FinPol Digest

A photography exhibit was launched in the besieged Gaza Strip yesterday to showcase Israel's violations against Palestinian journalists. 'Yes to Protecting Journalists' includes more than 40 pictures of journalists being abused by occupation forces. The exhibition was set up by Gaza-based Press House whose Director, Bilal Jadallah, said: "This exhibition sheds light on the increasing Israeli violations targeting Palestinian journalists." "It comes as part of a wide-scale media campaign aiming to attract attention to protecting journalists that includes a tweet storm with the hashtag: Yes to Protecting Journalists." The exhibition includes pictures showing Palestinian journalists being exposed to different forms of Israeli violations. Jadallah called for protection to be provided to Palestinian journalists. Photographer Ashraf Abu Amra, whose pictures are on display at the exhibition, said: "The Israeli occupation always attempts to hide its crimes...

 The airstrike that resulted in the deaths of three journalists in southern Lebanon underscores the increasingly dangerous landscape for media professionals covering conflicts in the region. On a fateful morning, an Israeli raid specifically targeted a compound housing journalists in Hasbaiyya, leading to the tragic loss of life and raising questions about the safety of those dedicated to reporting the truth. Eyewitness accounts reveal that the bungalow where the journalists were sleeping was a direct target of the airstrike, which contradicts claims of an indiscriminate military campaign. Imran Khan, reporting from the site for Al Jazeera, pointed out the lack of evacuation orders for Hasbaiyya, suggesting that the area was not a legitimate target within the context of ongoing hostilities. The attack has been denounced by various media organizations and governments, with Lebanese Information Minister Ziad Makary labeling it as a “war crime.” He articulated that this was not merely...

 Journalists and activists at COP27 are increasingly afraid they are being subject to surveillance at the UN climate summit being held in Sharm El-Sheikh. Attendees are being warned not to download a mobile app created by the government with the floorplan and conference program. Experts have warned that the app gives intelligence services access to their location, photos, and emails. There are concerns that authorities will use it to gather information about civil society. Civil society has been heavily repressed in Egypt where there are some 60,000 political prisoners in jail who are systematically tortured and denied appropriate medical care. In the lead-up to the conference, human rights groups campaigned to allow the meaningful participation of activists and journalists, who are essential for bringing about climate change. To download the conference app, participants must give their mobile number, nationality, and passport details and enable location tracking. "Our applicati...

 That day when Soorena* was arrested on a main road in the center of the capital of Iran- Valiasar Square, Tehran the whole city looked like a battleground. Many of the victims explained their fear of that September’s eve, they said that a water cannon truck was black and was hosing people who were protesting and the protesters were trying to revert and save themselves by throwing wheels, etc. The smell of tear gas was in the air, and between these, Soorena got arrested. Soorena is just 17 years old and said by remembering the day of arrests by the police, she could find herself amongst the people who attacked the truck.  She was blindfolded and put in the police van. This arrest of Soorena happened after Mahsa Amini ’s death in police custody. That Kurdish-Iranian 22 old woman who died on September 16 in the police custody But Soorena was lucky because she was a minor, and she was transferred to a youth detention center and filed as an under-18. Because she was a minor She wa...

At Google's annual shareholder meeting, investors are expected to express concerns about a problematic Saudi Arabia initiative, saying that the company risks offering up sensitive data on a silver platter to Saudi’s top hitmen. Google & Saudi Aramco Partnership Investors are concerned about a large cloud computing center that Google is building in collaboration with Saudi Aramco, the country's main oil company. Google first announced the project in 2020, claiming that it will assist Saudi “customers to confidently grow and scale their offerings in this market.”  Data Will Be Used for Spying However, Google's shareholders claim that the Saudi government may use the company's code of conduct, which states, "Don't be evil," to surveil activists, journalists, and other perceived opponents of the kingdom. Google’s Argue & Explanations Google attempted to prevent the shareholders' resolution from being tabled at the meeting. Google stated that it a...

 Mahsa Amini's death sparked nationwide protests in Iran last year. Numerous clashes and intimidation and intimidation followed the protest between the youth, the police, the government, even students, and journalists. And even not long after that, there was no internet in the city. The government of Iran tries there level best to suppress the protest, they start arresting protesters, punishing them, they also cut down their freedom of speech. They cut down the freedom of speech online. The Irish government used online devices to track the protesters. People and protesters and their supporters start posting and spreading all their struggles and injustices that were being done by the Irish government on social media platforms. And the government knows that protesters need to communicate to rise the protest more powerfully. So, they peacefully cut down the internet in the region. This time, the internet and social platforms are the best and easiest way to communicate. Article 19 wh...

 Jimmy 'MrBeast' Donaldson, the most subscribed YouTuber, has asked if he can be the new CEO of Twitter. His statement came after Twitter CEO Elon Musk launched a poll asking Twitter users if he should remain the CEO of the micro-blogging platform. Around 57 percent of voters, or 10 million votes, favored Musk stepping down from the post of the Twitter CEO. Sharing the poll, Musk reportedly said that he would step down as the CEO of Twitter once he finds a suitable replacement for the post. He reportedly wrote on Twitter , “I will resign as CEO as soon as I find someone foolish enough to take the job!” Subsequently, the YouTuber asked on Twitter, "Can I be the new Twitter CEO?" Responding to his tweet, Twitter's current CEO said, "It's not out of the question." Since taking over Twitter, Musk has turned to polls for various questions. He often turns to social media polls and shares answers on Twitter. Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is a fa...

  Armenia’s top officials have confirmed that the country is going to bring Armenian origin citizens from Greece to fight in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan.     The secretary to the president of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Haziyev, said that they have got information about Armenia’s plan that they will be bringing people from western countries to fight in the disputed region as mercenaries.   "We call on those states to stay away from such provocations against Azerbaijan and to take measures. Citizens of these countries will become targets if they participate in military operations," he said.   He went on to add that Armenians have been attempting to enter the cyberspace of Azerbaijan. The official claimed that apart from the Armenians occupying the disputed area, journalists are also staying in those areas working for Armenian forces, who are illegally staying in the area.   He alleged that these foreign reporters were brought by Yerevan to disrupt th...

 Millions of Americans lose federal unemployment benefits on Saturday because of the deadlock between Congress and President Trump over the Coronavirus relief aid passed by the House and Senate later this week.  More than twelve million Americans who have applied for unemployment benefits will lose through two schemes set up under enactment recently during the Covid pandemic, as estimated by The Century Foundation.  Trump had no events on his timetable on the first day of his winter vacation on Thursday; however, he visited his Palm Beach golf club, where he was spotted playing golf by CNN news. No details of his timetable for the afternoon were provided to the journalists, however, they were informed that "As the Holiday season draws near; President Trump will continue working hard for the American People. His timetable includes many calls and meetings."  One program is going to lapse that provides benefits to gig workers and another program that provides 100 percen...

 Displays of popular support for the son of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could be a cause of concern for current President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. Gamal Mubarak attended the funeral of a well-known lawyer this week and news of his presence went viral on social media. For the second day running, #GamalMubarak has topped social media, with pictures and video clips showing people rushing to shake his hand. This has prompted observers to suggest that this support is an expression of public discontent about Egypt's political and economic situation. "The images can be read from two angles," explained journalist Massad Al-Barbary. "The first is that the Egyptian people were under Mubarak's rule for three decades and were influenced by it. His son was likely to succeed his father, which is why it is not strange for some to flock to him. The second is that the scenario may have been set up by a group that supports the Mubarak era." Barbary told Arabi 21 tha...

 Egyptian authorities arrested Indian climate activist Ajit Rajagopal who walked from Cairo to Sharm El-Sheikh as part of the March for our Planet global campaign and then released him 24 hours later. Rajagopal came to Egypt to participate in the COP27 UN summit hosted this year in Egypt's Red Sea resort town but was arrested at a security checkpoint. Human rights lawyer Makarios Lahzy received a call from him at 1pm and after going to help him, was arrested and detained at El-Obour city police station in Cairo and then later released. On 7 November, heads of state, ministers, journalists and NGOs will gather to discuss issues urgent to tackling the climate emergency. As the conference nears, dozens of arbitrary arrests have taken place across Egypt following calls for protests on 11 November and pressure on the government by rights organisations to stop committing violations ahead of COP27. At the end of October prominent human rights lawyer Khaled Ali announced that every day t...

 Israeli occupation authorities arrested 410 Palestinians, including women, children, journalists, activists, and community leaders, for expressing their opinion on social media, according to a report by the Palestine Centre for Prisoners Studies (PCPS). The report, co-authored by the Commission of Detainees and Ex-Prisoners' Affairs, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, Addameer Association for Prisoner Care and Human Rights, and the Wadi Hilweh Centre highlighted Israel's use of a new 'Vigilance Unit' to monitor Palestinian social media accounts and issue recommendations to the security authorities to arrest them on the pretext that their opinions and publications call for incitement and violence. PCPS Director, Riyad Al-Ashqar, said the Israeli courts charged the detainees with "incitement" for simply expressing their opinion on social media, including posting a picture of a martyr or merely mentioning his/her name, or issuing an invitation to protect Al...

 Israeli media has reported that Israel has threatened to bomb Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, claiming it was used to smuggle weapons from Iran to Hezbollah. It suggested that Iran is trying to use a new smuggling passageway through Beirut after the failure of the Damascus passageway, adding that Tel Aviv is investigating Tehran's attempt to smuggle weapons through civilian flights to Beirut. On Thursday, the Lebanese authorities denied news that the Iranian Meraj Airlines had transported weapons to the Hezbollah group through Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut. This came during a press conference at the airport, where Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi and Director General of Civil Aviation Fadi Al-Hassan were present. Mawlawi denied transporting weapons through Meraj Airlines, stressing: "The airport security apparatus is aware of everything that enters and exits Lebanon." Saudi Arabia's Al-Hadath channel had discussed the use of Iran...