Turkish foreign minister discusses ceasefire efforts with Hamas, source says
ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday discussed the ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza in a phone call with officials from Palestinian militant group Hamas' political bureau, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
The source added that Fidan also spoke by phone with Qatar's prime minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss developments in Gaza and Syria, without providing further details.
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The Hill
29 minutes ago
- The Hill
Santa Ono rejected for University of Florida presidency amid conservative backlash
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Longtime academic Santa Ono was rejected Tuesday for the University of Florida presidency by the state university system board amid sharp criticism from political conservatives about his past support for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and other initiatives they view as unacceptable liberal ideology. The Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state's universities, voted 10-6 against Ono, who was most recently president of the University of Michigan. The University of Florida Board of Trustees had voted unanimously in May to approve Ono as the school's 14th president, and it is unprecedented for the governors to reverse such an action. Now the search will start all over. Ono's proposed contract included a number of ideological requirements, such as how well he stopped programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. He was to cooperate with Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office of Government Efficiency — similar to the office created by President Donald Trump — and appoint other university officials and deans who are 'firmly aligned' with Florida's approach. Several prominent conservatives raised questions about Ono before the vote over pro-Palestinian protests, climate change efforts, gender ideology and DEI programs at the University of Michigan and his previous academic positions. These actions, Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said on the X social platform, show 'he is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education.' Others raising objections include Donald Trump Jr. and Florida GOP U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, Greg Steube and Jimmy Patronis. Donalds is a Republican candidate for governor. Writing in Inside Higher Ed, Ono said he supported DEI initiatives at first because they aim was 'equal opportunity and fairness for every student.' 'But over time, I saw how DEI became something else — more about ideology, division and bureaucracy, not student success,' Ono wrote, adding that he eventually limited DEI offices at Michigan. 'I believe in Florida's vision for higher education.' DeSantis, a Republican who has pushed reforms in higher education to eliminate what he calls 'woke' policies such as DEI, did not take a public stand on Ono but did say at a recent news conference that some of his statements made the governor 'cringe.' Ono faced similar pointed questions at Tuesday's meeting — especially from former Republican state House speakers Paul Renner and Jose Oliva — leading board member Charles Lydecker to object to the procedure. 'We have never used this as a forum to interrogate. This is not a court of law. Candidly, this process does not seem fair to me,' Lydecker said. Oliva, however, questioned how to square Ono's many past statements about hot-button cultural issues with his more conservative stance now that he sought the Florida job. 'Now we are told to believe you are now abandoning an entire ideological architecture,' Oliva said. 'We are asking someone to lead our flagship university. I don't understand how it becomes unfair.' Steube, writing on X, praised the board for its decision. 'Great news for my alma mater and the state of Florida! The Board of Governors heard us loud and clear: Santa Ono was the wrong choice for UF,' the congressman said. Ono was to replace Kent Fuchs, who became the school's temporary, interim president last summer after ex-U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse stepped down. Sasse left the U.S. Senate, where he had represented Nebraska, to become the university's president in 2023. Sasse announced in July he was leaving the job after his wife was diagnosed with epilepsy. Later reports surfaced that Sasse gave six former staffers and two former Republican officials jobs with salaries that outstripped comparable positions and spent over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions in his first year on the job. Ono is also the former president of the University of British Columbia and the University of Cincinnati.
Epoch Times
37 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
‘It Is an Assault on Our Own Morality': Authors Discuss Contemporary Anti-Semitism
Commentary TORONTO—The Hamas-led terror attack in Israel in 2023 not only resulted in protests across Western countries, with some still as prevalent as ever, but has also been cited by some individuals as justification for targeting innocents, leading to death and physical injury.
Fox News
42 minutes ago
- Fox News
Washington Post admits to faulty reporting on claim that Israel killed dozens of Gazan civilians at aide site
The Washington Post admitted Tuesday that a claim in its recent report that Israeli soldiers killed dozens of civilians in Gaza could not be verified. The outlet shared a post on X stating it had updated its Sunday article to reflect that it could not verify that Israeli troops killed around 30 civilians near a U.S. aid site in Gaza. The previous version of the piece reported that the Israeli military had committed the killings. "The article and headline were updated on Sunday evening making it clear that there was no consensus about who was responsible for the shootings and that there was a dispute over that question," the outlet's social media post read. At least 26 Palestinians were reportedly killed and some 175 were wounded over the weekend as they made their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to officials from the Hamas-run health ministry and witnesses. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around 1,000 yards away from an aid site run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). A Palestinian journalist told the BBC that thousands of Palestinians had gathered near the aid site near Gaza's southern city of Rafah when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire on the crowd. However, the IDF has disputed these allegations, saying they are "currently unaware of injuries caused by IDF fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site," adding that "the matter is still under review." "It is false and fabricated. All aid was distributed today without incident," the GHF said. "No injuries or fatalities as noted in our daily update sent out earlier. We have heard that these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas. They are untrue and fabricated." However, as an editor's note in the updated Washington Post piece said, The Post had reported on Sunday that "Israeli troops had killed more than 30 people near a U.S. aid site, with the headline attributing the action to 'health officials.'" "The article failed to make clear if attributing the deaths to Israel was the position of the Gaza health ministry or a fact verified by The Post," the note read. The body of the updated piece reported the casualties, but this time, did not blame the IDF. It said, "At least 31 people were killed and another 170 wounded, most of them with gunshot wounds to the extremities and upper body, according to local health officials and medics who treated the victims." "While three witnesses said the gunfire came from Israeli military positions, the Israel Defense Forces denied the allegations, saying in a statement that an initial inquiry indicated that its soldiers did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the distribution site," the new piece added. The editor's note confirmed that "The article and headline were updated on Sunday evening and for the print edition on Monday making it clear that there was no consensus about who was responsible for the shooting and that there was a dispute over that question." It added, "The Post didn't give proper weight to Israel's denial and gave improper certitude about what was known about any Israeli role in the shootings. The early versions fell short of Washington Post standards of fairness and should not have been published in that form." Reps for The Washington Post did not immediately reply to Fox News Digital's request for additional comment.
