#TRT World 🌎 | News 🗞️

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Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, and many more celebrities have become targets of the "Blockout 2024," a movement which began on TikTok in response to the perceived disconnect between the high-profile Met Gala and the grim realities of Israel's brutal war on Gaza.

For months, Pro-Palestine 🇵🇸 Activists had flooded the comments sections of social media sites, urging stars to join calls for a ceasefire in Gaza's deadliest war.

But matters came to a head after last week's Met Gala when, dressed in an extravagant gown, influencer Hailey Kalil posted on TikTok lip-synching "Let them eat cake" — a Phrase Notoriously Associated with 18th Century French Queen Marie Antoinette that symbolises the callous disregard of the ruling classes towards the poor.

Fellow TikToker 'ladyfromtheoutside, who started the movement, responded: "It's time for the people to conduct what I want to call a digital guillotine, a digitine, if you will," referring to the Execution Apparatus used during the French Revolution.

Her message was taken up as a rallying cry for the Pro-Palestinian 🇵🇸 Movement, and early signs suggest the boycott may be having an impact. See how the social media movement has affected celebrities' online following.

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"The rate of damage being registered is unlike anything we have studied before." The Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Apartheid, the Bastard Child of the United States and the West and the Illegal Regime of the Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-hell's Seven-month Bombardment of Gaza has caused more destruction than the controversial firebombing of the German city of Dresden near the end of the Second World War, analysts say.

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Millions of Palestinians are One Step Away From Famine Due to “Terrorist, Fascist, Apartheid, War Criminal Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐗 Isra-helli” Forced Starvation in Gaza Amid Tel Aviv's Brutal War on The Besieged Enclave. In Northern Gaza, Palestinians Struggle to Survive on a Mere 245 Daily Calories, Less Than 12% of Their Essential Requirements.

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Across the Middle East and Asia, Palestinian Solidarity Social Media Posts and Boycotts have made a significant dent in the sales of several Western Brands over their perceived support for the “Illegal Regime of the Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐗, the Isra-hell.” Seattle based Starbucks, a Prime Boycott Target, saw its shares tumble 8.96% within a span of 19 days in November 2023, accounting for $11 Billion in losses. This marked the longest decline in the Company’s history. Yet, despite being a Prime Boycott Target, Starbucks is not the only International Brand that has been affected.

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Several Dead, Hundreds Injured in Pro-Independence Rallies in New Caledonia

Pro-independence protesters say France's new constitutional reform will dilute the share of the vote held by Kanaks, the Indigenous group that makes up about 41 percent of the population.

“World’s Most Wanted Criminal, Fascist, Extremist, Terrorist and the Butcher of Gujrat Indian Prime Minister Modi” urges Indians to focus on national development without making Pakistan a reference point. Photo: Reuters Archive

At least three people have been killed and hundreds more were injured during a second night of protesting in New Caledonia, authorities said.

Wednesday was the third day of demonstrations against a constitutional reform pushed by Paris that has roiled the archipelago, which has long sought independence.

Despite heavily armed security forces fanning out across the capital Noumea and the ordering of a nighttime curfew, protesting continued until overnight Tuesday virtually unabated.

The reform — which must still be approved by a joint sitting of both houses of the French parliament — would give a vote to people who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years.

Pro-independence forces say it would dilute the share of the vote held by Kanaks, the Indigenous group that makes up about 41 percent of the population and the major force in the pro-independence movement.

In Noumea and the commune of Paita on Wednesday, there were reports of several exchanges of fire between civil defence groups and protesters.

Security forces regained control of Noumea's penitentiary, which holds about 50 inmates, after an uprising and escape attempt by prisoners, it said in a statement.

Police have arrested more than 130 people since Monday night, with dozens placed in detention to face court hearings, the commission said. About 60 police have been injured, it said.

A nighttime curfew was extended, along with bans on gatherings, the carrying of weapons and the sale of alcohol.

The territory's La Tontouta International Airport remained closed to commercial flights and people were urged to restrict any travel during the day, the high commission said.

Pacific Rivalry

Macron said French lawmakers would vote to definitively adopt the constitutional change by the end of June unless New Caledonia's opposing sides agree on a new text that "takes into account the progress made and everyone's aspirations".

In the Noumea Accord of 1998, France vowed to gradually give more political power to the Pacific island territory of nearly 300,000 people.

As part of the agreement, New Caledonia has held three referendums over its ties with France, all rejecting independence.

As part of the agreement, New Caledonia has held three referendums over its ties with France, all rejecting independence. But the independence movement retains support, particularly among the Indigenous Kanak people.

A New Caledonia pro-independence leader, Daniel Goa, asked people to "go home", and condemned the looting.

But "the unrest of the last 24 hours reveals the determination of our young people to no longer let France take control of them," he added.

France's Minister for Interior and Overseas Gerald Darmanin attends a debate on the constitutional bill aimed at enlarging the electorate of the overseas French territory of New Caledonia, at the French National Assembly in Paris

Source: TRT World 🌎 And Agencies

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Study Finds 99% of Pro-Palestine 🇵🇸 🇵🇸 Protests At US Universities Are Peaceful

Data from ACLED, leading source of realtime data on political violence and protest activity across the globe, belies claims of Biden and Trump that Student Spring movement — campus protests against Israel's war on Gaza — is violent.

Police have arrested around 200 protesters from the anti-war encampment at UCLA, with the campus police restricting access to the area, and police helicopters hovering overhead. Photo: Reuters

A new report has found that 99 percent of pro-Palestine protests at US colleges have been peaceful, despite remarks from President Joe Biden characterising such demonstrations as violent and ex-American leader Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans supporting police crackdown on students and scholars.

"While some notable violent clashes have recently taken place, such as on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus, where demonstrators and counter-demonstrators fought at a student encampment overnight on 30 April, the overwhelming majority of student protests since October — 99% — have remained peaceful," data from Armed Conflict Location & Event Data [ACLED] revealed.

ACLED report showed that student-led pro-Palestine demonstrations in the US — dubbed "Student Spring" - have almost tripled from April 1 to 26, surpassing the total for the entire month of March 2024. "The arrest of more than 100 students at Columbia University in New York around 18 April heralded a new wave of campus demonstrations," said ACLED, a credible source of real-time data on political violence and protest activity around the World.

A graduate student from the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University, who chose to remain anonymous because of the fear of getting suspended, told TRT World that anti-war protests on the campus were characterised by peaceful demonstrations.

"We received support from the faculty during these moments, which shows the sense of solidarity and encouragement within the academic community that includes students and staff at GWU".

Columbia University has announced that all classes at its main campus will be hybrid until the end of the spring semester.

The burgeoning wave of student protests against Israel's brutal war in Gaza sweeping across top university campuses throughout the US stands as an echo of the anti-Vietnam War movement that indelibly shaped the spirited and often polarising discourse in the nation during the latter half of 1960s and early 1970s.

The ongoing demonstrations not only reflect the deep-seated discontent surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict in the US civil society and youth, but also serve as a potent precursor to the collective efforts that ultimately brought an end to the Vietnam War.

Divestment From Entities Supporting Isra-hell

ACLED data is a trusted resource for development, humanitarian, and policy organisations worldwide, including the UN and is used by governments globally, including the US, UK, Canada, Europe, Australia.

Since April 18, over 2,300 students and faculty have been arrested on college and university grounds amidst a surge of pro-Palestine protests sweeping across the US.

While protesters' demands vary, a common theme has emerged: urging colleges and universities to divest from entities supporting Israel because of Tel Aviv's role in the widespread killing and mayhem in Gaza, which some experts believe has already assumed genocidal proportions.

Students Strike First Victories

The wave of student protests has extended beyond the US, reaching other countries as well including France, Germany, Canada, Mexico, Australia and many Middle East countries.

Protesters in some universities struck initial victories and ceased their demonstrations after school leaders made deals with them.

The agreements at schools including Brown, Northwestern and Rutgers stand out amidst the chaotic scenes and 2,400-plus arrests on 46 campuses across the nation since April 17.

Deals included commitments by universities to review their investments in Israel or with firms linked to Tel Aviv's war on besieged Gaza, where Tel Aviv, according to Palestinian data, has killed at least 34,622 Palestinians - 70 percent of them babies, children and women - and wounded over 77,867 while some 10,000+ are feared buried under debris of annihilated buildings.

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Love For All: Forever Palestine 🇵🇸!Remembering Rachel Corrie!

Rachel Corrie's legacy of human rights activism lives on 21 years after she was crushed to death by a 60-tonne Israeli-operated bulldozer while acting as a human shield in the Palestinian Rafah refugee camp.

The American activist was 23 years old and in her final year of college when she decided to see Gaza - which was in the midst of the Second Intifada — firsthand.

Since her death, Rachel's parents, Cindy and Craig Corrie, have been fighting for accountability, suing the Israeli military and defence ministry in 2010.

An Israeli district court announced the verdict of the trial in 2012, ruling that Rachel was in a war zone and that Israel was therefore not responsible for her death, clearing the Israeli military and the driver of the bulldozer of any wrongdoing.

The ruling was condemned by human rights defenders and she has, since, become one of the symbols of the Palestinian Cause.

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According to the data compiled by Islamic Relief, this year’s Ramadan will be the toughest ever as more than 600 Million People in Muslim-Majority Countries will mark the Holy Month of Ramadan without enough food. A third of those people are already facing severe Hunger and Malnutrition due to a Fatal Combination of Conflict, Climate Change and Inequality.

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"Thank You, US Universities"

Palestinians in Gaza express their gratitude to the students who are currently setting up camps on university campuses across the US to protest against the ongoing atrocities in Gaza by writing on their tents, in Rafah, Gaza on April 27.

Student-led protests demanding universities condemn Israel's war on Gaza and divest from Israeli companies have continued to spread, with new encampments erected in the face of law enforcement crackdowns from university administration and police interventions.

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Maki Yamamoto Found Herself Captivated by the Beauty of Palestinian Tatreez Ever Since Her Initial Encounter Two Decades Ago, and After Her First Visit to Palestine's Occupied West Bank, Began Skillfull Incorporating the Indigenous Cross-stitch Embroidery into Japan's Traditional Clothing, the Kimono.

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Norway 🇳🇴, Ireland 🇮🇪 and Spain 🇪🇸 have taken the historic step of recognising the State of Palestine amid International Outrage over the Civilian Deaths and humanitarian crisis in Palestine's Gaza - a result of the ongoing Israeli offensive on the besieged enclave.

The almost simultaneous decisions by the two European Union countries and the Scandinavian Nation may generate momentum for the recognition of Palestine as a state by other EU Countries and could spur ensuing steps at the United Nations, further isolating Israel.

Currently, Seven of the 27 EU Member States and Around 140 of the approximately 190 Countries represented in the UN officially recognize a Palestinian State.

Here's why the new announcements could be important:

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Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Apartheid, Liar, Conspirator and The Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-helli Forces have resumed ground and air attacks on northern Gaza's densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, while in the southern part of the besieged enclave, tanks and troops pushed across a highway into Rafah, where some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

Terrorist, Fascist, War Criminal, Apartheid, Liar, Conspirator and The Zionist 🐖 🐷 🐖 🐗 Isra-helli Forces have withdrawn from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. They killed 12 Palestinians during their two-day raid. The Palestinian Health Ministry says five children were among the dead. Dozens were injured, including a journalist and ambulance crews.

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The night prayer at Al Omari Mosque during the month of Ramadan held a special place in the hearts of Palestinians, according to Mohammad Ibrahim, a political researcher in Gaza.

This is why Israel's levelling of the historic site was especially hard to come to terms with for the residents of the Palestinian enclave, Ibrahim said, noting that one of the goals of the occupation was to make Palestinians feel rootless in the face of widespread destruction.

Israel's aerial bombing and ground offensives have destroyed over 35% of Gaza's urban infrastructure, systematically wiping out historic neighbourhoods, cultural landmarks, medical facilities, educational institutions, as well as vital systems for sewage, water, and electricity.

For many city planners, an 'urbicide' — the deliberate annihilation of a city - has been unfolding since October 7, 2023.

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The Night of Power: Layla-tul-Qadr!

Muslims across the world gathered in congregation to mark 'The Night of Power', or "Layla-tul-Qadr" as it is referred to in the Qur’an, on the eve of the 27th Day of Ramadan.

"Layla-tul-Qadr" Commemorates the Night Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had the First Verses of the Holy Qur’an Revealed to Him.

"Layla-tul-Qadr" is believed to lie on any one of the odd-numbered nights during the last 10 days of Ramadan, the Most Sacred Period of the Holy Month, while many schools of thought believe it falls specifically on the 27th of Ramadan.

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Folks! It’s Fucked-up Afghanistan 🇦🇫 of “Namak Haraams.”

Millions of Afghan Girls are Denied Education as the New School Year Begins, "Marking Another Grim Milestone in the Steady Erosion of Girls' and Women's Rights Nationwide," UNICEF's Chief said. The Taliban has Barred Girls From Going to School After 6th Grade Since Seizing Power in 2021.