TV News LIES

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.

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Two shipments from Britain of military components bound for Israel have been seized in Belgium, which has banned aircaft carrying military equipment for Israel from stopping in the country or using its airspace. 

Last month, the British news website Declassified, Belgian NGO Vredesactie, Irish news website The Ditch, and the Palestinian Youth Movement alerted authorities in Brussells of a shipment travelling from Britain to Israel through Liege airport.

The consignments left Britain on 23 March and were siezed at Liege airport in Belgium on 24 March.

They were searched by a specialised engineer who found "fire control systems and spare parts for military aircraft", which had not been properly declared.

Belgian authorities reportedly opened a criminal investigation into the affair but have declined to name the firms involved in the complaint.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Tuesday signed a Joint Declaration on Enhanced Defense and Security Cooperation, deepening bilateral ties in air defense, drones, electronic warfare, maritime security and joint defense production.

Zelensky said the agreement marked the first step toward what he described as a “drone deal” with Norway.

“As we speak now, many Shaheds are in Ukrainian skies, and missiles may also be used. So we must keep our air defense supplied,” he said, referring to ongoing Russian attacks after a strike earlier in the day on Dnipro that killed and injured civilians.

Under the agreement, Norway will support the production of drones in Ukraine, while Ukraine will share data, information and knowledge with Norway. Ukrainian drones will also be produced on Norwegian territory.

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he war in Gaza has hardened positions in the Middle East and around the globe. But two men, an Israeli and a Palestinian, say that after that war began in 2023, they became like brothers. It is a brotherhood born out of trauma and one recounted in their forthcoming book, The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land.

Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon lived parallel lives. Both ran travel agencies and believed that travel and education could bring societies closer together. They first met a decade ago over tea in Jerusalem, where Abu Sarah, a Palestinian, was born, and they stayed in touch over the years on Facebook.

The Hamas-led attack on Israel that took place on Oct. 7, 2023, changed everything.

Inon's parents, Bilha and Yakovi Inon, were among the more than 1,100 people killed in that attack. Militants killed them at their home in Netiv HaAsara, near Israel's border with Gaza.

Inon was in northern Israel that day. In the aftermath, he says it was Abu Sarah who reached out and saved him "from falling down into the trauma, into the pain, drowning in this ocean of sorrow and agony."

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A U.S.-sanctioned Chinese tanker tested President Trump’s new blockade on travel through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, passing through the trading corridor to the Gulf of Oman.

Under Trump’s blockade, which began on Monday morning, the U.S. military says it is blocking Iranian ports and stopping vessels that paid tolls to Iran.

Rich Starry, a medium-range tanker, traveled through the strait on Monday afternoon, making it through the waterway on a second attempt, according to shipping data from Kpler. The ship is carrying around 250,000 barrels of methanol, Reuters reported.

The ship flies under the Malawi flag, but the African country has stated that it has no official registration for ships. The vessel has a Chinese crew on board, according to Reuters.

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The pro-Israel advocacy group J Street is now calling for an end to "direct" US military support to Israel, per a new policy document published on Monday. 

The group had previously backed Washington's continued provision of defensive weapons systems, such as the replenishment of Israel's Iron Dome, at no cost to Israelis. 

Now, it says the US "should continue to sell" short-range air and ballistic missile defence capabilities to Israel, but Israel should use its own money to pay for them. 

"Israel faces real security challenges that require a significant defense investment. With a per capita GDP comparable to leading US allies such as the United Kingdom, France and Japan, as well as an annual defense budget of over $45 billion, it has the financial means to address these challenges," J Street said. 

"It does not require almost $4 billion per year in US financial subsidies to purchase weapons," it added.

"Continuing this assistance is both unnecessary and politically counterproductive, creating avoidable tensions in US domestic politics and in the bilateral relationship."

The way the current military aid package operates is that the US provides Israel with American taxpayer funds, and those funds are put into US weapons companies to acquire equipment.

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