In fiery speech, Pope Leo says ‘Enough to war!’

FMT:

In fiery speech, Pope Leo says ‘Enough to war!’

The pontiff calls on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and 'believe once again in love, moderation and good politics'

Pope Leo said faith was needed ‘in order to face this dramatic hour in history together’. (EPA Images pic)

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo lashed out against warmongers on Saturday while calling on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and “believe once again in love, moderation and good politics”.

In one of his most passionate entreaties yet to end the raging conflict in the Middle East, the American pope said faith was needed “in order to face this dramatic hour in history together”.

“Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life,” Pope Leo implored in an address during a prayer vigil for peace at St Peter’s Basilica.


Uttered in measured tones, as is customary for the soft-spoken head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, the comments by the 70-year-old Leo nevertheless marked some of the most pointed criticism yet of the wave of conflicts inflaming the globe.

“Dear brothers and sisters, there are certainly binding responsibilities that fall to the leaders of nations. To them we cry out, ‘Stop!’ It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!”

As he has done in the past, the Chicago native did not cite politicians by name and did not call out specific countries.

‘Delusion of omnipotence’

Responsibility also fell to the “immense multitude” that rejects war, Leo said, urging them to build a “Kingdom of peace… in our homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and civil and religious communities.”

“A Kingdom that counters polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter. Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics.”


The pope described the Kingdom of God as a “bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive”.


It also was a place with “no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialisation of evil, and no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness.”

Leo painted a grim picture of the current state of the world, “where there never seem to be enough graves, for people continue to crucify one another and eliminate life, with no regard to justice and mercy.”

Pope Leo, who was elected pontiff last May following the death of his predecessor Francis, is moderate and known as a bridge-builder.


But he has been increasingly denouncing the conflicts dividing the world, most recently on Friday when he railed against the “senseless and inhuman violence” spreading across the Holy Land.

Leo has repeatedly urged de-escalation in the current US-Israeli war on Iran and the need for a diplomatic solution.

***

VP Vance is Catholic - let's see how he reacts to Papa's message.

Khairy best suited for urban, semi-urban seats, say analysts

FMT:

Khairy best suited for urban, semi-urban seats, say analysts

5 hours ago

Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia says his image as a fairly progressive politician improves his chances of victory

Speculation has swirled over possible seats for former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin in the coming polls, even though he has said it is premature to talk about such matters.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts believe that Khairy Jamaluddin is best suited to urban and semi-urban seats if the former MP is nominated to contest in the next election.

Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Khairy would be able to rally voters both in Malay and mixed areas, based on the former Umno Youth chief’s performance in past polls.

Khairy was Rembau MP from 2008 to 2022. He ran in Sungai Buloh for Umno in the 15th general election, losing by a slim margin with 48,250 votes against 50,943 for PKR’s R Ramanan.


Mazlan said Khairy’s image as a “fairly progressive” politician improves his chances of victory.


“He is best suited to run in mixed areas, or where there are many ‘progressive Malays’. Look at how he almost beat Ramanan in Sungai Buloh,” he told FMT.

Speculation has swirled over possible seats for Khairy, even though he has said it is premature to talk about such matters as the decision lies with Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

On Friday, he dismissed rumours that he would contest the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat in the next general election as his late father-in-law and former long-serving Kepala Batas MP, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, had told him to leave the seat to Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

The Rembau seat is now held by Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan. PKR vice-president Ramanan is expected to defend Sungai Buloh.

Khairy has expressed his intention to seek reinstatement of his Umno membership in Sungai Buloh.


His application to rejoin Umno will be discussed at the party’s Supreme Council meeting on April 17, with a decision expected the same day.


Khairy’s popularity among the public has increased since his defeat after establishing himself as a radio announcer and a co-host of the Keluar Sekejap podcast with fellow ex-Umno man Shahril Hamdan.

Syaza Shukri from International Islamic University Malaysia noted that much has been said about Khairy’s unique, cross-party appeal as a moderate.

“We know he is strongest in urban and mixed areas,” she told FMT.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PRO-MURDER OP-EDS (By US Media)

From the FB page of:

Nury Vittachi 

Sonseropdt5i0f3l306l1cfftc23l62m3790a1hflmu40hlc015f8l68ha98 ·

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PRO-MURDER OP-EDS

IRANIAN PEACE NEGOTIATORS must be told to agree with Trump or be killed, a Washington Post op-ed demanded this week.

“Iran's leaders must be made to understand that their lives literally depend on reaching a negotiated settlement to Trump's liking,” the paper said. “If they refuse to do so, they will be killed.”

Agree with Trump or die? This is not what normal humans think of as a peace negotiation, but no one can expect rationality from the western elite these days.

.

OTHER MEDIA'S THE SAME

The New York Times is the same. Bret Stephens, whose writing is often found on the front page of that paper, has been slavering for murderous attacks on Iranians instead of diplomacy: "The Case for Bombing Iran" is a typical headline.

In fact, it is clear that the argument that murder is fine because Iranians (or Chinese or Russians) are somehow uniquely bad has moved from far-right websites to the liberal mainstream media.

“You can find pro-war op-eds in the New York Times and The Atlantic, and Van Jones told CNN that Iran is not a ‘normal country’…” said Nathan J Robinson in Current Affairs.

.

AL-JAZEERA TOO

Even Al-Jazeera, which some people mistake for a news source giving the “other side of the story” (it is actually funded by Qatar, a US military partner) recently ran an op-ed praising the illegal US murders of the members of the Iranian government.

That country’s administration "has been decapitated at multiple levels" and the killing of Ali Khamenei "eliminated the apex of the pyramid," it printed approvingly in a 16 March 2026 op-ed by Muhanad Seloom, a former employee of the US State Dept.

.

USUALLY A WAR

“American journalists have a long, ignoble history of being willing conduits for pro-war propaganda,” said Ted Galen Carpenter in an article published by the CATO Institute in March 2022.

“Usually, that behavior is in service to a military crusade that Washington has launched or wants to initiate.”

All this echoes the truth that Julian Assange has said repeatedly: “Every war has been the result of media lies.”

.

AT ISSUE IS THE RULE OF LAW

The problem is that the leaders of the western world, the US and Israel, have spent decades telling us that the rule of law legitimizes the west’s hegemony over the planet.

But that has become nothing more than a bad joke. You either have the rule of law or you don’t – and the west clearly does not.

.

A PLAIN VIOLATION

As Nathan J Robinson said: “Let’s be clear: Iran did not attack the United States. Iran was not planning an attack on the United States. Iran does not even possess missiles that can reach the United States. It was a plain violation of international law, then, for the U.S. to bomb Iran, a sovereign country.”

But but but maybe the Iranians were hoping to emulate their trigger-happy neighbors Israel, and quietly build nuclear bombs, I hear critics say.

In legal terms, that’s missing the point. “It makes no difference what level they had been enriching uranium at,” Robinson points out. “It doesn’t even make a difference if they were trying to build a nuclear bomb. You can’t attack a country that hasn’t attacked you.”

That's actually important.

***

Vicious Venomous Vipers of a murderous nature slithered together a la Wanks and Shailoks

Iran VP says deal possible only if US adopts ‘America First’, warns ‘Israel First’ means no agreement

Iran VP says deal possible only if US adopts ‘America First’, warns ‘Israel First’ means no agreement



This handout photograph taken on April 11, 2026 and released by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office shows Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (right) shaking hands with Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf during their meeting prior to the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad. — Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office handout/AFP pic

Sunday, 12 Apr 2026 10:19 AM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — Iran’s First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref emphasised that negotiation between US and Iran are possible if Washington adopts ‘America First’ approach rather than ‘Israel First’ agenda.


He warned that talks would fail the US delegation pursue an “Israel First” agenda, Iranian Mehr news agency reported.


In a post published on X on Saturday, Aref wrote, “If we negotiate in Islamabad with representatives of ‘America First,’ an agreement beneficial to both sides and the world is probable. However, if we face representatives of ‘Israel First,’ there will be no deal.”

“We will inevitably continue our defence even more vigorously than before, and the world will face greater costs,” he added.


The US and Iranian teams are currently in Islamabad for negotiation aimed at ending the conflict since US and Israel launched continuous attacks on Iran on Feb 28.


The high-level negotiation, mediated by Pakistan began on Saturday and is scheduled to enter another round on Sunday.

Iranian delegation was by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and senior security official Ali Bagheri Kani.


US team meanwhile comprised Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

The military confrontation involving US, Israel and Iran has killed thousands of Iranian civilians and senior officials, including the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei while causing extensive damage to key infrastructures and industrial facilities.

In response, Iran launched missile and drones operations targeting locations in the Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military bases and assets across the Gulf states, triggering a broader regional crisis that severely disrupting maritime navigations through the Strait of Hormuz, global energy supply, aviation and caused far reaching economic consequences. — Bernama

Vance says US–Iran talks end without deal after ‘final and best offer’

Vance says US–Iran talks end without deal after ‘final and best offer’



This handout photograph taken on April 11, 2026 and released by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office shows Pakistan’s Army Chief and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir (right), Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd right), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (3rd right) during their meeting with Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (4th left) and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2th left) prior to the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad. An Iranian government delegation met Pakistan’s prime minister on April 11 to discuss the terms of planned ‘make or break’ negotiations to end the Middle East war with a US party led by Vice President JD Vance. — Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office handout/AFP pic

Sunday, 12 Apr 2026 9:57 AM MYT


ISLAMABAD, April 12 — US Vice President JD Vance said today that talks with Iran failed to reach an agreement, saying he was leaving after putting forward a “final and best offer”.

Vance signalled that he was still giving time to Iran to consider the offer from the United States, which on Tuesday said it would pause attacks with Israel for two weeks pending negotiations.


“We leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We’ll see if the Iranians accept it,” Vance told reporters after 21 hours of talks in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.


Vance said that the core dispute was on nuclear weapons. Iran insists it is not pursuing an atomic bomb, and the United States and Israel bombed sensitive Iranian sites both in the war launched on February 28 as well as last year.


“The simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.


“The simple question is, do we see a fundamental commitment of will for the Iranians not to develop a nuclear weapon — not just now, not just two years from now, but for the long term?

“We haven’t seen that yet. We hope that we will.”


Vance, in brief remarks at a luxury hotel in Islamabad where the two sides have been meeting, did not highlight disagreement on another key issue, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passageway through which one-fifth of the world’s oil transits.

He insisted that President Donald Trump — who yesterday in Washington said he did not care if the two sides sealed a deal — had been accommodating in the talks.

“I think that we were quite flexible. We were quite accommodating. The president told us, you need to come here in good faith and make your best effort to get a deal.

“We did that and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to make headway.” — AFP

Women’s Ministry to review Batu Caves child sexual assault ruling before referring matter to AGC, says Nancy Shukri

Women’s Ministry to review Batu Caves child sexual assault ruling before referring matter to AGC, says Nancy Shukri



Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said understanding the court’s reasoning is essential before any further actions are taken. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

Saturday, 11 Apr 2026 6:26 PM MYT


KUCHING, April 11 — The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) will study the judgment in the child sexual assault case at a Batu Caves welfare home before raising the matter with the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).

Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said understanding the court’s reasoning is essential before any further actions are taken.

“I cannot give my opinion like an ordinary person. I have a legal background, so I need to read and understand the judgment.

“It would be unfair for me to criticise a decision without knowing the court’s reasoning. We can raise our concerns with the AGC because we find this case extremely serious; we cannot take it lightly.

“If we feel the need to intervene, any discussions will be among government officers, not based on external stories,” she told reporters at the WCaRE Outreach Programme: Empowering Ethnic Communities in Kampung Pasir Panjang today.

Nancy explained that the court’s decision is beyond her ministry’s authority and must be respected under the rule of law.

She added that parents or guardians of the victims who are dissatisfied with the court’s decision may use existing legal channels to file an appeal.

On Thursday, the caretaker of the welfare home, Retna Velu, pleaded guilty at the Ampang Sessions Court to 15 counts of physical and non-physical sexual assault, as well as unnatural intercourse, involving five boys aged eight to 13.

The offences were allegedly committed at the home between November 2025 and March this year. The court has set May 21 to hear the facts of the case and for sentencing.

In the same proceedings, the welfare home’s owner, S Valan, 31, pleaded not guilty to four charges of physical sexual assault against four male teenagers aged 13 to 16, allegedly committed between 2019 and March this year.

The court granted the accused bail of RM30,000 and set June 10 for the next case mention. — Bernama

MACC tracks RM203m foreign fund flows linked to ex-CEO in share sale scandal

MACC tracks RM203m foreign fund flows linked to ex-CEO in share sale scandal



MACC investigators have uncovered suspected abuse of power, bribery and money laundering involving a former statutory body CEO over share sales linked to public funds, with over US$51.3 million allegedly moved abroad. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Saturday, 11 Apr 2026 8:32 PM MYT


KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigators have allegedly found indications of an alleged abuse-of-power scheme involving a former chief executive officer (CEO) of a government statutory body over share sales involving public funds.

A MACC source said the individual is believed to have determined the terms and purchase price of the shares, while also acting as both proposer and approver in closed-door negotiations with minority shareholders, giving him full control over the entire process.

“Preliminary investigations also found elements of bribery and money laundering through the transfer of transaction proceeds to offshore entities to conceal the identities of recipients, including the use of nominee accounts and beneficial owners,” he said.

“Investigations also found that part of the funds was believed to have been reinvested into publicly listed companies on Bursa Malaysia, estimated at around RM30 million, to disguise the financial flows as legitimate investments,” he added.


Overall, foreign fund flows detected in the investigation are estimated to exceed US$51.3 million (RM203.4 million) and are believed to involve companies incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI).


Of the total amount, six transactions involving six bank accounts in Singapore were worth more than US$48 million.

Another transaction worth about US$3.3 million was traced to Labuan and involved two beneficial owners of companies that received payments from public funds.


Two bank accounts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), believed to belong to the former CEO, are also being investigated, involving about US$10,000 and and 37,000 UAE dirhams — together equivalent to around RM80,000.

A total of RM16.8 million has been been frozen, including six individual accounts containing around RM11 million.

MACC Senior Director of the Special Operations Division Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul, when contacted, confirmed that investigations are ongoing.

He said the MACC is widening the probe, including seeking cooperation from authorities in Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the United Arab Emirates and Labuan to examine cross-border transactions and trace related assets.

On April 9, the MACC remanded a former chief executive of a government statutory body and a company chairman for four days over alleged collusion in a share sale deal linked to the agency.

Investigators said preliminary findings indicated the 2022 to 2023 transaction involved an unreasonable overvaluation that may have caused losses to public funds exceeding RM300 million, while 62 personal and company bank accounts holding about RM450 million were frozen.

Israeli strikes kill at least 18 people across southern Lebanon

Israeli strikes kill at least 18 people across southern Lebanon


Lebanon’s Health Ministry says more than 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 2

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted an area in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on April 11, 2026 [Abbas Fakih/AFP]

By Al Jazeera Staff, AFP and Anadolu
Published On 11 Apr 2026


Israeli strikes have killed at least 18 people across southern Lebanon, as Lebanese authorities reported that the overall death toll from the war that began last month between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah has surpassed 2,000.

Israeli strikes on a village near Sidon in southern Lebanon killed at least eight people and wounded nine others, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Earlier, it said that at least 10 people, including three emergency workers, had been killed in Israeli strikes in the Nabatieh district.

In its latest tally, the Health Ministry reported that at least 2,020 people have been killed and 6,436 others wounded since Lebanon was drawn into the US-Israel war on Iran on March 2. Hezbollah launched rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran, sparking massive Israeli strikes and a ground invasion.

Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that two Israeli soldiers were wounded during clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

Israel’s Channel 13, citing the military, said the two soldiers from the Paratroopers Brigade sustained moderate injuries from shrapnel during the confrontation.

The violence comes as Iran-backed Hezbollah renewed its rejection of direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon aimed at ending the war.

President Joseph Aoun’s office said on Friday that officials from Lebanon, Israel and the United States would meet next week in Washington “to discuss declaring a ceasefire and the start date for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under US auspices”.

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday near the government headquarters in central Beirut in support of Hezbollah and to protest against the talks with Israel, some waving the group’s yellow flags or the Iranian standard.

Demonstrator Ruqaya Msheik said the protest was a message that Lebanon “will not be Israeli”.

“Whoever wants peace with Israel is not Lebanese,” she said, adding: “Those who shake hands with the enemy … are Zionists.”

Hezbollah supporters, some waving the party flag and holding up an image of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, demonstrate near the Governmental Palace to protest the Lebanese authorities’ decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel to end the ongoing war, in downtown Beirut on April 11, 2026 [Ibrahim Amro/AFP]


Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, issued a statement calling on supporters to avoid demonstrating “at this delicate stage”, citing interests of “stability, the protection of civil peace and avoiding any division that the Israeli enemy seeks”.

Earlier, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the decision to hold direct talks with Israel was “a blatant violation of the [national] pact, the constitution and Lebanese laws”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that any peace agreement reached with Lebanon must “last for generations” and also call for Hezbollah’s disarmament.

After a ceasefire was announced between the US and Iran this week, Washington and Tehran have been at odds over whether it also applies to Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Lebanon.

The dispute arose during the historic in-person ceasefire talks held in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, between the US and Iran on Saturday afternoon.

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, said that Iran was able to secure “a kind of guarantee from the US that Israel is going to decrease its attacks on Lebanon”.

However, he said that “nothing [has] been confirmed … from Israel, with respect to Lebanon.” While “there have been fewer attacks on Beirut and the southern suburbs,” nothing has been “announced with respect to a ceasefire”, he said.

Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia amid fragile US-Iran ceasefire

Pakistan sends fighter jets to Saudi Arabia amid fragile US-Iran ceasefire

Deployment under mutual defence pact comes as Islamabad hosts US-Iran ceasefire talks

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, meets with U.S. Vice President JD Vance. [Jacquelyn Martin Pool/Reuters]

By Faisal Ali
Published On 11 Apr 2026


Pakistan has deployed fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, its first visible military move under a mutual defence pact between the two countries, as it hosts ceasefire talks aimed at ending weeks of regional fighting between the US, Israel and Iran.

The aircraft — a mix of fighter and support jets — landed at King Abdulaziz Air Base in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province on Saturday, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced.

The deployment came under a collective defence agreement signed in September 2025, which commits each country to treat an attack on the other as an attack on itself.

The pact was signed during a visit by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Riyadh last September, where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.



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As the jets touched down in the kingdom, Pakistan was hosting direct negotiations between the United States and Iran in Islamabad, with senior delegations from both sides at the table and Pakistani mediators in the room, working on ending the weeks-long war.

Since Iran launched missile and drone strikes on what it described as US targets in Gulf states following the US-Israeli killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on 28 February, Pakistan has been balancing its commitments on both sides.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said he personally warned Iranian leaders that Islamabad was bound by its obligations to Riyadh under the agreement in early March.

Iran sought guarantees that Saudi territory would not be used to attack it, Dar said, adding that he secured those assurances.

Iranian attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia, however, have continued, including key bases and a US embassy building.

Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir flew to Riyadh in early March to discuss measures to halt Iranian strikes under the pact’s framework.

Four days before Saturday’s fighter jet deployment, Sharif called the crown prince to pledge Pakistan would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with the kingdom.

The two countries also agreed to expedite a pledged Saudi investment package for Pakistan worth $5bn.

Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan had met Prime Minister Sharif in Islamabad alongside Dar and Munir.

Saudi Arabia is home to some 2.5 million Pakistani workers whose remittances help sustain a fragile economy, and has provided Islamabad with repeated financial assistance.

Imtiaz Gul, an Islamabad-based security analyst, told Al Jazeera the deployment was not a military escalation, but an attempt to communicate Pakistan’s commitments to Iran.



Vance arrives in Pakistan for talks with Iran


“Three jets won’t make much of a difference militarily,” he said, given the scale of Saudi Arabia’s own air force.

“It’s messaging Tehran to be flexible in these talks, but also it is underlining to them that Pakistan has obligations under the mutual strategic agreement it has with Riyadh,” he said.

Michael Kugelman, a resident senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council, told Al Jazeera that Pakistan’s move was “a bit of a risky gambit”.

“This is Pakistan signalling to Iran that if Iran is not willing to make the types of concessions that lead to a deal and the conflict resumes and escalates, there is a chance that Pakistan could move itself closer to Saudi Arabia and conceivably invoke the mutual defence pact,” Kugelman said.

Israeli settlers kill Palestinian during raid on occupied West Bank village

Israeli settlers kill Palestinian during raid on occupied West Bank village


The raid comes just days after Israel approved 34 new illegal settlements in the West Bank

People carry the body of Palestinian Majed Hamadneh, who was killed during what the Palestinian Ministry of Health said was an Israeli settler attack, in Deir Jarir village near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 11, 2026 [Mohammed Torokman/Reuters]

By Al Jazeera Staff and AFP
Published On 11 Apr 2026


Israeli settlers have killed a Palestinian man during a raid on a village in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.

Ali Majed Hamadneh, 23, was killed after settlers opened fire during a raid on Deir Jarir, northeast of Ramallah, the ministry said on Saturday.

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“He was brought to the Palestine Medical Complex in a critical condition” and later succumbed to his gunshot wounds, the ministry said on Telegram.

Palestinian official news agency Wafa also reported the incident.

“Armed colonists, under the protection of Israeli forces, attacked Deir Jarir from its western entrance and opened fire toward residents in the area,” said Wafa.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

The raid comes two days after Israel approved 34 new settlements in the West Bank, a move condemned by the Palestinian Presidency’s office, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the European Union for violating international law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government has approved at least 102 settlements since coming to power in 2022 – a significant increase on past Israeli governments.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are illegal under international law.

Violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza began in October 2023.

There has also been a spike in deadly attacks by Israeli settlers in the West Bank since the United States-Israel war on Iran began at the end of February, Palestinian authorities and the United Nations have said.

Settler assaults on Palestinians have persisted for years, often to the indifference of mainstream Israeli society.

But the recent surge has prompted criticism from influential rabbis, settler leaders, and even Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir, who called the attacks “morally and ethically unacceptable”.

***

Just S-Whole land robbers

Russia-Ukraine Orthodox Easter ceasefire begins

Russia-Ukraine Orthodox Easter ceasefire begins

Both sides have agreed to observe the temporary truce, as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war continue to stall

People hold pictures of missing Ukrainian soldiers as some of their comrades return from captivity after a prisoner of war (POW) swap, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine, April 11, 2026 [Thomas Peter/Reuters]
By AFP and Reuters

Published On 11 Apr 2026


A temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has come into force, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Kyiv would respect it if Moscow did.

The ceasefire is due to last for 32 hours, from 4:00pm local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday until midnight on Sunday, according to the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered the ceasefire on Thursday to coincide with Orthodox Easter celebrations, more than a week after Zelenskyy first made the proposal.

Both sides have agreed to observe it.

“Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind. The absence of Russian strikes in the air, on land, and at sea will mean no response from our side,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.

The Ukrainian army said it was ready to “immediately” respond if Russia violated it.

Hours before the truce started, Russia launched at least 160 drones at Ukraine, killing four people in the country’s east and south and wounding dozens, Ukrainian authorities said.

The southern Odesa region was among the hardest hit, with authorities reporting two dead and damage to civilian infrastructure.



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Meanwhile, four people died in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Kherson regions, according to Russian-installed officials.

Ukrainians have expressed scepticism about whether the truce will hold.

The two sides held a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter last year, but both accused the other of hundreds of violations.

Despite tensions over the truce, the warring sides exchanged 175 prisoners of war each on Saturday, according to officials.

The United Arab Emirates helped mediate the exchange, the Russian Ministry of Defence said.

During more than four years of war, Kyiv and Moscow have carried out regular POW exchanges. They are among the few concrete results to emerge from several rounds of United States-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, which remain stalled over the issue of territory.



Russia returns bodies of 1,000 Ukrainian service members


Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines.

But Russia has rejected this, saying it wants Ukraine to give up all the territory in the Donetsk region that it currently controls – a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had not discussed the Easter proposal in advance with the US, nor did it signal any immediate revival of three-way peace talks.

Fighting on the front has come to a near standstill.

Russia has made small territorial gains at a high cost. But Kyiv recently managed to push back in the southeast, and Russian advances have been slowing since late 2025, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War.

Moscow occupies just more than 19 percent of Ukraine, most of which was seized during the first weeks of the conflict.

Military Watch:

Footage Confirms World’s Most Expensive Air Defence Radar Destroyed in Iranian Strike

Middle East , Missile and Space

Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff

April-10th-2026

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AN/FPS-132 Radar and Iranian Missile Strike

Footage released by Qatari state media has for the first time shown the destruction on the ground of the AN/FPS-132 Block 5 Upgraded Early Warning Radar near Umm Dahal in Qatar, showing substantial internal damage after Iranian attacks on February 28. The radar is one of the most important and capable ground-based radar systems in the U.S. global missile warning architecture, although its extreme cost prevents widespread deployments, meaning the radar in Qatar is the only one of its kind outside the U.S. mainland. The system has a detection range of over 5,000 kilometres, and can provide an early warning of missile attacks within minutes of launch.

Damaged AN/FPS-132 Radar in Qatar

The AN/FPS-132 is the most costly early warning radar in the world, and is one of multiple high value radar systems destroyed in Iranian attacks, with three AN/TPY-2 X-band mobile radar system from the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system, each valued at an estimated $700 million to $1.1 billion, having also been struck in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The destruction of these key radar systems within hours of the U.S. and Israel launching an assault on Iran on February 28 paved the way for a much higher success rate when Iran launched ballistic missile attacks against the U.S. and its strategic partners’ targets across the Middle East. By late March Iranian missiles striking targets in Israel were assessed by Israeli sources to have an 80 percent success rate, as missile defences increasingly faltered in large part due to the destruction of anti-missile radars. 

AN/TPY-2 Radar From THAAD System Destroyed in Engagements with Iranian Forces

The AN/FPS-132 uses thousands of solid-state transmit/receive modules, and provides continuous surveillance, rather than intermittent scans. Each radar costs an estimated $1.1 billion, with U.S. sources assessing that it will take five to eight years to replace the one destroyed in Qatar. The radar became operational in 2013, and was deployed with the specific purpose of countering the Iranian and Syrian ballistic missile arsenals. Reporting by U.S. sources has widely indicated the destruction of the AN/FPS-132 seriously degraded missile-warning capabilities in the region because such radars are rare and hard to replace.