Latest news with #KevinRollason
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Israel again intercepts Gaza-bound ship carrying activists and humanitarian aid
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military has intercepted a Gaza-bound aid ship seeking to break the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory, detaining 21 international activists and journalists and seizing all cargo, including baby formula, food and medicine, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said Sunday. The coalition that operates the vessel Handala said the Israeli military 'violently intercepted' the ship in international waters about 40 nautical miles from Gaza, cutting the cameras and communication, just before midnight Saturday. 'All cargo was non-military, civilian and intended for direct distribution to a population facing deliberate starvation and medical collapse under Israel's illegal blockade,'' the group said in a statement. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. Israel's Foreign Ministry posted on X early Sunday that the Navy stopped the vessel and was bringing it to shore. It was the second ship operated by the coalition that Israel has prevented in recent months from delivering aid to Gaza, where food experts have for months warned of the risk of famine. Activist Greta Thunberg was among 12 activists on board the ship Madleen when it was seized by the Israeli military in June. The ship's interception comes as Israel faces mounting international criticism over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, with concern growing over rising hunger in the territory amid Israeli restrictions on aid. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. A regional human rights group, Adalah, said the raid on the vessel violated international law. It demanded the immediate release of the 21 activists, including lawmakers and human rights campaigners, from 10 countries. 'The flotilla never entered Israeli territorial waters, nor was it intended to do so; it was headed toward the territorial waters of the State of Palestine, as recognized under international law,' Adalah said in a statement. 'Israel has no legal jurisdiction or authority over the international waters in which the vessel was sailing.' Adalah demanded immediate disclosure of the activists' location and legal status. Lawmaker Nicola Fratoianni, of a left-wing environmentalist party, called on the Italian government to ensure the safety of the two Italians on board. Also on board were seven U.S. citizens, including a human rights attorney, a Jewish U.S. war veteran and a Jewish-American activist, according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition.
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
At least 25 people killed by Israeli gunshots and strikes in Gaza, some while seeking aid
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 25 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunshots overnight, according to health officials and the ambulance service on Saturday, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Palestinians in Gaza face famine. The majority of victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were brought. Israel's army didn't respond to request for comments about the latest shootings. Those killed in strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City among others, hospital staff and the ambulance service said. The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the U.S and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the talks into further uncertainty. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with Hamas. His comments came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic. Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when. For desperate Palestinians a ceasefire can't come soon enough. The United Nations and experts say that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. While Israel's army says it's allowing aid into the enclave with no limit on the number of trucks that can enter, the U.N. says it is hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting. The Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 79 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the same crossing. Israel's military said at the time its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties. Israel is facing increased international pressure to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out. The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. For the first time in months Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in a newspaper article on Saturday that the U.K. was 'working urgently' with Jordan to get British aid into Gaza. Aid group the World Central Kitchen said on Friday that it was resuming limited cooking operations in Deir al-Balah after being forced to halt due to a lack of food supplies. It said it's trying to serve 60,000 meals daily through its field kitchen and partner community kitchens, less than half of what it's cooked over the previous month. ———————— Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt
Winnipeg Free Press
7 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Free Press Head Start for July 23, 2025
Mainly cloudy, with a 60 per cent chance of showers early this morning. Widespread smoke. High 24 C. Humidex 26. UV index 7 or high. Winnipeggers may have received a tornado alert on their phones on Monday — some repeatedly — but it wasn't for them and they were never in any danger. While the Environment Canada emergency alert popped up on the cellphones of many Winnipeggers at about 6:30 p.m. — urging them to 'take immediate cover in a basement or interior room if weather threat approaches' — it was intended for residents in the Rural Municipality of MacDonald, southwest of the city. Some of its communities include Oak Bluff, La Salle, Brunkild and Starbuck. Kevin Rollason has more here. What's happening today The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Ballet in the Park is to summer in Winnipeg what Nutcracker is to winter: a beloved annual tradition. The annual al fresco performance is a once-a-season chance to watch the company and RWB School students perform for free (at the Lyric Theatre at Assiniboine Park), making it the perfect introduction to the art form. Performances run July 23-25, starting tonight at 7:30 p.m. You can register here. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's Ballet in the Park returns to the Lyric Theatre for three nights starting tonight. (Nic Adam / Free Press files) Today's must-read Manitoba's experience as a leader in reconciliation will give it a leg up when it comes time for Canada to fast-track megaprojects, Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday after signing an agreement with Saskatchewan to expand trade through the Port of Churchill. 'We're working a ton on making sure we have consensus with the Indigenous nations for the megaprojects that we want to pursue to build up the Manitoba and Canadian economy,' Kinew said. Twenty-nine First Nations and 12 northern communities own the Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway that connects it to the rest of the continent. Carol Sanders has the story. The Port of Chuchill (John Woods / The Canadian Press files) On the bright side It's better to be safe than sorry when around water. That's the message the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg is spreading this week as it offers free water safety resources for both new and comfortable swimmers at its four locations in Winnipeg. 'Drowning is so, so preventable. Swimming is a life skill,' said Finn McLandress, aquatics director at the downtown location at 301 Vaughan St. Swim instructors will be available during drop-in swim times to answer questions and help any adult or child who has basic swim skills. Displays at each location entrance will have pamphlets and kids colouring sheets that list tips on how to avoid drowning. Matthew Frank has more here. Finlay McLandress, Aquatics Director, Downtown Y Community Hub (Supplied) On this date On July 23, 1953: The Winnipeg Free Press reported British government officials believed a violent shakeup gripped top leadership in the Soviet Union and were far from convinced premier Georgi Malenkov wielded total power. Buckingham Palace had no comment on the relationship between Princess Margaret and divorced Second World War fighter pilot Group Capt. Peter Townshend. In Winnipeg, all inoculations and other immunization injections for children were paused as 16 more cases of polio were reported. Read the rest of this day's paper here. Search our archives for more here. Today's front page Get the full story: Read today's e-edition of the Free Press .
Winnipeg Free Press
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
UN concerned by Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for dress code violations
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations on Monday expressed concern about the Taliban's arrest of Afghan women and girls for their alleged failure to comply with the authorities' dress code. In May 2022, the Taliban government issued a decree calling for women to show only their eyes and recommending they wear a head-to-toe burqa. The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021, has cracked down on the way women dress and behave in public, notably through morality laws forbidding them to show their faces outside the home. The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said it was concerned by the arrest of 'numerous' women and girls in Kabul between July 16 and 19, who authorities claimed had not followed instructions on wearing the hijab, or the Islamic headscarf. 'These incidents serve to further isolate women and girls, contribute to a climate of fear, and erode public trust,' the mission added, without details including the number of arrests or the ages and where they have been held. The U.N. mission urged the Taliban government to ' rescind policies and practices ' that restrict women and girls' human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly the ban on education beyond sixth grade. A Taliban representative was not immediately available for comment. In January 2024, the country's Vice and Virtue Ministry said it had arrested women in the Afghan capital for wearing 'bad hijab.' A ministry spokesman, Abdul Ghafar Farooq, did not say how many women were arrested or what constituted bad hijab. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. The U.N. mission said at the time it was looking into claims of ill treatment of the women and extortion in exchange for their release. The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. Since then, the Taliban administration has sought international recognition while enforcing its interpretation of Islamic law. In July, Russia became the only country to grant formal recognition.
Winnipeg Free Press
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Thousands gather in Srebrenica on 30th anniversary of Europe's only acknowledged genocide since WWII
SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Thousands of people from Bosnia and around the world gathered in Srebrenica to mark the 30th anniversary of a 1995 massacre there of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim boys and men, which has been acknowledged as Europe's only genocide after the Holocaust. Seven newly identified victims of the massacre — including two 19-year-old men — will be laid to rest in a collective funeral at a vast, ever-expanding cemetery near Srebrenica Friday, next to more than 6,000 victims already buried there. Such funerals are held annually for the victims who are still being unearthed from dozens of mass graves around the town. Relatives of the victims, however, often can bury only partial remains of their loved ones as they are typically found in several different mass graves, sometimes kilometers (miles) apart. Such was the case of Mirzeta Karic, who was waiting to bury her father. 'Thirty years of search and we are burying a bone,' she said, crying by her father's coffin which was wrapped in green cloth in accordance with Islamic tradition. 'I think it would be easier if I could bury all of him. What can I tell you, my father is one of the 50 (killed) from my entire family.' July 11, 1995, is the day when the killings started after Bosnian Serb fighters overran the eastern Bosnian enclave in the final months of the interethnic war in the Balkan country. After taking control of the town that was a protected U.N. safe zone during the war, Bosnian Serb fighters separated Bosniak Muslim men and boys from their families and brutally executed them in just several days. The bodies were then dumped in mass graves around Srebrenica which they later dug up with bulldozers, scattering the remains among other burial sites to hide the evidence of their war crimes. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. The U.N. General Assembly last year adopted a resolution to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide on the July 11 anniversary. Scores of international officials and dignitaries are expected to attend the commemoration ceremonies and the funeral on Friday. On the eve of the anniversary, an exhibition was inaugurated displaying personal items belonging to the victims that were found in the mass graves over the years. The conflict in Bosnia erupted in 1992, when Bosnian Serbs took up arms in a rebellion against the country's independence from the former Yugoslavia and with an aim to create their own state and eventually unite with neighboring Serbia. More than 100,000 people were killed and millions displaced before a U.S.-brokered peace agreement was reached in 1995. Bosnia remains ethnically split while both Bosnian Serbs and neighboring Serbia refuse to acknowledge that the massacre in Srebrenica was a genocide despite rulings by two U.N. courts. Bosnian Serb political and military leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, along with many others, have been convicted and sentenced for genocide. Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic expressed condolences on X while calling the Srebrenica massacre a 'terrible crime.' Vucic added that 'we cannot change the past but we must change the future.'
