ANNOUNCEMENT: What I am going to post on this blog hereafter

(PHOTO by Millzero Nishan: Me at Zeeba's Deli & Café, Malé, Maldives)

From now on, I have decided not to post anything "foreign" on my website unless I have an opinion to express about it. 

I have provided on the right hand column of this blog a link to my profile page that contains the links to all the Dhivehi articles I write on Adhives Online Maldives' magazine every day, so I guess that should cover foreign articles I write for a Maldivian audience. Please keep in mind that it is the editor of Adhives who chooses the foreign articles that he wants me to translate for that magazine.

All these years I kept on posting links to foreign articles on my blog because some friends said they are interested in what is interesting for me but I have decided that, at the end of the day, people will search for articles that interest them and it doesn't necessarily have to be what I find interesting. 

The internet now contains all sorts of information, so people can find the kind of information they want through reputed websites or social media that link to articles from such well-known websites. 

I will post only things that come originally from my mind - like my thoughts and ideas about things, and my film and book reviews or my articles about my travels and photos and videos I shoot.

Thank you all my faithful readers and newcomers as well. Peace. Salaam. 😀

FILM REVIEW: "Nickel Boys"

Released year: 2024

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My review: Stealing a person's identity and/or erasing him from memory or physically in person is an atrocity and crime against humanity - and that's saying the least.

BOOK REVIEW: "The Art of Being ALONE: Solitude Is My HOME, Loneliness Was My Cage" by Renuka Gavrani

 

The Art of Being ALONE: Solitude Is My HOME, Loneliness Was My Cage by Renuka Gavrani
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Renuka Garvani is an author known for her works focusing on self-help and personal growth, particularly concerning the themes of solitude and self-discovery.

She began writing in 2020. She has a strong presence on social media platforms, where she shares her thoughts, and book recommendations. She also provides ghost writing services. She has a strong presence on platforms like Medium, and LinkedIn.

She is the author of "The Art of Being Alone: Solitude Is My Home, Loneliness Was My Cage," among other books that includes “The Wounds of My Words”.

Beautifully written in smooth, flowing prose, her writing in “The Art of Being Alone” often draws from her personal experiences and observations as a way to help others.

She emphasizes the importance of solitude for personal growth and self-awareness. This book aims to help readers transform their perception of being alone.

The book delves into the crucial distinction between loneliness and solitude, offering a perspective on how to transform potentially negative feelings of isolation into a positive experience of self-discovery and growth.

The book emphasizes the difference between feeling lonely (a negative emotional state) and being alone (a physical state). It promotes shifting the mindset from loneliness to solitude, which is viewed as a valuable opportunity for personal development.

Garvani advocates using "alone time" for introspection, self-reflection, and pursuing personal goals. The book encourages readers to cultivate a strong relationship with themselves, finding inner peace and happiness.

A key theme is changing one's perception of being alone, viewing it not as a punishment but as a chance for empowerment. It encourages taking control of one's life and building a fulfilling existence, regardless of external circumstances.

The book provides practical advice and personal anecdotes to help readers navigate periods of solitude. It offers guidance on how to use alone time productively to achieve personal growth and build a desired life.

In our current age of constant connectivity and information overload from social media, the themes in Garvani's book are particularly relevant.

Social media can create a sense of false connection, leading to feelings of loneliness despite being constantly "connected." Her book “The Art of Being Alone” encourages finding genuine connection within oneself, which can counteract the superficiality of online interactions.

The constant barrage of information and social comparisons on social media can contribute to anxiety and stress. The book's emphasis on solitude and self-reflection provides tools for finding inner peace and managing the pressures of the digital age.

Social media often encourages external validation and conformity. Garvani's work highlights the importance of self-awareness and cultivating a strong sense of identity, independent of external influences.

The book helps to reinforce the need to have healthy boundaries with social media, and to understand the value of intentional disconnection. This is a very valuable tool in today’s world.

To sum up, Garvani’s "The Art of Being Alone" offers a valuable perspective on reclaiming one's inner self in a world that often prioritizes external validation and constant connectivity.

View all my reviews

What caused the Myanmar earthquake - and why did it make a tower in Bangkok collapse?

A major earthquake in Myanmar on Friday has caused more than 1,600 deaths and led to the collapse of numerous structures.

Even though the south-east Asian nation is a high risk region for earthquakes, neighbouring Thailand and China - which were also affected by the quake - are not.

The Thai capital, Bangkok, sits more than 1,000km (621 miles) from the epicentre of Friday's earthquake - and yet an unfinished high-rise building in the city was felled by it.

Here we will explain what caused this earthquake, and how it was able to have such a powerful effect so far away. READ MORE from BBC

It’s not just Trump, the EU is also waging an anti-migration crusade

The European Union’s border control policies may not be as visible as Trump’s but they are just as brutal. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Four Afghan girl guitarists escaped the Taliban. Will they be forced back?

Teenage musicians Yasemin, Zakia and Shukriya and Uzra, just 7, fled the repression of women in Afghanistan. Will a Trump order and Pakistan send them back? READ MORE from Al Jazeera

"I’ve always wondered why the Academy had never thought of creating words to replace words that have become archaic or even downright offensive over time in some cases."

 

... Take the case of ‘gondudhoh’ / ‘athirimathi’ for instance.

In a country that depends entirely on its beaches for its income you’d expect the words for beach to be evocative of pleasant feelings and sensations. But here we have ‘athiriyah dhiyun’ (open defecation on the beach from the days when we expected waves to wash off our waste and crows and scavenging crabs to clean up after we were done with our business) and ‘gondu’ from the time when we thought of our beaches as giant garbage dumps that the big ocean would clean up. READ MORE from Naimbe's Instagram

ކޮލަމް މީތިނުކިޔާތި: ބާޒުގެ ކިބައިން ފެންނަ ލީޑަޝިޕްގެ 6 ފިލާވަޅު

ތަރުޖަމާކުރީ: އިސްމާޢީލް ޚިލްޢަތު ރަޝީދު

 

ބާޒަކީ ދޫނިސޫފާސޫފީގެ ތެރެއިން ވެސް ފާހަގަކޮށްލެވޭ ހާއްސަ ދޫންޏެކެވެ. މި ބަލައިލަނީ ބާޒުގެ އާދަޔާ ހިލާފު ސިފަތަކާއި އަމަލުތަކުން އަހަރެމެން އިންސާނުންނަށް ލިބޭ ލީޑަޝިޕާ ގުޅޭ ހަ ފިލާވަޅަކަށެވެ.

 

މި ލިޔުން އިތުރަށް ކިޔައިލުމަށް "އަދިވެސް އޮންލައިން" މަޖައްލާގެ ތިރީގައި މިވާ ލިންކަށް ޒިޔާރަތްކޮށްލާ:

https://adhives.mv/67173

An irresponsible “solution”: Malé City Council’s obsession with uprooting trees

Where shade once stood, only sun-baked concrete remains.

A city council member reveals how mature trees in Villimalé were suddenly removed without approval – decades of growth destroyed for a temporary bus route during Ramadan.

The op-ed highlights a troubling pattern: officials who know how to cut trees but not how to grow them. No inventory, no management plan, no accountability.

Read the full piece on how Malé is sacrificing long-term environmental benefits for short-term convenience, and why this mindset must change. READ MORE from Maldives Independent

James Baldwin on love, the illusion of choice, and the paradox of freedom

We, none of us, choose the century we are born in, or the skin we are born in, or the chromosomes we are born with. We don’t choose the incredibly narrow band of homeostasis within which we can be alive at all — in bodies that die when their temperature rises above 40 degrees Celsius or drops below 20, living on a planet that would be the volcanic inferno of Venus or the frigid desert of Mars if it were just a little closer to or farther from its star.

And yet, within these narrow parameters of being, nothing appeals to us more than the notion of freedom — the feeling that we are free, that intoxicating illusion with which we blunt the hard fact that we are not. The more abstract and ideological the realm, the more vehemently we can insist that moral choice in specific situations within narrow parameters proves a totality of freedom. But the closer the question moves to the core of our being, the more clearly and catastrophically the illusion crumbles — nowhere more helplessly than in the most intimate realm of experience: love. Try to will yourself into — or out of — loving someone, try to will someone into loving you, and you collide with the fundamental fact that we do not choose whom we love. We could not choose, because we do not choose who and what we are, and in any love that is truly love, we love with everything we are. READ MORE from The Marginalian

Surrendering to Authoritarianism

Liberal institutions, including universities, traditionally surrender without a fight to the dictates of autocrats. Ours are no exception.

I was not surprised when Columbia University’s interim president Katrina Armstrong caved to the demands of the Trump administration. She agreed to ban face masks or face coverings, prohibit protests in academic buildings and create an internal security force of 36 New York City Police officers empowered to “remove individuals from campus and/or arrest them when appropriate.” She has also surrendered the autonomy of academic departments, as demanded by the Trump administration, by appointing a new senior vice provost to “review” the university’s department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies and the Center for Palestine Studies.

Elite universities such as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia or Yale, were created to train and perpetuate the plutocracy. They are not and never have been centers of cutting-edge intellectual thought or hospitable to dissidents and radicals. They cloak themselves in the veneer of moral probity and intellectualism but cravenly serve political and economic power. This is their nature. Don’t expect it to change, even as we fall headlong into authoritarianism. READ MORE from The Chris Hedges Report

Gaza Palestinians speak about Israel’s plan to force them out

Israel’s call for Palestinians to leave Gaza has been called ethnic cleansing.

Listening to the radio a few days ago outside the tent he now has to call home, 77-year-old Mohammed al-Nabahin heard about an Israeli plan to establish a “voluntary” migration office for Palestinians in Gaza.

The news report gave al-Nabahin the details. An agency planned by Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, and approved by the cabinet. Its aim was to organise and secure the exit of Palestinians “wishing to migrate” to third countries. Palestinians returning to their original villages in historical Palestine was not mentioned.

The plan follows some similar suggestions by US President Donald Trump earlier this year.

“The idea is completely out of the question,” Mohammed said flatly.

“If they want to displace us voluntarily, then let them allow us to return to our lands in occupied Palestine, from which they expelled us!” he told Al Jazeera. “Why should we leave our country?”

Mohammed has already experienced being forced out of his home.

When Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began 17 months ago, Mohammed was forced to flee and leave his home in central Gaza’s Bureij.

He still thinks living in a tent in Gaza is better than leaving.

“All of my children agree with me. They are all against leaving Gaza, no matter what happens,” Mohammed said. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

The American dream is officially over

All because the rich must always steal from the poor.

The best days of the American economy are long in the past, and better days for the US are unlikely in the foreseeable future.

The 20th-century idea of an “American Dream”  – where a sizable majority of people in the US could become or aspire to become middle-class, affluent or even extremely wealthy – is mostly dead in the second quarter of the 21st. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

"All so that billionaires can get a tax cut."

 

rutgerbregman:

The Trump administration is cutting all U.S. funding to Gavi, the global vaccine alliance that has helped save 19 million children's lives in poor countries.

Experts warn this could mean 75 million kids missing out on routine vaccinations — and over 1.2 million deaths.

All so that billionaires can get a tax cut.

As economic indicators point to recession, Trump moves to hide key data from public

"Unfortunately tossing a scarf over the GDP numbers doesn't change the fact that their policies have us careening toward a downturn."

All signs are pointing to a coming recession as U.S. President Donald Trump imposes tariffs on close trading partners, oversees mass firings of civil servants, and pushes for cuts to public services—but by firing economists, advisers, and other experts tasked with advising federal agencies on economic shifts, the administration is working to ensure that the government and the public can't read those signs. READ MORE from Common Dreams

White House drops bombshell, floats controversial plan to tap U.S. gold reserves to buy Bitcoin, sending shockwaves through nation

... Trump claimed that he is committed to making America the leading Bitcoin superpower and the global hub for cryptocurrency. READ MORE from The Economic Times

EU urges citizens to stockpile 72 hours’ worth of supplies amid war risk

European Union citizens should stockpile enough food and other essential supplies to sustain them for at least 72 hours in the event of a crisis, the EU Commission has said.

In new guidance released Wednesday, the commission stressed the need for Europe to shift its mindset, to foster a culture of “preparedness” and “resilience.”

The 18-page document warns that Europe is facing a new reality marred with risk and uncertainty, citing Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, rising geopolitical tensions, sabotage of critical infrastructure, and electronic warfare as prominent factors.

The Brussels initiative appears to serve as a wake-up call for members states to the gravity of the bloc’s security situation. READ MORE from CNN

Trump has blown up the world order - and left Europe's leaders scrabbling

This is the gravest crisis for Western security since the end of World War Two, and a lasting one. As one expert puts it, "Trumpism will outlast his presidency". But which nations are equipped to step to the fore as the US stands back? READ MORE from BBC

Amid truce talks, why is Ukraine focused on attacking western Russia?

While the warring sides have agreed to halting some assaults, the conflict is stirring in Russia’s Belgorod. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Expelled South African ambassador returns home, says will wear US sanction as ‘badge of dignity’

The South African ambassador who was expelled from the United States and declared persona non grata by the Trump administration was given a hero’s welcome on his return home Sunday, when hundreds of supporters gathered at an airport and sang songs praising him.

The crowds at Cape Town International Airport surrounded Ebrahim Rasool and his wife Rosieda as they emerged in the arrivals terminal in their hometown, and they needed a police escort to help them navigate their way through the building.

“A declaration of persona non grata is meant to humiliate you,” Rasool told the supporters as he addressed them with a megaphone. “But when you return to crowds like this, and with warmth… like this, then I will wear my persona non grata as a badge of dignity.”

“It was not our choice to come home, but we come home with no regrets.” READ MORE from CNN

CEO of AI ad-tech firm pledging “world free of fraud” sentenced for fraud

Prosecutors: Firm offering "300% more" fraud detection oversold revenue by 700%. READ MORE from Ars TECHNICA

Why is Pakistan’s new canal project sparking water shortage fears?

Protesters fear than a plan to modernise agriculture could leave the lower riparian province of Sindh without water.

The Pakistan government has launched an ambitious agricultural project with the aim of boosting food security in the South Asian nation of 240 million people.

A network of six canals will be built across the country to irrigate millions of acres of barren lands as part of the $3.3bn (945 billion rupees) project called Green Pakistan Initiative (GPI), which was launched by the country’s powerful army chief General Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in 2023.

Inaugurated by Munir and the chief minister of Punjab province last month, the canal project has been hailed by supporters as a game-changer that will transform vast desert lands into fertile farmland.

Munir praised Punjab, the most populous province, for its role as the “powerhouse of Pakistan’s agriculture”, adding that the military would continue its support for the country’s economic growth.

But critics say the megaproject, which aims to build canals across Pakistan’s four provinces, would cause water shortages in the southern parts of the country. They say the project was planned without consent from stakeholders.

The GPI, according to many sceptics, will further stress Pakistan’s river system, which has seen decreasing water levels due to climate change and overexploitation.

Numerous protests have taken place in the southern province of Sindh since the project was announced, with the latest demonstration taking place on March 25 in major cities including Karachi, led by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the governing party in Sindh which is also supporting the Sharif-led government.

So, what is the GPI? What is its scope? And why are some of its proposed canals facing such strong resistance? READ MORE from Al Jazeera

India: RSF outraged by the continued persecution of journalists Amit Dwivedi and Shailendra Kumar Mishra, beaten and held captive at the hands of a local mayor

Two journalists in Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, were physically assaulted and humiliated following their reports that criticised a local mayor. Although seven of their alleged assailants have been arrested, Amit Dwivedi and Shailendra Kumar Mishra continue to be threatened and a police complaint has been brought against them. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities to drop the charges against the reporters, to reinstate their police protection and to bring their assailants to justice. READ MORE from Reporters Without Borders

LIFE IN PICTURES: Small but big conveniences...

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ޣައްޒާގައި ކޮންމެ 45 މިނެޓަކުން ކުއްޖަކު ޝަހީދުކޮށްލާ

ތަރުޖަމާކުރީ: އިސްމާޢީލް ޚިލްއަތު ރަޝީދު

 

ނޯޓު: މިއީ އަލް ޖަޒީރާގައި މިއަދު ޝާއިއުކުރި ރިޕޯޓެއްގެ ތަރުޖަމާއެއް

 

ސުރުހީގައި އެ ވަނީ ވޭތުވެދިޔަ 535 ދުވަހު ނުވަތަ ދޮޅު އަހަރު ދުވަހުގެ ތެރޭގައި އިސްރާއީލުން ދުވާލެއްގެ މައްޗަށް ފަލަސްތީނުގެ ޣައްޒާގައި ނިސްބަތުން 30 ކުޑަކުދިން ޝަހީދުކޮށްލިކަމުގެ ތަފާސްހިސާބެވެ.

 

އޮކްޓޫބަރު 2023 ގެ ހަތް ވަނަ ދުވަހު ޣައްޒާ ހަނގުރާމަ ފެށި ފަހުން އިސްރާއީލުންވަނީ މަދުވެގެން 17،400 ކުދިން މަރައިލައިފައެވެ. އޭގެ ތެރޭގައި ކާކުކަން ދެނެގަނެވުނު 15،600 ކުދިން ހިމެނެއެވެ. މީގެ އިތުރުން ގިނަ އަދަދެއްގެ ކުދިން އަދިވެސް ވަނީ ބިމާހަމަކޮށްލި އިމާރާތްތަކުގެ ދަށުގައި ސުންނާފަތިވެފައިވާ ގާތަކުގެ ދަށުގައި ވަޅުލެވިފައެވެ. އޭގެ ތެރެއިން ގިނަ ކުދިން ބެލެވެނީ މަރުވެފައިވާ ކަމަށެވެ.

 

ސަލާމަތުން މި ވަގުތު ތިބި ގިނަ ކުދިންނަކީ އެތައް ހަނގުރާމައަކުން ނަފުސާނީ އަސަރުކޮށްފައިވާ ކުދިންނެވެ. އެ ހުރިހާ ކުދިންނަކީ އިސްރާއީލުން ބައްދައިލައި އެކަހެރިކޮށްލައިފައިވާ ޖަލެއް ކަހަލަ ތަނެއްގައި އުފަންވީއްސުރެ ދިރިއުޅެމުން އައިސްފައިވާ ކުދިންނެވެ. މި ކަމުގެ ސަބަބުން އެ ކުދިންގެ ހުރިހާ ކަމަކަށް ވަނީ ނޭދެވޭ އަސަރުކޮށްފައެވެ.

 

މި ލިޔުން އިތުރަށް ކިޔައިލުމަށް ތިރީގައި މިވާ "އަދިވެސް އޮންލައިން" މަޖައްލާގެ ލިންކަށް ޒިޔާރަތްކޮށްލާ:

https://adhives.mv/67102

ކޮލަމް މީތިނުކިޔާތި: ގާތް މީހުން ހިތުގައި ނުޖައްސައިވޭތޯ ބަލަންޖެހޭ ސަބަބަކީ މިއީ

ތަރުޖަމާކުރީ: އިސްމާއީލް ޚިލްޢަތު ރަޝީދު

 

މިއީ ތިބާއަށް ފުރިހަމައަށް އިތުބާރުކުރި މީހުންނެވެ. ތިބާގެ އަގު އިހުލާސްތެރިކަމާއެކު ބަލައިގަތް މީހުންނެވެ.

 

އެ ފަދަ މީހެއްގެ އިތުބާރު ތިބާ ނަގައިލުމުން، އެ އިތުބާރު ކުދިކުދިވެގެންދާނީ ކުއްލިއަކަށް ނޫނެވެ. އެ އިތުބާރު މަޑުމަޑުން ފުހެވެމުންދާނީއެވެ. އެއީ އޭނާގެ ސިކުނޑީގެ ހަމަޖެހުމާއި އަމާންކަން ރައްކާތެރި ކުރުމަށް އެ ނޫން ގޮތެއް ނެތިގެންނެވެ.

 

މި ލިޔުން އިތުރަށް ކިޔައިލުމަށް ތިރީގައި މިވާ "އަދިވެސް އޮންލައިން" މަޖައްލާގެ ލިންކަށް ޒިޔާރަތްކޮށްލާ:

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Maldives confronts vaccine skepticism amid concern over young deaths

Cardiovascular disease is the real killer, doctors say.

Every unexpected death of a young Maldivian becomes fodder for a contentious online debate. 

Our investigation explores how a growing vaccine skepticism movement has emerged five years after Covid-19, potentially threatening decades of public health achievements.

Medical experts explain that cardiovascular disease—not vaccines—is behind most sudden deaths, but social media narratives tell a different story. Can public health messaging survive in an era where, as one doctor put it, "the concept of a fact is distorted"?

Read our in-depth report on the clash between scientific consensus and growing vaccine hesitancy:  READ MORE from Maldives Independent

“No one came (to Maldives) illegally”: migrant extortion scandal exposes systemic failures

The Bangladesh High Commissioner called for reforms to address root causes.

The arrest of the Maldives Immigration chief for allegedly taking a $34,000 bribe to release a detained migrant worker exposed deeper problems in how the country handles its migrant workforce.

"No one came here illegally. Everyone came here with proper documents," Bangladesh's envoy told the Maldives Independent in an exclusive interview.

He explained how companies sell worker permits without actual jobs, employers report migrants as "missing" after salary disputes, and detained workers struggle to access legal help.

Read our full report on how this scandal connects to systemic failures that leave vulnerable workers trapped in a broken system.  READ MORE from Maldives Independent

The healing power of gardens and music: Oliver Sacks on the psychological and physiological consolations of Nature

“I work like a gardener,” the great painter Joan Miró wrote in his meditation on the proper pace for creative work. It is hardly a coincidence that Virginia Woolf had her electrifying epiphany about what it means to be an artist while walking amid the flower beds in the garden at St. Ives. Indeed, to garden — even merely to be in a garden — is nothing less than a triumph of resistance against the merciless race of modern life, so compulsively focused on productivity at the cost of creativity, of lucidity, of sanity; a reminder that we are creatures enmeshed with the great web of being, in which, as the great naturalist John Muir observed long ago, “when we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe”; a return to what is noblest, which means most natural, in us. There is something deeply humanizing in listening to the rustle of a newly leaved tree, in watching a bumblebee romance a blossom, in kneeling onto the carpet of soil to make a hole for a sapling, gently moving a startled earthworm or two out of the way. Walt Whitman knew this when he weighed what makes life worth living as he convalesced from a paralytic stroke: “After you have exhausted what there is in business, politics, conviviality, love, and so on — have found that none of these finally satisfy, or permanently wear — what remains? Nature remains; to bring out from their torpid recesses, the affinities of a man or woman with the open air, the trees, fields, the changes of seasons — the sun by day and the stars of heaven by night.” READ MORE from The Marginalian

Israel kills a child in Gaza every 45 minutes

That is an average of 30 children killed every day over the past 535 days. ​

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 17,400 children, including 15,600 who have been identified. Many more remain buried under the rubble, most presumed dead.

Many of the surviving children have endured the trauma of multiple wars, and all of them have spent their lives under the oppressive shadow of an Israeli blockade, affecting every aspect of their existence from birth.

What is left of Gaza’s children?

About half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are children.

Over the past 17 months, Israeli attacks have left their homes in ruins, destroyed their schools, and overwhelmed their healthcare facilities.

To put this in perspective, if you had a room of 100 children:

2 have been killed

2 are missing, presumed dead

3 have been wounded, many critically

5 have been orphaned or separated from their parents

5 require treatment for acute malnutrition

The rest of the children bear the invisible scars of war, trauma that affects their mental health, safety and future. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Israel’s genocide continues, and Palestinians remain numbers

The world’s indifference to Palestinian suffering allows Israel to destroy Palestinians and their homeland with impunity.

... After months of genocide, a ceasefire – even one that allowed them to continue depriving Palestinians in Gaza of their most basic rights to food, water, medical care, education and freedom of movement – proved too much for the Israeli forces. So they decided to continue their war on Gaza.

Israel casually abandoned the ceasefire agreement and restarted its deadly war that had already destroyed Gaza and killed tens of thousands, because it knew the global community would not do anything to stop it. After all, the world has been largely indifferent to Israel’s many other ceasefire violations and massacres of Palestinians since 1948. Israel has been violating international law without any meaningful consequences since its very inception. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Over 140,000 displaced in a week in Gaza amid renewed Israeli attacks: UN

The UN’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, said 142,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced since Israel resumed its war on Gaza on March 18. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

'We want to know where they are': How the discovery of a mass grave sparked uproar over the missing in Mexico

When they got to the deserted ranch, the volunteer searchers found watches and dirty football jerseys, an applied psychology book and a copy of the Bible. There was even a heart-shaped keychain containing a cut-out photo of a young woman.

But one set of artefacts was particularly chilling: the sight of hundreds of dust-caked shoes, thought to be discarded by victims who were murdered and incinerated in nearby ovens. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Why are users of 23andMe being urged to delete their data?

Genetic testing company’s bankruptcy proceedings could result in auction of the genetic data of 15 million users.

Users of 23andMe, a direct-to-consumer genetic testing site, are being urged to delete their personal data from the website following the company’s bankruptcy filing in the United States on March 23.

Here’s why it matters. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Trump signs new executive order to change election rules: What we know

The order says voters must provide proof of US citizenship and only ballots received by Election Day will be counted.

“This would prevent only a tiny amount of noncitizen voter registration but stop millions of eligible voters, who do not have easy access to documents such as passports, from registering to vote,” Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a blog post.

There are also concerns that married women who have changed their last names may face difficulties registering to vote, as their birth certificates reflect their maiden names.

The advocacy group Public Citizen pointed out that roughly 146 million Americans do not have a passport. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

We should thank, not denounce, Trump’s 18 chatroom Signal group ‘dwarfs’ for revealing the depth of their ineptness.

... Why Appgate?

Apparently, much of America’s national security establishment, up to and including Vice President JD Vance, thought it was a wise idea to start an 18-person group chat on the Signal messaging app to have a detailed tete-a-tete about whether to bomb Yemen before they bombed Yemen.

Fuming pundits are in a tizzy because these sorts of “highly classified” discussions are supposed to occur in the secure “Situation Room” near the Oval Office, not in an online forum using open-source encryption that any kid capable of solving a Rubik’s cube in less than 30 seconds can bypass on a dare. READ MORE from Al Jazeera

‘Kill the Boer’: The anti-apartheid song Musk ties to ‘white genocide’

Musk and Rubio claim it’s a call to kill white South African farmers. Is it?

Elon Musk has again waded into South African politics, tweeting on Sunday about “a major political party … that is actively promoting white genocide”.

Sharing a link to a video of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema singing Dubul’ ibhunu (“Kill the Boer”) at a rally on Friday, Musk expressed outrage at “a whole arena chanting about killing white people.” READ MORE from Al Jazeera

Pakistan: RSF demands immediate release of journalist Ahmad Noorani’s brothers, forcibly disappeared in reprisal for his reporting

On 19 March in Islamabad, the capital, around twenty armed men abducted the two brothers of exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani shortly after the publication of his investigation into the nepotism of Pakistan’s army chief. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by this abduction, which is very likely an act of retaliation, and calls on the authorities to give information on the fate and whereabouts of the journalist’s brothers and ensure their immediate release. READ MORE from Reporters Without Borders

Indonesia: RSF condemns police violence against journalists covering protests

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the attacks on at least fourteen Indonesian journalists covering the mass protests against a new law that expands the military’s role in civil affairs. The NGO calls on President Prabowo Subianto to take immediate action to end this violence and ensure that transparent, independent investigations are conducted to hold those responsible accountable. READ MORE from Reporters Without Borders

China: RSF calls for the release of Li Yanhe, the Taiwan-based publisher sentenced to three years in prison

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Li Yanhe, the radio host, book publisher and Chinese national who has been detained incommunicado for two years and whose three-year sentence was confirmed by Beijing officials on 26 March. Known as “Fucha,” Li Yanhe, who spent most of his life in Taiwan and is one of the last Chinese journalists publishing books critical of the Chinese regime. READ MORE from Reporters Without Borders

China: RSF condemns cyber-harassment campaign fuelled by state-backed smear campaign against two French journalists

Two French journalists have been targeted by a massive, ongoing cyber harassment campaign amplified by Chinese state propaganda outlets for their participation in a report on the investigative programme Cash Investigation, aired on the public television channel France 2. The episode revealed that Decathlon, a French outdoor goods and sportswear company, heavily subcontracts to a Chinese company accused by the US Congress and the United Nations of using Uyghur forced labour. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns these violent online attacks — which include death threats — and calls for France’s public prosecutor to launch a preliminary investigation, prosecute the perpetrators and effectively regulate online platforms. READ MORE from Reporters Without Borders

#FreeFrenchieMaeCumpio: RSF and international coalition call for Philippine journalist’s release as trial enters crucial stage

A coalition of international and local press freedom organisations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to immediately release Philippine journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio, who has been languishing in pre-trail detention for over five years. READ MORE from Reporters Without Borders