‘No Other Land’ was co-directed by Palestinian Basel Adra and Israeli Yuval Abraham. Five years of recording Israeli aggression and occupation in a Palestinian community in the occupied West Bank form the foundation of a multi-award-winning documentary that is now looking to the Oscars. Its creators hope international recognition can help push for change in Palestine.

Palestinian Basel Adra and Israeli Yuval Abraham are the directors of No Other Land, a story that chronicles the impunity of Israeli military crimes against Palestinian villages in Masafer Yatta, located south of Hebron. The film depicts bulldozers demolishing schools and homes, settlers cutting water pipelines, and soldiers threatening and shooting at those defending their land.

This community began documenting Israeli aggression more than twenty years ago, back when Adra was just a child. As he took on the role behind the camera, the documentation became more consistent, with a clearer intent to expose the reality in real-time. “Back then, I had a lot of faith in the work we were doing—documenting and publishing—and I believed that once it went viral, things would change. That people would act, that governments wouldn’t stay silent,” Adra recalls.

However, over time, global inaction has eroded Adra’s hope and enthusiasm. He is now convinced that “the West does not want the genocide in Gaza or the occupation in the West Bank to end.” “Social media is full of videos of Israeli soldiers filming themselves committing crimes. No one is doing anything, no one pays the price for these crimes, there are no consequences,” he states.

“I’ll be honest: it’s very hard to find hope. We’re living through very dark times,” the Palestinian summarizes, though he remains convinced that “there are many things that could be done to stop this, to force a ceasefire, and to end the occupation.”

The lack of international response and the resulting despair have not stopped them from documenting and exposing the situation. “It’s very hard to simply decide to stop,” Adra says, aware of the importance of standing by his community and recognizing that it might be the only contribution people like him, who lack “real power,” can make to try to change things. “If change happens, it won’t be because of a film or a single person. It will come from a collective effort,” Abraham admits. “That’s why we keep fighting—because we believe that one day we will see change. And I hope I live to see it,” he adds.

However, both directors acknowledge that real change requires a shift in Western foreign policy. “Unfortunately, the people who have power are not willing to use it to stop what is happening,” Adra laments. “If there isn’t a significant shift in Europe’s and the United States’ foreign policy, there won’t be any internal change in Israel,” Abraham concludes.

“There’s no interest in finding a solution,” the Palestinian continues, arguing that “there are steps that could be taken, such as recognizing the Palestinian state.” Spain and other European countries recently made this recognition—a small but potentially meaningful step if followed by others. Abraham suggests additional measures, such as sanctioning settlements, something that would create real pressure. “If [Israelis] don’t pay a price for continuing the occupation, the likelihood of change is low,” he asserts.

No Other Land, recently awarded Best Documentary at the European Film Awards and a winner at the 74th Berlinale, is a film that does not shy away from activism, addressing a reality it describes as “so unjust and asymmetrical.” “The main reason for making this film was to shed light on this community, and I think the recognition the film is receiving is a way to give the community the platform it truly deserves,” Abraham notes.

The documentary is among the frontrunners for an Oscar nomination and is a strong contender for the coveted award. Such recognition would allow the directors to achieve another goal: reaching the widest possible audience and exerting international pressure. “I hope that by watching No Other Land, there will be some kind of push, some kind of energy in the world that eventually leads to change and international pressure,” expresses the Israeli director.

Despite recent government announcements declaring an end to nationwide power cuts, the Ecuadorian government has announced a new 15-day industrial power outage, scheduled from December 15th to 30th. The move is expected to significantly impact seven major industries and cause substantial economic losses.

Energy and Mines Minister Inés Manzano confirmed the outage, specifying that it will affect four companies in the high-voltage group AV4 – two mining companies and two steel mills directly connected to transmission lines – along with three cement companies in the AV1 group. Other industries will continue to experience the rotating power cuts they have already faced. Minister Manzano stated that these affected companies represent approximately 5% of the national energy demand.

Francisco Jarrín, president of the Guayaquil Chamber of Industries, emphasized the broader impact of the outage, stating that “the effect is felt throughout the entire production chain that receives or demands products from these companies; they are not isolated. It should not be seen as an impact only on a few companies.”

The impact on employment and the economy is significant. María Paz Jervis, president of the Ecuadorian Business Committee, estimates that 5,500 workers will be affected by the complete shutdown of AV1 and AV2 industrial groups. She projected potential economic losses of around $100 million.

This announcement comes after the industrial sector already experienced a 3% decline due to previous power cuts. The conflicting messaging from the government regarding power stability has raised serious concerns among industrial leaders and the wider business community. The timing of the outage, just before the end of the year, further exacerbates the negative economic consequences.

He replaces pro-European opposition leader Salome Zurabishvili, who refuses to vacate her position. On Saturday, the Central Election Commission announced that Mijail Kavelashvili, of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was elected president of the country during a parliamentary vote boycotted by the opposition.

Kavelashvili, who received the support of 224 out of 300 national and municipal deputies convened for the vote, replaces pro-European opposition leader Salome Zurabishvili. Zurabishvili refuses to vacate her position, claiming that the legislature resulting from the October parliamentary elections lacks legitimacy.

As the sole candidate in the election, Kavelashvili becomes the sixth president in the country’s history since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. A former ruling party deputy since 2016, he also had a distinguished soccer career, including playing for Manchester City. Born in 1971, Kavelashvili is the founder of The Strength of the People, a movement that promoted laws against foreign influence and sexual minorities, which were criticized by the opposition for their similarity to regulations enacted in Russia.

The opposition, which has been holding daily protests in Tbilisi since the government froze negotiations to join the European Union on Nov. 28, gathered early in the morning outside the Parliament building.

“Slaves” and “Russians” were some of the slogans chanted by activists, who consider it an “insult” that the new head of state lacks higher education. To prevent incidents, police have closed off nearby streets used by lawmakers to access the legislature and have deployed water cannon trucks in the area.

The authorities altered the presidential election mechanism for this vote. For the first time, the president was not chosen by universal suffrage but through a collegiate vote involving 150 parliamentary deputies and 150 municipal delegates. In addition to the parliamentary deputies—89 of whom belong to Georgian Dream—the electorate included 21 deputies from the Parliament of the Autonomous Region of Adjara, 20 representatives from the Supreme Council of Abkhazia in exile, and 109 municipal delegates.

Last night, Zurabishvili, president since 2018, reiterated that she would not relinquish the presidency. She called the election a “constitutional farce” and urged continued protests. According to the opposition leader, who deems Georgian Dream’s victory in the October legislative elections fraudulent, the country currently lacks a legitimate Parliament, and “an illegitimate Parliament cannot elect a new president.”

Honduran President Xiomara Castro celebrated a historic decrease in the country’s homicide rate on Friday, attributing the decline to her government’s comprehensive crime-fighting strategies. The announcement came during a ceremony honoring police officers for their contributions to national security.

“My government and the National Council of Defense and Security approved the National Plan for Crime Solution, and today I want to congratulate the Minister of Security and the National Police for achieving a historic decrease in homicide rates in Honduras,” President Castro stated.

The president’s comments followed a ceremony promoting 254 police officers and recognizing others for their achievements in combating crime. She praised the National Police and Armed Forces for delivering “decisive blows” against drug trafficking, highlighting significant seizures of narcotics and the destruction of drug plantations and labs. This, she claimed, represents a substantial improvement over the previous administration’s handling of the issue.

Security Minister Héctor Gustavo Sánchez echoed the president’s sentiments, emphasizing progress in combating organized crime, gangs (maras), and drug trafficking. He reported that Honduras is on track to end the year with the lowest homicide rate in two decades, representing a reduction of nearly eight points in the homicide rate.

He further noted that 65 of the country’s 298 municipalities (22%) have reported no violent incidents. Minister Sánchez also highlighted a 46% decrease in femicides, attributed to a comprehensive prevention and control strategy. He cited impressive figures including over 26 tons of cocaine seized, more than 11 million coca plants destroyed, and over 15,000 firearms removed from circulation.

These figures align with data released earlier this week by the Violence Observatory of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH). The Observatory projects a homicide rate of 27 per 100,000 inhabitants for 2024, a significant drop from 34.5 in 2023. They also anticipate a femicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 women, a 3.8-point decrease from the previous year. The significant reductions in both homicide and femicide rates represent a major success for the Castro administration’s security initiatives.

"This test builds on several flight tests in which the Common Hypersonic Glide Body achieved hypersonic speed at target distances and demonstrates that we can put this capability in the hands of the warfighter," said Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.

This is the second successful end-to-end flight test of the All Up Round (AUR) this year and was the first live-fire event for the Long-Range Hypersonic Weapon system using a Battery Operations Center and a Transporter Erector Launcher.

"This test marks an important milestone in the development of one of our most advanced weapons systems. As we approach the first delivery of this capability to our Army partners, we will continue to press forward to integrate Conventional Prompt Strike into our Navy surface and subsurface ships to help ensure we remain the world's preeminent fighting force," said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.

Information gathered from this test will support the first Army Operational Deployment of the common hypersonic AUR, as well as a Navy sea-based fielding.

"This test is a demonstration of the successful Navy and Army partnership that has allowed us to develop a transformational hypersonic weapon system that will deliver unmatched capability to meet joint warfighting needs," said Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe Jr, Director, Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, which is the lead designer of the common hypersonic missile.

The Services common hypersonic AUR supports the National Defense Strategy and will provide combatant commanders with diverse capabilities to sustain and strengthen integrated deterrence and to build enduring advantages for the Joint Force.

Hypersonic systems – capable of flying at speeds greater than five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) –provide a combination of speed, range, maneuverability, and altitude that enables highly survivable and rapid defeat of time-critical and heavily-defended targets.

"The responsiveness, maneuverability and survivability of hypersonic weapons is unmatched by traditional strike capabilities for precision targeting, especially in anti-access/area denial environments," said Lt. Gen. Robert A. Rasch, Director of Hypersonics, Directed Energy, Space and Rapid Acquisitions for RCCTO.

The U.S. Army RCCTO and U.S. Navy SSP programs are partnered to rapidly field land and sea variants of a hypersonic weapon system that will meet critical joint warfighting needs. The use of a common hypersonic missile and joint test opportunities allow the Services to pursue a more aggressive timeline for delivery and realize cost savings. The collaboration between RCCTO and SSP enables the Services to stay ahead of emerging threats and maintain a decisive advantage on the battlefield.