Russia and China block US call for immediate Gaza ceasefire at UN
Blinken is now talking about Israel's aim to ensure long-term security, which the US shares, as well as the "goal of defeating Hamas, which is responsible for the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust".
But, he warns, a major miliary ground operation in Rafah is not the way to do it.
"It risks killing more civilians, it risks wreaking greater havoc with the provision of humanitarian assistance.
"It risks further isolating Israel around the world and could jeopardise its long term security and standing."
Blinken is asked by a reporter for an update on ceasefire negotiations under way in Qatar.
He says while he can't give details, the US is "intensely engaged in them" and has teams in Doha.
Negotiators have "got it down to a few remaining gaps", he says, working with the Qataris, Egyptians and Israelis.
"The closer you get to the goal line, the harder that last yard is," Blinken adds.
But he says "we're determined to get there, determined to get people home".
Kenyan Del Monte farm seeks human rights manager after claims of violence
Exclusive: new role created after Guardian uncovered allegations against company’s security guards
A vast Del Monte pineapple farm in Kenya that supplies most British supermarkets is advertising for a human rights manager to address its “human rights challenges” in the wake of allegations of killings and violence by its security guards.
The job advert says the candidate will need to “develop a detailed action plan to address human rights challenges in the workplace and in surrounding communities”.
Investigations by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism have uncovered allegations of multiple deaths and violence linked to Del Monte’s guards.
Israel announces seizure of 800 hectares in West Bank
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared "state lands" near an illegal settlement. An Israeli settlement watchdog said it was the largest land seizure by Israel since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.
Israel said on Friday it had seized 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of land in the occupied West Bank.
Israel's extreme-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared "state lands" in the northern Jordan Valley, near the Israeli settlement of Yafit. Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are illegal under international law.
"While there are those in Israel and the world who seek to undermine our right over the Judea and Samaria area and the country in general, we are promoting settlement through hard work and in a strategic manner all over the country," Smotrich said on Friday, using a contentious name for the occupied West Bank.
Main Modi opponent Kejriwal challenges arrest ahead of India election
A top Indian opposition politician appeared in court Friday to fight his arrest in a case supporters say is aimed at sidelining challengers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before next month’s election.
Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of the capital Delhi and a key leader in an opposition alliance formed to compete against Modi in the polls, was detained on Thursday in connection with a long-running corruption probe.
He is among several leaders of the bloc under criminal investigation and one of his colleagues described his arrest as a “political conspiracy” orchestrated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Kejriwal was escorted into a courtroom in the capital by officers from the Enforcement Directorate, India’s main financial crimes agency, to petition for bail while the case proceeds.
Ohtani's 'perfect person' image could take a hit with firing of interpreter over gambling
Shohei Ohtani is referred to in Japan as “kanpeki no hito” — the perfect person — because of his manners and impeccable behavior.
That image may have taken a hit when the Dodgers fired his good friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara on Wednesday over allegations he gambled illegally and stole Ohtani’s money to pay off debts.
The law firm representing Ohtani called it a “massive theft” in a statement. The IRS on Thursday confirmed that Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation.
Netflix blockbuster ‘3 Body Problem’ divides opinion and sparks nationalist anger in China
A Netflix adaptation of wildly popular Chinese sci-fi novel “The Three-Body Problem” has split opinions in China and sparked online nationalist anger over scenes depicting a violent and tumultuous period in the country’s modern history.
Reactions have been mixed on Chinese social media since the Thursday premiere of the eight-part, English-language series “3 Body Problem,” which is based on the Hugo Award-winning novel by Liu Cixin, the country’s most celebrated sci-fi author.
Netflix is not available in China, but viewers can watch its content using virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass strict geo-restrictions — or by consuming pirated versions.
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