'The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants': Pope Leo XVI Pope Leo XVI during a visit to Cameroon has slammed world leaders for manipulating religion for war. “The world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants. ” Pope Leo XVI has said the world is being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” during a visit to Cameroon, criticising world leaders for manipulating religion for war pic.
Attacks on US Muslims rose eleven-fold this year alone, advocacy group says Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 17:21 The Muslim Public Affairs Committee attributes the rise to the US-Israeli war on Iran Members of the Muslim community attend prayers outside Masjid-At-Taqwa during Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, on 30 March 2025 (Charly Triballeau/AFP) Off Attacks on Muslim-American individuals and institutions are at a 15-month high under the Trump administration, the Muslim Public Affairs Committee (Mpac) revealed on Thursday. The group documented an eleven-fold increase in targeted incidents in the first three months of this year alone. At least nine of the attacks occurred in March, ranging from vandalism and bomb threats at mosques to sexual assaults against Muslim women, according to Mpac's policy paper entitled, "The Pitfalls of Operation Epic Fury: How the Undeclared War Against Iran Hurts Americans’ Interests Abroad and at Home.
Apple TV accused of whitewashing genocide after announcing new Israeli series Submitted by Reem Aouir on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:02 Social media users say trailer for 'Unconditional' helps normalise Israel's image amid its multiple wars in Mena region Unconditional, an Israeli series for Apple TV, will premiere in May (Apple TV) Off Apple has come under fire after its streaming service started advertising for a new Israeli thriller, with people accusing the tech giant of normalising Israel and its army amid its ongoing genocide in Gaza and wars in the Mena region. The trailer for Unconditional, an eight-part drama, was released on Wednesday. It depicts Gali (Talia Lynne Ronn), a 23-year-old dressed in military uniform in the first shot, as being arrested in Moscow on drug-smuggling charges, and her mother Orna (Liraz Chamami), who tries to unravel what authorities allege her daughter is really mixed up in - "something critical for Israeli National Security", as one character tells Orna on screen.
Vance criticised for ‘inaccurate’ claim that Gaza aid is highest in five years Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:51 Data shows aid has decreased in the months following the US-brokered ceasefire and the situation remains 'catastrophic' Displaced Palestinian children receive food from a charity kitchen at the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on 13 April 2026 (AFP/Eyad Baba) Off Gaza ’s de facto authorities have criticised US Vice President JD Vance for “inaccurate and misleading” claims that more humanitarian aid is entering the Strip now than at any point in the past five years. Speaking at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event on Tuesday, Vance said this has been achieved because “we have taken that situation seriously”. Gaza’s Government Media Office condemned the remarks on Wednesday, saying they “bear no relation to reality” and “starkly contradict verified field data”.
Pope Leo: The world is being 'ravaged by a handful of tyrants' Pope Leo XVI has said the world is being "ravaged by a handful of tyrants" during a visit to Cameroon. Speaking at a church in the country, the Catholic leader said the world's leaders "turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found". "The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet often a lifetime is not enough to rebuild," he said.
UK: Soas student leaders win legal settlement after dismissal over pro-Palestine activism Submitted by Areeb Ullah on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 14:06 The two officers were dismissed after being democratically elected and before they could take up their positions Students at a pro-Palestine camp at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) in London, on 8 May 2024 (AFP) Off 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.
Head of Palestinian group Al-Haq barred from entering France Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 12:58 Shawan Jabarin was scheduled to attend key briefings at the French parliament, foreign ministry and the Council of Europe Shawan Jabarin, the director of Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq, in the organisation's office in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, on 24 August 2022 (Abbas Momani/AFP) Off The head of Palestinian human rights group Al-Haq has been refused a visa by France , preventing him from attending key briefings at the French parliament, French foreign ministry and the Council of Europe. Shawan Jabarin was expected to appear before the European Parliament's human rights committee in Strasbourg on Tuesday and was scheduled to meet with officials at the French foreign ministry on Thursday. However, the general director of Al-Haq, which is based in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, had his visa application denied by authorities in Europe and France for the second time since September, when the US sanctioned the Palestinian group.
Israeli soldiers suspected of raping Palestinian detainee allowed to return to service Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 04/16/2026 - 10:48 Army chief approves return of reservists filmed allegedly torturing a detainee at Sde Teiman Masked Israeli reservists from Unit 100 during riots over the detention of nine soldiers suspected of abusing a Palestinian detainee, in Beit Lid on 29 July 2024 (Reuters) Off The Israeli army has approved the return to reserve duty of soldiers suspected of torturing and raping a Palestinian detainee. Army chief Eyal Zamir authorised the move for members of Unit 100, Haaretz reported on Thursday. Five soldiers from the unit, tasked with guarding prisoners, were implicated in the abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman detention centre in 2024.
'The Boys' faces boycott as star Tomer Capone’s past in Israeli army resurfaces Submitted by Hannah. Smith on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 13:03 The actor described his time in the Israeli military, including violence against Palestinians, in a 2016 interview Tomer Capone attends the panel for Amazon Prime's 'The Boys' at San Diego Comic Con in 2024 (Matt Winklemeyer/AFP) Off Calls to boycott the popular Amazon Prime TV show The Boys are circulating on social media after an interview with actor Tomer Capone resurfaced in which he describes his time in the Israeli army. The Israeli actor, who is of French - Algerian descent, plays a French-Algerian character known as "Frenchie" in the series.
'Frightening milestone': Saudi Arabia hits 2,000 executions since King Salman took power Submitted by Rayhan Uddin on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 14:59 Gulf kingdom's use of death penalty increases fivefold, despite crown prince's promises of reform and modernisation This handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) shows Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Salam Royal Palace in Jeddah on 21 April 2023 (AFP/SPA) Off Saudi Arabia has carried out 2,000 executions since King Salman came to power 11 years ago, in what campaigners have described as a "frightening milestone". In the five years before King Salman took charge in 2015, Saudi Arabia executed an average of 71 people annually. That rate has now increased fivefold.
Butch Ware: How the US legacy of slavery led us to Trump’s America Submitted by Ashfaaq Carim on Thu, 04/24/2025 - 11:50 In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC we speak with historian Professor Rudolph “Butch” Ware about the global system slavery built - and how its legacy still shapes the modern world. He breaks down the myths we’ve been taught about abolition, the spiritual legacy of resistance, and how white supremacy was not just a byproduct of history, but an architecture that still defines our institutions. We also talk about Gaza, the erasure of truth in public life, and how protest and free speech are being crushed in the US.
Eyal Weizman: How Israel is engineering genocide and ethnic cleansing Submitted by Ashfaaq Carim on Thu, 04/17/2025 - 11:30 In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak with Eyal Weizman, architect, scholar, and founder of Forensic Architecture - a research agency that uses spatial investigation to expose state violence and human rights abuses. We trace the roots of what Eyal calls an architecture of occupation and ethnic cleansing - a project stretching back to 1948 and unfolding across Gaza, the West Bank, and inside Israel itself. From settlements to bypass roads, from home demolitions to surveillance towers, we look at how space is used to control, fragment, and displace Palestinian life.
Israeli forces number Palestinian women’s hands during Jenin invasion Submitted by Fayha Shalash on Wed, 04/15/2026 - 08:34 Women permitted to briefly return to homes under military escort describe harassment, strip searches and devastation across the camp Israeli forces marked Palestinian women with numbers on their hands before allowing them to briefly enter and check their homes on 13 April (Instagram/@raya. orouq/screenshot) Off Israeli forces marked dozens of Palestinian women with numbers on their hands during their ongoing invasion of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Monday. Troops allowed around 120 women to enter the camp to inspect their homes and retrieve belongings, under strict security measures.
Israeli jailers assaulted Marwan Barghouti three times in a month, lawyer says Israeli prison guards have violently assaulted Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti three times over the past month, according to his lawyer. A campaign calling for Barghouti’s release on Tuesday described the incidents as “brutal attacks”. It said they took place while he was in solitary confinement in Megiddo and Ramon prisons, in northern and southern Israel respectively.
Gideon Levy: Reporting on the Intifada changed how I see Israel Submitted by Ashfaaq Carim on Tue, 03/25/2025 - 16:45 In this episode of UNAPOLOGETIC, we speak with Gideon Levy, one of Israel’s most outspoken and controversial journalists, who has spent decades documenting the occupation of Palestinian lands. We discuss Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Netanyahu’s political calculations, and how Israeli society has responded. We also explore how the Israeli media and culture has eroded Israeli society, the future of Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian leadership, and what a just resolution to the conflict might look like.
Mustafa Barghouti: Palestinians will 'die here and not leave' Submitted by Ashfaaq Carim on Fri, 02/14/2025 - 16:20 Mustafa Barghouti, the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, reacts to US President Donald Trump plan to forcibly expel Palestinians from Gaza so Washington can "have" the enclave. In a wide-ranging interview, Barghouti also speaks about how ethnic cleansing has accelerated in the occupied West Bank amid rising settler attacks. He draws on the history of the conflict to show how Israel has always intended to ethnically cleanse historical Palestine completely.
Kuwait detains journalist Ahmed Shihab-Elbin after social media posts Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 04/14/2026 - 13:54 Rights groups say journalist's detention is 'emblematic' of broader crackdown in the region on online speech amid Iran war Award-winning journalist Ahmed Shihab-Elbin has reported for PBS, The New York Times and Al Jazeera English (Screengrab/Facebook) Off Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, an award-winning international journalist, has been detained for over a month by the Kuwaiti authorities following social media posts related to the Iran war, campaigners say. The 41-year-old, an American-born Kuwaiti national, was arrested on 2 March while visiting family in Kuwait. He has been arbitraily detained since then with limited access to his lawyer.
Kuwait detaining journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin after social media posts Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Tue, 04/14/2026 - 13:54 Rights groups say journalist's detention is 'emblematic' of broader crackdown in the region on online speech amid Iran war Award-winning journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has reported for PBS, The New York Times and Al Jazeera English (Screengrab/Facebook) Off Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, an award-winning international journalist, has been detained for over a month by the Kuwaiti authorities following social media posts related to the Iran war, campaigners say. The 41-year-old, an American-born Kuwaiti national, was arrested on 2 March while visiting family in Kuwait. He has been arbitraily detained since then with limited access to his lawyer.
Meta 'financially enabling' Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, report says Submitted by Mera Aladam on Tue, 04/14/2026 - 07:30 Findings published by 7amleh reveal Meta's bias in the moderation of content by Israelis and Palestinians The Arab Center for Social Media Advancement, also known as 7amleh, accused Meta of financially enabling Israeli settlers (AFP/Sebastien Bozon) Off Meta is “financially enabling” incitement content against Palestinians from pro-settlement Israeli pages, a new report by a social media watchdog has found. According to the 7amleh, the Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media, Meta has allowed settler-affiliated accounts and extremist media outlets to generate revenue on its platforms, despite content that violates its own policies, including violent, racist and inciting material targeting Palestinians. The findings were published on Sunday in a report titled Monetising Occupation: Meta’s Financial Enablement of Settlement Activity and Violent Rhetoric Against Palestinians.
In Algeria, Pope calls on authorities ‘not to dominate, but serve the people’ Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 04/14/2026 - 12:04 Leo XIV seized opportunity of first papal trip to the North African state to address civil liberties but also condemn ‘ongoing violations of international law’ Pope Leo XIV during a visit to the Martyrs’ Monument in El Madania, near Algiers, 13 April 2026 (Alberto Pizzoli/AFP) Off On the first day of his historic visit to Algeria on Monday, Pope Leo XIV mixed the spiritual with the political, urging local authorities to liberalise the country's political life and world leaders to abandon “neo-colonial” practices and work for peace. The American has become the first pontiff to make a papal visit to the North African country, which is the birthplace of Saint Augustine, the ancient Christian thinker who gave his name to the religious order from which the current head of the Catholic Church originates. The visit to Algeria was somewhat overshadowed by a high-profile feud with US President Donald Trump over the pontiff's opposition to the war on Iran and a failed suicide bombing near Algiers.
