Myanmar soldiers cut off tattoos and gave detainees urine to drink, witnesses say

Eyewitnesses told the BBC the village [in the Rakhine State] was subjected to two-and-half days of terror as soldiers blindfolded and beat them up, poured burning petrol on their skin and forced some of them to drink their urine.

Warning: You may find some of the details in this piece disturbing

I deleted the most part of the text.

Just a question: Should longer texts not be posted as a principal or is it because it crashes some Lemmy apps?

Israeli activists battle over Gaza-bound aid convoys

Months after some Israelis started to protest against aid lorries entering Gaza at the main Kerem Shalom crossing, the battle has moved to other key junctions, where rival groups of activists do their best to block or protect aid convoys […]

Right-wing activists, including Jewish settlers living in the occupied West Bank, have uploaded dozens of videos of crowds, including some very young children, hurling food onto the ground and stamping on boxes of aid.

You’ll find a short video embedded in the linked article.

As international support for an independent Palestine grows, here’s what Israelis and Palestinians now think of the two-state solution

With the announcement by Norway and Ireland that they have recognised Palestine as an independent state, and Spain expected to follow suit by the end of May, it appears that international momentum for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is growing.

The concept has long been supported by the US and its allies, as well as most Arab states and the United Nations […] Could things be different under different leadership? To answer this, we need to know whether the Israeli and Palestinian people could be persuaded to accept such a plan. Here it’s worth taking a look at what polling tells us.

I (unfortunately) have to agree. There’s a risk that the (far right-wing) Netanyahu government is harming Israel politically in the long run, and right-wing extremists will try to take advantage of that. It’s right-wingers against right-wingers.

The fact that many Israeli people and even some politicians (Israeli minister Benny Gantz openly threatens Netanyahu to leave the government over the PM’s Gaza policy, for example) oppose their own government doesn’t appear to matter, at least for now. People like Netanyahu or Ben-Gvir rule the country, and they are heading in the wrong direction.

I hope that changes, however, as politicians around the globe seem to reconsider their stance over the region. In Europe, Norway, Spain, and Ireland announced their recognition of a Palestinian state as of May 28.

But, yes, that’s not enough. Others must follow.

Just stumbled upon this:

Academic calls for upgrade to sewage systems to protect health

The risk to public health from human faeces in our [UK] rivers and seas will increase without action to create a wastewater system fit for the future, according to Professor Barbara Evans, Leeds’ Professor of Public Health Engineering at the University of Leeds.

The report [led by Professor Evans]says collective action by industry, government, public bodies and the general public is required. It makes 15 recommendations, including: review current bathing water regulations; prioritise maintenance of the existing sewage network; return to collecting widespread data on faecal bacteria; develop a long-term strategy for better designing cities to reduce flooding, and the appointment of a dedicated wastewater champion.

Here is the report (pdf).

Iran charges journalists after BBC report on teen protester’s death

Iran’s judiciary has filed charges against “a number of journalists and activists” after the publication of a BBC report alleging men working for the security forces sexually assaulted and killed […] 16-year-old protester Nika Shakarami.