Skip to main content

Israeli occupier attacks threaten historic Christian presence in West Bank town

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...

Trump escalates Venezuela offensive with covert ops, military buildup

The United States is poised to launch a new phase of Venezuela-related operations in the coming days, four US officials told Reuters, as the Trump administration escalates pressure on President Nicolas Maduro's government. Reports of looming action have proliferated in recent weeks as the US military deployed forces to the Caribbean amid worsening relations with Venezuela. Two of the US officials said covert operations would likely be the first part of the new action against Maduro. Two US officials said that the options under consideration included attempting to overthrow Maduro, who has been in power since 2013. He has contended that Trump seeks to oust him and that Venezuelan citizens and the military will resist any such attempt. A military buildup in the Caribbean has been underway for months, and Trump has authorised covert CIA operations in Venezuela. The US Federal Aviation Administration on Friday warned major airlines of a "potentially hazardous situation" when flying over Venezuela. Three international airlines cancelled flights departing from Venezuela on Saturday after the FAA warning. Read: Venezuela terms US naval buildup a ‘criminal threat’ The US plans to designate the Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organisation for its alleged role in importing illegal drugs into the US, officials said. The Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading the cartel, which he denies. Trump has said the designation would allow the US to strike Maduro's assets and infrastructure in Venezuela, but he also has indicated a willingness to potentially pursue diplomatic talks. Two US officials acknowledged conversations between Caracas and Washington. It was unclear whether those conversations could impact the timing or scale of the US operations. The US Navy's largest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R Ford, arrived in the Caribbean on November 16 with its strike group, joining at least seven other warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft. US forces in the region so far have focused on counter-narcotics operations. US troops have carried out at least 21 strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific since September, killing at least 83 people. Human rights groups have condemned the strikes as illegal extrajudicial killings of civilians, and some US allies have expressed concern that Washington may be violating international law. Read More: Brazil warns against US intervention in Venezuela Washington, in August, doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro's arrest to $50 million. Further, the US military dwarfs Venezuela's, which is debilitated by a lack of training, low wages and deteriorating equipment. Some unit commanders have been forced to negotiate with local food producers to feed their troops as government supplies fall short. That reality has led Maduro's government to consider alternative strategies in the event of a US invasion, including a guerrilla-style response, which the government has termed "prolonged resistance" and mentioned in broadcasts on state television.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/LStsyOb

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...

Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...

Indian opposition supporters detained ahead of protest at Modi's home

Police in the Indian capital detained dozens of opposition supporters on Tuesday as they attempted to march to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence to protest against last week's arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal, a key opposition leader whose Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has governed the national capital territory for a decade, was arrested by the financial crime-fighting agency on corruption charges relating to the city's liquor policy, weeks before India begins voting in general elections on April 19. He was remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate until March 28, with the lawyer for the agency arguing he was the "kingpin" in the case and needed to be interrogated. Kejriwal's party, all of whose main leaders are now imprisoned in connection with the case, says he has been "falsely arrested" in a "fabricated case". The federal government and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny political interfere...