Palestinian journalists detained by Israel have described systematic torture, sexual violence and starvation inside Israeli prisons, according to a report published on Thursday by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The report, titled ‘We returned from hell’, draws on interviews with 59 Palestinian journalists jailed since October 2023.

All but one said they endured “torture, abuse or other forms of violence”.

Testimonies detail baton beatings, electroshocks and being forced into prolonged stress positions, including being forced to stand under sewage water. Two journalists said they were raped by their Israeli captors.

Journalist Sami al-Sai recounted how soldiers stripped him and penetrated him with a baton and other objects inside a small cell at Megiddo prison, leaving him in a “severe psychological state”.

The disagreement over the use of British sites is behind the US president’s withdrawal of support for the Chagos Islands deal, The Times understands

You're probably in L.A., I'm in Donetsk today,

My buddy's got PTSD, he's frozen like a netsuke,

We're hauling a few birds toward the front line,

I'm writing this diss at you, Mister West.

They say you got a new skirt sewn,

Isn't this why we’ll all step into the meat grinder?

White savages will lie down and rot,

"Glory to Hollywood" caked as mud on their lips.

So New York can convulse in ecstasies of freedom,

Somewhere, wretches will be dying for it.

Somewhere, twins will dispute a genetic test,

Eating each other up for you, Mister West.

For one glance of yours, light as meringue,

A Russian rapper will paint an ass on his own face.

He prayed to bottles his whole short life,

We all grew up in an America that doesn't exist.

They'll tell me: "Aren't you yourself a parody?

Why aren't you wearing bast shoes?" they'll say I'm a village idiot,

That my fate is garbage, and my cross is the same as theirs,

Repeating: “What d'you need, sir? Say the word, Mister West.”

I saw a dream that L.A. was dismantled

And on Beverly Hills stood the Somali Battalion,

And some Arab on a lame donkey

Raped a Black man wearing your jacket.

A few notes:

Obviously this is a diss at the collective West, not Kanye.

Netsuke - small Japanese carved figurine.

Birds - drones.

New skirt - a diss at Western consumerism, not at crossdressing.

Twins disputing genetic test - obviously related peoples disputing their shared history and culture.

Russian rapper painting an ass on his face - diss at rappers bending over backwards for Western audiences.

Bast shoes - symbol of rural Russia, detractors will accuse Husky of not being "authentic" cause he's a rapper.

Somali Battalion - a separatist Donbass unit, not the country.

An Arab raping a Black man wearing Mister West's jacket - to be honest I think that last stanza is the weakest and for me doesn't land well. I think this is about colonised and oppressed people bringing the war back to the US, including those internally colonised and oppressed who "wore oppressors clothes".

The perpetual conflict and instability in the region is partially being kept alive by intellectuals, he claimed, as “they can't grasp the notion that that's how wars are resolved, one side defeating the other and the other side crying uncle and giving up…. Their emotion and compassion get in the way of logical thinking.”

While Israel has debatably won the war against Hamas and Hezbollah, despite not yet having achieved all the goals it set out for the conflict, Lippman acknowledged that there was a key front the Jewish state was sorely losing in: the diplomatic war.

...

Unfortunately, nations seldom succeedively produce leaders of the high caliber of Donald Trump, and the US Constitution has put a term limit on this window of opportunity.

This is how the people think that are forcing us into war with Iran and it should legitimately terrify you on this war's eve.

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Area C, which has a land area of around 3,300-3,500 square kilometers, makes up 60% of the West Bank. Asked why the West is focused on a conflict involving the small strip, Lippman claimed it was because it was yet another disagreement involving Jews.

...

“It hands a victory to Israel's enemies and makes the Gulf nations less interested to work with Israel. So there are those people who argue that this is not in Israel's best interest, that Israel is only digging itself in a deeper hole and is once again acting in a way that is self-destructive to Israel.”

However, Lippman acknowledged that on the flip side, many would happily accept “diplomatic isolation” in exchange for physical safety, returning to his earlier point that there is a feeling that Jerusalem will be criticized and marginalized regardless.

“I think Bibi (Netanyahu) would have been much better served if he spoke about compassion for the Palestinians. So getting up there with the Israeli flags on either side and looking militaristic, that speaks to the insecurity of Israel, the Jewish people who want to be tough. And there's value in that,” he analyzed, adding that while strength was something respected in the region, compassion and vulnerability were read better by the West.

I am pretty sure any Rabbi worth their salt would tell you compassion and vulnerability are what we do to save our own souls, not win diplomatic favor...

The report said there was a pervasive climate of impunity for serious violations of international law by the Israeli authorities in the Palestinian territories.

“Impunity is not abstract — it kills. Accountability is indispensable. It is the prerequisite for a just and durable peace in Palestine and Israel,” Turk said in a statement.

The Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition game is available now on Nintendo eShop. The physical version launches April 16, 2026, only on the Nintendo Switch 2 system.

Join up with BLADE to explore the planet Mira and help bring humanity back from the edge of extinction, now with a faster frame rate (up to 60 fps) and enhanced resolution (up to 4K).

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How will I smell my comrades now

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/29819894

In short:

Police have seized five posters depicting world leaders in Nazi-like uniforms from the window of a Canberra bar.

The bar was declared a crime scene and was forced to close, while the artist says the works are "clearly satirical".

What's next?

The bar owner says the images are "demonstrably anti-fascist" and that he has no regrets about displaying them.

A dog delighted sports fans Wednesday when he was an unexpected competitor at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

It happened during the team sprint qualification in women’s cross-country skiing, when a dog dashed onto the course and followed two skiers across the finish line.

NBC's coverage explained that he had "zoomed with two skiers across the finish line. The good boy's sprint was caught by the photo finish camera."

P.S. Had no idea where to put this, but I had to share.

This is how you start World War 3...

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/c/Epsteinfiles/p/884895/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrested-on-suspicion-of-misconduct-in-public-office-live

• > Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office by police investigating the former prince’s dealings with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. >
• Photographs of unmarked police cars and plainclothes officers at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate just after 8am were published on Thursday. >
• A statement from Thames Valley police said: “We have today (19/2) arrested a man in his 60s from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk. The man remains in police custody at this time.” >
• The arrest came as Mountbatten-Windsor celebrated his 66th birthday at home. >
• Police had been assessing allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor – formerly known as Prince Andrew – shared sensitive information with the billionaire child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein when he was a UK trade envoy. >
• Oliver Wright, Thames Valley Police’s assistant chief constable, said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.” >