Sunday, March 31, 2024
Cracks in the US-Israel relationship are beginning to show
Cracks in the special US-Israel relationship cannot be hidden any longer – rifts are showing.
Chocolate prices soar this Easter | DW News
Anyone shopping for chocolate Easter eggs this year has probably noticed they're more expensive than ever. That's because the price of cocoa beans has soared to record highs. In West Africa, where most of the world's cocoa is grown, farmers have seen three years of bad harvests. That has some in the industry warning of a "chocolate meltdown".
Six In The Morning Sunday 31 March 2024
2 killed in Israeli strike on journalists’ tent
- Gaza’s Government Media Office says Israel committed “a new massacre by bombing the tents of journalists and displaced people inside the walls of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital”.
- Egypt’s Al Qahera News channel says negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza will resume in Cairo on Sunday.
- Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv denouncing the Netanyahu government and demanding an immediate deal for the release of captives.
- At least 32,782 Palestinians have been killed and 75,298 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The revised death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139, with dozens still held captive.
Three ships carrying 400 tonnes of food aid set sail from Cyprus to Gaza
The ships set sail earlier today, a World Central Kitchen (WCK) representative has said on board an accompanying boat.
Juan Camilo, travelling with the convoy from Larnaca in Cyprus to the WCK’s pier on the Gaza coastline, said the vessels contain a range of food including canned products, flour, rice and dates.
Camilo said the shipment, the second maritime aid shipment by the WCK to Gaza, is specifically aimed at helping the people living in northern Gaza.
The ships set sail earlier today, a World Central Kitchen (WCK) representative has said on board an accompanying boat.
Juan Camilo, travelling with the convoy from Larnaca in Cyprus to the WCK’s pier on the Gaza coastline, said the vessels contain a range of food including canned products, flour, rice and dates.
Camilo said the shipment, the second maritime aid shipment by the WCK to Gaza, is specifically aimed at helping the people living in northern Gaza.
India’s opposition protest against Modi’s ‘match-fixing’ before election
Parties unite at New Dehli rally to accuse PM of ‘tax terrorism’ and rigging the vote, after arrest of prominent leader
Indian opposition parties united on Sunday to protest against the arrest of a prominent leader weeks before a national election, accusing the prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his party of rigging the vote and harassing them with large tax demands.
“Narendra Modi is trying match-fixing in this election,” the leader of the opposition Congress party, Rahul Gandhi, told a rally in New Delhi, as the crowd chanted “shame”.
Turkey: Polls close in Erdogan's 'last election'
Analysts say local elections this Sunday are crucial for Turkey's opposition parties, which are under threat of being utterly sidelined by an increasingly authoritarian regime.
As millions of eligible voters headed to the polls to elect mayors in 81 Turkish cities and municipalities on March 31, it is a historic local election for one person in particular: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has spoken of his "last election" before handing over responsibility to the next generation.
Turkey's constitution obliges Erdogan to step down in four years due to term limits. But an Erdogan loyalist in the Turkish parliament, former Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag, has long teased a constitutional amendment that would allow the head of state to run for another term. And the president's ultranationalist ally Devlet Bahceli has publicly pleaded with Erdogan, telling him: "You cannot leave the Turkish nation alone!"
Grim Easter for Gaza's Christians as pilgrims shun Jerusalem
Christians celebrated a grim Easter in Gaza and Jerusalem Sunday, with the tiny Catholic community in the war-torn Palestinian territory holding their vigil service as fighting raged on outside.
Around 100 people gathered by candlelight on Saturday night at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City in the famine-threatened north to mark the resurrection, when Christians believe Christ rose from the dead.
The church is a short drive from Al-Shifa hospital where heavy combat has been raging for two weeks between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters.
The atmosphere in Jerusalem was equally heavy, with few people at the sacred sites which are usually crowded at Easter.
Even the main Catholic Easter Sunday service at the Holy Sepulchre Church -- built on what is said be the tomb of Jesus -- was not full.
Fan outcry over K-pop star's date highlights 'harsh' industry rules
By Claire LEE
Accused of "betraying" fans, subject to relentless online and real-world public abuse, K-pop star Karina recently issued a grovelling, handwritten apology. Her crime? Dating a South Korean actor.
Her plight mirrors that of many K-pop stars before her, experts say, such as late singer Sulli, who have bemoaned strict behavioural controls and being held to impossibly high standards, as record companies seek to sell fans the perfect idol.
Dating "ruined" her career, Karina's fans claimed, with one particularly enraged admirer sending a truck with an electronic billboard to her agency that read: "Do you not receive enough love from your fans?" and: "Apologize, or you'll see album sales decline and empty concert seats."
'Hands off Biden's pillowcases,' journalists stealing from Air Force One told
Journalists have been told to stop stealing souvenirs from US President Joe Biden's official aircraft.
An inventory check on Air Force One after Mr Biden's visit to the US west coast in February found several items were missing from its press section.
Branded pillowcases, glasses and gold-rimmed plates are among the items that have allegedly vanished from the jet.
The White House Correspondents' Association warned that taking items from the plane was forbidden.
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Report: US authorizes multi-billion dollar weapons package for Israel
The United States has authorized a multi-billion dollar weapons package for Israel, according to several media reports. The decision follows a visit by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to Washington this week.
Six In The Morning Saturday 30 March 2024
Israel admits killing 2 Palestinians and then burying them with a bulldozer after shocking video surfaces
From CNN's Tim Lister, Allegra Goodwin, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Abeer Salman, Alex Stambaugh and Paul P. Murphy
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has admitted killing two Palestinian men and burying their bodies with a bulldozer after Al Jazeera published a video purportedly showing the incident Wednesday.
The men approached its "operational area" in central Gaza “in a suspicious manner” and didn’t respond to a warning shot, the IDF said in a statement to CNN. The Israelis killed them and bulldozed their bodies fearing they carried explosives, it said.
What the video shows: In the video, which is filmed from a distance and has been heavily edited, two men are seen walking along a beach in Gaza, apart from one another; both appear to be waving white flags, to symbolize surrender, as they cautiously approach a group of Israeli soldiers. The video shows one man walking toward the soldiers with his hands in the air. He passes out of view behind some sand and concrete. It's not clear what happens to him next. The second man turns away from the soldiers. As he hurriedly walks away from the camera, he is seen being followed by an Israeli armored vehicle. Suddenly, he falls to the sand, apparently shot.
‘Death at any moment’: fights break out as Gazans compete over airdropped aid
Armed gangs take food and water from desperate locals, as critics say airdrops are dangerous and merely designed to divert public anger
Airdrops of humanitarian aid are leading to fatal fights in Gaza as the desperate and hungry battle to reach parachuted food and essentials, amid fears that little of the much-needed assistance is reaching those most threatened by a looming famine.
Eyewitness accounts, images and interviews with aid workers in Gaza suggest the high-profile airdrop operations are of limited help, and have contributed to growing anarchy there.
Yousef Abu Rabee, a strawberry farmer in northern Gaza before the conflict, said he had given up trying to reach aid drops to provide for his family after being shot at by unidentified armed men during a recent chaotic struggle around one parachuted pallet of assistance.
Netherlands: 'Last hostage released' in Ede, man arrested
Police say a man has been taken into custody and the last captive released after a hostage-taking in the town of Ede that lasted several hours. Authorities said there was no sign of terrorism as a motive.
A heavy police presence, including special units, deployed in central Ede in the Netherlands early on Saturday morning, amid a hostage situation initially involving "several people."
Police said at around 12:45 p.m. local time (1145 UTC/GMT), some five hours after their first communications on the issue, that a man had been arrested and that the "last hostage has been released," but that they could not immediately say more.
Marthyne Kunst, the head of the public prosecutor's office for East Netherlands, said in a press conference soon after the arrest that the suspect had a black rucksack and knives on his person which he had shown to the hostages. He claimed to have explosives as well.
Turkey poised for local elections as Erdogan's party eyes recapturing Istanbul
Bruised and fractured by Tayyip Erdogan's victory in 2023 general elections, Turkey's opposition aims to land a blow in Sunday's local polls, with the future of its biggest hope, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, tied to the outcome.
The nationwide municipal votes on March 31 could reinforce President Erdogan's control after two decades running Turkey, or signal change in the NATO member's deeply divided political landscape.
The results are likely to be shaped in part by economic woes driven by rampant inflation, and by Kurdish and Islamist voters weighing up the government's performance and their hopes for political change.
Opposition hopes of transformation were fuelled by local election results in 2019 when they defeated Erdogan's AK Party in the main two cities, Istanbul and Ankara, which had been run by the AKP and its Islamist predecessors for 25 years.
Kobayashi Pharma factory inspected over dietary supplement deaths, illnesses
The health ministry and local authorities on Saturday inspected a Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co factory in Osaka following reports of deaths and hospitalizations possibly linked to its red yeast rice dietary supplements.
The factory in western Japan, which was making the ingredients of the supplements, shut down in December. But the ministry and the local government decided to carry out an on-site inspection in light of the widening health problems regarding the Osaka-based company's products containing beni-koji red yeast rice.
The search of the Osaka factory took about four and a half hours. Kenji Yamashita, head of the company's production division, on Saturday apologized but declined to provide the details of the inspection.
Pouria Zeraati: TV station Iran International faced 'heavy threats' before stabbing
By Suzanne Leigh,BBC News
The stabbing of an Iranian TV news channel presenter follows "heavy threats" made to the London-based station, a spokesman has said.
Iran International presenter Pouria Zeraati, 36, is recovering in hospital after a group attacked him outside his home in Wimbledon, south London.
Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation, while the Iranian regime has denied any involvement.
A station spokesman said the Iranian regime had threatened its journalists.
London-based Iran International aims to provide independent coverage of events in the country, but the regime in Tehran has declared it a terrorist organisation.
Friday, March 29, 2024
Should under-14s be banned from Facebook, TikTok? | DW News
Tech Journalist Kara Swisher thinks so, and despite her opposition to Ron DeSantis, backs his Facebook ban for children under 14. We speak to her about what this could mean and how this impacts children.
Six In The Morning Friday 29 March 2024
Over 70 killed in a day in the besieged enclave
- Gaza’s Health Ministry says 71 Palestinians have been killed and 112 wounded over the latest 24-hour reporting period.
- At least 15 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a sports centre in Gaza City, while injuries were reported in the bombing of Saad bin Abi Waqqas Mosque in the Jabalia refugee camp.
- Caroline Gennez, Belgium’s minister of development cooperation and urban policy, says international pressure must be maintained on Israel and it “must stop starving civilians and children”.
- In a legally binding order, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has told Israel to take measures “without delay” to ensure “the unhindered provision” of basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.
- At least 32,623 Palestinians have been killed and 75,092 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attack stands at 1,139 with dozens still held captive.
Air raid hits vehicle in Gaza City, kills 8: Report
The air raid hit the car as it was travelling on Salah al-Din Street near Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood, according to Wafa.
The attack killed at least eight people, including two women and five children, and wounded dozens others, the news agency said.
The report came after the Gaza government media office said Israeli forces had bombed a police force and killed one of its officers in the same neighbourhood “in two separate crimes” that killed 17 people.
‘Children were dying. We didn’t even have aspirin’: the Indigenous Venezuelans forced far from home
by Paloma de Dinechin in Manaus
At 4pm, the sound of sirens is fading. On the pavement, a teenage girl – her eyes darting back and forth to monitor police presence – starts smoking crack. She is across the street from “Hotel 583”, a makeshift shelter in a dangerous part of downtown Manaus, the capital of Amazonas in Brazil.
On the second floor of the building, in the Cidade de Deus slum, 20 of the 27 Warao people who live here cram into a sweltering room measuring about 20 sq metres. Some sleep on the floor, while the more fortunate are in hammocks. The children’s stomachs are swollen, the effect of parasites, and their skin is covered in rashes.
The second-largest Indigenous community in Venezuela, with about 41,000 members, the Warao are increasingly making the dangerous trek to neighbouring Brazil, fleeing famine and their own country’s economic and political crisis.
Tajikistan detains 9 over Moscow concert hall attack
The detainees are believed to be accomplices of the men charged for the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall. They are the latest Tajik citizens detained for the attack claimed by ISIS-K.
Tajikistan arrested nine people in connection with last week's attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue on the outskirts of Moscow, in which at least 143 people were killed.
The state security committee detained them on Monday in the city of Vakhdat, a source told Reuters news agency.
The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, citing an unnamed source, reported that Russian security forces were also involved in the operation to detain the suspects.
Palestinians fear further isolation as Israeli minister announces vast West Bank settlement plans
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has announced a plan to seize 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, the largest land seizure since the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israeli and Palestinian authorities according to NGO Peace Now. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris Trent and Claire Duhamel explored the roads around Jerusalem, some of which are included in the planned seizure, and spoke with a Palestinian land planning engineer who said Smotrich's plan is aimed at "increasing control" in the territory.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
By YURI KAGEYAMA
“Oppenheimer” finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.
Toshiyuki Mimaki, who survived the bombing of Hiroshima when he was 3, said he has been fascinated by the story of J Robert Oppenheimer, often called “the father of the atomic bomb” for leading the Manhattan Project.
“What were the Japanese thinking, carrying out the attack on Pearl Harbor, starting a war they could never hope to win,” he said, sadness in his voice, in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
Russia’s security services knew of ISIS threat before concert attack, new evidence from investigative body suggests
The Kremlin’s security services were aware of an ISIS threat days before a deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow, Russian intelligence documents obtained by a UK-based investigative organization suggest.
According to the London-based Dossier Center, the documents showed ethnic Tajiks radicalized by ISIS-K – the Central Asian offshoot of the terror group ISIS – could have been involved.
At least 143 people were killed last Friday in the deadliest attack on Russia in decades, when assailants stormed Crocus City Hall with guns and incendiary devices, just before a concert was to be held.
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