Two women freed by Hamas as more hostage releases expected
Prisoners to be released include eight women and 22 children, says Palestinian group
The advocacy group the Palestinian Prisoners Club has published its list of Palestinians held in Israeli jails who it says are expected to be released today as part of the truce exchange deal.
There are 22 minors and eight women on that list.
The 30 have been chosen from an original list of 300 Palestinians compiled by Israel – accused of a range of offences, from throwing stones to incitement to attempted murder.
Less than a quarter of those on that list had been convicted – the vast majority were being held on remand while awaiting trial.
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Two more hostages have been freed by Hamas – French-Israeli Mia Schem, who was kidnapped from the Supernova music festival, and lawyer Amit Soussana
Russia outlaws ‘international LGBT public movement’ as extremist
Human rights activists say supreme court’s vague wording provides wide scope for persecution
Russia’s supreme court has outlawed what it called an “international LGBT public movement” as extremist, in a landmark ruling that representatives of gay and transgender people warn will lead to arrests and prosecutions of the already repressed LGBTQ+ community.
The ruling in effect outlaws LGBTQ+ activism in a country growing increasingly conservative since the start of the war in Ukraine. The “extremist” label could mean that gay, lesbian, transgender or queer people living in Russia could receive lengthy prison sentences if deemed by the authorities to be part of the so called “international LGBT public movement”.
The justice ministry earlier this month filed a request that the “international LGBT movement” be labelled extremist, without clarifying what it meant under the term, which is not a registered entity in Russia but rather a broad definition used by the Russian authorities.
Gaza conflict: Middle East tourism struggles for survival
Tourism plays an important role in the economies of countries like Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. But visitor bookings are falling because of fears around the nearby conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Moustafa Hassan is slowly starting to worry.
“Sharm [el-Sheikh] is safe, it is a city of peace,” insisted the Egyptian man who works as a food and beverage manager at a hotel in the popular resort town. But potential visitors seem to be thinking twice about coming, the 50-year-old father of four told DW.
“The number of tourists to Egypt has decreased due to the Gaza war,” Hassan noted. Sharm el-Sheikh is about a three-hour drive from the Israeli border and, of all of Egypt’s traditional tourist sites, closest to Israel’s border with Egypt.
Ibama: Brazil’s environmental police are back on the job
When President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to power in January, he revived Brazil’s environmental police force. The Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) is “back at work”, says its president, Rodrigo Agostinho. After years of budget cuts under Lula’s predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, Ibama has seen its resources triple since the start of the year and is now stepping up its efforts to combat deforestation and illegal gold mining as well as limit livestock farming. FRANCE 24 reports from the northern state of Para.
Geandro Guerreiro views a map on his phone showing his next destination in between the startling swerves the pick-up truck makes to avoid gaping holes in the dirt road.
“We’ve got around 10 plots of land to check in this area today. The owners probably won’t be there, but the aim is to record the offence, fly over the area and notify the culprits as quickly as possible.”
The man in charge of the ground mission here is supervising around 15 Ibama police officers in this Amazonian no man’s land, which is being eroded by pastures. “Everything in grey is land that has been illegally deforested and is already under embargo,” he explains, pointing to a map covered in spots. Here in the town of Pacaja, Guerreiro admits they have to tread carefully.
Japan suspends its own Osprey flights after U.S. aircraft crash
Japan suspended flights by its Osprey aircraft Thursday, officials said, the day after a U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed into the sea during a training mission.
Tokyo has also asked the U.S. military to ground all Ospreys operating in Japan except for those searching for victims of the crash.
A senior Defense Ministry official, Taro Yamato, told a parliamentary hearing that Japan has suspended flights of Ospreys beginning Thursday until details of the crash and safety are confirmed.
Xi Jinping visits financial hub Shanghai for first time in three years as Chinese economy sputters
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has visited Shanghai for the first time in three years, as his government steps up efforts to prop up the country’s economy and financial markets.Xi made the trip on Tuesday and Wednesday and he visited the Shanghai Futures Exchange, a tech exhibition in the Zhangjiang High-tech Park, and a government-subsidised rental housing community, according to state-run Xinhua News Agency.He was accompanied by top government officials, including Vice Premier He Lifeng and Cai Qi, his chief of staff.
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