Israeli abuse of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti ‘amounts to torture’
With thousands now held without charge, lawyers say Israel is
signalling that no detainee is safe
Marwan Barghouti spends his days huddled in a cramped, dark, solitary cell, with no way to tend to his wounds, and a shoulder injury from being dragged with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Barghouti holds almost mythic status within Palestinian politics, seen as a figure whose potential to unify different factions has only grown during his 24 years in prison.
The books, newspapers and television that he used to be able to access have been gone since last October, along with any former cellmates. The lights that flicker in his cell each evening are intended to make sleep near impossible.
Georgia's president vetoes foreign agent law
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Saturday vetoed a "foreign influence" law which has sparked mass protests in the Caucasus country. The bill had been earlier passed by the Georgian Parliament on May 14.
Zourabichvili: Foreign agent law 'contradicts our constitution'
"Today I set a veto... on the law, which is Russian in its essence, and which contradicts our constitution," Zourabichvili said in a televised address. Opponents of the bill liken the legislation to laws in Russia which also crack down on entities the Kremlin deems "foreign agents," such as the late Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Zourabichvili had earlier told DW in an exclusive interview that she would veto the bill, as she believes the legislation is hurting Georgia's aspirations to join the EU.
New Caledonia: one dead and two injured at a roadblock after a fifth night of riots
One more person was killed Saturday and two injured in France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia as security personnel tried to restore order after a fifth night of riots and looting that has now claimed six lives.
The incident occurred in the archipelago's northern Kaala-Gomen area, General Nicolas Mattheos said. An informed source said the dead man and one of the injured were a father and son trying to cross a barricade erected by rioters.
Hundreds of heavily armed French soldiers and police on Saturday patrolled the capital Noumea, where streets were filled with debris.
"We're far from getting back to calm," Noumea mayor Sonia Lagarde told news channel BFMTV.
"You could describe the last two nights as calmer, but the days are all alike, each with their share of fires," she added.
AFP reporters in the city's Magenta district saw vehicles and buildings burned, with a phalanx of riot police on the scene trying to reassert government control.
Russia could increase Ukraine attacks, says Zelensky
Kathryn Armstrong,BBC News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia could increase its attacks in Ukraine's north east following its recent gains near the city of Kharkiv.
Russian troops have been trying to push forward as Ukraine’s outgunned forces attempt to shore up a weakened front line.
Mr Zelensky admitted that there were issues with military staffing and morale, saying a number of existing brigades were empty.
He also told the AFP news agency the country's air fleet was lacking and renewed calls for allies to send more air defence and fighter jets.
A ‘tidal change’ in Bollywood: How the world’s largest film industry veered to the right during the Modi era
For nearly a century, Bollywood has held a mirror to Indian society, the plotlines of the world’s most prolific movie industry reflecting the changing tides of a vast, developing nation.
India’s multibillion-dollar movie industry produces around 1,500 to 2,000 films per year in over 20 languages – more than any other country. And most of these are Hindi films, meaning Bollywood holds an outsized influence on the country’s culture, identity and economy.
And while the industry is perhaps most famous for its lavish musical productions, many films also tackle the political, religious and social issues of any given era.
Are seed-sowing drones the answer to global deforestation?
Drones are being used to replant degraded areas of forest in Brazil – how successful have they been so far?
With a loud whir, the drone takes flight. Minutes later, the humming sound gives way to a distinctive rattling as the machine, hovering about 20 metres above the ground, begins unloading its precious cargo and a cocktail of seeds rains down onto the land below.
Given time, these seeds will grow into trees and, eventually, it is hoped, a thriving forest will stand where there was once just sparse vegetation.
That is what the startup which operates this drone, a large contraption that looks a bit like a Pokemon ball with antennae, hopes.
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