US issues sanctions against UN investigator probing abuses in Gaza
The Trump administration announced it is issuing sanctions Wednesday against an independent investigator tasked with probing human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the United States to punish critics of Israel's 21-month war in Gaza.
The State Department's decision to sanction Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, comes after a recent U.S. pressure campaign to force the international body to remove her from her post failed.
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RTÉ News
17 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Calls for probe after Israeli settlers kill American in West Bank
A US-Palestinian man has been killed in an Israeli settler attack in the occupied West Bank, his family has said, demanding that Washington launch an investigation into his death. Saif al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat was beaten to death by Israeli settlers yesterday in Sinjil, a village north of Ramallah, the Palestinian health ministry said. Mr Musalat, born and based in Florida, travelled to the West Bank last month to spend time with relatives, his family said in a statement issued by lawyer Diana Halum following the deadly attack. The Palestinian health ministry said a second man, Mohammed Rizq Hussein al-Shalabi, 23, died after being shot during the attack by Israeli settlers and "left to bleed for hours". Israel's military claimed violence flared after Palestinians threw rocks at a group of Israeli settlers, the latest in a spate of clashes involving settlers in the West Bank. Mr Musalat's family said they were "devastated" at his death, describing the 20-year-old as a "kind, hard-working and deeply respected" man who was deeply connected to his Palestinian heritage. They said he was "protecting his family's land from settlers who were attempting to steal it". Israeli settlers blocked an ambulance and paramedics from reaching Mr Musalat as he lay injured, and he died before making it to hospital, according to the family's statement. His death was "an unimaginable nightmare and in justice that no family should ever have to face", they added. "We demand the US State Department lead an immediate investigation and hold the Israeli settlers who killed Saif accountable for their crimes. We demand justice." The US State Department confirmed to AFP that an American citizen had died in the West Bank and offered its "sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones on their loss". The department "has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas," a spokesperson claimed, referring "questions on any investigation to the Government of Israel." Rights groups have denounced a rise in violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The United Nations has said that such attacks against Palestinians are taking place in a climate of "impunity". Last week, AFP journalists witnessed clashes between dozens of Israeli settlers and Palestinian people in Sinjil, where a march against settler attacks on nearby farmland had been due to take place. Israeli authorities recently erected a high fence cutting off parts of Sinjil from Road 60, which runs through the West Bank from north to south. Violence in the territory has surged since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas triggered Israel's war in Gaza. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 955 Palestinian people, according to Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 36 Israelis, including both troops and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to Israeli official figures.
Extra.ie
32 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Rosie O'Donnell's $100million fortune, Donald Trump, and a new life in Ireland
The American actor, comedian and 'Trump fugitive', Rosie O'Donnell who moved to Ireland on a work visa is not short of a few dollars. Now residing as an 'exile' in Ireland, O'Donnell revealed this week, she 'already had $100million in the bank' when she turned down a further $100m to extend her 1996 US daytime show writing, 'if you have $100 million and you're thinking you want more, then you are missing the point of your life' . But her extreme wealth hasn't seen the chat-show star retire as she is currently preparing to open her one-woman show 'Common Knowledge' at the Dublin's Olympia Theatre later this month. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 16: Rosie O'Donnell performs onstage during FRIENDLY HOUSE LA Comedy Benefit, hosted by Rosie O'Donnell, at The Fonda Theatre on July 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by) In August, the show travels to the Edinburgh Festival for 10 nights but she is quick to dismiss the notion that she will make money from Edinburgh, saying it will probably cost her money. There is also the prospect of a podcast in the mix. Under the Irish tax system O'Donnell is entitled to benefit from the very generous Artists Tax Exemption, when she gets her Irish citizenship. Daniel O'Donnell and Rosie O'Donnell on The Late Late Show. Pic: RTÉ In her show O'Donnell apparently speaks about how depressed she became when Donald Trump was elected US President first time around and she knew she couldn't handle a second incarnation. So she took to TIKTOK to announce she was packing up and moving to Ireland -her ancestors were Irish-to escape his second term. Trump disparaged her during Taoiseach Micheál Martin's annual St Patrick's Day trip to Washington, saying Ireland will now have to put up with Rosie 'O'Donnell. 'Who?' said the puzzled looking Taoiseach. 'You don't wanna know,' Trump replied in a characteristic put down. Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) Apart from her daytime TV series O'Donnell also had a bit part in the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks romantic comedy 'Sleepless in Seattle'. In her recent documentary 'Unleashing Hope', the mother of five wrote about the power of service dogs for autistic children, as one of her children is autistic. In the new show she talks about how depressed she became when Trump got into office the first time around. She knew she couldn't handle a second Trump term. Actress and comedian Rosie O'Donnell attends Comedy Central's 'Night Of Too Many Stars' benefit for Autism education at the Beacon Theater in New York City on April 13, 2008. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic) She is living in Dublin and in the process of applying for citizenship as her grandparents were Irish.
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Trump announces 30% tariff on goods from Ireland and EU
The US President's trade war with the European Union has escalated. US President Donald Trump on Saturday imposed a 30pc tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union starting on August 1 after weeks of negotiations with the key trading allies failed to reach a more comprehensive trade deal. The fresh tariffs were announced in separate letters posted on Truth Social on Saturday. Earlier this week, Trump issued new tariff announcements for a number of countries, including Japan, South Korea, Canada and Brazil, as well as a 50pc tariff on copper. US president Donald Trump. Photo: Reuters News in 90 Seconds - Saturday July 12 The EU had hoped to reach a comprehensive trade agreement with the US for the 27-country bloc. The European Union had been bracing for the letter from Trump outlining his planned duties on the United States' largest trade and investment partner after a broadening of his tariff war in recent days. The EU initially hoped to strike a comprehensive trade agreement, including zero-for-zero tariffs on industrial goods, but months of difficult talks have led to the realisation it will probably have to settle for an interim agreement and hope something better can still be negotiated. The 27-country bloc is under conflicting pressures as powerhouse Germany urged a quick deal to safeguard its industry, while other EU members, such as France, have said EU negotiators should not cave into a one-sided deal on US terms. Trump's cascade of tariff orders since returning to the White House has begun generating tens of billions of dollars a month in new revenue for the US government. US customs duties revenue shot past $100 billion in the federal fiscal year through to June, according to US Treasury data on Friday.
