geneva_convenience

An Indian postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown University who has spoken out against Israel’s war in Gaza is facing deportation after being detained under United States President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral fellow at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, was designated for deportation for “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism” on social media, Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said on Wednesday.

McLaughlin did not provide evidence for her claim of ties between Suri and Hamas, the group that governs Gaza.

CLAYTON — Two activists who participated in a pro-Palestine protest last spring at Washington University now face charges, the St. Louis County prosecuting attorney’s office said Wednesday.

Those charged include Jill Stein, the presidential nominee of the Green Party in 2024, who is accused of hitting a police officer with a bicycle and kicking him at the protest. Stein, 74, was charged Friday with first-degree trespass and fourth-degree assault.

In charging documents, Washington University police said demonstrators were given numerous warnings to leave the university’s private campus. Officers moved in for arrests around 8 p.m. Court documents alleged Stein interlocked her arms with other demonstrators and refused to leave.

In an interview with the Post-Dispatch just days after the protest, Stein disputed accounts that she struck an officer.

“While I was being assaulted with a bicycle, one of the police bent down and picked up my foot in order to try to further destabilize me into falling backwards,” Stein said. “And I wiggled out of his grip, you know, in an effort not to fall back on my head.”

NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump fired two Democratic commissioners at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday, in another major test of the independence of regulatory agencies.

A White House official confirmed the firings of Democratic Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter after they were first reported by Reuters, but had no additional comment.

A French scientist on his way to a conference in the United States was allegedly denied entry by Customs and Border Patrol over messages found on his phone that criticized President Trump’s science cuts.

The French newspaper Le Monde reports that on March 9, a space researcher was randomly selected upon arrival in Houston for a search, and CBP found messages criticizing the Trump administration’s treatment of scientists, which, according to the agency, “conveyed hatred of Trump & could be qualified as terrorism.”

The researcher’s phone and computer were allegedly confiscated, and he was sent back to Europe the next day. The news prompted the attention of the French government, which expressed alarm.

New York, March 19, 2025 – The official X account of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of the high-profile killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has been deactivated, as reported by Pop Flop on Wednesday at 6:41 p.m. ET. The move has sparked widespread speculation and renewed attention on Mangione, who has become a polarizing figure in recent months.

The deactivation of Mangione’s X account, previously verified and active under the handle @pepmangione, was confirmed by Pop Flop with images showing an error message stating, “Something went wrong. Try again.” It remains unclear whether Mangione or his representatives deactivated the account or if X took action due to platform policies or public pressure. Earlier reports, including from theJasmineBRAND, noted the account’s brief deactivation and subsequent reactivation in December 2024, only to now appear permanently offline.

The family of an Ardrey Kell High School student allegedly assaulted for wearing a hijab says they are “very likely” to sue Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The family of the 15 year-old student, whose name has not been disclosed, said she was punched repeatedly in math class Friday by a football player at the school after days of anti-Muslim bullying.

The girl was later transported to the hospital for treatment for her injuries, including “multiple broken bones in her face, her jaw,” Jibril Hough, a leader and advocate with the Islamic Center of Charlotte, said at a press conference Wednesday. The girl said the male student called her racial slurs and told her to “go back to (her) country,” Hough said.

The family wants the incident to be investigated as a hate crime. “The young man who happened to be an Ardrey Kell football player seemed to have plenty of hate and be filled with intent,” Hough said. “He called our sister the b-word, the n-word, and told her to go back to her country...This is her own country. She was born and raised here.”

The family alleged CMS did not handle the situation appropriately by not calling an ambulance promptly. Instead, the district allegedly requested the student’s mother take her to the hospital. The student’s family said CMS also told them not to alert the media about the incident.

Responsibility of the Israeli attacks lies solely with Hamas, and the US supports Israel in its next steps, according to the acting US ambassador to the United Nations.

Ambassador Dorothy Shea made the statement to a United Nations Security Council briefing.

Shea said US President Donald Trump had made clear that Hamas must release the captives it is holding immediately or pay a high price.

“Moscow perceived with deep regret Israel's resumption of the military operation in the Gaza Strip. As experience shows, it is impossible to settle the issue of hostages' release by force. Russia strongly condemns any actions that lead to the death of civilians and destruction of social infrastructure,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

The operation, which had been in preparation for months, involved coordinated efforts between the IDF and Israel's domestic security service, Shin Bet. The primary goal was to maximize damage to Hamas by striking as many members as possible in the first wave of attacks.

A key factor in the operation's timing was the disruption of daily life in Gaza during the ongoing observance of Ramadan, which affected both civilians and militants. The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Military Intelligence Directorate had compiled a list of addresses where Hamas members were expected to gather for their nightly meals. During the first wave of attacks, dozens of planes and drones simultaneously dropped hundreds of bombs on these locations, where Hamas members were believed to be gathered.

Militants from the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group have occupied five kilometers of the eastern Lebanese town of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali up until now and are carrying out house thefts, the local mayor of the town said on Tuesday, amid cross-border clashes over the past two days, which resulted in 10 fatalities.

Local sources revealed to Al Mayadeen that the militants entered parts of the Lebanese town of Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali after a ceasefire took effect, noting that the Lebanese Army has not entered the area where the militants are stationed within the town.

Lebanon’s Minister of Defense, Michel Menassa, and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, reached an agreement on a ceasefire, as confirmed in statements from the Lebanese and Syrian defense ministries on Monday.

According to the Syrian and Lebanese defense ministries, the clashes left three HTS militants and seven Lebanese killed. Additionally, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported that 52 people were injured on the Lebanese side.