Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements

Director Basel Adra attends the 62nd New York Film Festival -
Director Basel Adra attends the 62nd New York Film Festival - "No Other Land" at Furman Gallery on September 29, 2024 in New York City. (AFP)
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Updated 05 April 2025
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Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements

Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements
  • Rights groups have said that since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza — a separate Palestinian territory — there has been a spike in attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank
  • Occupied by Israel since 1967, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as nearly half a million Israelis who live in settlements that are illegal under international law

UNITED NATIONS, United States: Palestinian director Basel Adra, who won an Oscar this year for co-directing a documentary on Israeli violence in the West Bank, sounded the alarm at the UN on Thursday, saying the situation was worsening despite the film’s success.
Adra was invited to speak by the UN Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People at a screening of his film, “No Other Land.”
The documentary chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta — an area Israel declared a restricted military zone in the 1980s.
“I wanted the world to know that we live in this land, that we exist, and to see what we face on daily basis, this brutal occupation,” Adra told the UN.
The film depicts events like bulldozers demolishing houses and a school, as well as the provocations by Israeli settlers on Palestinian residents — including those which escalate to violence.

Almost every day, there are settlers’ attacks on Masafer Yatta and all over commun-ities across the West Bank.

Basel Adra

After a prolonged legal battle, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 2022 in favor of the Israeli army, allowing the expulsion of residents from eight villages in the region.
“Even after winning the Oscar, we went back to the same reality,” Adra said, adding that the situation was “only changing from worse to worse.”
“Almost every day, there is settlers attacks on Masafer Yatta and all over communities across the West Bank,” Adra continued.
Last week, Adra’s co-director and fellow Palestinian Hamdan Ballal reported he was attacked by Israeli settlers for winning the Oscar, saying he was detained by Israeli police for “hurling rocks” at which point he suffered a beating and “brutality.”
Rights groups have said that since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza — a separate Palestinian territory — there has been a spike in attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
Occupied by Israel since 1967, the West Bank is home to around three million Palestinians, as well as nearly half a million Israelis who live in settlements that are illegal under international law.
“No Other Land,” despite winning a prestigious Oscar, has struggled to find distribution in the United States, screening at only a handful of cinemas.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez

What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez
Updated 4 min 56 sec ago
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez

What We Are Reading Today: ‘How to Change a Memory’ by Steve Ramirez

As a graduate student at MIT, Steve Ramirez successfully created false memories in the lab. Now, as a neuroscientist working at the frontiers of brain science, he foresees a future where we can replace our negative memories with positive ones.

“In How to Change a Memory,” Ramirez draws on his own memories—of friendship, family, loss, and recovery—to reveal how memory can be turned on and off like a switch, edited, and even constructed from nothing.

A future in which we can change our memories of the past may seem improbable, but in fact, the everyday act of remembering is one of transformation.


Kevin Durant wins NBA’s Magic Johnson Award

Kevin Durant wins NBA’s Magic Johnson Award
Updated 9 min 15 sec ago
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Kevin Durant wins NBA’s Magic Johnson Award

Kevin Durant wins NBA’s Magic Johnson Award
  • The Professional Basketball Writers Association gives the award annually
  • Durant also won the award in the 2010-11 season, his fourth in the league

OKLAHOMA, USA: Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is the winner of the 2024-25 Magic Johnson Award.

The Professional Basketball Writers Association gives the award annually to the NBA player who excels on the court and displays “cooperation and grace in dealing with the media and fans.”

Durant also won the award in the 2010-11 season, his fourth in the league, with the Oklahoma City Thunder.


He becomes the fourth two-time honoree, joining Stephen Curry (2016, 2024), Damian Lillard (2017, 2020) and Shane Battier (2007, 2013).

“We’re really pleased to honor KD again,” association president Howard Beck said.

“Kevin has long been one of the NBA’s most thoughtful and accessible stars. He always makes time for reporters, whether for on-the-record interviews or just informal chit-chat, and he never shies away from any topic. He’s as eager to dive into the minutiae of a single play as he is to discuss broader issues facing the league.

“His passion for the game always comes through. Our members were also really appreciative of Kevin’s public advocacy for reopening locker rooms after the pandemic, recognizing how critical that access is for building trust and rapport between players and journalists,” added Beck.

Durant, 36, was named to his 15th All-Star team in the 2024-25 season. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers finished second in the balloting, with Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors the other finalists.

The award has been given annually since 2001.


UN peacekeepers say Israel hit Lebanon base with ‘direct fire’

UN peacekeepers say Israel hit Lebanon base with ‘direct fire’
Updated 25 min 44 sec ago
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UN peacekeepers say Israel hit Lebanon base with ‘direct fire’

UN peacekeepers say Israel hit Lebanon base with ‘direct fire’
  • UNIFIL said it was ‘concerned by the recent aggressive posture of the Israel Defense Forces involving UNIFIL personnel and assets’
  • Included an ‘incident in which a direct fire hit the perimeter of a UNIFIL position south of the village of Kfar Shouba’

BEIRUT: The UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon protested on Wednesday at “direct fire” by the Israeli military at one of its positions, the first since a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

UNIFIL sits on the international committee created to supervise the ceasefire agreement that kicked in on November 27 and ended more than two months of all-out war between Israel and the pro-Iranian militant group.

In a statement, UNIFIL said it was “concerned by the recent aggressive posture of the Israel Defense Forces involving UNIFIL personnel and assets.”

That included an “incident in which a direct fire hit the perimeter of a UNIFIL position south of the village of Kfar Shouba,” which it said took place on Tuesday.

The force said it “observed two shots fired from south of the Blue Line,” in reference to the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon.

It was the first time since November 27 that Israel has directly hit a UNIFIL position, it said.

At the height of the fighting last October, the peacekeeping force accused Israel of having hit its positions or peacekeepers at least 20 times.

As well as the “direct hit” on Tuesday, UNIFIL said there were “at least four other incidents involving IDF fire near its positions” and “other aggressive behavior by the IDF toward peacekeepers performing their operational activities.”

It said that on Tuesday that peacekeepers patrolling alongside the Lebanese army “reported being targeted by a laser from a nearby IDF position.”

“UNIFIL protests all such and we continue to remind all actors of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN assets and premises at all times,” the statement read.

According to the terms of the ceasefire, the Israeli military is required to withdraw completely from southern Lebanon while Hezbollah must dismantle its military assets in the region and withdraw north of the Litani river.

Israel has largely completed its withdrawal, though it insisted on keeping its forces at five points inside Lebanon that it considers strategic and has repeatedly launched strikes inside the country.

The ceasefire is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which requires that UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army be the only armed bodies in southern Lebanon.


Mauritania ex-leader Aziz jailed on appeal for 15 years

Mauritania ex-leader Aziz jailed on appeal for 15 years
Updated 26 min 23 sec ago
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Mauritania ex-leader Aziz jailed on appeal for 15 years

Mauritania ex-leader Aziz jailed on appeal for 15 years
  • Aziz had appealed his original five-year sentence after his conviction two years ago of using his power to amass a fortune
  • Aziz, 68, remained impassive when the decision was announced

NOUAKCHOTT: An appeals court sentenced Mauritania’s former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to 15 years in prison on Wednesday for abuse of office and illicit enrichment.

Aziz, who came to power in a 2008 coup, had appealed his original five-year sentence after his conviction two years ago of using his power to amass a fortune.

The former leader, who has been in custody since his original trial began in January 2023, appeared alongside several former top officials and advisers also facing charges of abuse of office, illicit enrichment, influence peddling and money laundering.

The court in the capital Nouakchott also upheld the confiscation of Aziz’s assets and the stripping of his civic rights.

Aziz, 68, remained impassive when the decision was announced, an AFP journalist saw.

Investigators estimate that Aziz, who led the northwest African country of 4.5 million people for more than a decade, accumulated assets and capital worth $70 million during his presidency.

He was found guilty and sentenced to five years in jail in December 2023.

Aziz was excluded from the 2019 presidential election, won by his former right-hand man, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, who had been at his side for the coup and acted successively as his chief of staff then defense minister.

Aziz led the country linking the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa until 2019, returning to general stability a nation once prone to coups and jihadist activities.

He groomed Ghazouani as his successor and handed over to him after elections in 2019 in what was the first peaceful transition of power in a country that proclaimed independence from France in 1960 but then saw decades of political unrest.

At the time of his indictment investigators estimated that Aziz, the son of a merchant, had amassed wealth and capital of 67 million euros ($75 million) over his time in power.

Although not denying his wealth, Aziz has always strenuously contested the accusations against him, seeing a conspiracy to oust him from political life.

His successor has always denied any interference in the case. After remaining discreet about where he had obtained his wealth, Aziz surprised everyone toward the end of his trial by implicating his successor.

He claimed that, the day after the 2019 election, Ghazouani had handed him two suitcases filled with several million euros.


Neo-Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on UK mosques and synagogues

Neo-Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on UK mosques and synagogues
Updated 44 min 17 sec ago
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Neo-Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on UK mosques and synagogues

Neo-Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on UK mosques and synagogues
  • Court in Britain convicts three far-right extremists who stockpiled more than 200 weapons

LONDON: Three far-right extremists were convicted in a UK court on Wednesday of planning terrorist attacks against mosques and synagogues.

The men were part of an online neo-Nazi group that had stockpiled more than 200 weapons and were close to finishing a 3-D printed semi-automatic gun.

Brogan Stewart, 25, Marco Pitzettu, 25, and Christopher Ringrose, 34, were found guilty of multiple terrorism and firearms offenses, following a nine-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court. They will be sentenced in July.

The group were arrested in February last year after an investigation by counter terrorism police found that the men were intent on carrying out a violent attack.

“These extremists were plotting violent acts of terrorism against synagogues, mosques and Islamic education centers,” said Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s Counter Terrorism Division. “By their own admission, they were inspired by SS (Nazi) tactics and supremacist ideology.”

Counter terrorism police said that the men belonged to an online group that provided an echo chamber of extreme right-wing views. They shared horrific racial slurs, glorified mass murderers and encouraged violence.

The group, which idolized the Nazi Germany regime, prepared for what they claimed would be a “race war” by sourcing body armor and weapons including machetes, hunting knives, swords and crossbows.

“They were a group that espoused vile racist views and advocated for violence, all to support their extreme right-wing mindset,” said Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East. “All three took real-world steps to plan and prepare for carrying out an attack on innocent citizens.”