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Israel kills Al Jazeera journalist it claims was a Hamas leader

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Israel kills Al Jazeera journalist it claims was a Hamas leader



Israel’s military said it killed an Al Jazeera journalist it accused of being a Hamas cell leader in a Gaza airstrike, while rights groups argued he was targeted for his frontline coverage of the Gaza war and that Israel’s claim lacked credible evidence.

According to Gaza officials and Al Jazeera, 28-year-old Anas Al Sharif was among four Al Jazeera journalists and an assistant killed when an Israeli strike hit a tent near Shifa Hospital in eastern Gaza City.

A hospital official confirmed that two additional people also lost their lives in the attack.

Describing Al Sharif as “one of Gaza’s bravest journalists,” Al Jazeera called the strike a “desperate attempt to silence voices ahead of the occupation of Gaza.”

The Israeli military alleged that Al Sharif led a Hamas cell and was “involved in planning and facilitating rocket attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF forces,” citing intelligence and documents recovered in Gaza.

The killings were widely condemned by journalists’ associations and Al Jazeera.

The other journalists killed were identified as Mohammed Qreiqeh, Ibrahim Zaher, and Mohammed Noufal, according to Al Jazeera.

A press freedom group and a UN expert previously warned that Al Sharif’s life was in danger due to his reporting from Gaza.

UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan said last month that Israel’s claims against him were unsubstantiated.

Al Jazeera said Al Sharif had left a social media message to be posted in the event of his death that read, “…I never hesitated to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or misrepresentation, hoping that God would witness those who remained silent.”

Last October, Israel’s military had named Al Sharif as one of six Gaza journalists it alleged were members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, citing documents it said showed lists of people who completed training courses and salaries.

“Al Jazeera categorically rejects the Israeli occupation forces’ portrayal of our journalists as terrorists and denounces their use of fabricated evidence,” the network said in a statement at the time.

In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists, which in July urged the international community to protect Al Sharif, said Israel had failed to provide any evidence to back up its allegations against him.

“Israel’s pattern of labeling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.

Al Sharif, whose X account showed more than 500,000 followers, posted on the platform minutes before his death that Israel had been intensely bombarding Gaza City for more than two hours.

Palestinian group Hamas, which runs Gaza, said the killing may signal the start of an Israeli offensive.

“The assassination of journalists and the intimidation of those who remain paves the way for a major crime that the occupation is planning to commit in Gaza City,” Hamas said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would launch a new offensive to dismantle Hamas strongholds in Gaza, where a hunger crisis is escalating after 22 months of war.

“Anas Al Sharif and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices in Gaza conveying the tragic reality to the world,” Al Jazeera said.

The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said 237 journalists have been killed since the war started on October 7, 2023.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 186 journalists have been killed in the Gaza conflict.



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French teen faces jail in Singapore for licking vending machine straw

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French teen faces jail in Singapore for licking vending machine straw


Plastic straws are on display in a shop. — Reuters/File
Plastic straws are on display in a shop. — Reuters/File

A French teenager has been charged with mischief and public nuisance in Singapore for licking a straw and putting it back in an orange juice vending machine, court documents showed Monday.

Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien, 18, allegedly filmed himself “licking a straw and placing it back at the vending machine”, uploaded the video on Instagram knowing that it “would or would probably cause annoyance to the public”, according to the documents.

The teenager is studying in Singapore, according to court records.

The public nuisance offence carries a jail term of up to three months and a fine.

A second charge of committing mischief said Maximilien knew that he was “likely to cause wrongful loss or damage” to iJooz, the company operating the vending machine which had to replace all 500 straws in the dispenser.

The mischief offence carries a punishment of up to two years in jail on conviction and a fine, according to the charge sheet.

Both offences were allegedly committed on March 12.

The charges were lodged before a district court last Friday, and the next hearing will be on May 22.

The Straits Times newspaper said the video “quickly went viral, sparking shock and concern among netizens”.





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Araghchi arrives in Russia for close consultations on regional, international issues

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Araghchi arrives in Russia for close consultations on regional, international issues



Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Russia to continue close consultations between Tehran and Moscow on regional and international issues, and to enhance bilateral relations.

Speaking upon arrival at Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg on Monday, Araghchi noted that due to the recent US-Israeli aggression against the country, there had been a gap in meetings with Russian counterparts.

“We have tried to use the available opportunity, following our trips to Pakistan and Oman, to travel to Russia,” he said.

Araghchi added that Monday’s meeting would be a good opportunity to discuss developments in the war and review the latest situation, expressing confidence that consultations and coordination between the two countries would be of particular importance.

Constructive consultations held in Pakistan

Regarding his trips to Islamabad and Oman over the past three days, the foreign minister emphasized the bilateral nature of the visits.

Pointing to Pakistan’s role as a mediator in Iran-US negotiations, Araghchi said it was necessary to review the latest situation with Pakistani officials.

“Previous negotiations, despite some progress, did not achieve their goals due to American approaches, their excessive demands, and their wrong policies. Therefore, we needed to hold consultations with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest developments,” Araghchi explained.

He stressed that Iran’s position in the negotiations is very important.

“We must secure the rights of the Iranian people after 40 days of resistance and protect the country’s interests,” he added.

Iran-Oman expert-level consultations on Strait of Hormuz to continue

Referring to his meetings with senior Omani officials, Araghchi noted that Iran and Oman are both littoral states of the Strait of Hormuz, and it is necessary for them to consult each other, especially as safe passage through the strait has become a globally significant issue.

“It is natural that as two coastal countries of this strait, we must talk to each other to secure our common interests and coordinate any action taken in this regard, because the interests of Iran and Oman are directly involved in this matter,” Araghchi said.

He confirmed that there is a broad consensus between Iran and Oman, and it was agreed during the visit that consultations would continue at the expert level.

Iran closed the waterway to the enemies and their allies following the launch of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran on February 28, with the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and several top military commanders.

On April 8, forty days into the war, a temporary Pakistan-brokered ceasefire took effect. Talks ensued in Islamabad but stopped short of an agreement amid the United States’ maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.

Iran announced the reopening of the chokehold to commercial traffic following the announcement of a ceasefire by US President Donald Trump on April 7.

The country, however, imposed a total closure on the waterway on April 18 after Trump said the US was continuing an unlawful blockade it had imposed on Iran in continuation of unlawful aggression towards the country.



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India names Modi party colleague envoy to Bangladesh as ties thaw

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India names Modi party colleague envoy to Bangladesh as ties thaw


Indian politician Dinesh Trivedi speaks with the media outside the parliament in New Delhi March 15, 2012.— Reuters/File
Indian politician Dinesh Trivedi speaks with the media outside the parliament in New Delhi March 15, 2012.— Reuters/File

India named veteran politician Dinesh Trivedi as its next high commissioner to Bangladesh on Monday, in a rare appointment of a non–foreign service officer as New Delhi seeks to reset ties with its eastern neighbour.

Ties between the countries soured after a popular uprising forced Bangladesh’s long‑serving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to New Delhi in 2024, where she remains. Trivedi’s appointment highlights India’s push to rebuild trust with Bangladesh as it faces stiff competition from China for influence and business.

Trivedi, 75, a former railways and health minister, joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in 2021 from a regional party in West Bengal, a border state that plays a key role in India’s ties with Bangladesh and where Modi has been seeking to expand his party’s influence in ongoing local elections.

“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement about Trivedi.

Relations between the two countries began improving only after an election in February brought Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party to power, replacing an interim government that had veered strongly towards China.

Bangladesh’s foreign minister visited Delhi this month seeking increased fuel and fertiliser supplies, closer energy cooperation and eased travel restrictions, but one of the biggest sticking points remains India’s refusal so far to extradite Hasina.





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