Latest news with #Samar
DW
2 days ago
- DW
Fact check: Viral drone video of Gaza destruction is real – DW – 06/19/2025
A viral video is circulating showing the destruction caused by Israeli strikes in Gaza. DW has verified the footage of mass destruction at the Jabaliya refugee camp. Since a Hamas-led terror attack left nearly 1,200 people dead in Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed more than 55.000 Palestinians , according to health officials in Gaza, and destroyed large parts of Gaza. Israel has blocked nearly all foreign journalists from reporting from Gaza. Palestinians journalists have worked within the territory to get news and images out to the world. There are many online videos that show mass destruction. However, there is also a lot of confusion about the images shared online. Though much of the content is real, oftentimes AI-generated images go viral, contributing to the confusion. DW has confirmed that one video that has recently circulated widely is real. Does this video really show Gaza? Claim: This viral video , which had been viewed more than 9 million times when this article was published, shows some of the mass destruction in Gaza (archived here ). "The world was silent while Israel committed genocide — now they lecture us about ethics? Gaza," the post on X reads. In the video, you can see footage taken with a drone, showing a large area after a bombing and massive destruction. DW Fact check: Real This viral video shows the destruction of the refugee camp Jabaliya in Gaza Image: X The low quality and grey tones make the video look suspicious, so some users are asking in the comments if it is real. DW found that the video is not manipulated or AI-generated, as asserted by some, but what Gaza really looks like at the moment. The first clue that the footage is real is the name Abu Samar, written as a watermark in the left corner of the video. DW found out that this is the name of the photographer and even found his Instagram profile. His full name is Mohammed Abu Samar. He posted a higher-quality version of the video on Instagram on April 4. It's very detailed, the colors are realistic, and the movements of the people are authentic. Additionally, we found the footage on Associated Press, dated February 16 and 17, 2025. It says that it's the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza. Samar has contributed to AP several times. Video from Samar's Instagram account and the video DW found from AP are the same Image: Instagram/m_abu.samra/ / AP Media report that Israel has bombed Jabaliya multiple times since the strikes began, claiming it was a Hamas command center . That claim cannot be verified independently. What can be verified is the mass destruction of Jabaliya caused by Israel. Recent satellite images from Google Earth show the destroyed refugee camp in December 2024. The video posted on X shows an accurate example of the destruction in Gaza. This screenshot of a satellite image from Google Earth shows the destroyed refugee camp in December Image: Google Earth False narratives cause confusion We also had a closer look at the account that posted the video on X. It's called Iranian Military Commentary and has a blue check mark next to it, implying that it is a real and official account. However, that is not true. The blue check mark indicates that the account subscribes to X Premium (formerly Twitter Blue), which any user who pays and meets basic eligibility requirements can get. It is not an official account. It is labeled a "commentary account" which means that it is commenting on topics related to Iranian military actions. It also states that in its bio: "Updates on the Islamic Republic of Iran Armed Forces." Other activities that indicate that it's not official are that it has been online for a year, whereas an official account for Iran's military would be expected to be online for at least a few years. The account also reposts advertisements for iPhones , for example, as well as memes and AI-generated images , which makes it less trustworthy overall. In this case, however, the account shared real content. Dozens of people killed at aid distribution center in Gaza To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Rachel Baig
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Not for you': Israeli shelters exclude Palestinians as bombs rain down
When Iranian missiles began raining down on Israel, many residents scrambled for cover. Sirens wailed across the country as people rushed into bomb shelters. But for some Palestinian citizens of Israel – two million people, or roughly 21 percent of the population – doors were slammed shut, not by the force of the blasts and not by enemies, but by neighbours and fellow citizens. Mostly living in cities, towns, and villages within Israel's internationally recognised borders, many Palestinian citizens of Israel found themselves excluded from life-saving infrastructure during the worst nights of the Iran-Israel conflict to date. For Samar al-Rashed, a 29-year-old single mother living in a mostly Jewish apartment complex near Acre, the reality of that exclusion came on Friday night. Samar was at home with her five-year-old daughter, Jihan. As sirens pierced the air, warning of incoming missiles, she grabbed her daughter and rushed for the building's shelter. 'I didn't have time to pack anything,' she recalled. 'Just water, our phones, and my daughter's hand in mine.' The panicking mother tried to ease her daughter's fear, while hiding her own, gently encouraging her in soft-spoken Arabic to keep up with her rushed steps towards the shelter, as other neighbours climbed down the stairs, too. But at the shelter door, she said, an Israeli resident, having heard her speak Arabic, blocked their entry – and shut it in their faces. 'I was stunned,' she said. 'I speak Hebrew fluently. I tried to explain. But he looked at me with contempt and just said, 'Not for you.'' In that moment, Samar said, the deep fault lines of Israeli society were laid bare. Climbing back to her flat and looking at the distant missiles lighting up the skies, and occasionally colliding with the ground, she was terrified by both the sight, and by her citizens of Israel have long faced systemic discrimination – in housing, education, employment, and state services. Despite holding Israeli citizenship, they are often treated as second-class citizens, and their loyalty is routinely questioned in public discourse. According to Adalah-The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, more than 65 laws directly or indirectly discriminate against Palestinian citizens. The nation-state law passed in 2018 cemented this disparity by defining Israel as the 'nation-state of the Jewish people', a move critics say institutionalised apartheid. In times of war, that discrimination often intensifies. Palestinian citizens of Israel are frequently subjected to discriminatory policing and restrictions during periods of conflict, including arrest for social media posts, denial of access to shelters, and verbal abuse in mixed cities. Many have already reported experiencing such discrimination. In Haifa, 33-year-old Mohammed Dabdoob was working at his mobile repair shop Saturday evening when phones simultaneously all rang with the sound of alerts, triggering his anxiety. He tried to finish fixing a broken phone, which delayed him. He then rushed to close the shop and ran towards the nearest public shelter, beneath a building behind his shop. Approaching the shelter, he found its sturdy door locked. 'I tried the code. It didn't work. I banged on the door, called on those inside to open – in Hebrew – and waited. No one opened,' he said. Moments later, a missile exploded nearby, shattering glass across the street. 'I thought I was going to die.' 'There was smoke and screaming, and after a quarter of an hour, all we could hear were the sounds of the police and the ambulance. The scene was terrifying, as if I were living a nightmare similar to what happened at the Port of Beirut,' he added, referring to the 2020 Beirut port explosion. Frozen by sheer fear and shock, Mohammed watched from his hiding place in a nearby parking lot as the chaos unfolded, and soon enough, the shelter's door opened. As those who were inside the shelter began trickling out, he looked at them silently. 'There's no real safety for us,' he said. 'Not from the missiles, and not from the people who are supposed to be our neighbours.'In theory, all citizens of Israel should have equal access to public safety measures – including bomb shelters. In practice, the picture is very different. Palestinian towns and villages in Israel have significantly fewer protected spaces than Jewish localities. According to a 2022 report by Israel's State Comptroller quoted by the newspaper Haaretz, more than 70 percent of homes in Palestinian communities in Israel lack a safe room or space that is up to code, compared to 25 percent of Jewish homes. Municipalities often receive less funding for civil defence, and older buildings go without the required reinforcements. Even in mixed cities like Lydd (Lod), where Jewish and Palestinian residents live side by side, inequality is pronounced. Yara Srour, a 22-year-old nursing student at Hebrew University, lives in the neglected neighbourhood of al-Mahatta in Lydd. Her family's three-storey building, which is around four decades old, lacks official permits and a shelter. Following the heavy Iranian bombardment they witnessed on Saturday evening, which shocked the world around them, the family tried early on Sunday to flee to a safer part of the city. 'We went to the new part of Lydd where there are proper shelters,' Yara said, adding that her 48-year-old mother, who suffers from weak knees, was struggling to move. 'Yet, they wouldn't let us in. Jews from poorer areas were also turned away. It was only for the 'new residents' — those in the modern buildings, mostly middle-class Jewish families.' Yara recalls the horror vividly. 'My mother has joint problems and couldn't run like the rest of us,' she said. 'We were begging, knocking on doors. But people just looked at us through peepholes and ignored us, while we saw the sky light up with fires of intercepted rockets.'Samar said the experience of being turned away from a shelter with her daughter left a psychological scar. 'That night, I felt completely alone,' she said. 'I didn't report it to the police – what's the point? They wouldn't have done anything.' Later that evening, a villa in Tamra was hit, killing four women from the same family. From her balcony, Samar watched smoke rise into the sky. 'It felt like the end of the world,' she said. 'And still, even under attack, we're treated as a threat, not as people.' She has since moved with her daughter to her parents' home in Daburiyya, a village in the Lower Galilee. Together, they can now huddle in a reinforced room. With the alerts coming every few hours, Samar is thinking of fleeing to Jordan. 'I wanted to protect Jihan. She doesn't know this world yet. But I also didn't want to leave my land. That's the dilemma for us – survive, or stay and suffer.' While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated after the attacks that 'Iran's missiles target all of Israel – Jews and Arabs alike,' the reality on the ground told a different story. Even before the war, Palestinian citizens of Israel were disproportionately arrested for expressing political views or reacting to the attacks. Some were detained merely for posting emojis on social media. In contrast, calls for vigilante violence against Palestinians in online forums were largely ignored. 'The state expects our loyalty in war,' said Mohammed Dabdoob. 'But when it's time to protect us, we're invisible.' For Samar, Yara, Mohammed, and thousands like them, the message is clear: they are citizens on paper, but strangers in practice. 'I want safety like anyone else,' said Yara. 'I'm studying to become a nurse. I want to help people. But how can I serve a country that won't protect my mother?'
Los Angeles Times
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Forget ‘sexy Paris lady' scents. This L.A. duo creates unisex perfumes that make you feel things
As you climb the staircase to Debbie Lin and Na-Moya Lawrence's second-story Hollywood apartment, a smell begins to materialize. It's earthy and calming — grounding, even — and by the time you open their door, the scent envelops you. That's because Lin and Lawrence have set up their artisan perfume company, Samar, in a corner of their home studio space. Sitting on a small foldaway table is a precision scale where the duo weighs out mixtures. Shelves along the wall are lined with hundreds of little bottles of essential oils and aroma chemicals. 'Have you smelled this?' Lin says, holding a bottle of green tea essential oil under my nose. These headquarters may seem surprising for a duo that creates award-winning perfumes and has built a following of loyal fans. Their small-batch production, inspired by highly personal memories, challenges the norms of the industry. Rather than obsessing over fast growth, they embrace an ethos of exploration and creativity — along with a bit of humor. Much of the messaging in the perfume landscape has been aspirational, Lawrence explains. ''I'm in Paris and I'm a sexy lady,'' she says, mimicking the traditional advertising. 'That's all great, but now you can smell like a dirty pond goblin if you want. And that's cool.' Lin and Lawrence launched Samar in Seattle in 2022, succeeding at something many failed at: keeping a pandemic hobby alive. 'We were talking about the places we want to travel when we're able to, the things that we miss doing,' Lin says. They tried various projects — at first, making pastries and later starting a skincare line — but realized that their real calling lay not in baking ('We're not morning people,' says Lawrence with a laugh) and the beauty endeavor was proving to be too ambitious. Lawrence had a passion for unusual scents ever since college, when a roommate introduced her to the indie fragrance brand Amorphous Perfume. The duo soon started thinking about entering perfumery. There was just one problem: Lin didn't like perfume all that much. Lin told Lawrence that she had never encountered one she enjoyed. For Lawrence? Mission accepted. She recalls thinking, 'There's no way there isn't something we could find for [Lin] to enjoy. And so as we were talking as very audacious queers, 'What if we just made it? But where the hell do we start?'' Down the rabbit hole they went, scouring message boards and subreddits, where they found lots of bad advice — some of it dangerous even. Finally, they stumbled upon Perfumer's Apprentice, Hermitage Oils and Pell Wall — material suppliers where you can order the fragrant oils and molecules that make up perfumes. 'We were like, 'Oh, this is the s—. This is the stuff we're supposed to be using,'' Lawrence says. The two started making scents that were 'grounded in specific memories and emotions that we wanted to relive for ourselves and share with other people,' Lin says. Soon, Samar was born. The name has a dual meaning in Arabic for both 'fruits of paradise' and 'evening conversations with friends,' which nicely sums up the feeling of their perfumes. Their first fragrances were Garden Heaux (a green, vegetal perfume) and Happy Trails (a campfire and woodsy scent inspired by Lin's love of camping with friends in the wilderness near Seattle). Now their home studio — the duo moved from Seattle to L.A. last April — is starting to take over parts of their apartment: A storage closet is full of bottles of finished perfume that's macerating, a term for when perfume sits for several weeks to let the chemical processes take place. For each fragrance, one of them takes 'point' — for instance, on Garden Heaux, Lawrence acted as the perfumer and Lin as the fragrance evaluator, deciding whether the scent needed tweaking. It's an intimate working environment for the partners in both work and life. 'To be able to work closely together is really lovely,' says Lin. Because they have different palates, they're each able to pick up on certain notes much more strongly. 'So between the two of us, once we're both happy, then we know we have something that's really nice and balanced,' Lin adds. Of course, there's not always an instant consensus. They found this out with Grove is in the Heart, the winner of an Art and Olfaction Award, presented in Lisbon in 2024. '[Lawrence] was like, 'No, it's not quite right. It should be sweeter, but not too sweet,'' says Lin. They rejiggered some materials but it was still missing something. Lin says, 'And I'm just like, 'OK, what is it?' She's like, 'I don't know. You know the Trader Joe's candied orange slices? Like that.' So I taste it, and I'm like, 'Well, what about this? Because it already is zesty, and it already has a little sweetness and the rindiness,' and she's like, 'Juicy. It needs to be more juicy.'' Lawrence laughs at this story, mentioning that sometimes they can go 13 or 14 trials before they succeed in satisfying both perfumers. 'I wanted it juicier, but there I was standing with a dried orange slice in my hand,' she says. 'I would have never gotten there,' banters Lin. Where they do align easily is in their commitment to making fragrance available and emotionally resonant. As a small business, Samar doesn't benefit from the discounts enjoyed by major brands — big companies buy literally tons of essential oil at a discounted rate. So the brand reflects that smaller scale by offering smaller sizes at more approachable price points (bottles cost between $10 and $55). Each perfume comes in 2.25mL, 5mL or 10mL sizes, smaller than the industry standard of 30mL or 50mL. 'A lot of people are samplers,' Lawrence says. 'We're samplers.' Samar's inclusiveness goes beyond their pricing. In L.A., they are surrounded by friends in the fragrance community, notably Orange County-based perfumers James Miju Nguyen and Kael Jeong, who run artisan perfume brands and KST Scent, respectively. They've formed something of a queer indie perfumer club. For these makers, gender isn't on the radar — a perfume can be enjoyed by all. In an Instagram post, Samar explained that at in-person shows, the company asks customers to suspend their beliefs about masculinity and femininity, and found that most men gravitate toward its more floral-forward and sweet perfumes like Beach Berry and Great Lei. One of Samar's most distinct creations, Speakeasy, was inspired by 1920s underground queer bars and the illicit moonshine that fueled the Prohibition era. 'It's one of our most polarizing scents, actually, but it's also one of my favorite ones that Debbie has made,' Lawrence says. They didn't shy away from the scent's complexity, leaning into the more unusual notes like gin, elderflower and leather. 'I really love the darkness to it,' Lawrence adds. Their exploration of scent is boundary-pushing. On a recent trip to Thailand, they found themselves at a chocolate cafe called Chocolate Culture Club, where they struck up a conversation with the owner, a chocolatier named MK. MK suggested they create perfumes from fermented chocolate husks, and before they left Bangkok, he gave them several bags of cacao husks. Lawrence bounds over to a shelf with several jars of a brown tinctured slurry, the results of which they'll use to create a cacao perfume. They'll send half of each batch to Thailand for Chocolate Culture Club to sell. The chocolate-vinegar scent isn't what one might think about when thinking of perfume, but that's part of the fun of trying to find that perfect blend. Lawrence says she's intrigued by the potential for 'slightly off scents.' The final result will be 'maybe beautiful, maybe just kind of weird,' she says. 'But weird is beautiful.'
Time of India
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Samar Khan says Kay Kay Menon's viral clip from 'Shaurya' was taken out of context: ‘It's like calling Gabbar Singh from Sholay a hero'
Filmmaker Samar Khan is all set to return to the spotlight with 'Chhal Kapat – The Deception', a murder mystery premiering on OTT on June 6. His 2008 release 'Shaurya' continues to remain in the spotlight after a courtroom scene featuring Kay Kay Menon went viral online. However, the video was taken out of context—something Samar has never liked to address. Nonetheless, he has now opened up about the intention behind the scene and how it went viral with a completely different interpretation. Kay Kay Menon's scene from Shaurya 00:59 Any Director Can Make Mistakes, I Choose Roles Based On Scripts: Kay Kay Menon On Picking Shekhar Home Shaurya is a courtroom drama starring Rahul Bose, Kay Kay Menon, Minissha Lamba, Deepak Dobriyal, and Jaaved Jaaferi. The film made waves for its powerful themes and explosive climax. At the centre of the storm was a searing monologue delivered by Kay Kay Menon's character, Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Khan expressed his discomfort over how the essence of the film has been misrepresented online. He admitted that he had outgrown Shaurya many years ago but still feels proud of the film. 'But what people make of it is out of my control. People ask me about it on Twitter and other platforms, but I never respond. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo Anything I say would be taken out of context,' he shared. Samar about clickbait culture The clip featuring Rudra's monologue is often portrayed as a moment of righteous heroism. But for Khan, this popular interpretation completely misses the point. 'Unfortunately, many of those who share that scene haven't watched the scenes before or after. It's like isolating Gabbar Singh from Sholay and calling him a hero. Villains often come off as more attractive. Even with someone like Shah Rukh Khan , who has done countless romantic roles, people still remember him for Darr or Baazigar. As creators, we have to detach ourselves from how our work is received or reinterpreted,' he explained. He didn't hold back while discussing the role social media plays in reshaping narratives. He called it a clickbait culture driven by short attention spans. About Samar's recent production venture Chhal Kapat 'Chhal Kapat – The Deception' is directed by Ajay Bhuyan and features Shriya Pilgaonkar, Kamya Ahlawat, Ragini Dwivedi, Tuhina Das, Yahhve Sharma, Pranay Pachauri, Smaran Sahu, and Anuj Sachdeva in key roles. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Malay Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Philippines to sue AirAsia Move for ‘economic sabotage' over inflated airfares in typhoon-hit region
MANILA, June 4 — The Philippine government will be filing an economic sabotage case against AirAsia Move. This is after the online travel booking platform was found selling its flight tickets at a much higher rate than they should be. In a statement, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said AirAsia Move has taken advantage of the dire transport situation that was caused by the partial closure of the San Juanico Bridge which was implemented to prevent structural deterioration. As the 2.16km bridge is the primary link between Samar and Leyte islands, the restriction has a major effect on the economy in the region. Vince has highlighted the experience of Richard Gomez, the Leyte 4th District Representative, who has to pay almost PHP40,000 (~RM3,053) for a 1-way ticket from Tacloban to Manila. As a comparison, the actual air fare for the 1 hour 25 minutes is said to be around PHP12,000 (~RM916). The case will be filed by the country's Department of Transport (DOTr) and Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), while the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will also look into the pricing issue. At the same time, Vince has instructed the Philippine National Police's Anti-Cybercrime Group to shut down access to the AirAsia Move app for the time being. AirAsia Move: We didn't set the price manually Meanwhile, AirAsia Move has provided its side of the story through a statement by its CEO, Nadia Omer. The company said that the discrepancies in the airfare for certain routes, including domestic flights operated by the national carrier Philippine Airlines, were caused by a temporary data synchronisation issue with flight pricing partners. AirAsia Move also pointed out that the pricing discrepancy has also affected other booking platforms such as Agoda, and Traveloka. The company further insists it does not set or manipulate the airfares manually. The statement also highlighted that AirAsia Move has taken immediate action once it noticed the discrepancy by highlighting it to the 3rd party pricing provider. In addition to that, the platform has implemented several measures to prevent such incidents in the near future. — SoyaCincau
