Israel approves death penalty for October 7 attackers

This episode of the Global News Podcast covers a range of international developments, beginning with Israel's passage of a law allowing the death penalty for those involved in the October 7th attacks, a move backed by overwhelming parliamentary support but criticized by human rights groups for potential unfair trials and confessions obtained under torture. The episode also examines the EU's new sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of violent colonization in the West Bank, illustrated through harrowing stories from Nablus and Jenin, including the killing of a father-to-be and the desecration of a Palestinian elder’s grave. In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces mounting pressure to resign following Labour Party losses, with over 60 MPs calling for his departure, though he remains defiant. Meanwhile, Afghanistan grapples with the aftermath of a deadly Pakistani airstrike on a Kabul rehabilitation center, killing at least 269 people—many of them drug users—sparking outrage and accusations of war crimes. In the Philippines, Senator Ronald De La Rosa seeks refuge in parliament to avoid arrest over his alleged role in Duterte’s war on drugs, challenging the jurisdiction of the ICC. The episode concludes with a lighter note on new research suggesting that engaging in the arts may slow biological aging, comparable to the benefits of physical activity.