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A warm welcome, to this website
that aims to give an overview and insight
at the news events of the day
and at important matters in this world.
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Een hartelijk welkom, op deze website
die tot doel heeft een overzicht en inzicht te geven
op de nieuws gebeurtenissen van de dag
en op belangrijke zaken in deze wereld.
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Ласкаво просимо на цей веб-сайт
який має на меті надати огляд та розуміння
новин дня
та важливих питань у цьому світі.
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In April President Biden had said he expected an attack on Israel from Iran “sooner than later” as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel in a prelude to a feared Iranian revenge attack.
Israel is braced for a potentially major escalation in its conflict with Iran after a US intelligence assessment warned that Tehran could order a strike on military and government targets inside the country in the coming days. Israeli ministers have vowed that if Tehran takes direct military action then they will respond with their own strikes on Iranian territory, opening the door to a full-scale regional war in the Middle East.
As fears increase that the Middle East could soon be dealing with a wider war the US is deploying extra warships near Israel to protect it from a strike by Iran. The US has also increased its presence on existing bases in the Middle East in anticipation of attacks by Iran or its proxy groups, including Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Bible says the inner ring war will include Israel’s immediate neighbours – including “the inhabitants of Tyre” (Hezbollah). See Psalm 83. The Bible also says that Israel will defeat (burn up) those people who live “round about”.
Iran however forms part of the outer circle war that invades Israel with Russia. This war comes after during a time of so-called peace and security for Israel. Therefore it is unlikely Iran will fire missiles from Iran itself and it will instead activate Hezbollah to try to punish Israel.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday May 9, that his country is ready to “stand alone” in its fight against Hamas terrorists, responding to President Joe Biden’s announcement that the United States will cut off ammunition supplies to Jerusalem if the Israel Defense Forces launch a large-scale invasion of Rafah, the last remaining Hamas stronghold in Gaza.
“If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. I have said that, if necessary, we will fight with our nails. But we have much more than nails, and with that same strength of spirit – with God’s help – together, we will win.”
Israel is fighting a war against those nearby enemies that want to see it destroyed. The world is totally deluded in thinking that a two state solution would see an end to the desire of those who hate Israel to remove them from being a nation. Israel finally sees that the only way forward is to remove the “pricking briers” that surround them. Zechariah 12 says it is God himself that enables the rulers of Jerusalem to remove the enemies that are “round about”. Netanyahu said exactly that this week,
“with God’s help we will win.”
Israel will win the inner ring war and finally remove ALL their surrounding enemies. The few will prevail against the many. Genesis 25:23 says that the “elder shall serve the younger”. The original Hebrew also means the
“many shall serve the few”…
Northern Israel plunged into chaos and fear as Hezbollah militants launched a devastating barrage of missiles, igniting flames that engulfed the hillsides and inflicted heavy damage on a key city. The evacuated city of Kiryat Shmona became the primary target of over 60 missiles fired by Hezbollah forces on Friday (May 10, 2024). The relentless assault left the region ablaze, overwhelming civil defence efforts to contain the spreading inferno. Reports from Yedioth Ahronoth, a Hebrew newspaper, detailed the widespread destruction caused by the missile bombardment.
Dozens of homes and vehicles lay in ruins, with fires raging uncontrollably across the Kiryat Shmona area – causing huge damage to infrastructure. Media outlet Sprinter Factory pointed to a concerning “vulnerability” in Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system. Hezbollah’s assault on Israeli army posts along the Lebanon-Israel border comes in the wake of escalating tensions since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7. The conflict has claimed a significant toll, with over 350 lives lost in Lebanon, including both Hezbollah members and civilians, while Israel mourns the loss of 15 soldiers and 10 civilians.
Israel is fighting a war on two fronts – with Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north. The conflict with Hezbollah is not fully underway – yet. The terror group has over 150,000 rockets and missiles and only a tiny fraction have been used so far. At some point through they will be drawn into a full-scale war with Israel. Isaiah 17 says that Damascus will be destroyed and this will almost certainly happen during the inner ring war that Hezbollah are part of. Isaiah 17 tells us that “Ephraim” (code for northern Israel) will become like a grainfield. Israel survives though to live in peace until Gog invades…
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder [many] shall serve the younger [few]. (Genesis 25:23)
This verse is speaking of Jacob (Israel) v Esau (who became Edom / Idumean) many Palestinians are actually related to Edomites.
The fortified towns of Ephraim [northern Israel] will also be destroyed, and the royal power of Damascus will end. In that day Ephraim’s [northern Israel’s] glory will grow dim; its robust body will waste away. The whole land will look like a grainfield after the harvesters have gathered the grain. It will be desolate.. Although Israel wins – northern Israel is left with great destruction. (Isaiah 17:3-4)
Weekly World Watch, Andy Walton
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Outsiders often complain that bioethicists are out of touch with and unrepresentative of mainstream America. The authors of a fascinating article in AJOB surveyed bioethicists to get an idea of the background of their colleagues. The result? Yes, they are unrepresentative.
In one telling finding, 87% of bioethicists described themselves as politically liberal — compared to 25% of Americans as a whole.
Nearly 80% of bioethicists in our sample identify as white alone, while only 64% of American adults do. Bioethicists are also whiter than academics generally, a group that more closely resembles the U.S. population: 61% of tenure-track academics are white, while 74% of tenured faculty are. A majority of respondents hold a PhD or other professional degree, likely reflecting bioethics job requirements. Notably, respondents also hail from educated families. In the United States, only 14% of people have completed an advanced degree, including a master’s, professional, or doctoral degree; however, 62% of respondents in our sample have at least one parent with an advanced degree.
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The day after Putin invaded Ukraine, Russia was banned from Eurovision
“in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine”.
Banning Russia while allowing Israel to participate in Eurovision is a double standard – Israel’s forces are causing a humanitarian crisis in Gaza much like Putin’s forces are in Ukraine.
Worse, we may even find that Israel is carrying out a genocide, with many Western countries not taking sufficient measures to condemn or punish Israel.
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Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil, representing Ukraine with the song “Teresa & Maria,” performed on stage during the first semi-final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) at the Malmo Arena, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 7, 2024. (JESSICA GOW/TT/TT NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty Images) |
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the annual song contest, blamed heightened geopolitical tensions for the ban, but indicated it was ready to think again next year. Footage shared on social media on Sunday showed the blue and gold-starred flag being waved at last year’s final, which was held in Liverpool.
“It is certainly completely regrettable that the flag of all the EU members taking part in the competition, as well as other states belonging to the Council of Europe, could not be shown.”
The flag furore is the latest controversy to hit this year’s competition in Malmӧ, already overshadowed by a row over Israel’s inclusion and the disqualification of the Dutch entrant hours before the final.
The veteran Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt contrasted the ban with the protests in Georgia unfolding at the same time, when thousands took to the streets on Saturday night, some waving EU flags, to protest against a Russian-style “foreign agents” bill.
“As the EU flag is banned from Eurovision, people risk being beaten to demand a European path for Georgia,”
Verhofstadt wrote on X.
“Freedom, democracy can never be taken for granted!”
The Dutch broadcaster Avrotros who sent Klein to the competition said it was “shocked” by the “disproportionate” decision, since he had merely made a “threatening move” towards a camerawoman but not touched her, and declined to hand out the points of its jury at the end of the show.
“Against the clearly made agreement, Joost was filmed when he had just gotten off stage and had to rush to the green room. At that moment, Joost repeatedly indicated that he did not want to be filmed. This wasn’t respected.”
According to the broadcaster, it offered “several solutions” to the EBU, which decided to disqualify Klein anyway.
Swedish police told the German magazine Der Spiegel that the incident they were investigating had not involved “physical or sexualised violence”.
Friction between Klein and Israel’s delegation at a press conference on Thursday night had fuelled speculation that the incident that led to his absence was of a political nature.
Europapa, a pop hymn to European free movement wrapped into a story of parental loss, had received strong applause at the semi-final and was seen as one of the frontrunners to win Eurovision’s 68th edition.
The suspension heightened an already politically charged atmosphere, since Klein had appeared to vent his disagreement with Israel’s presence at a press conference on Thursday, vocally backing a journalist who had asked Israel’s contestant, Eden Golan, if she thought her presence might endanger the other acts and the attending fans.
At a large demonstration in Malmö city centre on Saturday, several thousand protesters with Palestinian flags proclaimed their view that Israel should not have been allowed to compete in the first place, citing Russia’s exclusion since 2022 as a precedent.
Some protesters later moved on to the concert venue south of the city centre, shouting “Shame on you” at fans entering the arena. About 30 people were detained by police.
Inside the arena, the boos were mostly drowned out by cheers as Golan took to the stage. Israel performed strongly in the public vote, coming second only to Croatia.
| More information:
Israel should be dropped from Eurovision if Gaza war continues, say Belgian ministers
Reuters 07 March 2024
Eurovision: Russia banned from competing at 2022 Song Contest
BBC 25 March 2024
Famine imminent in northern Gaza, new report warns
World Food Programme 18 March 2024
More than 100 Gaza heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed by Israeli attacks
NPR 03 December 2023
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The week begins as Israel is stepping up its genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza, both in Rafah, the last unoccupied portion of the enclave, and throughout the Gaza Strip.
A catastrophe of monumental proportions is unfolding in southern Gaza. Over the weekend, another 300,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee from Rafah as the Israel Defense Forces begins its final assault in southern Gaza, bombing neighborhoods and moving troops and tanks into place. The IDF is directing them into the Mawasi area, the far southwest corner of the territory, where they will be trapped between Israeli forces, the Egyptian border and the Mediterranean Sea — effectively confined in an open air prison, without shelter, supplies of food and water, or protection from Israeli bombs and missiles.
Continue reading: Democrats and Republicans: US enablers of Israeli onslaught on Rafah
In recent weeks, student protests could be seen rearing their heads in many cities.
Appeals to Israel to halt its merciless slaughter of helpless refugees trapped in the city of Rafah in Gaza rang out nationally and internationally the last few days.
But all the cries do seem to have fallen on deaf ears, and the International Court of Justice in The Hague also seems to be in no hurry to hear the war crimes and genocide charges that Israel is clearly engaged in.
It is beyond belief, that Israel continues to bombard one million people stuck in Rafah and has now asked 100.000 to move to ‘humanitarian safe zones’, whilst previously those people lived in those zones and had to flee. Nowhere is safe for the 1.7 million Palestinians trapped there in Rafah.
As we have seen over the past seven months, forcing so many people to move is impossible without serious humanitarian cost, and people will inevitably die as a result of the evacuation.
The blood of the people of Gaza is on the hands of all those governments that allow Israel to continue those atrocities. In fact they must pay not only the political price but also face charges for their complicity.
Communist Party of Britain international secretary Kevan Nelson said Western powers backing Israel, including Britain, through arms sales were complicit.
Madeleine McGovern, humanitarian advocacy adviser for aid organisation Care International UK, said:
“The British government must act urgently to prevent an expansion of military operations in Rafah, which would place 1.5 million men, women and children at unacceptable risk.
“Ministers cannot delay any longer before suspending licences for arms sales to Israel.
“It would be unconscionable for British-made weapons to be used in an assault on Rafah.”
Aid workers of the charity ActionAid are reporting some of the most severe conditions in recent memory with widespread disease, starvation and chaos.
Israeli leaders have described Rafah as the last Hamas stronghold and have repeatedly said the invasion is necessary to defeat the group.
More than once we heard after a fierce attack on hospitals that such an attack was necessary to bring down one of Hamas’ main leaders and strongholds, yet now another major stronghold would have to be targeted.
Activist, journalist and historian Vijay Prashad slammed an all-out Israeli attack on Rafah as “outrageous,” describing it as
“nothing other than genocidal terrorism.”
And Margaret Kimberley, the executive editor of Black Agenda Report, condemned Israel’s actions as
“war crimes and genocide.”
She said:
“The complicity of Western nations in committing these crimes makes claims of democracy and civilisation a complete sham.”
Agreeing with Ms Kimberley, activist Sarah Wilkinson said:
“We are watching a genocide livestreamed into our phones.”
In doing so, one might ask how long Europeans are going to allow such scenes to happen and not demand a clear condemnation from their government.
While ordinary citizens can boycott all Israeli products as consumers, it is notable that not many Israeli products end up on shop shelves these days anyway.
Egypt and Qatar have been already mediating for months of talks between Hamas and Israel and Hamas had accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar, but Israel did not want to know of it.
For months now, we have seen the rise of far-right thinking in several countries in Europe. Several politicians are also trying to make people believe that Europe is a bad thing for their countries.
The future of the EU is being jeopardised by people stirring up social tensions for short-term political gain, Spain’s environment minister has said ahead of next month’s European parliamentary elections.
Teresa Ribera, who is heading the list for the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ party in June’s poll, said the European project is at risk of “an implosion”.
She told the Guardian:
“When you have people asking themselves what scapegoats they can use for their problems – rather than correctly identifying the causes of their problems and addressing them – the search for scapegoats ratchets up.”
Ribera said she had been deeply troubled by the moderate right’s increasing embrace of the far right and its tactics and language. Although the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, recently criticised some on the far right for being “Putin’s proxies”, she refused to rule out working with the hardline European Conservatives and Reformists Group, which includes Spain’s far-right Vox party, Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party and Poland’s Law and Justice party.
“I think that’s very worrying and, up to a certain point, it was a betrayal,”
said Ribera.
Read more: EU at risk of ‘implosion’ as far-right seeks scapegoats, minister warns
The past 12 months have been extremely dangerous for journalists, from those on the ground in Gaza and Ukraine to others risking everything to share stories of environmental destruction. Last week the Guardian has been marking World Press Freedom Day with a series of reports about journalists working in the face of immense danger. They spoke to many of those forced to work in exile and Jonathan Watts summed up the dangers facing those reporting from the frontline.
Iran International made global headlines last month when its journalist Pouria Zeraati was stabbed outside his London home. The attack was believed to be another example of Iran hiring proxies to assault its critics in the west, according to a Guardian report.
Roberson Alphonse, one of Haiti’s top investigative journalists, should have been on the ground in Port-au-Prince this year, reporting on the gang insurrection that has plunged the Caribbean city into chaos.
But a 2022 assassination attempt left him fighting for his life and forced him to flee with his family. He has not been back since. “Exile is one of the most atrocious things a human being can experience,” says Alphonse, a 46-year-old editor for Haiti’s oldest newspaper, Le Nouvelliste, and a broadcaster for the station Radio Magik9.
Can Dündar was the editor-in-chief of Turkey’s oldest daily, Cumhuriyet, but was arrested in late 2015 after the newspaper published footage that it said showed the Turkish national intelligence organisation transporting weapons to Islamist fighters in Syria. He’s plan is to one day go back to his country “to free Turkey”, he says. “But at the moment it’s impossible. While life in Berlin, which he escaped to in 2016, is “of course better than being in prison in Turkey … at the same time it’s not a paradise, there are many difficulties”.
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The Etilaat Roz was once the most widely circulated newspaper in Kabul, but everything changed in August 2021 when the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. Two years on, the founder and then editor-in-chief Zaki Daryabi continues to fight for the Etilaat Roz’s future. |
Israeli authorities shut down the local offices of Al Jazeera on Sunday May 5, hours after a government vote to use new laws to close the satellite news network’s operations in the country.
Critics called the move, which comes as faltering indirect ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas continue, a “dark day for the media” and raised new concerns about the attitude to free speech of Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government.
Israeli officials said the move was justified because Al Jazeera was a threat to national security. “The incitement channel Al Jazeera will be closed in Israel,” the country’s prime minister posted on social media after the unanimous cabinet vote.
The Foreign Press Association, a NGO representing journalists working for international news organisations reporting from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza accused Israel of joining a “dubious club of authoritarian governments”.
“This is a dark day for the media. This is a dark day for democracy,”
it said in a statement.
There was also some political opposition in Israel to the move, or at least its timing. The National Unity party, a centrist member of the ruling coalition, said that coming as ceasefire talks appeared close to failing, it could “sabotage efforts” to free Israeli hostages in Gaza.
Qatar established Al Jazeera in 1996 to build influence around the Middle East and further afield.
> Israel shuts down local Al Jazeera offices in ‘dark day for the media’
In de vroegere Sovietgebieden roert het nu en dan redelijk verontrustend.
In bepaalde landen, zoals in Georgië wil de regering er op toe zien dat er geen buitenlandse inmenging kan plaats vinden. Men zou kunnen zeggen dat zulks een goede wet is, maar het kan ook bepaalde beperkingen inhouden die de bevolking niet ten goede zouden komen.
“Officieel bestrijdt de wet buitenlandse inmenging in Georgië en promoot ze transparantie. Ngo’s en mediaorganisaties die meer dan een vijfde van hun financiering uit het buitenland ontvangen, krijgen onder de wet het etiket ‘buitenlandse agent’.
Hij lijkt evenwel heel sterk op een Russische wet uit 2012, die in de praktijk dient om op enorme schaal kritische stemmen te onderdrukken. We weten dus al wat het in de praktijk zou betekenen. Mensen voelen zich ook verraden. De regering probeerde vorig jaar de wet al goedgekeurd te krijgen, maar trok na grote betogingen haar staart in en beloofde de wet definitief te dumpen. Nu ligt de wet plots weer op tafel.”
Reden genoeg voor velen om terug op straat te komen. Het gevaar bestaat er namelijk in dat de regering haar macht wil versterken om over elke buitenlandse interventie voldoende greep te hebben.
“Het doel is simpelweg de eigen macht consolideren.”
bevestigd Ivane Abramasjvili die aan het hoofd van het vredes- en integratieprogramma van Caucasian House, een culturele organisatie die ijvert voor vrede, democratie en tolerantie in de Kaukasusregio. Hij vervolgt:
“Ze zijn een stap verwijderd van autoritaire heerschappij, want met de wet kunnen ze elke kritische stem bestempelen als ‘buitenlandse agent’.
Zo zou de regering haar greep verstevigen op een cruciaal onderdeel van het middenveld: kritische ngo’s en media. Dat is een keerpunt. Als de wet er komt en de regeringspartij Georgische Droom in oktober nog eens de verkiezingen wint, wordt Georgië het zoveelste ondemocratische Centraal-Aziatische land. De betogingen en de verkiezingen zijn allebei een strijd voor het overleven van de Georgische democratie.”
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Shortages and funding cuts are causing a “full-blown crisis” in special needs education for children and young people in England, according to school leaders who say they are struggling to give pupils the support they require.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union the NAHT, accused the government of treating schools as a “sideline” compared with headline-grabbing issues such as immigration.
“This is a full-blown crisis and bad news for children, families, schools and local authorities. Ahead of the general election, it is incumbent upon all political parties to pledge the system-wide investment needed to tackle this crisis head on,”
Whiteman said.
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The NAHT’s survey of 1,000 school leaders found that 78% said they had cut back on support staff such as teaching assistants within the last three years, and 84% said they also expected to do so within the next three years.
Some leaders said they feared funding shortages meant they would be unable to keep children and staff safe, while others said they were unable to pay for speech and language therapy, mental health support or specialist training.
Read more: School leaders warn of ‘full-blown’ special needs crisis in England
Some View on the World 