Latest news with #psychologicalwarfare
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Cruelty becoming enemy of peace in Gaza, UN torture expert warns after hostage videos emerge
NEW YORK CITY: The UN's special rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, on Friday reiterated her urgent call for the unconditional and immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, after disturbing videos showing severely emaciated captives emerged this week. 'Cruelty is being used as psychological warfare, with devastating consequences for individuals, families, societies and for peace,' Edwards said from Geneva. She warned that the conflict in Gaza is increasingly being fought in the public arena, with graphic media coverage intensifying the psychological harm. Last weekend, Hamas released a disturbing video of 24-year-old Evyatar David, an Israeli taken hostage at the Nova Music Festival during the Oct. 7 attacks. He appeared extremely thin and pale, so much so that his father said he barely recognized his son. The video showed David, under the control of his Hamas captors, being forced to dig what appeared to be his own grave inside a narrow underground tunnel. Out of respect for the wishes of David's family, the video is not being shown as they believe he is being used for cruel propaganda purposes. They called for urgent international action to help secure his release. Edwards said that it is not only hostage-takers who could be held criminally liable under international law, but also any individuals or groups that aid in concealment or detention. 'Anyone involved must be held to account for their involvement, in a court of law,' she said. She also appealed to countries with influence in the region to help break the deadlock in ceasefire negotiations, and called for international observers to be granted immediate access to all hostages and detainees. 'If anyone was immune to the cruelty being inflicted on the hostages, these latest videos should be proof enough,' Edwards said. She also repeated her broader calls for an end to hostilities in Gaza, the urgent expansion of humanitarian aid to the territory, the release of arbitrarily detained Palestinians, and independent investigations into all alleged violations of international law. She urged all parties to resume negotiations toward a comprehensive peace settlement based on a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Special rapporteurs are part of what is known as the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. They are independent experts who work on a voluntary basis, are not members of UN staff and are not paid for their work.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: ‘It is a campaign of domestic terror'
As a United States marine, Arturo Flores served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he worked as a military police officer and trained dogs to find roadside bombs. It's his experience in the military that has made what he's seen on the streets of southern California in recent weeks all the more disturbing to him, Flores said. Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, in south LA county. Like in other parts of LA, many Huntington residents have been terrified amid reports of masked federal agents detaining immigrants, or those that look like immigrants, on the street, in parking lots, at swap meets or large stores and soldiers deployed into the city against the wishes of local officials and the governor. 'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.' A third of all LA residents were born outside of the United States, and nearly half of the region's residents are Latino. An estimated 1 million of LA county's 10 million residents are undocumented. About 97% of residents in Huntington Park are Latino, and the city has been the site of numerous raids by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) in recent weeks. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, attended an operation in the city on 12 June. The Trump administration's crackdown has sent fear through immigrant and Latino communities in the city, for citizens and non-citizens alike, Flores said. Video captured of federal operations in the region this week showed apparent immigration agents arresting a US citizen while her family cried for help nearby, and officers surrounding a street vendor as she clung to a tree. In Huntington Park, Flores said, federal officers are not communicating with local agencies and driving through neighborhoods at high speed, jumping curbs and chasing people. Residents report people seemingly being targeted based on their skin color or perceived ethnicity, he said. 'Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,' the DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. 'These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave Ice law enforcement.' McLaughlin also said 'this kind of garbage has led to a 500% increase in the assaults on Ice officers', though she did not explain the underlying data or what period the rise was documented in. 'DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,' she said. 'We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.' The operations have had a dramatic impact on the community. Businesses have closed, Flores said, as people who would normally be out shopping stay indoors. Only four families came to a recent city-organized movie night in the park. 'It's a very real fear of being physically assaulted when you're just walking on the street, trying to grocery shop or trying to pick up your granddaughter,' Flores said. Flores has said the way federal officials are conducting operations, with agents in masks and unmarked vehicles, is dangerous. This week, Huntington Park police arrested someone they believed was impersonating a federal agent. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the operations in the city, and to the deployment of national guard soldiers and marines to Los Angeles in recent weeks. During a press conference with LA area mayors ahead of the arrival of soldiers in the city earlier this month, Flores urged servicemembers to defend the constitution. 'When we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the constitution and to defend the country, that oath was to the American people,' he said at the time. 'It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.' The events that have unfolded in the area in recent weeks have been surreal, he said. 'You never imagine seeing this domestically in areas and streets that you grew up on … but we're seeing as some of these streets are being transformed into battlegrounds.' Huntington Park is having conversations about joining a class-action lawsuit with other cities against the Trump administration, Flores said, and is looking to start emergency funds for constitutional rights education, legal aid and emergency food delivery. As operations continue to unfold, he is urging residents to stay united. 'It is very dangerous time,' he said. '[But] there's gonna come a time where Donald Trump will not be president and the individuals that were perpetrating these injustices are going to be held accountable.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"The air conditioner they turn on in the winter and the heat on in the summer" - Joe Dumars on why playing Larry Bird's Celtics in the Garden was a nightmare
"The air conditioner they turn on in the winter and the heat on in the summer" - Joe Dumars on why playing Larry Bird's Celtics in the Garden was a nightmare originally appeared on Basketball Network. There are certain places in basketball history that go beyond home-court advantage. They carry an aura, a psychological edge and in some cases, even climate manipulation. Advertisement For Joe Dumars and the Detroit Pistons of the late '80s, the old Boston Garden was one such place — a sweatbox in the summer, a freezer in the winter and always a battleground. The Bad Boys, for all their grit and physical dominance, never quite got comfortable there. Not quite because of fear, but because everything about that arena, its hostile crowd, wooden floor and unrelenting atmosphere was engineered to throw off visiting teams. The old Garden The rivalry between the Pistons and the Boston Celtics was a headline in the late '80s. But before Detroit could rise, it had to go through Boston, more precisely, through Larry Bird's Celtics in their prime. And that meant braving the treacherous terrain of the Garden, where even the thermostat seemed to be part of Red Auerbach's long-standing psychological warfare. Advertisement "Because the air conditioner they turn on in the winter and the heat on in the summer," Dumars said of the old Garden. It was a reality many teams had to deal with when walking into that building. The 1987 Eastern Conference finals between the Celtics and Pistons are still remembered for how physically and mentally exhausting it became. Game 5 of that series, the Isiah Thomas turnover game, took place in a sweltering Garden, with indoor temperatures reportedly in the '90s. By the fourth quarter, players were drenched, exhausted and leaning heavily on whatever oxygen they could get. It was no accident. The Pistons, more used to the controlled climate of the Pontiac Silverdome, felt every inch of discomfort. The Celtics' dominance in Boston during the '80s was almost mythological. Between 1985 and 1987, they posted a 102–10 home record in the regular season and a staggering 27–1 playoff record. During the 1985-86 season alone, Boston went 40–1 at home. Advertisement That level of consistency didn't happen by luck or because of just talent. The Garden worked as an amplifier for Bird's brilliance, McHale's footwork, Parish's consistency and the strategic minds of K.C. Jones and Auerbach. The floor itself was infamous, sections of the parquet were reportedly dead spots, which the Celtics knew intimately. Passing lanes became traps. Cuts were anticipated. Boston defenders seemed to know exactly where to channel opposing players and more often than not, it led to either a steal, a forced shot, or an awkward turnover. Related: "Only two guys on that team could fight" - Charles Barkley says "Bad Boy" label for Detroit was highly exaggerated A dominant team The Pistons were built to break spirits — Rick Mahorn, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman and of course, Dumars and Thomas. They rattled almost everybody, but playing in Boston meant adapting to a game being played on the Celtics' terms. Advertisement "Let's not forget how incredible Bird and the Celtics were in their prime. It was almost impossible to go there and beat them," Dumars said. Bird was at his absolute peak in the mid-'80s. Between 1984 and 1986, he averaged 26.2 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, shooting over 50 percent from the field and nearly 90 percent from the line. He won three consecutive MVP awards during that stretch, something only Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell had done before him. The 1987 Eastern Conference finals, especially, marked the moment when the Pistons truly began knocking on the door of greatness. They took Boston to seven games. Thomas had his 25-point fourth quarter in Game 5. But it was Bird's legendary steal from Thomas' inbound pass to Laimbeer, capped by a quick dish to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup, that sealed Detroit's fate in Game 5. Still, Dumars and company didn't flinch for long. They came back stronger. By 1988, they eliminated Boston en route to the Finals. And in 1989, they finally won it all. But that sense of discomfort in Boston never really left. Advertisement The old Garden was eventually demolished in 1998 to make way for the modernized TD Garden. Related: "Every single time that we eliminated them, Mike found me, shook my hand" - Joe Dumars says it's a myth Michael Jordan never showed sportsmanship This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: ‘It is a campaign of domestic terror'
As a United States marine, Arturo Flores served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he worked as a military police officer and trained dogs to find roadside bombs. It's his experience in the military that has made what he's seen on the streets of southern California in recent weeks all the more disturbing to him, Flores said. Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, in south LA county. Like in other parts of LA, many Huntington residents have been terrified amid reports of masked federal agents detaining immigrants, or those that look like immigrants, on the street, in parking lots, at swap meets or large stores and soldiers deployed into the city against the wishes of local officials and the governor. 'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.' A third of all LA residents were born outside of the United States, and nearly half of the region's residents are Latino. An estimated 1 million of LA county's 10 million residents are undocumented. About 97% of residents in Huntington Park are Latino, and the city has been the site of numerous raids by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) in recent weeks. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, attended an operation in the city on 12 June. The Trump administration's crackdown has sent fear through immigrant and Latino communities in the city, for citizens and non-citizens alike, Flores said. Video captured of federal operations in the region this week showed apparent immigration agents arresting a US citizen while her family cried for help nearby, and officers surrounding a street vendor as she clung to a tree. In Huntington Park, Flores said, federal officers are not communicating with local agencies and driving through neighborhoods at high speed, jumping curbs and chasing people. Residents report people seemingly being targeted based on their skin color or perceived ethnicity, he said. 'Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,' the DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. 'These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave Ice law enforcement.' McLaughlin also said 'this kind of garbage has led to a 500% increase in the assaults on Ice officers', though she did not explain the underlying data or what period the rise was documented in. 'DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence,' she said. 'We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.' The operations have had a dramatic impact on the community. Businesses have closed, Flores said, as people who would normally be out shopping stay indoors. Only four families came to a recent city-organized movie night in the park. 'It's a very real fear of being physically assaulted when you're just walking on the street, trying to grocery shop or trying to pick up your granddaughter,' Flores said. Flores has said the way federal officials are conducting operations, with agents in masks and unmarked vehicles, is dangerous. This week, Huntington Park police arrested someone they believed was impersonating a federal agent. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the operations in the city, and to the deployment of national guard soldiers and marines to Los Angeles in recent weeks. During a press conference with LA area mayors ahead of the arrival of soldiers in the city earlier this month, Flores urged servicemembers to defend the constitution. 'When we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the constitution and to defend the country, that oath was to the American people,' he said at the time. 'It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.' The events that have unfolded in the area in recent weeks have been surreal, he said. 'You never imagine seeing this domestically in areas and streets that you grew up on … but we're seeing as some of these streets are being transformed into battlegrounds.' Huntington Park is having conversations about joining a class-action lawsuit with other cities against the Trump administration, Flores said, and is looking to start emergency funds for constitutional rights education, legal aid and emergency food delivery. As operations continue to unfold, he is urging residents to stay united. 'It is very dangerous time,' he said. '[But] there's gonna come a time where Donald Trump will not be president and the individuals that were perpetrating these injustices are going to be held accountable.'
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
California mayor on Trump's immigration raids: ‘It is a campaign of domestic terror'
As a United States marine, Arturo Flores served in Afghanistan and Iraq, where he worked as a military police officer and trained dogs to find roadside bombs. It's his experience in the military that has made what he's seen on the streets of southern California in recent weeks all the more disturbing to him, Flores said. Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, in south LA county. Like in other parts of LA, many Huntington residents have been terrified amid reports of masked federal agents detaining immigrants, or those that look like immigrants, on the street, in parking lots, at swap meets or large stores and soldiers deployed into the city against the wishes of local officials and the governor. 'It is a campaign of domestic terror that is being imposed on our residents on a daily basis,' Flores said. 'It is a level of psychological warfare that I've only seen in theaters of war. It's terrifying seeing it being displayed here in my city.' A third of all LA residents was born outside of the United States, and nearly half of the region's residents are Latino. An estimated 1 million of LA county's 10 million residents are undocumented. About 97% of residents in Huntington Park are Latino, and the city has been the site of numerous raids by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (Ice) in recent weeks. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, attended an operation in the city on 12 June. The Trump administration's crackdown has sent fear through immigrant and Latino communities in the city, for citizens and non-citizens alike, Flores said. Video captured of federal operations in the region this week showed apparent immigration agents arresting a US citizen while her family cried for help nearby, and officers surrounding a street vendor as she clung to a tree. In Huntington Park, Flores said, federal officers are not communicating with local agencies and driving through neighborhoods at high rates of speed, jumping curbs, and chasing people. Residents report people seemingly being targeted based on their skin color or perceived ethnicity, he said. 'Any claims that individuals have been 'targeted' by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically false,' the DHS assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, said. 'These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave Ice law enforcement.' McLaughlin also said 'this kind of garbage has led to a 500% increase in the assaults on Ice officers', though she did not explain the underlying data or what period the rise was documented in. 'DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence' she said. 'We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.' The operations have had a dramatic impact on the community. Businesses have closed, Flores said, as people who would normally be out shopping stay indoors. Only four families came to a recent city-organized movie night in the park. 'It's a very real fear of being physically assaulted when you're just walking on the street, trying to grocery shop or trying to pick up your granddaughter,' Flores said. Flores has said the way federal officials are conducting operations, with agents in masks and unmarked vehicles, is dangerous. This week, Huntington Park police arrested someone they believed was impersonating a federal agent. He has been outspoken about his opposition to the operations in the city, and to the deployment of national guard soldiers and marines to Los Angeles in recent weeks. During a press conference with LA area mayors ahead of the arrival of soldiers in the city earlier this month, Flores urged servicemembers to defend the constitution. 'When we lifted our hands and we swore the oath to defend the constitution and to defend the country, that oath was to the American people,' he said at the time. 'It was not to a dictator. It was not to a tyrant. It was not to a president. It was to the American people.' The events that have unfolded in the area in recent weeks have been surreal, he said. 'You never imagine seeing this domestically in areas and streets that you grew up on … but we're seeing as some of these streets are being transformed into battlegrounds.' Huntington Park is having conversations about joining a class-action lawsuit with other cities against the Trump administration, Flores said, and is looking to start emergency funds for constitutional rights education, legal aid and emergency food delivery. As operations continue to unfold, he's urging residents to stay united. 'It is very dangerous time,' he said. '[But] there's gonna come a time where Donald Trump will not be president and the individuals that were perpetrating these injustices are going to be held accountable.'
