Israeli forces have rounded up and arrested Palestinians en masse in the occupied West Bank’s Tulkarem. The operation is being described as “collective punishment” after several Israeli soldiers were injured in an attack.
Published On 12 Sep 202512 Sep 2025
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The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Japan’s Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) has released new pictures from testing of a prototype electromagnetic railgun aboard the testbed warship JS Asuka earlier this year. ATLA also asserts that it is the first time anyone has successfully fired a ship-mounted railgun at an actual target vessel. Japan continues to push ahead with railgun development, a technology the U.S. Navy notably halted work on in the early 2020s, despite showing promise, due to significant technological hurdles.
JS Asuka, a one-of-its-kind dedicated experimental vessel with a 6,200-ton-displacement belonging to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), was first spotted with the railgun in a turret installed on its stern flight deck in April, as TWZ reported on at the time. Additional views of the ship in this configuration emerged afterward.
“ATLA conducted the Ship-board Railgun Shooting Test from June to early July this year with the support of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force,” according to a post yesterday on the agency’s official Instagram page. “It’s the first time that a ship-mounted railgun was successfully fired at a real ship.”
One of the pictures accompanying ATLA’s Instagram post, seen at the top of this story, which was also shared on the agency’s other social media accounts, shows the railgun being fired. What looks to be a radar array and an electro-optical and/or infrared camera system are also seen in the image on a separate turret.
Another, seen below, shows a tug-like ship in the crosshairs of a targeting system. Additional pictures of the tug have now also emerged clearly showing target boards on the port and starboard sides of its funnel, as well as one facing the stern.
So far, ATLA has not released any imagery of target vessels actually being struck by projectiles fired from the railgun mounted on Asuka. The agency says more details will be provided at its upcoming Defense Technology Symposium in November.
Back in 2023, ATLA said it had conducted the first-ever successful firing of a railgun from any ship. The agency did not name the vessel used in those tests.
#ATLA has accomplished ship-board firing test of railgun first time in the world with the cooperation of the JMSDF. To protect vessels against air-threats and surface-threats by high-speed bullets, ATLA strongly promotes early deployment of railgun technology. pic.twitter.com/MG5NqqENcG
— Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (@atla_kouhou_en) October 17, 2023
ATLA has been working on railguns since the mid-2010s and has also conducted test firings at facilities on land. The agency and the JMSDF have a clear eye toward developing an operational weapon that could be integrated onto Japanese warships.
ATLA has previously shown renderings of potential railgun installations on the future 13DDX destroyer, as well as existing Maya class destroyers (also known as the 27DDG class). The Japanese Ministry of Defense has also publicly shown a model of a railgun in a much more streamlined turret compared to the one tested aboard Asuka.
The video from ATLA below, which the agency put out last year, also depicts ground-based truck-mounted railguns.
Speaking through an interpreter at a panel discussion at the DSEI Japan 2025 exposition earlier this year, Kazumi Ito, principal director of the equipment policy division at ATLA, said his country’s railgun efforts were “progressing,” but acknowledged “various challenges,” according to National Defense Magazine.
Railguns use electromagnets instead of chemical propellants to fire projectiles at very high velocities. Historically, they have had significant power generation and cooling requirements, which has, in turn, typically made them physically very bulky. As TWZ has previously noted, mounting the experimental railgun turret on Asuka‘s flight deck made good sense given the ample open space it offered. A more traditional installation on an operational warship would require finding sufficient space, especially below deck, for the various components, which could require extensive modifications that are costly and time-consuming.
The wear and tear that comes from sustained firing of projectiles at very high speeds presents additional challenges for railguns. Rapidly worn-out barrels can lead to degraded range and accuracy, and increase the risk of a catastrophic failure.
ATLA has reportedly been able to demonstrate the ability to fire rounds at a velocity of around 4,988 miles per hour (2,230 meters per second; Mach 6.5) while using five megajoules (MJ), or 5 million joules (J), of charge energy in previous tests. The agency has at least previously had a goal of achieving a muzzle velocity of at least 4,473 miles-per-hour (2,000 meters-per-second) and a barrel life of 120 rounds are among previous testing goals, according to Naval News. Separate reports have said that ATLA has been trying to reduce the weapon’s power demands, as well.
At the same time, the potential rewards from developing a practical railgun suitable for operational military use are great. In addition to applications against targets at sea and on land, the weapons have long held promise in the anti-air role. As TWZ has written in the past:
“In principle, a practical electromagnetic railgun would offer a highly capable and flexible weapon system that can rapidly engage a wide array of targets at sea, on land, and even in the air, and at considerable ranges. Japan has previously expressed interest in this capability explicitly to help protect against incoming hypersonic threats. Such a weapon would also offer benefits in terms of magazine depth and cost compared to traditional surface-to-air and surface-to-surface missiles, given the small size and lower unit price of the individual rounds.”
“When it comes to warships, in particular, where physical space is at a premium and where options for reloading missiles at sea can be at best extremely limited, having a weapon system firing lower-cost munitions from a large magazine and that can engage a broad swath of target sets would be a clear boon.”
With its potential capabilities, Japan has not been alone in pursuing railguns, especially for naval applications. The U.S. Navy was notably active in this realm between 2005 and 2022, but, despite promising progress for a time, shelved that work in the end in the face of persistent technical issues. By that point, plans for an at-sea test had been repeatedly pushed back. The U.S. Army also experimented with ground-based railguns in the same general timeframe. The Army is now leveraging the ammunition technology from the Navy’s abortive railgun effort as part of a new program to develop a mobile 155mm howitzer for use as an anti-air weapon, as you can read more about here.
ATLA has reportedly met with U.S. Navy officials to discuss leveraging its past railgun work and raised the possibility of greater collaboration in the future.
Back in 2018, a turreted railgun also emerged on a ship belonging to China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The current status of that design or other Chinese railgun developments is unclear. China has at least been experimenting with this technology since the 1980s.
Work on railguns, including for potential naval use, in Turkey has received public attention in recent years, as well. Other countries globally are at least exploring future railgun capabilities. Last year, Japanese authorities signed a deal with their counterparts in France to cooperate on railgun developments.
ATLA is now set to share more details about progress on its railgun program, including test firing against actual target ships, in November, and more details could begin to emerge in the interim.
Contact the author: [email protected]
Moscow said its air defenses shot down 221 Ukrainian drones targeting a wide swathe of eastern Russia overnight, from the regions bordering Ukraine to Baltic Sea oil terminals in its Leningrad region. Seven people were injured. Photo by Igor Tkachenko/EPA
Sept. 12 (UPI) — Russia said Friday that it shot down hundreds of Ukrainian drones overnight, many of them targeting facilities of the multinational Russian oil company, Lukoil, southwest of Moscow, according to the defense ministry.
More than half of the 221 UAVs were brought down over the regions of Smolensk and Bryansk, where five civilians and two military personnel were injured after a bus was struck, while nine got through to the Moscow area before being destroyed.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said emergency services were attending a location hit by falling debris from downed drones but gave no details of where or the extent of the damage. Russian social media accounts reported blasts in Mozhaysk and Dedovsk in the western suburbs of the capital.
As many as 30 others were intercepted in the Leningrad region, temporarily closing St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport and setting ablaze a vessel at Russia’s largest oil terminal northwest of the city at Primorsk on the Baltic Sea.
Secret Service of Ukraine sources told The Kyiv Independent that the agency was responsible for the Leningrad strikes, which also successfully targeted three pumping stations serving the Ust-Luga oil terminal 80 miles southwest of St. Petersburg, as part of what was believed to be one of the largest attacks on the region since the start of the war in 2022.
Drones were also downed over Oryol, Kaluga, Novgorod, Belgorod, Tver, Pskov, Tula and Kursk — but without any further casualties, authorities said.
Ukraine stepped up its targeting of Russia’s energy infrastructure in August, hitting more than a dozen refineries and knocking out a fifth of Russia’s oil processing capacity during the month, according to the White House.
Russia has tried to downplay the disruption, with state-run media outlets claiming it was caused by “unscheduled repairs.”
Ukraine has modified its drone strategy from trying to attack Moscow and military facilities on Russian soil to higher-profile targets in an effort to make the Russian people more cognizant of the war.
At least 31 Ukrainian drones were downed early Tuesday as they closed in on the Black Sea resort of Sochi, hours after President Vladimir Putin was in the city for a virtual meeting with other world leaders belonging to the so-called BRICS grouping of economic powers.
The attack killed one person, damaged six homes and forced authorities to close the city’s international airport.
Repression in North Korea has increased significantly, according to a U. N. human rights report, making it the world’s most restrictive country.
The report, released on Friday, reviews developments since 2014, based on interviews with over 300 witnesses and victims who escaped the country. It highlights intensified surveillance, the expanded use of forced labor, and more frequent executions.
The death penalty has been introduced for offenses like sharing foreign TV dramas. The report notes that since 2015, citizens face more control over their lives with no other population experiencing such restrictions. While some improvements were noted, such as reduced violence in detention facilities, overall freedoms continue to decline.
With information from Reuters
From Ryan Kartje: When he first started spreading the word about Waymond Jordan, Mike Bennett figured the film would speak for itself. The Escambia High coach had been in the South Florida preps scene long enough to know what he was seeing from his new running back.
“Just watching him run the football for the first time, he was amazing,” Bennett said. He figured scholarship offers would roll in soon enough.
Jordan had similar expectations. Since he first picked up football, at 4 years old, he’d always told himself that he’d play at a big school, on the biggest stage. He’d come to Escambia as a senior with that in mind.
But in 2021, four years before Lincoln Riley and USC would see that same star potential, other college coaches, for whatever reason, weren’t paying much mind.
Given where Jordan stands today — the top running back on one of the nation’s top rushing offenses through two weeks of the college football season — plenty of them probably regret that now.
“Every coach in the country, I sent stuff to,” Bennett said. “I mean, everybody. I sent it out to everybody.”
Some smaller schools monitored Jordans’ senior year at Escambia, keeping a close eye as he rushed for 1,225 yards and 12 touchdowns. A few schools said he could walk-on. But none of them extended a scholarship offer. Jordan couldn’t understand why.
Hutchinson Community College, a junior college in Hutchinson, Kan., was one of the only places to give him an opportunity. Hutchinson was a thousand miles from his hometown of Pensacola, and a world away from the major college football he thought he’d be playing. But the staff there knew Escambia well, and they believed in what they saw in Jordan’s tape.
ALSO: Three key questions Trojans must answer vs. Purdue
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Former NBA and UCLA basketball star Reggie Miller rides along a road in the Gypsum Canyon Wilderness.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
From Kevin Baxter: Early on a muggy Saturday morning, seven dozen riders lined up five and six abreast and aimed their mountain bikes toward a narrow, rocky trail leading away from the 91 Freeway and into the wilderness of Anaheim’s rugged Gypsum Canyon.
In their white helmets and monotone synthetic racing kits, the riders were more an indistinct mob than a collection of individuals. But in the middle of the pack, perched on a pricey, Santa Cruz Blur XL, one cyclist stood out if for no other reason than, at 6-foot-7, Reggie Miller was a foot taller than most of the people around him.
Miller is also, it should be noted, a basketball hall of famer and five-time NBA All-Star who seamlessly transitioned into a career as one of the sport’s most-respected TV analysts. He has earned fame and riches most will never know and competed at a level few have ever achieved.
Yet on the day before his 60th birthday, he was about to pedal his way along 19 miles of treacherous trails, swallowing the dust kicked up by cyclists a third his age. And he couldn’t have been happier because bike racing has not just given Miller a competitive outlet, it’s provided an avenue for addressing issues of importance to him, among them equality, inclusion and social justice.
“You see so many retired football, baseball, basketball players turn to golf. That’s their vice,” he said. “Mine is cycling.”
Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, left, tries to evade Houston Texans safety Calen Bullock during the Rams’ win on Sept. 7.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
From Gary Klein: Puka Nacua stole the show. Davante Adams was a supporting player.
That was the story for the star receivers in the Rams’ season-opening victory over the Houston Texans.
No one was complaining.
Except, perhaps, fantasy football players who drafted Adams.
“That’s not in the forefront of my mind,” Adams, chuckling, said this week. “I know they think it is. I’m just out here trying to win games and contribute and make plays when I can.”
Nacua brushed off a cut above his eye that required stitches and caught 10 passes for 130 yards. Adams, making his Rams debut, caught four passes for 51 yards.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh watches from the sideline during a preseason loss to the Rams on Aug. 16.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
From Sam Farmer: Jim Harbaugh didn’t know if he was coming or going.
Exhausted to the point of collapse and parked in the driveway of his Oakland Hills home, he briefly allowed himself to close his eyes — was it for a minute? An hour? — before jolting awake at 4 a.m. in a foggy panic. Had he just returned from his round-the-clock job with the Oakland Raiders, or was he supposed to be on his way back?
Here he was, a first-round pick from Michigan, a 15-year NFL veteran, and now a coaching grunt for the Silver & Black, ready to do whatever was asked.
“I always remember him with the hair all over his head going everywhere,” recalled receiver Tim Brown. “The veteran guys on the team were saying, ‘Jimmy, you don’t have to do this, bro. There’s other ways you can make money. You don’t have to be in here.’ Because he was literally the guy printing the papers, working the copiers. We were like, ‘All right, if that’s what you want to do with your life then OK.’”
Angels star Mike Trout hits a solo home against the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night.
(John Froschauer / Associated Press)
From the Associated Press: Rookie pinch-hitter Harry Ford drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 12th inning and the Seattle Mariners beat the Angels 7-6 on Thursday night to move into a tie with Houston atop the AL West.
It was the second straight walk-off victory in extra innings for the Mariners, who extended their win streak to six games. Leo Rivas hit a two-run homer in the 13th inning Wednesday night to complete a series sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Mike Trout launched his 399th career home run for the Angels, tying it 4-4 in the fifth inning after they fell behind 4-0 in the second.
Sparks guard Kelsey Plum, right, tries to shoot over Las Vegas center A’ja Wilson during the Sparks’ loss on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
From Anthony De Leon: Being out of postseason contention didn’t make the Sparks’ season finale meaningless.
It was a chance to avoid finishing with a losing record for the first time since 2020. An opportunity to foil the Las Vegas Aces’ push for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs while derailing a 15-game winning streak. And, above all, a matter of pride.
But just as with their season-long goal of reaching the playoffs, the Sparks fell short of their goal, as A’ja Wilson and the Aces dominated in a 103-75 victory at Crypto.com Arena.
From Chuck Schilken: Retired NBA player and former Harvard-Westlake star Jason Collins is undergoing treatment for a brain tumor, the NBA said Thursday in a statement released on behalf of Collins and his family.
“Jason and his family welcome your support and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as they dedicate their attention to Jason’s health and well-being,” the league said.
A 46-year-old native of Northridge, Jason Collins and twin brother, Jarron, led Harvard-Westlake to state Division III titles in 1996 and 1997, with the former being named the state Division III player of the year both seasons. His 1,500 career rebounds stood as a CIF state record until 2010, when Hemet West Valley’s Joe Burton finished his career with 1,721 rebounds.
1895 — Defender wins three straight matches from the British challenger Valkyrie II to defend the America’s Cup for the United States.
1936 — Fred Perry becomes the first foreign player to win three U.S. men’s singles titles when he defeats Don Budge, 2-6, 6-2, 8-6, 1-6, 10-8. Alice Marble ends the four-year reign of Helen Jacobs as U.S. women’s singles champion, with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
1955 — Tony Trabert wins the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships with a victory over Ken Rosewall. Doris Hart wins the women’s title.
1966 — Australia’s Fred Stolle beats countryman John Newcombe to win the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association championships. Stolle wins in four sets, 4-6, 12-10, 6-3, 6-4.
1976 — Jimmy Connors beats Bjorn Borg in four sets to win the U.S. Open.
1979 — Carl Yastrzemski reaches 3,000 hits off of NY Yankee pitcher Jim Beattie.
1981 — Tracy Austin wins her second U.S. Open singles title, edging first-time finalist Martina Navratilova, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6.
1982 — Jimmy Connors wins the U.S. Open, defeating Ivan Lendl, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.
1984 — N.Y. Met Dwight Gooden sets rookie strike out record at 251.
1988 — 1st NFL regular-season game played in Phoenix; Dallas beats Arizona.
1995 — The Harlem Globetrotters’ 24-year, 8,829-game winning streak is stopped. It ends in a 91-85 loss to a team led by basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who scores 34 points in a competitive, unscripted game in Vienna, Austria.
1998 — Lindsay Davenport captures her first Grand Slam tournament singles title, defeating Martina Hingis, 6-3, 7-5 at the U.S. Open.
1999 — Andre Agassi comes back from two-sets-to-one down to win his second U.S. Open singles title. Agassi, who never loses his serve, defeats Todd Martin, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-2. It’s the first five-set U.S. Open final in 11 years.
2004 — Roger Federer becomes the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a year, thoroughly outclassing Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6 (3), 6-0 to add the U.S. Open title to those he took at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
2005 — Mark Messier announces on ESPN radio that he will retire from the NHL.
2010 — Houston running back Arian Foster rushes for a franchise-record 231 yards and three touchdowns in the Texans’ 34-24 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Foster is the first player in NFL history to rush for at least 200 yards and three touchdowns for an opening weekend.
2011 — Tom Brady passes for a team-record 517 yards and four touchdowns, including a 99-yarder to Wes Welker, and the New England Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 38-24.
2011 — U.S. Open Men’s Tennis: Novak Djokovic wins his first US title; beats Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1.
2014 — Diana Taurasi and Candice Dupree score 24 points each and the Phoenix Mercury, playing without star center Brittney Griner, beat the Chicago Sky 87-82 to complete a three-game sweep of the WNBA Finals for their third championship.
2015 — Kent State dominates Delaware State in the Golden Flashes’ home opener, 45-13, but it’s overshadowed by a single point-after kick in the second quarter by April Goss. Goss, a four-year member of the Kent State team and a former high school soccer player, becomes the second female to score in a Division I game in NCAA history. Katie Hnida kicked a pair of extra points for New Mexico in 2003.
2015 — David Ortiz homers twice to become the 27th player in major league history to reach 500 homers, and Boston beats Tampa Bay 10-4.
2018 — Breanna Stewart leads the Seattle Storm to their third WNBA title, scoring 30 points in a 98-82 victory over the Washington Mystics in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.
2020 — Naomi Osaka of Japan wins her second US Open title beating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Compiled by the Associated Press
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at [email protected]. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
A Palestinian mother filmed the panic and confusion, screaming for her son after she said an Israeli strike targeted their neighbour’s home as they were preparing to evacuate. Palestinians in Gaza City say Israel often gives only 15–30 minutes’ warning before striking buildings.
Published On 12 Sep 202512 Sep 2025
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US president says suspect was turned in by someone ‘close to him’ and that he hopes he gets ‘the death penalty’.
Published On 12 Sep 202512 Sep 2025
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United States President Donald Trump has said that “with a high degree of certainty” that the gunman in the killing of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk has been caught.
Trump said on Friday that a minister, who is also linked to law enforcement, turned in the suspect to authorities. “Somebody that was very close to him,” Trump said.
Trump told Fox & Friends that he hoped the suspect got “the death penalty”.
The FBI and state officials on Thursday released photos and a video of the person they believe is responsible. Kirk was shot as he spoke to a crowd gathered in a courtyard at Utah Valley University in Orem.
The president said he was informed of the suspect’s arrest “five minutes before I walked in” the studio, praising local authorities for their coordination. “They did a great job, everybody worked together. It all worked out,” he said.
Trump paid tribute to Kirk, calling him “the finest person” who was “like a son” to him. He said Kirk was “a brilliant guy” who helped him win the election with TikTok and energised young voters. “I’ve never seen young people go to one person like they did to Charlie,” Trump added.
The suspect is “28 or 29”, according to Trump.
More to come …
Sept. 12 (UPI) — The European Union has accepted assurance from Microsoft that it will cease forcing its Teams application onto users and allow similar apps a chance to compete.
“Today, the European Commission has accepted commitments from Microsoft addressing its concerns that the distribution of Teams, Microsoft’s communication and collaboration product, harmed competition,” said EU Director for Information, Technology, Communication and Media Carlota Reyners Fontana in a video statement posted to social media Friday.
Those commitments mean that Microsoft will detangle Teams from its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites for business customers, freeing up consumers to obtain productivity apps like Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Word minus Teams for a lesser cost.
The promise also long-term licensed Microsoft customers the ability to switch out of suites that contain Teams, to allow competing apps to operate on Microsoft products and permit users to move data out of Teams and into competing apps.
However, should the commission deem Microsoft to be skirting its commitments, it could be fined as much as 10% of its global profits, or face 5% fines daily until in compliance.
The European Commission opened proceedings against Microsoft in July of 2023 following complaints by the companies behind the Slack and Alfaview communication apps for potentially breaching EU competition rules and determined that by tying Teams to its suites, the company “abused its dominant position,” according to Fontana.
“Teams competitors could not offset that advantage,” she continued.
In a press release, the European Commission announced Thursday that the guarantees made by Microsoft are now considered legally binding under EU antitrust rules.
“By helping to restore fair competition, these commitments will open up the market for other providers of communication and collaboration tools in Europe,” the commission stated in a press release on Thursday.
Teams features calling, messaging, video meetings and file sharing cloud-based capabilities that can further tie into other Microsoft apps. When Teams was first released, it was bundled with Office 365 and Microsoft 365.
After the commission opened its investigation, Microsoft at first released some suite options without Teams in 2023 and 2024, but “these changes were insufficient to address its concerns and that more extensive changes were necessary to effectively end the anticompetitive tying practice and its effects,” the release noted.
Microsoft then arrived at the commitments eventually accepted by the commission in May, and after market testing both Slack and Alfaview withdrew their complaints.
The commitments made by Microsoft will remain in effect for seven years, except for the interoperability and data portability promises, which will stand for 10 years.
Anti-Muslim incidents in person have increased by 150 percent – and by 250 percent online — according to an independent report.
Published On 12 Sep 202512 Sep 2025
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said his government will “carefully consider” the recommendations of an independent report which found that anti-Muslim incidents in the country have “skyrocketed” since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
During a media briefing at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Sydney on Friday, Albanese said targeting Australians based on their religious beliefs was an attack on the country’s core values.
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“Australians should be able to feel safe at home in any community … we must stamp out the hate, fear and prejudice that drives Islamophobia and division in our society,” he said.
Aftab Malik, who has been serving as the government’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia since last October, was appointed to the three-year role to recommend steps to prevent anti-Muslim hatred. The appointment came as Australia had been experiencing a surge in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic incidents since the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.
The independent report, released on Friday and Malik’s first since assuming the position, said the normalisation of Islamophobia has become so widespread in Australia that many incidents are not even getting reported.
“The reality is that Islamophobia in Australia has been persistent, at times ignored and other times denied, but never fully addressed,” said Malik, appearing alongside Albanese.
“We have seen public abuse, graffiti … we have seen Muslim women and children targeted, not for what they have done, but for who they are and what they wear.”
The 60-page report’s 54 recommendations to the government include a review of counterterrorism laws and procedures to investigate potential discrimination.
Malik also recommended a wide-ranging inquiry into Islamophobia to investigate its main drivers and potential discrimination in government policies.
Islamophobia had intensified since the al-Qaeda attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 and had become entrenched, said Malik.
Islamophobic incidents in person had skyrocketed by 150 percent — and by 250 percent online — since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, Malik said.
The Australian government has acknowledged steep rises in both Islamophobic and anti-Semitic incidents in Australia.
Jillian Segal was appointed envoy to combat anti-Semitism in July 2024.
Segal recommended, in her first report two months ago, that Australian universities lose government funding unless they address attacks on Jewish students, and that potential migrants be screened for political affiliations.
According to the 2021 Australian Census, 3.2 percent of the Australian population is Muslim.
Islamophobia has also risen across Europe, fuelled by political parties touting a populist anti-immigration stance.
Terrence Crawford is jumping two weights to fight Canelo Alvarez to unify the super middleweight belts on Saturday.
Published On 12 Sep 202512 Sep 2025
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Saul “Canelo” Alvarez stands in the way of Terence Crawford’s bid for boxing history on Saturday when they clash in Las Vegas for Alvarez’s undisputed super middleweight world title.
Crawford, a four-division champion, is jumping up two weight divisions for the bout in a bid to become the first male boxer to become an undisputed champion in three different categories.
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Unbeaten with a record of 41-0 with 31 knockouts, Crawford previously claimed all four belts on offer at super lightweight and welterweight.
But the 37-year-old American will step into the ring at Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, an underdog against Mexican great Alvarez.
Alvarez, who owns a record of 63-2-2 with 39 knockouts, is also a four-division champ and the only fighter to claim a four-belt undisputed title at super middleweight – first in 2021 and again in May when he beat IBF champion William Scull by a unanimous points decision in Riyadh.
Although Crawford is actually a hair taller than Alvarez with a longer reach, the Mexican superstar’s weight advantage is expected by many to be decisive, even though Crawford has visibly bulked up for the encounter.
The bout is being promoted by Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, which inked Alvarez to a four-fight deal that made him the latest in a growing list of boxers to flock to the kingdom for mega-paydays.
Riyadh Season has teamed with UFC mastermind Dana White to promote the fight that will be streamed globally by Netflix.
“This fight for me is one of the biggest fights in my career,” Alvarez said at a Thursday night news conference attended by thousands of fans at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
After nearly four years without a knockout win, Alvarez said he is looking for a decisive victory.
“I’ll give it everything I have, and if the knockout comes, good,” he said. “If not, I’m going to show why I’m the best.”
Questions abound as to whether even a muscled-up Crawford will be able to hurt Alvarez.
The Mexican champion has looked a step slower in recent fights, but his counter-punching prowess could be dangerous if Crawford feels compelled to press the action.
Crawford said he wasn’t concerned.
“I’m feeling great,” he said. “I’m ready to go. Shock the world.”
Crawford has embraced his underdog status, making a point of calling out his critics throughout the build-up to the fight.
“I think people are underestimating everything about me,” he said. “From what everybody says, I haven’t fought anybody.
“It’s been a long time coming, it’s been long overdue,” added Crawford of the spotlight on him this week.
“And come Saturday, I’m going to show the world what they’ve been missing out on.”
Crawford is also ready for a pro-Alvarez crowd in Las Vegas the weekend before the Mexican Independence Day holiday on Tuesday.
One thing Crawford did not appear concerned about was the suggestion that popped up on social media this week that he is battling a shoulder injury.
He mocked the rumours when speaking to reporters.
“My shoulder is messed up, everyone,” he said in response to a question about the rumours. “But don’t tell Canelo.”
Palestinians face mass arrests, displacement in the occupied territory as Netanyahu pushes settlement expansion.
Israeli forces have sealed off entrances to Tulkarem in the northern occupied West Bank, further escalating a campaign of raids, arrests and collective punishment that has displaced thousands of Palestinians as the military relentlessly destroys Gaza.
Footage from Thursday night shared by residents showed soldiers marching Palestinians in lines through the streets in what many described as a humiliating show of force.
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Tulkarem Governor Abdullah Kamil appealed to the international community on Friday, urging the United Nations General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, and humanitarian groups to act against what he called “crimes” being committed against the city’s nearly 100,000 residents.
Kamil said Israeli forces were “arbitrarily and unjustly” carrying out mass arrests, storming homes, destroying property and “terrorising children and women”, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
On Thursday, Israeli forces in Tulkarem were allegedly struck by what Israel called an explosive device that injured two Israeli soldiers.
Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim, reporting from Doha, described “videos of the Israeli forces dragging hundreds and hundreds of Palestinians from their homes, from their cafes, from even a garage … in a show of humiliation”.
“They’re trying to remind everyone that if there is any incident in any place in the occupied West Bank that they do not like … they’re going to crack down, not just on the perpetrators … but on everyone in that vicinity,” said Ibrahim.
She added that Israel’s crackdown has displaced “tens of thousands of Palestinians out of their homes … rendering the city, the refugee camps into ghost towns”. Ibrahim said Palestinians see this as part of a broader policy, with Israeli forces trying “to crack down on Palestinians and really … remind them who has the upper hand and control in the occupied West Bank”.
Elsewhere in the West Bank, five young Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli forces in the village of Deir Jarir, Wafa reported. One of the injured was arrested before receiving medical treatment, according to the village council. Israeli soldiers also closed the village entrance for several hours.
Israeli troops stormed Nablus and the nearby town of Beit Furik at dawn on Friday, raiding several neighbourhoods in the Old City and surrounding areas.
Witnesses said shops were ransacked, while in Beitin, east of Ramallah, Israeli soldiers seized a house and converted it into a military barracks.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the raids, saying international silence had emboldened Israel to press ahead with unilateral measures aimed at destabilising the territory.
The escalation comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advances an illegal settlement expansion plan that would all but eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state.
On Thursday, he signed an agreement to push forward with construction in the so-called E1 area near the illegal Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, several kilometres to the east of Jerusalem.
“We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state. This place belongs to us,” Netanyahu declared at the signing ceremony, adding: “We are going to double the city’s population.”
The project, which has been driven by far-right ministers in the government, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, covers a 12sq km (4.6sq mile) stretch of land and foresees 3,400 new homes for Israeli settlers. Critics say the plan would cut off large parts of the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem while linking together major settlement blocs.
Palestinians view East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Under international law, all Israeli settlements in occupied territory are illegal, regardless of whether they have Israeli government approval.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (R) met with U.S. Sen Todd Young (L) to discuss the ‘urgent need’ for visa reform in the wake of the mass detention of South Korean workers at a battery plant in Georgia, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Friday. Cho also met with Sens. Bill Hagerty and Andy Kim this week. Photo courtesy of South Korea Foreign Ministry
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (UPI) — South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun called on Washington on Friday to reform its visa policies to avoid a repeat of last week’s immigration raid and detention of South Korean workers at a Hyundai electric battery plant in Georgia.
Cho met U.S. Sens. Todd Young, Bill Hagerty and Andy Kim in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday to express the South Korean public’s “deep concern” over the arrests of its professionals, the ministry said in a statement.
Multiple agencies led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 475 people, most of whom are South Korean nationals, at a Hyundai-LG Energy Solutions battery plant near Savannah, Ga., on Sep. 4.
After being held for a week, 316 South Koreans and 14 other employees were released and departed from Atlanta on a charter jet late Thursday morning local time.
The plane landed at Incheon International Airport near Seoul at around 3:23 p.m. on Friday, news agency Yonhap reported.
In his meeting with the senators, Cho “emphasized the urgent need for fundamental measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents and to protect our workforce from unfair treatment so that Korean companies can fulfill their investment commitments in the United States,” the ministry said.
He urged Congress to support visa reform, including the introduction of a new visa category for South Korean professionals on investment projects.
The senators “agreed that this incident should not negatively impact economic cooperation between South Korea and the United States,” according to the ministry.
“They welcomed the agreement between the two countries to explore long-term solutions, including the establishment of a South Korea-U.S. working group, to prevent similar incidents,” the ministry said. “They also pledged to explore necessary institutional support, including legislative action.”
On Thursday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called the immigration raid “perplexing” and said it could deter firms from making future investments in the United States. Lee touched on the subject during a press conference marking his 100th day in office, noting that South Korean firms regularly send skilled workers for short stays to help establish overseas factories.
The roundup came less than two weeks after Lee met with Trump in the White House, and has sparked widespread public shock and anger in South Korea. Seoul and Washington are looking to finalize a trade deal struck in July that includes a $350 billion investment pledge by South Korea.
Without visa reform, companies “will have to worry about whether establishing a local factory in the United States will be subject to all sorts of disadvantages or difficulties,” Lee said.
“Under the current circumstances, Korean companies will be very hesitant to make direct investments in the United States,” he said.
Kate WhannelPolitics reporter and
Henry ZeffmanChief political correspondent
Getty ImagesScottish Secretary Douglas Alexander has said Labour MPs will be feeling “despondent” following a chaotic week which has seen the sacking of Lord Mandelson and the resignation of Angela Rayner.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing questions over why he appointed Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US despite his known links to the convicted paedophile Jeffery Epstein.
The government said Mandelson was dismissed after emails were published which appear to show the Labour peer offering Epstein support after his conviction.
MPs and government insiders are increasingly blaming the prime minister’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney for the appointment.
Several senior Labour figures claimed that McSweeney had been resisting the inevitability of Mandelson’s departure on Wednesday, with one insider describing “cold, hard fury” amongst those in Downing Street about the episode.
However, another senior Downing Street source claimed this was nonsense, saying that by Wednesday afternoon McSweeney was adamant that Mandelson’s position was untenable.
A government minister said they were “starting to wonder how sustainable it is” for McSweeney to stay in post.
One Labour MP said: “Panic has started to set in”, urging the prime minister to “get a grip” and warning that only publishing correspondence between No 10, McSweeney and Lord Mandelson before his appointment as ambassador would “put this to bed”.
Another Labour MP said “It’s quite clear the buck should stop with him [McSweeney].
“When Sue Gray was chief of staff [Mandelson] wasn’t even on the short list. It’s just disgusting.”
One other said the handling of the situation had been “a shambles”.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “In retrospect, of course, if (it) had been known at the time what is known now, the appointment wouldn’t have been made.”
Acknowledging it had been a difficult week for Labour he said: “Many of us were devastated by [deputy PM] Angela Rayner’s departure from the government last week.
“She’s an extraordinary woman who’s overcome the most extraordinary challenges and we are grieving and feel quite acutely that sense of loss.
“Now to have the dismissal of Peter Mandelson just the next week, I totally get it, of course Labour MPs will be despondent that in two weeks in a row we have seen significant resignations from public service.
“These are not the headlines any of us in government or in Parliament would have chosen or wanted.
“But the fact is when the evidence emerged, action had to be taken and we are looking forward, therefore, to moving on.”
Conservative frontbencher Alex Burghart said his party would force a vote in Parliament to release the documents that the prime minister and the foreign secretary were shown before appointing Lord Mandelson.
“Those documents exist, they will be on file… it’s inconceivable they would not have been shown concerns raised by the security services through the vetting process,” he told BBC Breakfast.
The Liberal Democrats have said there should be a review of vetting procedures.
Paula Barker – who dropped out of the deputy Labour leader race on Thursday – said: “The delay in sacking him has only served to further erode the trust and confidence in our government and politics in the round.”
Charlotte Nichols said Mandelson’s sacking was “not immediate enough unfortunately, as he should never have been appointed in the first place”.
Sadik Al-Hassan said there were “serious questions about the vetting process of the ambassador”.
Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage said Lord Mandelson was “an enormously talented bloke” but his appointment “was a serious misjudgement from the prime minister.”
He said it “is about the prime minister’s judgement but also about the role that Morgan McSweeney plays in this government” adding: “I think McSweeney’s role is now considerably in doubt.”
Some Labour MPs have publicly expressed anger at how the situation with Mandelson has been handled.
Lord Mandelson’s association with Epstein was publicly known when he was given the Washington job.
However, at the start of the week, US lawmakers published documents from Epstein’s estate including 2003 birthday messages from Mandelson in which he refers to Epstein as “my best pal”.
Sir Keir initially stood by Lord Mandelson and on Wednesday said “due process” had been followed in his appointment.
But the following day he decided to sack his ambassador.
It came after a series of emails from Lord Mandelson to Epstein were published by the Sun and Bloomberg.
The emails included supportive messages Mandelson sent after Epstein had pleaded guilt to soliciting prostitution from a minor in June 2008.
In one message, Mandelson is reported to have told Epstein to “fight for early release” and, the day before began his sentence, “I think the world of you.”
The BBC has been told the information published on Wednesday evening was not available to those in government when Lord Mandelson was appointed, as they came from what has been described as a “long closed” email address.
Douglas Alexander said he felt “incredulity and revulsion” when he read the emails, which he said “had not in any way reached the prime minister” during the appointment process.
“When that reached the prime minister’s desk, he acted and dismissed the ambassador.”
He said Lord Mandelson had initially been appointed because the UK needed an “unconventional ambassador” to work with Donald Trump’s “unconventional presidential administration”.
James Roscoe, the deputy head of the Washington embassy, has been appointed as interim ambassador ahead of the US President’s state visit to the UK next week.
Additional reporting by political correspondents Nick Eardley and Georgia Roberts
The TWZ Newsletter
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The last of the venerable Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter swing-wing strike aircraft in Europe have been officially withdrawn from service. At one time, the Su-22 was a backbone of Warsaw Pact offensive airpower on the continent, with the final examples having been operated by the Polish Air Force, which had flown these impressive jets since the first example was delivered more than 40 years ago.
There was much attention on Poland yesterday after NATO fighters shot down several of the more than a dozen Russian drones that entered the country’s airspace in an unprecedented violation, which you can read about here. Meanwhile, the Polish Air Force held a media event to mark the retirement of the Su-22. A formation of Fitters flew over the various bases where Su-22s in Poland had been stationed. Friend of TWZ, Stephan de Bruijn, was in Poland and provided the following photos of the event, which was not impacted by the drone incident. Today, meanwhile, the Polish Air Force stages an official ceremony to mark the Su-22’s long career.
Powered by a single turbojet engine that propelled it to a top speed of Mach 1.77, the Su-22 was a brutish design that was very much in line with Soviet doctrine of the Cold War era. While its origins lay in the Su-7 Fitter ground-attack aircraft, the Su-22 was a swing-wing type, with only the outer wing panels pivoting. This was a simpler, robust solution to the aerodynamic challenges of variable geometry. Weapons — including nuclear gravity bombs — were carried on 10 external hardpoints. During the Cold War, the Su-22s would have been provided with Soviet-owned tactical nuclear bombs, had things turned hot.
Overall, the Su-22 was built for easy maintenance and combat operations with limited technical support. These factors helped ensure it stayed in service for so long in Poland.
“It is a rugged, reliable fighter — a very good platform for weapons delivery,” Capt. Krzysztof Kreciejewski, a flight commander and instructor pilot, said of the Su-22 in an earlier interview. “The navigation and attack system is still the same 1980s vintage, but it is virtually indestructible. The engine too is very old but very reliable with a remarkable resistance to FOD [foreign object damage].”
Poland received a total of 90 single-seat Su-22M4s and 20 two-seat Su-22UM3Ks, which were deployed within four tactical bomber regiments based at Piła, Powidz, Mirosławiec, and Swidwin. The first example arrived in Poland in August 1984. By the time the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Su-22s were also serving with Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, and Hungary, with Soviet examples (known as Su-17s) also serving in some of those countries.
After Poland joined NATO in 1999, its Su-22s underwent limited upgrades, and the air force decided to continue flying the Soviet-type, as well as the MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter. Among others, the Fitters received NATO-standard avionics and more modern VHF/UHF communication systems. Also, service life was extended by 10 years on 18 of the aircraft, with work performed in-country, at Bydgoszcz, from 2014. In the process of modernization, the jets traded their former green and brown camouflage for a low-visibility two-tone gray scheme.
At one stage, it was expected the Polish Fitters would be withdrawn in 2016, but they soldiered on, even after the introduction of F-16C/D Block 50/52 fighters, among the most advanced of their type anywhere in Europe. However, with Poland being the last Su-22 operator in Europe, and with production long since ceased, maintaining the fleet — which was eventually concentrated at Mirosławiec, in northwestern Poland — became increasingly difficult.
While the Su-22’s original role was as a low-level strike specialist, with a secondary reconnaissance mission, toward the end of its Polish service, it was also used for adversary work. This involved the jets flying as ‘red air,’ as well as launching aerial targets, during air force and ground-based air defense training scenarios. Such work wasn’t without hazards, with one Su-22 being accidentally shot down during an exercise by a Polish Kub (SA-6 Gainful) surface-to-air missile in 2003.
Aside from second-line duties, Polish Fitters retained a combat role until the end. This included anti-surface strikes over the Baltic Sea as part of defensive operations. Meanwhile, offensive counter-air missions included supporting units of the Polish Land Forces, Navy, and special forces, as well as assisting allies during exercises. One limitation was the removal of time-expired Soviet-era guided air-to-ground missiles, leaving the Su-22s armed with free-fall bombs, rockets, and guns. For self-defense, R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missiles could be fitted on special underwing pylons.
Outside of Europe, the Fitter’s days are likely also numbered. The other last remaining operators are found in Angola, Libya (where only a handful of aircraft likely remain active), and Vietnam. Others are flown by Iran, Syria, and Yemen, where their current status after Israeli airstrikes this year, on top of other recent conflicts, must be considered questionable.
The retirement of the last Polish Su-22s was finally enabled by the arrival of the Korea Aerospace Industries FA-50 light combat aircraft, acquired as part of a multi-million-dollar South Korean arms package. The initial 12 FA-50GFs (representing the initial Block 10 configuration) were delivered to Poland between July and December 2023. Another 36 of the more advanced FA-50PL (Block 20) aircraft are also on order.
At Mirosławiec, the Fitters also make way for the Bayraktar TB2 uncrewed aerial system, with the base becoming a tactical drone hub, as these assets take on a more important role with the Polish Air Force. The TB2s will ultimately be joined by three MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones, providing much expanded capabilities.
In terms of crewed combat aircraft, the Polish Air Force has already donated 14 of its MiG-29s to Ukraine, leaving 14 more based at Malbork, where they are expected to serve until 2027. A contract was recently signed for the upgrade of the country’s 47 surviving F-16s to the F-16V configuration, as you can read about here. In the most ambitious expression of the service’s modernization, 32 F-35As are also on order, with a first operational squadron due to be established at Łask, around 2025-26.
Altogether, these are examples of the staggering Polish defense spending spree that has now been going on for years, as the country works to modernize its entire armed forces, with a particular eye toward meeting threats from Russia.
There is some irony, therefore, in the fact that the Polish Air Force today bids farewell to its long-serving Su-22s, provided by Moscow at a time when Europe’s geopolitical landscape looked entirely different.
With thanks to Rich Cooper/COAP Media. You can see more of his photos on Instagram.
Contact the author: [email protected]
Sept. 12 (UPI) — The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned nearly three dozen people and firms, accused of being part of a massive fundraising, smuggling and weapon-procurement network for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The network of 32 people and firms blacklisted Wednesday is located in Yemen, China, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands, and are accused of being Houthi-associated companies, their owners and key Houthi operatives.
The Treasury said those targeted finance and facilitate the Houthis’ procurement of advanced military-grade materials, including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as components for drones the Houthis have used to attack U.S. military and commercial vessels.
The United States has been targeting the Houthis amid Israel’s war against Hamas, another Iran-backed proxy, which exploded into the open Oct. 7, 2023, when it attacked Israel.
In response, Israel launched an ongoing war in Gaza that has devastated the Palestinian enclave and killed nearly 65,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since then.
Since mid-November 2023, the Houthis have been enforcing a military blockade of the Red Sea, attacking vessels that cross in solidarity with the Palestinian people, resulting in the deaths of a handful of mariners and sinking at least four ships.
“The Houthis continue to threaten U.S. personnel and assets in the Red Sea, attack our allies in the region and undermine international maritime security in coordination with the Iranian regime,” John Hurley, under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement.
Among those sanctioned Thursday was Salih Dubaysh, who was named the replacement for Saleh Mesfer Alshaer after he was sanctioned in 2021.
Dubaysh has since been in charge of the Houthis’ seizure of Yemen state-owned and private assets across the country. The Treasury said he has confiscated private land for the Houthis under the pretext that the owners had committed treason against the militia.
Abdullah Mesfer al-Shaer, a relative of Dubaysh, was also sanctioned, along with companies under his name.
A group of petroleum smugglers linked to Mohammad Abdulsalam — who was sanctioned in March — as well as Houthi-linked maritime shipping companies, were also blacklisted, along with weapons and components procurement facilitators and suppliers.
Authors: Talal Alhathal and Amir Dhia*
In a dynamic world where higher education is a gateway to opportunity, far too many talented youth remain locked out—trapped behind financial, social, and political barriers. For marginalized and conflict-affected youth, the dream of attending university is often deferred, if not entirely extinguished. Yet, there is a proven solution hiding in plain sight: inclusive, quality and relevant scholarship programs.
Scholarships must not be seen as charity, but as investments in human capital and development in society. Inclusive scholarships do more than fund tuition. They serve as transformative interventions—paving futures and restoring dignity. And for higher education institutions (HEIs), these scholarships can be catalysts for innovation, reshaping the global education landscape.
Overcoming the Persistent Barriers to Higher Education
According to international organizations, millions of young people worldwide face multiple, overlapping challenges that limit access to higher education. Refugees, internally displaced persons, underserved women, students with disabilities, and those from low-income backgrounds often encounter systemic marginalization and underfunding.
Access to higher education opportunities is only the first step. UNHCR signals that 7% of refugees today have access to higher education compared to only 1% in 2019. This is far below the global average of higher education enrollment among non-refugees, which currently stands at around 42%. To achieve the target of 15% enrolment by 2030, UNHCR emphasizes that coordination, commitment and the sustained engagement of a range of partners as well as a focus on HEIs and systems in primary hosting countries will be required.
Tuition fees on the rise remain out of reach for many. Even when financial aid exists, students struggle with hidden costs—transportation, learning materials, digital access, and psychosocial support. In fragile or conflict-affected contexts, political instability and displacement further disrupt educational continuity. For these students, a scholarship can mean the difference between social exclusion and becoming a leader in their community.
One of the biggest challenges in scaling scholarship programs is sustainable financing. Traditional donor-driven models, while foundational, are insufficient on their own. According to UNESCO, an alarming potential loss of US$21 trillion—equivalent to 17% of global GDP—could occur in lifetime earnings for students due to escalating education inequities, learning poverty, and loss of learning opportunities. Hence, innovation in how scholarships are funded, sustained, and delivered is becoming paramount. Blended finance models, cost-sharing mechanisms, and outcome-based funding are key to building effective and resilient partnerships.
Scholarship Programs that Transform Higher Education Institutions
Scholarships significantly ease the financial burden on students and families, particularly in low-income economies and crisis-affected contexts. When this burden is lifted, students are less likely to drop out and more likely to excel. Improved retention, higher completion rates, and stronger academic performance enhance the reputation and competitiveness of HEIs on the global stage.
Inclusive scholarships also foster diversity and equity in higher education. By supporting underserved communities and individuals, scholarships not only close the access gap but also transform campus demographics and academic discourse. When students from diverse backgrounds thrive, institutions become more representative, socially responsive, and globally relevant.
Moreover, high-quality scholarship programs attract high-caliber applicants who might otherwise be excluded. These students often become some of the most driven and impactful members of their communities and societies. Their presence raises the standard of academic engagement and reinforces a virtuous cycle of inclusion and excellence. Scholarships also support adult learners, foster career mobility, and promote lifelong learning—vital in a world where cross-skilling and adaptability are key to navigating complex futures.
For HEIs most compellingly, scholarships drive innovation. With more diverse learners come stronger demands for accessible technology, inclusive pedagogy, support services, and flexible learning models. These needs accelerate institutional investment in blended learning, digital inclusion, and universal design. Such advancements of HEIs are also directly aligned with global priorities such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A recent research highlights that the successful implementation of the SDGs depends on the existence of well-functioning and capacitated HEIs in every society. It adds that inclusive scholarship programs contribute to the investment in local higher education systems and institutions, strengthening their infrastructure in the host countries.
Stories of Resilience, Ambition, and Transformation
For scholarship programs to be truly impactful, they should also be relevant and designed around the lived realities of the underserved students. A scholarship is not merely a ticket to the classroom—it must serve as a bridge to employability and social contribution. Thus, market-driven higher and tertiary education programs should align to both the needs of society and future trends in workforce.
Facts and feedback from the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation scholarship recipients and alumni show how inclusive and quality higher education scholarships drive positive change. For marginalized and conflict-affected youth, these opportunities are not just financial—they have become lifelines. EAA’s Qatar Scholarship programs, spearheaded by Al Fakhoora Program and in collaboration with key partners, has empowered recipients to access sustainable employment and thrive within society. The programs provide holistic support by covering tuition, ending social isolation, and offering pathways to dignity and opportunity.
In one of EAA’s scholarship programs, for instance, nearly 91% of the recent graduates from top-tier universities found employment within six months of completing their degree studies. The remaining 9% did so within a year. Most graduates now work in fields aligned with their studies, contributing meaningfully to their communities and professions. According to the recipients themselves, these scholarships did more than alleviate financial pressure—they enabled inclusion, ensured access to quality education, and fostered a sense of belonging and equality.
A Call to Action
We are at a pivotal moment. Global displacement is at an all-time high. Conflict, climate change, and economic inequality are creating new education emergencies. If we fail to act now, we risk consigning generations of youth to exclusion and despair. But there is another path. We can choose to invest in the futures of those left long behind. The impact is proven, the means exist, and the moral imperative is undeniable.
Over time, inclusive scholarships do more than serve individual students—they create ripple effects. They enhance the institutional reputation, strengthen the social contract between universities and communities, and even empower the scholars to contribute to the advancement of society through civic engagement, peace and global citizenship, and intergenerational mobility.
No single actor can do this alone. Real impact requires coordination across borders and sectors. The private sector, more than ever before, also has a critical role to play—from tech companies enhancing digital access to employers offering internships and job opportunities. The future of work is global, and so must be the response to educational inequality.
EAA continues to advocate with the global higher education community and beyond for inclusive, quality-driven, and scalable scholarship solutions. EAA has pioneered multi-stakeholder collaboration, bringing together UN agencies, development banks, universities, philanthropic organizations, and local governments to co-fund scholarship pathways. These models are scalable, replicable, and demonstrate that with institutional will and strategic partnerships, solutions are within reach.
*Amir Dhia is the Technical Manager of Higher Education at the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation. His career spans over twenty-five years of global experience in the private, public, non-governmental, and state institutions. He has held several senior executive positions internationally, including Advisor, Dean, and Director General, contributing to the advancement of higher and executive education, certification institutions, language institutes, and international education partnerships. Amir holds a PhD (summa cum laude), specializing in the Knowledge Society and Diplomacy, along with a number of designations in leadership, management, and business development.
About the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation
The Education Above All (EAA) Foundation is a global foundation established in 2012 by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. EAA Foundation aims to transform lives through education and employment opportunities. We believe that education is the single most effective means of reducing poverty, creating peaceful and just societies, unlocking the full potential of every child and youth, and creating the right conditions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Through our multi-sectoral approach, unique financing models, focus on innovation as a tool for social good, and partnerships, we aim to bring hope and real opportunities to the lives of impoverished and marginalised children and youth. EAA Foundation is comprised of the following programmes: Educate A Child (EAC), Al Fakhoora, Reach Out To All (ROTA), Silatech, Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC), Innovation Development (ID) and Together project.
Here are the key events on day 1,296 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Published On 12 Sep 202512 Sep 2025
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Here is how things stand on Friday, September 12:
Sacramento, California – On a sunny August morning, 60-year-old Gurtej Singh Cheema performed his morning prayers at his home in Sacramento. Then, the retired clinical professor of internal medicine made his way downtown to join more than 150 other Sikh Americans at California’s State Capitol.
He was there to speak in support of a state bill that, to many Sikhs, represents a matter of safety for the community.
California is home to an estimated 250,000 Sikhs, according to the community advocacy group, Sikh Coalition. They represent 40 percent of the nation’s Sikhs – who first made California their home more than a century ago.
But a spate of attacks and threats against community activists in North America over the past two years, which United States and Canadian officials have accused India of orchestrating, have left many Sikhs on edge, fearing for their safety and questioning whether law enforcement can protect them.
That’s what a new anti-intimidation bill seeks to address, according to its authors and advocates: If passed, it would require California to train officers in recognising and responding to what is known as “transnational repression” – attempts by foreign governments to target diaspora communities, in practice. The training would be developed by the state’s Office of Emergency Services.
“California can’t protect our most vulnerable communities if our officers don’t even recognize the threat,” Anna Caballero, a Democratic state senator and author of the bill, said in the statement shared with Al Jazeera. “The bill closes a critical gap in our public safety system and gives law enforcement the training they need to identify foreign interference when it happens in our neighborhoods.”
But the draft legislation, co-authored by California’s first Sikh Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, and Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, has also opened up deep divisions within an Indian American community already polarised along political lines.
Several influential American Sikh advocacy groups – the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition and Jakara Movement among them – have backed the bill. Groups representing Indians of other major faiths, such as Hindus for Human Rights and the Indian American Muslim Council, have also supported the draft legislation, as has the California Police Chiefs Association.
But in the opposite corner stand Hindu-American groups like the Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus of North America, as well as a Jewish group, Bay Area Jewish Coalition and even a Sikh group, The Khalsa Today. The Santa Clara Attorney’s office and Riverside County Sheriff’s Office have also opposed the bill.
Critics of the bill argue that it risks targeting sections of the diaspora – such as Hindu Americans opposed to the Khalistan movement, a campaign for the creation of a separate Sikh nation carved out of India – and could end up deepening biases against India and Hindu Americans.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said that it had “concerns regarding the bill’s potential implications, particularly its impact on law enforcement practices and the inadvertent targeting of diaspora communities in Riverside County”.
But as Cheema stood with other Sikh Americans gathered at the state legislature on August 20 to testify before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the urgency felt by many in the room was clear: Some had driven all night from Los Angeles, 620km (385 miles) away from Sacramento. Others took time off from work to be there.
“Any efforts that help a community feel safe, and you are a part of that community – naturally, you would support it,” Cheema, who also represented the Capital Sikh Center in Sacramento at the hearing, told Al Jazeera.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines transnational repression as the acts of foreign governments when they reach beyond their borders to intimidate, silence, coerce, harass or harm members of their diaspora and exile communities in the United States.
The bill marks the second major legislation in recent years that has split South Asian diaspora groups in California. A 2023 bill that specified caste as a protected category under California’s anti-discrimination laws was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom after several Hindu-American groups lobbied against it. They argued that the state’s existing anti-discrimination laws already protected people from caste-based bias, and that specifying the new category was an indirect attack on Hinduism.
The California Assembly has now passed the new anti-intimidation bill. It will now return to the California Senate – which had passed an earlier version of the legislation – for another vote, expected this week. If it passes in the upper house of the California legislature, the bill will head to Newsom’s desk for his signature.
Thomas Blom Hansen, professor of anthropology at Stanford University, said the bill addresses concerns around online trolling, surveillance and harassment of individuals based on their political beliefs or affiliations – often influenced by foreign governments or political movements.
“The bill doesn’t name any specific country – it’s a general framework to provide additional protection to immigrants and diaspora communities from harassment by foreign actors,” Hansen told Al Jazeera.
But the backdrop of the bill does suggest that concerns over India and its alleged targeting of Sikh dissidents have been a major driver. Hansen noted that Senator Caballero comes from the 14th State Senate district, which has a significant Sikh population.
In 2023, Canada officially accused India of masterminding the assassination in June that year of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India has rejected the accusation, but relations between the two nations plummeted as a result – and remain tense, as Canada continues to pursue the allegations against individuals it arrested and that it says worked for New Delhi.
In November that year, US prosecutors also accused Indian intelligence agencies of plotting the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based Sikh activist. That plot was exposed after an alleged Indian agent accidentally ended up hiring an FBI informant for the hit job. Pannun leads Sikhs of Justice, a Sikh separatist advocacy group that India declared unlawful in 2019.
Several other Sikh activists in Canada and the US have received warnings from law enforcement agencies that they could be targeted.
Even Bains, the co-author of the new bill, has faced intimidation. In August 2023, after California recognised the 1984 massacre of thousands of Sikhs in India – following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards – as a genocide, four men, apparently of Indian origin, visited her office. They allegedly threatened her, saying they would “do whatever it takes to go after you”.
Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, said the bill was timely.
“If a gurdwara committee leader calls the police to report a man who claims to be from the government of India coming to the gurdwara asking about other committee members’ immigration status, the trained officers will react to that very differently than those who aren’t,” Singh told Al Jazeera.
Vivek Kembaiyan of Hindus for Human Rights echoed Singh. The majority of crime is investigated at the local level, he said, and local law enforcement needs training to investigate transnational crimes.
But not everyone agrees.
Some groups argue that the bill is primarily meant to target India and Indian Americans, and especially suppress opposition to the Khalistan movement.
Samir Kalra, the 46-year-old managing director at the Hindu American Foundation, has emerged as one of the bill’s most vocal opponents.
“I believe that they have not gone far enough in providing adequate guardrails and safeguards to ensure that law enforcement does not institutionalise biases against groups from specific countries of origin and or with certain viewpoints on geopolitical issues,” Kalra, a native of the Bay Area, told Al Jazeera.
Kalra pointed to the supporters of the bill.
“The vast majority of supporters of this bill who have shown up to multiple hearings are of Indian origin and have focused on India in their comments and press statements around this bill. India is listed as a top transnational repression government,” he said. “It’s very clear that the true target of this bill is India and Indian Americans.”
Many Hindu temples, he said, had been desecrated in recent months with pro-Khalistan slogans.
“How can the Hindu American community feel safe and secure reporting these incidents without fear of being accused of being a foreign agent or having law enforcement downplaying the vandalisms?” he asked.
But Harman Singh rejected the suggestion that the bill was dividing the Indian American community along religious lines. “The coalition of groups supporting includes both Sikh and Hindu organisations as well as Muslim, Kashmiri, Iranian, South Asian, immigrants’ rights, human rights, and law enforcement organisations,” Singh said.
Some critics have expressed fears that activists training officers in recognising transnational attacks could institutionalise biases against specific communities.
But the Sikh Coalition’s Singh said those worries were unfounded. The training, he said, “will be created by professionals within those organisations, rather than ‘a small group of activists,’ so this criticism is not based in reality.”
Rohit Chopra, a professor of communication at Santa Clara University in California, said critics of other governments “are all too routinely harassed, threatened, or even assaulted by foreign governments or their proxies within the US”.
“Even if the bill has some deterrent effect, which I believe it will, it will be well worth it,” Chopra told Al Jazeera. He emphasised that the bill does not restrict its ambit to any one country or a particular group of nations.
To Stanford University’s Hansen, that in effect raises questions about why some groups are opposed to the bill.
“When an organisation comes out strongly against such a bill, it almost feels like a preemptive admission – as if they see themselves as being implicated by what the bill seeks to prevent,” Hansen said.
Back in Sacramento, Cheema remains hopeful that the bill will pass. For him, the bill represents something far more significant than policy – recognition and protection on US soil.
“I could be the next victim if the law enforcement in my community is not able to recognise foreign interference,” Cheema said. “It doesn’t matter who is indulging in it or which country, I would naturally like my police officers to be aware of the threats.”
“If any group feels threatened, then all sections of society should make efforts to protect their people. This reassures me that my voice is being heard”, Cheema said.
Crawford, with 41 wins and 31 knockouts, won his first world title in 2014 at lightweight against Scotsman Ricky Burns. He went on to unify the light-welterweight and welterweight divisions before moving up again.
“This fight is going to be stamped in the history books,” he said, promising to “shock the world.”
Saturday’s bout will be broadcast globally on Netflix, reaching a potential audience of more than 300 million subscribers.
It is the first major boxing event promoted by White alongside Saudi’s Turki Alalshikh, signalling a new, if uncertain, era for the sport.
As organisers hyped up the new partnership as the saviour of the sport and suggested boxing has been suffering for years, one of its biggest stars – and highest earners with a reported $150m purse to collect on Saturday – Alvarez, chimed in.
“Hey, boxing was always bigger, bigger and big. Don’t say boxing is not big enough. You know how big is boxing,” he said.
Alvarez pushed Crawford as tempers flared at in New York in June, but the two shared a nod and handshake to end on a respectful note.
Sept. 12 (UPI) — Former South Korean President Roh Tae-woo’s eldest son has been nominated to serve as the country’s next ambassador to China, according to reports.
The nomination of Roh Jae-heon, 60, was reported Thursday by Yonhap, JoongAng Ilbo and other local media, citing unidentified diplomatic sources.
Roh, director of the East Asia Culture Center in Seoul, would become the first ambassador to China under the administration of President Lee Jae-myung, who was sworn in ln June 4.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, told reporters during a regular scheduled press conference on Thursday that he has noted the reports of Roh’s nomination.
“Diplomatic envoys are important bridges for friendly cooperation and development of relations between countries,” he said. “China is waiting for the ROK’s formal nomination.”
The Republic of Korea is the country’s official name.
While Roh has no public service experience as a diplomat, he has been involved in relations between South Korea and China for over a decade, reports said.
He was among Lee’s delegation to China last month, just before a South Korea-U.S. summit in Washington.
Roh established the Korea-China Culture Center in 2012, which marked the 20th anniversary of the establishment of ties between the two countries, which occurred during his father’s presidency. The center has since been renamed the East Asia Culture Center.
Critics of the appointment called it an “insult” to the families of the victims of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980. Roh’s father was associated with a brutal military crackdown against the pro-democracy uprising in Gwangju.