Hamas is open to a ceasefire. But Netanyahu says there's no room for Hamas in postwar Gaza
Both stopped short of accepting the proposal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Hamas insisted on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.
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Winnipeg Free Press
32 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
How Ukraine can cope with the US pause on crucial battlefield weapons
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The decision by the United States to pause some weapons shipments to Ukraine has come at a tough time for Kyiv: Russia's bigger army is making a concerted push on parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line and is intensifying long-range drone and missile attacks that increasingly hammer civilians in Ukrainian cities. Washington has been Ukraine's biggest military backer since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022. But the Trump administration has been disengaging from the war, and no end to the fighting is in sight, despite recent direct peace talks. Here's a look at Ukraine's options following the U.S. pause of some arms deliveries: Specific weapons needed from U.S. Amid recurring concerns in Kyiv about how much military support its allies can supply and how quickly, Ukraine has raced to build up its domestic defense industry. The country's output has gradually grown, especially in the production of more and increasingly sophisticated drones, but Ukraine needs to speedily scale up production. Crucially, some high-tech U.S. weapons are irreplaceable. They include Patriot air defense missiles, which are needed to fend off Russia's frequent ballistic missile attacks, but which cost $4 million each. That vital system is included in the pause, and many cities in Ukraine, including Kyiv, could become increasingly vulnerable. A senior Ukrainian official said Thursday that Patriot systems are 'critically necessary' for Ukraine, but U.S.-made HIMARS precision-guided missiles, also paused, are in less urgent need as other countries produce similar assets. 'Other countries that have these (Patriot) systems can only transfer them with U.S. approval. The real question now is how far the United States is willing to go in its reluctance to support Ukraine,' he told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of sensitivity of the subject. The official said that Patriot missiles exist in sufficient numbers globally, and he said that accessing them requires political resolve. 'There are enough missiles out there,' he said, without providing evidence. He also stated that Ukraine has already scaled up its domestic production of 155 mm artillery shells, which were once critically short, and is now capable of producing more than is currently contracted. 'Supplies from abroad have also become more available than before,' he said. Backup plan Amid at times fraught relations with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been enlisting greater European help for his country's arms manufacturing plans. European countries don't have the production levels, military stockpiles or the technology to pick up all the slack left by the U.S. pause, but Zelenskyy is recruiting their help for ambitious joint investment projects. Draft legislation to help Ukrainian defense manufacturers scale up and modernize production, including building new facilities at home and abroad, will be put to a vote in the Ukrainian parliament later this month, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced this week. Zelenskyy said last month that major investments will go to the production of drones and artillery shells. 'The volume of support this year is the largest since the start of the full-scale war,' he said about commitments from foreign countries. Under Trump, there have been no new announcements of U.S. military or weapons aid to Ukraine. Between March and April, the United States allocated no new help at all, according to Germany's Kiel Institute, which tracks such support. For the first time since June 2022, four months after Russia's full-scale invasion, European countries have surpassed the U.S. in total military aid, totaling 72 billion euros ($85 billion) compared with 65 billion euros ($77 billion) from the U.S., the institute said last month. Big battlefield problem Without Patriot missiles, as well as the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile and shorter-range Stinger missiles that are also included in the pause, Ukrainian cities likely will take a bashing as more Russian missiles pierce air defenses. On the front line, Ukrainian troops haven't recently voiced complaints about ammunition shortages, as they have in the past. They have always said that during the war, they have never had as much ammunition to as their disposal as Russian forces. The army faces a different problem: It's desperately short-handed. It's turning to drones to compensate for its manpower shortage, and analysts say the front isn't about to collapse. Asked about the timing of the U.S. pause, the Ukrainian official emphasized the need for stable, reliable supply lines. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'This is war — and in war, steady deliveries are always crucial,' he said. ___ Barry Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at
Winnipeg Free Press
33 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Supreme Court will take up a new case about which school sports teams transgender students can join
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed Thursday to hear a case over state restrictions on which school sports teams transgender students can join. Just two weeks after upholding a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth, the justices said they will review lower court rulings in favor of transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia. The nationwide battle over the participation of transgender girls on girls sports teams has played out at both the state and federal levels as Republicans have leveraged the issue as a fight for athletic fairness for women and girls. More than two dozen states have enacted laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some policies have been blocked in court. At the federal level, the Trump administration has filed lawsuits and launched investigations over state and school policies that have allowed transgender athletes to compete freely. This week, the University of Pennsylvania modified a trio of school records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and said it would apologize to female athletes 'disadvantaged' by her participation on the women's swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case. The case will be argued in the fall.
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Kilmar Abrego García's lawyers describe ‘severe beatings' in El Salvador prison
Published Jul 03, 2025 • 7 minute read FILE - This undated photo provided by Murray Osorio PLLC shows Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Murray Osorio PLLC via AP) AP In a rare account of the notorious prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration deported 261 Venezuelan and Salvadoran migrants in March, Kilmar Abrego García's lawyers said in a court filing Wednesday that he and the others were severely beaten and forced to kneel for nine straight hours upon their arrival. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The world saw some of that arrival in a tightly edited video posted on social media by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, which began with drone footage of three planes on the tarmac, surrounded by rows of soldiers and police in riot gear, and went on to show the migrants emerging one by one, heads pushed down in a frog march, wrists and ankles shackled. But Wednesday's court filing, in the civil case brought by Abrego and his family against Trump administration officials in Maryland's U.S. District Court, for the first time contains his account of what happened in the hours and days that followed. Abrego was kicked in the legs and struck with wooden batons inside El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT, lawyers said in the filing. They said he was held in a crowded, windowless cell that was brightly lit around-the-clock while guards, who had determined that he wasn't a hardened gang member, threatened to put him in with real gang members who would 'tear' him apart, the filing said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Plaintiff Abrego Garcia reports that he was subjected to severe mistreatment upon arrival at CECOT, including but not limited to severe beatings, severe sleep deprivation, inadequate nutrition, and psychological torture,' the court filing says. White House and Justice Department spokespeople did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday. Three communications officials with the Bukele administration also did not respond to requests for comment. Damian Merlo, a lobbyist for Bukele in the United States, disputed the filing's assertions. 'None of those accusations are substantiated by facts or truth. … Amazing they make such claims,' Merlo said in a text message. Abrego, who entered the U.S. illegally as a teenager after fleeing gang members in El Salvador, is now being held in a Tennessee prison after being returned from El Salvador early last month to face federal human smuggling charges, part of the winding legal drama triggered by his mistaken deportation that has highlighted the Trump administration's aggressive campaign to deport millions of people who arrived to the country without authorization. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Before his legal battle began, Abrego's name was the first called to disembark the plane in El Salvador after the Trump administration sent him there in violation of a 2019 immigration judge's order barring his deportation to that country, the filing by Abrego's legal team says. As he exited the plane that arrived from Texas, bound by chains, two men in dark uniforms grabbed him and shoved him downward along the stairs, the court filing says. The detainees exited under bright lights as cameras filmed their arrival. Abrego was pushed toward a bus and into a seat, then fitted with a second set of chains and handcuffs. 'He was repeatedly struck by officers when he attempted to raise his head,' according to the filing's account. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. After the bus ride, they arrived at the prison that was built to hold El Salvador's worst gang members, which human rights groups have said is one of the most opaque in the world. They were soon greeted by a prison official who told them: 'Welcome to CECOT. Whoever enters here doesn't leave,' according to the filing. The Trump administration paid Bukele's government approximately $6 million for detaining alleged gang members there, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in March. RECOMMENDED VIDEO The arrangement may apply only to the Venezuelan migrants taken there. Justice Department lawyers have since said Abrego and the other Salvadorans were not part of that agreement. At the prison, Abrego was forced to strip, issued prison clothing and then kicked in the legs with boots and hit in the head and arms to spur him to change faster, the filing says. 'His head was shaved with a zero razor, and he was frog-marched to cell 15, being struck with wooden batons along the way. By the following day, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia had visible bruises and lumps all over his body.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Once in Cell 15, Abrego and 20 other Salvadorans were forced to kneel from about 9 p.m. to about 6 a.m., 'with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion,' the filing says. 'During this time, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was denied bathroom access and soiled himself. The detainees were confined to metal bunks with no mattresses in an overcrowded cell with no windows, bright lights that remained on 24 hours a day, and minimal access to sanitation.' After about a week, the filings says, CECOT officials separated Abrego and the other Salvadorans. Twelve had gang-related tattoos and were moved to another cell. Abrego, whose lawyers have denied he is a member of any gang, remained with eight others who, like him, had no gang tattoos or affiliations, the filing says. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'As reflected by his segregation, the Salvadoran authorities recognized that Plaintiff Abrego Garcia was not affiliated with any gang and, at around this time, prison officials explicitly acknowledged that Plaintiff Abrego Garcia's tattoos were not gang-related, telling him 'your tattoos are fine.'' In the days to come, prison officials repeatedly told Abrego that they would transfer him to cells containing real gang members who would cause him severe harm, the filing says. 'Indeed, Plaintiff Abrego Garcia repeatedly observed prisoners in nearby cells who he understood to be gang members violently harm each other with no intervention from guards or personnel. Screams from nearby cells would similarly ring out throughout the night without any response from prison guards.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. According to the filing, Abrego's physical condition deteriorated significantly, and he dropped from 215 to 184 pounds. On April 9, nearly a month after arriving, Abrego and four others were transferred to a different part of CECOT, where they were photographed with mattresses and better food – 'photos that appeared to be staged to document improved conditions,' the filing says. The next day, Abrego alone was transferred to the Santa Ana penitentiary center, the filing says. The Santa Ana facility is designated for inmates who are not gang members. A week after Abrego's arrival there, the Bukele administration allowed a visit from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland). In a news conference the next day, Van Hollen said that Bukele's staff had placed glasses at the table they sat at, and had made the glass in front of Abrego less full so it appeared as if he had drunk from it. Bukele shared photos of the meeting on social media and mocked the senator's visit, telling followers that Van Hollen and Abrego were drinking margaritas in the 'tropical paradise of El Salvador.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Merlo, the Bukele administration lobbyist, echoed the Salvadoran president's sarcastic tone on Wednesday. 'I'd say he also had margaritas in a 5 star hotel with a U.S. Senator,' he said in a text message. Merlo also said that Abrego had 'seemed in good spirits' and 'gained 20 pounds with 'inadequate nutrition' in prison, didn't have any bruises, and had his own cell, with TV, and one fast food meal per day, also plenty of sun and activities.' Noah Bullock, executive director of the leading human rights group Cristosal, said there have been interviews with people held in CECOT, but Abrego is the first person who has been freed and given his testimony about the conditions inside. Last month, Abrego was returned to the United States to face the charges of human smuggling, which are related to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee during which Highway Patrol troopers suspected him of transporting undocumented immigrants for money. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. After a detention hearing in that case in Tennessee last month, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara D. Holmes delivered what amounted to a rebuke of the Trump administration's assertions that he is a dangerous criminal by ruling he must be released pending trial. Holmes was left unconvinced by Justice Department allegations that he has gang ties. 'The government's evidence that Abrego is a member of MS-13 consists of general statements, all double hearsay, from two cooperating witnesses,' Holmes wrote. Federal officials have said that Abrego will be transferred to immigration custody pending trial, and that at some point they will deport him back to El Salvador or to some other country. Among the measures sought by Abrego's lawyers is a court order preventing his removal again from the U.S. without written notice of such plans and a reasonable period of time for him to file an application for relief under, among other legalities, the Convention Against Torture. Read More Sports Toronto & GTA Money News Editorial Cartoons MLB
