Explorers believe sonar image shows Amelia Earhart’s missing plane
NewsFeed A group of deep-sea explorers say they may have located the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s plane that went missing over the Pacific Ocean nine decades ago. They hope to prove their sonar image is the key to a mystery that has puzzled aviation experts and adventurers for decades. Published On 31 Jan 202431 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Heartbreak for Syria as Iran win nail-biting Asian Cup clash on penalties
Iran scrape past underdogs Syria in a penalty shootout to set up a quarterfinal blockbuster against Japan. Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Qatar – What do you get when you take two football-mad countries, pit them against each other in a compact stadium and put a championship knockout berth on the line? Iran vs Syria at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium on Wednesday night – fighting for the last remaining quarterfinal spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Iran emerged the winner after a penalty shootout was needed to separate the teams following a 1-1 result at the end of extra time. It was an end-to-end contest that captivated the spectators for more than two hours and the underdog’s fight that Syria showed. Iran started the game as favourites on many counts. Higher ranking: Iran are second in Asia and 21st in the world in FIFA’s men’s rankings, compared with Syria’s 91st position in the world and 13th in Asia. Past glory: Iran have won the Asian Cup three times – although the last time they triumphed was 48 years ago – while Syria had never previously gone past the group stage. Tournament run: Iran topped their group with three wins and a goal difference of five. Syria snuck into the knockouts as one of the four best third-place teams on the back of a 1-0 win over hapless India and a goalless draw with Uzbekistan. And finally, reputation: Iran were one of the title contenders alongside the likes of Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Syria were rated as one of the teams that would do wonders by qualifying for the knockouts. Syrian fans chant at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar [Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo] Their progress thrilled Syrian fans as it gave them a chance to see their team in action one more time, especially at a stadium that kept them very close to the action. Both sets of fans loved every minute of the action. The intensity of the on-field action was closely matched by the singing and chanting off it. The 10,000-capacity venue was evenly packed with supporters of both teams. They came prepared with drums, trumpets, flags of various sizes and powerful vocal cords. Once the action was under way, each wave of attack on the pitch was matched by a crescendo of noise off it. An Iranian fan cheers on his team [Aijaz Rahi/AP Photo] Iran took the lead when their star forward Mehdi Taremi converted a penalty in the 34th minute, but Syria kept mounting pressure on the Iranian goal. Their efforts paid off when they were awarded a penalty in the second half and Omar Khribin stepped up to convert it and send Syria’s fans into dreamland. And when Taremi was sent off in injury time, Syria felt the one-man advantage could help them sneak a winner. But somehow Iran managed to fend off the Syrian attacks, which Team Melli’s coach Amir Ghalenoei credited to a “compact and disciplined performance” in his post-match comments. Iran’s Ramin Rezaeian celebrates with teammates after the match [Molly Darlington/Reuters] In the end, what separated them on the field after more than two hours of action was one saved penalty kick. When Ehsan Hajsafi successfully converted Iran’s last penalty to make it 5-3 in the shootout, Syrian players dropped to the ground in disbelief. In the stands, their fans wore a look of shock. Children with their faces painted with the Syrian flags sobbed but some fans, like Adnan Yazbek, said they were immensely proud of the team. “Our team defied expectations to come this far and give Iran such a fight, so I’m heartbroken but I have a smile on my face because they made me feel proud of being Syrian,” Yazbek told Al Jazeera. Mohammed Abdullah, a Syrian fan, said the team has overcome many off-field challenges due to the ongoing war in the country and consequential complications. “Football is loved by everyone in Syria and this team is loved by all Syrians around the world,” Abdullah said. “Me and my little sister are heartbroken, but this is football and as long as we know our players gave everything, we are going to continue supporting them.” The Syrian team and their travelling fans return home to shift their focus on the 2026 World Cup qualification. Meanwhile, Iran face the Samurai Blue in an afternoon kickoff in the third quarterfinal on Saturday. Adblock test (Why?)
What is Elon Musk’s Neuralink brain chip, now being tested on humans?
A year after being cleared for the test, billionaire Elon Musk’s Neuralink has implanted its wireless brain chip in a human for the first time. Musk announced that the patient received the implant on Sunday and “is recovering well”. The device is meant to have several applications, from restoring motor functionality within people to enabling a brain-computer interface. There was no independent verification of Musk’s claims, and Neuralink did not offer too many details. Musk has touted Neuralink as the future of technology and medicine, but ethical concerns have been raised around the chip and its testing. Here is what you need to know about Neuralink and its human testing. What is Neuralink, and what does it do? Neuralink is a brain-chip startup founded by Musk in 2016. A device the size of a coin is surgically implanted in the skull, with ultra-thin wires going into the brain and developing a brain-computer interface (BCI). The disk would register brain activity and send it over to a device, such as smartphone, through a common Bluetooth connection. The first product, called Telepathy, would allow people to control their phones or computers “just by thinking”, said Musk. Planting the chip in the part of the brain that controls motor function would also enable people to overcome neurological disorders, the company claims. Musk said that initial users would be those who have lost the use of their limbs. What is the human trial phase of Neuralink? The human testing phase will collect data on safety and effectiveness, while helping improve the device. Musk said on X on Monday that the “initial results show promising neuron spike detection”. This means that neurons are sending electrical and chemical signals to each other around the body. Such activity allows us to carry out our everyday functions from eating to talking. When Neuralink initially started searching for trial participants in September, it was looking for individuals with diseases of the spinal cord, a key part of the body’s nervous system. The US Food and Drug Administration approved human trials in May 2023 amid federal probes into the safety of its trials on animals. The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well. Initial results show promising neuron spike detection. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 29, 2024 What testing has Neuralink carried out in the past? Neuralink has tested out its chip on monkeys and pigs. The company showed several monkeys “playing” basic video games or moving a cursor on a screen through their Neuralink implants. Although Neuralink says no monkeys died as a result of their implants, there have been reports of issues with the implants on monkeys, including paralysis, seizures and brain swelling. Are any other companies involved in such projects? There are some 40 brain-computer interface trials under way, according to an online database of active clinical trials in the United States. Australia-based company Synchron implanted its device in a US patient in July 2022. Synchron’s implant does not require cutting into the skull for installation. Other trials target medical needs while Musk’s company goes beyond that, aiming to allow people to control their smartphones and devices. What are the ethical concerns around Neuralink? Experts have raised concerns around the experimentation of Neuralink’s brain chip on animals, as well as potential risks associated with brain surgery, such as brain haemorrhage or seizures. They add that Musk’s vision of implants raises privacy and surveillance concerns. Scant details have been available on users’ ability to retain control of their personal data and neural activity. Earlier this year, the US Department of Transportation fined Neuralink for failing to register itself as a transporter of hazardous material — implants from the brains of primates — according to records from the federal agency reviewed by Reuters. Adblock test (Why?)
Two women wearing hijabs denied entry to Democratic campaign event
NewsFeed Two women wearing hijabs say they were barred from entering a campaign event with US Vice President Kamala Harris in Las Vegas. Published On 31 Jan 202431 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
ICJ rejects most of Ukraine’s ‘terrorism’ case against Russia
Kyiv had accused Moscow of being a ‘terrorist’ state and claimed it funded separatists in eastern Ukraine. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has rejected much of a case filed by Ukraine that accused Russia of funding separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine a decade ago, saying only that Moscow had failed to investigate alleged breaches. Kyiv had accused Moscow of being a “terrorist state” whose support for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine was a harbinger of the full-fledged 2022 invasion. Ukraine also wanted Russia to compensate all civilians caught up in the conflict, as well as victims from Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. The top United Nations court declined to rule specifically on alleged Russian responsibility for the shooting down of the plane. The ICJ tossed out most of Ukraine’s pleas, ruling only that Russia was “failing to take measures to investigate facts … regarding persons who have allegedly committed an offence”. The court added that only cash transfers could be considered as support for alleged “terrorist” groups under the terms of the international convention on terrorism financing. This “does not include the means used to commit acts of terrorism, including weapons or training camps”, the court ruled on Wednesday. “Consequently, the alleged supply of weapons to various armed groups operating in Ukraine … fall outside the material scope of the ICSFT” convention, the ICJ said. The 16-judge panel once again ordered Russia to investigate any plausible allegations of “terrorism” financing. ‘Russia trying to wipe us off the map’ Russia was also in the dock for alleged breaches of an international convention on racial discrimination due to its treatment of the Tatar minority and Ukrainian speakers in occupied Crimea. Here the court found that Russia had not taken sufficient measures to enable education in Ukrainian. During hearings on the case, Alexander Shulgin, Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands, accused Ukraine of “blatant lies and false accusations … even to this court”. Top Ukrainian diplomat Anton Korynevych retorted that Russia was trying to “wipe us off the map”. “Beginning in 2014, Russia illegally occupied Crimea and then engaged in a campaign of cultural erasure, taking aim at ethnic Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars,” said Korynevych. On Friday, the ICJ will rule in another case in which Kyiv has accused Moscow of falsely applying the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention to justify its February 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine. The court’s judgements are final and without appeal but it has no way to enforce its rulings. [embedded content] Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli soldiers taunt Palestinians at Gaza checkpoint
NewsFeed Israeli soldiers can be heard taunting Palestinian women and children as they passed by a checkpoint to monitor people being forcibly displaced in southern Gaza. The soldiers are also heard mocking leaders of Hamas over the loudspeaker. Published On 31 Jan 202431 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Russia and Ukraine complete first prisoner exchange since plane crash
The crash of a plane carrying prisoners of war had cast doubt on the future of prisoner exchanges. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in the first prisoner swap since the crash last week of a Russian military transport plane that Moscow says was carrying 65 Ukrainian soldiers. The Russian Ministry of Defence said that each side got 195 soldiers back and that its soldiers would be flown to Moscow to receive medical and psychological treatment. “On January 31, as a result of the negotiation process, 195 Russian servicemen who were in mortal danger in captivity were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In return, exactly 195 prisoners from the armed forces of Ukraine were handed over,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. It was cited by the RIA state news agency as saying that the United Arab Emirates had played a role in brokering the deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his official account on X that it was one of the biggest swaps so far. He gave a slightly higher number for the number of Ukrainians returned. “Our people are back. 207 of them. We return them home no matter what,” said Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s governmental body in charge of POWs said that this was the 50th prisoner exchange of its kind. It returned home soldiers involved in the defence of the cities of Mariupol and Kherson, as well as soldiers captured by Russia on Snake Island in the Black Sea. The body said marines and combat medics were among those handed back and that 36 of the returned Ukrainians had injuries or serious illnesses. The two countries have carried out periodic prisoner swaps via intermediaries since the war began nearly two years ago, despite the absence of any peace talks between them since the early months of the conflict. The latest and biggest exchange was on January 3, when they traded a total of 478 captives following mediation by the UAE. The crash on January 24 of a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 plane in a field before a similar planned swap had thrown doubt on the future of prisoner exchanges between the two sides. Moscow said Ukrainian soldiers being carried to a scheduled exchange were killed when the plane was shot down by Kyiv’s forces. Kyiv has not outright denied Moscow’s version of events but questioned whether captured Ukrainian soldiers were actually on board. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that a US-made Patriot missile was used to shoot down the military cargo plane. “The plane was shot down, it has already been established for certain, by an American Patriot system,” Putin said in a televised appearance. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Unwaveringly loyal’: Why El Salvador’s Bukele is poised for reelection
San Salvador, El Salvador – He suspended civil liberties. Led a mass incarceration effort. And provoked international criticism for human rights violations. But five years after he was first elected, President Nayib Bukele appears on track to secure a second term in office when El Salvador holds its general elections on Sunday. An estimated 69.9 percent of voters approve of his reelection bid, despite questions about its constitutionality: Before Bukele, presidents in El Salvador had historically been limited to one term. Bukele himself has embraced the condemnation he faces, labelling himself “the world’s coolest dictator”. “On the surface, his base appears unwaveringly loyal to him even if he implements policies that negatively impact a large number of people,” said Rafael Paz Narvaez, a professor from the University of El Salvador. Still, despite Bukele’s solid base of support, some observers question how long voters will back his strongman approach, particularly as more and more people feel its sting. Under Bukele, El Salvador has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with an estimated 2 percent of its adult population behind bars. The country once had one of the highest homicide rates too: In 2015, there were 105 murders for every 100,000 residents, a towering sum. But Bukele has credited his “mano dura” or “iron fist” tactics for causing that number to tumble to just 7.8 homicides out of every 100,000 people — the lowest in Central America. Soldiers patrol the historic centre of San Salvador, El Salvador, on January 25 [Camilo Freedman/Al Jazeera] Security a primary concern That argument has proven compelling for many Salvadorans, who have struggled with decades of widespread gang violence. Douglas Guzmán, 35, counts himself among Bukele’s ardent supporters. Wearing a baseball cap emblazoned with the slogan “Bukele 2024-2029”, he recently joined dozens of people to watch the daily performance of street dancers in the Libertad Plaza, part of downtown San Salvador. “This square used to be deserted because of how dangerous it used to be, but now thousands of people come to enjoy life,” Guzmán told Al Jazeera. Gúzman arrived at the plaza with a selfie stick: He is part of an online community of content creators who use social media platforms like TikTok to preach their support for Bukele. When asked about the accusations of human rights abuses under Bukele, Gúzman was quick to dismiss the reports. “It doesn’t matter if they want to write negative things about the president,” he said of Bukele’s critics, among them non-governmental organisations (NGOs). “I’ve walked through the dangerous communities, and until those NGOs walk through those streets, they won’t understand that this isn’t what they’re calling human rights violations.” He emphasised that life had improved since Bukele took office in 2019. “The government is finally valuing human life. Bukele is saving the lives of Salvadorans.” Douglas, 35, livestreams people dancing at Libertad Plaza on January 25 in San Salvador, El Salvador [Camilo Freedman/Al Jazeera] An ongoing state of emergency Bukele’s ascent to the presidency marked a shift in Salvadoran politics. Only 37 years old at the time of his first presidential campaign, Bukele positioned himself as a political outsider, opposed by major parties on the right and left. His inauguration five years ago made him the youngest president in Latin America, and he proceeded to make good on his ambitions of shaking up the status quo. Some of his policies were aimed at shoring up El Salvador’s struggling economy: Under Bukele, for instance, the country started to accept the cryptocurrency Bitcoin as legal tender. But his signature issue has been his crackdown on crime. In 2022, Bukele declared an ongoing state of emergency to stamp out gang violence. The designation curtailed certain rights — including the rights to due process and public gatherings — and expanded the government’s authority to surveil, arrest and prosecute suspected gang members. An estimated 75,163 people have been arrested since then, according to government figures. Bukele’s administration also opened last year a new mega-prison, designed to house 40,000 people. In addition to the state of emergency, El Salvador’s legislative assembly — controlled by Bukele’s New Ideas party — approved a series of judicial reforms last July that gave prosecutors the ability to conduct mass trials. A mural depicting President Nayib Bukele is seen on the side of an apartment complex on January 26 in Mejicanos, El Salvador [Camilo Freedman/Al Jazeera] Under the reforms, up to 900 people could be tried at once, limiting their ability to prove their innocence. That tough-on-crime approach has formed the centrepiece for Bukele’s reelection campaign, as well as those of his fellow party members. To maintain his party’s hold over the legislature, Bukele has narrated radio advertisements, warning: “If we lose one Congress member, the opposition will let all gang members free.” Other party officials have echoed similar themes, playing on fears that the country could return to the high rates of crime it saw before. For instance, Christian Guevara, the head of the New Ideas caucus in Congress, posted on social media, “The opposition has already said it would open the prison doors and let [suspected criminals] free.” Narvaez, however, said that Bukele’s popularity is buoyed in part by his government communications strategy, one that has heavily invested state-run news sources and social media. Bukele himself is renowned for his media savvy: On the social media platform X alone, he has more than 5.8 million followers. “The Salvadoran people are grateful to not have to pay extortion any more. They’re grateful to be able to roam around the city with peace, but this is a feeling that has been constructed through the usage of public funds for Bukele’s propaganda machine,” Narvaez explained. “As long as undemocratic actions can be justified as bolstering Bukele’s carefully crafted image, they will continue to be applied, not only with no significant backlash from the other state powers but with their compliance.” Demonstrators from the organisation MOVIR protest against the state of emergency on November 18 in San Salvador,
Rolex to diamonds: What’s landed Pakistan’s Imran Khan a 14-year jail term?
EXPLAINER The ex-PM denies he profited from the sale of ‘state gifts’ but prosecution says their value was concealed. A court in Pakistan has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 14 years in prison just a week before general elections, for unlawfully buying and selling state gifts. The former prime minister and his wife were also fined each 787 million rupees ($2.8m) in a case known as the asset concealment case, or Toshakhana case. The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-leader was jailed for 10 years for leaking state secrets on Tuesday. The former prime minister has said the cases are politically motivated and aimed at keeping him and his party away from the elections. So what is the case behind the latest ruling, and what gifts were part of it? What is the Toshakhana or state gifts case against Khan? The former prime minister has been accused of misusing his 2018-2022 prime ministership to unlawfully buy and sell gifts kept inside the Toshakhana, or treasure house – a government-owned department. The Toshakhana stores gifts received by prime ministers, presidents, ministers, members of parliament and government officials. Khan was sentenced to three years in prison in August for selling state gifts worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($500,000). The August sentencing, now suspended, was brought by the election commission. Wednesday’s conviction against the cricketer-turned-politician was brought by the anticorruption body in the same case. Khan and Bibi were indicted three weeks ago on charges they bought gifts – including jewellery and watches – at reduced prices and sold them at market value. They pleaded not guilty. What were the gifts mentioned in Khan’s Toshakhana case? Some 108 gifts have been listed by Pakistan’s information minister, including perfumes, diamond jewellery, dinner sets and cufflinks. The gifts allegedly also include seven watches, six of them Rolexes. The most expensive was a “Master Graff limited edition” valued at 85 million rupees ($300,000). (Al Jazeera) Why did Khan’s handling of the gifts become problematic? Expensive gifts given to Pakistani officials by foreign dignitaries range from Rolex watches to bulletproof BMW cars to a 21-karat gold crown. In Pakistan, government leaders are allowed to buy gifts received from foreign dignitaries and heads of state, but they aren’t usually then sold. If they are, the earnings must be declared. In many cases, politicians and bureaucrats have bought luxury gift items at a considerably lower price. Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf – who died last February – kept a pearl necklace worth about $250 by paying just 750 rupees (about $12 according to the exchange rate at the time) in 2006. Khan has said he declared the items and had bought them legally. He has also dismissed allegations that he held onto any state gifts or profited from them. But the prosecution said Khan did not correctly disclose his income after selling the gifts. The former prime minister’s aides were also accused of selling some gifts in Dubai and “concealing” their value. His wife, Bushra Bibi, became embroiled in the case after alleged leaked audio included her telling former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Zulfiqar Bukhari to sell some of Khan’s watches, which opposition leaders have said referred to the state gifts. Bukhari said the audio was fake and that he did not sell any watches. The alleged buyer of a watch also came out saying he did not make any such purchase. Where is Imran Khan now? Khan has been in jail since August as he has been facing more than 150 cases ranging from corruption to “terrorism”. He is currently being held in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. Bushra Bibi surrendered at the jail on Wednesday. Khan’s lawyers are filing an appeal to the verdict. Adblock test (Why?)
Nearly eight million people displaced by war in Sudan: UN
Nine months into a bloody war, nearly eight million people have been forced from their homes in Sudan, the United Nations says, calling for urgent additional support to cope with the crisis. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported the alarming figure on Wednesday as High Commissioner Filippo Grandi concluded a visit to Ethiopia, to which many of the displaced people have fled. The UNHCR said it is facing a chronic shortfall in needed funds. Since April 2023, more than 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan, including close to 47,000 refugees and asylum seekers. About 50,000 Sudanese refugees were already in the country. Grandi called for “urgent and additional support to meet their needs” as he inspected the efforts of the Ethiopian government and the UNHCR to assist. Five other neighbouring countries have also received huge numbers of Sudanese refugees. More than half a million people have fled to Chad since April. On average, 1,500 people cross daily into South Sudan. The latest wave of violence in the 20-year conflict has left nearly half of Sudan’s 49 million people requiring aid. The UN reports that 12,000 people had been killed by the end of 2023, but the actual death toll is believed to be higher. Chaos Sudan plunged into chaos last April when long-simmering tensions between the military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, erupted into street battles in the capital, Khartoum, and other areas. Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, left, and RSF commander, General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo [File: Ashraf Shazly/AFP] The violence has extended from an earlier conflict that began in 2003, when rebels from the territory’s ethnic sub-Saharan African community launched an armed rebellion, accusing the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum of discrimination and neglect. The government, under then-President Omar al-Bashir, responded with aerial bombings and unleashed the militia group Popular Defence Forces, also known as the Janjaweed, which is accused of mass killings and rapes. Up to 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million were driven from their homes. Internationally-brokered deals and peacekeeping forces have struggled to subdue the violence over the last two decades. Khartoum ravaged According to a report by the UN agency International Organization for Migration last year, approximately three million of the displaced are originally from Khartoum, the epicentre of the conflict. A damaged car and buildings are seen at the central market amid clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in Khartoum North, on April 27, 2023 [Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters] For months now, the RSF has controlled most of the city, making life impossible for locals, contributing to reducing entire neighbourhoods to rubble by embedding its fighters in residential areas, which are then indiscriminately shelled and bombed by the army. While millions have fled the city, some are too poor to leave, while others have stayed behind, fearing that the RSF will confiscate and loot their homes if they flee. Funding shortage Ethiopia hosts one of the largest refugee and internally displaced populations globally, the UN notes. As the third largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, it is currently home to nearly one million displaced people – mainly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan. An estimated 3.5 million Ethiopians are internally displaced. At the end of last year, UNHCR’s programmes in Ethiopia were less than half-funded, with just 36 percent of the $431m needed. In 2024, the overall requirements for UNHCR’s response in Ethiopia totals $426m. Adblock test (Why?)