Latest news with #Scud
Libya Observer
02-06-2025
- Libya Observer
Scud missile removed from residential area in Tripoli
The Military Industry Authority says it has successfully removed a Soviet-era Scud missile from a densely populated area in the capital, Tripoli. The R-17 missile was discovered in a forest near the city's zoo in the Abu Salim district — a residential neighbourhood. Officials say the missile had been left in an unsafe condition, lacking any safety protocols. 'The missile posed a severe risk, with a potential blast radius of over one square kilometre,' the authority said in a statement. The operation was carried out in coordination with the General Staff of the Libyan Army and the 111th Brigade. Authorities confirmed the removal was completed without injury or damage. News Tagged: Tripoli war remnants
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Letters to the Editor: Allowing AI to label opinion pieces encourages 'meaningless tribalism'
To the editor: Measuring views on a left-right political spectrum might be expedient for casual conversations, but views are not one dimensional ("L.A. Times Insights," March 3). Neither are people. The Times can't elevate discourse by smacking on reductive labels. This will only divide our communities and encourage meaningless tribalism. Last month, the editorial board wrote a nuanced take on complex legal efforts to return art stolen by Nazis during World War II. The piece is now labeled "Center Left," which is as insightful as labeling a car "pre-diabetic." The same label is on a piece about street design in Culver City. Bus lanes can be earnestly debated without having to worry where your views sit on this toxic left-right spectrum. Good luck labeling this. Adam Rose, Los Angeles .. The L.A. Times does not need AI-enabled ways to engage with readers. It needs to strengthen solid news reporting and continue providing diverse perspectives, including editorials, op-eds, columns, reviews and other opinion pieces. We readers can already engage with AI-driven slop from a plethora of sources. We need The Times to stand up with integrity and do what a newspaper should do. Randall Gellens, San Diego.. Instead of cosmetic additions like adding the Voices label to opinion columns and unreliable AI-generated links to articles, why doesn't The Times return to hard-hitting reporting on what's happening in this country? Jim Lawson, Santa Barbara .. If you're making it clear that this is an opinion piece and the piece has an editor, why the need for this imperfect AI? Why not just publish a variety of "Voices" or further empower your qualified human editors? Jason File, Santa Barbara .. I'm sure I'm not alone in responding to the latest journalistic catastrophe that is "Voices" and "L.A. Times Insights" with severe disdain. This decision is like a Scud missile detonating on the already-smoldering remains of print journalism. Benji Heywood, Los Angeles This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Allowing AI to label opinion pieces encourages ‘meaningless tribalism'
To the editor: Measuring views on a left-right political spectrum might be expedient for casual conversations, but views are not one dimensional ('L.A. Times Insights,' March 3). Neither are people. The Times can't elevate discourse by smacking on reductive labels. This will only divide our communities and encourage meaningless tribalism. Last month, the editorial board wrote a nuanced take on complex legal efforts to return art stolen by Nazis during World War II. The piece is now labeled 'Center Left,' which is as insightful as labeling a car 'pre-diabetic.' The same label is on a piece about street design in Culver City. Bus lanes can be earnestly debated without having to worry where your views sit on this toxic left-right spectrum. Good luck labeling this. Adam Rose, Los Angeles .. The L.A. Times does not need AI-enabled ways to engage with readers. It needs to strengthen solid news reporting and continue providing diverse perspectives, including editorials, op-eds, columns, reviews and other opinion pieces. We readers can already engage with AI-driven slop from a plethora of sources. We need The Times to stand up with integrity and do what a newspaper should do. Randall Gellens, San Diego.. Instead of cosmetic additions like adding the Voices label to opinion columns and unreliable AI-generated links to articles, why doesn't The Times return to hard-hitting reporting on what's happening in this country? Jim Lawson, Santa Barbara .. If you're making it clear that this is an opinion piece and the piece has an editor, why the need for this imperfect AI? Why not just publish a variety of 'Voices' or further empower your qualified human editors? Jason File, Santa Barbara .. I'm sure I'm not alone in responding to the latest journalistic catastrophe that is 'Voices' and 'L.A. Times Insights' with severe disdain. This decision is like a Scud missile detonating on the already-smoldering remains of print journalism. Benji Heywood, Los Angeles
Daily Tribune
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
The media gets a power lift
When the first Gulf War broke out in 1990 and Operation Desert Storm was launched to support the liberation of Kuwait from Saddam Hussein, a new kind of wartime journalism was born. Cynics said that Operation Desert Storm took place in just the correct time zone for all-American TRPs and the newborn Cable News Network (CNN)struck gold. Having promised 24 x7 news coverage, the channel had been filing the usual tales of small-town crime, big-city business news and sundry stories of human interest to curious viewers. But when they got a war to cover with American soldiers in the fray, the network became the right news channel at the right time and place. A night time war was breathlessly followed during American daytime with correspondents silhouetted against Scud missile debris and exploding skies. And war and crisis coverage was never the same. In 1999, when India went to the battlefront in the snowy heights of Kargil, Indian journalists scrambled to reach the frontlines and report from there, leading to heated arguments that they were actually giving away troop movements to the enemy. And yet, once in a while, something happens that puts a surge of power into the media in this age of capsule journalism where news is consumed in sound and visual bites on one's smartphones and as YouTube broadcasts. On Friday night, viewers around the world watched in grim fascination as America's two top leaders – President Trump and Vice-President Vance - retired to lick their scratches after failing to bully Ukranian President Zelensky into unconditionally handing over his country's rare minerals mines to them. I believe that this display of misplaced power by an elected leader against a President of a warring nation has brought European countries to Ukraine's side. And none of this would have been a reality except that it happened in front of the media and was broadcast by them for the world to see and judge. Let us remember that and respect the press.
Al-Ahram Weekly
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Here are some of the longest-serving Palestinian prisoners set for release in the latest swap - War on Gaza
Israel is set to release 620 Palestinian prisoners, including several long-serving detainees, in the seventh round of swaps under the Gaza ceasefire agreement, mediated by Egypt, Qatar, and the US. Among those slated for freedom are prominent figures who have spent decades in Israeli jails under harsh conditions. Prominent prisoners: Decades behind bars Nael Barghouthi, the world's longest-serving Palestinian prisoner, has spent 45 years in Israeli jails. First arrested in 1978, he was sentenced to life plus 18 years for involvement in military operations. He was freed in the 2011 Wafaa al-Ahrar exchange, which saw 1,027 Palestinian prisoners released in return for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Barghouthi was rearrested in 2014 for allegedly violating parole conditions. Abd al-Nasser Issa, a Hamas leader, has spent 30 years in prison. He was trained in 1994 by Yahya Ayyash, a key figure in Hamas's military wing, before joining the Qassam Brigades. Arrested in 1995, he was sentenced to two life terms plus 20 years for alleged involvement in operations that killed 12 settlers and injured dozens. Excluded from the 2011 prisoner swap, he has spent nearly 30 years in Israeli jails. Ammar al-Zaben, a Qassam Brigades commander, spent 26 years in prison. He was arrested in 1998 while returning from Jordan and sentenced to 27 life terms for allegedly orchestrating attacks in Jerusalem that resulted in deaths and injuries. In 2012, he became the first Palestinian prisoner to successfully smuggle sperm out of prison, allowing his wife to conceive through IVF. His son, Muhannad, was later born. Osman Bilal, a Hamas military commander in Nablus, spent 30 years in prison. He was a key figure in the Qassam Brigades and the right-hand man of fellow prisoner Abd al-Nasser Issa. He was involved in planning two significant operations in coordination with key Hamas figures Yahya Ayyash and Mohieddin al-Sharif. The first was carried out on 24 July 1995, but he was arrested before executing the second. He was sentenced to 27 life terms. Dirar Abu Sisi, a Palestinian engineer, was held for 14 years in prison. He was abducted by Mossad agents in Ukraine in 2011 and secretly transferred to Israel. Authorities accused him of developing Hamas' rocket program, citing his studies in missile technology under a specialist in Scud missiles. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2015. Israel delays prisoners' release. The prisoner release, set to take place Saturday afternoon, was delayed for hours by Israeli authorities and has yet to take place. The Palestinian Authority said the process had been stalled "until further notice." Waiting in near-freezing temperatures, families in the West Bank dispersed as the delay dragged on. It follows Hamas's handover of six Israeli captives, including Hisham al-Sayed, a Palestinian citizen of Israel. Israel's prime minister's office justified the delay by accusing Hamas of "cynical propaganda" during the handovers. At the same time, Hamas dismissed Israel's claims, saying the handovers reflected the group's "noble humane treatment" of captives. Hamas called on mediators to ensure Israel abides by the ceasefire terms, warning that Israel is seeking to "evade its obligations" under the deal. Of the 620 detainees set for release on Saturday, 108 face deportation outside Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Prisoners' Club said the group includes 50 serving life sentences and 47 who had been rearrested after previous exchanges. So far, Israel has freed 1,142 Palestinian prisoners under the ceasefire deal, which requires the release of 1,900 detainees in exchange for Israeli captives. With one week left in the first phase, talks on an extension have yet to begin. Short link:
