Israel's released hostages tell of hunger, torture while in Hamas' captivity
Israeli hostages recently released from Gaza are speaking about the difficult conditions they were forced to endure during 16 months of captivity by U.S.- designated terror group Hamas. They say they were starved, and the men were tortured. Many credit U.S. President Donald Trump for winning their freedom and hope his efforts will lead to the release of the remaining hostages soon. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem. Camera: Ricki Rosen.
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Voice of America
15-03-2025
- Voice of America
US Appeals court allows DEI crackdown
A U.S. federal appeals court Friday lifted a block on the Trump administration's crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government, pausing a lower court ruling blocking enforcement of a series of presidential executive orders halting support of DEI initiatives. The three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit of Appeals, in Richmond, Virginia, found that the directives by President Donald Trump were likely constitutional, disagreeing with a ruling in February by a federal judge in Maryland. The judges are allowing the Trump administration to implement the policy while they consider a final decision on the constitutionality of the orders. U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Baltimore had blocked implementation of Trump's executive order nationwide pending the outcome of a lawsuit brought by the city of Baltimore and groups that claimed, among other things, the executive orders -- one abolishing DEI programs in the federal government and another requiring recipients of federal grants to not operate DEI programs -- improperly targeted constitutionally protected free speech. The Trump administration maintains the orders do not ban or discourage any speech but target instead unlawful discrimination. In addition to directing federal agencies to end diversity programs, the executive orders also precluded federal contractors from having them. Trump also ordered the Justice Department and other agencies to identify businesses, schools and nonprofit organizations that were deemed unlawfully discriminating through DEI policies.
Voice of America
15-03-2025
- Voice of America
Native American news roundup March 9 – 14, 2025
Tribes and students sue feds over staff cuts at BIE schools Three Tribal Nations, along with five Native students, are suing the U.S. Interior Department and the Office of Indian Affairs over mass firings at the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and its federally operated schools — Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) in New Mexico. The layoffs stem from President Donald Trump's February 11 executive order calling for broad cuts to federal staffing. Haskell lost more than a quarter of its staff, leaving courses without instructors, delaying financial aid and forcing students to clean dorms and restrooms. At SIPI, staff cuts led to 13-hour power outages, undrinkable tap water, and canceled midterm exams due to a shortage of faculty. The lawsuit by the Native American Rights Fund representing the Pueblo of Isleta, the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes argues that the layoffs violate federal law, which requires the government to consult with tribes on educational decisions impacting Native students. 'Despite having a treaty obligation to provide educational opportunities to tribal students, the federal government has long failed to offer adequate services,' said Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes Lieutenant Governor Hershel Gorham. 'Just when the [BIE] was taking steps to fix the situation, these cuts undermined all those efforts.' Read more: Arizona tribes fear Trump's English-only order could undermine tribal language revitalization The Arizona Republic newspaper this week reports that Native Americans in that state worry that President Donald Trump's executive order declaring English as the U.S. official language could undermine efforts to revive and preserve Indigenous languages. The March 5 order emphasizes that English has been the nation's language since its founding and that having one official language will 'reinforce shared national values' and 'create a more cohesive and efficient society.' The order revokes a previous executive order that aimed to provide services for people with limited English proficiency, but it does not require any changes to services currently offered in other languages. It clarifies that agencies do not need to stop providing documents or services in languages other than English. "It is taking a stance without really any teeth behind it," said Pima County recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, a citizen of the Tohono O'odham Nation. "So, it's essentially saying this is optional for people, which is not how our government operates or should operate." Federal laws, including the Native American Languages Act, support language instruction and protection, ensuring that Native peoples can continue to practice their languages without fear of punishment. Read more: Tribal groups accuse CSULB of stalling on Puvungna protection Native American tribes are calling out California State University, Long Beach for failing to honor a 2021 settlement agreement to protect Puvungna, a sacred 22-acre site on campus. Despite promising to establish a conservation easement, the university has withdrawn its Request for Proposals without explanation and has provided no updates on its plans. Tribal leaders, including Joyce Stanfield Perry of the Juaneño Band, say this delay echoes a long history of broken promises to Indigenous communities. Adding to their frustration, debris and soil dumped on the site in 2019 remain unremoved. Puvungna, once part of 500 acres of Indigenous territory, is sacred to the Tongva, Acjachemen and other Indigenous tribes of Southern California. Tribes successfully stopped the university from building a mini mall on the land in 1993. The legal battle began in 2019 when the university dumped 4,900 cubic meters of construction debris on the site. Tribal groups sued, and in a 2021 settlement, the university agreed to 'make a good faith effort' within two years to clean up the site and permanently maintain it. The university issued a Request for Proposal to find stewards for Puvungna. The Friends of Puvungna, an Indigenous-led nonprofit, submitted the sole proposal in collaboration with the Trust for Public Land. The university rejected that proposal, citing concerns over conflict of interest and a lack of demonstrated experience in land stewardship. Read more: Conservation groups, feds, tribes and ranchers clash over latest Yellowstone bison trapping Wildlife advocates are sounding the alarm over Yellowstone National Park's latest roundup of wild bison, which has seen more than 300 animals captured and sent to slaughter this month. Groups like Roam Free Nation argue that the practice is cruel and unnecessary, calling for greater protections and expanded roaming territory for America's first national mammal. Montana ranchers oppose expanding bison populations, arguing that the animals could spread brucellosis, a disease that can cause cattle to abort. Although no documented cases of transmission from bison to cattle exist, ranchers fear that even the chance of an outbreak could trigger costly quarantines and financial losses. But many Native American tribes have treaty rights to hunt bison on their traditional lands, even outside reservations and advocate for expanding bison habitat, reducing government-led culling, and increasing tribal management of herds. Some tribes also push for co-management agreements with federal and state agencies to ensure bison populations are sustainably restored while respecting Indigenous cultural and spiritual connections to the animal. Craig L. Falcon, a citizen of the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, has been hunting buffalo in Yellowstone for three decades. 'Our people really depend on it,' he told VOA. 'Like myself, my freezer is pretty bare right now, and there are older people, older relatives of mine, including disabled Army vets, that need that meat, and I hunt for them.' Read more:
Voice of America
15-03-2025
- Voice of America
VOA Kurdish: Debate grows over proposal to shorten fasting hours during Ramadan
The Saudi crown prince plans to discuss reducing the hours of fasting for Muslims during Ramadan. However, the Kurdistan Regional Government Fatwa Committee says it is not right to follow political decisions on fasting. On the other hand, the former director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs told VOA that if Saudi Arabia makes such a decision, others should consider following it, because Saudi Arabia is still seen as the center of important religious decisions. Click here for the full story in Kurdish.
