World Echo

In Taybeh, one of the few Palestinian communities with a Christian majority in the occupied West Bank, fears are growing that Israeli occupier attacks on farmland and property could push more families to emigrate, threatening the town’s demographic character and historic Christian presence. Local officials and clergy warned of the impact of rising violence by Israeli occupiers, which has coincided with worsening living and economic conditions in the town. Taybeh, east of Ramallah, is one of the few Palestinian towns in the West Bank that still has a Christian majority, according to church and local accounts. Residents say the town’s Christian roots go back thousands of years. Residents say the attacks have deepened fears in the town, even as they stress their determination to remain on their land. Also Read: Pakistan raises red flag over illegal settlements in West Bank, calls for Israel accountability In recent years, Israeli occupiers have established several ill...

The United States on Tuesday announced visa restrictions against 13 individuals linked to Indian online pharmacy KS International Traders for allegedly distributing counterfeit prescription drugs containing fentanyl. In a statement, the US State Department said the individuals were close associates of KS International Traders and its owner, which was based in India. “Sanctioned online pharmacies like KS International Traders, based in India, have sold hundreds of thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with illicit fentanyl to unsuspecting victims across the US,” the statement said. Read: Iran war to cast a shadow on BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Delhi The department said KS International Traders generated revenue through fentanyl trafficking, noting that US President Donald Trump had designated fentanyl a “Weapon of Mass Destruction.” The statement said the move underscored the US’ and India’s “enduring and shared commi...

A New York Times opinion columnist has reported that Palestinian detainees have been subjected to sexual violence and other forms of abuse in Israeli detention facilities, citing interviews with former detainees and findings from rights organisations. In a column published on Sunday, columnist Nicholas Kristof said he interviewed 14 Palestinian men and women who described alleged sexual assaults, beatings, threats of sexual violence and humiliation during detention or encounters with Israeli forces and settlers. Kristof noted that there was “no evidence that Israeli leaders order rapes,” but argued that Israeli authorities had created “a security apparatus where sexual violence has become,” citing a United Nations report. Read More: 'No home left' for Gazans stranded in West Bank since Oct 7 The article also referenced testimonies from former detainees who alleged abuse during imprisonment, as well as reports by organisations including Euro-Med H...

Israel's parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian militants who took part in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, a step lawmakers said would help heal national trauma. The surprise attack, led by elite "Nukhba" force fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was Israel's deadliest single day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. At least 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians. Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins. Israel has been holding an estimated 200-300 fighters - the precise number is classified - captured in Israel during the attack, who have not yet been charged. Also Read: Israeli strikes in Gaza kill three, medics say, testing fragile ceasefire The special military court established by the law, to be presided over by a three-judge panel in Jeru...

China on Tuesday reiterated its opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to China. China's "firm opposition to US arms sales to China's Taiwan region is consistent and clear," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing. Trump said on Monday that he plans to discuss US arms sales to Taiwan with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing this week. According to The New York Times, a bipartisan group of senators has urged Trump to move ahead with the delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, which has been stalled at the State Department for months. Guo added that during Trump and Xi's summit in Beijing, the two leaders will have an "in-depth" exchange of views on China-US relations and other major issues concerning world peace and development. Also Read: Stung by Iran war, Trump heads to China in need of wins Trump also said that he would bring up the ca...

US President Donald Trump’s complaints about media leaks on the Iran war have triggered an aggressive investigation by the Justice Department, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing sources. Trump privately complained to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about media leaks following last month’s Iran war, prompting the Justice Department to aggressively pursue leak investigations. Blanche pledged to seek subpoenas targeting reporters involved in sensitive national security stories, according to the report. In one meeting, Trump handed Blanche a stack of articles he viewed as threats to national security, marked with a sticky note reading “treason.” Also Read: Stung by Iran war, Trump heads to China in need of wins Senior Justice Department and Pentagon officials have also discussed the investigations, the report said. In particular, the report said, Trump has focused his ire on articles that provided details on how he arrived at his deci...