Gaza situation dire, UN says, as Israeli military admits security failures
Summary
- The situation in Gaza is "dire", says the UN's World Food Programme - which has warned that food and water are running out during an Israeli siege
- Earlier, Israel said the siege of Gaza would not end until Israeli hostages were released; the Palestinian enclave is currently reliant on generators after its only power station ran out of fuel
- At least 150 hostages were taken into Gaza during Hamas's deadly attacks on Israel at the weekend that killed 1,300 people
- Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken vowed unending US support for Israel during a visit to the country
- He added that how Israel defended itself "matters" and "it is so important to take every possible precaution to avoid harming civilians"
- More than 1,400 have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes
Philip Morris lobbying to stop WHO ‘attack’ on vapes and similar products
Exclusive: Leaked email shows firm behind Marlboro cigarettes critical of global ‘prohibitionist’ agenda
Philip Morris International (PMI), the tobacco and vaping company behind Marlboro cigarettes, is waging a big lobbying campaign to prevent countries from cracking down on vapes and similar products as part of a global treaty, a leaked email reveals.
The company, which has been increasingly focusing on smoke-free products as governments tighten regulations on cigarettes, made $10.19bn (£8.3bn) in revenues from products such as heated tobacco and electronic cigarettes in 2022.
Argentina: Presidential front-runner charged over peso panic
Argentina's struggling currency has gone into a tailspin since the election front-runner said it was worthless, vowing to make the economy dollar-driven. Now the president has laid criminal charges against Javier Milei.
The temperature rose in Argentina's already-heated election campaign on Wednesday, as the outgoing president laid criminal charges against the current favorite to take over as leader at the polls this month.
President Alberto Fernandez said he had reported populist candidate Javier Milei for "public intimidation" after his potential successor said on Monday that the Argentine peso "isn't worth excrement."
Milei, meanwhile, retorted that Fernandez and the ruling party were "dirtying the electoral process."
Armenia, Azerbaijan trade barbs at World Court over 'ethnic cleansing'
Foes Armenia and Azerbaijan crossed swords at the UN's top court Thursday, as Yerevan accused Baku of "ethnic cleansing" in Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking a furious response from the Azerbaijani side over the "unfounded" charges.
The clash at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) came only weeks after Azerbaijan's lightning offensive to take control of the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in three decades.
The one-day operation sparked a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians, with the vast majority of the estimated 120,000 who had been living in the territory fleeing into Armenia.
"Despite comprising for millennia the great majority of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, almost no ethnic Armenians remain in Nagorno-Karabakh today," said Armenia's ICJ representative Yeghishe Kirakosyan.
"If this is not ethnic cleansing, I do not know what is."
Responding for Azerbaijan, representative Elnur Mammadov said Armenia had repeated its accusations of ethnic cleansing so often that the claims "have taken on a life of their own."
Japan decides to strip Unification Church's religious corporation status
The Japanese government decided Thursday to seek a court order to dissolve the Unification Church after a nearly yearlong probe into the controversial group over its history of coercing members into making large donations, culture minister Masahito Moriyama said.
With the order, the church will be stripped of its religious corporation status and associated tax benefits, but can continue to exist as a group and conduct activities in Japan.
The government has judged the church has engaged in financially damaging donation solicitation, Moriyama told reporters, adding the group has been ordered by the courts to pay as much as 20 billion yen in compensation to around 1,550 victims.
Under Israeli bombs, Gaza’s Palestinians worry they may die of hunger
‘Is there enough food for the day? Can we drink or wash? Will we be able to reach our loved ones?’ Palestinians in Gaza wonder every day.
In the mornings that we are lucky enough to wake up after another night of Israel’s bombardment, we look at one another as if to make sure we are there.
Then, we start our grim tally: Who lost a friend? Who lost their family? Who lost their home?
We reminisce about the beautiful places we’ve been in the Gaza Strip, where the sand meets the foaming sea. We replay our memories, trying to hold on to them in hopes that one day we will live them again.
No comments:
Post a Comment