Latest news with #GazaConflict
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC's BAFTA-Winning Doc Series ‘Once Upon A Time In…' Turns Eye To Middle East
The BBC will trace the history of conflict in the Middle East in a documentary series that extends its BAFTA-winning Once Upon A Time In… brand. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (working title) has been greenlit by BBC Two following the success of Once Upon A Time In Iraq and Once Upon a Time In Northern Ireland. More from Deadline BBC Drafts In Consultant To Examine 'Breakfast' Bullying Allegations After Deadline Investigation 'Twenty Twenty Six': BBC Satire Series Officially Heading Stateside With Hugh Bonneville Reprising Role And Stephen Kunken, Paulo Costanzo & Chelsey Crisp Joining Cast 'Doctor Who' Showrunner Casts More Doubt Over Series' Future As UK Ratings Plummet: "We Don't Know What's Happening" Produced by Keo Films, the five-part documentary will take a long-term view of the war in Gaza, examining the roots of a conflict that has affected both Israelis and Palestinians. It will interview ordinary people from all sides of the war, as well as screen rare and unseen archive and user-generated footage to tell human stories. Director James Bluemel said: 'Our Once Upon a Time documentary strand gives regular people the space to share their experience of historical events without judgement and seeks empathy and understanding from all sides.' Announced at the Sheffield DocFest, BBC docs chief Clare Sillery added: 'His [Bluemel] ability to draw out and connect intimate unheard stories, combined with unseen archive is truly remarkable, helping us experience events through the eyes of others, even those with whom we may profoundly disagree.' Once Upon a Time in the Middle East is executive produced by Will Anderson and Andrew Palmer. The BBC commissioning editor is Fran Baker. The next iteration of the Once Upon A Time In… will take viewers to space. Once Upon A Time In Iraq won a BAFTA in 2021 for Best Factual Series. Sillery announced a number of other projects, including a two-part series fronted by Mobeen Azhar, which attempts to uncover what's going on inside the UK prison system. Titled Coerced or Corrupted: Inside Prisons, it is produced by Forest. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series 'Stick' Release Guide: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
US denies arresting Australian writer because of his political views
The US government has denied arresting an Australian writer because of his political beliefs, saying he was turned away from the border for giving false information on an entry form. Alistair Kitchen, 33, said he was refused entry to the US last week after being grilled about his views on the Gaza conflict and articles he wrote about pro-Palestinian protests. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told the ABC claims Mr Kitchen was arrested for political views were "unequivocally false". "The individual in question was denied entry because he gave false information on his [Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) application] regarding drug use," a DHS spokesperson said on Wednesday. Mr Kitchen said he admitted to previously taking drugs after a border agent searched his phone and claimed to have found evidence of prior use. He said he told the officer he had used cannabis in New York, where it is legal. However, federal US law still prohibits the drug. Mr Kitchen was travelling from Melbourne to New York to visit friends when he was pulled out of the customs line during a layover in Los Angeles. He maintains he was initially interrogated about blog posts he penned on protests at New York's Columbia University against the war in Gaza. "Customs and Border Protection (CPB) specifically and proudly told me I was detained because of my reporting on the student protests at Columbia University, before they proceeded to interrogate me on my views on Gaza," Mr Kitchen told the ABC on Wednesday. DHS did not specifically deny that Mr Kitchen was questioned about the Israel-Gaza conflict. The agency said the US had the "most secure border" in American history "under the leadership of the Trump Administration and Secretary [Kristi] Noem". "This has allowed CPB to focus to actually vet and interview the people attempting to come into our country," the DHS spokesperson said. "Lawful travellers have nothing to fear from these measures, which are designed to protect our nation's security. "However, those intending to enter the US with fraudulent purposes or malicious intent are offered the following advice: Don't even try." Mr Kitchen said there was nothing new about travellers being denied entry for past drug use but suggested the practice was now being used to bar foreigners for other reasons. "What is new is the politically-motivated weaponisation of these policies to keep out forms of speech the US government does not want to hear," he said. Adding to Mr Kitchen's distress, after 12 hours of detention in LA, his phone was not returned until he landed in Australia on a Qantas flight on Saturday. CPB said it was "standard practice" that the phone and travel documents of a person being removed from the US were "placed into a packet and given to the airline". Mr Kitchen previously said he was told by the Australian consulate the airline had discretion over whether to return the passenger's belongings once on board. Qantas declined to comment.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
War-weary Gazans share images of destruction in Israel
GAZA: Residents of the Gaza Strip have circulated images of wrecked buildings and charred vehicles hit by Iranian missiles in Israeli cities, and some were hopeful the wider conflict could eventually bring peace to their ruined homeland. Iranian missiles struck Tel Aviv and the Israeli port city of Haifa before dawn on Monday, killing at least eight people, part of a wave of attacks by Tehran in retaliation for Israel's strikes targeting its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. 'The Iranian response was a surprise to me, to many Palestinians, and the Israelis too. Everyone thought it would be mild and theatrical,' said Mohammed Jamal, 27, a resident of Gaza City. 'Watching rockets fall without the stupid Iron Dome being able to stop them is a joy, and seeing buildings collapsing and fires everywhere reminds me of the destruction the occupation brought on Gaza, yet I can't even begin to compare,' he said via a chat app. The Iron Dome is a part of Israel's multi-layered missile defense system that tackles the kind of short-range rockets and mortars fired by militants from Gaza. Tahrir, a 34-year-old mother of four, said their house was destroyed in the Shejaia suburb, east of Gaza City, in the early weeks of the war in 2023, and her family has since been displaced several times. 'Finally, many Israelis felt what we have felt for 20 months, fear, loss of faith, and displacement,' she said. 'I hope that this time, they will press their government to end the war in Gaza because all of what is happening with Iran is part of the wider Gaza war.' With Israel saying its operation could last weeks, fears have grown of a regional conflagration dragging in outside powers. 'I was never a fan of Iran, but seeing them retaliate for real, not a play like in previous times, made me happy, despite all the sadness around me,' said Amr Salah, 29. 'It is nothing compared to what Israel did to Gaza, but at least a taste of it. It is maybe time to end all of this, in Gaza too,' he added. The war in Gaza erupted 20 months ago. Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than 2 million people. Most of the population is displaced, and malnutrition is widespread. Palestinian groups praised the retaliatory strikes by Iran. 'Scenes of Iranian missiles striking the strongholds and hideouts of the Zionists carry with them a sense of pride, dignity, and honor that shatters Zionist arrogance and dominance,' said a statement issued in the name of the 'Factions of Resistance.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Ayatollahs are tottering. Only the BBC hasn't noticed
BBC reporting of the attacks on Iran contrasts with how the corporation covers the Gaza conflict. On Gaza, it repeatedly complains that journalists are forbidden entry to the area by Israel. This then becomes an excuse for repeating uncritically every line of Hamas and the UN agencies. In the case of Iran, the BBC reminds audiences that it is not allowed there, but does not criticise Iran for this. Instead, it concentrates on reporting from Israel, where it tries to make as much of the war damage as possible. This leads to a severe imbalance of reporting and analysis. In Israel, there is no chance whatever that the democracy will fall apart. In Iran, there is a serious possibility that the autocratic regime will collapse and its leaders flee or die. In global power politics, this is arguably the biggest news story since the end of the Cold War. Yet the BBC muffles the plight of Iran and sets up a sort of moral equivalence in which the two countries 'trade blows'. It does not remind us that Israel attacked because it is the policy of Iran to destroy it and it has nearly reached the nuclear capacity to do so. Nor does it mention that most of the Iranian attacks target civilians, whereas none of the Israeli ones do. Its reporting also gives the impression that the effect of Iranian bombing of Israel is devastating. It is horrible all right but, so far at least, largely ineffective. The BBC even blames the Israeli government that its citizens are bombed, although it fails to find Israeli victims who endorse this line. Signing off from the scene of an Iranian raid on Bat Yam this morning on the Today programme, Anna Foster complained not about the Iranian raids whose effects she had just seen with her own eyes, but about 'what has been a dangerous and provocative raid on Iran'. The BBC's next trick will be to acclaim 'peace moves'. It would be beyond satire, but not beyond possibility, that it promotes an offer of talks sponsored by President Putin, slyly endorsed by President Trump. Britain owes a huge debt to Israel and Ukraine Western powers, particularly the United States, are often criticised for protecting Israel. In Britain, with the rise of Muslim influence in the Labour Party, large protest marches allege this against the government of the day. Sir Keir Starmer is clearly frightened. As leader of the Opposition, he got off to a good start. In response to the Hamas atrocities of October 7 2023, he immediately supported Israel's right to self-defence, facing down internal critics. As Prime Minister, however, he has bent with his party's wind, as his pro-Gaza MPs rebel. Now the Government backs sanctions against two Israeli cabinet ministers, restricts arms sales to Israel and encourages the idea that Benjamin Netanyahu should be indicted by the International Criminal Court. After Israel attacked Iran last week, Britain's reaction expressed this weakness. Although sending aircraft to the region, the Government would not say whether we were providing our previous air-force protection for Israel against Iranian raids. Sir Keir implicitly criticised Israel, calling for 'a return to diplomacy'. This is hypocritical. Britain has rightly developed a close intelligence relationship with Israel, having a common interest in state and non-state Islamist terrorist threats. Yet publicly it gives Israel no credit. Because of our increasing hostility, there is evidence that Israel no longer trusts us not to leak secrets and may cut us out of them. Even more important is the obvious fact that Iran's possession of an atomic bomb would be extremely dangerous to the region and to the world. Western allied attempts over many years to prevent this by negotiation have failed. Iran has proved incapable of acting in good faith. Its regime is a constant threat to peace. Israel warned of this for decades. Last week, it finally acted, with astonishing accuracy, against a vast range of Iranian installations and individuals. As a result, the extremist theocracy trembles. It may fall. So Israel has protected the West, more than the other way round. Even the United States, by far Israel's most important friend, has equivocated. President Trump, as if it has little to do with him, says 'Both sides may have to fight it out.' Britain has rendered itself almost completely irrelevant. On the other side, Russia, which backs Iran, has done less than nothing for peace, and has lost power in Syria. The great powers have looked small. Only the small power – Israel – has acted on the grand scale required. If it succeeds, it will have altered the balance of power in the Middle East in favour of moderate regimes and in the whole world against Russia, China (which also backs Iran) and Islamist extremism. It gets precious few thanks. There is an analogy here. We in the West, particularly Britain, pride ourselves on training Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion. Our contribution has certainly been helpful. But increasingly, Ukraine, like Israel, has led the way in ingenious technological development, notably with drones. Both countries have innovated brilliantly under the pressure of war. Ukraine, like Israel, is protecting the West from the advance of our enemies. We should let its armed services train ours. The wisdom is that 'The price of liberty is eternal vigilance'. We seem to have contracted out our vigilance to the two nations which are ready to fight for their lives. We should be much more grateful, and much more helpful.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Israel condemns black partition walls around its pavilions at Paris Air Show
Riot police officers patrol by the Israeli pavilions at the Paris Air Show , Monday, June 16, 2025 in Le Bourget, north of Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler) PARIS (AP) — French authorities ordered black partition walls erected around some Israeli defence industry exhibits at the Paris Air Show, a move denounced by Israel's Defense Ministry, which demanded an immediate reversal. A French appeals court had ruled Friday against activist groups who sought to block Israeli companies from participating in the show due to the war in Gaza. The Paris Air Show, held at Le Bourget north of Paris, is one of the world's largest and most prestigious events for the aerospace and defence industry. The black walls appeared overnight ahead of the show's opening Monday, visually isolating Israeli booths from dozens of other international exhibitors. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the move followed a last-minute demand from organizers to remove offensive weapons systems from display — a request they rejected. 'The French are hiding behind supposedly political considerations to exclude Israeli offensive weapons from an international exhibition — weapons that compete with French industries,' the ministry said in a statement Monday, calling the action 'ugly and improper.' A French official said the decision came from the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security, under the prime minister. The official spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the details. The official said Israeli exhibitors were told weeks in advance that they couldn't exhibit certain types of equipment, and that the walls were erected as a last resort when five of them didn't comply. Four others did and are allowed to exhibit. The official did not elaborate on what kind of equipment was not allowed, or why. Prime Minister François Bayrou officially opened the air show Monday, visiting several stands, and was expected to give a news conference later in the day. Sylvain Pavillet, a lawyer working with the air show organizers, said the final decision on which countries are allowed to exhibit lies with the French government, not the show itself. 'We are not a state. We are a commercial company,'' he told the Associated Press. The president and CEO of Israeli company IAI, Boaz Levy, said it has exhibited at the Paris Air Show for decades and had received authorizations to display its equipment. ''Last night, after our booth was set up and ready for the show, we were asked to remove some of our systems from the booth. We tried to negotiate with them, but it seems these orders came from the highest levels in Paris,'' he said in a statement. ''This morning, when we arrived at our booth, we were shocked to find out that we were blocked by black walls built overnight.'' Julia Frankel and Yesica Fisch in Jerusalem contributed to this report. John Leicester And Thomas Adamson, The Associated Press
