Latest news with #liberation
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Honors 81st Anniversary Of Guam's Liberation From Japan
President Donald Trump marked the 81st anniversary of Guam's liberation from Japanese occupation with a message honoring the American forces who reclaimed the Pacific territory on July 21, 1944. The Presidential statement emphasized America's continued commitment to defending its territories and interests through military strength. 'As Imperial Japanese forces tried to hold their ground, they struggled to withstand the full might of the U.S. Armed Forces,' Trump said in his White House message. The battle for Guam lasted three weeks across challenging terrain. American forces fought through jungles, caves, and rugged hills to regain control of the strategically vital island. The victory positioned U.S. forces within striking distance of ending the war in the Pacific. The liberation came at a steep cost. More than 1,200 service members and over 1,000 Guam residents died during the campaign. Trump characterized the 1944 victory as 'a bold reassertion of American sovereignty at a time when our future and our freedom were in peril.' 'Under my leadership, the United States remains committed to upholding a foreign policy of peace through strength,' the president stated. He pledged that America would 'never waver in defending our interests, our citizens, our territory, and our glorious way of life from all enemies, foreign and domestic.' The liberation ended nearly three years of Japanese occupation that began December 10, 1941. Guam served as a crucial base for subsequent American operations in the Pacific theater.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
‘Is it making a difference? Absolutely': UK celebrities rally for Gaza
London, United Kingdom – Khaled Abdalla remembers sitting on his father's shoulders as a three-year-old, peering over a sea of heads and waving flags as chants of 'free Palestine' rose around him. It was the early 1980s, a time when hearing 'Palestine' was rare in the United Kingdom. The details of those moments in Glasgow are faint, but he remembers how important the protest felt to his father and the crowds around them. 'My first Palestine protest was on my father's shoulders,' Abdalla told Al Jazeera. 'I've had a relationship with protest for Palestinian liberation since then.' Decades later, the Egyptian British actor – most known for his roles in The Kite Runner and The Crown – is still marching. But now he carries the weight of his public platform. 'After October 7, my first act was at The Crown premiere in LA, with 'Ceasefire Now' written on my hand,' he said. 'I didn't know if that would immediately terminate my career. But it opened up a space far more positive than I expected. In standing up, I found my people, and my people found me.' Since then, Abdalla has used every stage he can. At the Emmys, he wrote 'Never Again' on his palm before stepping onto the red carpet. 'Each time I've done something like that, there has been fear,' he said, adding that while being cancelled does not worry him, he sometimes feels uncertain about how his protests might be received. 'My first protest was on my father's shoulders when I was three. I don't want that to be the fate of my grandchildren.' Sharing opinions about the onslaught in Gaza, particularly as a public figure, is fraught with tension in the UK, as criticising Israel's military actions can lead to accusations of anti-Semitism. Israel launched its latest war on Gaza after Hamas, the group that governs the enclave, led an incursion into Israel during which about 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken captive. Since then, Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed almost 60,000 people and destroyed the majority of civilian sites. For 72-year-old Alexei Sayle, a veteran British Jewish comedian who has long been an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights, silence is not an option. In December 2023, his 'alternative Christmas message' posted to his social media channels went viral, as his words about politicians' alleged lies and complicity in Israel's assault resonated with thousands. 'It was clear from very early on that Gaza was going to be different,' Sayle told Al Jazeera. 'The Israelis were going to do what they are doing, really. And nobody seemed likely to stop them. This was going to be another step forward in the Zionist project – the expulsion or murder, the ethnic cleansing or elimination of the Palestinian people, with the complicity of the West. 'If you remain silent during this holocaust, then you would have remained silent during that holocaust. I think the comparison is justified.' He said he has no fears when rallying for Palestine. 'It's the younger artists who risk cancellation by speaking out,' he said. 'As an elderly Jew in show business, I'm in a position like Miriam Margolyes or Michael Rosen – a sort of protected status,' he added, referring to the British actor and children's author, respectively, both of whom are Jewish and have condemned Israel's war. Comedians and artists are used to holding a mirror up, he said. 'Throughout history, comedians have been the ones to point out the excesses of government. That is our role. Politicians have sacrificed whatever moral compassion or humanity they had. There is clearly a moral void at the heart of this government. 'They are frightened cowards. They care about their job more than they care about children being murdered.' Even so, he knows activism has limits. 'Positive change does not come just from demonstrations,' he said. 'There needs to be a relentless focus on political gain and political power as well, and that is the only way that life will get better, both for the people of Britain and for those abroad, whose lives we are complicit in destroying.' Abdalla shared this view. 'Is it stopping the genocide? No, not yet,' he said. 'But is it making a difference? Absolutely. 'There's been a shift in global consciousness, but there hasn't yet been an avalanche… It's our job to make that avalanche happen.' Sayle and Abdalla are preparing for another weekend of protest mixed with art. They will be among 20 artists, comedians, musicians and humanitarians at Voices of Solidarity, a one-night-only fundraiser for Palestine, on July 19 in London. The singer Paloma Faith, doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah, actor Juliet Stevenson and comedians Sami Abu Wardeh and Tadhg Hickey are also on the lineup. As Gaza continues to be bombed, more Britons are critical of Israeli policies. Last month, a survey carried out by YouGov and commissioned by the Action for Humanity charity and the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) advocacy group found that 55 percent of Britons are against Israel's aggression. A significant number of those opponents – 82 percent – said Israel's actions amount to genocide. 'Yes, there is a move away [from politicians], particularly because of frustration with the lack of action,' said Dina Matar, head of the Centre for Global Media and Communications at SOAS. She said the turn towards artists for moral clarity reflects public disillusionment with formal politics. 'The implications might not be seen immediately, but will be reflected in public rejection of official party politics … We need to continue efforts by all – and here thanks to all these artists – to educate people about the aims of these policies and to make clear the association between capitalism and the settler-colonial state.' Jacob Mukherjee, a professor of political communication at Goldsmiths University in London, said artists and cultural figures are stepping into a political vacuum, a role shaped by history. Since the counterculture movements of the 1960s, musicians and artists have often voiced popular discontent, he said. This is partly due to what sociologists describe as the inherently oppositional and radical culture of artistic spaces, and partly because art is capable of expressing the public mood. 'In the UK, like much of Western Europe and North America, governments have largely remained loyal to what they perceive to be the wishes and interests of the USA,' he said. But while artists can voice discontent and spread awareness, 'there are limits to what artists and cultural movements can do. 'Without effective new parties, the disconnect between public opinion and political elites will only grow,' he said. 'History shows us political reform needs political movements, too.'
Russia Today
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Russia Today
Nelson Mandela ‘never lost spirit'
Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first president and a global icon for his anti-apartheid efforts, 'never lost spirit' during his fight for freedom, his granddaughter Ndileka Mandela has said as part of a new RT Africa's film. Visiting Robben Island for the first time in 40 years, she joined an RT crew to retrace the steps of her grandfather's imprisonment. Speaking of the cruelty and inhumane conditions under apartheid, Ndileka Mandela recalled the attempts to crush not only her grandfather's body, but also his soul. 'I had never imagined ... how the apartheid system searched to break the humanity, searched to break the spirit,' she said. RT Africa's upcoming film, 'Mandela: man behind the legend', is set to premiere on July 18, Mandela Day. It offers a look into the life of the South African liberation icon. Told through a tapestry of interviews with people who lived and worked close to Mandela, the film intertwines memory and history, politics and legacy. 'He remained a rural boy at heart through and through,' Ndileka Mandela said. Xoliswa Ndoyiya, Nelson Mandela's former personal chef, describes feeling more like a daughter than an employee, saying: 'The legacy for me is the values that I took from him. Loving people, sharing with people, caring for people, and most of all to respect people.' 'Mandela: man behind the legend' leads viewers to Robben Island, once a symbol of brutal repression where Mandela spent 18 years behind bars, but now a place of memory. Through intimate stories and reflections, the film reveals the enduring strength behind Mandela's message and how his values continue to shape generations far beyond South Africa. The apartheid era in South Africa, which lasted from 1948 to 1994, was a system of racial segregation implemented by the all-white government. It enforced policies that discriminated against non-white South Africans. Nelson Mandela became a leading figure in the resistance, organizing campaigns against the regime. After being imprisoned for 27 years on charges of sabotage, he was released and eventually elected president. Mandela, who passed away in 2013, became the first democratically elected president of South Africa and the first black person to hold the position.
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Mamdani Says He Will ‘Discourage' the Term ‘Globalize the Intifada'
For weeks, Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee in the New York City mayor's race, has been under pressure to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' which is seen by some as a call to violence against Jews. It became an issue in the heat of the Democratic primary race when Mr. Mamdani, a critic of Israel's war in Gaza, was asked in a podcast interview whether the phrase, which Palestinians and their supporters have called a rallying cry for liberation, made him uncomfortable and he refused to condemn it. But at a closed-door meeting with the city's top business leaders on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Mamdani said he would personally continue to not use the term and would 'discourage' its use by others, according to three people who were familiar with his comments. It was the closest Mr. Mamdani had come to disavowing the term since the issue began rattling his campaign last month. Mr. Mamdani told the roughly 150 business executives that while many people used the term to express solidarity with Palestinians, some New Yorkers viewed it as a reference to violence against Israel, according to one of the people who were familiar with his comments. Just two weeks ago, shortly after his primary victory, Mr. Mamdani said in an interview on 'Meet the Press' that the term was 'not language that I use' but that 'I don't believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Russia Today
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Lavrov thanks ‘heroic' North Korean soldiers for helping liberate Kursk Region
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has thanked the North Korean troops who helped liberate Russia's Kursk Region earlier this year from a cross-border incursion by Ukraine. Kiev's forces captured some of the border areas in Kursk Region last August before being gradually pushed back. Russia fully liberated the territory this past April. The Defense Ministry in Moscow estimated that Ukraine sustained more than 76,000 casualties in its failed incursion. During a meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui at the Wonsan Kalma resort on Saturday, Lavrov stressed that 'the heroic soldiers of the the Korean People's Army together with the Russian servicemen brought closer the liberation of Kursk Region with the cost of their blood and even their lives.' The minister expanded on the issue during a press conference with Russian journalists later in the day, saying that Moscow again thanked Pyongyang for its contribution to freeing the area from 'the Ukrainian Neo-Nazis and foreign mercenaries.' A monument to the North Korean troops who fought in Kursk Region will be erected in Russia, he said, adding that the initiative is 'fully backed by our North Korean friends.' When asked if there were plans to deploy North Korean forces elsewhere in the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov explained that the arrival in Kursk Region of troops from North Korea was in response to a proposal made by the country's leader, Kim Jong-un. The deployment took place under a defense pact signed between Moscow and Pyongyang in June 2024. 'We had no reason to refuse this sincere manifestation of solidarity, and we proceed from the fact that North Korea itself determines the forms in which it implements our agreement on strategic partnership,' he said. Last month, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu announced that around 6,000 North Korean personnel will soon be sent to Kursk Region in line with a decision by Kim. Some 1,000 mine clearance specialists will help with de-mining the territory, while the other 5,000 will be military engineers who will take part in 'rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by the occupants,' he said.
