Wednesday, October 30, 2024

Six In The Morning Wednesday 30 October 2024

 

Politics and starvation: Gaza learns of Israel’s decision to ban UNRWA

Refugees and the displaced are grappling with the Israeli decision to cut an essential lifeline.

Until this morning, 38-year-old Hussam Abu Ghaban had not heard of the Israeli Knesset’s decision to ban the UN agency responsible for his family’s welfare.

Now, with the Israeli Knesset passing two bills banning the agency from Israel and choking off its ability to work in Gaza, the family does not know what to do.

Someone in the nearby camp operated by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had mentioned it, but Abu Ghaban had not known about what turned out to be an overwhelming Knesset vote in favour of the ban despite international outrage.


Nobel and Pulitzer winners denounce ‘dangerous’ Israel cultural boycott

More than 1,000 well-known figures sign open letter in response to authors pledging to boycott Israeli cultural institutions over Gaza

 Arts and culture correspondent
Wed 30 Oct 2024 15.00 GMT

More than 1,000 figures from the literary and entertainment industry – including several Nobel laureates, Pulitzer prize, and Booker prize winners – have signed an open letter against “illiberal and dangerous” cultural boycotts.

The letter was released by the non-profit body Creative Community For Peace [CCFP], which campaigns against cultural boycotts of Israel, after more than 1,000 book industry figures pledged to boycott Israeli cultural institutions that “are complicit or have remained silent observers of the overwhelming oppression of Palestinians”.


Top Modi minister ordered attacks on Sikh separatists in Canada, official says

Deputy foreign minister David Morrison confirms home minister Amit Shah as ‘senior official in India who authorised attacks on Sikh separatists’ in Canada

Arpan Rai

Wednesday 30 October 2024 11:25 GMT

India’s home minister Amit Shah sanctioned a wave a violence targeting Sikh separatists across Canada, a senior official in the North American country said.

Mr Shah, prime minister Narendra Modi’s chief lieutenant, was identified by Canadian security agencies as the “senior official in India” who “authorised the intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in the country, The Washington Post reported earlier this month based on information supplied by a Canadian source.

Spain floods: Valencia death toll mounts as EU offers help

Dozens have been killed in flash flooding in Spain, with the Valencia region particularly hard-hit. The number is expected to rise further, as rescuers scramble to reach stranded survivors.

'The Cold Drop' — A seasonal event

Wednesday's extreme rainfall appears to have been a particularly strong manifestation of a phenomenon common in the Mediterranean, especially in Spain.

Known "La Gota Fria" (The Cold Drop) it involves the formation of isolated, cold air pockets at high altitudes coming from the north. These clash with warmer, humid air over the sea and coast — the mix of cold and moisture causing sudden precipitation.

Chad urges international community to boost support after Boko Haram attack

After Chadian president Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno on Monday sent security forces in pursuit of the Boko Haram jihadists behind Sunday's attack that killed 40 Chadian soldiers, the landlocked country's government appealed for the international community to "intensify" its support for counter-terrorism measures in the Sahel region.

Chad on Tuesday urged the international community to step up support for counter-terrorism efforts in the Sahel, after Boko Haram jihadists killed around 40 Chadian troops in a surprise attack. 

The jihadist group late on Sunday targeted a military garrison in the Lake Chad region, an area plagued by various armed groups, in an offensive that killed some 40 "brave Chadian soldiers", the government said in a statement published by spokesman Abderaman Koulamallah on Tuesday.

How X users can earn thousands from US election misinformation and AI images

Marianna Spring

Social media investigations correspondent

Some users on X who spend their days sharing content that includes election misinformation, AI-generated images and unfounded conspiracy theories say they are being paid "thousands of dollars" by the social media site.


The BBC identified networks of dozens of accounts that re-share each other's content multiple times a day - including a mix of true, unfounded, false and faked material - to boost their reach, and therefore, revenue on the site.


Several say earnings from their own and other accounts range from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars.





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