Nearly seven months after the start of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, the NYPD entered campus on Thursday to disperse a student gathering and carry out mass arrests for the first time since 1968. Hundreds of students set up tents and occupied parts of the South Lawn in front of Butler Library for more [...]
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Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from China's App Store following government order
Apple removed two popular social media applications, Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Threads, from its Chinese App Store on Friday due to a directive issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, citing ‘national security reasons’ according to Reuters and The Wall Street Journal. Apple also reportedly removed messaging apps Signal and Telegram on the same day. [...]
Voting machine company settles defamation case with far-right news network
Smartmatic, a voting technology company, reached a confidential settlement in a Washington DC court on Tuesday in its defamation lawsuit against the far-right One America News Network (OAN). The lawsuit was related to OAN’s dissemination of false claims about the 2020 US presidential election. Appearing in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, [...]
US House of Representatives reauthorizes controversial surveillance law
The US House of Representatives passed on Friday a two-year reauthorization of an expiring warrantless surveillance law that had been stalled earlier in the week. The passed bill extends a contentious provision called Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, also known as FISA. Wiretapping for national security investigations involving Americans or individuals within [...]
NGOs Like World Central Kitchen Must Do More to Protect War Zone Aid Workers
Without irony, Chef Jose Andres of World Central Kitchen (WCK) accused Israel of a “crime against humanity” in the recent accidental deaths of seven WCK volunteers by an Israeli air strike in Gaza. His accusation has generated a furious, and troubling discussion — focused on Israel’s culpability. US President Joe Biden claimed Israel has not [...]
Brazil Supreme Court orders X to block certain undisclosed popular accounts
The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered X Corp. (formerly Twitter) to remove certain users from its platform, the social media company announced on Saturday. X’s Global Government Affairs account said that the company was “forced by court decisions to block certain popular accounts in Brazil,” adding that no reason was provided as to why or any [...]
1,052 Myanmar civilian casualties in 2023 from landmines: UNICEF
UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) revealed Wednesday the use of indiscriminate landmines in Myanmar has caused an increase in civilian casualties, with over 20 percent of them being children. Civilians in Myanmar have suffered from a total of 1,052 casualties from landmine and explosive ordnances in 2023, alone. According to UNICEF, amidst the recent [...]
Israel PM Netanyahu announces death of 7 aid workers in Gaza from 'unintended strike'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday the death of seven humanitarian aid workers in Gaza from Israeli strikes. The workers are from World Central Kitchen. In a press release, Netanyahu stated, “Unfortunately, in the past day there was a tragic event in which our forces unintentionally harmed non-combatants in the Gaza Strip. This happens [...]
One Year Since Evan Gershkovich’s Arrest in Russia, a Friend Paints a Vivid Picture of Resilience
One year ago today, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia. His arrest came amid a broader media crackdown and surging suspicion of the West, both of which have loomed heavily amid Moscow’s ongoing war against Ukraine. On this grim anniversary, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken implored Russia to release Gershkovich [...]
The Cost of Revenge: A Cantor's Critique of Israel's Response to Hamas
In the wake of the deadly Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, many of Israel’s supporters, myself included, have succumbed to the understandable impulse for violent retribution. Israel is a land that I love, both culturally as a Jew — and third-generation Holocaust survivor — and spiritually as an ordained cantor. It follows that [...]