Unprecedented security taken around Biden’s sworn in ceremony



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday (January 20). Unprecedented security measures have been taken in Washington DC around his swearing-in ceremony.

About 25,000 National Guards have been deployed for the swearing-in ceremony after the January 6 attack on Capitol Hill. The FBI has thoroughly examined the past of each of them.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned that right-wingers could stage protests in various parts of the country over the success of the Capitol attack.

A large area of Washington has been turned into a virtually impeccable fortress on the occasion of the oath.

A few successive barricades, barbed wire fences, and seven-foot-high steel temporary walls surround the Capitol. Eyewitnesses and journalists said that even after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, such an appearance was not seen in Washington.

Thousands of people are not attending the swearing-in ceremony at the White House this time due to the Corona pandemic. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has already announced that he will not attend Biden's swearing-in ceremony. This is going to be the first time in the history of 150 years of transfer of power.

However, Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to attend Biden's swearing-in ceremony. The Capitol was closed for a while after a security warning was issued on Monday. The move comes as some eyewitnesses reported seeing smoke rising from a location. However, the fire was quite far from the capitol and was not a threat to the people.

Two lakh flags have been hoisted at the National Mall in memory of the two lakh people who died of coronavirus. In addition to the oath-taking, poetry readings and tribute episodes, Lady Gaga will perform the national anthem and Jennifer Lopez will perform a concert.

Tom Hanks will broadcast the show live on television on Wednesday and many celebrities will take part in the show.

Trump will leave for Florida early Wednesday morning on an Air Force plane. There he will spend the rest of his life at his own resort.

 After being sworn in, new President Joe Biden and his family will enter the White House. On this day he will address the nation.

 Virtual parades with Biden-Harris will be broadcast live from the White House at 5:30 a.m. (Bangladesh time) on Friday.

   

Seeing hypocrites through the lens of Gaza war



Shamsunnahar Seba
Illustration: Bangladesh First

Illustration: Bangladesh First

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The Western nations, including the US, often cite the killing of 1200 Jewish people in Hamas’ October 7 attack to justify Israel’s war on Gaza, which has so far claimed the lives of around 35,000 Palestinians.

The Biden administration has also passed a bill to provide Israel with $14 billion, extending its support for the war against Hamas, a political faction in Palestine governing Gaza Strip since 2007.

Once committed to the extinction of Jews people, Europe and America are now very protective of Israelis’ security. 

They are apparently justifying the killings of Palestinians only to eradicate Hamas, who they think is a threat to the existence of Jews people. 

Supported by its western allies, Israel is carrying out devastation in Gaza, in line with its plan to take control over Palestine. 

It was the protesting students of American universities who compelled the US to pursue a ceasefire deal. However, this move has put both President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the crosshairs, given the upcoming US presidential election in November and the pressure within Israel’s war cabinet, which threatens to strip Netanyahu of the premiership in the event of any deal ending the war.

Meanwhile, devastated by the Israeli offensive, Hamas, which triggered the war through its October 7 attack, has agreed to a ceasefire plan brokered by Qatar and Egypt. However, the US, a key player in brokering the ceasefire deal, has said it is reviewing the plan agreed upon by Hamas, following Israel’s refusal to accept it, citing 'softened conditions'.

While the mediators are struggling to reach a deal in Qatar for days, Israel pressed ahead with its Rafah offensive despite warnings from international agencies including the UN that it would cause a humanitarian catastrophe given the city sheltering more than one million displaced Palestinians. 

Meanwhile, the US, shaken by the students' protests, spurred the Western media into a frenzy, creating drama surrounding the shipment of weapons to Israel. The US paused the latest shipment cautioning Israel against any large-scale operation in Rafah.

It would be unjust not to mention that the US, the self-proclaimed protector of global human rights, has set aside $10 billion out of its $95 billion aid package, intended for Ukraine and Israel, for humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones around the world, including Palestinians in Gaza.

The fraternal Muslim countries have not lagged behind in staging drama surrounding the war, repeatedly calling for an end to the conflict while refraining from taking any concrete action, as if world leaders care about anything but power.

Jews people who were forced to emigrate to Arab regions in the face of state sponsored persecution, mass killings in the 19th and 20th centuries' Europe and America, established Israel following the end of the Second World War. But their struggle for existence is far from over, with the only good news being that the current enemy they are fighting against is much weaker than the previous ones.

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Hamas says 'yes' to Gaza ceasefire



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatar and Egypt. But so far nothing has been reported from Israel in this regard. They are looking into the matter.

On Monday (May 6), Qatar-based media Al Jazeera reported this information.

According to a statement by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, the head of Hamas' political wing, Ismail Haniya, called Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and informed him that Hamas had approved the proposal for a ceasefire agreement. Ismail Hania also said the same thing to the Minister of Intelligence of Egypt, Abbas Kamal.

Meanwhile, the residents of Gaza expressed joy at the news of Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire.

It should be noted that at least 34 thousand 737 people have been killed and 78 thousand 108 people have been injured in the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7. And the number of dead in Israel is 1 thousand 139 people.

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Campuses can be battlegrounds around graduation ceremonies in the United States



International Desk, Barta24.com,Dhaka
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Protests against the Israeli attack on Gaza have erupted in several US universities. The student protests there have entered their second week. Last Saturday (May 4), police arrested at least 25 more pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Virginia.

Al-Jazeera reported that more than two and a half thousand students have been arrested from campuses across the United States. In the meantime, graduation ceremony in universities is approaching.

It is feared that various university campuses in the United States may turn into battlefields around graduation ceremonies in the coming days.

At 47 US universities, students are protesting against Israeli aggression and genocide in Gaza. This protest has been going on since April 17. Since the beginning, the police have used excessive force to suppress this peaceful protest.

In this way, the rights activists protested the suppression of the protest and the arrest of the protesting students. They demanded to ensure the freedom of expression of the students.

Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for the end of this week at four universities hit by protests. The event is scheduled to take place this month or next June at several other universities, including New York's Columbia University, the epicenter of the protests.

The university authorities fear that the protesting students may disrupt the graduation ceremony. For this reason, the authorities are taking initiatives to strengthen the security system.

The protesting students have threatened that if their demands are not met, they are thinking of alternative programs including boycotting these events and walking out of the venue. In such circumstances, some universities have canceled these programs. Some are procrastinating.

The peaceful protests at the University of Virginia continued until Saturday morning. At that time a video spread among the students. In the video, police are seen detaining some protesting students from the campus lawn.

Apart from this, the police are using chemical sprays to quell the protests. After that the protest turned into a riot.

In a statement, University President Jim Ryan said that the protesters were detained when campus security informed the police that they would be protesting in tents last Friday night. However, it is not clear how many university students are among those detained.

Pro-Palestinians protest in front of the stage at the graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan. But this protest was peaceful. Campus police quickly surrounded the protesters and escorted them to the back of the stadium. But dozens of students dressed in flags, kaffiahs and graduation caps staged a university graduation ceremony.

A day later, Northeastern University and Ohio State University were supposed to hold the closing ceremony on Sunday, but the commencement ceremony was disrupted.

Meanwhile, apart from the United States, this protest has now spread to new countries. Students from France, UK, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Lebanon, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and Mexico have come to protest for the Palestinians.

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Israel launched a ground attack in Rafah amid ceasefire talks



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Israel launched a ground attack in Rafah in the midst of Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks in Gaza.

A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas is in the Egyptian capital for ceasefire and prisoner-release talks. Sources said Ceasefire talks have progressed.

International media Al Jazeera reported in a report that despite the negotiations, Israel continued its ground attack on Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to meet with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States to negotiate a 40-day ceasefire, according to reports published by the United Kingdom.

The talks are at a critical stage, sources told Al Jazeera, as a Qatari technical team is working out the details of a potential deal with the Egyptians.

As technical teams indicate, we are moving into the operational side of a deal. They are monitoring the issues in detail in this agreement.

A senior Hamas spokesman, Osama Hamdan, told Al Jazeera, "It is clear that we are moving forward. There are some good points.

"So far we are still talking about the main issue, which is a complete ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza," he said. We hope to find some good and positive answers today.

Israel said it will continue to attack Rafah despite talk of a possible deal with Hamas. UN agencies and aid groups have long warned that the ground operation would spell disaster for the 15 lakh people taking refuge there.

Hamdan said, "Unfortunately, Netanyahu has made a clear statement that no matter what happens, if there is a ceasefire or not, he will continue to attack." That means there will be no ceasefire, and that means that the offensive will continue.

Al Jazeera's Ahlbara said the talks were focused on convincing Hamas that it should refrain from demanding a permanent ceasefire from Israel during the first phase of the deal because it is unlikely to happen.

On October 7, Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people. During this time, more than 240 people were captured by Hamas.

Later, more than 34,600 Palestinians have died in Israel's attack on Gaza. More than 70 percent of Palestinian territory has been reduced to rubble, pushing the region toward famine.

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