Bollywood biopic in 2014. She won the flyweight bronze at the 2012 London Olympics to cement her legacy and announced her retirement earlier this year. Zareen will make her Olympic debut in the 50kg event in Paris and Fernandez expects the 27-year-old to return with a medal around her neck. “This is Nikhat’s time to prove herself,” the Cuban said in a Sports Authority of India (SAI) media release on Tuesday. “It’s true that she had lived in the shadows of Mary Kom but now it’s her chance to prove herself and make India proud.” Since 1990, Fernandez has worked with India’s top boxers, including Mary Kom, and is the only foreigner to have won India’s highest award for a coach. Currently India’s high-performance coach, the 68-year-old was particularly pleased by Zareen’s ring awareness. “I love the boxing (style) of Nikhat. She is very intelligent. She has good ring tactics,” he said. India could expect a second boxing medal in the women’s event if Lovlina Borgohain, who won the welterweight bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, could find her “killer instinct”, Fernandez said. “Lovlina has to show more killer instinct,” he said of the boxer, who had to move from 69kg to 75kg after the Olympic categories were revised. “I have seen some of her bouts and I think she lost them because Lovlina was not aggressive and proactive enough. “If she can box to her potential, she can finish among the medals in Paris.” India has bagged four women’s quota places for Paris. Fernandez was hopeful the male boxers would give a good account of themselves at the world qualifiers in Bangkok where India can potentially clinch nine Paris spots. “I reckon Nishant Dev and Amit Panghal can bag Paris quotas. They both have the potential to do this,” he said. “Men’s boxing is very tough and should not be compared with women’s where the competition is relatively easier.” Adblock test (Why?)