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The GuardianScandalIslamic World

The Guardian view on Israel’s death penalty: capital punishment is always wrong. This new law is doubly so | Editorial

Palestinians convicted of lethal attacks deemed terrorism face execution – while settlers enjoy impunity despite soaring West Bank violenceThe death penalty is morally repugnant. How much more so, then, when it is made the default, must be speedily carried out, cannot be subject to clemency, and is blatantly discriminatory – not merely in practice but inherently. The law on Monday is worded to effectively apply only to Palestinians, entrenching what many – including domestic rights groups, legal scholars and the international court of justice – have identified as . In setting out law for the illegally occupied West Bank, it is also annexationist. “Its application to residents of the occupied Palestinian territory would constitute a war crime,” said the UN’s human rights chief, Volker Türk.Execution will be the default for Palestinians found guilty of lethal attacks deemed as terrorist acts in the West Bank’s military courts – which have a conviction rate of . Amnesty International that the system routinely relies on evidence extracted through torture and abuse. The death sentence will be imposed even if prosecutors do not seek it. Convictions need no longer be unanimous. There is no possibility of pardon. Executions must take place within 90 days. Within Israeli civilian courts, the new law imposes the death penalty for deliberately killing a person with the intention of “negating the existence of the State of Israel”. Life imprisonment can only substitute in unspecified “special” circumstances.

Last updated 1h ago
The GuardianEducationNorth America

‘God squad’ waives endangered species law to allow US drilling in Gulf of Mexico

Critics say exemption for fossil fuels exploits White House’s ‘self-made gas crisis’, and could doom the rare Rice’s whaleA US government panel on Tuesday exempted and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a move which critics say could doom a rare whale species and harm other .The Endangered Species Committee – which had not convened in more than three decades – voted to approve the request for the ESA exemption at the request of the defense secretary, .

Last updated 3h ago
HaaretzHumanityIslamic World

Erased Israeli Settlers' Brutal War on Palestinian Communities in the West Bank

Erased Israeli Settlers' Brutal War on Palestinian Communities in the West BankScroll downCredit: Avishay Mohar, B'TselemHagar ShezafShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppThese images appear again and again – from the ground, from the air, and on maps: dozens of Palestinian communities wiped off the landscape, while illegal Israeli settler outposts continue to spread across the West Bank.Since October 7, 2023, this phenomenon has intensified significantly. Unlike the war in Gaza, there is no discussion in Israel about ending this parallel campaign of dispossession.

Last updated 36m ago
The GuardianElectionsUSA

Dan Hurley’s ‘head-butt’ showed Black coaches aren’t given the same grace as white coaches

An incident at the end of the Duke-UConn game reminded Black people of something we already know: we’re treated differently in AmericaThe was one for the ages. A last-second game winner from freshman Braylon Mullins took down the top-seeded Blue Devils, who at one point had led by 19 points. It is a moment that will be replayed over and over for years to come.However, something strange happened after Mullins’s shot. UConn’s head coach Dan Hurley approached referee Roger Ayers and while glaring into his eyes. It wasn’t quite the “head-butt” some called it on social media but it was an eye-catching scene. For his part, the incident was “absolutely nothing” but it wouldn’t have been unusual for Hurley to be given a technical foul, which would have given Duke free throws and a chance to win the game with 0.4 seconds left.

Last updated 2h ago
HaaretzScandalIslamic World

A State-run Sting: Israel's Budget Spits in Face of Those Shouldering Burden

The state budget passed by this failed and irresponsible government is a reflection of its true nature and the disdain which with it views the hardships that many Israelis are experiencing. Even a functioning opposition would have stood no chance against the corrupt gang that closed ranks since October 7 ■ The head of the Israel Police is no longer merely Ben Gvir's subcontractor– he has become an electoral asset

Last updated 16h ago
BBCHumanityNorth America

World Cup risks being 'stage for repression' - Amnesty

The World Cup takes place between 11 June and 19 July The 2026 World Cup risks becoming "a stage for repression and a platform for authoritarian practices", according to a new report from human rights campaign group Amnesty. The organisation has detailed "significant risks" to fans, players, journalists, workers and local communities in the tournament's three co-hosts - the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Last updated 19h ago
HaaretzDiplomacy

Iran Is Echoing Nazi Germany, Berlin Is Echoing Chamberlain

Many people, especially in Israel, were surprised this week when German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the war the United States is waging against Iran (and by implication, the one Israel is waging as well) violates international law, no less. How does this reconcile with what the German president said after Hamas' attack on October 7, 2003 – words that showed where his heart lay?

Last updated 23h ago
The GuardianEducation

Trump’s Iran war and drilling push show ‘dangerous volatility’ of fossil fuel era

Critics say president is locking into 20th-century energy systems even as his ‘bet’ on oil and gas ‘isn’t going so well’By attacking Iran and threatening to seize its oil while taking extraordinary measures to block clean energy back in the US, Donald Trump has inadvertently highlighted the dangerous volatility of the fossil fuel era, critics say.The US and Israel’s bombardment of Iran and southern Lebanon has caused a humanitarian and , with threats of further escalation set to add to these casualties as well as add more planet-heating emissions and destroy drinking water supplies.

Last updated 7h ago