Author: Sharanya Sukesh

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed his Cabinet recently that there was a significant decrease in U.S. weapons deliveries for Israel’s operations in Gaza, reiterating a claim that the Biden administration has refuted. Netanyahu mentioned the drop occurred four months ago but did not specify which weapons were affected, noting that while some items arrived sporadically, overall munitions deliveries were delayed. This disagreement underscores the heightened tensions between Israel and Washington regarding the conflict in Gaza, mainly focusing on the Israeli military’s actions in the region and the humanitarian impact on civilians. President Joe Biden had postponed the delivery of…

Joe Biden issued a statement following a violent pro-Palestinian protest outside a Los Angeles synagogue on Sunday, June 23. Clashes reportedly occurred between the pro-Palestinian protesters and pro-Israel counter-protesters. The incident has been widely condemned as antisemitic. The Los Angeles Police Department reported that officers responded to two protests on the same day in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Pico Robertson, located just south of Beverly Hills. Pro-Palestinian protesters are seen being pushed away from the Orthodox synagogue Adas Torah temple in videos. Protesters were heard chanting, “Free, free Palestine – from the river to the sea” and “Long live…

Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon has previously referred to the hijab as “foreign clothing” and has implemented measures to reduce public displays of religiosity. These actions are closely tied to his political strategy and hold on power. On 8 May, the lower house of Parliament, the Majlisi Namoyandagon, ratified the Bill, and the upper house, the Majlisi Milli, followed suit on 19 June, after Eid celebrations. As a result of this move, President Emomali Rahmon can now claim that the hijab is a foreign garment, per his earlier statements. The new law states that on days of holidays and ceremonies, the…

A key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition informed settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that the government is covertly working to permanently alter the governance of the territory, solidifying Israel’s control without formally annexing it. In a recorded speech from a private event earlier this month, Bezalel Smotrich suggested that the objective was to prevent the West Bank from becoming part of a Palestinian state. Palestinians have long claimed that Israeli leaders are effectively trying to annex the West Bank by establishing settlements in strategic locations to hinder continuous Palestinian control over the area. “It’s been happening since…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured that Jammu and Kashmir will regain its statehood, a decision strategically timed with the Supreme Court’s order for elections to be held in September this year. This announcement comes during Modi’s first visit to the valley after becoming Prime Minister for the third consecutive time. Modi stressed the importance of allowing the people of Jammu and Kashmir to elect their Assembly representatives. Speaking at the ‘Empowering Youth, Transforming J&K’ event at SKICC, he praised the people’s active participation in the Lok Sabha elections and emphasized the need for them to select their local leaders…

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released its “first in-depth investigation into the events occurring on and since October 7, 2023.” The report blames the Israeli occupation for the ongoing crisis in Gaza. It suggests that October 7 could mark a turning point toward even stricter Israeli occupation unless international law is promptly enforced. The UN expert Francesca Albanese urges nations to come together and impose sanctions on Israel. Israel and the US did not attend the meeting held on Tuesday with the Human Rights Council and claim that the findings are fabricated. In…

Former House Speaker of the US Senate, Nancy Pelosi, visited Tibet’s spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, at his Indian residence in Dharamshala on Wednesday. China’s government, which views the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader as a separatist, condemned the visit in advance.  China has condemned the visit as a threat to national sovereignty and urged the US to honor its One China policy commitment. The delegation, headed by Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, arrived Tuesday in Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama has resided since the 1960s.  The visit occurred just days after Congress passed a…

The Karnataka government has increased petrol prices by Rs 3 and diesel by Rs 3.5 per liter through higher sales tax. The BJP has criticized this decision, arguing that it will lead to higher costs for public transport and essential goods. The Karnataka government has justified its decision to raise fuel prices, stating that the additional revenue is necessary to finance the Congress party’s election promises and the state’s development projects. State Minister for Commerce and Industries, MB Patil, mentioned that Karnataka’s petrol and diesel prices are still lower than in other states despite the hike. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi,…

The office of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied claims that references to LGBTQ+ and abortion rights were removed from the final declaration of the ongoing 2024 G7 Summit in Puglia, Italy. The G7’s final declaration in Japan last year included a reference to preserving the “gender identity and sexual orientation” of the LGBTQ population; this was not mentioned in the statement that was made public late on Friday. According to Bloomberg, this year’s summit also omitted the word “abortion” from a broader commitment to “universal access to adequate, affordable, and quality health services for women, including comprehensive sexual and…

On Thursday, the United States Supreme Court rejected the appeal put forth by anti-abortion activists and doctors to withhold access to a pill used in 60% of abortions across the nation. The judges unanimously overturned last year’s lower court decision restricting access to mifepristone. The justices ruled that the plaintiffs, a group of anti-abortion doctors and activists called the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, lacked the legal right to sue. The plaintiffs argued that the FDA’s approval of mifepristone should be revoked on moral and ideological grounds. However, the desire to restrict the availability of a drug for others without concrete…