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50 years on, Umm Kulthum is still the voice of the Arab world

Half a century after her death, Umm Kulthum’s singular voice still echoes through busy streets in Egypt, across time-worn cafes in Iraq, and in millions of homes from Morocco to Oman.”As long as people listen to music, there will be Umm Kulthum,” said Abu Ahmed, the manager of a Cairo cafe named after the Arab world’s most revered singer.”She still lives in every song and every note,” he told AFP, adjusting the volume on an antique recorder as visitors to the historic bazaar the cafe is housed in peered in from outside.Sepia-toned photographs of the icon adorn the walls of Abu Ahmed’s cafe, alongside posters from her concerts.As her voice in her most famous ballad, “Enta Omri” (You’re My Life), rose to a crescendo, conversation around a nearby table fell to a hush.”Umm Kulthum is the voice of the nation,” Aya Khamis, 36, whispered as she sipped her tea.On a wooden stall just outside, a vendor laid out tiny figurines of Umm Kulthum and her orchestra.Each piece was carefully crafted — musicians in sharp suits, miniature renditions of classical instruments the qanun and the oud, and Umm Kulthum herself, with her signature scarf and sunglasses.”These are my bestsellers,” said Shadi Said, 37, holding up a figurine of the singer.- Disguised as a boy -More than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) away, the same music poured out of Baghdad’s own Umm Kulthum cafe — open since 1970, five years before the singer’s death at 76 plunged the Arab world into mourning.Far away from her state funeral in Cairo, the cafe in Baghdad held its own ceremony for bereaved fans like Iraqi engineer Youssef Hamad.Now 77 and retired, Hamad told AFP he still comes to the same cafe every day to listen to Umm Kulthum’s hours-long concerts.Another cafe-goer, Khazaal Abu Ali, struggled to put his love for her into words.”She once sang ‘if a day passes without seeing you, it can’t count towards my lifetime’. That is how I feel,” the 83-year-old said, his eyes tearing up.”A day without her voice is a day that is lost.”Born in 1898 in a small Nile Delta village, Umm Kulthum rose from humble beginnings to become the most celebrated voice in the Arab world.Her father, an imam, recognised her talent early on, but fearing the ire of early 20th-century Egyptian society, disguised her as a boy so she could perform in public.Her full-bodied voice and magnetic presence soon captivated audiences, and in the 1930s, she moved to Cairo.Her music revolutionised Arabic music, as she blended classical poetry with grand orchestral arrangements.But it was her improvisations that made her a legend, feeding off the audience’s energy in a hypnotic exchange, as she stretched and reprised verses.Western musicians were also mesmerised, with Maria Callas, Robert Plant and Bob Dylan all paying tribute to her.”She is one of my favourite singers of all time,” Dylan once said.More recently, Shakira and Beyonce have sampled her songs.- ‘The Lady’ -Her influence was not just musical.Her voice became the soundtrack of a transforming Egypt, embodying a nascent nationalism, spirit of unity and a new republican identity after the monarchy was toppled in 1952.In 1967, she performed at L’Olympia in Paris to a sold-out crowd, and donated the huge profit from ticket sales to the Egyptian army for its war against Israel, then occupying the Sinai Peninsula.”Umm Kulthum was more than just a singer,” said veteran art critic Magda Khairallah.”She was a national figure. That is why people did not just call her Umm Kulthum — they called her El-Set (The Lady),” she told AFP.This year, her story is set to return to the big screen in a new biopic starring Egyptian star Mona Zaki.The film will portray her not just as a musician, but also as a feminist figure challenging societal norms.Though she eventually married at 56, Umm Kulthum never had children.In the 1940s she became the first woman to head Egypt’s Musicians’ Syndicate.”She was a woman who held immense power in a male-dominated industry,” Fayza Hendawi, an art critic, told AFP.”She was incredibly strong and completely in control of every detail — her songs, her image, her choices in life,” she added.In Cairo, a bronze statue of Umm Kulthum stands looking out on the Nile River 50 years after her death, commanding and timeless.Across the water, a museum dedicated to her legacy offers glimpses into her world.Visitors marvel at her ornate gowns, notebooks and the diamond-encrusted sunglasses that became her signature look.Roaming the museum’s halls are mostly teenagers, a new generation of music-lovers still as enthralled as their elders.Rodina Mohamed, 15, paused in front of a display case holding one of the singer’s embroidered gowns.”She was intentional about every detail — lyrics, melodies, performance,” she told AFP.”That is why she still matters.”

Facing flak, Red Cross defends its role in Israel-Hamas war

The Red Cross, accused of not doing enough to help hostages in Gaza or Palestinian detainees in Israel, has defended itself in a rare statement outlining the limits of its role.Insisting on its neutrality, the International Committee of the Red Cross said the escalation of violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories has triggered “a proliferation of dehumanising language and of false and misleading information about the ICRC and our work in the current conflict”.- Hostages -In recent days, ICRC vehicles have facilitated the transfer of Palestinians out of Israeli detention, and hostages held in the Gaza Strip since Hamas’s attack in Israel on October 7, 2023.But the transfer of hostages to the ICRC has been sharply criticised following chaotic scenes on Thursday as masked fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, carrying automatic weapons, struggled to hold back a surging crowd.ICRC officials “did nothing to interfere with this intimidating display of indignity and public humiliation”, Gerald Steinberg, president of the right-wing Israeli organisation NGO Monitor, wrote in the Australian-based online magazine Quillette.The ICRC said: “Ensuring the safety and security of the handover operations is the responsibility of the parties to the agreement.”Furthermore, “Interfering with armed security personnel could compromise the safety of ICRC staff, and more importantly that of the hostages.”The Geneva-based organisation also said it had not given permission for “people carrying Hamas flags to get on top of our buses in Ramallah” during the release of Palestinian detainees, “nor did we have the capacity to prevent people from doing so”.- ‘No right to exist’ -In late 2023, Israel’s then foreign minister Eli Cohen said the Red Cross had “no right to exist” if it did not visit the hostages in Gaza.However, the organisation is reliant on the goodwill of the belligerents.”From day one, we have called for the immediate release of all the hostages, and for access to them,” it says.In World War II, the ICRC visited prisoners of war but its mandate did not explicitly extend to civilians unless governments allowed it.The ICRC acknowledges that during World War II, it “failed to speak out and more importantly act on behalf of the millions of people who suffered and perished in the death camps, especially the Jewish people targeted, persecuted, and murdered under the Nazi regime”.In its statement, the ICRC reaffirmed that it was the “greatest failure” in the organisation’s history, and said it unequivocally rejects anti-Semitism in all its forms.- Detainees and aid -The ICRC has been accused, particularly on social media, of not putting pressure on Israel to secure visits to Palestinian detainees since October 7, 2023, and also of not doing enough to help the wounded in the Gaza Strip.The humanitarian organisation says it has been actively engaging with the Israeli authorities “to allow for the resumption of ICRC visits and family contacts for these detainees”.As for the wounded in Gaza, the ICRC said it had received requests to evacuate hospitals in the north, but could not regularly safely access the area due the “extremely difficult security situation — together with roads blocked and unreliable communications”.Following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that came into effect on January 19, the ICRC, which already had 130 staff in Gaza, is deploying more personnel, including doctors.- Neutrality -In 1968, Leopold Boissier, a former ICRC president, noted that the criticism most frequently levelled at the organisation “is the silence with which it surrounds some of its activities”.Nearly 60 years later, the ICRC is facing similar accusations, notably since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.Founded in Geneva in 1863, the organisation, which has more than 18,000 staff in over 90 countries, denies being “complicit” and says it establishes trust through “confidential dialogue with all parties to the conflict”.”Our neutrality and impartiality are critical to our ability to operate in any context.”

Hamas, Israel set for fourth Gaza ceasefire swap

Hamas and Israel will conduct their fourth swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday, with militants releasing three Israelis including the father of the two youngest hostages, in exchange for 183 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.Since the truce took effect on January 19, Gaza militants have released 15 hostages after holding them in captivity since their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.The Israeli hostages to be freed on Saturday are Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, who also holds US citizenship, and Ofer Kalderon, who also has French nationality, according to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group.In return, Israel will release 183 prisoners, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said, more than double the initially reported figure of 90.Since the ceasefire began, Israel has freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of them women and minors.During their attack on Israel, which ignited the Gaza war, Hamas militants took 251 hostages. Of those, 79 remain in Gaza, including at least 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Among those taken were the wife and two children of Yarden Bibas. Hamas has declared the three dead, but Israeli officials have not confirmed this.The two Bibas boys — Kfir, the youngest hostage, whose second birthday fell in January, and his older brother Ariel, who turned five in August — have become symbols of the ordeal endured by hostages in Gaza.The children were taken along with their mother, Shiri Bibas.- ‘Where are they?’-Hamas claims the boys and their mother were killed in an Israeli air strike in November 2023.”Hamas, where are the Bibas babies?” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X on Friday.”483 days have passed. Where are they?”The Bibas family meanwhile wrote on Instagram: “Our Yarden is supposed to return tomorrow, and we are so excited, but Shiri and the children still haven’t come home.”Saturday’s swap is the second exchange this week and the fourth since the ceasefire began.The hostage handovers have sometimes been chaotic, particularly during the most recent exchange in the southern city of Khan Yunis on Thursday, where scenes of disorder prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to condemn the situation as “shocking”.One hostage, Arbel Yehud, was visibly distressed as masked gunmen struggled to clear a path for her through crowds of spectators eager to witness her release, as seen in television footage.She was one of eight hostages freed on Thursday.In protest, Israel briefly delayed its own prisoner release that day, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urged all parties to ensure safer conditions for future exchanges.”The security of these operations must be assured, and we urge improvements in the future,” ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said.Later on Thursday, Israeli authorities released 110 inmates from Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank, including high-profile former militant commander Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, who received a hero’s welcome in Ramallah.”The situation of the prisoners is very difficult, and we hope for their urgent release,” Zubeidi said at a gathering in Ramallah on Friday.- Rafah to reopen-Upon seeing her brother among those freed on Thursday, Maha al-Barai, a Palestinian woman from the West Bank, said: “It is an indescribable joy that words cannot capture, and my body trembles with it.”Following Saturday’s exchange, the Rafah border crossing with Egypt is expected to reopen to allow the evacuation of injured Palestinians, sources familiar with the discussions told AFP.European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday that the 27-member bloc had deployed a monitoring mission at the Rafah crossing.”It will support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care,” she wrote on X.The fragile ceasefire, brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, hinges on the release during the first 42-day phase of a total of 33 hostages, in exchange for approximately 1,900 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.Negotiations for a second phase of the deal are set to begin on Monday, according to a timeline provided by an Israeli official.This next phase would address the release of the remaining captives and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.

White House says Trump to impose Canada, Mexico, China tariffs at weekend

President Donald Trump will implement tariffs Saturday on the three largest US trading partners — Canada, Mexico and China — the White House said, sparking alarm for global trade.Trump has reiterated his plans for 25 percent tariffs on neighbors Canada and Mexico, saying they have failed to crack down on illegal migrants crossing the US …

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Hamas to free three Israeli hostages in next ceasefire swap

Hamas and Israel will conduct their next swap of the Gaza ceasefire on Saturday, with three Israelis, including the father of the youngest hostages, to be freed in return for 183 people held in Israeli jails.After holding them hostage for over 15 months, militants in Gaza began releasing captives on January 19, when the first phase of a ceasefire with Israel took effect.Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have so far handed over 15 hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, many of them women and minors.Israeli campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum named the captives to be released on Saturday as Yarden Bibas, Keith Siegel, who also has US citizenship, and Ofer Kalderon, who also holds French nationality.The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed it had received the names of the three hostages to be released.In exchange, Israel will free 183 prisoners, the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club advocacy group said.”The updated number of prisoners to be released tomorrow is 183,” said the Club’s spokeswoman Amani Sarahneh on Friday, after previously announcing that 90 prisoners would be released from Israeli jails.During their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which started the Gaza war, militants abducted Siegel from the Kfar Aza kibbutz community, and Kalderon and Bibas from kibbutz Nir Oz.Militants took a total of 251 people hostage that day. Of those, 79 still remain in Gaza, including at least 34 the military says are dead.Those seized include the wife and two children of Bibas, whom Hamas has declared dead, although Israeli officials have not confirmed that.The two Bibas boys — Kfir, the youngest hostage, whose second birthday fell earlier this month, and his older brother Ariel whose fifth birthday was in August last year — have become symbols of the ordeal of the hostages held in Gaza.The children were taken along with their mother, Shiri. Hamas says an Israeli air strike in November 2023 killed the boys and their mother.”Our Yarden is supposed to return tomorrow and we are so excited but Shiri and the children still haven’t returned,” the Bibas family said on Instagram.”We have such mixed emotions and we are facing extremely complex days.”- Chaotic scenes -“Hamas, where are the Bibas babies?” the Israeli foreign ministry posted on X.”483 days have passed. Where are they?”After the swap takes place on Saturday, Gaza’s key Rafah border crossing with Egypt is set to reopen, a Hamas official and a source with knowledge of discussions told AFP.”The mediators informed Hamas of Israel’s approval to open Rafah crossing tomorrow, Saturday, after the completion of the fourth batch of prisoner exchange,” the Hamas official said.The source explained that injured Palestinians would be evacuated from the territory at the crossing, “as per the Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement”.The Rafah crossing was a vital entry point for aid deliveries into Gaza before the Israeli military seized the Palestinian side in May.The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Friday the bloc has deployed a monitoring mission at the crossing “to support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care”.The arrangements for hostage handovers in Gaza have sometimes been chaotic, with scenes during Thursday’s handover in the southern city of Khan Yunis condemned by the Israeli prime minister as “shocking”.Hostage Arbel Yehud was visibly distressed as masked gunmen struggled to clear a path for her through crowds rushing to witness her handover, television images showed.Israel briefly delayed Thursday’s prisoner release in protest and the ICRC urged all parties to improve security.”The security of these operations must be assured, and we urge for improvements in the future,” ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said.Later on Thursday, Israeli authorities released 110 inmates from Ofer prison, including high-profile former militant commander Zakaria Zubeidi, 49, who received a hero’s welcome in the West Bank city of Ramallah.On Friday, he called for “all our Palestinian people” to be freed from Israeli jails.”The situation of the prisoners is very difficult and we hope for their urgent release,” Zubeidi told AFP on the sidelines of a reception celebrating his release.- ‘Where’s Dad?’ -Also freed was Hussein Nasser, who received little attention from the crowd but was at the centre of his daughters’ world.”Where’s Dad?” Raghda Nasser asked tearfully as she moved through the crowd, an AFP correspondent reported.Raghda, 21, hugged her father Thursday night for the first time in her life. Her mother was pregnant with her when he was jailed 22 years ago.”I just visited him behind the glass in Israeli prisons. I cannot express my feelings,” Raghda said.The fragile ceasefire’s 42-day first phase hinges on the release of a total of 33 hostages in exchange for around 1,900 people, mostly Palestinians, in Israeli jails.Negotiations for a second phase of the deal are set to start on Monday, according to a timeline provided by an Israeli official. This phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining captives and to include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.