University of Michigan suspends pro-Palestinian group over divestment protest
A pro-Palestinian group at the University of Michigan has been suspended for two years and will lose its funding in connection with protesters’ demands for divestiture from companies doing business with Israel. Students Allied for Freedom and Equality, also known as SAFE, was accused of violating the university’s standards of conduct for recognized student organizations…
Israel to free 183 Palestinians Saturday, doubling previous figure: NGO
Israel is set to release 183 prisoners on Saturday in the fourth hostage-prisoner exchange under the Gaza ceasefire deal, a Palestinian advocacy group said, more than doubling the previous reported figure. “The updated number of prisoners to be released tomorrow is 183,” said Palestinian Prisoners’ Club spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh on Friday, after previously announcing that…
Trump and Netanyahu expected to meet once on Tuesday: US official
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet at the White House on Tuesday, a US official said on Friday. The meeting, confirmed this week by the two leaders’ respective governments, is set to take place amid a fragile six-week ceasefire that has brought a temporary pause to 15 months of…
Panama police clash with protesters ahead of Trump envoy visit
Panamanian police on Friday fired tear gas and clashed with protesters angered by Donald Trump’s threat to take control of the Panama Canal, ahead of a visit this weekend by the US president’s top diplomat. The demonstrators, who included university students and teachers, burned an effigy and photos of Trump — who accuses China of unfair influence over…
Russian missile attack seriously damages historic centre of Ukraine’s Odesa
Russian forces launched missiles in the center of Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa, a UNESCO World Heritage site, seriously damaging historic buildings and injuring seven people, local officials said. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack underscored again the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences. Odesa regional governor Oleh Kiper said seven people were injured…
Maduro had ‘respectful’ discussion with Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell, says Venezuela
US President Donald Trump’s envoy Richard Grenell and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro had a respectful discussion about migration, sanctions and Americans detained in the South American country, the Venezuelan government said in a statement on Friday, after the two men met in Caracas. The meeting at the Venezuelan capital’s presidential palace comes amid a deportation…
Trump administration explores bringing USAID under State Department: Sources
The Trump administration is moving to strip a slimmed-down US Agency for International Development of its independence and put it under State Department control, two sources familiar with the discussions said on Friday, in what would be a significant overhaul of how Washington allocates US foreign aid. The National Security Council hosted discussions this week on…
Countrywide alert in Ukraine as air force warns of missiles
Ukrainian authorities issued air raid alerts for the entire country on Saturday, as the air force warned of missile and drone threats in multiple regions. “Missile threat to Mykolaiv and Kherson regions,” the air force said on Telegram, adding that missiles were moving toward the Sumy and Poltava regions as well. “Enemy strike UAV threat…
Small rescue plane crashes in Philadelphia with child, 5 others on board
A medevac plane crashed soon after takeoff in Philadelphia on Friday with a child and five others on board, the air ambulance company that operated it said, adding that it had not confirmed any survivors. Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, based in Mexico and licensed to operate in the US, said its aircraft crashed with four…
Meta to pay Trump $25 mln for suspending his social network accounts — WSJ
The corporation will pay roughly $25 million, the Wall Street Journal reported US President Donald Trump has signed settlement papers with Meta (designated as extremist in Russia) on the case of the company blocking his pages on Facebook and Instagram following the riot at the US Capitol in 2021. The corporation will pay roughly $25…
Trump administration to cancel student visas of all ‘Hamas sympathizers’
US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday to combat antisemitism and pledge to deport non-citizen college students and other resident aliens who took part in pro-Palestinian protests, a White House official said. A fact sheet on the order said Trump would order the Justice Department to “aggressively prosecute terroristic threats, arson,…
Israel says Hamas to free 11 more hostages this week
Israel said on Wednesday that 11 more hostages held in Gaza, including five Thais, would be freed over two days this week as part of a fragile Gaza ceasefire. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had received a list from Hamas of eight hostages to be freed on Thursday, including the Thais, and another…
White House will defend Trump’s funding freeze in court
The White House said on Wednesday it was prepared to fight in court after a US judge temporarily blocked part of the Trump administration’s sweeping directive to pause federal loans, grants and other financial assistance. “Everything this administration does is within the confines of the law, so we’re prepared to fight this battle in court,”…
Al-Sharaa named as Syria’s transitional president
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was named president for a transitional period, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) reported on Wednesday, citing commander Hassan Abdel Ghani. Al-Sharaa was also authorized to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase which will carry out its task until a new constitution is adopted, SANA reported,…