US-made weapon used by Israel in strike that killed journalists, investigation finds

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Updated 25 November 2024
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US-made weapon used by Israel in strike that killed journalists, investigation finds

  • The Guardian probe reveals Boeing-made kit used to convert unguided bomb into precision-guided weapon, pointing to deliberate targeting
  • Warning that targeting journalists based on assumed political affiliations is ‘dangerous trend,’ violation of international law

LONDON: A US-made weapon was used by Israel in an airstrike that killed three journalists and injured three others in southern Lebanon, according to an investigation by The Guardian published on Monday.

The British newspaper revealed that munitions manufactured in the US targeted cameraman Ghassan Najjar and technician Mohammad Reda from Iran-backed Hezbollah outlet Al-Mayadeen, as well as cameraman Wissam Qassem from the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar channel. Experts have called the attack a potential war crime.

The strike, which was carried out on the night of Oct. 25, hit a chalet in Hasbaya that was being used as a press station by several media workers, including journalists from Al Jazeera, Sky News Arabia, and TRT.

The Israeli military claimed it targeted a “Hezbollah military structure” in which “terrorists were located,” but later said that the incident was under review after learning journalists were among the casualties.

Nadim Houry, a human rights lawyer and executive director of the Arab Reform Initiative, told The Guardian: “All the indications show that this would have been a deliberate targeting of journalists: a war crime.

“This was clearly delineated as a place where journalists were staying.”

The investigation found no evidence to support Israel’s claims. Cars marked with “Press” signs were parked outside the chalet, and no military activity was detected in the area before the strike.

Witnesses said Israeli drones constantly monitored the site during the 23 days it was used as a press hub.

Ahmed Baydoun, an Amsterdam-based open-source intelligence researcher who was among the first to geolocate the strike, told Arab News that while satellite imagery and eyewitness video analysis pinpointed the chalet’s exact coordinates, providing both “accuracy” and a “tangible grasp of the gravity of the situation” in Hasbaya, definitive conclusions about the incident “would require shrapnel or remnants of the ammunition from the site.”

Remnants of munitions at the scene indicated that at least one weapon used was a 500lb MK-80 series bomb equipped with a Boeing-made JDAM (joint direct attack munition) kit, which converts unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons. The use of such a bomb suggests the site was deliberately selected as a target.

Under US law, the use of American-made weapons in attacks that constitute crimes against humanity requires the suspension of arms supplies to the country in question. Both Israel and the US have denied such accusations.

The journalists killed in the strike were not members of Hezbollah, although one coffin was draped in a Hezbollah flag during burial.

Experts noted that such practices often signify political affiliation but do not indicate military or operational involvement.

Janina Dill, co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict, said targeting journalists based on assumed political affiliations was “a dangerous trend already witnessed in Gaza” and “not compatible with international law.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that since the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has killed six journalists in Lebanon and at least 129 in Gaza, marking the deadliest period for the profession in over four decades.

Irene Khan, the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, accused Israeli authorities of “blatantly ignoring” their international legal obligations to safeguard journalists.


Media groups condemn arrest of 2 journalists aboard Madleen ship

Updated 10 June 2025
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Media groups condemn arrest of 2 journalists aboard Madleen ship

  • The journalists were identified as Yanis Mhamdi, from the independent media outlet Blast, and Omar Faiad, a reporter for Al Jazeera

LONDON: Media groups have condemned the arrest of two French journalists who were on board the Gaza-bound Madleen ship, which was intercepted by the Israeli military on Monday.

The journalists were identified as Yanis Mhamdi, from the independent media outlet Blast, and Omar Faiad, a reporter for Al Jazeera.

In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists called for the immediate release of journalists who were part of the pro-Palestinian convoy of activists delivering aid to Gaza as a symbolic protest against the ongoing war and to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis.

It urged EU leaders to pressure Israel to “stop all assaults on press freedom and protect journalists.”

Condemning the arrest, Reporters Without Borders said: “Boarding a civilian vessel in international waters to intercept a crew that included two French journalists documenting a peaceful humanitarian initiative is not only illegal, but constitutes a serious violation of international law and press freedom.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the activists and journalists aboard the ship were deported on Tuesday morning from Ben Gurion Airport to their home countries.

“Those who refuse to sign deportation documents and leave Israel will be brought before a judicial authority, in accordance with Israeli law, to authorize their deportation. Consuls from the passengers’ home countries met them at the airport,” the Foreign Ministry posted on X.

The ministry also posted pictures of the renowned climate activist Greta Thunberg on a flight to Sweden following her deportation.


Baseball United and Tokyo Broadcasting System launch reality show to find Japan’s next baseball stars

Updated 10 June 2025
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Baseball United and Tokyo Broadcasting System launch reality show to find Japan’s next baseball stars

  • The national competition, ‘Tryout: Plan D,’ will give hopeful players a chance to compete professionally in the Dubai league

DUBAI: A partnership between Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, and leading Japanese broadcaster Tokyo Broadcast System will give young baseball players a shot at becoming professional stars.

The reality show, “Tryout: Plan D,” will feature hundreds of hopefuls competing for two roster spots on the Mid East Falcons, one of Baseball United’s founding franchises. The winners will play for the Falcons during the inaugural season in Dubai, which begins on Nov. 14.

Participants will compete in several stages of the competition, starting in July and ending in November. Ultimately, one pitcher and one batter will be selected after a series of intense challenges measuring skill, mental toughness, physical fitness and passion for the game.

The partnership will be anchored by TBS’s long running and widely respected show, バース・デイ(“Birthday”), a documentary series that has chronicled the triumphs and struggles of athletes across Japan for the last 20 years.

Airing on Friday nights, it explores its subjects’ personal transformations and emotional journeys. “Tryout” will bring to life a compelling mix of reality television, human interest and competitive action, while providing real opportunities for Japanese baseball prospects.

“Japan is one of the greatest baseball nations in the world,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Baseball United.

“Baseball is engrained into the culture, history and future of this country. And we know there are a lot of talented players that just need an opportunity to showcase their ability. ‘Tryout’ is more than just a competition — it’s a celebration of culture, a catalyst of opportunity and a testament (to) resilience. We are honored to collaborate with TBS and the legendary ‘Birthday’ team to bring this vision to life.”

Tryout will begin airing on TBS in July, with behind-the-scenes content and exclusive footage shared across Baseball United’s global channels. The two winners will be officially introduced as members of the Mid East Falcons before the team’s game against the Karachi Monarchs on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

“Our program バース・デイ has always sought to showcase the untold stories behind athletic greatness,” said show producer Hidemitsu Takahashi.

“Partnering with Baseball United allows us to elevate that mission by offering young Japanese players the opportunity of a lifetime — to transform their lives through sport, and to do so on a truly international platform. We can’t wait to have our two winners take the field in Dubai.”

Baseball United was co-founded by Shaikh, John Miedreich, and MLB Hall of Famers Barry Larkin and Mariano Rivera in November 2022. Its ownership group now includes 20 MLB legends, including Hall of Famer Adrian Beltre and stars Felix Hernandez, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Ronald Acuna Jr., Robinson Chirinos, and Matt Barnes. The league currently has four franchises, the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves and Mid East Falcons, who will all compete in the league’s first season from Nov. 14-Dec. 14. All games will be played at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai.


ABC News suspends journalist who called Trump, top aide ‘world-class’ haters

Updated 09 June 2025
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ABC News suspends journalist who called Trump, top aide ‘world-class’ haters

  • Terry Moran wrote that Stephen Miller’s ‘hatreds are his spiritual nourishment’

LONDON: ABC News has suspended one of its senior national correspondents after he published a series of now-deleted social media posts in which he described US President Donald Trump and top adviser Stephen Miller as “world-class haters.”

Veteran journalist Terry Moran, who recently interviewed Trump, wrote in the posts that both the president and the White House deputy chief of staff — known as the architect of the administration’s mass deportation policy — were driven by deep animosity toward their political opponents.

An ABC News spokesperson, in a statement on Sunday, confirmed Moran’s suspension “pending further evaluation,” and said the network “stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others.”

The spokesperson added: “The post does not reflect the views of ABC News and violated our standards.”

Moran claimed in the tweets that Miller “is not the brains behind” Trumpism, but rather someone who channels its “impulses” into policy through sheer malice.

He wrote: “It’s not brains. It’s bile. Miller is a man who is richly endowed with the capacity for hatred. He’s a world-class hater.”

Moran added: “You can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”

Turning to Trump, Moran wrote: “Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred (is) only a means to an end, and that end (is) his own glorification.”

The posts sparked a backlash from conservative figures and further deepened tensions between ABC News, owned by The Walt Disney Company, and Trump’s allies.

The network last year agreed to pay $16 million to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos, in what was seen as a rare concession by a major broadcaster.

Reacting to Moran’s comments, Vice President JD Vance called them a “vile smear,” and added: “It’s dripping with hatred.”

Miller also responded, saying: “The most important fact about Terry’s full public meltdown is what it shows about the corporate press in America. For decades, the privileged anchors and reporters narrating and gatekeeping our society have been radicals adopting a journalist’s pose. Terry pulled off his mask.”

Moran’s posts came as the Trump administration, reportedly under Miller’s strategic direction, ramped up rhetoric around immigration and called for expanded deportation efforts.

Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent weeks across major US cities, including Los Angeles, have reignited public protests. Some demonstrations outside the federal building in downtown LA have turned violent amid unconfirmed reports that detainees were being held inside.

ABC News has not announced when or whether Moran will return to the network.


Nike cuts ties with Australian brand ambassador over pro-Palestinian posts

Updated 09 June 2025
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Nike cuts ties with Australian brand ambassador over pro-Palestinian posts

  • Activist and runner Grace Tame dropped after sportswear giant’s review into her social media posts
  • Tame recently sparked a backlash after resharing posts calling the killing of two Israeli aides in Washington ‘not an antisemitic attack but a response to Israeli aggression in Gaza’

LONDON: Nike has ended its partnership with Australian brand ambassador Grace Tame after the activist shared several pro-Palestinian posts on social media.

Tame, a long-distance runner and high-profile advocate for survivors of sexual assault, had used her platform in recent months to speak out against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, describing it as “genocide” and calling for a ceasefire.

The American sportswear giant confirmed the decision over the weekend, following growing speculation after it launched a review of Tame’s public statements.

A Nike spokesperson said on Friday: “We’ve agreed to part ways. We wish Grace the best as she continues her running journey.”

Tame signed a $100,000 ambassadorial deal with Nike in January, marking a return to the brand after a previous collaboration four years ago.

Since the start of the conflict in Gaza in October 2023, Tame has shared posts and attended events expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

In November, she signed a global ceasefire petition organized by Oxfam. In May, she gave a speech at an event hosted by the Australian Palestine Advocacy Network, where she said: “Empathy should have no boundaries.”

Tame also revealed she had been asked not to speak about the war at other public engagements.

Her increasingly vocal advocacy drew criticism from pro-Israel commentators in Australia, some of whom accused her of sharing inflammatory and antisemitic content.

In May, Tame reposted a statement from Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd criticizing Western media coverage of the fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy aides in Washington.

She quoted the post, which argued the incident was a direct response to Israel’s assault on Gaza, rather than a random antisemitic attack.

“Even though it was undeniably, and by the alleged shooter’s own admission, a response to the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, which killed one hundred and seven Palestinians in the last 24 hours alone,” she reposted to her 260,000 followers.

Tame, no stranger to controversy, has long been a divisive figure in Australian public life.

Earlier this year, she appeared at a public event with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wearing a T-shirt that read “F**k Murdoch,” a jab at media mogul Rupert Murdoch. In the accompanying Instagram caption, she criticized what she called “dynastically wealthy white supremacist corporate oligarchs ruining our planet, funding genocide, war, and destruction.”

In response, Murdoch-owned The Australian accused her of being fixated on Israel and wrote that Nike’s “face-saving statement of a mutual separation with Tame is arguably misplaced in its generosity.”

The newspaper also noted that all Nike stores in Australia are operated by Fox Group, an Israeli company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, adding another layer to the fallout.


UK to boost ‘homegrown talent’ in new AI skills drive

Updated 09 June 2025
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UK to boost ‘homegrown talent’ in new AI skills drive

  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged to boost “homegrown talent for the AI age” by teaming up with tech giants to train 7.5 million workers in artificial intelligence skills

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday pledged to boost “homegrown talent for the AI age” by teaming up with tech giants to train 7.5 million workers in artificial intelligence skills.
Speaking at the start of London’s Tech Week, with a line-up of speakers including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Starmer said: “In this global race, we can be an AI maker and not an AI taker.”
Starmer was due to have a one-on-one conversation with the chief of the star Silicon Valley semiconductor firm whose chips are critical for artificial intelligence applications and research.
Ahead of the event bringing together industry giants, Starmer announced a government-industry partnership to train 7.5 million workers in AI skills, including in using chatbots and large language models to boost productivity.
Tech firms including Nvidia, Google, Microsoft and Amazon committed to make training materials freely available to businesses over the next five years.
Google EMEA region President Debbie Weinstein called it a “crucial initiative” essential for developing AI skills, unlocking AI-powered growth “and cementing the UK’s position as an AI leader.”
In his opening speech, Starmer said Britain must build “the digital infrastructure that we need to make sure AI improves our public services.”
The UK has a “responsibility” to “harness this unprecedented opportunity and to use it to improve the lives of working people,” Starmer added.
“We are going to build more homes, more labs, more data centers, and we’re going to do it much, much more quickly.”


His government has pledged to fire up the UK’s flagging economy, including with “pro-growth” AI regulations to attract tech investment and turn Britain into an “AI superpower.”
“We are putting the power of AI into the hands of the next generation — so they can shape the future, not be shaped by it,” Starmer said in a press release before the event.
The British leader unveiled £187 million ($253 million) in funding to help develop tech abilities including training for one million secondary school students, as part of its “TechFirst” program.
He called it a “step change in how we train homegrown talent for the AI age.”
The investment will “embed AI right through our education system,” he said, announcing nearly £150 million in undergraduate and PhD research scholarships in AI and tech.
Starmer also announced a “commitment from Nvidia to partner on a new AI talent pipeline,” including through expanding a Nvidia lab in Bristol, southwest England.
The UK’s AI sector is valued at £72 billion, employing over 64,000 people, and is projected to exceed £800 billion by 2035.
It was growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy, according to government figures from 2023 — an “incredible” rate, according to Starmer.
Other speakers at the tech conference include the CEO of Mistral AI, Arthur Mensch, the UK’s Science Secretary Peter Kyle and Markus Villig, founder of ride-hailing app Bolt.