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Canada and the Netherlands take Syria to top UN court. They accuse Damascus of widespread torture

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands and Canada are taking Syria’s government to the United Nations’ highest court on Tuesday, accusing Damascus of massive human rights violations against its own people.“Since 2011, Syrians have been tortured, murdered, sexually assaulted, forcibly disappeared and subjected to chemical weapon attacks on a mass scale,” the Netherlands and Canada said when they launched the case at the International Court of Justice in June. “Twelve years on, human rights violations at the hands of the Syrian regime persist,” they added.Syria’s conflict started with peaceful protests against President Bashar Assad’s government in March 2011 but quickly morphed into a full-blown civil war after the government’s brutal crackdown on the protesters. The tide turned in Assad’s favor against rebel groups in 2015, when Russia provided key military backing to Syria, as well as Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.In a written filing to the court...

Israeli military says about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli military says about 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory.Source

Bangladesh wins the toss, sends defending champion England in to bat at Cricket World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

DHARAMSALA, India (AP) — Bangladesh won the toss and sent defending champion England in to bat Tuesday in the second game for both teams at the Cricket World Cup.England opened the tournament with a heavy nine-wicket loss to New Zealand at Ahmedabad, giving the Black Caps a measure of revenge for the narrow result in the 2019 final. Bangladesh is coming off a six-wicket opening win over Afghanistan.England has won 19 of the 24 previous one-day internationals against Bangladesh, although the ledger in World Cups is even at 2-2 since 2007. England lost to Bangladesh in both the 2011 and 2015 editions, with the latter defeat knocking it out in the league stage.Bangladesh made one change to its XI, with batting allrounder Mahedi Hasan picked in place of Mahmudullah in a like-for-like replacement.England also made one change, with left-arm pace bowler Reece Topley replacing spinning allrounder Moeen Ali. It is a change perhaps keeping in mind the change in conditions, especially the high...

México fija fecha para reunión sobre migración con países del hemisferio cccidental

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

(CNN) — El presidente de México, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, anunció que organizará una reunión sobre el creciente flujo migratorio con múltiples países el 22 de octubre en la ciudad de Palenque, en el estado de Chiapas, en el sur de México. El anuncio se hizo durante una conferencia de prensa este lunes.“Necesitamos más acción, por eso esta iniciativa”, dijo López Obrador.Según López Obrador, han sido invitados a asistir los países de Ecuador, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Belice, Guatemala, Venezuela, Haití, Cuba, Costa Rica y Panamá. Agregó que estos son los países que impulsan la migración o los lugares por donde transitan los migrantes en su camino hacia Estados Unidos.Mientras México toma medidas enérgicas contra los migrantes, el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador gana influencia ante WashingtonLópez Obrador dijo que México tiene una buena relación con las naciones invitadas y planea presentarles una propuesta. Si bien López Obrador no entró en detalles de la me...

First-half woes continue to plague Packers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Green Bay Packers have scored a total of six first-half points in their last three games.And for the second consecutive week, an early deficit was too much to overcome, as the Packers lost 17-13 to the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.“Yeah, it’s tough, we had a lot of opportunities,” Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love said. “Defense did a great job giving us those opportunities. And we just didn’t do enough. I didn’t do enough. Obviously, it’s a lot of good stuff to learn from, but it’s tough because we had opportunities to go win it. And we couldn’t do it.”Unfortunately, for the Packers (2-3), most of those opportunities came late in the game, including their final drive when Love threw his third interception of the game.Love, who finished 16 of 30 for 182 yards and three interceptions, was just 7 of 12 for 56 yards and one interception in the first half.“We got to find something to get us going to jumpstart us,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said. “I ...

Kyiv worries war in Israel will undermine its own fight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

Presented by ASD.View in your browser or listen to audioBy JOSHUA POSANERwith LAURA KAYALI, CALEB LARSON, VERONIKA MELKOZEROVA and STUART LAUPRESENTED BY SNEAK PEEK— Kyiv is worried that war in Israel will shift the spotlight away from its fight against Russia but the U.S. insists it can keep both allies supplied. — NATO defense ministers meet on Wednesday and there’s no sign of war fatigue when it comes to supporting Kyiv, according to NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană.— EU countries have approved a whittled down joint ammo procurement scheme dubbed EDIRPA aimed at helping the bloc’s defense industry.Good morning and welcome to Morning Defense. This is the very first edition of your daily consignment of European defense policy news and analysis. First up, NATO defense ministers meet Wednesday and Thursday, the first serious summit since the Vilnius leaders bash in July. We’re also keeping an eye on the rapidly changing situation in Israel....

‘Planes have already taken off’: US sends Israel air defense, munitions after Hamas attack

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is surging weapons to Israel, rapidly sending air defenses and munitions in response to Israeli officials’ urgent requests for aid, a senior Pentagon official said Monday.“Planes have already taken off,” the senior official, who was granted anonymity in order to speak about sensitive plans, told reporters.The Defense Department is working across its enterprise, including U.S. Central Command, to determine which arms in U.S. inventory can be made quickly available for Israel’s defense, as well as pressing industry to expedite the delivery of pending Israeli orders for military equipment, the official said. DOD officials are in “constant, ongoing contact” with their Israeli counterparts as the needs of the conflict evolve.The Pentagon is using existing authorities and funds to make the moves, and does not yet need to ask Congress for additional aid, the official said.The senior official condemned the surprise attacks on Israel by Hamas over the we...

Myanmar military accused of bombing a displacement camp in a northern state, killing about 30

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military was accused of launching an airstrike on a camp for displaced persons in the northern state of Kachin late Monday that killed more than 30 people, including 13 children, a human rights group and local media said.The attack on the Mung Lai Hkyet displacement camp in the northern part of Laiza, a town where the headquarters of the rebel Kachin Independence Army is based, also wounded about 60 people, a spokesperson for Kachin Human Rights Watch told The Associated Press on Tuesday.Laiza is about 324 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city.The spokesperson, who asked to be identified only as Jacob for security reasons, said 19 adults and 13 children from the camp were killed by the airstrikes, which occurred around 11 p.m.“We strongly condemn this inhumane killing. This action causes resentment among the Kachin people,” he said.Kachin News Group, a local online news site, reported that more than 30 displaced persons ...

What to know as war between Israel and Hamas militants rages on for a fourth day

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Around 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory, the Israeli military said Tuesday after announcing it had largely gained control in the south and “restored full control” over the border on the fourth day of fighting following an unprecedented surprise attack.Spokesperson Richard Hecht said no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible. Israel has previously reported 900 soldiers and civilians killed, and Palestinian authorities have reported about 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli government promised Monday to hunt down Hamas fighters and to punish the Gaza Strip following a surprise weekend attack that killed more than 900 people in Israel, including at least 260 at a crowded music festival that became the scene of one of the country’s worst civilian massacres.During an unprecedented incursion Saturday, militants blew through a fortified border fence and gun...

Live updates | Gaza’s parliament and civilian ministries are legitimate targets, Israel says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:29:07 GMT

In a briefing Tuesday, Israel’s military spokesperson said Gaza’s parliament and civilian ministries were legitimate targets in its offensive against Hamas.Spokesperson Richard Hecht also said that because Israel’s air force is stretched thin, there might not be the same “level of fidelity” in warning targets before strikes. Asked if Israel considered Hamas’ civil government, such as parliament and ministries, legitimate targets, Hecht said “if there’s a gunman firing rockets from there, it turns into a military target.”SOME 1,500 BODIES OF HAMAS MILITANTS ARE FOUND IN ISRAELThe Israeli military said it had largely gained control in the south and “restored full control” over the border. Spokesperson Richard Hecht said 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory and no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible.Hecht said the military struck hundreds of Hamas targets overnight in Gaza’s Cit...