Bono urges Israel to move on from Netanyahu and far-right leaders
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Irish singer and U2 frontman Bono publicly called for Israel to move beyond Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right elements during his remarks at the 2024 Ivors music awards ceremony. Bono's speech marked his first comments on the Israel-Gaza conflict since the war escalated in October 2023.Addressing the audience before a performance of the band's 1983 song "Sunday Bloody Sunday," Bono described the pursuit of peace as a radical but necessary act. 'Believing in the possibility of peace was then and is now a rebellious act,' Bono said, referring to the song's themes. He continued, 'Peace creates possibilities in the most intractable situations. Lord knows there's a few of them out there right now.'Also read: Trump-Netanyahu 'fight': All is not well btw old friends? US Prez had 'fall out' with BiBi over Iran Bono's remarks were made as U2 became the first Irish songwriters to receive an academy fellowship at the Ivors, an honor presented by singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The annual ceremony, held this year on May 22, recognized Bono and fellow U2 members for their contributions to music and social causes.During his speech, Bono called for multiple sides in the ongoing conflict to take action. 'Hamas, release the hostages. Stop the war,' he stated. Turning to Israeli leadership, Bono added, 'Israel, be released from Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right fundamentalists that twist your sacred texts.'Bono also emphasized the importance of protecting humanitarian workers, describing them as essential contributors in crisis zones. 'All of you protect our aid workers, they are the best of us,' he said.The speech came as global leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, expressed concern over Israel's renewed military action in Gaza. Earlier this week, the trio released a joint statement reaffirming support for a two-state solution and recognition of a Palestinian state as part of long-term peace efforts.Also read: 'If not today, then tomorrow': Netanyahu warns Hamas, promises to bring back every hostage Bono introduced U2's performance of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' by linking the historic context of the song to the present conflict. The track originally referenced the 1972 shootings in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, when British soldiers opened fire on unarmed civil rights protesters, resulting in 14 deaths.By performing the politically charged song, U2 underscored its long-standing engagement with global peace movements. Bono, who received the Peace Summit Award at the 2008 Nobel Peace Laureates Summit, used the platform to reiterate his ongoing advocacy for diplomatic solutions to international conflicts.Netanyahu recently criticized leaders including Starmer, Macron, and Carney, accusing them of emboldening Hamas by supporting the recognition of Palestinian statehood. Bono's comments add to a growing chorus of international voices urging de-escalation and structural change in both Israeli and Palestinian leadership.
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Indian Express
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- Indian Express
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'The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was born with a green and red flag, and with the concrete practice of the alliance that this symbolised — Dhanbad mine workers, lower caste peasants, adivasis. 'Lalkhand-Jharkhand' was the slogan of early marches,' Omvedt wrote in 1984. The question of land The deliberate appeal to non-tribal workers would help the JMM introduce 'new forms of mobilisation around socio economic issues', political scientist Louise Tillin wrote in Remapping India: New States and their Political Origins (2023). 'Land was a major issue for the JMM,' Tillin wrote. 'The Chotanagpur Tenancy Act 1908 had made the sale of tribal lands to non-tribals illegal, but considerable tribal land had changed hands nonetheless.' This created an increasingly alienated peasantry, which was being squeezed further by exploitative moneylenders. 'We must eat all year round. So far, the Santhal has worked for twelve months and starved for twelve months, and the moneylender has reaped the harvest. This must change,' Soren said (quoted in the Economic and Political Weekly article 'Material Base of Santhal Movement', 1975). Even before the JMM came into being, Soren would travel from village to village on his motorcycle, encouraging adivasis and other landless tillers to harvest standing crops on land that was illegally acquired by the 'outsiders'. The so-called dhan katao andolan would peak with the harvests of 1974-75. In the late 1970s, the JMM took a leading role in protests against state forestry policies in Singhbhum, backing the so-called jungle katao andolan in which government-planted teak trees were cut down to reclaim land for cultivation. Soren's challenge to the status quo was often 'violent'. 'The JMM, and Shibu Soren in particular, became known for delivering summary justice against landlords and moneylenders, even holding their own courts,' Tillin wrote. But his charisma and candour made him a cult-like figure among the adivasis. 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First Post
33 minutes ago
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FirstUp: Bangladesh's Yunus to unveil ‘July Proclamation' on Hasina's exit anniversary and other top news
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He faces five charges of rape and one of sexual assault involving three women. The alleged incidents took place between 2021 and 2022. According to The Guardian, the charges include two counts of rape of one woman, three counts of rape of a second woman, and one count of sexual assault of a third woman. Notably, Partey was charged just four days after his departure from Arsenal following the end of his contract. During his nearly five-year spell with the club, he played 130 matches and scored nine goals. With inputs from agencies
