First Thing: US ambassador in rare diplomatic break with Israel over attack on US journalist
Özet haber: Mike Huckabee condemns attack on Washington Post photojournalist that has drawn lukewarm response from Israeli authorities. Plus, Japan is attempting to boldly go where no space mission has gone before
Orta Doğu
Mike Huckabee condemns attack on Washington Post photojournalist that has drawn lukewarm response from Israeli authorities. Plus, Japan is attempting to boldly go where no space mission has gone before
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Good morning. The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has denounced a settler attack that left the Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine badly beaten and needing surgery as a “despicable act of terror”.
Levine, 63, an award-winning journalist who lives in Israel, was set upon last Friday by masked Israeli settlers who used clubs and other weapons to attack Palestinians attempting to harvest their olives. The photographer, who is in hospital recovering from hand surgery, broken ribs and other injuries, said she was beaten for more than 10 minutes.
Huckabee said: “We have called for a full investigation, arrest, and prosecution to the fullest extent of the law to whoever participated in this. Attacking a female photographer is despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards.”
What else has Heidi Levine said about the attack? She said: “I was attacked, pushed to the ground. Luckily, I had my flak jacket and helmet, otherwise I probably wouldn’t even be here, because they just kept kicking and kicking me. I’ve been covering this region for over 40 years and I have never seen this country in such a state as it is today. I’ve invested decades of blood, sweat and tears into this. They cracked my bones, they haven’t cracked my spirit.”
How have Israeli authorities responded? In a move Levine said left her “shocked and insulted”, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has been ambiguous in addressing the assault. He said he condemned “violence against anyone” but referred to the attack as “alleged” and said its circumstances remained unclear.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has criticised “unbridled violence” after one of the most violent days of unrest in years left public buildings burned, hundreds of shops destroyed and looted and at least 2,400 people arrested in cities across the country. Macron said “nothing justifies” violence and that local state officials would be able to ban certain street gatherings if they deemed it necessary. Macron condemned the “failures” he said had led to the crisis, but he refused the resignation of the interior minister, Laurent Nuñez.
What is causing the wave of protests across Europe? School conditions, housing costs and the cost of living have brought demonstrators on to the streets in several countries including Spain, France and Portugal. Protests in Albania against the prime minister, Edi Rama, entered their sixth day on Sunday. Demonstrators there have said they are unhappy with perceived corruption, a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence in order to bully Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow. On Friday, Donald Trump waived a sweeping package of sanctions on Russia. Ukraine has also complained of slowed deliveries of air defence missiles from the US. Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post: “When the supply of missiles for Ukrainian air defence is blocked, and Russia receives sanctions relief or delays, it is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners.”
Barack Obama has condemned comments by Donald Trump’s “border tsar” that the Republican presidential administration could “of course” strip the Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar of her citizenship and deport her. Obama wrote: “The full weight of the federal government is being brought down on a law-abiding elected official because she has dared to criticize the president.” He urged all Americans to defend Omar, regardless of their political beliefs.
The captain of a flydubai flight who was attacked by a co-pilot who intended to crash the plane has described blocking axe blows to his head and screaming for help as he reached to open the cockpit door.
Capt Smit Machchhar has been hailed as a hero for his role in averting disaster on the flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv last month, helping to thwart what the UAE attorney general has said was an attempted suicide attack by the co-pilot who intended to crash the plane into Ben Gurion airport.
A Kansas driver who allegedly killed two people and hurt 10 others at a soccer game has been released from custody. According to authorities, the woman has been released without charges, pending further investigation.
The Australian MP Helen Haines is in critical condition after a suspected attack outside her office. Reports suggest she was deliberately targeted with a vehicle.
A CBS reporter has apologized and deleted a post praising someone who heckled Abdul El-Sayed. The Democratic Michigan US Senate candidate had been asked: “Will you disavow the Muslim Brotherhood?”
The Roman Catholic church has upheld the excommunication of a Louisiana deacon who resigned from the clergy after a priest molested his son.
Amelia Earhart researchers have left a remote atoll empty-handed after suspected “plane debris” was found to be a clump of trees.
Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s buzzy film was shown on only 855 screens and had the biggest documentary opening in North America since Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004.
Lex McMenamin reports on how the pro-LGBTQ+ sports fanbase is pushing a message of inclusion in the face of anti-trans attacks.
Influencers using beauty spots, tourist attractions and high-end destinations to stage photoshoots has led to some places introducing restricted hours for filming and even outright bans as part of a backlash against “content creators”. Of course, you could follow Georgina McNamara’s lead and just delete Instagram completely to rediscover the joys of a truly private life.
Lois Beckett has been in San Clemente where rapid coastal erosion threatens coastal homes and economies, and a town is reckoning with the reality of climate crisis.
This month’s biodiversity summit in Yerevan, Armenia, aims to push governments to meet the 23 targets agreed at Cop15 in 2022. Patrick Greenfield explains what you need to know.
Japan is to launch a spacecraft on the world’s first mission to bring back samples from Phobos. Scientists hope the mission, which is expected to take five years, will provide clues to how Phobos and its smaller sibling Deimos formed, and hopefully even shed light on the origins of life in the solar system.
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