Top Stories
New York Times: U.S. Lifts Millions in Bounties on Senior Taliban Officials
The United States has lifted multimillion-dollar bounties on three senior Taliban officials, according to Afghan authorities and a senior American official. The move is a significant shift by the Trump administration toward militants who were behind some of the deadliest attacks during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan but have refashioned themselves as a more moderate voice within the Taliban.
Associated Press: Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill scores in Gaza as Egypt offers new ceasefire proposal
Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip killed more than 65 Palestinians over the past day, including women and children, the Gaza Health Ministry said Monday. In less than a week of air and ground operations since Israel broke the ceasefire with Hamas, its forces have killed hundreds of people in Gaza — sending the death toll from 17 months of war soaring above 50,000. Meanwhile, officials say Egypt has introduced a new proposal to try and get the ceasefire back on track.
CEP Mentions
Wirtualne Media: "Polish Flowers" strengthens the team. A new host has appeared
Witkowski is, among others, a journalist, deputy director at the Gabriel Narutowicz Institute of Political Thought and assistant professor at Collegium Civitas. He collaborates with the think tanks Counter Extremism Project and International Centre for Counter-Terrorism. He has written for “Krytyka Polityczna” and “Przekrój”, among others.
United States
New York Times: Intelligence Assessment Warns Against Conflating Legal Musk Protests With Vandalism
President Trump has suggested attacks against Tesla are a coordinated effort to intimidate the billionaire Elon Musk, but an internal intelligence assessment did not support that claim and warned against conflating legal protests against Mr. Musk with vandalism to his property. The attacks on Tesla vehicles and facilities “appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night, making identification and arrest of the actors difficult,” officials with the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security wrote in an intelligence bulletin dated March 21 and obtained by The New York Times.
News 18: ‘Holding Dialogues With Our Friends’: US On Efforts To Prevent Extremist Attack On Bangladesh
United States Department of State Spokesperson Tammy Bruce referred to Bangladesh army chief’s warning of a possible extremist attack on the nation and said America was holding face-to-face dialogues to monitor the overall situation. During her press briefing, she responded to a question on US’ efforts to prevent Bangladesh from another Afghanistan and said, “Fortunately, we have an administration and a Secretary of State (Marco Rubio), who is completely committed to diplomatic resolutions, to face-to-face conversations with our friends around the world, and certainly the impact, hopefully, of our strength and our President (Donald Trump), who is known for taking things seriously, to know that we expect every country, certainly Bangladesh and others, to say the least, to follow the rules of human rights and to be cognizant and fair regarding the behavior and what their own citizens expect from their government.
New York Post: FBI’s new task force probing ‘Tesla Takedown’ anarchist blog, doxxing site as fiery attacks raise ‘domestic terrorism’ fears
The FBI launched a task force Monday to try to nail the criminals setting fire to Tesla vehicles and charging stations — calling the acts “domestic terrorism” and eyeing an anarchy blog calling for more. The bureau has received reports of 48 instances so far this month related to Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations and is investigating at least seven of them in conjunction with local law enforcement, The Post has learned.
ABC 6: Convicted terrorist Abu Hamza to remain in US prison for life after health plea rejected
Convicted terrorist Abu Hamza, 66, will spend the rest of his life in jail after a judge this month denied his plea for compassionate release. Hamza, also known as Mustafa Mustafa, had preached violence against non-Muslims and supported terrorist groups. UK authorities arrested him in 2004 before extraditing him to the United States in 2012 to stand trial on terrorism charges.
USA Herald: Three Tesla Attacks Designated ‘Domestic Terrorism’ by US Attorney General Pam Bondi
Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced charges against three individuals accused of attacking Tesla properties in separate incidents across the United States. These Tesla attacks have been labeled as “domestic terrorism” by Bondi due to their violent nature and apparent political motivations. The suspects—Adam Matthew Lansky, Lucy Grace Nelson, and Daniel Clarke-Pounder—are alleged to have used weapons and explosives in their attacks on Tesla cars and charging stations in Oregon, Colorado, and South Carolina, respectively.
CNN: Trump administration accuses pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil of hiding info on his green card application
The Trump administration – after accusing Columbia University graduate and pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil of being a Hamas sympathizer without providing evidence – now says Khalil’s deportation is justified because he did not reveal connections to two organizations in his application to become a permanent US resident, an argument his attorneys call weak. Khalil failed to state on his green card application he had previously worked for the Syria office of the British Embassy in Beirut and was a member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA, the government says, the latter a focus of intense criticism from American and Israeli politicians who accuse it of antisemitism.
New York Post: Hamas hostages’ families sue Mahmoud Khalil, anti-Israel groups for ‘aiding and abetting’ terror group
The families of hostages kidnapped by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack are suing detained Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil and several student groups for allegedly “aiding and abetting Hamas’ continuing acts of international terrorism.” The lawsuit, filed on Monday in Manhattan federal court, names Khalil as one of the heads of the anti-Israel protests that engulfed the Morningside Heights campus last year, which the families claimed effectively helped to spread Hamas’ hateful rhetoric.
Jerusalem Post: Columbia activists worked with Hamas, captors told rescued hostage Shlomi Ziv
Hamas kidnappers told rescued hostage Shlomi Ziv the terrorist organization had operatives on American campuses, according to a Monday lawsuit by October 7 victims, with the terrorists showing him articles and photographs of Columbia university protests. In a lawsuit filed Monday to the New York Southern District Court against Within Our Lifetime and its leader Nerdeen Kiswani, Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine and representative Maryam Alwan, Columbia-Barnard Jewish Voice for Peace and representative Cameron Jones, and Columbia University Apartheid Divest and lead negotiator Mahmoud Khalil, Plaintiff Ziv said that his Hamas captors referred to protests planned by the defendants when bragging about having American operatives.
Canada
Global News: Man convicted of threatening to bomb ‘every’ Toronto synagogue, ‘kill as many Jews as possible’
A man who threatened to bomb all of Toronto’s synagogues and “kill as many Jews as possible” has been convicted of two criminal offences, Global News has learned. On March 4, 2024, Waisuddin Akbari, the owner of a shawarma shop north of Toronto, told a witness he was planning a suicide mission, according to court documents. “I’m going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto and blow them up to kill as many Jews as possible,” Akbari told the witness at a car dealership north of Toronto.
CBC: Victim speaks out after woman allegedly tried to light her hijab on fire inside Ajax library
A hijab-wearing woman who was nearly set on fire at an Ontario library over the weekend is speaking out about the "absolute horror" of what police have said was an unprovoked attack. The victim's statement was read aloud by a member of the advocacy group National Council of Canadian Muslims at a news conference on Monday afternoon. "I never imagined that a visit to my favourite, quiet corner of the library would turn into one of the most terrifying moments of my life," said the victim's statement read by senior advocacy officer Fatema Abdalla.
Press Progress: Candidates for Vancouver Municipal Party Say They Attended Multiple Events with Conspiratorial Far-Right Groups By Accident
A Vancouver municipal party running two candidates in an upcoming by-election for Vancouver city council say their appearance at multiple events organized by conspiratorial far-right groups over the span of two years was just an accident. TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, a municipal party that splintered off from the now-defunct right-wing Non-Partisan Association (NPA), is running two candidates in the upcoming by-election – Colleen Hardwick and Theodore Abbott.
United Kingdom
Politico: UK spending cuts leave anti-ISIS projects in limbo
A host of Britain’s overseas security projects are due to end this month — and there’s no clear signal from the cash-strapped Labour government on whether they will continue. As Chancellor Rachel Reeves reaches for government savings, POLITICO has identified more than 35 schemes — such as those aimed at preventing ISIS recruitment and weapons smuggling — inherited from the previous Conservative administration which come to an end in March. Some will only be renewed if individual Whitehall departments can fund them, at a time when drastic spending cuts are being planned. The projects are part of the U.K.’s Integrated Security Fund (ISF), which itself faces a renewed squeeze after Britain slashed its overseas aid budget to boost defense spending.
Algemeiner: British Sewage Worker Fired for Condemning Hamas’s Oct. 7 Massacre
A sewage worker in Britain was fired for causing “significant offense” after calling Hamas “disgusting terrorists” and condemning the Palestinian Islamist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. Severn Trent Water (STW), one of the largest water and sewerage companies in England and Wales, fired Damon Joshua after he wrote a post condemning the Hamas-led invasion of the Jewish state on the company’s staff portal to mark the anniversary of the attack, The Telegraph first reported.
Telegraph: Police drop inquiry into ‘Hamas are terrorists’ protester
Police have dropped a “ludicrous” investigation into a protester who held a “Hamas are terrorists” banner at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Niyak Ghorbani, an Iranian dissident, became well known for protesting on the routes of several London demonstrations against Israel’s war against Hamas after the Oct 7 attacks. In November last year, he was accused of making racially aggravated threats to kill a pro-Palestinian protester at a demonstration outside Queen Mary University of London in Mile End.
Mirror: Martyn's Law in memory of Manchester Arena bomb victim 'weeks away' from being passed
Landmark anti-terror laws to protect entertainment venues and the public from mass attacks like the Manchester Arena bombing will be passed within weeks, the Mirror can reveal. Martyn's Law - legislation to better train staff and safeguard venues against terrorists - is now expected to be enshrined in law before the eighth anniversary of the massacre on May 22, which killed 22.
Ynet: Masked man vandalizes London synagogue, kosher restaurant in suspected hate crime
A masked man tore mezuzahs from the entrance of a kosher restaurant and a Chabad synagogue in London early Saturday in what authorities are investigating as an antisemitic hate crime. The suspect, wearing a hoodie and with his face covered, was seen on security cameras removing a mezuzah from the entrance of a kosher restaurant in north London, shortly before 7 a.m., according to the restaurant’s staff. He then approached a nearby synagogue and forcefully tore down another mezuzah, placing it in his pocket before walking away.
France
Jewish Telegraphic Agency: French rabbi allegedly assaulted by teenager in antisemitic attack
The chief rabbi of the French city Orléans was physically assaulted and called antisemitic slurs while walking with his 9-year-old son on Shabbat. Chief Rabbi Arié Engelberg was walking with his son from synagogue on Saturday afternoon when a 16-year-old approached him and asked if he was Jewish, according to Agence France-Presse. After Engelberg said he was Jewish, the teenager allegedly began hurling slurs at him and filming him. When Engelberg pushed the teen’s phone away, the teen allegedly punched and bit him.
Morocco World News: Marine Le Pen Calls for Ban on Muslim Brotherhood in France
Marine Le Pen has called on Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood in France, expressing urgency that her party has been saying this for years. The leader of the National Rally (RN) parliamentary group addressed the issue on social media after Retailleau spoke on CNews. “He has detailed information on the dangers of the Muslim Brotherhood. We have warned about this for years. What is he waiting for to ban this totalitarian movement, which spreads its influence everywhere, even within the Paris Mosque, a symbol of gratitude to Muslim soldiers who fought for France in World War I?” Le Pen wrote on X.
Germany
Deutsche Welle: Germany's far-left terrorist Red Army Faction in court
This may well be the last major trial involving the former terrorists of the far-left "Red Army Faction" (RAF). The trial of alleged former terrorist Daniela Klette will begin this Tuesday in Celle, a city in the northern German state of Lower Saxony. The terrorist group kept West Germany on tenterhooks from the 1970s and, according to investigating authorities, was responsible for more than 30 murders. Klette, now 66, is not being charged with murder. However, together with her accomplices Ernst-Volker Staub and Burkhard Garweg, the defendant is alleged to have robbed armored cars and supermarkets between 1999 and 2016, primarily in northern Germany. Because shots were fired during the robberies, Klette is also charged with attempted murder.
Reuters: Germany's emboldened far right takes expanded role in new parliament
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took up its largest-ever share of the seats as Germany's new parliament met for its first session on Tuesday, demanding commensurate influence in a Bundestag facing the biggest diplomatic and economic crisis in decades. The AfD came second in the February 23 election, the best performance by a far-right party since World War Two, helped by years of economic underperformance and uncertainty caused by Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
Deutsche Welle: Berlin police arrest scores as neo-Nazi march blocked
A right-wing extremist demonstration in Berlin's Friedrichshain district was ended prematurely on Saturday after about four hours in the face of numerous counter-protests. Participants in the neo-Nazi march got little further than their arrival point at the German capital's eastern Ostkreuz train station. The leader of the rally ended it prematurely, police reported said on X.
Israel
Jewish News Syndicate: Hamas releases footage of hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana
The Hamas terrorist group released video footage on Monday showing signs of life of Israeli hostages Elkana Bohbot and Yosef-Haim Ohana, 535 days after they were taken captive during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. JNS has decided not to publish the propaganda video on its website. Bohbot, 35, an Israeli-Colombian dual national from Mevaseret Zion near Jerusalem, and Ohana, 24, from Kiryat Malachi in southern Israel, were taken to Gaza as hostages by Hamas terrorists during their cross-border onslaught on the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7, 2023.
Reuters: 'This is on Hamas,' US special envoy Witkoff says of new Gaza fighting
The Hamas militant group is responsible for the renewed fighting in Gaza after rejecting efforts to move forward with what had been an "acceptable deal," U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Sunday, even as he said he would be open to new outreach. "So this is on Hamas. The United States stands with the state of Israel," Witkoff told Fox News Sunday. "Hamas had every opportunity to demilitarize, to accept the bridging proposal." After weeks of relative calm in the Gaza Strip, following a ceasefire deal reached in January, attempts to agree an extension of the halt in fighting stalled and Israel resumed its air strikes and deployed ground troops in areas across the strip.
Times of Israel: IDF confirms killing Al Jazeera reporter who was also a Hamas sniper
The IDF confirms that it killed an Al Jazeera reporter in an air strike yesterday. The military has long charged that Hossam Shabat was an active member of Hamas. In October, the IDF published information on six journalists in Gaza who were also members of terror groups, including Shabat. The IDF said it had uncovered documents in the Gaza Strip that showed that Shabat was a sniper in Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion.
Israel Hayom: Egypt threatens Hamas to accept ceasefire proposal
Following a round of heated talks on Friday, there are signs that Hamas may be reconsidering its stance on the Egyptian ceasefire proposal. The discussions were led on the Egyptian side by intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, who met in Cairo with a delegation of senior Hamas officials. During the meeting, the Hamas representatives announced that they were rejecting the proposal delivered to them the previous day, demanding amendments and guarantees for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
New York Times: She Was Released. Now She’s Campaigning for Her Partner Still in Gaza.
More than 15 months have passed since Ilana Gritzewsky was released from Hamas captivity in Gaza. She still does not feel free. Her partner remains a hostage. He was captured along with Ms. Gritzewsky from their home in an Israeli border village on Oct. 7, 2023, during the Hamas-led attack that ignited the war in Gaza and is among the hostages that Hamas continues to hold, more than 500 days later. Traumatized from her own violent abduction, Ms. Gritzewsky, 31, has devoted herself to campaigning on behalf of the hostages still in the enclave, including her partner, Matan Zangauker, now 25, and two men she said she last saw in a Hamas tunnel while in captivity.
Medialine: Boycotts Grow Over Far-Right Speakers at Jerusalem Antisemitism Event
A growing boycott of Israeli Minister Amichai Chikli’s upcoming antisemitism conference has sparked debate over the inclusion of far-right European politicians. In a report by Maayan Hoffman for The Media Line, several prominent Jewish leaders, including Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, have withdrawn from the March 26–27 event in Jerusalem, citing concerns that the presence of figures from parties with antisemitic histories risks legitimizing them.
Lebanon
Naharnet: Salam visits Tripoli, vows no leniency with security violators
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrived Tuesday aboard a military helicopter in the northern city of Tripoli, where he said that his visit is to “stress the government’s keenness on sustainable security in Tripoli and on protecting its sons.” “The basis of security is the developmental aspect, which Tripoli lacks, and the issue of the proliferation of arms must be addressed,” Salam added.
Naharnet: What have investigations revealed about rockets fired at Israel?
While no party has claimed responsibility for the rockets that were fired at Israel on Saturday, the Lebanese Army has arrested two Syrians in the South and questioned them as witnesses, security sources said. “The estimations indicate that a ‘suspicious side’ was behind the rocket attack, which has only served the Israeli interest,” the sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper.
Times of Israel: IDF says drone strike in Lebanon killed Hezbollah anti-tank commander
An Israeli drone strike last night in southern Lebanon’s Nabatieh killed a Hezbollah commander, the military says. The IDF says it targeted and killed Hassan Kamal Halawi, chief of Hezbollah’s anti-tank missile unit in southern Lebanon.
Arab News: Lebanese Army seizes weapons smuggled from Syria
The Lebanese Army Command announced on Monday the arrest of several Lebanese and Syrians suspected of involvement in smuggling operations and the reopening of illegal border crossings in the Masharih Al-Qaa area of eastern Lebanon. In an official statement, the Army Command said that a patrol from the Directorate of Intelligence foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons from Syrian territory into Lebanon, seizing several handguns and other smuggled goods in the Zahle area in the Bekaa.
Syria
Reuters: Exclusive: US gave Syria list of conditions for partial sanctions relief, sources say
The United States has handed Syria a list of conditions that it wants Damascus to fulfill in exchange for partial sanctions relief, six people familiar with the matter told Reuters, including ensuring foreigners are not in senior governing roles. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Syria Natasha Franceschi gave the list of demands to Syrian foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18, according to two of the people - a U.S. official and a Syrian source familiar with the matter.
Associated Press: Israeli strikes in southwestern Syria kill 4 people as troops clash with residents
An Israeli strike Tuesday in southwestern Syria killed at least four people as Israeli troops occupying the area clashed with local residents, Syrian state media and a war monitor reported. Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said troops fired back at gunmen who attacked them, before launching a drone attack. Syrian state-run news agency SANA said that several people were wounded, including a woman. The report said Israeli tanks in the southwestern village of Koayiah also fired several rounds. Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at seven.
Newsweek: Christians Send Warning Over Killings in Syria
One of the oldest and largest Christian communities in the Middle East faces renewed threats in a cycle of violence that has forced millions of Christians to flee the region over the past half-century. Although most of the thousand or so people reported killed in recent violence on the Syrian coast were Alawites — members of a Syrian religious minority which follows a branch of Shia'a Islam — rights groups say that Christians were also among those killed in a crackdown by the Sunni Muslim-led factions of Syria's new government.
Financial Times: Once hunted by Assad, Syria’s White Helmets return to Damascus
The White Helmets did not dare set foot near Damascus for years after dictator Bashar al-Assad branded the famed civic defence group as terrorists and threatened to have them killed. But last month, they got a hero’s welcome when clearing a rubble-strewn road between two of the Syrian capital’s suburbs. One local was so overjoyed he jumped out of his car and enveloped a volunteer in hugs and kisses.
Yemen
Associated Press: US airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels kill at least 2 people, group says
U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels pounded sites across the country into early Tuesday, with the group saying one attack in the capital killed at least two people and wounded more than a dozen others. The American strikes on the rebels, who threaten maritime trade and Israel, entered their 10th day without any sign of stopping. They are part of a campaign by U.S. President Donald Trump targeting the rebel group while also trying to pressure Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor.
Maritime Executive: Houthis Claim "Hours-Long" Exchange of Fire With U.S. Carrier Strike Group
On Monday, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed that they had engaged in an hours-long exchange of fire with U.S. Navy forces in the Red Sea, disrupting American strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The claims could not be confirmed, but Houthi forces have exaggerated their attempted attacks in the past. Houthi forces claimed to have targeted "several enemy destroyers, in addition to the aircraft carrier Truman," using a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. "This combat, the second in 24 hours, lasted for several hours, during which an enemy air attack against our country was thwarted," said Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree.
Economic Times: Yemen Houthi Group claims attacks on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and US warships in the Red Sea
On Tuesday morning, March 25, Yemen's Houthi group claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks targeting Ben Gurion Airport in Israel and US warships in the Red Sea. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the attack successfully hit the airport with two missiles, including a Dhulfiqar and Palestine-2 hypersonic missile. The group also targeted several U.S. warships, including the USS Truman, using a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. Sarea added that the operation disrupted a planned U.S. aerial attack on Yemen. The Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks on shipping since Israel’s war with Hamas began in late 2023, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Jerusalem Post: Houthis reaffirm attacks on Israel, ready to assist Hezbollah despite US strikes
Iranian state media quoted a key Houthi official as saying that the Houthis' capabilities continue to “grow” despite US attacks. The US has been using airstrikes against the Houthis since March 15. “Secretary of Yemen's Supreme Political Council Yasser al-Houri has renewed his country’s position on supporting the Palestinian people and their just cause until they reclaim all their legitimate rights,” Iran’s IRNA said.
Afghanistan
Japan Times: Afghan women risk Taliban wrath over hair trade
Until Taliban authorities took power in Afghanistan, women like Fatima were able to freely sell their hair to be made into wigs, bringing in crucial cash. But a ban last year has forced the 28-year-old and others to covertly trade hair — collected from shower drains or the salon floor — braving the risk of punishment one strand at a time. "I need this money," said Fatima, 28, one of the few women still in paid private employment in Kabul after the Taliban regained control in 2021.
Amu: Pakistan says security concerns were central to talks with Taliban in Kabul
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that security concerns were at the forefront of recent discussions between its special envoy to Afghanistan and senior Taliban officials in Kabul. In a statement, the ministry said the visit by Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq Khan, Pakistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, was undertaken at the direction of Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. The meetings, it noted, were part of Islamabad’s effort to maintain “constructive and mutually beneficial” relations with the Taliban-led government.
Turkey
Reuters: Turks vow to protest on even as Erdogan says 'show' will end
Many Turkish anti-government protesters said they were bracing for a long-term standoff after six nights of action and scattered clashes with police over the jailing of Istanbul's mayor, rejecting President Tayyip Erdogan's claim their "show" will fizzle out. The largest protests in a decade began last week when Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - Erdogan's main rival - was detained in what protesters, opposition parties, European leaders and rights groups called a politicised and anti-democratic move.
Reuters: Erdogan slams protests over jailing of Istanbul mayor as 'movement of violence'
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that protests over the jailing of Istanbul's mayor had become a "movement of violence" and that the main opposition party would be held accountable for injured police officers and damage to property. The detention last Wednesday of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan's main political rival, has triggered the biggest street protests in Turkey in more than a decade. On Sunday, a court jailed him, pending trial, on corruption charges that he denies.
Congo
Reuters: Renewed fighting in eastern Congo as neighbours try to revive peace process
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo battled militiamen allied with the government on Tuesday as regional countries tried to give fresh impetus to faltering peace initiatives.M23's swift advance since January has seized eastern Congo's two largest cities, resulted in thousands of deaths and forced hundreds of thousands more from their homes.
South Africa
Associated Press: South Africa president says persecution of whites a ‘false narrative’ as Musk repeats genocide claim
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday the claim that white people are being persecuted in his country is a “completely false narrative.” It was his latest attempt to push back against allegations made by U.S. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and some white minority groups in South Africa. South African-born Musk, who has regularly accused South Africa’s Black-led government of being anti-white, repeated a claim this weekend in a social media post that some of the country’s political figures are “actively promoting white genocide.”
Australia
Australia Today: Perth man first to be jailed under new counter-terrorism laws for posting Islamic State content
A 19-year-old West Australian man has become the first person in Australia to be convicted and sentenced for transmitting violent extremist material online, after pleading guilty to posting Islamic State content on social media. The Perth District Court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment today (20 March 2025) after he admitted to one count of transmitting violent extremist material online and one count of using a carriage service to cause offence. His sentence was backdated to 12 June 2024, the date of his arrest, and he will be eligible to apply for parole from 12 May 2026.
9News: Accused Victorian neo-Nazi clashes with Adelaide magistrate
A man accused of displaying a Nazi symbol on his shirt has told a court the charge should be dropped "because no crime has been committed". Graham Connolly, 41, of Newcomb in Victoria, was among 17 members of the National Socialist Network who faced charges over a march by the neo-Nazi group at the South Australian War Memorial on Australia Day.