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🚨 Hamas says it has accepted a cease-fire proposal to halt its war with Israel.

The Palestinian militant group issued a statement accepting the Egyptian-Qatari proposal on Monday. Negotiators in Cairo had been trying to bring about a temporary halt in the fighting and the release of hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza. READ  https://www.voanews.com/a/israeli-military-calls-for-evacuations-from-eastern-rafah-ahead-of-planned-offensive/7599321.html?123 

▶️ Can immigrants vote in U.S. elections? The answer is — not until they become naturalized citizens. Naturalization is a lengthy process that begins with obtaining a green card, also known as a permanent resident card. VOA’s Aline Barros explains the process. 

From immigration to citizenship: When is an immigrant allowed to vote in a US election? WATCH  https://youtu.be/RuzIj5DBXII?si=L65d2... 

See which countries score the worst on the RSF Global Press Freedom Index. 

👉 Threats posed by governments and lawmakers are among the most concerning challenges for journalists around the world, Reporters Without Borders said in a report on Friday. 

More governments and political authorities are failing to support and respect press freedom, the media watchdog, known as RSF, said as it released its annual World Press Freedom Index. 

The rankings look at the political, legal, and economic factors affecting media, as well as the security situation for journalists in 180 countries and territories. Each is then assigned a score, where 1 shows the best environment. 

The political sector saw the greatest deterioration of press freedom across all regions, RSF said. 

 https://www.voanews.com/a/watchdog-governments-aren-t-doing-enough-to-protect-press-freedom/7596418.html   #pressfreedomday   #pressfreedom   #afreepressmatters 

U.S. President Joe Biden has called for the release of all imprisoned journalists — including three American reporters — who have been jailed over their work, in a Friday statement commemorating World Press Freedom Day. 

 https://www.voanews.com/a/biden-all-jailed-journalists-should-be-released/7597229.html   #pressfreedomday   #afreepressmatters 

RSF unveils the 2024 World Press Freedom Index:

1: Norway🇳🇴
2: Denmark🇩🇰
3: Sweden🇸🇪
10: Germany🇩🇪
21: France🇫🇷
55: United States🇺🇸
101: Israel🇮🇱
162: Russia🇷🇺
172: China🇨🇳
178: Afghanistan🇦🇫
179: Syria🇸🇾
180: Eritrea🇪🇷

 https://www.voanews.com/a/watchdog-governments-aren-t-doing-enough-to-protect-press-freedom/7596418.html    #WorldPressFreedomDay   #PressFreedomDay   #AFreePressMatters 

▶️ President Joe Biden says the pro-Palestinian protests on U.S. college campuses test two fundamental American principles, the right to free speech and the rule of law. He stressed that both must be upheld. 

He spoke at the White House after police moved against a pro-Palestinian protest camp at the University of California, Los Angeles, early Thursday, pulling apart a barricade and arresting multiple people after issuing orders for people to leave. WATCH:  https://youtu.be/acevtn0_hmw?si=gA5fh...  READ MORE  https://www.voanews.com/a/police-order-ucla-pro-palestinian-protest-to-disperse/7594708.html 

📷: Workers, activists and others in cities around the world were in the streets on May 1, 2024, to mark May Day with protests over rising prices and government labor polices and calls for greater labor rights. 

👉 May Day, which falls on May 1, is observed in many countries to celebrate workers’ rights. May Day events also have given many an opportunity to air general economic grievances or political demands. READ MORE:  https://www.voanews.com/a/workers-and-activists-across-asia-and-europe-hold-may-day-rallies-to-call-for-greater-labor-rights-/7593181.html 

▶️ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed determination Wednesday to achieve a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of hostages Hamas is holding in Gaza, and said the only reason that goal would not be achieved “is because of Hamas.”

“There is a proposal on the table, and as we’ve said, no delays, no excuses, the time is now,” Blinken said as he met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv.

Blinken said the meeting would also include discussion of humanitarian aid for Gaza.

“At the same time, even as we’re working with relentless determination to get the cease-fire that brings the hostages home, we also have to be focused on people in Gaza who are suffering in this crossfire of Hamas’ making.”

The top U.S. diplomat has repeatedly called on Hamas to accept the cease-fire proposal during a trip to the region that included earlier stops in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Herzog said the return of hostages held by Hamas “is and should be the top priority of the international community.” READ MORE:  https://www.voanews.com/a/blinken-says-time-to-act-is-now-for-hamas-to-accept-cease-fire-deal/7592247.html?utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=israel-hamas&utm_source=youtube 

New York City Police equipped with helmets and riot shields entered the campus of Columbia University late Tuesday and detained pro-Palestinian protesters who had occupied a building.

A university spokesman said in a statement the administration decided to call in police in order to “restore safety and order to our community.”

“We regret that protesters have chosen to escalate the situation through their actions,” the spokesman said. “After the University learned overnight that Hamilton Hall had been occupied, vandalized and blockaded, we were left with no choice.”

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik requested in a letter that the NYPD “help to clear all individuals from Hamilton Hall and all campus encampments” and remain on campus until at least May 17. That would leave in place a police presence past the university’s exam periods and graduation.

A Columbia University faculty group criticized the administration’s decision to turn to police, saying faculty members had tried for two weeks to intervene and defuse the situation only to be rebuffed by university leaders.

"NYPD presence in our neighborhood endangers our entire community. Armed police entering our campus places students and everyone else on campus at risk,” said a statement from the Columbia University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors.

The faculty further said it would hold the university’s leaders “responsible for the disastrous lapses of judgment that have gotten us to this point." WATCH:  https://youtu.be/7X3QDYteJo8?si=bkhqs...  READ MORE:  https://www.voanews.com/a/police-detain-pro-palestinian-protesters-after-takeover-of-columbia-university-building/7593069.html 

📷: Students with the Gaza Solidarity Encampment block the entrance of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University after taking it over on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, in New York. 

👉 Pro-Palestinian protesters occupied a building at Columbia University early Tuesday, linking arms and barricading doors in the latest escalation between demonstrators and administrators at the New York campus.

Protesting Israel's war in Gaza and demanding university divestment from the country, along with amnesty for demonstrators, students entered Hamilton Hall, which has since the 1960s been central to protests at the university.

Facing calls to resign over how she has handled the protests, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik on Monday released a statement condemning calls for violence and reiterating the university's commitment to "academic freedom and to ensuring that all members of our community have the right to speak their minds." WATCH:  https://youtu.be/xOXTWn_io7Y?si=U2XuW...  READ MORE:   https://www.voanews.com/a/protesters-take-over-columbia-university-building-demand-school-divest-from-israel/7592481.html