Kim Jong Un announces an “exponential expansion” of nuclear weapons

● The price for supporting Israel? Germany lost a seat in the Security Council
● A new report exposes the European donation network – which turns into Hamas

U.S

Ohio State University to pay $100 million to nearly 300 sexual abuse victims

Ohio University has reached a settlement in which it will pay $100 million to 279 victims – ending one of the largest sexual abuse scandals in American history.

At the center of the affair is Dr. Richard Strauss, the campus physician who worked in the university’s medical department and athletic department for almost two decades. Between 1978 and 1998, the year he retired, Strauss used his position as a doctor to commit indecent acts on students, disguising them as medical examinations. Strauss ended his life in 2005.

The investigation into the affair, published in 2019, revealed the true dimensions of the affair: at least 177 men were injured, almost all of them students, and the rest were young women. But what alarmed the public was no less than the acts themselves, but the decision of the university staff to remain silent, even though they knew about the cases of abuse.

The publication of the investigation ignited a wave of lawsuits, when over 500 victims went to court against the university, claiming that it showed “intentional indifference” to their fate. Last February, the university reached settlements with 8 survivors, and the total amount of compensation exceeded 60 million dollars, even before the current settlement.

North Korea

Kim Jong Un is preparing to accelerate the production of nuclear weapons

North Korea this week presented a new uranium enrichment plant, and already during the visit, Kim Jong Un stated that he is ordering to accelerate the production of nuclear materials at an “exponential” rate. According to the country’s official news agency, this is not another empty statement: the production capacity of those materials has doubled in the last five years.

Pictures released by state media showed Kim walking inside the facility, prompting analysts to speculate that it was the country’s main nuclear complex, Yongbyon.

Kim justified the move by claiming that “the security threats are getting worse” and that the country is in a long-term conflict with the “most brutal enemies” – a designation clearly intended for the US and South Korea.

Analysts believe that Kim’s visit is intended to strengthen Pyongyang’s bargaining position towards a possible diplomatic move, possibly with the US, while justifying the acceleration of nuclear armament and conveying a message to the world: the possibility of denuclearization is not on the agenda.

According to international estimates, North Korea has about 50 nuclear warheads, although the country has never revealed the size of its arsenal.

Jordan

The king allows the fans to start working late for the World Cup

For the first time in its history, Jordan will participate in the World Cup, and for the small Arab country this is an achievement that justifies not only celebrations, but also a change in working hours.

The Jordanian government has announced that public sector employees will be able to start the work day at 10:00 a.m. instead of 8:30 a.m., on the days the national team plays in the World Cup. The three games in which Jordan will participate will be held in the USA, against Austria on June 17, against Algeria on June 23, and against Argentina on June 28. The games will be held late at night according to Jordanian time, because of the time difference with the USA.

The Jordanian team, known as Al-Nashama (the Knights), reached the World Cup for the first time in its history, after successfully passing the qualification stage. The achievement drew spontaneous celebrations in the streets of Amman.

Egypt

He wrote about the harsh prison conditions – and was sent to prison

Ahmed Douma, a prominent Egyptian activist and poet, was sentenced this week to a year in prison with hard labor because of an article he wrote about prison conditions in Egypt.

Duma was one of the key figures in the 2011 revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak’s regime. Since then, he has paid a heavy price: he spent almost a decade in prison, received a presidential pardon in August 2023, and in April of this year was arrested again, just a few months after his article was published in the London-based al-Arabi al-Jadid newspaper, in which he described his difficult experiences in prison. The court convicted him of “spreading false news”.

Human rights organizations were quick to condemn the controversial move. Amnesty International criticized the sentence and said it was a serious violation of freedom of expression. The PEN America organization called the verdict “disgraceful” and noted that “Duma’s poems and articles have become evidence in court” – a phenomenon they say reflects growing repression against intellectuals in Egypt.

The case reveals the paradox of the presidential pardon committee established by Egyptian President al-Sisi in 2022, which previously used the release of political prisoners as a tool for public relations. But according to human rights organizations, more people are arrested than released, and the space for the opposition is only shrinking.