GLOBAL TODAY

Category: NEWS

  • US deflects questions on Israeli killings of journalists in Gaza, blames Hamas

    US State Department press briefing with Spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

    WASHINGTON – The US State Department on Monday deflected questions about the killings of two journalists in Israeli attacks on Gaza, including Al Jazeera’s Hossam Shabat, placing blame on Hamas.

    “I would say that every single thing that’s happening is a result of Hamas and its choices to drag that region down into a level of suffering that has been excruciating and has caused innumerable deaths,” Tammy Bruce told reporters during a press briefing.

    Bruce further reiterated US support for Israel, stating that Washington stands by Israel’s “needs as it defends itself.”

    She framed Hamas as an entity that has “destroyed lives for generations and continues to.”

    Pressed on whether the killing of journalists could be considered a war crime, Bruce declined to provide a direct answer, instead attributed responsibility for all events in Gaza to Hamas.

    “I’m not going to stand here and declare what’s a war crime and what isn’t,” she said. “But what we do know is a crime is the mass slaughter of any individuals, certainly the targeting of people simply because of who they are.”

    Two more Palestinian journalists were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, raising the overall death toll since October 2023 to 208, local authorities said on Monday.

    Gaza’s government media office said Hossam Shabat, a correspondent for Qatar-based Al Jazeera Mubasher channel, was killed in an Israeli strike in northern Gaza.

    Mohammed Mansour, a reporter for Palestine Today TV, was also killed in another airstrike that struck his apartment in the southern city of Khan Younis. His wife and child were also killed in the attack, the broadcaster confirmed in a statement.

    The media office held Israel, the US, and their allies, including the UK, Germany, and France, fully responsible for what it described as “a brutal crime.”

    More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza which began in October 2023 following a Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel.

    Less than 1,200 people were killed Oct. 7 in Israel, and hundreds were taken to Gaza as hostages.

    The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

    Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

    ANADOLU, 24.3.2025

  • Humanitarian aid cuts could cause more children to die: UN

    Amani Abu Aker holds the body of her two-year-old niece Salma, killed during an Israeli army strike, before their burial at the Baptist hospital in Gaza City, Monday March 24, 2025. (AP)

    UNITED NATIONS, United States – Cuts in international aid could bring an end to decades of progress in fighting child mortality, and even reverse the trend, the United Nations warned Monday.

    Although the annual report from UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank does not single out the United States, it comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has axed the vast majority of the programs carried out by USAID, America’s main overseas aid agency with a former annual budget of $42.8 billion.

    “The global health community cannot be worried enough at the situation that we are seeing,” Fouzia Shafique, UNICEF’s Associate Director of Health, told AFP.

    The report warns the consequences of aid money cuts will be the worst in countries where infant mortality rates are already the highest, such as in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia.

    “Simply put, if support for life-saving services is not sustained, many countries can expect a resurgence of newborn and child deaths,” the report said.

    In 2023, mortality of children under age five continued to drop, with 4.8 million deaths recorded, including 2.3 million newborn babies under a month old, according to the report.

    The number of such deaths fell below five million for the first time in 2022, and the new record low marks a 52 percent decline since 2000.

    But Shafique insisted that “4.8 million is 4.8 million too many.”
    Since 2015, progress in fighting child mortality has slowed as aid money was redirected toward fighting Covid — and this could be just the start of a dangerous pattern.

    “Bringing preventable child deaths to a record low is a remarkable achievement. But without the right policy choices and adequate investment, we risk reversing these hard-earned gains,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said in a statement.

    “We cannot allow that to happen,” she added.

    Some negative impacts of the funding cuts are being felt already, such as health care worker shortages, clinic closures, vaccination program disruptions, and a lack of essential supplies, such as malaria treatments.

    Ethiopia, for instance, is enduring a big increase in malaria cases, said Shafique.

    But the country is facing an acute shortage of diagnostic tests, insecticide-treated nets for beds and funding for spraying campaigns against disease-carrying mosquitos.

    A separate report by the same organizations found a stubbornly high number of stillbirths — babies who die after 28 weeks of pregnancy, before or during childbirth — with a total of around 1.9 million such deaths in 2023.

    “Every day, more than 5,000 women around the world endure the heartbreaking experience of stillbirth,” the second report states.

    With proper care during pregnancy and childbirth, many of these deaths could be averted, as could the premature births of fragile babies.

    And deaths of small children could also be largely avoided by fighting preventable diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhea.

    “From tackling malaria to preventing stillbirths and ensuring evidence-based care for the tiniest babies, we can make a difference for millions of families,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

    AN-AFP

  • US airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels kill at least 2 people, group says

    People look at the site of a U.S. strike in Sanaa, Yemen March 24, 2025. (REUTERS)

    DUBAI, UAE – US airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels pounded sites across the country into early Tuesday, with the group saying one attack in the capital killed at least two people and wounded more than a dozen others.

    The American strikes on the rebels, who threaten maritime trade and Israel, entered their 10th day without any sign of stopping.

    They are part of a campaign by US President Donald Trump targeting the rebel group while also trying to pressure Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor.

    So far, the US has not offered any specifics on the sites it is striking, though Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz claimed the attacks have “taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer.”

    That’s something so far that’s not been acknowledged by the Houthis, though the rebels have downplayed their losses in the past and exaggerated their attacks attempting to target American warships.

    “We’ve hit their headquarters,” Waltz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

    “We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities.”

    An apparent US strike Sunday hit a building in a western neighborhood of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, killing at least two people and wounding 13 others, the rebel-controlled SABA news agency said, citing health officials.

    Footage released by the rebels showed the rubble of a collapsed building and pools of blood staining the gray dust covering the ground.

    A building next to the collapsed structure still stood, suggesting American forces likely used a lower-yield warhead in the strike.

    The Houthis also described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government.

    Those strikes continued into early Tuesday as the Houthis separately launched a missile attack on Israel.

    The campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip.

    The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.

    The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year.

    They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.

    AN-AP

  • Magnitude 6.7 quake shakes New Zealand’s South Island

    WELLINGTON – A strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island on Tuesday, authorities said, as the country’s disaster agency assessed if there were any tsunami threats.

    Residents of the Southland and Fiordland regions should stay away from beaches and marine areas as strong and unusual currents may present a danger, the National Emergency Management Agency said.

    More than 4,700 people felt the quake, government seismic monitor Geonet said, as New Zealand media reported items falling and buildings swaying.

    “We had things fall off shelf. The outdoor wooden table dancing,” a user posted on Facebook, according to the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

    The quake was reported at a depth of 33 km (21 miles) about 160 km north-west of Snares Islands, the northernmost of New Zealand’s sub-antarctic islands, Geonet said in an alert.

    The United States Geological Survey said the quake, which was downgraded from an earlier magnitude of 7, happened at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles).
    Australia’s national weather bureau said there was no tsunami threat to the mainland, islands or territories.

    New Zealand lies on the seismically active “Ring of Fire”, a 40,000-km arc of volcanoes and ocean trenches girdling much of the Pacific Ocean.

    REUTERS

  • 90 Bolivian municipalities declare disaster due to heavy rains

    LA PAZ – The number of municipalities declared in disaster situation due to intense rains in Bolivia increased to 90, Deputy Minister of Civil Defense Juan Carlos Calvimontes said Monday.

    “There are no longer 81 municipalities declared in disaster, now there are 90 municipalities declared in disaster and 19 municipalities declared in a municipal emergency,” Calvimontes said at a press conference, specifying that the number of affected families also rose to 368,707.

    According to the Bolivian authorities, the most affected regions are La Paz (west), Santa Cruz (east), and Cochabamba (center), where rainfall has caused floods, landslides and damage to infrastructure.

    “Of the 50 deaths recorded so far, 18 belong to Cochabamba, the second hardest hit department after La Paz,” the official added.

    The Bolivian government has deployed heavy machinery to dredge rivers and distribute construction materials to reinforce retaining walls.

    The National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a red alert for the sudden progressive increase in river levels in seven of the country’s nine departments, which will remain in force until April 5.

    XINHUA

  • Egypt condemns Israel’s establishment of “agency” to displace Gaza population

    CAIRO – Egypt strongly condemned on Monday Israel’s establishment of an agency aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, and its approval of 13 new settlements in the West Bank.

    In a statement released by the Foreign Ministry, Egypt said that the so-called “voluntary departure,” which Israel claims this agency targets, lacks any basis.

    “The departure occurring under bombardment and war, and under policies that prevent humanitarian aid and use starvation as a weapon, constitutes forced displacement, a crime, and a violation under international law and international humanitarian law,” read the statement.

    Egypt called on the international community and the UN Security Council to adopt a firm stance against these ongoing Israeli violations and provocations.

    It highlighted the Palestinian right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

    On Sunday, the Israeli Defense Ministry said that Israel’s Security Cabinet has approved the establishment of a new directorate to coordinate the “voluntary relocation” of Palestinians from Gaza to third countries.

    The directorate, which will operate under the Defense Ministry, will oversee the “voluntary departure” of Gaza residents who “express interest” in relocating, according to the Defense Ministry.

    The ministry did not name any third countries or confirm whether any have agreed to accept potential refugees.

    In February, U.S. President Donald Trump presented a plan to transfer Gaza’s Palestinian population to neighboring countries, as part of a broader vision to rebuild the war-torn enclave as a “Riviera.” He later backtracked on the plan following international condemnations.

    The establishment of the new agency came as Israeli forces resumed air and ground offensive across Gaza, effectively ending a two-month ceasefire. Thousands of Palestinians have been displaced again as bombardments intensify.

    XINHUA

  • EU supports plan to rebuild Gaza under Palestinian Authority: top diplomat

    RAMALLAH – Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s (EU) high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said here Monday that the EU supports the Gaza reconstruction plan approved by an emergency Arab summit earlier this month.

    During a press conference after her meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, Kallas said that she “discussed with the prime minister the Arab plan for Gaza, which the EU strongly supports,” and that the EU “will have a role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.”

    The EU believes that “the Palestinian Authority should govern Gaza,” and will “provide support to the Palestinian government to assist it in assuming its duties in the Strip,” Kallas said.

    “The EU’s relationship with Palestine is growing stronger, and in less than a month, a high-level political dialogue will be held in Brussels for the first time with Palestine, which will be an important basis for strengthening cooperation on multiple levels for years to come,” she said.

    Kallas also condemned Israeli actions in the West Bank, saying they “are destroying the two-state solution, which is the only path to sustainable peace.”

    Mustafa described Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza as “grave violations of international law and the rights of the Palestinian people,” and urged continued international pressure on Israel to end its assault, while ensuring accountability for its actions.

    He also called for support from the EU to rebuild Gaza.

    Also on Monday, Kallas met separately with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, during which Abbas stressed the need to open the border crossings to allow the urgent entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, to ensure that the State of Palestine assumes its full responsibilities in the enclave, and to secure a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Strip, Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

    Since March 2, Israel has cut off the entry of all lifesaving supplies, including food, medicines, fuel, and cooking gas, into Gaza. It has also cut power to southern Gaza’s desalination plant, limiting access to clean water for some 600,000 people.

    On March 18, Israel resumed strikes in Gaza after its ceasefire deal with Hamas that began on Jan. 19 unraveled. Israeli troops later launched ground operations in southern, northern, and central Gaza.

    According to Gaza-based health authorities, the death toll from the renewed Israeli assault on the enclave has topped 730.

    XINHUA

  • Chile battles 27 fires as 7,800 hectares razed

    SANTIAGO – Southern Chile is battling 27 fires that have burnt approximately 7,821 hectares of land, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said Monday.

    Government employees in various branches have been deployed to affected areas to help local communities fighting fires, he said.

    “Yesterday, several fires broke out in the Biobio and Araucanía regions, and therefore the SAE (Emergency Alert System) evacuation warnings were activated, and we currently have approximately 100 people in shelters,” the Chilean president said at a press conference.

    Boric said he dispatched personnel from across the government to areas hit by fire to accompany “those affected and their families.”

    As many as 34 fires around the country have already been brought under control, he said.

    “We’ve had a season with many fires … that we have managed to control in a timely manner for the most part,” he added.

    Between the Biobio and Araucanía regions, in the southern part of the South American country, fires have razed a total of 7,821 hectares, according to figures from the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf).

    The largest fires have broken out in the commune of Traiguen, where about 2,000 hectares were burnt, followed by Galvarino, with 1,136 hectares destroyed, and Padre Las Casas, where 1,039 hectares were lost. All are located more than 650 kilometers south of the country’s capital Santiago.

    XINHUA

  • Saudi Arabia condemns new Israeli agency for displacing Palestinians from Gaza Strip

    Palestinian families leave the eastern sector of the Gaza Strip on the border with Israel following Israeli airstrikes that targeted northern and other parts of Gaza, Mar. 18, 2025. (AFP)

    RIYADH – Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Israel’s recognition of illegal settlements in the Occupied West Bank and the establishment of an agency aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip on Monday.

    The ministry said it categorically rejects Israeli violations of international and humanitarian laws in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

    “(Saudi Arabia condemns) Israeli occupation authorities’ announcement of the establishment of an agency aimed at displacing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip,” the ministry said in a statement.

    Israel said it is creating a government agency to oversee the “voluntary departure” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip following approval from the Israeli security cabinet over the weekend.

    Since late 2023, at least 50,000 people have been killed during the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip, and almost 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza are now internally displaced.

    Israel’s new agency will be tasked with relocating Palestinians to unspecified third countries under the supervision of the Ministry of Defence.

    On Monday, Saudi Arabia also condemned the approval of 13 illegal settler outposts in the West Bank over the weekend. The Saudi ministry said that the decision was made “in preparation for their legalization as colonial settlements.”

    It added that lasting peace can only be achieved if the Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights and establish an independent state on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

    AN, 24.3.2025

  • One killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli strike: state media

    One person was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon late Monday, after a wave of intensive air attacks in the region over the weekend, state media reported. (AFP/File)

    BEIRUT, Lebanon – One person was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon late Monday, after a wave of intensive air attacks in the region over the weekend, state media reported.

    “A raid by an enemy Israeli drone on a vehicle in the area of Qaqaiyat Al-Jisr left one dead,” the National News Agency (ANI) said, attributing the toll to the Lebanese health ministry.

    Israel launched air strikes on southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing eight people, in response to rocket fire that hit its territory for the first time since a ceasefire took effect on November 27.

    No party has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, which a military source said was launched from an area north of the Litani River, between the villages of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun, near the zone covered by the ceasefire agreement.

    The agreement stipulates that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers may be deployed south of the Litani River, with Hezbollah required to dismantle its infrastructure and withdraw north of the river.

    But the war has severely weakened Hezbollah, which remains a target of Israeli air strikes despite the ceasefire.

    Over the weekend Lebanese officials held discussions with Washington and Paris to prevent Israel from bombing Beirut, a source told AFP on Monday on condition of anonymity.

    Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday that following rocket fire on Metula, a town in northern Israel, “Metula’s fate is the same as Beirut’s.”

    AN-AFP