Foreign News
Israeli settlers steal Palestinian farmers’ land in occupied West Bank
Farmers in the occupied West Bank face near-daily incursions and violence from Israeli settlers, to the point that they live in fear of having their homes and land stolen, they say.
Added to that is the violence they witness in nearby urban areas, like Jein city and refugee camp that the Israeli army stepped up raids on, killing 10 people and wounding 20 in just one week.
According to the Ministry of Health, at least 237 Palestinians have been killed and about 2,850 others injured by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since October 7.
Farmer Ayman Assad, 45, and his family can clearly hear the attacks from their home just 2km from the camp and they have made the past few weeks a nightmare for him, his wife and five children. “The children are constantly scared, and they don’t play outside any more, it’s too dangerous,” he told Al Jazeera. “We can hear the attacks on the refugee camp, explosions and gunshots.”
Assad said his children are no longer going to school because even if they were to brave the route there, the Israeli army is blocking many of the roads in the area. All classes have gone online.
The greatest worry right now is that his chicken farm, which is further away in Area C of the West Bank, will be attacked by Israeli settlers while he is unable to defend it. “I’m scared my land will be stolen.”
Palestine is known for its olives, olive oil and vegetables, which are exported far and wide. The olive trees, in particular, are an important symbol of Palestinians’ attachment to their land.
The West Bank has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Since then, about 700,000 Israeli settlers have illegally settled in the Palestinian territory. and have been stealing from, attacking and destroying olive groves, farmland and property there for years.
But these incursions have stepped up in recent weeks, as Israeli forces and settlers mount armed raids while Palestinians are confined to their homes under curfew, Abbas Milhem, director of the Palestinian Farmers’ Union (PAFU) in Ramallah said. His own family’s farm was among those targeted.
Just over two weeks ago, armed Israeli settlers invaded the Milhem farm, fired guns in the direction of the people working on the harvest and stole olives. One of the workers at the farm, Iman Abdallah Jawabri, 45, was harvesting olives in a crew that included her husband when five settlers came in.
“They shot towards us as if they wanted to scare us, then when they came closer, they took our phones to prevent us from taking photos of them. Then they told all the women to leave and started hitting the men, forcing them to sit on the ground under the olive trees. “We (the women) were still looking at them from afar. After this, they took all of our olives and forced us to leave.”
The farm is now under military control despite being in Area B of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority technically controls civilian matters. The Milhems and their workers have been unable to return. “The farmers are afraid of being shot if they do,” said Iman. “I have several grandchildren and fear for the future, but I also thank God for what we have and pray for the people of Gaza,” she added.
“There is a second war in Palestine which is happening in the occupied West Bank,” said Milhem. “It is also crucial to understand how it affects farmers in the occupied West Bank.”
He added that he cannot travel to visit his ageing mother in Jenin because Israeli forces have blocked many of the roads.
(Aljazeera)
Miss Nigeria, Chidimma Adetshina, has spoken of her pride at coming second in the Miss Universe competition, as well as being named Miss Africa and Oceania.
“I’m so proud of myself and I just made history,” she said, shortly after losing out to Miss Denmark, Victoria Kjær Theilvig.
Adetshina originally competed in the Miss South Africa contest, as she was born and grew up in the country, however she was subjected to trolling and xenophobic abuse because her father is Nigerian.
Last month, the South African authorities said they would strip her of her identity papers, following allegations that her mother, who has Mozambican roots, had committed identity fraud to gain South African nationality.
Neither Adetshina nor her mother have commented on the allegations. South African authorities pointed out that Adetshina could not have participated in any alleged fraud as she was an infant at the time.
After the furore in South Africa, and the doubts about her nationality, she competed in the Miss Nigeria competition, which she won to qualify for the Miss Universe contest held in Mexico City.
The eventual winner of Miss South Africa, Mia le Roux, pulled out of Miss Universe last week citing an undisclosed medical condition. She was the first deaf woman to become Miss South Africa.
In September, Adetshina, a law student, told the BBC that she still saw herself as ‘proudly South African’ and ‘proudly Nigerian’.
But after Miss Universe South Africa tweeted to congratulate her on her second place, along with both South African and Nigerian flags, some South Africans responded by saying she did not represent them.
In her BBC interview, Adetshina said she would be seeking therapy to help her deal with the trauma following the abuse she was subjected to.
She is the highest placed black African woman in Miss Universe since South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi won the competition in 2019.
[BBC]
Polls have opened in Senegal’s parliamentary elections as President Bassirou Diomaye Faye aims for a resounding majority to see through the promises of ambitious reforms that swept him to power eight months ago.
More than seven million of the country’s 17 million people are eligible to vote on Sunday to pick members of the 165-seat National Assembly for a five-year term. Polls opened at 8am (08:00 GMT) and will close at 6pm (18:00 GMT).
Faye secured victory in March pledging economic transformation, social justice and a fight against corruption – raising hopes among a largely youthful population facing high inflation and widespread unemployment. He dissolved the National Assembly in September.
Faye appointed his firebrand mentor Ousmane Sonko as prime minister after Sonko was barred from running for president due to defamation charges against him.
The pair promised a left-wing pan=African agenda – promising to diversify political and economic partnerships, review hydrocarbon and fishing contracts and re-establish Senegal’s sovereignty, which they alleged had been “sold abroad”.
An opposition-led parliament hampered the government’s first months in power, leading Faye to dissolve the parliament in September and call snap elections as soon as the constitution allowed him to do so.
Analysts say Senegalese voters have historically confirmed their presidential choice during parliamentary elections, and the governing Pastef party is the favourite to win.
Earlier this year, the West African country witnessed the worst violence in decades in the run-up to the presidential vote. The then-President Macky Sall delayed the vote originally scheduled in February, plunging the country into chaos. The move led to deadly protests, as well as a pushback from the country’s highest court.
Elections finally took place on March 24, giving a smashing victory to Faye – a relatively unknown candidate appointed by widely popular Sonko. But seven months since the vote, pledges have failed to materialise, with Sonko blaming the opposition-led parliament for failing to pass legislation needed to execute the promised reforms.
Senegal is plunging into a debt crisis after the new government said it had discovered the budget deficit was much wider than reported by the previous government. A $1.9bn IMF programme is on hold while the government audit is being reviewed.
The main threat to the Pastef party’s ambitions is the unexpected alliance of two opposition parties, including the Alliance for the Republic (APR), headed by Sall. The race also includes two smaller opposition coalitions – one led by Dakar’s mayor, Barthelemy Dias.
Mariam Wane Ly, a former parliamentarian and trailblazer for women in politics in Senegal, said the election campaign gave the leaders a chance to explain their agendas and she expected Pastef to win the majority it is seeking.
“I think it’s going to make up for all the unhappiness,” she said.
[Aljazeera]
A gold pocket watch given to the British boat captain who rescued more than 700 passengers from the Titanic has sold at auction for a record-breaking £1.56m ($1.97m).
The 18-carat Tiffany & Co timepiece was given to Sir Arthur Rostron, then captain of passenger ship RMS Carpathia, by survivors he rescued.
Auctioneer Henry Aldridge and Son in Wiltshire said it was the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia, and that it was bought by a private collector in the US.
The sale demonstrates the “enduring fascination” with ill-fated the ocean liner, it added.
Sir Arthur changed course of the Carpathia, which was on its way from New York for Europe, after the ship’s wireless operator picked up the distress call “we’ve struck ice, come at once”.
It set off at full speed and reached the Titanic two hours after it had sunk in the North Atlantic on 15 April 1912.
The watch was given to Sir Arthur by the widow of the richest man on the Titanic, John Jacob Astor, and two other widows of wealthy businessmen lost when the vessel struck an iceberg and broke apart – taking the lives of more than 1,500 passengers and crew.
It carries the inscription “presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912 Mrs John B Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D Widener”.
Sir Arthur received the gift from Mr Astor’s wife at a lunch at the family’s mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City, according to the auction house.
“It was presented principally in gratitude for Rostron’s bravery in saving those lives, because without Mr Rostron, those 700 people wouldn’t have made it,” auctioneer Andrew Aldridge said.
The previous Titanic memorabilia record was set in April when a gold pocket watch, recovered from the body of Mr Astor, sold for £1.175million at the same Devizes-based house.
Prior to that, the violin that was played as the ship sank held the record for the highest amount paid for a Titanic artefact for 11 years after being sold for £1.1m in 2013.
Mr Aldridge said the fact the record had been broken twice this year demonstrated the “ever-decreasing supply and an ever-increasing demand” for memorabilia related to the ship.
[BBC]
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake reaffirmed the governments readiness to collaborate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to advance Sri Lanka’s economic recovery
USS Spruance arrives at the port of Colombo
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