release

Ceasefire’s fragile calm: a pause that forces questions about Gaza’s future The quiet that fell over Gaza for a third day was not the deep silence of peace so much as the cautious hush of people catching their breath. A US-mediated truce has created a narrow corridor for the release of hostages, the return of displaced families and a summit in Egypt billed as the moment to “end the war.” But beneath the immediate relief — and the carefully choreographed optimism in Jerusalem and Sharm el-Sheikh — lie hard political choices…

South African activists held by Israel after Gaza aid attempt are “in good health and high spirits,” Pretoria says South Africa’s foreign ministry on Wednesday said a group of its citizens detained by Israeli authorities after attempting to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip are “in good health and high spirits,” and that efforts to secure their safe return are “advancing steadily.” The detained activists were part of the Global Sumud Flotilla — a civil society initiative that sought to reach Gaza by sea amid a protracted…

Flotilla Bound for Gaza Intercepted at Sea; African Leaders Demand Release of Detainees Israeli forces intercepted a flotilla of roughly 40 vessels on Wednesday that had been sailing for weeks toward the besieged Gaza Strip, detaining scores of activists and prompting urgent diplomatic protests from African leaders whose citizens were aboard. Among those taken into custody was Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, the grandson of former South African president Nelson Mandela, an emblematic figure whose presence underscored the…

Somali Activist Omar Jamal Freed From ICE Custody in Minnesota, Says He’s Confident He Won’t Be Deported MINNEAPOLIS — Somali community advocate Omar Jamal walked out of a southern Minnesota jail this week after a month in federal custody and used his first public appearance to do something unusual in a high-stakes immigration case: praise the jail that held him. “What I have seen is people doing their job with professionalism in a humane way,” Jamal told reporters in Albert Lea, standing beside Freeborn County Sheriff…

After eight months in Taliban custody, British couple reunited with family in Qatar For nearly eight months, Barbie and Peter Reynolds lived in a limbo few outsiders can imagine: detained in a Taliban facility in Afghanistan, separated, relying on distant diplomatic advocacy and the occasional hand of a mediator to maintain contact with the outside world. On arrival in Doha this week, the 76-year-old Barbie and her 80-year-old husband stepped down an aircraft and into the arms of the family who had spent months pleading for…

The anguish experienced by the families of those held hostage has been relentless ever since the pirates seized the MV Albedo off the Somali coast in November 2010, taking Pakistani sailors captive. Sadly, the trauma of those left behind shows no signs of waning. To begin with, the Somali pirates set the ransom for the release at a whopping $8 million. Thanks to continuous negotiations, that staggering amount was eventually reduced to about $2.85 million. The head honcho at Pakistan's Citizens-Police Liaison Committee…

President Asif Ali Zardari has stepped up to the plate, instructing Interior Minister Rehman Malik to do everything possible to free the Pakistani hostages held by Somali pirates. This is a serious mission, and President Zardari made it clear that failure isn't an option.Sources reveal that late Monday night, Zardari reached out to Malik via phone, urging him to pull out all the stops to secure the release of these captives before the Tuesday deadline imposed by the pirates. "Leave no stone unturned," was the essence of his…

The U.S. embassy cautioned, "While attacks can happen anytime, worries spike around anniversaries of former terrorist assaults like 9/11, the Westgate Mall tragedy on September 21st, and the October 7th Hamas strike on Israel." Americans in Nairobi are encouraged to stay undercover, dodge protest zones, and remain vigilant in hangouts popular with tourists and foreigners. The UK embassy in Kenya backed this up with a travel warning, urging travel only when necessary. The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office…

Nigerian gunmen released the remaining students of more than 100 students kidnapped from an Islamic seminary in northwest Niger state nearly three months ago, the school principal said on Thursday. Heavily armed…

The Court for the Suppression of Economic Crime and Terrorism on Friday rejected the request for the provisional release of the opponent Reckya Madougou, and the rejection decision was sent to his lawyers on Saturday. On July 9, the French lawyer Pierre Stasi went to Cotonou and submitted this request to his Beninese colleagues, given that "the file was empty and their client was placed in total isolation in the Missérété prison. as reported from Cotonou, Jean-Luc Aplogan The order was issued on Friday and announced to…