The Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, said that Israel was about to approve a plan to help Palestinian relatives of Canadians leave the Gaza Strip. But then Israel invaded the town of Rafah, and the plan was put on hold.
“On Monday, Miller told the House immigration committee that we have tried really hard, but have not been very successful.”
“We will keep trying to bring our family members to a safe place. ”
He made the comments when people were getting more and more unhappy about the rules put in place a few months ago. The rules were supposed to help Canadians bring their family members from dangerous places in the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
Miller said on Monday that they will process more applications for people leaving Gaza. But they’re not sure if any Palestinians have come to Canada using this program.
The Gaza program at first only allowed 1,000 applications to be accepted for processing. This means that all the necessary paperwork had to be completed before biometric processing in Egypt. Miller says that as of May 24, 2,903 applications had reached that point.
Miller has now increased that number to 5,000 applications, and each application can have many family members included.
The department has given 179 permits to people from Gaza through the temporary-resident program as of April 29, but it’s not clear if anyone has come to Canada yet.
The NDP says the government messed up the Gaza and Sudan programs and didn’t learn from problems with helping Afghans after the Taliban took over Kabul.
Family in Canada say they received confusing information from the government in Ottawa about the program. This caused some people to miss the opportunity to leave Rafah using other methods.
A document received through a request for information shows that the Immigration Department thought there would be a lot of applications for the program, even though only 1,000 people were allowed to apply.
In December, Miller signed a memo that said only 1,000 people should come, but we expect a lot more than that.
The memo says that in the 2021 census, 45,905 Canadians identified as having Palestinian background.
Miller said that the program he started in January needs help from the Israeli government agency that organizes work in Palestinian territories, called COGAT. He said this never happened for many months.
“Not long ago, we have received some good signs from the Israeli government that they would recognize this program and process it through COGAT in a timely manner,” said Miller, until the Rafah crossing closed on May 7.
Rafah is a town on the border with Egypt. It’s the only way for people to leave Gaza, but they have to follow strict rules from Israel and Egypt. It has become a safe place for Palestinians escaping attacks by Israel in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Three weeks ago, Israel started an attack in Rafah, even though Canada, the US, and many other countries asked them not to. Israel is saying that Rafah has become an important place for Hamas, a group that has killed many people in Israel. Israel wants to control Rafah to stop Hamas.
On Sunday, people all over the world were very upset after seeing terrible pictures of injured children from bombings and fires in camps where homeless people live. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says that 36,000 people, including fighters, have died in the war.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly repeated her request for a break in fighting on Monday.
“We are very upset about the attacks that killed Palestinian civilians in Rafah,” she wrote on platform X. “We must stop this level of human suffering. ”
The Sudan program allows people to live in the country forever, while the Gaza program only allows residency for up to three years. This is because Israel does not want to seem like it is taking over the Palestinian area again.
“He said it’s really important to think about the politics of the region, especially the talk about Gaza getting emptied, and how it would look if Canada got involved in that. ” “That’s mainly why we didn’t make it last forever. ”
Last spring, there was a war in Sudan. Miller said his relatives might not come to Canada until late fall.
Family members say that officials have mentioned that there have been delays with getting fingerprints and other biometric information. However, Miller said that the Sudan program is more extensive because it includes permanent residency.
Miller said that Ottawa will be taking in 3,250 applications from the Sudan program, and around 7,000 people will be coming to Canada.
He said the number is based on how many things his department and “security partners” can handle, but it might increase.
Author: Chris Kodo
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Israel on the verge of approving the plan to reunite Gaza before to Rafah incursion – Miller
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Isreal’s Netanyahu admits missile strike in Rafah was a “tragic mistake”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that a “very sad mistake” had happened after an Israeli attack in southern Gaza caused a fire at a camp where Palestinians who had to leave their homes were staying. Local officials said at least 45 people died.
The error made the criticism towards Israel even stronger internationally because of its war with Hamas. Even its best friends are angry about innocent people dying. Israel says it follows the rules of world law even though it is being watched closely by the top courts. One of the courts recently told Israel to stop their attack in Rafah.
Israel’s army said it is looking into the deaths of civilians after hitting a Hamas base and killing two important fighters. The attack on Sunday night was one of the worst in the war. It increased the total number of Palestinian deaths to over 36,000. The Gaza Health Ministry counts all deaths, whether they are fighters or not.
“Netanyahu said on Monday that, despite trying very hard not to hurt innocent civilians, a terrible mistake happened last night. ” “We are looking into what happened and will figure out what happened because that is our rule. ”
Mohammed Abuassa quickly went to the neighborhood of Tel al-Sultan in the northwest and said that people were in very bad shape when rescuers found them.
“We saved kids who were really hurt. ” We removed both young and old people. He said the fire at the camp wasn’t real.
At least 45 people died, according to the Gaza Health Ministry and the Palestinian Red Crescent rescue service. The government said that at least 12 women, eight children, and three older adults were found dead, and three more bodies were burned so badly that they could not be identified.
In other news, Egypt’s army said that one of its soldiers was killed in a shooting in the Rafah area, but didn’t give more information. Israel and Egypt are talking to each other and looking into something together.
Rafah, the southern city on the border of Gaza and Egypt, had more than a million people living there. That’s about half of the population of Gaza, who had to leave their homes and move to Rafah. Many people have left because Israel entered the area earlier this month. Thousands and thousands of people are living in dirty and overcrowded tent camps in and around the city.
Netanyahu says Israel needs to defeat what he calls the last of Hamas’ soldiers in Rafah. The fighters shot many rockets from the city towards the busy central part of Israel on Sunday. This made the air raid alarms go off, but no one got hurt.
The attack on Rafah was strongly condemned, even by Israel’s biggest supporters.
The United States. National Security Council said that the pictures from the attack on Rafah are really sad. -
Russia plans to construct little nuclear power facility in Uzbekistan
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev met on Monday and signed some agreements to make their relationship stronger. One of the agreements is for Russia to build a small nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.
Mirziyoyev said the project is very important and Uzbekistan has a lot of uranium. Putin promised to work hard to sell nuclear energy in Uzbekistan.
If the deal goes through, the factory will be the first of its kind in Central Asia, making Russia even more powerful in the area.
Putin also said he would send more gas to Uzbekistan.
Putin and Mirziyoyev had a meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Putin went there on Sunday, which was his third trip to another country since he started his new term as president.
He went to China first and said he liked China’s ideas to end the Ukraine conflict. Then he went to Belarus where Russia has put nuclear weapons.
The trips show that the Kremlin is trying to gain more support because of the continuing tensions with the West over the situation in Ukraine. -
Over 100 military detainees released by the Houthi rebels in Yemen
The Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Iran, released over 100 prisoners who were involved in the country’s ongoing war, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The one-sided release happened over a year after both sides in Yemen’s war let go of over 800 prisoners in a big trade in the country in April of last year.
On Sunday morning, the Red Cross said that 113 prisoners were set free in the city of Sanaa, which is controlled by the Houthi group. The Red Cross helped these prisoners while they were held in Sanaa.
“We hope that this will lead to more releases, giving comfort to families who are eagerly waiting to be reunited with their loved ones,” said Daphnee Maret, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.
The ICRC said that one of the detainees who was sick was taken by ambulance to his hometown in Yemen. They did not give any more details.
Abdul-Qader al-Murtaza, a Houthi official, said that the release was postponed for a day because of logistical issues.
Many people are still thought to be prisoners of war since the fighting started in 2014, and others are also missing. The Red Cross thought the releases on Sunday were a good thing to help start talks about swapping prisoners.
“We are ready to help release, transfer, and send detainees back to their home countries as a neutral middleman,” they said.
Yemen was thrown into a terrible fight when the Houthis came from the north and took control of Sanaa and a lot of northern Yemen, making the government leave the country.
A group of countries led by Saudi Arabia and including the United Arab Emirates got involved in 2015 to help the recognized government of the country. In recent years, the fighting has become like a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, with both countries supporting different sides in the conflict. Over 150,000 people, including soldiers and regular people, have died in one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. -
AMBER ALERT: Two children missing in Quebec City
The police are looking for two children, Charles Gourgues who is 2 years old and Evelyne Gourgues who is 4 years old. They are missing from the Saint-Raphaël area in Bellechasse, Quebec. Just near the city of Quebec.
The police think Kevin Gourgues, who is 40 years old, might be with them.
He is about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 185 pounds.
The police want people to keep an eye out for a 2013 Honda Civic with license plate number 53V ACE.
The car is white and has a black hood.
If you know something, please call 911.This news story is still being updated. Come back later for more information.
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EU-Israel relations collapse as Spain and Ireland prepare to formally recognise state of Palestine
The European Union and Israel had a big disagreement before EU countries Ireland and Spain decided to recognize a Palestinian state. Spain said they might impose punishments on Israel for attacking Rafah in Gaza.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, said to Spain that they cannot support Palestinians from their consulate in Jerusalem.
At the same time, the EU’s leader in foreign affairs, Josep Borrell, from Spain, strongly supports the International Criminal Court. The court’s prosecutor wants to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders, like those of Hamas.
“The court prosecutor has been threatened and accused of being against Jewish people,” Borrell said. “The word antisemitic is very bad. ” “It’s really important. ”
On Monday, Katz accused Spain of approving a Palestinian state as a way of supporting terrorism. He also mentioned the Inquisition, a cruel group from the 15th century that made Jews and Muslims leave Spain, convert to Christianity, or be killed. Katz said that time is over now.
Katz said that no one can make us change our religion or threaten us. If anyone hurts us, we will also hurt them back.
The EU and its member nations were against the attack by Hamas on Oct 7, but they also criticized Israel for their attack that killed many Palestinians.
In the most recent attacks, Rafah was the main target. Palestinian health workers said that at least 35 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes on Sunday. The attacks also hit tents where displaced people were staying and left many others trapped in burning debris.
The highest court of the UN, the International Court of Justice, said on Friday that Israel needs to stop its attack on Rafah right away. However, it did not say that Israel has to stop fighting in all of Gaza.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said that Israel needs to stop its attack in Rafah.
Spain, Ireland, and Norway, which is not part of the EU, are planning to officially recognize Palestine as a state on Tuesday. Last week, they announced together, and this made Israeli authorities very angry. They called the ambassadors of the two countries to their Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv. There, they showed them videos of the Hamas attack and kidnapping that happened on October 7.
Albares said that the way the ambassadors were treated was not good. “We don’t accept anything that is not polite and doesn’t follow the rules of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” he said.
“But we’ve also decided not to be provoked into straying from our goal,” he added. “We want to officially recognize Palestine as a state tomorrow, work hard to make a lasting peace agreement as soon as we can, and ultimately, to achieve long-lasting peace. “ -
Shooting near border of Rafah kills an Egyptian guard
An Egypt security officer has been shot and killed near the Rafah border crossing. The military is now investigating the incident.
Israel’s army is looking into reports of the gunfire between Israeli and Egyptian soldiers.
“A shooting happened on the Egyptian border a few hours ago on Monday. ” The situation is being looked into and talks are happening with the Egyptians, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Israel took over the Rafah border crossing from Gaza recently while they were fighting in the area. Egypt didn’t like this and said it was wrong.
Egypt is afraid that the people in southern Gaza might have to leave because of the attack. They also say that Israel is not letting enough aid get to Gaza, but Israel says this is not true.
Egypt and Israel agreed to stop fighting in 1979 and started working together to keep their borders safe. They especially focus on the areas between Israel, Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, and the Gaza Strip. They together stopped things from going in or out of Gaza after Hamas took over in 2007.
There have been very few times when there were problems with safety between the two countries.
In October 2023, two weeks after the war in Gaza began, Israel said one of its tanks accidentally hit an Egyptian position near the Gaza border. Egypt said that some Egyptian border guards got hurt, but not badly.
In June 2023, three soldiers from Israel and one security officer from Egypt were killed in a fight at the border. -
Missile has been fired into the sea by North Korea – Japan
On Monday, North Korea shot a missile into the sea, according to Japan and South Korea. This happened right after North Korea said it was going to send a rocket into space with a second military satellite.
North Korea told Japan’s coast guard that they are going to launch a satellite rocket between Monday and June 3.
The Japanese Prime Minister’s Office said it’s no longer worried about a missile hitting Okinawa after North Korea launched one.
Last year, North Korea sent its first military satellite into space to keep an eye on the US-led military threats. They want to build a surveillance network in space. North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un said at a meeting with his ruling party that the country will send three more military spy satellites into space in 2024.
The UN doesn’t allow North Korea to launch satellites because they think it’s really a way for them to test their long-range missiles. North Korea insists that it is allowed to send satellites into space and test missiles. Kim said that spy satellites will help his military watch US and South Korean military activities more closely and make their nuclear-capable missiles more dangerous.
North Korea gives Japan its information about when they will launch missiles because Japan’s coast guard helps to keep ships safe in East Asia. -
45 killed in Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp, sparking international outrage
The tent camp in Gaza city was hit by an Israeli bombing, resulting in a large fire that resulted in the deaths of 45 people.This made leaders from around the world angry and they are asking for a World Court decision to stop Israel’s attack.
Families in Palestine are going to the hospital to get their dead ready for burial after a strike set their tents on fire. This has been happening for eight months since the war started.
“Bassam, who lives in Rafah, said on a chat app that Israel is burning down Rafah and no one is trying to stop it. ”
Israeli tanks kept shooting at the eastern and central parts of the city in southern Gaza on Monday. Eight people were killed, according to local health officials.
Israel’s military said that they carried out an air attack on Sunday and they were confident that they hit the leader of the militant group Hamas in the West Bank, as well as another official responsible for attacking Israelis.
On Sunday, it was reported that eight rockets were stopped from hitting their target after being launched from the Rafah area. A minister said that we still need to keep fighting against Hamas.
Israel’s main military lawyer said the air strike was very serious and they are looking into it.
“The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) feels sorry for any innocent people who were hurt during the war,” stated Major-General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi at a conference on Monday.
The attack happened in the Tel Al-Sultan neighborhood where many people were staying safe because Israeli soldiers started a ground attack in the east of Rafah over two weeks ago.
Health officials in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, said that more than half of the people who died were women, children, and old people. They also said that more people might die because they are critically ill with severe burns from the fire.
Israel keeps attacking Rafah even though the top UN court told them to stop. They say the court’s ruling allows them to still use military force there.
French President Emmanuel Macron said he was very angry about Israel’s recent attacks. Stop these operations. “There are no safe places in Rafah for Palestinian people,” he said on X.
Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the decision of the International Court of Justice must be followed and honored. “International rules for helping people in need apply to everyone, including Israel’s actions during the war,” Baerbock said.
No place that is safe.
During the day, the camp looked like a mess with burnt tents and twisted metal.
Abed Mohammed Al-Attar said Israel lied about keeping people safe in Rafah’s western areas while sitting next to his relatives’ bodies. His brother, his brother’s wife, and many other family members died in the fire.
The army tells lies. Gaza is not safe. No one is safe, not even kids, old people, or women. “He’s with his wife, they were murdered,” he said.
“Why did this happen to them. Their kids have no parents now. ”
Rafah hospitals and the Red Cross hospital were full, so some injured people were taken to hospitals in Khan Younis for help.
The organization that helps Palestinian refugees at the United Nations said the situation was really terrible. Gaza is a very difficult place to live. Pictures from last night show once again that this is true,” UNRWA wrote on X.
Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in their attack, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Israel started the operation because militants from Hamas attacked some towns in southern Israel on Oct 7. About 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage, according to Israel.
Israel wants to find and remove Hamas fighters hiding in Rafah and save people who are being kept as hostages in the area.
But it is criticized worldwide for not protecting innocent people.
“Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said it was very cruel to see the lack of food and refusal to allow enough help, on top of the hunger and starvation. ”
Egypt criticized the Israeli military for purposely bombing the shelters of displaced people. They said it breaks international law.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar both criticized the Israeli attack. Qatar also said that the attack might make it harder to reach a ceasefire and exchange hostages.
Israeli tanks have been moving close to the edge of Rafah, near the crossing from Gaza to Egypt, since May 6. They have also gone into some of the eastern parts of Rafah. -
Israel must give reverence to UN court – EU Foreign Chief
The leader of the European Union’s foreign policy has said on Sunday that Israel needs to follow the decisions of the United Nations’ top court and stop its attack in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. They also asked if the authorities in the West Bank are involved in violence against Palestinians.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa got attention from two EU nations and Norway, who promised to recognize a Palestinian state. Josep Borrell urged Israel to stop withholding tax money meant for the Palestinian authorities.
At the end of the week, many people asked for Israel to change how it fights against Hamas in Gaza. The international community is putting pressure on Israel through court and diplomacy.
Borrell said that Israel has pushed the Palestinians to the edge of a disaster because the situation in Gaza is really bad. The West Bank is in danger and could explode at any moment.
While many people are focused on Gaza, we should also pay attention to what is happening in the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority is located.
We are seeing a lot more violence happening in a cycle. Extremist settlers are attacking aid going to Gaza without any care, and it’s hurting a lot of people. And they have a lot of weapons. “And the question is, who is giving them weapons. And who is not stopping this attack from happening,” Borrel asked.
Rights groups and Palestinians say Israeli forces protect armed settlers who attack Palestinian towns and nomadic communities.
Borrell said that the violence from the settlers is happening at the same time as Israel is building more settlements and taking more land.
Borrell also disagreed with Israel’s threats to cut off money to the Palestinians. On Wednesday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would stop giving money to the Palestinian Authority from taxes. This could make it hard for them to pay their employees.
In the 1990s, Israel collected taxes for the Palestinians, and then used the money to put pressure on the Palestinian Authority. After the attack by Hamas on Oct 7 that started the war in Gaza, Smotrich stopped sending money. But Israel decided to send the money to Norway, and Norway then sent it to the PA. Smotrich said on Wednesday that he was stopping that agreement.
Borrell said that money that has been unfairly kept should be given back. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide was beside him when he said this.
Eide was in Brussels to give important papers to Mustafa before Norway formally recognizes Palestine as a state. This action has made Israel very angry, even though it does not have much impact.
Norway, Spain and Ireland will officially recognize a Palestinian state on Tuesday. These countries have been friendly with both Israelis and Palestinians and have supported the idea of a Palestinian state for a long time.
The three nations’ decision to support Palestinian officials is good news for them. They have been trying for many years to create their own country in east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. These areas were taken over by Israel in the Mideast war in 1967 and they still control them.
âRecognition is really important to us. “It’s the most important thing anyone can do for the Palestinian people,” Mustafa said. “This is really good for us. ”
Around 140 countries, which is more than two-thirds of the United Nations, acknowledge that there is a Palestinian state. However, most of the 27 EU nations still do not recognize it. Some people have said they will know it when the time is good.
The EU, the United States, and Britain, and others support the idea of a separate country for Palestinians next to Israel. They believe it should happen as part of a peaceful agreement.
Belgium, who is in charge of the EU right now, said that the Israeli hostages held by Hamas should be released first and the fighting in Gaza should stop. Other governments support a new plan for two separate states, even though talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down 15 years ago.
On Sunday, Israel was told by the United Nations to stop fighting in Gaza. This put more pressure on Israel, which is already feeling isolated.
A few days ago, the boss lawyer for the International Criminal Court asked to arrest Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Hamas officials.
The fighting in Gaza began when Hamas fighters crossed the border and attacked, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 people as hostages. Israel’s recent attack has led to the deaths of over 35,000 Palestinians, says Gaza’s Health Ministry. It has also created a major crisis and a severe food shortage. -
Israeli airstrikes kill 22 people in Rafah, Gaza
Palestinian doctors have said that an Israeli airstrike killed at least 22 people on Sunday. It hit tents where people had to leave their homes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Many other people were stuck under the rubble.
The strike happened two days after the International Court of Justice told Israel to stop its military attack in Rafah. Many people from Gaza were staying in Rafah before Israel’s recent invasion. Many people are still there while many others have left.
Video from the area showed a lot of damage and fire. There was no specific information about the target right away. The Israeli army said they did not know anything was happening in the area. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant visited Rafah on Sunday to learn about the ongoing military operations there.
A person from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said more people might die as they keep looking for and rescuing people in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan area. It’s about two kilometers northwest of the city center.
The society said Israel marked the location as a “humanitarian area. ” The neighborhood is part of the areas Israel’s military told people to leave earlier this month.
The airstrike happened a few hours after Hamas fired many rockets from Gaza. The rockets set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv, which hadn’t happened in a long time. This shows that Hamas is strong and determined, even after Israel’s big attack that has been going on for seven months.
There haven’t been any reports of people getting hurt in the first rocket attack from Gaza in a long time. Hamas’ soldiers said they did the attack. Palestinian fighters have sometimes shot rockets and mortars at towns near the Gaza border. Today, the military part of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization said it shot rockets at nearby towns.
The Israeli army said that eight rockets came from Rafah and crossed into Israel. The military stopped some of the missiles, according to a military spokesperson. Daniel Hagari said that the launcher in Rafah was broken.
On Sunday, trucks with aid went into Gaza from southern Israel using a new agreement. This allows them to avoid the Rafah crossing with Egypt because Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of it earlier this month. But it wasn’t right away known if charity groups could get to the help because of the fighting.
Egypt does not want to open the Rafah crossing until Palestinians have control of the Gaza side again. It decided to temporarily send traffic through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, which is Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a talk between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
The Kerem Shalom crossing has been mostly closed because of Israel’s attack in Rafah. Israel said it let hundreds of trucks in, but the United Nations says it’s too dangerous to get the aid.
The UN leader’s spokesperson said that because the humanitarian operation is close to failing, the Israeli authorities need to help bring in and deliver aid from Egypt safely at Kerem Shalom.
The fight between Israel and Hamas has caused the death of almost 36,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry. They have not separated civilians and fighters in their count. The Health Ministry reported that 81 people who were killed by Israeli attacks had been taken to hospitals in the last day. Israel says that civilians are dying because Hamas is hiding in neighborhoods where many people live.
About 80% of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have left their homes. There are lots of people who are very hungry and United Nations officials are saying that some parts of the area are experiencing famine.
Hamas started the war by attacking Israel on October 7. They killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took about 250 hostages. Hamas still has about 100 people captive and the bodies of around 30 others, even though most of the others were let go during a break in fighting last year.
Israel’s leader says the country needs to capture Rafah to defeat Hamas completely. Hamas has moved to other parts of Gaza, where the military has been active. Netanyahu wants to stop them.
The fighting has made things more tense in the part of the West Bank that is controlled by Israel. The Palestinian authorities said that Israeli soldiers killed a 14-year-old boy near the town of Saeer in the southern West Bank on Sunday. The Israeli army said they had to shoot and kill a Palestinian man because he tried to stab Israeli soldiers at Beit Einun Junction.
Aid is having a hard time reaching the southern part of Gaza.
Southern Gaza hasn’t been getting much help since Israel went into Rafah on May 6. Since then, more than one million Palestinians, many of whom were already forced to leave their homes, have left the city.
Egypt’s government-controlled Al-Qahera TV showed video of trucks going into Gaza through Kerem Shalom. Khaled Zayed, the leader of the Egyptian Red Crescent in Sinai, said that on Sunday, they planned to send 200 trucks with aid and four trucks with fuel to Kerem Shalom from the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing.
Northern Gaza is getting help from Israel through two roads that Israel made open because people all over the world were very upset after Israeli attacks killed seven people who were helping with aid in April.
Every day, a few dozen trucks come into Gaza using a pier that the US made. But the pier can’t handle as many trucks as officials had hoped for – they wanted 150 trucks a day. Charitable groups say they need 600 trucks every day.
Israel arrests a man for threatening to start a rebellion.Israel’s army caught someone they think made a video where a person dressed as a soldier talks about rebelling. In the video, the man said many soldiers were prepared to ignore the defence minister’s idea that Palestinians should rule Gaza after the war. They promised to only be loyal to Netanyahu.
Hagari, who speaks for the military, said that the man is no longer doing reserve duty. The man’s name has not been made public. It was unclear where or when the video was recorded. The prime minister’s office said they don’t support any kind of military disobedience. -
At least 15 people died as a result of severe weather in Texas, Oklahoma
Strong storms caused a lot of damage in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on Sunday. At least 15 people died and many homes were destroyed. A truck stop where people were hiding in the restroom was also destroyed. This is the latest severe weather to hit the central US.
The storms caused a lot of damage in an area from north of Dallas to the northwest corner of Arkansas. There may be more bad weather in other parts of the Midwest later today. Forecasters said that by Monday, the biggest danger would move to the east, covering a large area from Alabama to near New York City.
Seven people died in Cooke County, Texas, close to the Oklahoma border, when a tornado hit a rural area near a mobile home park on Saturday night. Texas Governor also confirmed this. Greg Abbott spoke at a press conference on Sunday. Two children, aged two and five, were among the dead. The sheriff found three family members dead in their house.
Storms caused deaths, destroyed homes, and injured people in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Many people in the area had no electricity.
In Texas, Governor Abbott said that about 100 people got hurt and over 200 homes and buildings were destroyed. He was sitting in front of a damaged truck stop near a small farming town called Valley View. The place was one of the most affected, with strong winds reaching about 135 mph (217 km/h), according to officials.
“Texas families and small businesses have been greatly affected by consecutive storms”, said Abbott, the governor of Texas. The severe weather, including storms that killed eight people in Houston, has crushed the hopes and dreams of many.
Hugo Parra, who lives in Farmers Branch, north of Dallas, said he stayed in the bathroom of a truck stop near Valley View with 40 to 50 other people during the storm. The storm ripped off the roof and walls of the building, twisted metal beams, and damaged cars in the parking lot.
“A firefighter checked on us and said, ‘You’re very lucky,’” Parra said. “The wind was so strong it felt like it was trying to pull us out of the bathroom. ”
Several people were taken to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter in Denton County, Texas, which is north of Dallas. But the officials didn’t know how bad the injuries were right away.
At least five people died in Arkansas. A 26-year-old woman was found dead outside a destroyed home in Olvey, a small area in Boone County. Daniel Bolen from the county’s emergency management office said this. 1 person died in Benton County, and 2 more bodies were found in Marion County, officials reported.
Two people died in Mayes County, which is located to the east of Tulsa, Oklahoma, according to officials.
A man in Kentucky died on Sunday in Louisville when a tree fell on him, according to the police. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg said on social media that someone died because of the storm.
A very dangerous set of storms
The bad storms kept causing a lot of damage in the middle of the country for another month.
Tornadoes in Iowa this week killed at least five people and hurt many others. The dangerous tornadoes have formed during a really bad tornado season, while climate change makes storms worse worldwide. April had the second-highest amount of tornadoes ever in the country.
Weather experts and officials warned people to find shelter as the storms moved through the area on Saturday night and Sunday morning. “If you are in the path of this storm, find a safe place to stay now. ” The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, posted on X. -
Over 2,000 people reportedly buried by a landslip in Papua New Guinea
A government official from Papua New Guinea has asked the United Nations for help after more than 2,000 people were buried alive in a landslide on Friday.
The government says about three times as many people died in the landslide in the mountainous part of the South Pacific island nation than the UN thought. Only six bodies have been found.
The head of the National Disaster Center in a South Pacific island wrote a letter to the United Nations saying that a landslide in Yambali village buried over 2,000 people and caused a lot of damage.
The number of people hurt or killed in the disaster has been hard to figure out because different sources are giving different numbers. It’s not clear how officials came up with the count.
The International Organization for Migration is working with the government and leading the international response. They have not changed their estimated death toll of 670 until they have new evidence.
“We can’t argue with what the government says, but we can’t give our opinion on it,” said Serhan Aktoprak, the head of the UN migrant agency’s mission in Papua New Guinea.
“As we continue with this huge project, the number of people involved may change,” Aktoprak explained.
The death toll of 670 was estimated by Yambali village and Enga provincial officials. They counted more than 150 homes buried by the landslide. The old prediction was 60 houses.
Prime Minister James Marape’s office didn’t answer on Monday when asked to explain where the government’s estimate of 2,000 came from. Marape said he will share information about how much damage and loss of life there is, when he knows more.
It’s hard to figure out how big the disaster is because the village is far away and there’s no good way to communicate. There’s also fighting between tribes in the area, so it’s not safe for aid workers to go there without military protection.
At least 26 tribal fighters and hired soldiers died in a fight between two fighting tribes in Enga in February, along with an unknown number of innocent people.
The national government doesn’t have accurate information about how many people might be dead, which makes it harder to figure out.
The government thinks that about 10 million people live in Papua New Guinea, but a study by the UN using satellite photos of rooftops suggests there could be as many as 17 million people in 2022. The country has not had a correct count of its population in many years.
The landslide covered a 650-foot section of the province’s main road with 20 to 26 feet of debris, making it difficult for rescue workers to pass through.
Mana said the landslide would have a big effect on the country’s economy.
“The ground keeps moving, which makes the situation not safe for the rescue teams and survivors,” Mana told the United Nations.
A local builder gave an excavator to the villagers on Sunday. It is the first big machine to help them find bodies, as they have been using shovels and farming tools for digging. Navigating through the moving debris is dangerous.
Mana and Papua New Guinea’s defense minister, Billy Joseph, took an Australian military helicopter from the capital Port Moresby to Yambali, which is 600 kilometers (370 miles) away, to see directly what is needed.
Mana’s office shared a picture of him giving a check for 500,000 kina (US$130,000) to a local official at Yambali. The money will be used to buy emergency supplies for 4,000 people who had to leave their homes.
The visit was to see if Papua New Guinea’s government needed to ask for more help from other countries.
Heavy vehicles used by Papua New Guinea’s military were being taken to the disaster area, which is 400 kilometers (250 miles) away from the east coast city of Lae.
Upset villagers can’t agree on whether it’s okay for big machines to dig up and possibly hurt the bodies of their buried family members, officials said. -
Japan informs North Korea about planned military spy satellite launch
North Korea told Japan that they want to send a satellite into space next week. They want to launch a second spy satellite for military purposes.
Leaders from South Korea, Japan, and China met in Seoul for their first joint meeting on Monday, and they received a notification about a launch.
Japan’s coast guard was told by North Korea that they plan to launch a “satellite rocket” in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and China, and east of the Philippine island of Luzon starting on Monday and lasting until midnight on June 3.
North Korea shares its rocket launch details with Japan because Japan’s coast guard helps keep ships safe in the region.
The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, told officials to work together with the United States, South Korea, and other countries to ask North Korea not to launch anything and to be ready in case something goes wrong.
The launch plan probably means that North Korea is trying to send a second spy satellite into space for military purposes. The military in South Korea found signs that North Korea might be getting ready to launch a spy satellite at its Tongchangri launch facility.
In November, North Korea sent its first military satellite into space to spy on the US and other military threats. North Korea wants spy satellites to watch the US and South Korea closely and make its missiles more accurate.
Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, said at a meeting at the end of the year that the country will send three more military spy satellites into space in 2024.
The UN tells North Korea it can’t launch any satellites because they think it’s really a way for them to test their missile technology. North Korea says it can launch satellites and test missiles.
The satellite launch in November made tensions between North and South Korea worse. Both countries are now breaking the agreement they made in 2018 to reduce military tensions.
In the last few years, North Korea has been doing a lot of missile tests to make its weapons stronger. This has made the US, South Korea and Japan work together to make their security stronger too. According to experts, North Korea probably thinks that having more weapons would give them more power when negotiating with the US in the future.
North Korea was not on the list of topics for Monday’s meeting between Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
On Sunday, Yoon talked to Li about North Korea’s nuclear program and military ties with Russia. Yoon also asked China to help promote peace on the Korean Peninsula because it is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
South Korea, Japan, and the US have been asking China, who is North Korea’s main friend and provides them with money, to help convince North Korea to stop trying to build nuclear weapons. China is believed to not be following all the rules set by the UN to stop North Korea. They are also thought to be sending secret aid to help North Korea.
On Sunday, the North Korean Vice Defence Minister, Kim Kang Il, said they might take aggressive action in response to South Korean navy and coast guard ships crossing the disputed sea boundary. There have been many fights in that area in recent years.
He promised to get back at South Korean activists who were sending negative messages about North Korea across the border. -
12 individuals injured after turbulence occurs on Qatar Airways flight to Dublin
Twelve people got hurt when a plane from Qatar Airways traveling from Doha to Dublin had turbulence on Sunday, said airport officials. Eight people who were hurt had to go to the hospital.
Dublin Airport reported that flight QR017, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, landed safely as planned before 1 pm (1200 GMT).
The plane was met by police and firefighters when it landed because six passengers and six crew members were in trouble. Telling about injuries after the plane shook while flying over Turkey.
The airport checked all the passengers for injuries on the plane, and eight of them were taken to the hospital.
Passenger Paul Mocc told Irish TV that he saw people hitting the ceiling and food and drinks flying around.
Another person who was traveling, Emma Rose Power, said to RTE that after the shaking on the plane, the flight attendants had scratches and were putting ice on their faces. There was a girl with a sling on her arm.
Qatar Airways said that a few passengers and crew got hurt on the flight, but their injuries are not serious and they are getting medical help now.
It stated that the situation is being looked into by the company.
Five days ago, a British man died from a suspected heart attack and many people were hurt when a Singapore Airlines flight from London experienced strong turbulence.
Although deaths from turbulence are uncommon, many people have been injured over the years. Some weather experts and airplane experts say that there have been more reports of turbulence recently. They think that climate change might be making flying conditions worse. -
Political consultant who made annoying Biden robocalls faces $6 million in fines
In a recent incident, political consultant have been found guilty of using computer-generated voice calls to mimic President Joe Biden. Now, they have to pay a $6million fine and are facing over twenty criminal charges.
The Federal Communications Commission said it is proposing a fine for Steven Kramer on Thursday. This is the first time they are fining someone for using generative AI technology. Lingo Telecom was accused of making the calls and now they might have to pay a $2million fine. But they could also try to reach an agreement or talk more about it, according to the FCC.
Kramer has said he planned a message that was sent to lots of voters two days before the first primary on Jan 23rd. The message had a fake voice that sounded like the Democratic president’s and said that voting in the primary would stop people from voting in November.
A person who helps politicians sent fake phone calls that sounded like President Biden to voters before an important election in New Hampshire. Now they have to pay $6 million and are facing more than 24 criminal charges.
The government agency that oversees communication rules, called the Federal Communications Commission, said it wants to punish Steven Kramer with a fine. This is the first time they are doing this for someone using generative AI technology. Lingo Telecom, the company accused of sending the calls, might have to pay a $2million fine. But they could also work things out with the other party or talk more about it, according to the FCC.
Kramer has confessed to planning a message that was sent to many voters just before the first primary on Jan 23. The message was a fake voice that sounded like the Democratic president. It said that voting in the primary would stop people from voting in November.
Both Lingo Telecom and Kramer did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Kramer had said to The Associated Press that he wasn’t trying to change the election, but to warn people about the possible problems with artificial intelligence. He paid a magician $150 to make the recording in New Orleans.
Kramer said in February that even though he might seem like a bad person now, he believes that the things he’s doing will make our country and democracy better in the future.
Lingo Telecom said in February that it wants to make sure it takes good care of its customers and follows all the rules. The company also said it helped with the investigation once it found out about the scam calls.
FCC boss Jessica Rosenworcel said they want to help states catch bad guys. She said the robocalls were scary.
She said that anyone could be tricked by calls made using AI technology if the caller sounds like someone they know or trust, such as a politician, celebrity, or family member. “This is just what the bad people making these fake calls with altered voices want you to do. “
Soon after New Hampshire’s primary election, the government made a rule that bans robocalls using artificial voices.
In an interview a few days after he was identified as the person making the calls, Kramer said he didn’t think his calls stopped people from voting. He mentioned that Biden won the Democratic primary election by a lot of votes even though he wasn’t on the official ballot. He helped another person who used to run for president as a Democrat with getting on the ballot. Dean Phillips from Minnesota, Kramer said that he did the action by himself. -
Iran inters its deceased president in the nation’s holiest Shiite monument after tragic plane crash
Iran buried President Ebrahim Raisi at the country’s most important Shiite shrine on Thursday, after he died in a helicopter crash. This adds to the problems Iran is already facing, including sanctions, unrest within the country, and tensions with other nations.
Raisi, along with the country’s foreign minister and six others, was buried at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad. Shiite Islam’s eighth imam is also buried there and it’s a popular place for pilgrims to visit. Many people wearing black clothes gathered around the shrine with its golden dome. They were crying and hitting their chests to show their sadness, which is a tradition in Shiite ceremonies.
A saying from the Prophet Mohammad says that visiting a certain place will take away your sadness and sins. However, Thursday’s large religious ceremony did not provide much comfort for Iran and its many problems.
The events for Raisi have not attracted as many people as the gatherings for Revolutionary Guard Gen in 2020. Qassem Soleimani was killed by a US drone in Baghdad.
In Tehran, around 1 million people came out to the streets to honor Soleimani, which is more than what was seen at the men’s commemorations on Wednesday. But the events have often mentioned the leader and shown his picture, which might create a connection between the people.
This shows how the public feels about Raisi’s time as president. He was very strict and did not allow people to speak out against the government. This happened after the protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for not wearing a headscarf.
The government crackdown and Iran’s economy problems were not talked about on state TV or in newspapers. Raisi’s role in the killing of around 5,000 people at the end of the Iran-Iraq war was never talked about.
Not much is known about why the old Bell helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous area. The police and soldiers were going to look into the situation soon.
Authorities have told people not to celebrate Raisi’s death in public, and there is a lot of security in Tehran since the accident.
Raisi, who is 63 years old, was being talked about as someone who might take over from Iran’s top leader, 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The next time people will choose a new president is on June 28. Right now, no one in Iran’s political leaders is the top choice for the position, especially no one who is a Shiite cleric like Raisi.
Acting President Mohammad Mokhber, who wasn’t well-known before the crash on Sunday, has started doing his job and went to a meeting between Khamenei and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday.
Mashhad was a place where Raisi stayed for a long time. In 2016, Khamenei chose Raisi to lead the Imam Reza charity foundation in Iran. The charity manages a lot of businesses and properties, and also looks after the shrine. It is a charitable foundation in Iran that is funded by donations or assets taken after the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Imam Reza charity, also known as Astan-e Quds-e Razavi in Farsi, is one of the largest charities in the country. Experts believe that it is worth tens of billions of dollars because it owns almost half of the land in Mashhad, which is Iran’s second-largest city, about 750 kilometers east of the capital, Tehran.
Raisi is the first important politician in the country to be buried at the shrine, which is a big honor for the religious leader. His wife’s dad leads the city’s Friday prayers.
Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian died while Iran is supporting militia groups in the Middle East to fight against Israel and the United States. People who were sad sang and spoke out against both countries during the ceremonies.
The official news showed pictures of a meeting between Iran’s military leaders and the leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi rebels from Yemen.
On Thursday morning, a lot of people wearing black clothes gathered on a big street in the city of Birjand. Raisi used to work there as a member of the Assembly of Experts in South Khorasan province, which is near the border with Afghanistan. In Mashhad, people gathered on the streets to say goodbye to the person who passed away. They reached out to touch the truck carrying his body and threw scarves and other items at it for good luck.
Former Foreign Ministers Mohammed Javad Zarif and Ali Akbar Salehi, along with other important people, went to Iran’s Foreign Ministry to pay their respects to Amirabdollahian. His casket was on display there. He was buried in Shahr-e Rey, near Tehran, at the Abdol Azim shrine, which is a place where famous people from Persian history are laid to rest.
“A religious singer said hello to Soleimani as they laid Amirabdollahian to rest. “ -
12 Palestinians killed in an Israeli 2-day raid in West Bank
The Israeli army said on Thursday that it finished a two-day mission in the West Bank, which is controlled by Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that 12 Palestinians died and 25 were injured during this operation. Militant groups said that at least eight of the people who died were fighters.
Hamas is still fighting in Gaza, even though they are not as strong as before. They are regrouping in the most damaged areas in northern Gaza and are continuing to launch rockets into nearby Israeli towns.
The highest court of the United Nations will make a decision on Friday about South Africa’s request to stop fighting in Gaza. South Africa says Israel is killing a lot of Palestinians, but Israel says it’s not true.
The war caused tensions in the Red Sea. On Thursday, a missile landed in the water near the important Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but it didn’t cause any damage.
In Lebanon, a drone from Israel killed one person and injured three students on a bus, according to the state-run National News Agency. Since the war in Gaza started, over 400 people have died in Lebanon because Israel and Hezbollah have been shooting at each other.
Around 35,000 people from Gaza have died, and the Health Ministry doesn’t say if they were fighters or not.
Israel started fighting in Gaza because Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7. The attack killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250 others. -
Mr President, see no evil, hear no evil – The SSNIT hotels wahala
The debate over SSNIT’s decision to sell its shares has intensified since the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa lodged a formal petition with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate the processes surrounding the sale of six hotels to Rock City Hotel owned by Bryan Acheampong.
The hotels under scrutiny in the petition include Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort, and the Trust Lodge Hotel.
Mr Ablakwa’s petition seeks an investigation into various allegations, including conflict of interest, abuse of power, lack of due process, procurement breaches, cronyism, and graft.
SSNIT Response
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has since denied any foul play in its decision to sell a 60% stake in its hotels to Rock City Hotel.
They insisted that the process in selecting a buyer was transparent and strictly adhered to the Public Procurement Act to select Rock City Hotel, among five other hotels that applied.
In a statement issued on Sunday, May 19, SSNIT explained that Rock City Hotel Limited submitted the best and strongest technical and financial proposal among the bids received, meeting the criteria set out in the Request for Proposals (RFP).
SSNIT assured the public it will cooperate fully with CHRAJ throughout its investigation process.
Byran Acheampong reacts
Mr Acheampong on Tuesday said the allegations peddled by Mr Ablakwa suggesting that he’s committing any wrongdoing in Rock City’s proposal to purchase 60% of shares in SSNIT’s four hotels are false and baseless.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show, the Abetifi MP expressed his disappointment in the stance taken by his colleague.
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Russian attacks on Kiev’s electrical grid in Ukraine result in blackouts
Ongoing Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid have caused the country’s leaders to introduce nationwide rolling blackouts. If there aren’t enough ways to protect against attacks and make repairs, the shortages could get even worse when more people need things in the late summer and winter.
The Russian airstrikes hitting the power system since March have caused blackouts to happen again in Kyiv, the capital city. This hadn’t happened since the first year of the war. There were some attacks in April and May that damaged a big power plant in Kyiv and targeted other power facilities in different areas.
Half of Ukraine’s energy system was broken, according to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Whole buildings in the main city lost power. The city’s military leaders said that at least 10% of people had their electricity or water cut off.
For a lot of people, this is a small example of what could happen if Ukraine doesn’t find other ways to get electricity before winter.
Early on Wednesday morning, a Russian drone attack caused a power outage in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine. The city of about 250,000 people got some of its power back in the morning as workers quickly fixed the damage, according to local officials.
The power grid keeps getting attacked and there’s no good way to stop it. So, we can’t quickly fix the electricity shortages, according to Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. Ukraine is asking Western friends for more air defense systems and spare parts to repair its old Soviet factories.
“We are losing more and more power with each attack, so our power generation is decreasing,” said Halushchenko on Tuesday outside a coal-fired plant in central Ukraine that was destroyed in an attack on April 11th. Until the military can protect the plant from more attacks, trying to fix it would be pointless.
The minister wondered if it was a good idea to fix the power stations if the Russians would just attack again and we couldn’t protect ourselves.
The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock went with him to the plant, showing how much Ukraine really needs to fix their power problem fast.
The grid will have its first big test in July and August when people use a lot of electricity because of the summer heat. It will be a challenge for the grid because the amount of electricity used will be similar to what is used in the winter when it’s very cold.
In mid-May, people in Kyiv started to experience the results of Russia’s attacks. A sudden cold weather caused people to use more electricity. This made Ukrenergo, the main company that manages the power grid, to have to turn off electricity in some areas of the country. Ukraine doesn’t have enough electricity for peak times in the evening, and it can’t get enough from other countries like Poland, Slovakia, and Romania.
The plant was attacked on April 11 and it destroyed the machines that make electricity. This is what Yevhen Harkavyi, the technical director of Centerenergo, who runs the plant, said.
On that day, five missiles hit the building. Workers were still removing debris on Tuesday while fluffy poplar cotton fell through a hole in the roof like snow.
Harkavyi said the goal for winter is to fix as much power generation as they can. He admitted that it’s not clear how it will happen. He said, “The situation is already too difficult. “
Ukraine wants to get parts from old German factories that are no longer in use. Harkavyi said that Ukrainian teams went to Germany to check the equipment. It was turned off because it doesn’t meet EU environmental rules. European friends might not want to spend money on Ukraine’s coal energy because they are trying to be more eco-friendly. We will have to wait and see what they decide.
The teams are still figuring out how to bring the equipment back to Ukraine, he said.
“He said this is the first question. ” Ukraine wants air defense systems for protection. They are asking for help from Mrs. The Minister (Baerbock) has seen a lot of destruction and will ask the whole world for help. -
US to pledge additional $275 million for Ukraine’s artillery and ammunition
The United States has decided to give Ukraine an extra $275 million in military assistance on Friday in response to Russia’s threat to attack Kharkiv. Two US officials said this.
This will be the fourth time the United States is giving military help to Ukraine since Congress approved a foreign aid bill last month. The Biden administration has promised to provide weapons regularly and get them to Ukraine’s military quickly.
The package has rocket systems and artillery rounds, as said by two US officials. More things in the aid package are anti-tank weapons like Javelin and AT-4, landmines, vehicles, guns, and bullets for the guns. This was said by an official. Both officials talked in secret to give information about the aid package before it was announced to the public.
Every month, around 50 defense leaders from Europe and other places meet on Mondays to work together to give more military help to Ukraine. At the most recent meeting, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine is facing a tough situation because Russia is attacking Kharkiv, which is the second biggest city in Ukraine. He promised to keep moving weapons every week.
Russia has tried to use Ukraine’s lack of soldiers and weapons to their advantage while Ukraine waits for more help from the US, which was taking a long time to come because of delays in Congress. The Ukrainian military was forced to retreat in some areas, while Russia attacked their power grid and civilian areas.
In the month after President Joe Biden approved a $95 billion aid package, $61 billion of which is for Ukraine, the US has announced and started sending almost $1.7 billion in weapons from military storage.
It also said it would provide $6 billion in funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. This money is used to pay for contracts with the defense industry that last a long time. This means that the weapons might not arrive for many months or even years.
The US has given almost $51 billion in military help to Ukraine since Russia invaded in February 2022 with the latest package. -
Spain, Norway, and Ireland declare willingness to vote for Palestinian state
On Wednesday, Norway, Ireland and Spain said they will officially acknowledge Palestine as a state. This is a significant but mostly symbolic action that shows Israel is increasingly alone in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Israel criticized the decisions and brought back its ambassadors from the three countries.
Palestinian leaders were happy about the news because it confirms their goal to have their own country in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Israel took control of these areas in the 1967 Middle East war and still has power over them.
Many countries, including most of the United Nations, say there is a Palestinian state. This could lead to more support for Palestine, especially as even Israel’s friends criticize its actions in Gaza.
The move happened unexpectedly, but some European Union countries have been talking for weeks about maybe recognizing a Palestinian state. Supporters say that the war has proven that there needs to be a new effort to create two separate states for Israel and the Palestinians, which is something that was last tried 15 years ago but didn’t work out. The leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not support the idea of Palestinians having their own country.
This is the second time Israel’s reputation has been damaged this week. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court wants to arrest Netanyahu and his defense minister. The International Court of Justice is looking into claims that Israel has denied about committing genocide.
Israel called back its ambassadors from three countries and summoned their envoys. They said the Europeans were rewarding the militant Hamas group for attacking on Oct 7, which started the war. Israel Katz, who is in charge of foreign affairs for Israel, said that European ambassadors will see a very unpleasant video of the attack.
During the attack, Hamas-led fighters crossed the border, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. The person in charge of the ICC is trying to get permission to arrest three leaders of Hamas. Israel has attacked and killed over 35,000 Palestinians, and this has caused a big problem with not enough food and water. The ICC prosecutor said that Israeli leaders are using starvation as a weapon.
“Spain, Norway, and Ireland gave a gold medal to Hamas killers and rapists,” according to Katz.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which is important to both Muslims and Jews, after hearing about changes in Europe.
“We won’t let anyone talk about a Palestinian state,” he said.
In response, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would stop giving money to the Palestinian Authority, which could make it hard for them to pay their workers.
In the 1990s, Israel collected taxes for the Palestinians, and used the money to control and pressure them. After the Hamas attack on October 7th, Smotrich stopped the money from being transferred. But Israel decided to send the money to Norway, and then Norway sent it to the PA. Smotrich said on Wednesday that he was stopping that agreement.
Jake Sullivan, who works for the US government, said stopping the aid was a bad idea because it makes the situation in the West Bank unstable and makes it harder for the Palestinian people to be safe and successful.Many people hold the view that creating a Palestinian nation alongside Israel is the most effective way to resolve the conflict.
The US and Britain support the idea of a separate country for Palestinians next to Israel, but they think it should be agreed upon through negotiations. Netanyahu’s government says the problem can only be fixed by talking directly to each other.
Norway, Spain, and Ireland are going to officially recognize the Palestinian state on May 28. They have been friendly with both Israelis and Palestinians and have supported the idea of a Palestinian state for a long time.
They made their announcements one after the other very quickly. Norway was the first to help make the Oslo accords that started the peace process in the 1990s. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said, “There cannot be peace in the Middle East without recognition. “
The country wants to make its office in the West Bank into an embassy.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was a very important day for Ireland and Palestine. He said that the announcements were planned together and that other countries might also join.
The leader of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, told his country’s lawmakers that he has been visiting countries in Europe and the Middle East for many months to get their support for recognizing and stopping the fighting in Gaza.
“This award is not meant to harm anyone, it’s not meant to harm the people of Israel,” said Sanchez. “It is something that supports peace, fairness, and doing the right thing. “
The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, is happy with some decisions and wants other countries to support the Palestinian people’s fight for freedom and independence.
Hamas is seen as a terrorist group by Western countries and Israel. They don’t think Israel should exist, but they might be willing to accept a temporary state on the 1967 borders. Israel is worried that if a Palestinian state is created, the militant group Hamas will try to take it over, which could be dangerous for Israel’s safety.
The announcements probably won’t change anything in the war in Gaza or the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel took control of east Jerusalem and thinks of it as part of its capital. It also built many Jewish communities in the West Bank where over 500,000 Israelis now live. The people who moved to live in the West Bank have Israeli citizenship, but the 3 million Palestinians who live there are ruled by the Israeli military.
Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to keep Gaza safe even if Hamas is defeated, and the fighting is still happening. Early on Wednesday, a bomb from an Israeli plane killed 10 people in central Gaza. This included four women and four children who had nowhere to live and were staying there. The information comes from the hospital.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that recognizing Palestinians as a political entity is an important step towards allowing them to determine their own future.
He said that in order to make a difference, we need to take real actions to stop Israel from taking over and building on Palestinian land, like stopping the sale of products made in settlements and financial support for them.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview that it’s important to support the Palestinian state. He also said that they can only recognize it once.
“We used to think that we would get credit at the end of a process,” he said. “Now we understand that recognition should encourage and support a process. “Many people hold the view that creating a Palestinian nation alongside Israel is the most effective way to resolve the conflict.The US and Britain support the idea of a separate country for Palestinians next to Israel, but they think it should be agreed upon through negotiations. Netanyahu’s government says the problem can only be fixed by talking directly to each other.Norway, Spain, and Ireland are going to officially recognize the Palestinian state on May 28. They have been friendly with both Israelis and Palestinians and have supported the idea of a Palestinian state for a long time.They made their announcements one after the other very quickly. Norway was the first to help make the Oslo accords that started the peace process in the 1990s. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said, “There cannot be peace in the Middle East without recognition. “The country wants to make its office in the West Bank into an embassy.Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was a very important day for Ireland and Palestine. He said that the announcements were planned together and that other countries might also join.The leader of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, told his country’s lawmakers that he has been visiting countries in Europe and the Middle East for many months to get their support for recognizing and stopping the fighting in Gaza.“This award is not meant to harm anyone, it’s not meant to harm the people of Israel,” said Sanchez. “It is something that supports peace, fairness, and doing the right thing. “The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, is happy with some decisions and wants other countries to support the Palestinian people’s fight for freedom and independence.Hamas is seen as a terrorist group by Western countries and Israel. They don’t think Israel should exist, but they might be willing to accept a temporary state on the 1967 borders. Israel is worried that if a Palestinian state is created, the militant group Hamas will try to take it over, which could be dangerous for Israel’s safety.The announcements probably won’t change anything in the war in Gaza or the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.Israel took control of east Jerusalem and thinks of it as part of its capital. It also built many Jewish communities in the West Bank where over 500,000 Israelis now live. The people who moved to live in the West Bank have Israeli citizenship, but the 3 million Palestinians who live there are ruled by the Israeli military.Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to keep Gaza safe even if Hamas is defeated, and the fighting is still happening. Early on Wednesday, a bomb from an Israeli plane killed 10 people in central Gaza. This included four women and four children who had nowhere to live and were staying there. The information comes from the hospital.Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that recognizing Palestinians as a political entity is an important step towards allowing them to determine their own future.He said that in order to make a difference, we need to take real actions to stop Israel from taking over and building on Palestinian land, like stopping the sale of products made in settlements and financial support for them.Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview that it’s important to support the Palestinian state. He also said that they can only recognize it once.“We used to think that we would get credit at the end of a process,” he said. “Now we understand that recognition should encourage and support a process. “
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Russia strikes Ukraine’s second-biggest city, killing seven
Russian missiles has hit Ukraine’s second-biggest city in the northeast and killed at least seven civilians on Thursday morning. The army in Kyiv is trying hard to defend against a strong attack from Russia’s well-prepared forces.
At least 16 people were hurt when S-300 missiles hit Kharkiv city, according to the regional governor Oleh Syniehubov. 15 big booms echoed through the city of about 1 million people.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack was very cruel. He is frustrated that the country’s Western partners have not given them enough air defense systems to stop the attacks after more than two years of war.
Kharkiv is the main city in the Kharkiv region and is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the Russian border. Recently, the soldiers from Moscow have taken control of villages in the region as part of a big effort. Some experts think they may be trying to get close enough to the city to use artillery.
In Ukraine, there is a big battle going on with Russia. Ukrainian forces are outnumbered and outgunned along a 1,000-kilometer front line.
Ukraine doesn’t have enough air defenses and is waiting for help from Western countries. Russia has been attacking Ukraine’s power grid and civilian areas, causing the Ukrainian army to lose ground in some areas. Kyiv had more power cuts on Thursday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the attacks showed that Ukraine really needs more US-made Patriot systems to protect its airspace right away. Germany promised to provide one missile system, but it’s important to get six more quickly for Ukraine’s safety and for peace in Europe. Kuleba wrote this on the social media platform X.
Zelenskyy said that there has been a lot of fighting in Kharkiv and the nearby Donetsk region. In February, Ukraine’s defenders left Avdiivka, which was an important place for them. The Kremlin really wants to take over all of Donetsk, even the parts that are currently under someone else’s control.
At the same time, Russian soldiers have entered the northern Sumy region of Ukraine, possibly to spread out Ukraine’s tired army.
About 1,500 people, including 200 children, have been taken out of Bilopillia and Vorozhba towns because of an emergency, as told by the governor of the area. Volodymyr Artiukh Simple: Volodymyr Artiukh.
Zelenskyy said the fighting is mainly happening at the whole border area.
In Liubotyn, a small town near Kharkiv city, Russian missiles hit the town’s center and hurt eight people.
Russia’s defense ministry announced on Thursday that their forces have gained control of the Donetsk settlement of Andriivka. This area had been held by Ukrainian forces since heavy fighting in September, which left the village destroyed.
In Donetsk, Russian troops said they are making progress near Chasiv Yar, Konstantinovka, and Rozdolivka.
We could not confirm the claims on our own. Recent progress made by Russia has been small and gradual.
Ukraine is looking at Russian areas near its border. Russia’s defense ministry said on Thursday that they have shot down 35 Ukrainian rockets and three drones over the Belgorod region. The leader of the local government, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that a drone was shot down and exploded, killing a woman inside a house. -
RNC headquarters under lockdown after blood vials allegedly carried into the building
The Republican National Committee’s office in Washington, DC, was locked down on Wednesday morning after someone sent vials of blood to the building.
In a statement, the RNC called the incident a “biological attack. “
“We are grateful to the police for acting fast and making sure everyone was safe,” said RNC Chair Michael Whatley in a message. The lockdown is over and the staff is back at work because we are not scared and will continue to work hard to get President Trump re-elected.
The office was closed for a few hours while the US Capitol Police checked out a suspicious package.
The USCP said they checked the package with two vials of blood for any dangers.
The people who sent the package and what’s inside will be looked into more. The USCP said everything is okay later in the morning. -
Military of Ukraine to receive billions from Russia’s frozen assets
The EU plans to allocate $3.25 billion from frozen Russian assets due to sanctions to support Ukraine and its military.
“Russia has to give money for the damage caused by the war,” said Jan Lipavsky, Czech Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, as he revealed the exact amount on X.
The European Council agreed to give money to Ukraine on Tuesday. This comes about two months after deciding to use the money from assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars that were frozen when Russia started a large war against Ukraine in February 2022.
In reaction to the move, Kirill Logvinov, who leads Russia’s constant mission to the EU, claimed that the EU Council had “officially raised stealing to the level of tools in its foreign policy. “
The comment was from an interview translated by Tass, a Russian news agency. Logvinov said that the outcome of the EU’s decision will be hard to predict and could affect the eurozone, the economies of the EU countries, and the investments in the region.
The war in Ukraine has caused a very serious conflict and a big problem with helping people. The country also needs a lot of money and time to rebuild everything.
The Biden administration wants the EU and its 27 member countries to help Ukraine by taking money from Russia’s frozen assets, potentially by taking the money for themselves.
Those who disagree with the plan to transfer Russian assets to Ukraine say it might not be allowed by law and could have bad effects on the euro. If the EU takes the assets, Russia might take European stuff in return.
The EU wants to help Ukraine without getting involved in Russia’s business. They are avoiding the difficult questions and giving support to Kyiv instead.
“Sweden’s Anders Ahnlid said that Ukraine could use the 2 to 4 billion euros of extra money each year for rebuilding, without breaking any rules. “
Since the war started, the EU, Group of Seven and other US allies have frozen $282 billion in assets from the Central Bank of Russia. Most of the money, about two thirds, is held in the EU’s territory, the EU Council reported in February.
The EU will use 90% of the money from unexpected profits to help Ukraine with its military.
Some of the money will be used to help Ukraine’s defense industry and rebuild things. The EU said they will collect money twice a year from accounts in Russia.
Last month, President Biden approved the REPO for Ukrainians Act. This law lets the US give Russian money to Ukraine to help with rebuilding. It’s part of a big bill that spends money on keeping the country safe. A group of senators from both political parties is asking Biden to use his power to put the new law into effect before the G7 meeting in June. -
China begins conducting military exercises near Taiwan
China started practicing military exercises near Taiwan at the same time the island’s new president took office. The new president asked China to stop threatening Taiwan politically and militarily in his first speech.
The eastern part of China’s military is having war games with the air force, navy, and infantry until Friday. China’s state media said the military drills were meant to show that they will punish Taiwan for trying to become independent. This is because they see Taiwan’s new president as someone who wants to separate from China.
Taiwan sent air and sea forces to keep an eye on the military exercises, which its defense ministry called an unnecessary provocation that shows China’s controlling nature.
In March, Taiwan’s national security council said they thought China would start war games after Taiwan’s inauguration. China usually practices its military exercises during the summer and early fall. Beijing has also conducted military exercises before or after Taiwan’s last two inaugurations.
The drills happening until Friday are a reminder that China wants to control Taiwan and might invade to do so.
China did military exercises all around Taiwan and its smaller islands in 2022, after Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. This made China very mad. Since that time, China has significantly increased its military threats against Taiwan, with almost daily air and sea patrols.
A recent study by the Brookings Institute found that in 2023, 7.4% more people were worried about a war between China and Taiwan compared to 2021.
As a reaction to China’s military threats, Lai’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, led by its former president Tsai Ing-wen, has started making changes to the military and spending more money on it. They believe that these changes will stop China from invading by making it too expensive. Last year, they made young men serve in the military for one year instead of four months, and they allowed women to be in the reserve forces.
Lai is the son of a coal-miner who became a doctor and then went into politics. In 2017, when he was Taiwan’s premier, he made comments about being a worker for Taiwan’s independence, which has caused problems for him since then.
His first speech as leader of Taiwan didn’t change the current situation of not officially declaring independence. Most people in Taiwan prefer this ambiguous status over formally declaring independence. Many countries, like the United States, don’t consider Taiwan a separate country. This is because of a long-standing conflict between China and Taiwan, which started from a war a long time ago.
Lai said that Taiwan and China are not under each other’s control. This goes against China’s belief that Taiwan is part of its territory.
China’s main government office for dealing with Taiwan criticized Lai’s speech this week, saying it gave a dangerous message of wanting Taiwan to be independent. -
Chef Fadi Kattan, from Palestine, gives a tour of Bethlehem in his most recent cookbook
Chef Fadi Kattan understands that the current hunger crisis in Gaza may not be the best time to release a cookbook on Palestinian cuisine.
“I must tell you that my publisher is Jewish,” he said to Leila Fadel on Morning Edition. She said, now the book is even more important.
This is because the book is focused on saving a piece of a culture that has been damaged by many years of being moved from their homes and fighting. It’s a way of expressing love for his childhood home in the West Bank by cooking food.
“I began giving tours of the food in Bethlehem. I would bring people to the markets with me,” he explained. “I really wanted to show people that by using the recipes in the book, they can feel like they are visiting Bethlehem with me. “
The food in Bethlehem shows how diverse Palestinians are. It includes simple dishes like a salad with figs and olive oil, as well as more complex ones like spiced rice and fish. They also make a special Christmas fruitcake. With the trouble in Gaza, Kattan pleads, “We are running out of time. ” We should keep those recipes safe. We have to give them to others.
Lentil soup is a type of soup made with lentils.
“My mom makes lentil soup for us when it starts getting cold in Bethlehem, and also during Lent. ” Shorbat adas is a very healthy soup that many people think is only for people who can’t afford fast food. It’s actually a very special soup with fresh salad, radishes, spring onions, and fried bread that goes with it. -
Biden to designate Kenya as a significant non-NATO ally
President Biden is happy to have Kenya’s President William Ruto visit on Thursday. The trip is to show that the US wants to strengthen its relationship with Africa.
Biden will say that Kenya is a close ally and will get benefits for trading weapons.
Kenya will be the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to get a special recognition for its efforts in fighting terrorism and for leading a multinational force in Haiti.
It’s been a while since an African leader was invited for a state visit. Bush served as the 43rd president of the United States. Bush welcomed Ghana and Kenya in 2008 and 2003. In 2014, ex-President Barack Obama hosted a big meeting and dinner for 50 leaders.
“This is the first time an African leader has visited in almost 20 years. ” “It should have happened a long time ago,” said Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan to reporters.
China, Russia, and other countries have been spending a lot of money in Africa. Biden wants to rebuild America’s power there, and he plans to start with a meeting in 2022.
After that, Vice President Harris, first lady Jill Biden, and seven of Biden’s cabinet members have gone to Africa, but Biden himself hasn’t, even though he said he would. He said he will go there in February, but it depends on if he gets reelected.
Biden talked with tech leaders from Kenya and the United States on Wednesday. He said he noticed that Kenya’s tech sector is growing.
The White House stated that the two leaders will also talk about debt and climate problems during their meeting.
In the evening, Biden will have a special event with music by the Howard Gospel Choir and country singer Brad Paisley. First lady Jill Biden said it will be a nice dinner outside in a glass building, looking up at the sky. -
At least 9 people killed as strong winds bring down stage at political gathering in Mexico
Strong wind knocked over the stage at a political event in northern Mexico, killing at least nine people, including a child, and injuring 63 others. The governor of the state of Nuevo Leon reported the incident on Wednesday evening.
The building fell down while Jorge Álvarez Máynez, a candidate for president who wasn’t likely to win, was at an event. He ran away to safety. Videos on social media showed people shouting and running away from a collapsing structure, and trying to get out from under metal poles.
The people who were hurt or affected by this sad event will have support, Máynez said. He also said he canceled his future campaign events.
Later, soldiers, police, and other officials walked around the park where the event happened. Many people nearby were shocked and deeply affected by the tragedy.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he is giving a hug to the families, friends, and supporters of the people who were hurt or killed. Many people in Mexico, including other presidential candidates, sent their sympathy and support.
In a video, the Governor of Nuevo Leon named Samuel Garcia asked people to stay in their houses for the next two hours. He is a member of the Citizens Movement party.
Maynez posted on his social media that he went to a hospital after the accident in the rich area of San Pedro Garza Garcia, close to Monterrey. He said he was feeling well.
“The most important thing right now is to take care of the people hurt in the accident,” he wrote.
Videos of the accident showed Máynez moving his arm while the crowd cheered for him. Then he looked up and saw a big screen and a metal structure falling toward him. He quickly ran to the back of the stage to avoid the falling structure. It looked like it was made of light pieces and had the party’s logo and theater lights on it.
Maynez is currently in third place in the presidential race, behind Claudia Sheinbaum and Xochitl Galvez. Claudia Sheinbaum is from the ruling Morena Party, and Xochitl Galvez is from the opposition coalition. Both expressed their sympathy, and Sheinbaum called off a campaign event in Monterrey the next day to show support for the victims and their families.
Gálvez wrote on social media that he feels sorry for the families of the people who died and hopes that the injured people get better soon.
The accident happened during a busy time for campaigns, with lots of events planned this week and next for the upcoming elections on June 2.
The campaign has been troubled by the deaths of around 24 people running for local government positions. But it has not been damaged by campaign mishaps. -
Tornadoes tear across Iowa, leaving 5 people dead and at least 35 injured
Five people lost their lives and at least 35 were injured when strong tornadoes hit Iowa. One tornado caused a lot of damage in the small town of Greenfield. Officials announced this on Wednesday.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety reported that four people were killed by tornadoes in the Greenfield area on Tuesday. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office also said that a fifth person, a woman whose car was blown off the road, was killed by a tornado about 25 miles away. 46-year-old Monica Zamarron passed away in a car accident on Tuesday, according to officials.
Authorities did not share the names of the victims in the Greenfield area because they were still telling their families.
On Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said they think that more people might be hurt.
The Greenfield tornado destroyed many homes, trees, and cars in the small town of Greenfield, which has about 2,000 people. It is located about 55 miles southwest of Des Moines. The tornado also destroyed big wind turbines that make electricity outside the city.
Kimberly Ergish, 33, and her husband searched through the wreckage of their home to find family photos and other things they could save. She admitted that there wasn’t much left.
“She said we can’t save most of it. ” “We’ll take what we can get. ”
She doesn’t fully realize that her house was destroyed in just a few seconds.
She said, “If I didn’t have all these bumps and bruises and my bones didn’t ache, I would think it never happened. ”
The storms on Tuesday also hit Illinois and Wisconsin hard, leaving many people without power in both states. The bad weather moved south on Wednesday. The National Weather Service warned about tornadoes and flash floods in Texas. There was also a tornado watch in parts of the state, including Dallas.
The National Weather Service thinks there was a strong tornado in Greenfield, but they need to check more to be sure. It might be even stronger than they first thought.
The tornado seems to have traveled on the ground for more than 40 miles (64 kilometers), according to Jon Porter, the main weather expert at AccuWeather. A picture from a satellite made by BlackSky Technology shows where the tornado made a nearly straight path of damage through the town, just south of Greenfield’s center square.
The dangerous tornado happened during a very bad tornado season in the US, when climate change is making storms worse everywhere. April had the second most tornadoes ever recorded in the country.
Until Tuesday, there were 859 tornadoes confirmed this year. That’s 27% more than usual for the US, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Iowa has had the most tornadoes, with 81 confirmed.
On Tuesday, the National Weather Service got 23 reports of tornadoes. Most of them were in Iowa, and there was one in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota.The tornado in Greenfield was the worst thing that could happen in Iowa, just like the weather forecasters were worried about, according to Porter.
“Rubble was thrown high up in the sky and landed in a different area far from Greenfield. ” Porter said, “This shows how strong and dangerous the tornado was. ”
People who lived 100 miles away from Greenfield posted pictures on Facebook of their family photos, yearbook pages, and other things that were taken up into the sky by the tornado.
Nicole Banner found an old page on her garage door after a storm, about 90 miles away in Ames, Iowa. The page said it belonged to the Greenfield Community School District.
“She said we were surprised it had traveled so far. ”
Karine Jean-Pierre, who works at the White House, said the head of FEMA will go to Iowa on Thursday. The White House is also talking to state and local officials. She said they were “asking for help for people who sadly died” and hoping those hurt get better quickly.
The small Greenfield hospital with 25 beds was damaged, and at least twelve injured people had to be taken to other hospitals. The hospital will stay closed until it’s checked again. It could take weeks or months to fix everything. The hospital and other providers are opening a clinic at a school to help kids with their health on Thursdays.
On Monday, the streets in the neighborhood had nice trees and pretty homes. But by Wednesday, everything was broken and messy. A lot of the homes’ basements where people hid were open and the front yards were messy with things like furniture, toys, and Christmas decorations.
Dwight Lahey, a 70-year-old man who used to drive trucks, went from a town near Des Moines to Greenfield to help his 98-year-old mom. She hid from the twister in her basement, then went to a store after her garage was damaged.
“I don’t know how she made it through that difficult situation,” he said. His mom was at a hotel, not sure where she will go now that their home is gone, he said.
Roseann Freeland, who is 67 years old, hurried with her husband to a concrete room in her basement at the last minute. A few seconds later, her husband opened the door and they could see daylight. “I just went crazy. ” I completely lost control.
Severe weather on Tuesday caused flooding and power outages in Nebraska, tornado damage in Wisconsin and Minnesota, and dust storms in Illinois that closed two interstates.
The damage in Iowa happened after bad weather hit the middle of the country, including Oklahoma and Kansas. Last week, very strong storms hit Houston, and at least eight people died. Many people lost power in the area. -
Trudeau attacks Conservatives in his speech to union delegates
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited the United States to meet with American legislators and discuss his political opponents in Canada.He spoke to a big union in North America and tried to show that his party cares more about workers’ rights than the Conservative party led by Pierre Poilievre.
An important person in the government told CTV News that the prime minister wanted to show how the Trudeau Liberals are different from the Conservative party in his 25-minute speech to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) delegates.
In his speech focused on workers, Trudeau talked about how unions are important and said that he supports working people.
Trudeau said that some politicians say they support workers, but if you look at what they’ve done in the past, you can see that’s not true.
The Liberals, Conservatives and NDP are all trying to show that they are the best parties for unions before the 2025 election.
Last month, Poilievre gave a speech to workers at a conference in Quebec.
Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh from the NDP also talked at the meeting. The Conservative leader has been traveling around the country for the past two years, trying to show that he is the only leader who knows about the problems that working-class Canadians have been facing during the affordability crisis.
According to the Conservative party’s spokesperson Sebastian Skamski, Pierre Poilievre is the only person who is paying attention to and talking to Canadian workers in their workplaces and union meeting places all across the country.
In Philadelphia, Trudeau tried to show how the Liberals are different from the previous Conservative government. He said his party made it possible for people to get Old Age Security when they are 65 instead of 67 years old.
Furthermore, Trudeau talked about his government’s law against using replacement workers during strikes, but didn’t say that it was agreed upon in 2022 between Singh and Trudeau as part of their deal. The Prime Minister praised another part of the agreement, which is giving federally-regulated workers 10 days of paid sick leave. The workers’ policies were praised by the delegates at the convention.
Ayanna Vanderbilt, a delegate from San Jose, California, said, “I first thought we would move to Canada. ”
Canada wants to make child care cheaper, only $10 per day, in two years. Vanderbilt thinks it would be good to do the same in the US.
“I work in the child care field, where we take care of elderly people and young children who need extra help. These groups are very vulnerable, and it’s important to make the most of what we have to support them in the United States. ” Vanderbilt said that Canada could learn from the efforts it is making.
Prime Minister Trudeau wants Canadian workers to like his pro-union message before the next election.
Skamski said it’s sad that Justin Trudeau has to leave Canada and talk to people in another country who don’t know about his bad performance just to get some applause. “Justin Trudeau has been spending a lot of money and taking a lot of taxes from people. This has made things very hard for Canadian workers. “ -
Judge postpones Hunter Biden’s tax trial to September
Hunter Biden’s trial for tax evasion in California was postponed after the judge accepted a request for a delay in September. It was supposed to happen next month.
US District Judge Mark C. Scarsi decided to move the case to September 5 because the defense lawyers asked for more time to get ready. Hunter Biden is also going to trial for federal gun charges on June 3 in Delaware.
He said he did not do the crimes he’s accused of, and his lawyers say the accusations are for political reasons. Both cases are being looked at by judges chosen by former President Donald Trump, who is a member of the Republican party and is trying to win against the Democratic president in November.
The trials will make the presidential election even more bitter. Trump’s friends are using embarrassing details from Biden’s son’s troubled life to criticize his father. Trump also has his own legal problems. Trump is facing charges in four criminal cases. One of the cases is about hush money and it is being tried in New York.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers are trying to find experts to testify in the important trial but have been having trouble doing so. They have also asked for the cases to be dismissed or delayed.
The prosecutors disagreed with the request to delay the case, saying it is a simple tax case. Prosecutor Leo Wise told the judge that it is time to have the trial for this case.
“He must follow the law and be treated like anyone else in court,” said David Weiss’ team from the Justice Department in a recent document.
Hunter Biden did not have to go to the court hearing in Los Angeles, and he didn’t go. The judge warned his lawyer, Abbe Lowell, that this would be the only time the case would be delayed, unless a higher court ordered otherwise.
Prosecutors have about 30 people who will tell the court that he didn’t pay about US$1.4 million in taxes over four years while living a very rich life. He has admitted that he had problems with addiction during this time. The taxes that were owed have now been paid.
In the gun case, lawyers say that Biden didn’t tell the truth about using drugs in October 2018 when he filled out a form to buy a gun. He had the gun for about 11 days in Delaware. During that time, he admitted to being addicted to crack cocaine, but his lawyers say he didn’t do anything illegal.
The lawyers want to show the jury parts of his book “Beautiful Things” from 2021. In the book, he talks about his fight with drinking and drugs after his brother died in 2015. His brother was 46 and died from brain cancer.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers tried to get both cases thrown out, but they were not successful. They say that prosecutors gave in to political pressure to charge him. This happened after a plea deal fell apart in court and was criticized by Republicans, including Trump, as being too lenient.
The investigation into the president’s son was supposed to end with a deal last year, but it fell apart because a judge had concerns about it. Hunter Biden was later charged with a crime.
He would have been on probation for two years after admitting to breaking tax laws. He could have stayed out of trouble and not gotten in trouble for having a gun. -
Israel to return video equipment seized from Associated Press
The Israeli government will give back a camera and broadcasting equipment it took from The Associated Press on Tuesday. This happened after it had stopped the news organization from showing live video of Gaza. People were upset because they thought the government was getting in the way of fair journalism.
The live video of Gaza by the AP was working again on Wednesday in Israel.
The government took away AP equipment in southern Israel because they said it broke a new media law by giving pictures to Al Jazeera on TV.
Israeli leaders used a new rule on May 5 to shut down Al Jazeera, a news company from Qatar, in Israel. They took away its stuff, stopped it from showing news on TV, and made it so people in Israel couldn’t go to its websites.
After Israel took the AP’s equipment, the Biden administration, journalism groups, and an Israeli opposition leader criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and urged them to change their decision.
Israel’s communications minister, Shlomo Karhi, said on Tuesday that he has ordered to cancel the action and return the equipment to the AP on the social platform X.
Karhi said the defense department will check how news sources show live video of Gaza. Officials did not tell AP before that the location of their live camera was a problem. Instead, they kept saying that the pictures were shown live on Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera is a customer of AP. They get live video from AP and other news groups.
Lauren Easton, who is the vice-president of corporate communications at AP, said that while they are happy about this progress, they are still worried about the Israeli government using the foreign broadcaster law and independent journalists being able to work freely in Israel.
Government workers went to AP’s building in Sderot and took their equipment on Tuesday afternoon. They gave the AP a paper signed by Karhi, saying it was breaking the law for foreign broadcasters in the country.
Just before, AP was showing a wide look at the northern part of Gaza. The AP follows Israel’s military rules about what can and cannot be shown on the news. They are not allowed to broadcast information that could put soldiers in danger, like where they are moving. The video showed smoke going up in the area.
Last Thursday, the AP was told to stop broadcasting live, but they said no.
Israel’s leader in the opposing party, Yair Lapid, said the government’s action against AP was “crazy. ”
Karhi told Lapid that everyone in the government agreed to a law that says they can take away any device that has Al Jazeera on it.
Journalism groups criticized Israel for taking AP’s equipment, and the Biden administration also pushed back.
“As soon as we found out about the reports, the White House and the State Department quickly talked to Israel’s government at important meetings to show how worried we are and ask them to change this decision,” said Adrienne Watson, who speaks for the National Security Council. “A free press is very important for democracy. The media, including AP, do important work that should be respected. ”
When Israel shut down Al Jazeera’s offices, it raised concerns about press freedom in the country.
Israel has not been good at allowing press freedom during the war, according to the Foreign Press Association. They said this in a statement on Tuesday. “It has stopped foreign reporters from going to Gaza on their own. ”
The live video from Sderot shows us a rare and independent look at what’s happening in Gaza.
Israel and Al Jazeera don’t get along well because Israel thinks the news channel is not fair to their country. Netanyahu said it’s a “terror channel” that spreads hate.
Al Jazeera is one of the few international news companies that has stayed in Gaza during the war. They have been showing airstrikes and crowded hospitals, and they are saying that Israel has been committing massacres. AP is also in Gaza. The Associated Press is also located in Gaza.
In the 2021 war between Israel and Hamas, the army destroyed the building where AP’s Gaza office was located. They said that Hamas had used the building for military reasons. The AP said they didn’t know about Hamas being there, and the army didn’t show any proof to support what they said.
The fighting in Gaza started when Hamas attacked Israel and killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 others. More than 35,000 Palestinians have died according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. They don’t separate civilians and soldiers in their count. -
Germany’s foreign minister in Kiev as Ukraine struggles to repel Russian attacks
The foreign minister of Germany has visited to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine. NATO countries, like Germany, have been slow to send weapons and ammunition, which has made Ukraine vulnerable to recent Russian attacks.
Annalena Baerbock asked for help from other countries to send more air defense systems to Berlin because Russia is attacking Ukraine with missiles, glide bombs, and rockets. Germany gives the second most military help to Ukraine after the United States.
Ukraine’s soldiers don’t have enough people and are trying to stop a strong attack from Russia at the border. This is a very important part of the war, which has been going on for three years.
Germany promised to give Ukraine another US-made Patriot battery, but Ukraine still doesn’t have enough air defenses to protect against the Russian attack.
The Kremlin’s forces have used their advantage in the sky to weaken Ukraine’s power grid. They hope to make Ukrainian people feel tired and disrupt the defense industry.
Baerbock visited a power plant in Ukraine with the Ukrainian Energy Minister. The plant was badly damaged on April 11. At the damaged inside of the plant, employees of Centrenergo, a government company that runs the plant, were still cleaning up debris a few weeks after it was hit.
The Ukraine President said that Russian troops are still attacking the eastern Donetsk and northeastern Kharkiv areas with explosive bombs, causing damage to both military and civilian areas.
“We need air defence to protect our warriors and cities from threats. It’s important to have additional defence systems to make things easier for us,” Zelenskyy said on social media on Monday.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine still has control of the disputed areas, but Russia says it has taken some border villages.
We couldn’t confirm either side’s claims about the fighting on the battlefield on our own.
Baerbock had plans to go to Kharkiv on Tuesday but she had to cancel the trip because it wasn’t safe, according to the German news agency dpa. Nearly 11,000 people have left Kharkiv border areas because of Russia’s attack on May 10th.
A drone attack from Russia damaged many trucks, buses, and other vehicles in Kharkiv city. The regional governor, Oleh Syniehubov, said that over 25 vehicles were damaged. Seven people got hurt, he said.
Ukraine’s military leaders said that the number of Russian attacks in Kharkiv slowed down on Monday, but the fighting still continued.
Russian soldiers are spying and attacking in Ukraine’s Sumy and Chernihiv regions. They are shooting at villages near the border and putting down more mines, said Dmytro Lykhovii, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s military. The front line is about 1,000 kilometers or 620 miles long.
Baerbock was supposed to meet with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv. The German leader, Olaf Scholz, has been saying no to Ukraine’s request for Taurus missiles. These missiles can fly for 500 kilometers and are hard to detect.
The missiles made in Germany and Sweden can travel a long distance and could hit targets far inside Russia if launched from Ukraine. But Berlin doesn’t want to send the missiles because it might make them get involved in the war.
A think tank in Washington said that Ukraine is not allowed to attack Russia, so they can’t stop Russian troops and equipment from getting ready to attack Ukraine.
An object to form a compound is a big problem for the US. Western decisions are making it hard for Ukraine to protect itself from Russian attacks in northern Kharkiv and other places near the border. The Institute for the Study of War said this on Monday.
Baerbock said that Ukraine should join the European Union because of Russia’s illegal war.
Ukraine has done really well and needs to keep making changes to the legal system, fighting corruption, and protecting freedom of the media.
Germany is going to have a meeting to help Ukraine rebuild next month. Rebuilding the country will cost a lot of money, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars. -
Hackers threaten to release London Drugs’ data if it refuses to pay $25 million
All stores in Western Canada were forced to close last month after London Drugs was attacked by a group of cybercriminals. The cybercriminals are demanding $25 million and have threatened to release the company’s data if they fail to pay.
London Drugs told our media team that it found out cybercriminals on the dark web stole files from its head office, and some of those files might have some employees information.
The company hasn’t found any proof that the patients, customers, or main employees’ information has been stolen, but they are still looking into the cyberattack.
London Drugs didn’t say the name of the criminal group, but the cyber expert Brett Callow thinks it was LockBit. LockBit is known for doing a lot of ransomware attacks.
Callow told CTV News that Emsisoft’s trackers found out about the ransom “pretty fast” by gathering information from the dark web.
LockBit says it will share data it says it took from London Drugs in 48 hours if London Drugs doesn’t give them $25 million. The post also says that London Drugs has said they will pay $8 million.
London Drugs said they don’t want to pay money to the cybercriminals.
“We know that these criminals might release London Drugs corporate files that they stole, some of which could have employee information, on the Dark Web. ” This is very upsetting, and London Drugs is doing everything it can to reduce the impact of these criminal acts.
London Drugs told all their employees about a possible security problem and gave them two years of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection, even if their information wasn’t stolen.
Callow said that London Drugs made the right choice by not paying the ransom.
He said there’s no promise that LockBit would actually delete the data if London Drugs gives in. Law enforcement has found that LockBit servers still had data from companies that paid to have it deleted before.
“He said they can’t be trusted and are not honest. ”
LockBit and its partners have used their ransomware to forcefully take $120 million from many people and organizations. Some of the victims include Boeing, Britain’s National Health Service, and China’s largest bank. This information was reported by The Associated Press.
It asks for money in exchange for the release of the hostages, ranging from tens of thousands to tens of millions of dollars.
He said that London Drugs can only help their employees if their information has been stolen and hope that the police can catch the people behind LockBit.
In 2023, cybercriminals got $1.1 billion in ransom, as said by crypto-tracing company Chainalysis. “Most of the money would have been paid by American companies. ” Callow said, “and Canada. ”
“Many victims say the attacks were complicated, but most ransomware attacks happen because of simple security mistakes. Organizations can do things to lower the chances of being attacked,” he said.
London Drugs said they will not do any interviews on Tuesday. -
BREAKING: Hopeson Adorye arrested over his dynamite explosion claims
Hopeson Adorye, a prominent member of the Movement for Change has been arrested by the Police over his claim that he detonated dynamites in the Volta Region during the 2016 General Elections.
Mr Adorye made the claim during a radio interview in Accra which has since gone viral.
He is currently in custody, and according to sources, will appear before court on this
According to sources within the Police Service, Mr Adorye was arrested on Wednesday, May 22.
The arrest follows an interview he gave on Accra FM on May 10, where he claimed to have been part of an orchestration to detonate dynamites to scare voters in the stronghold of the National Democratic Congress to pave the way for a New Patriotic Party (NPP) win.
In the interview, Mr Adorye, who was an NPP member but now serves as the director of special duties for Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change, explained that the dynamite explosions were intended to intimidate voters in the opposition stronghold of the Volta Region.
He claimed that this tactic was initiated by the New Patriotic Party.
“Prior to the elections, we blasted dynamite in parts of the Volta Region, and that scared a number of people. When I finished casting my ballot in Tema, I drove to the Volta Region, and when I asked for the number of people who had voted and the expected number of voters, it turned out people did not come out to vote,” he is quoted to have said.
The police are conducting investigation into these allegations.
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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces July 4 general election in UK
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak decided to have a national election on July 4. It’s likely that his Conservative party will lose to the opposition Labour Party, who have been in power for 14 years.
After lots of talk about when there would be a new vote, Sunak, who is 44 years old, said outside his home at 10 Downing Street that he was calling the election earlier than some people thought he would. This is a risky move because his party is not doing well in the opinion polls.
Sunak is not doing well in the polls and doesn’t have much support within his party. He is relying on a small group of advisers to help him through the upcoming election.
However, he seems to have made up his mind that now is the right time to present his plans for a new term to voters, because the economy is doing well with inflation going down and the economy growing quickly.
The person who used to work in banking and finance became the prime minister just under two years ago. Since then, he has had a hard time figuring out what he believes in and is getting more and more frustrated because he thinks his accomplishments are not being recognized.
Both parties have started campaigning for an election. They are already attacking each other on the economy and defense.
Sunak and his government say that Labour will raise taxes if they are in charge, and they don’t have a good plan for a dangerous world. But the opposition party denies these charges.
Labour says the government has not managed the economy well for 14 years. This has made people’s lives worse, and businesses have not had the stability they need to grow.
Labour said they were prepared for an election before it was announced.
“We are prepared to go anytime the prime minister decides to have an election. ” We have a plan and we are ready for an election. We believe the country wants a general election, said Labour leader Starmer’s spokesperson. -
Biden’s popularity rating drops to its lowest point in almost two years
This month, a poll by Reuters/Ipsos showed that US President Joe Biden‘s approval rating dropped to its lowest point in almost two years. This is a warning sign for his chances of getting reelected.
The survey that lasted four days and ended on Monday found that only 36 percent of Americans think Biden is doing a good job as president, which is lower than the 38 percent in April. He got the worst rating of his presidency, as low as it was in July 2022. This month, the poll shows that Biden’s support has decreased, which might not be good for him when he competes against Donald Trump in the presidential election on Nov. 5.
Biden, a member of the Democratic party, has been in a close race with Trump in national surveys asking people who they plan to vote for. Trump has been a little bit ahead of Biden in a lot of polls in the states that will probably decide who wins the US Electoral College.
The survey showed both things Biden is not good at and a few things he is good at. The most important problem facing the country, according to 23% of people, is the state of the economy. About 21 out of 100 people think that political extremism is the most important issue, and 13 out of 100 people think that immigration is the most important issue.
40% of people in the poll said they think Trump had better ways to help the US economy while he was president from 2017-2021. 30% said they think Biden has better ways. The rest either didn’t know or didn’t answer.
Trump was more popular than Biden on immigration. 42 per cent of people liked Trump’s approach, while 25 per cent liked Biden’s approach.
Biden was a little better than Trump on dealing with political extremism, according to 34% of people surveyed. 30% said Trump was better on this issue.
People said they thought Trump was better at dealing with problems in other countries and terrorism. 36% of people liked Trump’s approach, while 29% liked Biden’s approach.
The US economy is a big influence on whether Biden will get reelected.
People who vote are upset because prices have been going up quickly for many years. However, prices are not going up as fast now and many people have jobs. The unemployment rate has been lower than four percent for over two years. Biden is 81 years old, and voters are worried about his age.
In addition, a different poll this month showed that a lot of Democrats are not happy with how Biden has been dealing with the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The survey that came out on Tuesday didn’t ask people if they agree with Biden’s help for Israel’s war in Gaza. This issue is causing a big split among Democrats.
Trump, who is 77 years old, is facing four criminal trials, including a hush money trial in New York that will end next week. Trump chose not to answer questions in the case where he is accused of lying about his business records. This means his defense is over and the jury will decide next week. He is trying to overturn his loss to Biden in the 2020 election and there are two more trials waiting to happen because of this.
Trump says he lost the 2020 election because of cheating, but this is not true. He made the claim in a strong speech just before many of his followers broke into the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Five people passed away. -
Hamas was given a revised ceasefire agreement by Egypt – Negotiators
Egyptian spies quietly made changes to a peace agreement that Israel had agreed to earlier this month. This stopped a deal that could have freed Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and could have temporarily stopped the fighting in Gaza. Three people who knew about the talks said this.
Hamas announced a ceasefire agreement on May 6 that was not what Qatar and the United States had expected.
The changes made by Egyptian intelligence made US, Qatar, and Israel officials very angry and caused problems with the ceasefire talks. These changes were not reported before.
“We were all fooled,” one person told the media.
Director of the CIA, Bill Burns, was working on getting a ceasefire agreement and was in the area when he found out that the Egyptians had changed the deal. Burns felt upset and ashamed when someone suggested that he didn’t know about the changes or didn’t tell the Israelis about them.
Burns, who is usually quiet and calm, got very angry, said the source.
A person from the CIA said they didn’t want to talk about it.
Three people who know about this told the media team that a high-ranking Egyptian intelligence official named Ahmed Abdel Khalek made the changes. Abdel Khalek is a high-ranking assistant to the Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel. He has been working closely with Burns in leading Egypt’s efforts to help negotiate a ceasefire.
One person who knows about the talks said Abdel Khalek told the Israelis one thing and told Hamas another. Hamas asked for more things to be included in the plan that Israel had already agreed to. They did this to make sure they were happy with the plan. But the other people trying to help were not told, and neither were the Israelis.
“Hamas told their people that they would have a deal ready tomorrow,” said the first source.
“Everyone thought the Egyptians gave the same document to both Israel and the other mediators, the US and Qatar, and they all knew about it,” said the person.Instead, another person said that the Egyptians tried to mix together the original plan and the way Hamas reacted.
The Egyptian government said that some people are blaming the mediators and accusing them of being biased so they don’t have to make the important decisions. Some people are trying to insult Egypt for trying to make peace in Gaza, and Egypt is upset about it.
A deal was almost done.
CNN got a document from Hamas that says they agreed to a plan. It includes making a long-lasting peace and reaching a sustainable calm as part of the second phase of the deal. Israel does not want to talk about ending the war until Hamas is beaten and the hostages are freed.
Now, three weeks later, the ceasefire talks are not going well. People are wondering why Egypt, who has been a middleman between Israel and Hamas for many years, is not helping as much with Hamas members in Gaza.
CNN’s Jake Tapper asked the Israeli Prime Minister if he was worried about Egypt helping with future peace talks. Netanyahu said Israel would not agree to any terms that would let Hamas attack Israel again. I want Egypt to know that we can’t agree to something like that.
The changes happened over a week after a group of Egyptian negotiators went to Israel at the end of April. They were working on the last details of a plan to release Israeli hostages and stop the fighting in exchange for the return of Palestinian prisoners.
Conversations had been happening for months since the fighting stopped in early December. Israel mostly agreed to do more than before, so people started feeling more hopeful that a deal was almost ready. Israel said they were okay with having less hostages, letting more Palestinian prisoners go, and allowing people in Gaza to move freely from the south to the north.
US officials said that the framework was very generous of Israel, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani told Israel’s intelligence service Mossad that Egypt worked alone in the freelancing discovery.
Al Thani and CIA Director Burns started working on the proposal to make it better and include things that Israel would need.
“A senior official in the Biden administration said it doesn’t make sense that Egyptian intelligence would try to push something through without input from others. ”
Modifications done to please Hamas
After the Egyptians returned from Israel and talked with Hamas, it was clear that Hamas would not agree with what Israel was agreeing to, according to one source. The Egyptian leader made big changes to get Hamas to agree.
The day before Hamas said they agreed, a source told CNN that Egypt got their answer and told Israel.
“The source suggested different options and plans to solve the main disagreement about ending the war. ”
The hardest part of the negotiations has been figuring out how to end the war in the agreement. Netanyahu said that what Hamas sent back was far from what Israel wanted.
The talks stopped shortly after they started.
Negotiators, including Burns, went back to Cairo for another set of talks with Hamas without meeting them in person. Israel and Qatar promised to send a group of people, but they did not send important leaders. This shows that even though people were hopeful, a deal might not happen as soon as they thought.
Two days after Hamas replied on May 6, Burns came back to Washington and sources told CNN that the talks were temporarily stopped.
Mediators wanted the fighting to stop so that Israel wouldn’t attack Rafah. Israel is doing more military actions in Rafah, even though the Biden government says it will harm the many civilians who went there for safety.
“If discussions start again, it’s likely that Qatar will have a more important role in the next round,” said a second person who knows about the talks. Negotiations may not start again soon, but if they did, Egypt would still play a big role because they are close to Hamas and Israel prefers Egypt over Qatar.
The talks will focus on a plan to release 33 Israeli hostages over 6 weeks. Hamas wants to include the bodies of dead hostages in the first release and continue to the second phase without stopping. Israel has said no to both positions.
US officials say that the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, may not want a deal because he believes he is winning. They also think that he wants more suffering for the Palestinians because it makes the world turn against Israel. Critics of Netanyahu, including families of Israeli hostages, say that he cares more about getting rid of Hamas in Gaza than bringing back Israeli citizens who are held captive. -
Police looking into a strange chemical close to US Capitol
The US Capitol Police were looking into a strange substance on a street close to the Capitol and the Republican National Committee headquarters, according to a statement from the police.
NBC News said that containers of blood were sent to the committee, according to three people who knew about it. But they didn’t have any other information.
The police have closed First Street SE between C and D streets and told people to stay away from that area.
This news story is still being updated. Come back later for more information. -
Toronto’s proposal to decriminalise ordinary drug possession denied by Canadians
The Canadian government has said no to Toronto’s request to make having small amounts of drugs not a crime because they don’t think it will keep people safe and healthy.
“Minister Saks said she has concerns about whether the police can make the new plan work, if it will keep young people safe, and if important people in the government of Ontario will support it. ”
Ottawa decided to change its mind the day after the Ontario government asked the city to stop the request. The Ontario government thinks the request is a bad idea.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones and the province’s Solicitor General Michael Kerzner wrote a letter to Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, saying that the province will not support the request made to Health Canada in early 2022 for an exception to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
Premier Doug Ford said again that his government will not support the request. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday, asking Ottawa to stop approving new safe supply sites.
“We told Toronto Public Health that we don’t and will never support their request to make illegal drugs legal,” Ford said. “We officially confirm to the government that we completely disagree with their proposal. ”
Ford and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre both said they don’t think the prime minister should agree to Toronto’s request.
Toronto’s request to decriminalize drugs gained attention again after British Columbia requested to make the use of certain drugs illegal in public spaces, because there were problems with a previous exemption order.
Drde Villa said on Friday that since decriminalization is not an option anymore, it’s important to invest in other evidence-based solutions.
She said the province needs to provide more money and make it easier for people to get different kinds of treatments to help with the drug problem.
De Villa told CP24 that her request is based on the best medical advice for the health of the public. “By the end of the day, I’ll keep working as a doctor to offer advice, but it’s up to the elected officials to make the decisions,” she said.
On Friday, she said she supports Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow’s idea to work together with all levels of government to tackle the “complicated problem. ”
Toronto Public Health is ready and wants to work with others to find ways to help with this important and urgent health problem, de Villa stated.
Before the government made a decision on Friday, Chow wrote a letter asking all levels of government to work together to fight the opioid crisis.
She said they should have a Crisis Centre open all the time, more treatment options for substance use, homes for people with many needs, and more things to help.
“I think that by offering more treatment choices, we can greatly lessen the harmful effects of drug toxicity in Toronto and Ontario,” Chow wrote.
She also said, “We all believe that it is very important to get more treatment. ”
Chow said that the debate about decriminalization doesn’t matter unless people struggling with drug addiction have the right housing and treatment they need. -
Russia sanctioned by Canada for allegedly supplying North Korea with weaponry to Ukraine
Canada has once again punished Russians and companies that it says are helping Moscow invade Ukraine.
The penalties are for two men and six shipping companies that Canada says helped move weapons, like ballistic missiles, from North Korea to Russia illegally.
Global Affairs Canada says that these groups bought weapons from North Korea and used them in Ukraine this year and last year, which goes against international sanctions.
Ottawa says the companies are connected to the Russian military and help move weapons. They can’t do business with Canadians.
Canada has punished over 3,000 people and groups in Eastern Europe who are involved with Russia invading Ukraine in 2014 and invading again in 2022.
A report from the Senate says it’s hard to know if Canada’s restrictions on people are being followed, and if Ottawa has clearly explained why they are imposing the restrictions.
The police updated their information on money that’s been frozen and transactions that have been blocked because of sanctions. There wasn’t much change since last September.
Sanctions against Russians in Canada have stopped $140 million of their money, increased from $136 million last year.
Canada stopped $317 million transactions, which is more than the previous $305 million.
New information shows that $116,000 belonging to people from Belarus has been stopped from being used. Last September, no money had been frozen. -
“Mr. Trump doesn’t disturb us” – Canadian Ambassador
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is trying to make friends with US politicians and business people. The Canadian ambassador to the US said that another Trump presidency wouldn’t be a big deal for Canada.
We are not worried about Mr Trump. “We worked well with him,” Kristen Hillman said to reporters at the SEIU conference in Philadelphia.
Hillman said Canada did a good job of changing the North American Free Trade Agreement, called CUSMA. The trade deal between Canada, Mexico, and the United States started on July 1, 2020 after they talked about it for a long time.
In 2018, the US President Trump put taxes on steel and aluminum that came into the US from Canada and other friendly countries. The Trade Expansion Act was a law passed in 1962 to help increase trade between the United States and other countries. This rule lets the US put taxes on imports if it thinks its safety is at risk.
That’s why Canada’s possibility of trade problems with the US is not just a theoretical question anymore, and the Liberal government thinks it can deal with those issues.
“We worked with the American government to show them that the tariffs were hurting them too. We convinced President Trump to remove the tariffs,” Trudeau said to the media.
Lately, Trump said he will add 10% taxes on things brought into the country from other places if he becomes president. A new report from Scotiabank said that if there is a trade war, Canada’s economy could shrink by 36 per cent.
However, Trudeau told reporters that he is telling US lawmakers and business leaders that tariffs are bad for them as well.
Trudeau said that Canada shouldn’t be hit with tariffs or other protectionist measures because it would also hurt American jobs.
The prime minister said in his speech to SEIU conference members that in 2023, trade between Canada and the US was more than $1.3 trillion. He emphasized this point.
Trudeau emphasized in a meeting with Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro that Canada is the state’s top place to sell goods to, with exports to Canada being more than the total of the next four countries.
Canada is trying to get American politicians from different levels of government to see how important the relationship between Canada and the United States is. They recently met with a Democratic governor as part of this effort.
“We are always making sure that elected officials who make decisions understand how important Canada is for the communities they represent,” Hillman told reporters. -
Trudeau emphasises trade, democracy, and freedom in Philadelphia
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there is a lot of work to do to support workers and progressive values in Canada and the United States during his trip to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
I was invited to speak at a convention for a big union and ended up meeting with important people like vice-president Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.
It was his first trip to a country below the United States since starting a new sales strategy called “Team Canada”. This strategy began during Donald Trump’s first term as president, when trade decisions made the relationship between the US and Canada unsure.
The approach involved having meetings with people from the US Congress, state governments, city leaders, and business executives, to make sure they knew and agreed that having good relationships with Canada is helpful for both countries.
The approach didn’t completely disappear, but it lost momentum after President Joe Biden won. This gave the Liberals a US government that is more supportive of their values and policies.
On Tuesday, Trudeau and Harris both gave speeches to the SEIU where they talked about making medicine cheaper, protecting abortion rights, and raising wages. Their speeches were very similar.
Trudeau said he was not giving his support to Biden by being there – he says he is not choosing sides in another country’s election.
Trudeau and Canada’s ambassador in Washington, Kirsten Hillman, say Canada would do the same thing whether Trump is running for president in November or not.
Trudeau told reporters that this message is important all the time.
Trudeau avoided answering questions about how worried he is about a Trump becoming president again. He said that what worked in the past should work again.
Trudeau said that during Mr. Trump’s time as president, we noticed that a good reason to not impose tariffs or protectionist measures on Canada was because it would also harm American jobs.
“That’s why I mentioned today that Pennsylvania exports more to Canada than to the next four foreign countries combined. ”
Canada says that 7.8 million people in the United States like something. Many people in the US have jobs because of trade with Canada, and many people in Canada have jobs because of trade with the US.
He seemed to make a new friend in Shapiro, who was elected governor for the first time just two years ago. Shapiro is seen as an important member of the Democratic party in the US and may run for president in 2028.
The two met for a short meeting before going on stage together at an event in Canada for business leaders, artists, and academics from Philadelphia.
Shapiro told Trudeau that he wants Pennsylvania to be the best state for renewable energy in the US, following Canada’s good example.
He repeated one of Trudeau’s favorite sayings about how diversity makes us stronger.
Both leaders said it’s important to protect freedom and democracy from increased false information, attacks on institutions, and citizens’ lack of trust in their leaders.
Trudeau talked to lots of union members at the SEIU convention and told them about how his government helps unions. He also talked about why it’s important for the US and Canada to have a good relationship.
“During this tough time for the world, Canada and the United States are there for each other,” Trudeau said.
“Today, it’s important to remember how special our partnership is. ”
The upcoming presidential election in America will be very important for the country.
Donald Trump may come back to the White House. This makes us think of the tough relationship with other countries when he was president before.
If he wins again, he has promised to add a 10% tax on all items brought into the country from other countries.
Trudeau and Hillman said Canada is safe from the threat because the renegotiated North American free trade agreement, which happened during Trump’s presidency, will protect Canada.
Canada is the most important country that buys things from the US. They buy almost one-fifth of all the things that the US sells to other countries. Mexico makes up about 1/6 and China makes up less than 1/10.
The US buys the most Canadian exports, making up 77% of all exports in 2023, which is almost $600 billion. -
Man charged with first-degree murder in Belleville killing
A 30-year-old man is accused of committing murder in a Belleville, Ontario home on Tuesday morning. He has been charged with first-degree murder.
The Belleville Police went to a house on Hasting Park Drive before 1:30 am.
When the police got there, they found a dead 26-year-old woman and a man with cuts on his wrists in the house.
The man has been accused of committing a very serious crime called first-degree murder. The police saw some things and found some initial information that led them to think he might be responsible. He was brought to the hospital for care and is still being held by the police at the hospital.
We are not giving out the names of the people involved until their families have been told.
The Belleville police are still looking into what happened with the help of their forensic team.This news story is still being updated. Come back later for more information.
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Greek judge dismisses case against Egyptians over shipwreck that killed hundreds of lives
A Greek judge said on Tuesday that a case against nine Egyptian men for causing a shipwreck that killed many migrants last year can’t go forward in Greece. This decision caused concern in the European Union about border protection and asylum. The prosecutor told the court that Greece doesn’t have the right to handle this case.
The judge Eftichia Kontaratou made a decision at the start of the trial in Kalamata, Greece. People who support the defendants cheered and clapped at the courthouse when they heard the decision.
More than 500 people are thought to have died when the Adriana sank in one of the deepest parts of the Mediterranean on its way from Libya to Italy. Only 104 people were saved from the crowded fishing boat. They were mostly men from Syria, Pakistan, and Egypt. 82 people didn’t make it and were found dead.
The lawyers said that the young people on the boat were part of the crew and responsible for treating passengers badly. They also said that the boat was too full and that caused it to flip and sink on June 14, 2023. But the defense team said that it wasn’t true. The nine men could have gone to prison for a long time if they were found guilty of the many crimes they were charged with, like helping people enter a country illegally and causing a ship to crash, which led to people dying.
The judge agreed with the public prosecutor’s suggestion to throw out the case because the boat sank in an area that doesn’t belong to Greece.
“The ship crashed in the middle of the ocean, so Greek courts can’t handle the case,” she said. “I suggest that we say they did nothing wrong. ”
International human rights groups criticized the case because they thought the defendants didn’t get a fair trial. This is because the Naval Court is still investigating the sinking and the actions of the Greek coast guard.
The trawler sank while sailing in waters that Greece is responsible for rescuing people in. A coast guard boat and other ships were near the boat for a long time, but couldn’t stop a lot of people from dying.
Many people who were saved from the sinking ship said it happened when the Greek coast guard tried to tow the ship. Greek officials say this is not true. It’s not clear how exactly the sinking happened.
The nine people were charged because nine survivors said they did something wrong. The lawyers said that the witnesses were forced to testify, and their clients were just passengers who were blamed for the sinking because the authorities wanted to blame overcrowded conditions.
Dimitris Choulis, a lawyer on the defence team, said we should now focus on how the Adriana ship sank.
“The court had to be very brave to make this decision and say that these people are not the smugglers,” Choulis said. “Now we can’t blame the bad smugglers anymore. We have to figure out who caused the shipwreck. ”Choulis said the Greek coast guard and Europe’s migration policies caused the tragedy. He said it’s important to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Judith Sunderland, who works at Human Rights Watch, said the same thing.
“Now that the survivors have been through a difficult time, we need the Naval Court to finish its investigation and figure out who is responsible for the many people who died in the Pylos shipwreck,” she said. Pylos is a town in Greece that was near where the trawler sunk. The shipwreck is now called by the name of that town.
The nine people who have been in jail since the boat accident were supposed to be let out on Wednesday after everything was finished.
Another lawyer, Spyros Pantazis, said that the Kalamata court made the right decision today. “This case required a lot of time and hard work. ” After a long time, the entire defense team is very happy.
Dalia Abdel-Magid, the aunt of defendant Mohammed Emad Abdel-Magid, had a strong emotional response when she heard that her nephew had been found not guilty.
“I’m very happy and I just want to hug him and bring him with me,” she said. “I hope things get better for him now. ”
Earlier, a few people who were protesting fought with the police outside the court. No one got seriously hurt but two people were taken by the police. Special police officers kept the peace in the courtroom.
“Justice won” Stelios Kouloglou, a member of the European Parliament from Greece, said that it should not happen again for innocent people to stay in jail for a year. 2,000 people in Greek jails are thought to be innocent. They have been accused or found guilty of smuggling. Most people are innocent.
At the beginning of the trial, Kontaratou asked all nine people accused of a crime some questions with the help of a translator. The person accused said they meant to go to Italy, not Greece, and many said they didn’t do anything wrong.
She admitted that there were no Greeks on the ship, it wasn’t Greek, and all the documents said the ship was 47 nautical miles away.
Last year, the leader of the United Nations called the shipwreck “very terrible. ”
The boat sinking made European governments feel like they need to do more to keep migrants and asylum seekers safe when they try to come to Europe. More and more people are trying to come to Europe without permission, and something needs to be done to help them stay safe.
Frontex, the European border protection agency, says that there have been more illegal border crossings at EU frontiers for the past three years. This is the highest it has been since the migration crisis in 2015-2016, mainly because more people are arriving by sea. -
Hundreds of hostages rescued from Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria
The Nigerian military has rescued numerous individuals, including women and children, who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria.They were kept in the forest for a long time.
The extremist group held 350 people captive in the Sambisa Forest. The group started fighting in 2009. GeneralKen Chigbu, a high-ranking officer in the Nigerian army, said on Monday that he handed over the people to the authorities in Borno, where the forest is located.
209 kids, 135 ladies, and six men looked tired in their old clothes. Some girls had babies from forced marriages or being raped while in captivity by the militants.
One of the hostages had seven kids and said they couldn’t get away because of their children.
Hajara Umara said, “I always wanted to leave, but I couldn’t because of my children. ” She and her children were rescued. “If they found out you tried to run away, they would hurt you and keep you locked up forever. ”
The army saved the hostages after a long operation in Sambisa Forest. The forest used to be a busy place but now it’s where Boko Haram and its groups attack people and security forces in nearby countries.
The people who were released were taken in trucks to the Borno state government house. The government will take care of them until they can go back home.
The army said that some extremists were killed during the rescue and their temporary houses were destroyed.
Boko Haram, a group of rebels in Nigeria, started a war in 2009 to make Islamic Shariah law the law of the land. At least 35,000 people have died and 2.1 million people had to leave their homes because of violent extremists in Nigeria, as per the UN.
Since the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in 2014, Boko Haram militants have taken at least 1,400 students from Nigerian schools. Recently, many kidnappings have been happening in the northwestern and central parts of the country, where armed groups often take villagers and travelers and ask for money to release them. -
Russia begins a tactical nuclear weapons drill
Russian military has begun practicing how to use small nuclear weapons, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
President Putin told his soldiers to practice earlier this month. Moscow says that Western officials made strong statements that made Russia feel less safe.
The Foreign Ministry of Russia mentioned that the French President and the British Foreign Secretary are talking about sending troops and using weapons to fight Russia in Ukraine.
Security experts believe that the exercise is a way for Putin to send a warning to the West and prevent them from getting more involved in the war in Ukraine. The West has given weapons and information to Kyiv, but has not sent soldiers.
The military said they used Iskander and Kinzhal missiles in the first part of the exercise.
It is meant to make sure that the units and equipment are ready to use non-strategic nuclear weapons to protect Russia from threats made by Western officials.
The practice involves the use of missiles in the southern part of Russia, close to Ukraine. This area also includes parts of Ukraine that are under Russia’s control.
Belarus and Russia both said they will be part of the military exercises. Russia said they will be using tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last year.
Smaller nuclear weapons are not as strong as the big ones that can destroy entire cities, but they still have a lot of power to cause a lot of damage. -
Israeli government stops Associated Press’s live broadcast from Gaza
The Associated Press has reported that Israeli authorities in Gaza deactivated their camera and seized their equipment. They think the Israeli government is using a new law against foreign broadcasters in a bad way.
“The Associated Press strongly criticizes the actions of the Israeli government,” said the non-profit news organization in a statement. “We ask the Israeli authorities to give back our equipment and let us start showing live news again. This will help us share important news with many media outlets worldwide. ”
The Israeli military often says that people can’t go to certain areas near Gaza because they are for the military only. The AP’s live feed showed what was happening in Gaza, where it’s hard for journalists to work because Israel and Egypt don’t let them in.
The Associated Press didn’t answer when the media asked for a comment. But the Foreign Press Association said they were worried about the shutdown and taking away of things.
Israel’s action today is a dangerous path to go down. Israel may stop other news organizations from showing live videos of Gaza. The FPA said that it could also let Israel stop the media from covering almost any news event for reasons of security that are not very clear.
Israel recently stopped Al Jazeera from operating in the country. They went to the news outlet’s offices, took their equipment, and closed them down. The United Nations and human rights groups criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for limiting press freedoms.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said that the AP broke a new law by giving news to many clients, including Al Jazeera.
Karhi said in a statement that a camera that was taken away illegally is showing live footage of the northern Gaza Strip on the Aljazeera channel. This includes the actions of the IDF forces and puts our fighters at risk. Last week, the AP agency was warned that they are not allowed to broadcast on Al Jazeera according to the law and government’s decision. But they decided to continue anyway, which is causing harm to the state’s security.
The taken equipment consisted of a camera, stand, two microphones, and transmission gear, according to the statement.
Reporters Without Borders criticized Israel for taking the equipment.
Israel has banned Al Jazeera and is now angry at the AP. “RSF is upset that the news outlet’s camera was taken and the live video of Gaza was stopped because they think the images are being used by Al Jazeera. ”
Israel opposition leader Yair Lapid called the seizure “crazy. ”
He said that this is not Al Jazeera, it’s an American news organization that has won 53 Pulitzer Prizes. This government is acting like it wants to make sure that Israel is rejected by everyone in the world, no matter what. “They became crazy. “ -
Trudeau pitches “Team Canada” while in Philadelphia
The prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is visiting Philadelphia today. This is his first trip south of the border since his government launched a new “Team Canada” charm offensive in the US.
He is now in Pennsylvania because he accepted an invitation to speak at the Service Employees International Union convention.
However, five months ago, Trudeau sent his industry and international trade ministers to work with American business leaders, labour unions, and state and municipal governments to create a new trade strategy.
The plan is happening as Americans are getting ready for a very important presidential election in both countries.
Donald Trump may come back to the White House, which makes us remember the challenging relationship between the US and other countries when he was in office before.
He said he will put a 10 per cent tax on imported goods if he is elected again.
In January, Trudeau said that Canada doesn’t want President Trump to be re-elected for a second term.
“He said in Montreal that it was hard the first time and it will be hard again if there’s a second time. ”
In the same speech, he said he met with a lot of US state governors during Trump’s time as president to tell them how important Canada is to them.
One week later, he introduced the updated “Team Canada strategy for dealing with the United States. ”
Trudeau is going to Philadelphia for one day. He will meet with Pennsylvania Gov Josh Shapiro, who is a popular member of the Democratic Party and may run for president in 2028.
It’s like what Canada did during the time Trump was president. They didn’t want to argue with him directly, so they talked to businesses and state governments instead.
During President Joe Biden’s time in office, the relationship between two countries has been more friendly, but still had some problems.
Canada and the US are working closely together to develop new technology for clean energy, like electric cars and their parts.
At first, Biden planned to give a big tax credit for electric cars made in America. Canada tried really hard and convinced the US to include cars made in North America before they finished the deal.
Canada is the largest player in the US economy, making up almost one-fifth of all things that the US sells to other countries. Mexico makes up about one out of every six of something, while China makes up less than one out of every ten.
The US is a very important market for Canadian exports. In 2023, 77 percent of all Canadian exports, which is almost $600 billion, went to the US.
China is in second place with $30 billion, which is four percent of all exports.
Canada spent $30 billion on electric cars in the last two years and is becoming a major place for making electric car batteries in North America. But a lot of those batteries are going to be used in electric cars that will be finished and sold in the US.
The US wants to get minerals from Canada for making clean technology like renewable energy and batteries.
Any changes to the taxes on imports could have a really bad impact on that plan.
Trudeau will also meet with important political and business people during his short visit.