On 8 April, Israel's military launched the psychopathically titled Operation Eternal Darkness against Lebanon, with predictably macabre results. In the span of a mere 10 minutes, Israel struck more than 100 sites across the country, killing more than 300 people and wounding at least 1,150.
The killing spree took place amid the regional ceasefire that had ostensibly taken hold after five weeks of cataclysmic war unleashed on Iran by the US and Israel.
Of course, Israel is not much one for ceasefires - and especially not when it comes to Lebanon. In just seven months following the so-called ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024, Israel not only continued to occupy territory in southern Lebanon but also kept up regular air strikes on the country, killing no fewer than 250 people. And things only went downhill from there.
Israel's campaign of terror in Lebanon takes another psychopathic turn
'All changed with the genocide': Palestinian women and girls face brutal abuse in Israeli jails
Once you picture schoolgirls, university students, mothers, aunts and grandmothers lying on their stomachs in prison pyjamas - their hands tied behind their backs, and soldiers looming over them, beating them if they move even slightly - you cannot forget the image.
When you hear a female prisoner say she has "nothing but her heart", you immediately grasp how prison can dismantle lives.
Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is marked every year on 17 April to spotlight ongoing human rights violations - and today, conditions are worse than ever. Since the launch of the Gaza genocide, starvation, isolation, humiliation, strip searches, torture and overwhelming fear have become constant realities for Palestinian women in Israeli prisons.
More than 700 Palestinian women have been arrested in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza since the genocide began in late 2023, according to rights groups. Enduring night raids on their homes or detention at military checkpoints, most have been subjected to physical and psychological abuse both during and after their arrest.
“Everything is different from the prisons of the 1990s. All changed with the genocide,” Ramallah-based lawyer Sahar Francis, who is also the former director of the prisoners’ rights group Addameer, told a recent webinar entitled Women, Prison Sumoud.
Kyiv Gunman Shot Dead By Police After Killing Six, Injuring 14
A deadly shooting spree in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district ended with the liquidation of the attacker by police special forces after he killed s people and took several hostages in a local supermarket.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Saturday, April 18 that the perpetrator was neutralized during a storming operation by elite KORD units.
According to the president, 10 people remain hospitalized with various injuries, and four hostages were successfully rescued during the assault. “The circumstances are being clarified. My condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” Zelensky stated, adding that he has instructed the Interior Ministry and the National Police to provide the public with all verified information.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko identified the attacker as a 58-year-old native of Moscow who utilized automatic weapons. Before barricading himself in the Velmart supermarket, the gunman opened fire on civilians and reportedly set fire to the apartment where he was registered.
Mamdani and Obama make first joint appearance at Bronx child care center
As the two leaders entered the pre-K classroom, a group of 19 students dressed in blue and plaid school uniforms let out squeals upon seeing Mamdani. Their teachers, who knew the mayor was coming but not his special guest, gasped at the sight of the 44th president of the United States.
“My name’s Barack,” the president said, introducing himself to the children. As the two men took seats in front of the kids, the children started shouting out their own names, and with one boy shouting out, “I know who you are, you are Mamdani.”
During the event, which was first reported by Politico, Mamdani and Obama read to the students and joined them in a rousing rendition of the “Wheels of the Bus.” Before meeting with the children, they discussed Mamdani's affordability-focused vision for the city — including universal child care, according to the mayor.
Obama and Mamdani did not take questions.
This marks their first face-to-face meeting and comes months after Obama called Mamdani just before Election Day in November. The former president praised Mamdani's campaign and offered to be a sounding board if he won the election. During the Bronx event, there was also a clear chemistry between Mamdani and Obama, who interacted with the children and teased each other with ease.
Monstrous category 5 typhoon hits US territories
American territories are recovering after a category 5 super typhoon hit Western Pacific islands before peak storm season.
Typhoon Sinlaku hit Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands beginning April 11 after rapidly developing into a category 5 storm. Territorial and federal officials have issued emergency declarations. The storm left power outages, flooded homes and roofs ripped from homes in its wake. So far, no deaths have been reported.
The powerful storm, which had winds reach at least 175 mph, hit before most typhoons form between May and October, though NASA said the season is yearlong in the Western Pacific.
“We’re actively recovering to get our people back into their business and to their lives again,” Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said in an April 16 video address.
Lewd messages linked to University of Michigan regent who led campaign against pro-Palestinian students
The University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker, who helped lead the university’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian students, appears to have made obscene sexual comments about a Democratic party strategist in a group chat, messages provided to the Guardian reveal. The Slack messages, attributed to Acker, also include lewd comments about a female U-M student and a picture of her with her friends.
The messages were shared with the Guardian just days before a heated primary convention election for two open U-M board of regents seats. The board is the university’s governing body, and the usually low-profile race is especially tense this year as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian candidates compete for seats. The race has become a local flashpoint in the broader battle over criticism of Israel on campuses.
Acker is known to be a confrontational, pro-Israel leader at the large public university. He is an attorney who helped recruit the Michigan attorney general to bring highly unusual prosecutions against students, and, while he was on the board, it led a sprawling undercover surveillance operation against the students. The prosecutions and surveillance operations were dAcker is known to be a confrontational, pro-Israel leader at the large public university. He is an attorney who helped recruit the Michigan attorney general to bring highly unusual prosecutions against students, and, while he was on the board, it led a sprawling undercover surveillance operation against the students. The prosecutions and surveillance operations were dropped after Guardian stories on each. Acker has also drawn criticism for leading the university as it dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative amid pressure from Donald Trump.ropped after Guardian stories on each. Acker has also drawn criticism for leading the university as it dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion initiative amid pressure from Donald Trump.
Minnesota has charged an ICE officer with assault for alleged actions during immigration surge
State and local prosecutors in Minnesota charged an ICE officer Thursday with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
The criminal charges appear to be the first against a federal immigration officer for actions allegedly taken while on duty during the immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year.
"Today's charges reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a press conference on Thursday announcing the charges.
The officer is identified in the complaint as 35-year-old Gregory Donnell Morgan, Jr., a Maryland resident who was part of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division at the time of the incident and had been detailed to the Minneapolis area.
UK: Soas student leaders win legal settlement after dismissal over pro-Palestine activism
Two former student leaders at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) in London have reached a settlement with the university’s students’ union after taking the union to court over wrongful dismissal for their anti-Zionist beliefs and pro-Palestine activism.
Alexander Cachinero-Gorman and Abel Harvie-Clark brought claims against the Soas Students’ Union and Soas after they were sacked from their elected sabbatical roles in 2024, before they had a chance to assume them.
Both student activists were dismissed from their positions despite being freely elected by the student body.
The pair said their dismissal was due to their anti-Zionist philosophical beliefs and student activism in support of Palestine.
In March 2024 the student body elected Gorman to serve as vice president of welfare and campaigns, and Clark as vice president of democracy and education.
But the students’ union trustee board dismissed the pair in June 2024 over concerns about their conduct and public criticism of the union’s leadership.
However, after the tribunal proceedings began, both parties reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount, bringing the case to a close without a full hearing.
Trump nominates Erica Schwartz, ex-deputy surgeon general, as CDC director
Donald Trump has selected Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), bringing to an end a months-long search for a permanent head of the troubled public health agency.
Trump revealed his choice on Truth Social, saying: “I am pleased to announce the new leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is my Honor to nominate the incredibly talented Dr Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, as my Director of the CDC,” he wrote. “She is a STAR!”
Schwartz must receive confirmation from the Senate before taking the role.
A rear admiral in the US Coast Guard, Schwartz previously served as deputy surgeon general during Trump’s first administration. Over more than two decades, she has held positions in the US navy, the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the US Coast Guard. Her tenure as deputy surgeon general lasted from 2019 to 2021.
Schwartz is a physician with a background that includes a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and a medical degree from Brown University. She also has a master’s degree in public health from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, as well as a law degree from the University of Maryland.
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