Author: Olive Metuge
Dozens of former officials have spoken to the BBC about their role enforcing the brutality of the Assad regime – including a man who said he tortured detainees, then defected in 2012.The rare first-hand testimony forms part of a BBC investigation into Syria’s notorious prisons under its former president, Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown last December.A UN report earlier this year said detentions and torture under the former regime constitute crimes against humanity.Syrian human rights groups estimate that around 100,000 people disappeared under Assad’s 24-year rule.The BBC agreed to conceal the identities of the former regime officials it spoke to…
Mohamed Hijazi squirms as his father unwraps a bandage for him. He cries and kicks his feet, but his dad manages to eventually place the bandage over his eye. “It’s nothing,” Abu Mohamed tells his child, in a last-ditch effort to calm him down. But the boy is inconsolable. The seven-year-old was playing outside the family home in April with his cousins in Jabalia in northern Gaza, where his family was sheltering, when the children came across a bomb that hadn’t detonated. “It exploded in front of him,” Abu Mohamed said. “We went down and found [him] full of blood.” The child was rushed…
On April 23, 2025, United States Deputy Solicitor General Edwin S. Kneedler made his 160th argument before the Supreme Court, following which he will be retiring. This article is one in a series of tributes from Mr. Kneedler’s former colleagues on his remarkable career. Ed Kneedler retires as the most prolific Supreme Court advocate in modern history. One hundred sixty arguments – a truly staggering number. But Ed’s legacy is far more than a number. Ed distinguished himself at the podium not just by his poise and steady defense of the government’s interests, but by his candor to the court.…
A city icon gets a new key…There’s a new chapter rising on Sheikh Zayed Road – and if the name rings a bell, that’s the point. Jumeirah Residences Emirates Towers is bringing one of Dubai’s most iconic addresses into a new era. Not offices. Not hotels. This time: homes.While Sheikh Zayed Road is no stranger to skyscrapers, this one is special. Jumeirah Residences Emirates Towers is the latest addition to Dubai’s skyline – a new residential twin-tower that builds on the legacy of one of the city’s most recognisable names. Developed by Meraas (under Dubai Holding Real Estate), the project…
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with the North Dakota Monitor. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Ever since North Dakota voters created an ethics watchdog agency seven years ago, dubious lawmakers have pushed back against giving it power to actually keep an eye on state officials. That was true in the session that just ended, as legislators shut down many requests from the Ethics Commission, keeping the agency on a modest budget and rebuffing measures that would have given it more latitude in its investigations. The offices…
Security camera footage shows the moment Israeli forces boarded a yacht that was carrying activists towards Gaza, to deliver humanitarian aid.The 12 activists, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, were detained and their boat, the Madleen, was towed to the Israeli port city of Ashdod.The Madleen’s journey was organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, a campaign group that has been trying to breach a blockade on Gaza that was imposed by Israel in 2007 when Hamas took control of the territory.The activists who set sail on 1 June, said the goal of the mission, which carried a small amount of supplies…
Warner Bros. Discovery said it would split into two publicly traded companies, separating its studios and streaming business from its fading cable television networks as the parent company of HBO and CNN looks to improve competition in the streaming era.The breakup is the latest unravelling of decades of media consolidation that created global conglomerates spanning content creation, distribution and in some cases, telecommunications. It unwinds WarnerMedia and Discovery’s prior merger in 2022, aiming to grow the streaming and studios business without the declining networks unit weighing them down.The new streaming-and-studios company will include Warner Bros., DC Studios and HBO Max — the crown jewels…
A group of labor unions, local governments, and advocacy groups urged the Supreme Court on Monday to leave in place an order by a federal judge that prohibits the Trump administration from carrying out mass reductions in the federal workforce. “If the breakneck reorganization of the federal government ordered by the President is implemented before the merits of this case may be decided based on a full record,” the group wrote, “then statutorily required and authorized programs, offices, and functions across the federal government will be abolished, agencies will be radically downsized from what Congress authorized, critical government services will be lost,…
Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Rick Campbell, the executive chairman and CEO of @Group, and Matt Winlaw, the CEO and managing director of @ID, which is one of three divisions within @Group that also includes @Docs and @Soft. They discussed open-source intelligence, why it has become vital to modern legal operations, the blind spots in traditional legal risk models, predictive behavioral artificial intelligence use cases, and practical ways for legal teams to integrate AI and open-source intelligence without overwhelming their workflows. Ari Kaplan: Tell us about your background and the genesis of @Group. Rick Campbell: @Group evolved from what was…
Roll up! Roll up!Looking for a performance the whole family will enjoy? The critically acclaimed Circus 1903 is coming to Dubai for the very first time this June.Taking place for three-days only, Circus 1903 and it’s a dazzling show you don’t want to miss. It takes place from June 20 to 22, 2025 with a limited five-show run.And tickets are already on sale on coca-cola-arena.com for a starting price of Dhs125.Why you shouldn’t miss it?Circus 1903 is by the same creators of The Illusionists, and so you can expect a show packed with plenty of daring acts, and classic thrills.Credit:…