Breaking AI & Tech News Analyzed

Qesser Zuhrah, a young pro-Palestine activist from the UK, has been arrested again just weeks after being released on bail. The 21-year-old was taken from her home in Watford, near London, on Monday morning by masked police officers.According to footage shared on social media, Zuhrah was handcuffed and placed into a car destined for prison. Her supporters claim she was arrested due to an Instagram story she posted, which allegedly encouraged people to take 'direct action'.Hertfordshire Police confirmed that a 21-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of intentionally encouraging a crime and the encouragement of terrorism. However, they did not disclose her identity.Zuhrah is part of a group known as the 'Filton 24', who are alleged to have raided an Elbit Systems UK factory in Filton, near Bristol, on August 6, 2024. The group, Palestine Action, aims to counter Israeli war crimes and British complicity in them by targeting weapons manufacturers.Zuhrah had previously spent 15 months on remand without a conviction before being released in February. During her time in prison, she went on a hunger strike for almost 50 days to protest against the UK's ban on Palestine Action and the conditions in jail, which she described as inhumane.Her supporters argue that her arrest is part of a continuation of active repression targeting pro-Palestine activists in the UK. They also claim that the use of terrorism legislation to police social media posts relating to activism overreaches these powers, raising concerns about freedom of expression and the criminalization of political dissent.

The Israeli Knesset approved a bill on Monday that makes the death penalty the standard sentence for Palestinians found guilty of terrorism‑related murders in the occupied West Bank, while excluding Jewish extremists from the same punishment. Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, warned that the law is "patently inconsistent" with Israel’s obligations under international law and could constitute a war crime when applied to residents of the occupied territories. Türk stressed that the proposal raises “serious concerns about due‑process violations” and is “deeply discriminatory,” urging the Israeli government to repeal it without delay. He added that its selective application would amount to “an especially egregious breach of international law.” European officials have joined the criticism. An EU spokesperson described the bill as “a clear step backwards” and highlighted its discriminatory nature. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the measure “asymmetric” and likened it to a move toward apartheid, while Germany’s foreign ministry said it could not endorse a law that “rejects the fundamental principle of opposing the death penalty.” The legislation stipulates that anyone sentenced to death will be held in a separate facility, barred from family visits, and allowed legal counsel only via video link. Executions are to be carried out within 90 days of sentencing, with hanging identified as the method of execution. The bill also removes the requirement for a prosecutor’s request and permits a simple majority vote in military courts to impose the death sentence. Israel has applied capital punishment only twice since its establishment, most recently in 1962 when Adolf Eichmann was executed. The bill’s strongest political backer, National Security Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir, has publicly displayed a noose‑shaped lapel pin, symbolising the proposed executions. Human‑rights organisations have warned that the law entrenches a two‑tiered justice system. Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch said the measure “entrenches discrimination and a two‑tiered system of justice, both hallmarks of apartheid,” while Oxfam’s Shaista Aziz warned that it “effectively ensures that the death penalty will apply only to Palestinians, even as the occupation sees a surge in violence against them.” Within Israel, the bill faces legal opposition. Several human‑rights groups and three Knesset members have filed petitions with the Supreme Court, arguing that the law creates parallel legal tracks that target Palestinians and should be struck down on constitutional grounds.

Israel's parliament has passed a law that makes the death penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out deadly attacks deemed acts of terrorism by a military court.The legislation, initiated by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, has drawn sharp criticism from opponents who warned it would mark a significant escalation in Israel's penal policy and potentially breach international law.According to the bill, those sentenced to death will be held in a separate facility with no visits except for from authorised personnel, with legal consultations conducted only by video link. Executions will be carried out within 90 days of sentencing.Israel has rarely used the death penalty, applying it only in exceptional cases. The Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was the last person to be executed, in 1962.The measure will allow courts to impose the death penalty without a request from prosecutors and without requiring unanimity, instead permitting a simple majority decision. Military courts in the occupied West Bank will also be empowered to hand down death sentences.For Palestinians under occupation, the bill closes off avenues for appeal or clemency, while prisoners tried inside Israel could have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.The legislation has been condemned by UN experts, the EU's diplomatic service, Amnesty International, and several countries, including Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, who expressed 'deep concern' over the legislation.The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the legislation as a breach of international law and a doomed bid meant to intimidate Palestinians.

London's Metropolitan Police have made a significant U-turn in their policy towards Palestine Action supporters, arresting 18 individuals who protested outside the Met's headquarters, New Scotland Yard. The protesters, holding signs that read 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action,' were arrested under terrorism legislation.The arrests come after the Met had previously stated they would adopt a 'proportionate approach' and stop arresting Palestine Action supporters following a High Court ruling in February that deemed the ban on the group as a terrorist organization unlawful. However, Deputy Assistant Commissioner James Harman announced that the force would resume arrests, citing the need to 'enforce the law as it is at the time, not as it might be at a future date.'The move has drawn sharp international criticism, including from the UN, which has warned that the ban appears 'disproportionate and unnecessary.' Amnesty International has also intervened in the court case, stating that thousands have been 'arrested for something that should never have been a crime.'The arrests took place as the rest of the city was filled with demonstrators marching against the far right. A mass sign-holding event, titled Everyone Day, has been called by Defend Our Juries at Trafalgar Square on April 11, as the government's appeal heads to court.

French authorities have foiled a suspected terrorist attack targeting Bank of America's Paris headquarters after police detained one suspect who was allegedly attempting to ignite an explosive device outside the building.In a social media post on Saturday, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the swift intervention by police had 'thwarted a violent terrorist attack' in the French capital the previous night.The suspect was arrested at about 3:25am local time outside the bank's local headquarters in the city's 8th arrondissement as he tried to light a device consisting of a five-litre container filled with an unidentified liquid and an explosive charge made up of about 650 grams of powder.The National Terrorism Prosecution Office told the Reuters news agency the suspected offences included attempted destruction by fire or other dangerous means in connection with a 'terrorist plot', as well as the making, possession and transport of an incendiary or explosive device with intent to carry out dangerous damage.'Vigilance remains at a very high level,' said Nunez on X, thanking 'security and intelligence forces, who are fully mobilised under my authority' in what he called the 'current international context', seemingly with reference to the escalating situation in parts of the Middle East amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has successfully thwarted a plot to assassinate prominent Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani, co-founder of the activist group Within Our Lifetime. According to authorities, a suspect, Andrew Heifler, 26, was taken into custody for allegedly planning to throw Molotov cocktails at Kiswani's home in New York City.Kiswani, 31, was informed by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force on Thursday of a threat against her life. The arrest was the result of an undercover law enforcement operation. Heifler was reportedly part of an offshoot of the far-right Jewish Defense League (JDL), an extremist group known for violent attacks against Arab American activists during the 1970s and 1980s.New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the incident, stating, 'We will not tolerate violent extremism in our city. No one should face violence for their political beliefs or their advocacy.' Heifler had planned to flee to Israel after carrying out the attack. Authorities recovered eight Molotov cocktails from his residence during a search.The incident highlights the increasing harassment and surveillance faced by Palestinian rights activists in the US, both from government authorities and far-right pro-Israel groups. Kiswani had previously reported receiving threats, stating that 'Zionist organizations like Betar and politicians like Randy Fine have encouraged violence against my family and me' for several months.This foiled plot is part of a broader pattern of heightened tensions and threats against Muslim and Palestinian communities in the US, with advocates noting an increase in hateful rhetoric from US lawmakers.

A United States judge has ruled that he will not dismiss the drug-trafficking and weapons possession charges brought against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.In a Thursday court hearing, Judge Alvin Hellerstein questioned whether the US government has the right to bar Venezuela from funding Maduro's legal expenses. The hearing was the first for Maduro and his wife since a brief January arraignment, where they pleaded not guilty.Maduro and Flores have sought to have the charges against them thrown out. Hellerstein declined to do so, but he pressed the prosecution on some of the issues Maduro's legal team raised in its petition to dismiss the case. Among them was a decision by the administration of US President Donald Trump to prevent the Venezuelan government from financing Maduro's defence.Federal prosecutors argued that national security reasons prevented the US from allowing such payments. They also pointed to ongoing sanctions against the Venezuelan government. But Hellerstein pushed back against that argument, noting that Trump had eased sanctions against Venezuela since Maduro's abduction on January 3. He also questioned how Maduro might pose a security threat while imprisoned in New York.“The defendant is here. Flores is here. They present no further national security threat,” said Hellerstein. “I see no abiding interest of national security on the right to defend themselves.”Hellerstein emphasised that, in the US, all criminal defendants have the right to a vigorous defence, as part of the US Constitution's Sixth Amendment. Maduro, who led Venezuela from 2013 to 2026, has been charged with four criminal counts, including “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, the possession of machine guns and the conspiracy to possess machine guns and other destructive devices.He and his wife were taken into US custody on January 3, after Trump launched an attack on Venezuela. The Trump administration has framed the military operation as a “law enforcement function”, but experts say it was widely considered illegal under international law, which protects local sovereignty.Trump himself weighed in on the proceedings during a Thursday US Cabinet meeting, hinting that further charges could be brought against Maduro. “He emptied his prisons in Venezuela, emptied his prisons into our country,” Trump said of Maduro, reiterating an unsubstantiated claim. “And I hope that charge will be brought at some point. Because that was a big charge that hasn’t been brought yet. It should be brought.”

As Israeli settlers intensify violent attacks against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, often while Israeli forces stand by, a notable shift is occurring in US political circles. Even staunch supporters of Israel within the Democratic party are now publicly denouncing the escalating violence.In recent days, dozens of settlers have engaged in apparently coordinated attacks, torching homes and vehicles while targeting Palestinian civilians. Since the beginning of the month, Israeli settlers and police have killed at least 10 Palestinian civilians in the occupied territory, including two young brothers and their parents who were returning from a Ramadan shopping trip.Among the voices breaking ranks is Ritchie Torres, a New York Democratic representative and one of Israel's most ardent supporters in Congress. In a statement this week, he declared that "the crisis of extremist settler violence in the West Bank must be confronted, and the perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." He called for "zero tolerance for violent extremism, no matter what form it takes."Another pro-Israel Democrat, Daniel Goldman of New York, condemned the violence as an "outrage" and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring to vote proposed legislation seeking to impose sanctions against those "undermining prospects for a two-state solution by committing illegal violent acts." He also criticized the Trump administration for rescinding sanctions against violent settlers that had been issued under the Biden administration.Several other Aipac-backed politicians have joined the condemnation, including Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, who called on the Israeli government to "stop being complicit," and Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton, who labeled the attacks "acts of terrorism." Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Shontel Brown accused Trump of "green-lighting settler violence," while Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen stated that "violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank is a national security threat to Israel and must be treated as such."The political shift comes as US public support for Israel has plummeted. An NBC News poll found that two-thirds of Democrats now say their sympathies lie with Palestinians over Israelis—a dramatic reversal with significant implications for upcoming elections. Meanwhile, 68% of Republicans continue to express stronger support for Israel.A Guardian analysis revealed that Israel has not prosecuted any of its citizens for killing Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank since the start of the decade. The UN has warned that the Israeli government has accelerated illegal settlement expansion, forcibly displacing approximately 36,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past year.Political analysts suggest these pro-Israel Democrats are "trapped between the money they've relied on to make their campaigns work and the voters they actually need to win," with condemnation of settler violence offering a way to express discontent without challenging the Israeli state itself.

Israel's parliament has moved closer to implementing a contentious death penalty for Palestinians convicted of terrorism, with the Knesset's national security committee approving the measure on Tuesday. The bill, initiated by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, now heads to its final vote.Critics, including human rights groups and UN experts, have strongly opposed the bill, citing concerns it violates international law and discriminates against Palestinians. The proposed law would allow for executions to be carried out within 90 days of sentencing, with hanging as the specified method.The bill also proposes that those sentenced to death be held in a separate facility with restricted visitation rights. Executions would be carried out without the option for clemency, a provision that has drawn sharp criticism from opponents.International condemnation has been swift, with UN experts urging Israel to withdraw the bill, stating it would violate the right to life and constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment. The European Union's diplomatic service has also condemned the bill, emphasizing that the death penalty is a violation of the right to life.In Israel, the bill has been backed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has worn a noose-shaped lapel pin in support of the measure. However, notable opposition has come from within Israel, including from centre-left lawmaker Gilad Kariv, who has raised concerns about the bill's moral and legal implications.