Latest news with #SelfieYacht
New Straits Times
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Israel detains Greta Thunberg, Gaza-bound activists at sea
PORT OF ASHDOD, Israel: Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and other activists detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat have been taken to a Tel Aviv airport for deportation, Israel said Tuesday, after their vessel was intercepted by naval forces. The activist group departed Italy on June 1 aboard the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, whose entire population the UN has warned is at risk of famine. Israeli forces intercepted the boat in international waters on Monday and towed it to the port of Ashdod. "The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries," the Israeli foreign ministry said on X. "Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority." The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the activist group operating the vessel, said all 12 campaigners were "being processed and transferred into the custody of Israeli authorities." "They may be permitted to fly out of Tel Aviv as early as tonight," it said on social media. Video released earlier by the group showed the activists with their hands up as Israeli forces boarded the vessel, with one of them saying nobody was injured. Turkiye condemned the interception as a "heinous attack" and Iran denounced it as "a form of piracy" in international waters. In May, another Freedom Flotilla ship, the Conscience, was damaged in international waters off Malta as it headed to Gaza, with the activists saying they suspected an Israeli drone attack. A 2010 Israeli commando raid on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a similar attempt to breach the naval blockade, left 10 civilians dead. On Sunday, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the blockade, in place for years before the Israel-Hamas war, was needed to prevent Palestinian fighters from importing weapons. The Madleen was intercepted about 185 kilometres (115 miles) west of the coast of Gaza, according to coordinates from the coalition. President Emmanuel Macron requested that the six French nationals aboard the boat "be allowed to return to France as soon as possible", a presidential official said. Two of them are journalists, Omar Fayyad of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Yanis Mhamdi who works for online publication Blast, according to media rights group Reporters Without Borders, which condemned their detention and called for their "immediate release." Al Jazeera "categorically denounces the Israeli incursion", the network said in a statement, demanding the reporter's release. Adalah, an Israeli NGO offering legal support for the country's Arab minority, said the activists on board the Madleen had requested its services, and that the group was likely to be taken to a detention centre before being deported. Israel is facing mounting pressure to allow more aid into Gaza to alleviate widespread shortages of food and basic supplies. In what organisers called a "symbolic act", hundreds of people launched a land convoy on Monday from Tunisia with the aim of reaching Gaza. Israel recently allowed some deliveries to resume after barring them for more than two months and began working with the newly formed, US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. But humanitarian agencies have criticised the GHF and the United Nations refuses to work with it, citing concerns over its practices and neutrality. Dozens of people have been killed near GHF distribution points since late May, according to Gaza's civil defence agency. In Gaza City on Monday, displaced Palestinian Umm Mohammed Abu Namous told AFP that she hopes "that all nations stand with us and help us, and that we receive 10 boats instead of one." "We are innocent people," she said. "Our children are dying of hunger... We do not want to lose more children because of hunger." The 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says at least 54,880 people, the majority civilians, have been killed in the territory since the start of the war. The UN considers these figures reliable.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Donald Trump takes aim at ‘angry' Greta Thunberg's claim she was kidnapped by Israeli forces
Donald Trump has unleashed on Greta Thunberg after her so-called 'Freedom Flotilla' loaded with humanitarian aid was seized by Israeli commandos as it tried to break through a blockade of Gaza. The US President said the notorious activist needed to go to an 'anger management' class. Ms Thunberg, 22, is being held in an Israeli detention camp with a number of others where they will be held until they face court, according to her lawyer. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has said that passengers on what it calls the 'Selfie Yacht' will be returned to their home countries. Anyone who refused to sign deportation documents and leave Israel would be brought before a judicial authority. Mr Trump was clearly unimpressed with Ms Thunberg's claim she had been 'kidnapped' when asked about the incident. 'Well, she's a strange person,' Mr Trump said. 'She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger – it's hard to believe actually. But I saw what happened. She's certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an anger management class. That's my primary recommendation for her. 'She said she was kidnapped by Israel? I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' Mr Trump said. Ms Thunberg was on board a vessel named Madleen, which was planning to deliver aid to people in Gaza after setting sail from Sicily, when Israeli forces boarded it. In a video released after her arrest Ms Thunberg said: 'My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,' the Swedish activist said. After being taken into custody Ms Thunberg and other activists refused to watch a 45-minute video of the Hamas atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 attack. 'Greta (Thunberg) and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival for a screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre, and when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching,' Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said. 'The antisemitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children,' he added. David Mencer, a spokesperson fro the Israeli government, said Thunberg's actions were 'publicity stunt', more about raising her profile than providing aid to Palestinians. 'Greta wasn't bringing aid, she was bringing herself,' he said. 'And she's not here for Gaza; let's be blunt about it, she's here for Greta. 'She's alienated half the world with her crying wolf and now she's looking for her next bandwagon. This was a PR stunt sailing under the flag of moral vanity.'
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘She needs anger management': Trump roasts Greta Thunberg
Donald Trump has unleashed on Greta Thunberg after her so-called 'Freedom Flotilla' loaded with humanitarian aid was seized by Israeli commandos as it tried to break through a blockade of Gaza. The US President said the notorious activist needed to go to an 'anger management' class. Ms Thunberg, 22, is being held in an Israeli detention camp with a number of others where they will be held until they face court, according to her lawyer. The Israeli Foreign Ministry has said that passengers on what it calls the 'Selfie Yacht' will be returned to their home countries. Anyone who refused to sign deportation documents and leave Israel would be brought before a judicial authority. Israeli commandos commandeered the boat with Greta Thunberg on board that was headed for Gaza. (AP PHOTO) Credit: AAP Mr Trump was clearly unimpressed with Ms Thunberg's claim she had been 'kidnapped' when asked about the incident. 'Well, she's a strange person,' Mr Trump said. 'She's a young, angry person. I don't know if it's real anger – it's hard to believe actually. But I saw what happened. She's certainly different. Anger management. I think she has to go to an anger management class. That's my primary recommendation for her. 'She said she was kidnapped by Israel? I think Israel has enough problems without kidnapping Greta Thunberg,' Mr Trump said. Ms Thunberg was on board a vessel named Madleen, which was planning to deliver aid to people in Gaza after setting sail from Sicily, when Israeli forces boarded it. In a video released after her arrest Ms Thunberg said: 'My name is Greta Thunberg, and I am from Sweden. If you see this video, we are being intercepted and kidnapped in international waters by the Israeli occupational forces, or forces that support Israel,' the Swedish activist said. After being taken into custody Ms Thunberg and other activists refused to watch a 45-minute video of the Hamas atrocities committed during the October 7, 2023 attack. 'Greta (Thunberg) and her flotilla companions were taken into a room upon their arrival for a screening of the horror film of the October 7 massacre, and when they saw what it was about, they refused to continue watching,' Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said. 'The antisemitic flotilla members are turning a blind eye to the truth and have proven once again that they prefer the murderers to the murdered and continue to ignore the atrocities committed by Hamas against Jewish and Israeli women, adults, and children,' he added. David Mencer, a spokesperson fro the Israeli government, said Thunberg's actions were 'publicity stunt', more about raising her profile than providing aid to Palestinians. 'Greta wasn't bringing aid, she was bringing herself,' he said. 'And she's not here for Gaza; let's be blunt about it, she's here for Greta. 'She's alienated half the world with her crying wolf and now she's looking for her next bandwagon. This was a PR stunt sailing under the flag of moral vanity.'
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First Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Greta Thunberg among Gaza-bound activists facing deportation after yacht intercepted in Israel
Thunberg and other prominent activists were taken for medical examinations on Monday evening and were also shown a 'horror film documenting the October 7 massacre' carried out by Hamas, Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz said read more Twelve activists, including Greta Thunberg, aboard a yacht which was on its way to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, arrived at an airport for deportation on Tuesday, after the boat was seized in the Israeli port of Ashdod. 'The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries,' the Israeli foreign ministry said on social media. 'Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority,' it added. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thunberg and other prominent activists were taken for medical examinations on Monday evening and were also shown a 'horror film documenting the October 7 massacre' carried out by Hamas, Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz said. Refresh for updates
Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Los Angeles protest news updates: Trump sending 'additional' 2,000 National Guard to Los Angeles
10 Jun 2025 | 06:53:54 AM IST Donald Trump is sending an "additional" 2,000 National Guard to protest-hit Los Angeles, the Pentagon said Monday, ratcheting up the US president's stand-off with local officials objecting to earlier mobilizations of guardsmen and Marines. "At the order of the President, the Department of Defense is mobilizing an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X. Russia launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the three-year war, the Ukrainian air force said Monday. In addition to the 479 drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine from Sunday to Monday, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas. Top U.S. and Chinese officials will resume trade talks for a second day in London on Tuesday, hoping to secure a breakthrough over export controls for goods such as rare earths that have threatened a global supply chain shock and slower economic are hoping that the two superpowers can improve ties after the relief sparked by a preliminary trade deal agreed in Geneva last month gave way to fresh doubts after Washington accused Beijing of blocking exports that are critical to sectors including autos, aerospace, semiconductors and defence. One person was killed and at least four wounded in drone attacks on Ukraine's Odesa hitting residential buildings and medical facilities, the port city's governor said Tuesday."Residential buildings in the centre of Odesa were destroyed and damaged. A 59-year-old man was killed," said Governor Oleg Kiper, adding that medics were treating four people wounded in the attacks. Israel said on Tuesday activists from a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid boat that it intercepted have arrived at an airport for deportation."The passengers of the 'Selfie Yacht' arrived at Ben Gurion Airport to depart from Israel and return to their home countries," the Israeli foreign ministry said on social media. "Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority." Donald Trump is sending an "additional" 2,000 National Guard to protest-hit Los Angeles, the Pentagon said Monday, ratcheting up the US president's stand-off with local officials objecting to earlier mobilizations of guardsmen and Marines."At the order of the President, the Department of Defense is mobilizing an additional 2,000 California National Guard to be called into federal service to support ICE & to enable federal law-enforcement officers to safely conduct their duties," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X.
