Worldhttps://www.newindianexpress.comen-usTue, 19 Mar 2024 01:57:23 +0000Israel says 20 terrorists killed at Al-Shifa hospital in Gazahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/israel-says-20-terrorists-killed-at-al-shifa-hospital-in-gazahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/israel-says-20-terrorists-killed-at-al-shifa-hospital-in-gaza#commentsfa2eb1f6-f66a-407f-bae6-297cbcae53e2Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:51:26 +00002024-03-18T16:51:26.427ZAFP/api/author/1869233Gaza,Israel-Hamas warWorldIsrael's military said 20 Palestinian terrorists were killed Monday and dozens detained during a raid on Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital.

Soldiers rolled in with tanks and air strikes hit the area around the Hamas-ruled territory's biggest medical centre, a complex crowded with patients and displaced people.

"Twenty terrorists have been eliminated at Al-Shifa hospital thus far in various engagements, and dozens of apprehended suspects are currently in questioning," the army said in a statement.

Israel earlier reported the "elimination" of Fayq al-Mabhouh, a man they identified as a Hamas internal security official. A Gaza police source confirmed his death, saying Mabhouh was a brigadier general in the force.

The latest military operation around the hospital -- which was raided by Israeli troops before, in November, sparking an international outcry -- triggered alarm from the World Health Organization.

"We are terribly worried about the situation at Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Hospitals should never be battlegrounds."

An AFP journalist witnessed air strikes on buildings in the area around the hospital and reported seeing "hundreds of people, mostly children, women, and the elderly, fleeing their homes".

Israel has repeatedly said the complex housed an underground Hamas control base, a claim denied by the militants.

Tedros said that Al-Shifa had "only recently restored minimal health services".

Most of Gaza's hospitals are no longer functioning, according to the United Nations.

The Israeli military reported gun battles at the Al-Shifa compound including one that it said killed Mabhouh.

"Numerous weapons were located in the room adjacent to where he was eliminated," the military said.

Fayq al-Mabhouh is the brother of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, one of the founders of the armed wing of Hamas, according to family members.

Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was killed in 2010 in Dubai, in a hit which United Arab Emirates investigators suspected was the work of Mossad, the Israeli spy agency.

Israel said the Al-Shifa "operation is based on intelligence information indicating the use of the hospital by senior Hamas terrorists".

On Monday, the army released a video showing what it said were weapons and money seized from the hospital which had been used by Hamas and another armed group, Islamic Jihad.

In January Israel's army said it had "completed the dismantling" of Hamas's command structure in the northern Gaza Strip, where Al-Shifa is located.

The military has carried out operations at other hospitals in Gaza since war broke out on October 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel from Gaza.

The unprecedented attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Gaza militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.

Israel has carried out a relentless bombing campaign and ground offensive that Gaza's health ministry says has killed at least 31,726 people, most of them women and children.

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Western leaders dismiss Putin's 'illegal' poll victoryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/western-leaders-dismiss-putins-illegal-poll-victoryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/western-leaders-dismiss-putins-illegal-poll-victory#comments941eafe8-f071-400e-aff7-d8dd3ad2d3ccMon, 18 Mar 2024 08:34:59 +00002024-03-18T11:26:36.416ZAFP/api/author/1869233Vladmir Putin,Russia electionsWorldFriends and allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were quick to congratulate him on his election win but Western leaders denounced what they called an illegal election.

Here is a round-up of the main reactions so far:

- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Vladimir Putin on Monday, telling his Russian counterpart his re-election "fully reflects the support of the Russian people", Beijing's state media reported.

"Your re-election fully reflects the support of the Russian people for you," Xi told Putin, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

"In recent years, the Russian people have united as one to overcome challenges and move forward steadily on the road to national development and revitalisation," Xi reportedly said.

"I believe that under your leadership, Russia will be able to achieve greater achievements in national development and construction," he said.

"China attaches great importance to the development of China-Russia relations and is willing to maintain close communication with Russia to promote the sustained, healthy, stable and in-depth development of (bilateral ties)," Xi said.

- Former Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev responded long before the final results were due to be announced, saying on Telegram: "I congratulate Vladimir Putin on his splendid victory in the election".

- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the result as illegitimate. "Everyone in the world understands that this person, like many others throughout history, has become sick with power and will stop at nothing to rule forever," he said.

"There is no evil he would not do to maintain his personal power. And no one in the world would have been safeguarded from this."

"This election has been based on repression and intimidation," EU's Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell told journalists in Brussels.

A subsequent joint statement from all 27 European Union countries said Russians had been denied a "real choice" after all candidates opposed to the war in Ukraine were excluded.

The EU condemned the staging of the vote in regions of Ukraine occupied by Moscow and said "it does not and will never recognise either the holding of these so-called 'elections' in the territories of Ukraine or their results".

- The French foreign ministry said Paris "had taken note of the expected outcome" of the three-day polls, which saw Putin obtain a fifth term in the Kremlin.

"The conditions for a free, pluralist and democratic election were not met once again," the French foreign ministry said.

It said the vote took place amid "increasing repression of civil society and all forms of opposition to the regime".

"France salutes the courage of the many Russian citizens who have peacefully demonstrated their opposition to this attack on their fundamental political rights," the ministry said.

- Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said: "The Serb people welcomed with joy the victory of President Putin for they see in him a great statesman and a friend on whom we can always count and who will watch over our people".

- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said: "Our older brother has triumphed, which bodes well for the world".

- Britain's foreign minister David Cameron said the "illegal" elections featured "a lack of choice for voters and no independent OSCE monitoring", adding: "This is not what free and fair elections look like."

- Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the "elections were neither free nor fair".

"We are continuing to work for a just peace that will bring Russia to put an end to the war of aggression against Ukraine, in accordance with international law."

- Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky called the election a "farce and parody". He said: "This was the Russian presidential election that showed how this regime suppresses civil society, independent media, opposition."

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Israel spy chief to discuss Gaza truce with Qatar PM: sourcehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/israel-spy-chief-to-discuss-gaza-truce-with-qatar-pm-sourcehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/israel-spy-chief-to-discuss-gaza-truce-with-qatar-pm-source#comments3db7d471-b21e-46f8-a31f-216fdf2dfa51Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:36:03 +00002024-03-18T11:36:03.523ZAFP/api/author/1869233truce talks,Israel-GazaWorldIsrael's intelligence chief, Qatar's premier and Egyptian officials are expected to hold talks in Doha Monday on a potential Gaza truce and hostage exchange deal, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP.

The meeting between Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatar PM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and Egyptian envoys "is expected to take place today", the source said on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the talks.

The talks in the Qatari capital are the first after weeks of intense negotiations involving Qatari, US and Egyptian mediators failed to secure a truce between Israel and Hamas for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which began last week.

Israel's relentless bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza have killed at least 31,726 people, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health ministry.

The recent war sparked off when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack from Gaza on October 7 that left about 1,160 dead in Israel, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the October 7 attack, but dozens were released during a week-long truce in November.

Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 -- eight soldiers and 25 civilians -- who are presumed dead.

Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Iran-backed Hezbollah's Al-Manar television channel in Lebanon that there was "a real opportunity to end the aggression and achieve a permanent ceasefire".

'Partial withdrawal'

He said Hamas, which previously demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal, would accept a partial Israeli retreat before the exchange of any prisoners.

"In the first stage, there will be a total halt to military operations, which means no overflights or troop movements" and a partial Israeli withdrawal, Hamdan said of the proposal.

Under this scenario, he told the channel, "after 14 days, there will be a withdrawal to the east... which means reopening the road for displaced people so that they can return".

"We accepted that there would be a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip before any exchange, and with the end of the first phase, a complete withdrawal would take place... with the complete end of military operations," Hamdan said, adding that he hoped to conclude the negotiations "within days".

Israel's position was not known on the plan outlined by Hamdan.

Barnea was involved in previous rounds of talks in Doha that led to a one-week break in fighting in late November and the release of scores of Israeli and foreign hostages, as well as aid entering the besieged Palestinian territory.

Israel confirmed on Sunday its plans to attend talks following a cabinet meeting meant to decide the delegation's mandate, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

During a Sunday news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Netanyahu said any Gaza peace deal that weakens Israel and leaves it unable to defend itself against hostile neighbours would be unacceptable.

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How Russia's grab of Crimea 10 years ago led to war with Ukraine and rising tensions with the Westhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/how-russias-grab-of-crimea-10-years-ago-led-to-war-with-ukraine-and-rising-tensions-with-the-westhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/how-russias-grab-of-crimea-10-years-ago-led-to-war-with-ukraine-and-rising-tensions-with-the-west#comments25d04d6c-3c76-4ca1-a352-c6ab1dea4b24Mon, 18 Mar 2024 09:04:53 +00002024-03-18T09:04:53.655ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Russia-Ukraine warWorldA decade ago, President Vladimir Putin seized Crimea from Ukraine, a bold land grab that set the stage for Russia to invade its neighbor in 2022.

The quick and bloodless seizure of the diamond-shaped peninsula, home to Russia's Black Sea fleet and a popular vacation site, touched off a wave of patriotism and sent Putin's popularity soaring. "Crimea is ours!" became a popular slogan in Russia.

Now that Putin has been anointed to another six-year term as president, he is determined to extend his gains in Ukraine amid Russia's battlefield successes and waning Western support for Kyiv.

Putin has been vague about his goals in Ukraine as the fighting grinds into a third year at the expense of many lives on both sides, but some of his top lieutenants still talk of capturing Kyiv and cutting Ukraine's access to the Black Sea.

The largest conflict in Europe since World War II has sent tensions between Moscow and the West soaring to levels rarely seen during even the chilliest moments of the Cold War.

When he seized Crimea in 2014, Putin said he persuaded Western leaders to back down by reminding them of Moscow's nuclear capabilities. It's a warning he has issued often, notably after the start of his full-scale invasion; in last month's state-of-the-nation address, when he declared the West risks nuclear war if it deepens its involvement in Ukraine; and again on Wednesday, when he said he would use that arsenal if Russia's sovereignty is threatened.

Analyst Tatiana Stanovaya says Putin feels more confident than ever amid "the Kremlin's growing faith in Russia's military advantage in the war with Ukraine and a sense of the weakness and fragmentation of the West."

The senior fellow at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center noted that Putin's speech last month "created an extremely chilling impression of an unraveling spiral of escalation."

The 71-year-old Kremlin leader has cast the war in Ukraine as a life-or-death battle against the West, with Moscow ready to protect its gains at any cost. His obsession with Ukraine was clear in an interview with U.S. conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, with Putin delivering a long lecture that sought to prove his claim that the bulk of its territory historically belonged to Russia.

He made that argument 10 years ago when he said Moscow needed to protect Russian speakers in Crimea and reclaim its territory.

When Ukraine's Kremlin-friendly president was ousted in 2014 by mass protests that Moscow called a U.S.-instigated coup, Putin responded by sending troops to overrun Crimea and calling a plebiscite on joining Russia, which the West dismissed as illegal.

Russia then annexed Crimea on March 18, 2014, although the move was only recognized internationally by countries such as North Korea and Sudan.

Weeks later, Moscow-backed separatists launched an uprising in eastern Ukraine, battling Kyiv's forces. The Kremlin denied supporting the rebellion with troops and weapons despite abundant evidence to the contrary, including a Dutch court's finding that a Russia-supplied air defense system downed a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet over eastern Ukraine in July 2014, killing all 298 people aboard.

Russian hard-liners later criticized Putin for failing to capture all of Ukraine that year, arguing it was easily possible at a time when the government in Kyiv was in disarray and its military in shambles.

Putin instead backed the separatists and opted for a peace deal for eastern Ukraine that he hoped would allow Moscow to establish control over its neighbor. The 2015 Minsk agreement brokered by France and Germany, following painful defeats suffered by Ukrainian forces, obliged Kyiv to offer the separatist regions broad autonomy, including permission to form their own police force.

Had it been fully implemented, the agreement would have allowed Moscow to use the separatist areas to dictate Kyiv's policies and prevent it from ever joining NATO. Many Ukrainians saw the deal as a betrayal of its national interests.

Russia viewed the election of political novice Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president in 2019 as a chance to revive the anemic Minsk deal. But Zelenskyy stood his ground, leaving the agreement stalled and Putin increasingly exasperated.

When Putin announced his "special military operation" in Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, he hoped the country would fall as quickly and easily as Crimea. But the attempt to capture Kyiv collapsed amid stiff Ukrainian resistance, forcing Russian troops to withdraw from the outskirts of the capital.

More defeats followed in fall 2022, when Russian troops retreated from large parts of eastern and southern Ukraine under a swift counteroffensive by Kyiv.

Fortunes changed last year when another Ukrainian counteroffensive failed to cut Russia's land corridor to Crimea. Kyiv's forces suffered heavy casualties when they made botched attempts to break through multilayered Russian defenses.

As Western support for Ukraine dwindled amid political infighting in the U.S. and Kyiv ran short of weapons and ammunition, Russian troops have intensified pressure along the over 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, relying on hundreds of thousands of volunteer soldiers and the newly supplied weapons that replaced early losses.

After capturing the key eastern stronghold of Avdiivka last month, Russia has pushed deeper into the Donetsk region as Zelenskyy pleads with the West for more weapons.

Testifying before the U.S. Senate last week, CIA Director William Burns emphasized the urgency of U.S. military aid, saying: "It's our assessment that with supplemental assistance, Ukraine can hold its own on the front lines through 2024 and into early 2025."

Without it, he said, "Ukraine is likely to lose ground — and probably significant ground — in 2024," adding, "you're going to see more Avdiivkas."

The dithering Western support has put Ukraine in an increasingly precarious position, analysts say.

"Russia is gaining momentum in its assault on Ukraine amid stalled Western aid, making the coming months critical to the direction of conflict," said Ben Barry, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, in an analysis. "In a worst-case scenario, parts of Kyiv's front line could be at risk of collapse."

Putin demurred when asked how deep into Ukraine he would like to forge, but he repeatedly stated that the line of contact should be pushed long enough to protect Russian territory from long-range weapons in Ukraine's arsenal. Some members of his entourage are less reticent, laying out plans for new land grabs.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council who has sought to curry Putin's favor with regular hawkish statements, mentioned Kyiv and the Black Sea port of Odesa.

"Ukraine is Russia," he bluntly declared recently, ruling out any talks with Zelenskyy's government and suggesting a "peace formula" that would see Kyiv's surrender and Moscow's annexation of the entire country.

Russian defense analysts are divided over Moscow's ability to pursue such ambitious goals.

Sergei Poletaev, a Moscow-based military expert, said the Russian army has opted for a strategy of draining Ukraine resources with attacks along the front line in the hope of achieving a point when Kyiv's defenses would collapse.

"What matters is the damage inflicted to the enemy, making the enemy weaken faster," he said.

Others say Russia's attacks seeking to exhaust Ukraine's military are costly for Moscow, too.

Russian and Ukrainian forces are locked in a stalemate that gives Moscow little chance of a breakthrough, said Ruslan Pukhov, head of the Center for the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies think tank.

"The Ukrainian defense is quite strong, and it doesn't allow Russian troops to achieve anything more substantial than tactical gains," he said.

Such a positional war of attrition "could be waged for years," Pukhov added, with both parties waiting for the other to "face internal changes resulting in a policy shift."

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'Wahiba's World': Banned TV drama that broke Iraq's taboos returns after 27 yearshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/english/2024/Mar/18/wahibas-world-banned-tv-drama-that-broke-iraqs-taboos-returns-after-27-yearshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/english/2024/Mar/18/wahibas-world-banned-tv-drama-that-broke-iraqs-taboos-returns-after-27-years#commentsa2ad2c78-9f05-4730-9866-9cd8a8c310bdMon, 18 Mar 2024 10:13:54 +00002024-03-18T10:13:54.693ZAFP/api/author/1869233IRAQ,Wahiba's WorldEnglishWorldBAGHDAD: After a 27-year hiatus, an Iraqi TV programme banned by Saddam Hussein for its gritty depiction of life under sanctions has returned to portray drug lords thriving in the war-scarred country.

Television viewership in the Middle East traditionally peaks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful tune in to their favourite shows after breaking their daily fast at sunset.

This Ramadan, a revived "Wahiba's World" is one of several Iraqi shows focusing on social issues such as drug addiction, crime, divorce and unemployment.

It delves into "issues troubling our society as a consequence of war and chaos," the programme's director Samer Hikmat told AFP.

Iraqis have suffered through decades of turmoil since the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s and former dictator Saddam's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, which triggered harsh economic sanctions.

They were followed by a US-led invasion in 2003, civil war, sectarian violence and the jihadist proto-state of the Islamic State group, which was only defeated in late 2017.

The oil-rich country of 43 million, still recovering from those conflicts, is now plagued by endemic corruption and clientelism, a weak economy, poor public services and high unemployment.

'Drug-fuelled wealth'

Decades of instability have created "a class of people who have profited from the chaos," Hikmat said, pointing in particular at newly wealthy drug dealers.

"Young people fall victim to this dark path."

Iraq, traditionally mainly a transit country for drugs, has faced an explosion in narcotics use in recent years, mainly of the amphetamine-like stimulant captagon and crystal meth.

The first series of "Wahiba's World", released in 1997, told the story of Wahiba, a nurse who makes every effort to help her neighbours amid the crippling international sanctions that plunged many Iraqis into poverty and crime.

Seventeen minutes into the broadcast of the first episode, authorities banned the programme, fearing it could incite people against the regime.

A year later, the show received a regional prize and authorities allowed it to be aired, but only at midday, considered a dead time slot.

This year, the show began airing on the first day of Ramadan during prime time on the Iraqi local private channel UTV.

Several actors had died during the long hiatus, but many others reprised their roles. In the revival, Wahiba plays a supporting part to her granddaughter and namesake, a psychiatrist, as the main character.

In a busy industrial area in Baghdad's centre, in the same garage where scenes from the first series were shot, director Hikmat filmed a segment in which drug lord Alaa threatens to behead a member of his gang.

Actor Zuhair Rashid, who portrays the drug dealer Alaa, said the programme showed the grim reality of "drug-fuelled wealth, its consequences and tragic endings".

'Sensitive issues'

Despite these efforts, Iraq's worn-out entertainment industry is still far from gaining recognition in a region where Syrian and Egyptian programmes have long held the top spot.

After the rise of IS, Iraq's drama shows, which only air on local television, have focused chiefly on telling stories of the jihadists' brutal rule and the war to defeat them.

But critic Mehdi Abbas said there is a noticeable trend this Ramadan, with "the majority of this year's shows tackling issues that are a threat to society".

Another new show, titled "Nay" -- flute in Arabic -- addresses unemployment, especially among art students, and the growing gap between rich and poor.

Actress Suzanne Salehi, who stars in it, said the programme recounts the "yearning for an opportunity" of youth.

"Separation", another Iraqi show, is based on real divorce stories that writer Hassaballah Yehya followed in court, reflecting increasing break-up rates in the country.

It also tackles child marriage, which is not uncommon in Iraq, especially in rural areas. The legal age of marriage in Iraq is 18, but it can be lowered to 15 in cases of parental or judicial consent.

"People usually avoid sensitive issues," Yehya said, adding that "we're trying to break taboos."

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Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism after being accused of losing his way on Gazahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/netanyahu-snaps-back-against-growing-us-criticism-after-being-accused-of-losing-his-way-on-gaza-2https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/netanyahu-snaps-back-against-growing-us-criticism-after-being-accused-of-losing-his-way-on-gaza-2#comments1175b772-bfb3-4ea2-9773-61120fbfd71eMon, 18 Mar 2024 08:00:31 +00002024-03-18T08:00:31.055ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Gaza,Netanyahu,Israel-Hamas warWorldTEL AVIV, ISRAEL: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed Sunday against growing criticism from top ally the United States against his leadership amid the devastating war with Hamas, describing calls for a new election as “wholly inappropriate.”

In recent days, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the country and a strong Israel supporter, called on Israel to hold a new election, saying Netanyahu had “lost his way.” President Joe Biden expressed support for Schumer’s “good speech," and earlier accused Netanyahu of hurting Israel because of the huge civilian death toll in Gaza.

Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel never would have called for a new U.S. election after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, and denounced Schumer’s comments as inappropriate.

“We’re not a banana republic," he said. “The people of Israel will choose when they will have elections, and who they’ll elect, and it’s not something that will be foisted on us.”

When asked by CNN whether he would commit to a new election after the war ends, Netanyahu said: “I think that’s something for the Israeli public to decide.”

The U.S., which has provided key military and diplomatic support to Israel, also has expressed concerns about a planned Israeli assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where about 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering. The spokesman for the National Security Council, John Kirby, told Fox the U.S. still hasn't seen an Israeli plan for Rafah.

The U.S. supports a new round of talks aimed at securing a cease-fire in exchange for the return of Israeli hostages taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

The Israeli delegation to those talks was expected to leave for Qatar after Sunday evening meetings of the Security Cabinet and War Cabinet, which will give directions for negotiations.

Despite the talks, Netanyahu made it clear he would not back down from the fighting that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. More than five months have passed since Hamas attacked southern Israel, killed 1,200 people and took another 250 hostage.

Earlier Sunday, Netanyahu said calls for an election now — which polls show he would lose badly — would force Israel to stop fighting and paralyze the country for six months.

Netanyahu also reiterated his determination to attack Hamas in Rafah and said that his government approved military plans for such an operation.

“We will operate in Rafah. This will take several weeks, and it will happen,” he said. The operation is supposed to include the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of civilians, but it is not clear how Israel will do that.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi reiterated his warning that an Israeli ground offensive in Rafah would have “grave repercussions on the whole region." Egypt says pushing Palestinians into the Sinai Peninsula would jeopardize its peace treaty with Israel, a cornerstone of regional stability.

“We are also very concerned about the risks a full-scale offensive in Rafah would have on the vulnerable civilian population. This needs to be avoided at all costs,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after meeting with el-Sissi.

And German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after meeting with Netanyahu on Sunday, warned that "the more desperate the situation of people in Gaza becomes, the more this begs the question: No matter how important the goal, can it justify such terribly high costs, or are there other ways to achieve your goal?”

Germany is one of Israel’s closest allies in Europe and, given memories of the Holocaust, often treads carefully when criticizing Israel.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, in Washington for St. Patrick’s Day, said during a White House reception that the Irish people were “deeply troubled” by what’s unfolding in Gaza. He said there was much to learn from Ireland's peace process and the critical U.S. involvement in it.

Varadkar said he’s often asked why the Irish are so empathetic to the Palestinians.

“We see our history in their eyes. A story of displacement, dispossession, and national identity questioned and denied forced emigration, discrimination and now hunger,” he said.

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul-general in New York and an outspoken critic of Netanyahu, said that the prime minister's comments fit with his efforts to find someone else to blame if Israel doesn't achieve its goal of destroying Hamas.

“He’s looking on purpose for a conflict with the U.S. so that he can blame Biden,” Pinkas said.

Both sides have something to gain politically from the dispute. The Biden administration is under increasing pressure from progressive Democrats and some Arab-American supporters to restrain Israel's war against Hamas. Netanyahu, meanwhile, wants to show his nationalist base that he can withstand global pressure, even from Israel's closest ally.

But pressure also comes from home, with thousands protesting again in Tel Aviv on Saturday night against Netanyahu's government and calling for a new election and a deal for the release of hostages. Large parts of the Israeli public want a deal, fearing that hostages are held in poor conditions and time is running out to bring them home alive.

Israel’s offensive has driven most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people from their homes. A quarter of Gaza’s population is starving, according to the U.N.

Airdrops by the U.S. and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say more ground routes and fewer Israeli restrictions on them are needed to meet humanitarian needs in any significant way.

“Of course we should be bringing humanitarian aid by road. Of course by now we should be having at least two, three other entry points into Gaza,” chef José Andrés with World Central Kitchen, which organized the tons of food delivered by sea, told NBC.

The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 31,645 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

Israel says Hamas is responsible for civilian deaths because it operates in dense residential areas.

The Health Ministry on Sunday said that the bodies of 92 people killed in Israel’s bombardment had been brought to hospitals in Gaza in the past 24 hours. Hospitals also received 130 wounded, it said.

At least 11 people from the Thabet family, including five children and one woman, were killed in an airstrike in Deir al-Balah city in central Gaza, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and an Associated Press journalist. The body of an infant lay among the dead.

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20-year-old Indian student found dead in US; alarming rise in number of such incidents cause concern among communityhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/indian-student-dies-in-us-initial-probe-rules-out-foul-playhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/indian-student-dies-in-us-initial-probe-rules-out-foul-play#commentsb6bc5563-d41d-4b54-8327-62678d89f8beMon, 18 Mar 2024 15:42:44 +00002024-03-18T15:42:44.445ZPTI/api/author/1903325Indian students abroad,Indian Student in USWorldNEW YORK: In yet another tragic incident, an Indian student died in Boston and initial investigation has ruled out any foul play, officials said on Monday.

“Deeply saddened to learn about the unfortunate demise of Mr. Abhijeeth Paruchuru, an Indian student in Boston,” the Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X.

Paruchuru's parents are based in Connecticut and are in direct touch with detectives. Initial investigations rule out foul play, the consulate said.

The consulate said it “rendered assistance in documentation and transportation of his mortal remains to India” and it remains in touch with local authorities as well as the Indian-American community in the matter.

According to sources, 20-year-old Paruchuru's last rites have already been performed in his hometown Tenali in Andhra Pradesh. US-based nonprofit organisation TEAM Aid had helped to bring his mortal remains to India.

Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US. The alarming rise in the number of attacks has caused concern among the community.

In March, Amarnath Ghosh, a 34-year-old trained classical dancer from India and a student of Washington University, was shot dead in St Louis, Missouri. Kuchipudi and Bharatnatyam dancer Ghosh migrated to the US from West Bengal last year “to follow his dancing dreams”. He was shot several times near the border of St Louis' Academy and Central West End neighbourhoods. He died on the spot.

Sameer Kamath, a 23-year-old Indian-American student at Purdue University, was found dead in a nature preserve in Indiana on February 5.

On February 2, Vivek Taneja, a 41-year-old Indian-origin IT executive, suffered life-threatening injuries during an assault outside a restaurant in Washington, making it the seventh death of an Indian or Indian-American in recent months in the US.

A week before that, Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian student was attacked by robbers in Chicago.

Earlier, 25-year-old Indian student Vivek Saini was fatally attacked in Georgia State's Lithonia city by a homeless drug addict.

In January, 19-year-old Shreyas Reddy Beniger, a student at the Lindner School of Business in Ohio State was found dead. However, local authorities had ruled out foul play.

Another Indian student, identified as Neel Acharya at Purdue University, Indiana, was confirmed dead days after being reported missing on January 28.

Akul B Dhawan, an 18-year-old at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, was found dead last month with signs of hypothermia.

The series of attacks on Indians and Indian origin person/students had prompted the officials of the Indian Embassy in Washington and its consulates at various places to hold a virtual interaction with Indian students from across the US, discussing various aspects of student well-being and ways to stay connected with the larger diaspora.

About 150 Indian Student Association office bearers and students from 90 US universities participated in the interaction led by Charge d'Affaires, Ambassador Sripriya Ranganathan.

It was also attended by the Consul Generals of India in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco and Seattle.

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Famine imminent in north Gaza, 'unprecedented' crisis: UNhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/famine-imminent-in-north-gaza-unprecedented-crisis-unhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/famine-imminent-in-north-gaza-unprecedented-crisis-un#commentscc9f252c-2720-4a2e-a18f-aea378b8c6adMon, 18 Mar 2024 14:24:57 +00002024-03-18T14:24:57.407ZAFP/api/author/1869233UN,Gaza,famine,Israel-Hamas warWorldROME: Half of Gazans are experiencing "catastrophic" hunger, with famine projected to hit the north of the territory by May without urgent intervention, a United Nations-backed food security assessment warned on Monday.

"People in Gaza are starving to death right now. The speed at which this man-made hunger and malnutrition crisis has ripped through Gaza is terrifying," the head of the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) Cindy McCain said.

"To have 50 percent of an entire population in catastrophic, near-famine levels, is unprecedented," Beth Bechdol, the deputy director general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told AFP.

This amounts to around 1.1 million people "struggling with catastrophic hunger and starvation", according to the WFP.

It added: "This is the highest number of people ever recorded as facing catastrophic hunger" under the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership, which published its latest report on Monday.

The situation is particularly dire in the north of the besieged Palestinian territory, where there are about 300,000 people, the UN says -- and where aid agencies have reported huge difficulty distributing food and other aid.

Aid charity Oxfam on Monday accused Israel of continuing to "systematically and deliberately block and undermine" the delivery of aid into Gaza, in violation of international humanitarian law.

The IPC system, conducted by the UN and aid agencies, is used by the UN or governments in deciding whether or not to officially declare a famine.

"Famine is imminent in the northern governorates and projected to occur anytime between mid-March and May 2024," the IPC report said of Gaza.

"All evidence points towards a major acceleration of deaths and malnutrition. Waiting for a retrospective famine classification before acting is indefensible," it said.

'Wasted' children

A famine is declared when 20 percent of households face an extreme food shortage -- which is the case in Gaza, the UN says -- one in three children are acutely malnourished, and at least two in every 10,000 people die every day of starvation or malnutrition.

Children in Gaza face "extremely critical health conditions... exposing them to high-risk nutritional deterioration", the IPC report said.

According to the WFP, "one in three children below the age of two is now acutely malnourished, or 'wasted'.

"This means they are dangerously thin for their height, which puts them at risk of death."

Arif Husain, WFP's chief economist, warned the final criteria for declaring a famine -- the mortality rate -- would "happen any time from now until the end of May".

FAO's Bechdol said that challenges of data collection and analysis meant it was "possible that famine is already occurring in the north".

Gazans were "turning to alternative sources" for food, including animal feed and "inedible items, purely out of desperation", she told AFP.

Donors have turned to deliveries by air or sea, but air and sea missions are no alternative to land deliveries, UN agencies say.

WFP said meeting basic food needs would require at least 300 trucks to enter Gaza every day and distribute food, especially in the north.

The agency has only managed to get nine convoys into the north since the start of the year, it said.

The latest of these, on Sunday night, involved 18 truckloads of food supplies delivered to Gaza City.

"The convoy, the second to use a coordinated route into Gaza City and the north, delivered some 274 metric tons of wheat flour, food parcels and ready-to-eat rations.

"This route needs to be made available for daily convoys and safe access to the north," it said.

The Rome-based agency said it needed Israel to "provide more entry points into Gaza" and allow use of the Ashdod port to bring in food aid.

The WFP's Husain said: "Our hope is we can still avert a full-fledged famine."

"But the window is shutting and it is shutting very, very fast".

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Shelling kills two in Russian border regionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/shelling-kills-two-in-russian-border-regionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/shelling-kills-two-in-russian-border-region#commentsaa4d3d6d-febd-4bed-8c49-4f7778bef673Mon, 18 Mar 2024 12:19:18 +00002024-03-18T12:19:18.389ZAFP/api/author/1869233Russia Ukraine border,​Russia Ukraine WarWorldUkrainian shelling killed two people near Russia's border city of Belgorod on Monday, bringing the total number of dead in the region since last week to 13, authorities said.

Attacks on Russian territory intensified in the run up to weekend elections that extended President Vladimir Putin's rule into the 2030s.

"After air defences repelled an air attack by the Ukrainian army, two people were killed and four injured in the village of Nikolskoye," Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

"A 17-year-old and a man died of their wounds on the spot before the ambulance arrived. Our rescuers pulled a little girl from under the rubble of the same house," he said.

Combined with previous figures released by Belgorod's health authorities, at least 13 people have been killed across the region since last Tuesday.

The attacks have drawn anger and frustration from the Kremlin, which has been keen to downplay the impacts of its offensive in Ukraine on the Russian population.

Russia's border regions were last week targeted by a series of brazen cross-border raids by pro-Ukrainian militias, who claimed to have seized control of a village.

In a press conference after his re-election victory, Putin said he was considering creating a "sanitary zone" in Ukrainian territory adjoining Belgorod to prevent further attacks.

"I do not rule out that, bearing in mind the tragic events taking place today, we will be forced at some point, when we deem it appropriate, to create a certain 'sanitary zone' on today's territories subordinate to the Kyiv regime," Putin said.

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Gaza world's biggest 'open-air graveyard': EU's Borrellhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/gaza-worlds-biggest-open-air-graveyard-eus-borrellhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/gaza-worlds-biggest-open-air-graveyard-eus-borrell#comments35217303-921b-47e9-a2c8-cf0c1f873ed9Mon, 18 Mar 2024 11:58:40 +00002024-03-18T11:58:40.958ZAFP/api/author/1869233Josep Borrell,Gaza genocideWorldEU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday that Israel's military campaign in Gaza had turned the territory into the world's biggest "open-air graveyard".

"Gaza was before the war the greatest open-air prison. Today it's the greatest open-air graveyard," Borrell said at a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels.

"It's a graveyard for tens of thousands of people and also a graveyard for many of the most important principles of humanitarian law."

Borrell also reiterated his accusation that Israel was using famine as a "weapon of war" by not allowing aid trucks into Gaza.

"Israel is provoking famine," he told a humanitarian conference.

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz hit back at Borrell and told him to "to stop attacking Israel and recognise our right to self-defence against Hamas' crimes."

"Israel allows extensive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help," Katz wrote on X.

Israel's military offensive in Gaza has killed at least 31,726 people, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Gaza. More than 13, 000 children has been killed so far with thousands injured and displaced.

The 27-nation EU has struggled to come up with a united response to the war in Gaza as some members firmly back Israel and others are more pro-Palestinian.

EU ministers were set to discuss a proposal by Ireland and Spain to suspend a cooperation agreement with Israel, but that move was unlikely to get the support of all 27 countries.

The bloc was however expected to agree on sanctions both against Hamas for sexual violence on October 7 and against violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank for attacking Palestinians.

Britain and the United States have already imposed sanctions targeting a small number of "extremist" settlers.

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Israeli army attacks Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital again, calls it 'highly precise operation'https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/israeli-army-storms-gazas-al-shifa-hospital-againhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/israeli-army-storms-gazas-al-shifa-hospital-again#comments2cc5d075-2dff-4d17-bfed-f8ffcf2c4d87Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:16:58 +00002024-03-18T11:44:03.492ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Gaza,Israeli Army,Israel-Gaza warWorldRAFAH: Israeli forces launched another raid on the Gaza Strip's largest hospital early Monday, saying Hamas militants had regrouped there and had fired on them from inside the compound, where Palestinian officials say tens of thousands of people have been sheltering.

The U.N. food agency, meanwhile, said "famine is imminent" in northern Gaza, where over 200,000 people are believed to be experiencing catastrophic hunger. The World Food Program said a further escalation of the war, now in its sixth month, could push nearly half of Gaza's population to the brink of starvation.

The army last raided Shifa Hospital in November after claiming that Hamas maintained an elaborate command center within and beneath the facility. The military revealed a tunnel leading to some underground rooms, as well as weapons it said were found inside the hospital. But the evidence fell short of the earlier claims, and critics accused the army of recklessly endangering the lives of civilians.

People sheltering in the hospital said Israeli forces backed by tanks and artillery had surrounded the medical complex and that snipers were shooting at people inside. They said the army raided a number of buildings and detained dozens of people.

"We're trapped inside," said Abdel-Hady Sayed, who has been sheltering in the medical facility for over three months. "They fire at anything moving. … Doctors and ambulances can't move."

Gaza's Health Ministry said the Israeli army was directing gun and missile fire at a building used for specialized surgeries. It said a fire broke out at the hospital's gate.

The ministry said around 30,000 people are sheltering at the hospital, including patients, medical staff and people who have fled their homes seeking safety.

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief Israeli military spokesperson, said the army launched a "high-precision operation" in parts of the medical complex. He said senior Hamas militants had regrouped there and were directing attacks from the compound.

The army released a grainy aerial video of what it said were militants firing on its forces from inside the hospital, as well as video of a rocket-propelled grenade striking an armored vehicle. It said its forces had detained around 80 people.

Hagari said the patients and medical staff could remain in the medical complex and that a safe passage was available for civilians who wanted to leave.

HOSPITALS OUT OF SERVICE AS TOLL MOUNTS

Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian facilities to shield its fighters, and the Israeli military has raided several hospitals since the start of the war, which was triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel.

Most of Gaza's medical facilities have been forced to shut down for lack of fuel and medical supplies, even as scores of people are killed and wounded each day in Israeli strikes.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Monday that at least 31,726 Palestinians have been killed in the war, including 81 in the past 24 hours. The ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people in the surprise attack out of Gaza that triggered the war, and took another 250 people hostage. Hamas is still believed to be holding about 100 captives, as well as the remains of 30 others, after most of the rest were freed during a cease-fire last year in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent weeks trying to broker another cease-fire and hostage release, but the gulf between the two sides remains wide, with Hamas demanding guarantees for an end to the war and Israel vowing to continue the offensive until it destroys the militant group.

Israel's offensive has driven most of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes and the U.N. says a quarter of the population is starving.

HARSH CONDEMNATION FROM EU DIPLOMAT

Northern Gaza, including Gaza City, was the first target of the invasion and suffered widespread destruction. The military said late last year that it had dismantled most of Hamas' military infrastructure in the north and withdrew thousands of forces, but sporadic fighting has continued.

The north is the epicenter of Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe, with many residents reduced to eating animal feed. At least 20 people, mostly children, have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the north, the Health Ministry said earlier this month.

Airdrops by the U.S. and other nations continue, while deliveries on a new sea route have begun, but aid groups say it's essential that Israel open up more ground routes and ease restrictions to meet the mounting humanitarian needs.

"We are in a state of famine, affecting thousands of people," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at an international aid conference in Brussels. "Starvation is used as a weapon of war."

He went on to call for greater efficiency at the two functioning border crossings and for Israel to open additional ones.

"Israel has to do it. It is not a question of logistics. It is not because the United Nations has not provided enough support," he said. "The support is there, waiting. Trucks are stopped. People are dying, while the land crossings are artificially closed."

Israeli authorities say they place no limits on the entry of aid and accuse U.N. bodies of failing to distribute it in a timely manner, saying aid piles up on the Gaza side of the crossings. Aid groups say distribution is impossible in much of Gaza because of ongoing hostilities, the difficulty of coordinating with the military and the breakdown of law and order.

The international aid group Oxfam said Sunday that a "dysfunctional and undersized inspection system" snarls the entry of aid, with trucks stranded in long lines for 20 days on average The group says it has an entire warehouse filled with goods that were rejected, including oxygen, incubators and water and sanitation gear.

"Israeli authorities are not only failing to facilitate the international aid effort but are actively hindering it," said Oxfam Mideast director Sally Abi Khalil.

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Nine arrested for attack on French police stationhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/nine-arrested-for-attack-on-french-police-stationhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/nine-arrested-for-attack-on-french-police-station#comments137c1bd0-c920-41d2-8e7b-3f188def4407Mon, 18 Mar 2024 10:40:22 +00002024-03-18T10:40:22.791ZAFP/api/author/1869233France protestsWorldNine people have been arrested over a firework attack on a police station near major venues for this summer's Paris Olympics, the French capital's top police official said Monday.

The Sunday evening attack in the northern suburb of La Courneuve came days after a teenager riding a moped was killed in a car chase with police, echoing a June killing that triggered days-long riots.

"Around 50 people attacked the police station in La Courneuve, mostly with firework mortar shots" late Sunday, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told broadcaster TF1.

Videos posted on social media showed groups of people firing a barrage of fireworks at the building's facade.

La Courneuve lies in Paris' northern suburbs, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department that hosts Olympic venues including the flagship Stade de France stadium.

"We can tie this attack to the death" of the 18-year-old killed on Wednesday, named only as Wanys R., Nunez said.

"The young people clearly came from the neighbourhood" where Wanys lived, he added.

Nunz said the arrested suspects included seven adults aged 18-21 and two minors.

Two police officers were "slightly hurt", he added.

Nunez said police reinforcements would be deployed in the area around midday on Monday.

Wanys R. was being chased by police Wednesday after refusing to stop for a check.

A video widely shared online showed how his scooter was struck by a police car, killing him and injuring his passenger.

The lawyer representing Wanys' family on Friday accused the police of hitting him on purpose, while the officers' own representative insisted it was an accident.

In June, a video of a police officer shooting dead 17-year-old Nahel triggered nights of riots in gritty Paris suburbs and other deprived areas.

The policeman who fired the fatal shot has been charged with voluntary homicide.

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Cracks undermine Sall's bid to transform Senegalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/cracks-undermine-salls-bid-to-transform-senegalhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/cracks-undermine-salls-bid-to-transform-senegal#comments88a3bf41-2754-4cd8-8d55-94e1ff0beaa0Mon, 18 Mar 2024 09:53:07 +00002024-03-18T09:53:07.423ZAFP/api/author/1869233Senegal,senegal presidential electionWorldPainting a building in Senegal's rapidly changing capital Dakar, Ismaila Ba is one of many workers to feel excluded from the West African country’s transformation under President Macky Sall.

"I earn 6,000 CFA francs a day (around $10)," said Ba, who pays 80,000 francs a month for two rooms for himself, his wife and two daughters in the working-class district of Ouakam.

"How could I dream of having a flat in this building?"

Sall has changed the face of Senegal through major public and private projects over 12 years.

As well as creating the new city of Diamniadio, near Dakar, he put in place a fast train link between Dakar and its suburbs.

Wages also increased and aid for the poor has been distributed under Sall.

But house painter Ba, who also works as a hairdresser and sells coffee to make ends meet, believes the growth benefits a minority whose standard of living contrasts with that of the majority.

Today, at least one in three of Senegal's 18 million inhabitants still lives in poverty, according to the national statistics agency (ANSD).

The proportion of the population living below the poverty line fell by just five percent between 2011 and 2018-2019.

A mixed legacy

Over the past three years, the government has tried to contain successive crises, including unrest that left dozens dead and hundreds arrested, despite Senegal's reputation as one of the more peaceful countries in the region.

Sall is due to step down as president in a March 24 election, but only after his last-minute postponement of the vote last month created one of the worst crises in decades.

An economic record that allows Sall to "go down in the history of Senegal" has been marred by that "botched exit", philosopher Souleymane Bachir Diagne said on Radio France Internationale.

He described Sall's attempt to postpone the presidential election -- a move quickly overturned by the Constitutional Council -- as "inexplicable".

Writer and academic Felwine Sarr, interviewed in the weekly Jeune Afrique, agreed, adding: "Under his leadership, various methods of closing off public space and hindering the exercise of freedoms have unfortunately become familiar."

That view was echoed in the streets in recent weeks as some protesters chanted: "Macky Sall, dictator".

But Sall has insisted: "Senegal is a true state governed by the rule of law. I refused to be tempted by a third term. I am a democrat."

And in response to the critics, he and his supporters have underlined his record rebuilding the country's infrastructure.

"The country I inherited was truly dilapidated," Sall said recently.

Waiting for oil

As well as political unrest, Sall has led Senegal through economic challenges that included the Covid-19 pandemic as well as restrictions on Ukrainian grain and Indian rice imports.

Those crises put a break on Senegal’s sustained growth, although it is picking up again.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is now projected to reach an unprecedented 9.2 percent in 2024, driven by oil and gas development, according to government statistics.

But government figures also show that the public spending to counter the crises, protect the most vulnerable and boost the economy increased debt from 40 percent of GDP in 2012 to 69.4 percent in late 2023.

Economist Moubarack Lo acknowledges that the country's transformation has "created a breeding ground for debt" but he argues that this was necessary to develop the infrastructure that "has changed the face of Dakar".

Others, however, argue the investment was at the expense of living conditions.

"Macky Sall chose to invest in infrastructure and forgot about quality of life," said economist Cheikh Bamba Diagne.

Unemployment has risen from 10.2 percent in 2012 to around 20 percent in 2024, according to the ANSD.

"There is no work in the country," said mechanic Makhmadane Diouf, 38, despite Senegal's rich mineral deposits.

That is one reason that tens of thousands of young Senegalese have chosen to attempt the dangerous journey in small boats to reach Europe in search of a better life.

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TikTok and its 'secret sauce' caught in US-China tusslehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/tiktok-and-its-secret-sauce-caught-in-us-china-tusslehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/tiktok-and-its-secret-sauce-caught-in-us-china-tussle#commentsa0bacf8b-dceb-48e9-a361-1db3fc316e50Mon, 18 Mar 2024 09:40:29 +00002024-03-18T09:40:29.952ZAFP/api/author/1869233Tik Tok,TikTok US banWorldAs a US campaign to sever TikTok from its Chinese parent heads to the Senate, analysts say Beijing's response to a forced sale of the app -- and its 'secret sauce' algorithm -- will be clear: Hands off.

Under new legislation that passed the House of Representatives last week, TikTok could be banned in the United States if it does not cut all ties with Chinese tech giant ByteDance.

But in the battle over TikTok's future in the United States, what strikes many as a contradiction has emerged: while the company tries to convince Congress of its independence from Beijing, China has come out swinging in its defence.

Beijing does not want a precedent to be set where a Chinese company is strong-armed into selling one of its most valuable assets, including an algorithm that is the envy of competitors, analysts say.

"This kind of threat is like daylight robbery," Mei Xinyu, a Beijing-based economist, told AFP. "All things considered, the Chinese government's actions so far have been very mild."

"What the US government is proposing is way over the line."

US lawmakers and security agencies say TikTok presents a threat because China can access and use the vast troves of data the app collects for influence and espionage.

TikTok has denied the allegations, saying it has spent around $1.5 billion on "Project Texas", under which US user data would be stored in the United States.

However, many lawmakers and bodies including the FBI remain unconvinced.

Some critics have said the data itself is only part of the issue, and that the algorithm that produces personalised recommendations for TikTok users must also be disconnected from ByteDance.

'The secret sauce'

That ByteDance algorithm has helped drive TikTok's stratospheric success since the app was launched for the international market in 2017.

It crunches huge amounts of user data, such as their interactions on the app and their location, to provide more content tailored for them.

Its precise details are a closely guarded secret, but it helped propel TikTok to one billion users in just four years. Facebook, by comparison, took more than eight years to reach that milestone.

Other social media platforms also deploy tailored recommendations based on algorithms that analyse user data, but analysts say TikTok's has been so successful that it is considered by some to be the company's most precious asset.

The algorithm is "valuable because TikTok is sticky. People spend more time on TikTok than they do on other social media", James Andrew Lewis, a technology expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told AFP.

"This is the secret sauce that makes TikTok a success."

The algorithm has been at the centre of discussions about any potential sale of TikTok since the administration of then US president Donald Trump sought to ban TikTok in 2020.

That year, the Chinese government designated algorithms that provide recommendations based on user data analysis as a protected technology, meaning their export would require Beijing's approval.

While no specific app or firm was cited, the economist Mei said the move was "to a very large extent" because of US pressure against TikTok.

TikTok has said that under Project Texas, its recommendation algorithm for US users is stored along with their data on Oracle servers in the United States.

However, The Wall Street Journal reported in January that ByteDance employees in China updated the TikTok algorithm so frequently that Project Texas workers could not track all changes.

TikTok did not respond to AFP's questions about the Wall Street Journal report or about where its algorithm is updated.

CEO Shou Zi Chew has said previously that TikTok will not be "manipulated by any government" and that it has never been asked by the Chinese government for US user data.

'Commercial plunder'

In Beijing, however, officials have not minced words in their opposition to the TikTok bill, saying China will take all necessary measures to protect its interests.

"You've got the desire to protect the option for a relationship with the intelligence services, and you've got a little bit of nationalist pride because it's so successful," said Lewis at CSIS.

"Some of it is just (being) annoyed with the Americans for trying to force them to sell. All of that puts Beijing right behind ByteDance."

Beijing wants to avoid a forced sale to protect Chinese firms, Zhang Yi, founder of the Guangzhou-based tech research firm iiMedia, told AFP.

"Once the precedent is set, there may be countless other Chinese companies that will face a similar fate in the future."

Hu Xijin, a former editor of the nationalist Chinese newspaper Global Times, urged ByteDance not to give in to US pressure.

"The essence of this matter is commercial plunder," he wrote this month.

"As long as ByteDance remains firm, willing to shut down TikTok rather than give up ownership, it will create reverse pressure on the passage of the bill."

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Biden to sign executive order aimed at advancing study of women's healthhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/biden-to-sign-executive-order-aimed-at-advancing-study-of-womens-healthhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/biden-to-sign-executive-order-aimed-at-advancing-study-of-womens-health#comments86145a53-4597-40f3-b10d-144d063b3bdfMon, 18 Mar 2024 09:27:33 +00002024-03-18T09:27:33.523ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Joe Biden,2024 US Presidential ElectionsWorldWASHINGTON: President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Monday aimed at advancing the study of women's health in part by strengthening data collection and providing easier and better funding opportunities for biomedical research.

Women make up half the population, but their health is underfunded and understudied. It wasn't until the 1990s that the federal government mandated women be included in federally funded medical research; for most of medical history, though, scientific study was based almost entirely on men.

Today, research often fails to properly track differences between women and men, and does not represent women equally particularly for illnesses more common to them. Biden's executive order is aiming to change that, aides said.

"We still know too little about how to effectively prevent, diagnose and treat a wide array of health conditions in women," said Dr. Carolyn Mazure, the head of the White House initiative on women's health.

Biden said he's long been a believer in the "power of research" to help save lives and get high-quality health care to the people who need it. But the executive order also checks off a political box, too, during an election year when women will be crucial to his reelection efforts. First lady Jill Biden is leading both the effort to organize and mobilize female voters and the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research.

The announcement comes as the ripple effects spread from the Supreme Court's decision that overturned federal abortion rights, touching on medical issues for women who never intended to end their pregnancies. In Alabama, for example, the future of IVF was thrown into question statewide after a judge's ruling.

Women were a critical part of the coalition that elected Biden in 2020, giving him 55% of their vote, according to AP VoteCast. Black women and suburban women were pillars of Biden's coalition while Trump had a modest advantage among white women and a much wider share of white women without college degrees, according to the AP survey of more than 110,000 voters in that year's election.

The National Institutes of Health is also launching a new effort around menopause and the treatment of menopausal symptoms that will identify research gaps and work to close them, said White House adviser Jennifer Klein.

Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, were expected to announce the measures at a Women's History Month reception on Monday at the White House.

NIH funds a huge amount of biomedical research, imperative for the understanding of how medications affect the human body and for deciding eventually how to dose medicine.

Some conditions have different symptoms for women and men, such as heart disease. Others are more common in women, like Alzheimer's disease, and some are unique to women — such as endometriosis, uterine cancers and fibroids found in the uterus. It's all ripe for study, Mazure said.

And uneven research can have profound effects; a 2020 study by researchers at the University of Chicago and University of California, Berkeley found that women were being overmedicated and suffering side effects from common medications, because most of the dosage trials were done only on men.

The first lady announced $100 million in funding last month for women's health.

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Arunachal Pradesh 'inherent part of China's territory', claims Chinese militaryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/arunachal-pradesh-inherent-part-of-chinas-territory-claims-chinese-militaryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/arunachal-pradesh-inherent-part-of-chinas-territory-claims-chinese-military#commentsf566c7cb-21c4-4c05-8123-e074fc2d5188Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:53:40 +00002024-03-18T07:53:40.509ZPTI/api/author/1903325Arunachal Pradesh,India and China tiesWorldNationBEIJING: The Chinese military has reiterated its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, calling the area an “inherent part of China's territory", days after India rejected Beijing's objection to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state.

The Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang said that the southern part of Xizang (the Chinese name for Tibet) is an inherent part of China's territory, and Beijing "never acknowledges and firmly opposes" the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally established by India, official media here reported.

Zhang made the remarks in response to India's enhancement of its military readiness through the Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, according to a report posted on the Chinese Defence Ministry's website on Friday.

China, which claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet, routinely objects to Indian leaders' visits to the state to highlight its claims.

Beijing has also named the area as Zangnan.

India has repeatedly rejected China's territorial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of the country.

New Delhi has also dismissed Beijing's move to assign "invented" names to the area, saying it did not alter the reality.

On March 9, Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation the Sela Tunnel built at an altitude of 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh that will provide all-weather connectivity to strategically located Tawang and is expected to ensure better movement of troops along the frontier region.

The Rs 825 crore tunnel, constructed on the road connecting Assam's Tezpur to West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, is being billed as the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world at such an altitude.

The Sela Tunnel will provide for better movement of troops and weaponry to various forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, according to Indian military officials.

"The Indian side's actions contradict the efforts made by both sides to ease border situations and are not conducive to maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Zhang said without referring to Prime Minister Modi's visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

He said that the current border situation is generally stable, with effective diplomatic and military communication between the two sides on border issues of common concern.

Zhang urged India to "stop actions that complicate the border issue and to earnestly maintain peace and stability in the border area."

He said that the Chinese military remains on high alert in defending national sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the report.

Zhang's reaction follows China's foreign ministry spokesperson's remark on Monday about lodging a diplomatic protest with India over Modi's recent visit to Arunachal Pradesh.

India "strongly rejected" China's objection and asserted that the state "was, is, and will" always be an integral and inalienable part of India.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in New Delhi that the Chinese side was made aware of this "consistent position" on several occasions.

Jaiswal said China's objection to such visits will not change the reality that Arunachal Pradesh "was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India."

"Indian leaders visit Arunachal Pradesh from time to time, as they visit other States of India. Objecting to such visits or India's developmental projects does not stand to reason," he said.

"Further, it will not change the reality that the State of Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India," Jaiswal said.

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China congratulates Putin on election victoryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/china-congratulates-putin-on-election-victoryhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/china-congratulates-putin-on-election-victory#comments82b4618f-cdbb-4b27-ae05-2820d1df8525Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:43:00 +00002024-03-18T07:43:00.510ZAFP/api/author/1869233Vladmir Putin,Russia electionsWorldKey Russian ally China on Monday congratulated President Vladimir Putin on his election victory.

"China expresses its congratulations on this," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said when asked about the vote at a regular press conference.

"China and Russia are each other's largest neighbours and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners in the new era," he added.

With 99 percent of polling stations having submitted results, Putin had secured 87.33 percent of all votes cast, official election data showed Monday, according to state news agency RIA.

It is a record victory in a presidential election where he faced no genuine competition.

"We firmly believe that under the strategic guidance of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia relations will continue to move forward," Lin said, noting that this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries.

"The two heads of state will continue to maintain close exchanges, lead the two countries to continue to uphold longstanding good-neighbourly friendship, deepen comprehensive strategic coordination, and promote the continuous development of China-Russia relations in the new era," Lin said.

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Kabul says 8 killed in Pakistani air strikes on eastern Afghanistanhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/kabul-says-8-killed-in-pakistani-air-strikes-on-eastern-afghanistanhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/kabul-says-8-killed-in-pakistani-air-strikes-on-eastern-afghanistan#comments13b779e4-1e08-4d21-80da-f55df5109ef8Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:07:27 +00002024-03-18T07:07:27.780ZAFP/api/author/1869233Afghanistan Taliban,Afghanistan Pakistan,Kabul AfghanistanWorldEight people, all women and children, were killed on Monday in "reckless" air strikes by the Pakistani military in the border regions of Afghanistan, the Taliban government's spokesman said.

Border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have risen since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from the neighbouring country.

At "around 3:00 am (2230 GMT Sunday), Pakistani aircraft bombarded civilian homes" in Khost and Paktika provinces near the border with Pakistan, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

The Taliban government "strongly condemns these attacks and calls this reckless action a violation of and an attack on Afghanistan's sovereignty", he added.

The strikes come after seven Pakistani troops were killed in an attack inside Pakistan territory on Saturday, for which the country's President Asif Ali Zardari vowed retaliation.

"Pakistan has decided that whoever will enter our borders, homes or country and commit terror, we will respond to them strongly, regardless of who it is or from which country," he said while attending the funeral prayers of the soldiers, which included a lieutenant colonel.

Areas along the border have long been a stronghold for militant groups such as Pakistan's home-grown Taliban group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which operates across the porous frontier with Afghanistan.

Analysts say militants in the former tribal areas have become emboldened since the Taliban's return to power, with TTP waging a growing campaign against security officials.

The Taliban deny harbouring Pakistani militants.

In 2022, Taliban authorities said Pakistani military helicopters carried out strikes along the Afghan side of the border killing at least 47 people.

The TTP issued an official statement denying that Monday's strikes targeted the group, saying their members operate from within Pakistan.

However, a TTP source who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media said the strikes in Paktika and Khost left at least nine people dead.

"A house has been attacked where two women and seven children have been killed and a child has been wounded" in the Barmal district in Paktika.

"A bombardment in the Pasa Mela area of Khost also has casualties."

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Daughter of North Korea's Kim might be heir apparent: Seoulhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/daughter-of-north-koreas-kim-might-be-heir-apparent-seoulhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/daughter-of-north-koreas-kim-might-be-heir-apparent-seoul#comments4c80b934-be4a-4442-bc6f-fe1992f35b9cMon, 18 Mar 2024 07:00:50 +00002024-03-18T07:00:50.707ZAFP/api/author/1869233Seoul,Kim Jong Un daughterWorldSeoul's Unification Ministry on Monday added its voice to growing speculation around Kim Jong Un's succession plans, saying they have not "ruled out" that his daughter could be next in line to lead North Korea.

Pyongyang state media on Saturday referred to Kim's teenage daughter as a "great person of guidance" -- "hyangdo" in Korean -- a term typically reserved exclusively for top leaders and their successors.

Analysts said it was the first time Kim's daughter -- never named by Pyongyang, but identified as Ju Ae by South Korean intelligence -- had been described as such by the North.

It has redoubled speculation that the teen, who often appears next to her father at key public events, could have been chosen as the next leader of the nuclear-armed North, for a third hereditary succession.

"Usually the term 'hyando' is only used to refer to the highest-ranking official," Koo Byoung-sam, a spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry, said at a briefing Monday.

"We are not ruling out the possibility of Ju Ae's succession", he said, adding that Seoul was "monitoring the situation and remaining open to possibilities."

However, he warned that if Ju Ae were to take her father's place as the fourth leader of the reclusive state, "North Korean people will bear the brunt of the fallout", he said.

Ju Ae was first introduced to the world by state media in 2022, when she accompanied her father to the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Since then, the North's official outlets have referred to her in various ways, including the "morning star of Korea" and "beloved child".

She has been seen at many of her father's official engagements, including military drills, a visit to a weapons factory, and a stop at a new chicken farm.

In an image released by Pyongyang on Saturday, Ju Ae was seen using binoculars to observe recent paratroop drills, standing beside her father and senior military officials.

Before 2022, the only confirmation of her existence had come from former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who made a visit to the North in 2013 and claimed he'd met a baby daughter of Kim's called Ju Ae.

Seoul had initially indicated that Kim and his wife Ri had their first child, a boy, in 2010, and that Ju Ae was their second child.

But last year, Seoul's unification minister said that the government was "unable to confirm for sure" the existence of Kim's son.

Kim Jong Un inherited the regime after his father's death in late 2011 and has overseen four nuclear tests under his watch, with the latest one conducted in 2017.

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Commenting on Navalny's death for first time, Putin says he supported prisoner swap for his foehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/commenting-on-navalnys-death-for-first-time-putin-says-he-supported-prisoner-swap-for-his-foehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/commenting-on-navalnys-death-for-first-time-putin-says-he-supported-prisoner-swap-for-his-foe#comments0fe89011-8a1a-4f88-ac27-1d19b2bff3caMon, 18 Mar 2024 06:52:38 +00002024-03-18T06:52:38.328ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Alexei Navalny,Vladmir PutinWorldRussian President Vladimir Putin said early Monday that he supported an idea to release opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a prisoner exchange just days before the man who was his biggest foe died.

In his first comments to address Navalny's death, Putin said of the dissident's demise: "It happens. There is nothing you can do about it. It's life."

The remarks were unusual in that he repeatedly referenced Navalny by his name for the first time in years — and that they came at a late-night news conference as results poured in from a presidential election that is certain to extend his rule.

Early returns showed him leading with over 87% of the votes in a race with no competition, after years of ruthlessly suppressing the opposition and crippling independent media.

Navalny's allies last month also said that talks with Russian and Western officials about a prisoner swap involving Navalny were underway. The politician's longtime associate Maria Pevchikh said the talks were in their final stages just days before the Kremlin critic's sudden and unexplained death in an Arctic penal colony.

She accused Putin of "getting rid of" Navalny in order not to exchange him, but offered no evidence to back her claims, and they could not be independently confirmed.

Putin said Monday, also without offering any evidence, that several days before Navalny's death, "certain colleagues, not from the (presidential) administration" told him about "an idea to exchange Navalny for certain people held in penitentiary facilities in western countries." He said he supported the idea.

"Believe it or not, but the person talking to me didn't even finish their sentence when I said: 'I agree,'" Putin said in response to a question from a journalist about Navalny's death. He added that his one condition was that Navalny wouldn't return to Russia.

"But unfortunately, whatever happened, happened," Putin said.

Navalny, 47, Russia's best-known opposition politician, died last month while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he rejected as politically motivated. His allies, family members and Western officials blamed the death on the Kremlin, accusations it has rejected.

The politician's associates said officials listed "natural causes" on paperwork Navalny's mother was shown when she was trying to retrieve his body.

Navalny had been jailed since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow of his own accord after recuperating in Germany from nerve agent poisoning he blamed on the Kremlin. He was immediately arrested. The Kremlin has vehemently denied it was behind the poisoning.

Pevchikh claimed that there was a plan to swap Navalny and two U.S. citizens held in Russia for Vadim Krasikov. He was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 2019 killing in Berlin of Zelimkhan "Tornike" Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen of Chechen descent. German judges said Krasikov acted on the orders of Russian authorities.

She didn't identify the U.S. citizens that were supposedly part of the deal. There are several in custody in Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on espionage charges, and Paul Whelan, a corporate security executive from Michigan, convicted of espionage and serving a long prison sentence. They and the U.S. government dispute the charges against them.

German officials have refused to comment when asked if there had been any effort by Russia to swap Krasikov.

Putin had earlier said that the Kremlin was open to negotiations on Gershkovich. He pointed to a man imprisoned in a "U.S.-allied country" for "liquidating a bandit" who had allegedly killed Russian soldiers during separatist fighting in Chechnya. Putin didn't mention names but appeared to refer to Krasikov.

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2024 US Presidential election: Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/who-is-robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-why-is-he-running-for-president-2https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/who-is-robert-f-kennedy-jr-and-why-is-he-running-for-president-2#comments37e589f1-26d2-4ab1-9ee5-df89f2557f93Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:47:13 +00002024-03-18T06:47:13.197ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567US presidential camapaign,Robert F. Kennedy Jr.WorldThe lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates, none more so than Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his independent bid.

Kennedy is a huge longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message. He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee later this month in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectations that he might pick New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.

Here is a look at his campaign and what he's stood for:

Who is RFK Jr?

Kennedy, 70, is a member of perhaps the nation's most famous political dynasty. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Both were assassinated.

RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.

More recently, his activism has veered into conspiracies and contradicted scientific consensus, most infamously on vaccines. Some members of his family have publicly criticized his views.

Kennedy founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which works to secure clean water, and Children's Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group that saw its reach grow rapidly during the pandemic.

Children's Health Defense has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

He's married to actress Cheryl Hines.

What does Kennedy's campaign look like?

Kennedy's need to collect thousands of signatures to get on the ballot has taken him to places that rarely see presidential candidates, including Hawaii, Wyoming and West Virginia.

At events in Phoenix and Las Vegas, hundreds of supporters queued up outside hours before he was scheduled to arrive. He attracts a legion of fans, many of whom have listened extensively to Kennedy's interviews on podcasts or YouTube videos.

In Nevada, massive graphics and photos were projected on three walls as upbeat music played. Drinks and merchandise were for sale.

Kennedy speaks in a quiet, strained voice, sometimes haltingly, the result of a neurological condition called spasmodic dysphonia.

What does he talk about?

Kennedy frames himself as a truthteller with a track record of fighting for the middle class against powerful interests. He points to lawsuits he's won against corporate behemoths such as Monsanto and DuPont.

"I can fix this country," he said in Las Vegas in February. "All these agencies that intimidate normal politicians, I've sued every one of them. ... When you sue these agencies, you get a Ph.D. in corporate capture and how to unravel it." Corporate capture refers to private interests using their influence to control government decision-making, as when they help draft legislation.

Kennedy has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine and supportive of Israel's war against Hamas. He wants to reduce military and health care spending because of the impact on budget deficits, and combat rising housing costs so young people can afford to buy homes.

Kennedy has found a loyal following among people distrustful of institutions and those who believe the government has been captured by corporations, especially pharmaceutical companies.

He hasn't shied away from his controversial views on health care and vaccines. He wants to dismantle the public health bureaucracy, saying he'd immediately tell the National Institutes of Health to refocus research away from infectious diseases and vaccines and toward chronic diseases.

Kennedy insists he is not anti-vaccine and claims he has never told the public to avoid vaccination. But he has repeatedly made his opposition to vaccines clear. He said on a podcast "there's no vaccine that is safe and effective" and has urged people to resist CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccinated.

While there are rare instances when people have severe reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally provide real-world evidence that they are safe. The World Health Organization says vaccines prevent as many as 5 million deaths each year.

Can he win?

The United States has a long history of rejecting independent or third-party presidential candidates. In fact, the last president to win without a party's backing was George Washington, and he did it before there were political parties.

The last third-party candidate to make it to the White House was Abraham Lincoln with the newly formed Republican Party.

The last third-party candidate to pull more than single digits in the popular vote was Ross Perot, a businessman who won 19% in 1992 and 8% in 1996. But he won zero electoral votes.

And while the independent share of the electorate is growing, it is still dwarfed by voters who consistently support Republican or Democratic candidates, even if they identify as independent.

In other words, the odds are long.

Kennedy's case for optimism hinges on his relatively strong showing in a few national polls. Polls during the 2016 presidential campaign regularly put libertarian Gary Johnson's support in the high single or low double digits, but he ultimately received only about 3% of the vote nationwide.

Horse-race polls are also notoriously unreliable this far out from an election, and many Americans don't know who Kennedy is. A February AP-NORC poll found, for instance, that 29% of Americans don't know enough about Kennedy to have a view about him.

Some of the people who say they'd support him may also be reacting to his famous last name rather than his actual pitch as a candidate. A CNN/SSRS poll conducted last spring found that 20% of people who said they would consider supporting Kennedy for the Democratic nomination — for which he was running at the time — said that their support was related to his last name and Kennedy family connections. Only 12% said it was because of support for his views and policies.

But for any of that to matter, he has to get on the ballot.

How does he get on the ballot?

Forget getting elected; merely running for president is an arduous process, especially for candidates like Kennedy who don't belong to a party.

Every state has different rules, requiring an army of lawyers to make sure everything is done right. Most states require thousands of signatures.

A pro-Kennedy super PAC is helping pay for Kennedy's ballot access work in several states. His allies have created a political party to ease the process in some states by getting recognized as a party and making Kennedy its nominee.

He has been approved for the ballot in Utah. His campaign and super PAC say he's collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, though election officials in those states have not yet affirmed his candidacy.

Kennedy has also said he's talked with officials from the Libertarian Party, though it's not clear what a tie-up between the two might look like.

Who is working for him?

Kennedy is looking to his family and his allies in the anti-vaccine world to staff his campaign, building a leadership team that is light on experience working in politics.

His campaign manager is Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter-in-law who served as a CIA officer and has not worked in politics before.

His communications director, Del Bigtree, is founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine group. He also produced "Vaxxed," an anti-vaccine film that promoted the discredited idea that the vaccines cause autism.

Press secretary Stefanie Spear was an editor for the Children's Health Defense news website. Charles Eisenstein, a New Age author, is an adviser.

Kennedy also has staff and volunteers spread throughout states and focused on gathering signatures to get him on the ballot.

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Cubans stage protests demanding electricity, foodhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/cubans-stage-protests-demanding-electricity-foodhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/cubans-stage-protests-demanding-electricity-food#comments6d05972b-032c-405d-921c-7cf6b731e914Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:34:20 +00002024-03-18T06:34:20.793ZAFP/api/author/1869233Protests,CubaWorldHAVANA: Cubans staged rare street protests Sunday over food and electricity shortages as the country suffered long outages that left parts of the island without power for up to 14 hours a day.

"People were shouting 'food and electricity'," a 65-year-old resident, who asked not to be named, told AFP by phone from the island's second-largest city of Santiago de Cuba, 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of the capital Havana.

Electricity was restored to the city later in the day and "two truckloads of rice" were delivered, the witness said.

Social media platforms were filled with images of protests in Santiago de Cuba, a city of 510,000 people located in the east of the island. There were also images of protests in another large city, Bayamo.

Cuba has been experiencing a wave of blackouts since the start of March due to maintenance works on the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the island's largest.

But this weekend, the situation was worsened by a shortage of fuel needed to generate the electricity.

The outages left some areas such as Santiago de Cuba without power for up to 14 hours a day.

"Several people have expressed their dissatisfaction with the electricity situation and food distribution," Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said on X, warning that "enemies of the Revolution" aimed to exploit the situation.

There are "terrorists based in the United States, whom we have denounced on several occasions, who are encouraging actions that go against the internal order of the country," he added.

The US embassy in Havana said on X that it was aware of reports of "peaceful protests" in Santiago, Bayamo and other parts of Cuba. It urged the Cuban government to "respect the human rights of the protestors and address the legitimate needs of the Cuban people."

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez responded on X, urging Washington not to "interfere in the country's internal affairs".

Cuba's power comes from eight old thermoelectric power plants, generators and eight floating electricity plants leased from Turkey, which were also affected by the fuel shortage.

The cash-strapped island nation imposed a more-than 400 percent fuel price hike earlier this month as part of an economic recovery plan.

The nation of 11 million is experiencing its worst economic crisis since the collapse of the Soviet bloc in the 1990s due to fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the recent tightening of US sanctions and structural weaknesses in the economy.

According to official estimates, the Cuban economy shrank by two percent in 2023, while inflation reached 30 percent. Independent experts say this is likely an underestimation.

There are chronic shortages of fuel and other basics, and the government subsidizes almost all of the goods and services consumed by Cubans.

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North Korea fires ballistic missiles as Blinken visits Seoulhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missiles-as-blinken-visits-seoulhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missiles-as-blinken-visits-seoul#comments576bb358-d79c-45f3-9b71-387f6ed7e002Mon, 18 Mar 2024 06:24:21 +00002024-03-18T06:24:21.138ZAFP/api/author/1869233Antony Blinken​,SeolWorldSEOUL: North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles on Monday in what analysts said was a calculated move to grab attention as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits South Korea for talks.

Blinken is attending the third Summit for Democracy and met President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul early Monday. He is also meeting his South Korean counterpart on the sidelines of the event, for discussions now likely to be dominated by the allies' efforts to counter threats from the nuclear-armed North.

Washington and Seoul wrapped up one of their major annual joint military training exercises last week, prompting angry retorts and live-fire drills from nuclear-armed Pyongyang, which condemns all such exercises as rehearsals for invasion.

Seoul's military said it had detected the launch of "multiple short-range ballistic missiles" early Monday, which flew around 300 kilometres (186 miles) before coming down into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.

"We are closely sharing relevant information with the US and Japan and are maintaining utmost readiness," the Joint Chiefs of Staff added.

After meeting Yoon, Blinken "condemned the... launch of ballistic missiles by the DPRK and reaffirmed the United States' ironclad commitment to the ROK's security," Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, referring to North and South Korea by their official names.

Japan's top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the North had fired three short-range ballistic missiles, which landed outside of the country's EEZ and did not cause any damage.

The launches come just days after Seoul and Washington's annual Freedom Shield drills, which this year involved double the number of troops, ended Thursday.

Pyongyang this month warned that Seoul and Washington would pay a "dear price" over the drills, and later announced that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had guided an artillery unit it says was capable of striking the South Korean capital.

"It's a highly calculated move timing-wise by Pyongyang to fire multiple missiles to show they are capable of doing such an act even when the top US diplomat is in town," Professor Choi Gi-il of military studies at Sangji University told AFP.

North Korea typically stages missile launches "as a tit-for-tat" after US-South Korea joint drills, Han Kwon-hee of Korea Association of Defence Industry Studies told AFP.

Blinken's presence only adds to their motivation, he said, as it "means more attention from Washington and adds pressure on host Seoul."

Boosting deterrence

Monday's ballistic missile test is the North's second this year, after Pyongyang launched one tipped with a manoeuvrable hypersonic warhead on January 14.

Blinken landed in South Korea on Sunday afternoon ahead of the democracy summit, which runs from March 18 to 20 and will bring together government officials, NGOs and civil society members.

Seoul is one of Washington's key regional allies, and the United States has stationed about 27,000 American soldiers in the South to help protect it against the nuclear-armed North.

Conservative President Yoon has boosted ties with Washington and sought to bury the historical hatchet with former colonial power Japan to better guard against Pyongyang's threats.

So far this year, Pyongyang has declared South Korea its "principal enemy", jettisoned agencies dedicated to reunification and outreach, and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement.

"While South Korea conducted defence training last week alongside international partners, Kim Jong-un personally supervised several military exercises, and now while Seoul hosts a summit of democracies, North Korea fires more missiles," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

"The Kim regime's one-upmanship aims to show strength to its domestic audience, suggest costs on the Korean Peninsula for Seoul’s international security cooperation, and warn Washington against increasing pressure on Pyongyang."

Blinken also met South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul for discussions on boosting the alliance, as Washington and Seoul look to improve their so-called "extended deterrence" against North Korea.

After Seoul, Blinken heads to the Philippines.

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Putin basks in electoral victory that was never in doubt even as Russians quietly protesthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/putin-basks-in-electoral-victory-that-was-never-in-doubt-even-as-russians-quietly-protest-2https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/18/putin-basks-in-electoral-victory-that-was-never-in-doubt-even-as-russians-quietly-protest-2#commentsc4be0277-6dc9-4739-b454-299ccec1d865Mon, 18 Mar 2024 02:20:02 +00002024-03-18T02:20:02.320ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Vladimir Putin,Russia electionsWorldRussian President Vladimir Putin basked in a victory early Monday that was never in doubt, as partial election results showed him easily securing a fifth term after facing only token challengers and harshly suppressing opposition voices.

With little margin for protest, Russians crowded outside polling stations at noon Sunday, on the last day of the election, apparently heeding an opposition call to express their displeasure with Putin. Still, the impending landslide underlined that Russian leader would accept nothing less than full control of the country's political system as he extends his nearly quarter-century rule for six more years.

Putin hailed the early results as an indication of “trust” and “hope” in him — while critics saw them as another reflection of the preordained nature of the election.

“Of course, we have lots of tasks ahead. But I want to make it clear for everyone: When we were consolidated, no one has ever managed to frighten us, to suppress our will and our self-conscience. They failed in the past and they will fail in the future,” Putin said at a meeting with volunteers after polls closed.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The polls have closed in Russia, following the illegal holding of elections on Ukrainian territory, a lack of choice for voters and no independent OSCE monitoring. This is not what free and fair elections look like.”

Any public criticism of Putin or his war in Ukraine has been stifled. Independent media have been crippled. His fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile.

Beyond the fact that voters had virtually no choice, independent monitoring of the election was extremely limited. According to Russia’s Central Election Commission, Putin had some 87% of the vote with about 90% of precincts counted.

In that tightly controlled environment, Navalny's associates urged those unhappy with Putin or the war in Ukraine to go to the polls at noon on Sunday — and lines outside a number of polling stations both inside Russia and at its embassies around the world appeared to swell at that time.

Among those heeding call was Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow, who joined a long line in Berlin as some in the crowd applauded and chanted her name.

She spent more than five hours in the line and told reporters after casting her vote that she wrote her late husband’s name on the ballot.

Asked whether she had a message for Putin, Navalnaya replied: “Please stop asking for messages from me or from somebody for Mr. Putin. There could be no negotiations and nothing with Mr. Putin, because he’s a killer, he’s a gangster.”

But Putin brushed off the effectiveness of the apparent protest.

“There were calls to come vote at noon. And this was supposed to be a manifestation of opposition. Well, if there were calls to come vote, then ... I praise this," he said at a news conference after polls closed.

Unusually, Putin referenced Navalny by name for the first time in years at the news conference. And he said he was informed of an idea to release the opposition leader from prison, days before his death. Putin said that he agreed to the idea, on condition that Navalny didn’t return to Russia.

Some Russians waiting to vote in Moscow and St. Petersburg told The Associated Press that they were taking part in the protest, but it wasn’t possible to confirm whether all of those in line were doing so.

One woman in Moscow, who said her name was Yulia, told the AP that she was voting for the first time.

“Even if my vote doesn’t change anything, my conscience will be clear ... for the future that I want to see for our country,” she said. Like others, she didn't give her full name because of security concerns.

Another Moscow voter, who also identified himself only by his first name, Vadim, said he hoped for change, but added that “unfortunately, it’s unlikely.”

Meanwhile, supporters of Navalny streamed to his grave in Moscow, some bringing ballots with his name written on them.

Meduza, Russia’s biggest independent news outlet, published photos of ballots it received from their readers, with “killer” inscribed on one, “thief” on another and “The Hague awaits you” on yet another. The last refers to an arrest warrant for Putin from the International Criminal Court that accuses him of personal responsibility for abductions of children from Ukraine.

Some people told the AP that they were happy to vote for Putin — unsurprising in a country where independent media have been hobbled, state TV airs a drumbeat of praise for the Russian leader and voicing any other opinion is risky.

Dmitry Sergienko, who cast his ballot in Moscow, said, “I am happy with everything and want everything to continue as it is now.”

Voting took place over three days at polling stations across the vast country, in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine and online. As people voted Sunday, Russian authorities said Ukraine launched a massive new wave of attacks on Russia, killing two people — underscoring the challenges facing the Kremlin.

Despite tight controls, several dozen cases of vandalism at polling stations were reported across the voting period.

Several people were arrested, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg, after they tried to start fires or set off explosives at polling stations while others were detained for throwing green antiseptic or ink into ballot boxes.

Stanislav Andreychuk, co-chair of the Golos independent election watchdog, said that pressure on voters from law enforcement had reached unprecedented levels.

Russians, he said in a social media post, were searched when entering polling stations, there were attempts to check filled-out ballots before they were cast, and one report said police demanded a ballot box be opened to remove a ballot.

"It's the first time in my life that I've seen such absurdities,” Andreychuk wrote on the messaging app Telegram, adding that he started monitoring elections in Russia 20 years ago.

The OVD-Info group that monitors political arrests said that 80 people were arrested in 20 cities across Russia on Sunday.

That left little room for people to express their displeasure, but Ivan Zhdanov, the head of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said that the opposition's call to protest had been successful.

Beyond Russia, huge lines also formed around noon outside diplomatic missions in London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Belgrade and other cities with large Russian communities, many of whom left home after Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Protesters in Berlin displayed a figure of Putin bathing in a bath of blood with the Ukrainian flag on the side, alongside shredded ballots in ballot boxes.

Russian state television and officials said the lines abroad showed strong turnout.

In Tallinn, where hundreds stood in a line snaking around the Estonian capital's cobbled streets leading to the Russian Embassy, 23-year-old Tatiana said she came to take part in the protest.

“If we have some option to protest I think it’s important to utilize any opportunity,” she said, only giving her first name.

Boris Nadezhdin, a liberal politician who tried to join the race on an anti-war platform but was barred from running by election officials, voiced hope that many Russians cast their ballots against Putin.

"I believe that the Russian people today have a chance to show their real attitude to what is happening by voting not for Putin, but for some other candidates or in some other way, which is exactly what I did,” he said after voting in Dolgoprudny, a town just outside Moscow.

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Vladimir Putin: The autocrat eyeing a new world orderhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/vladimir-putin-the-autocrat-eyeing-a-new-world-orderhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/vladimir-putin-the-autocrat-eyeing-a-new-world-order#comments1acff13f-fe3f-4cc2-a3f6-9b1d07714272Sun, 17 Mar 2024 13:15:38 +00002024-03-17T13:15:38.790ZAFP/api/author/1869233Vladimir Putin,Russia electionsWorldWARSAW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has over the past two decades built up a system of domestic repression and confrontation with the West that is almost certain to guarantee a fifth term in office on Sunday.

Ever since the previously little-known KGB agent became president on New Year's Eve 1999, he has consolidated power by bringing oligarchs to heel, banning any real opposition and turning Russia into an authoritarian state.

His most prolific critic, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison colony last month in mysterious circumstances. Other opponents are serving lengthy jail sentences or have fled into exile.

Abroad, 71-year-old Putin has spearheaded efforts to challenge the dominance of the West.

His grip on power tightened further after he invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with public dissent against the war effectively silenced through court proceedings and imprisonment.

His rule risks being defined by the war in Ukraine, which has cost many thousands of lives and sparked unprecedented Western sanctions that have created major tensions in the Russian economy.

There were large anti-war protests in the days after he ordered troops into Ukraine in the early hours of February 24, 2022. They were quickly quashed.

Quashed mutiny

But there were more demonstrations months later when the government was forced to announce a partial mobilisation, after Russia failed to topple Ukraine's government in the opening offensive of the war.

The most serious challenge to Putin's long rule came in June 2023, when Yevgeny Prigozhin, a long-time ally and head of the Wagner mercenary group, announced a mutiny to unseat Russia's military leadership.

The bloody uprising threatened to tarnish Putin's self-created image of a strategic genius -- uncomfortable for a ruler who likes to compare himself to Peter the Great, the reform-minded emperor who expanded Russia's borders.

But in recent months, Putin has demonstrated his lasting power.

Domestic opposition has been largely silent, the economy is growing again, the Russian military has gained ground in east Ukraine in recent weeks, and he has resumed foreign travel.

Putin started out as an intelligence officer before embarking on a political career in the mayor's office in his native Saint Petersburg in 1991, as the Soviet Union was falling apart.

Boris Yeltsin, Russia's first president, appointed him as head of the FSB security service in 1998 and as prime minister the following year.

Early reform hopes

It was a carefully planned strategy, culminating in his nomination as acting president when Yeltsin resigned.

Putin won his first presidential election in March 2000 and a second term in 2004.

His rise initially spurred hopes that Russia would reform and become a predictable, democratic partner to the West on the global stage.

Putin gained popularity by promising stability to a country still reeling from a decade of humiliation and economic chaos following the Soviet collapse.

After two stints as president, Putin switched back to being prime minister in 2008 to circumvent a constitutional ban on holding more than two consecutive terms as head of state.

But he kept the reins of power firmly in hand and returned to the presidency in 2012 despite pro-democracy protests in Moscow, winning a fourth term in 2018.

He jailed his loudest rival, Alexei Navalny, in 2021 and kept him in prison for three years until his death under opaque circumstances in February 2024.

The clampdown on opposition movements ramped up after the launch of hostilities in Ukraine.

Thousands of Russians were handed long prison sentences using newly reinforced censorship laws.

'New Iron Curtain'

The West imposed sanctions that effectively cut off Russia from the global banking system, adding to the Russian leadership's siege mentality.

In October 2023, Putin accused Europe of creating a "new Iron Curtain" and said Russia was building "a new world" that would not be based on Western hegemony.

He has also increasingly pushed a domestic agenda of nationalism and social conservatism, including most recently laws against Russia's LGBTQ community.

Persona non grata among Western leaders after the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian strongman has sought to pivot east, wooing India and China with increased energy exports.

After shrinking in 2022, the Russian economy began to grow again last year despite high inflation, a weakening of the ruble and a drastic increase in defence spending.

The war failed in its initial aims to topple Ukraine's government and Russia was forced into a series of humiliating setbacks by the determined defence of the much smaller Ukrainian army.

Growing confidence

But, with the conflict now in its third year, Putin has been speaking with increased confidence about Russia's prospects on the battlefield -- a topic he avoided for many months.

Russian forces have successfully held off a much-hyped Ukrainian counter-offensive and there are increasing doubts about whether Kyiv can hold the front lines in the face of delays to much-needed Western military supplies.

Wrangling in Washington in recent months has held up $60 billion in military aid for Ukraine, prompting alarmed warnings from the US administration.

In February, Russian forces captured the former Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka, handing Moscow its first major territorial gain in more than a year of fighting for the town.

The Kremlin chief struck a defiant tone in his state of the nation address almost two weeks later, vowing his troops would fight until the end.

"They will not back down, will not fail and will not betray," Putin said.

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61 Palestinians killed in overnight Israeli strikes as country mulls truce talks positionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/61-palestinians-killed-in-overnight-israeli-strikes-as-country-mulls-truce-talks-positionhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/61-palestinians-killed-in-overnight-israeli-strikes-as-country-mulls-truce-talks-position#commentsf5276f93-79cd-4515-9238-a5c86e513f9aSun, 17 Mar 2024 13:08:14 +00002024-03-17T13:08:14.974ZAFP/api/author/1869233Gaza,Israel-Hamas warWorldJERUSALEM: At least 61 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli bombardment, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Sunday, as Israel was preparing to send negotiators to new truce talks in Qatar.

Israel's security cabinet and the smaller war cabinet were to meet to "decide on the mandate of the delegation in charge of the negotiations before its departure for Doha," the prime minister's office said.

Its statement did not specify when the delegation would leave for the latest round of talks which comes after Hamas submitted a new proposal for a pause in fighting and hostage release.

More than five months of war and an Israeli siege have led to dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has repeatedly warned of looming famine for the coastal territory's 2.4 million people.

As the flow of aid trucks into Gaza has slowed, a second ship was due to depart from Cyprus along a new maritime corridor to bring food and relief goods, Cypriot officials said.

On Saturday the US charity World Central Kitchen said its team had finished unloading supplies from a barge towed by Spanish aid vessel Open Arms which had pioneered the sea route.

The United Nations has reported particular difficulty in accessing north Gaza, where residents say they have resorted to eating animal fodder, and where some have stormed the few aid trucks that have made it through.

Shelling and clashes were reported in south Gaza's main city of Khan Yunis and elsewhere.

The territory's health ministry said 12 members of the same family, whose house in Deir al-Balah was hit, were among those killed overnight.

Most Gazans displaced by the fighting have sought refuge in Rafah on the Egyptian border, where Israel has threatened to launch a ground offensive, without giving a timeline.

The head of the UN's World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, appealed to Israel "in the name of humanity" not to launch an assault on Rafah.

'Humanitarian catastrophe'

An evacuation planned by the Israeli army ahead of launching its assault was not a practical solution, Tedros argued, noting that Palestinians there do not "have anywhere safe to move to".

"This humanitarian catastrophe must not be allowed to worsen," he said on social media platform X.

The war was triggered by Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in about 1,160 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.

Palestinian militants also seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages in the attack. Dozens were released during a week-long truce in November, and Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza including 32 presumed dead.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced domestic pressure to secure the release of the captives, with protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday carrying banners urging a "hostage deal now".

"The civilians... need to demand from their leaders to do the right thing," said demonstrator Omer Keidar, 27.

The Hamas proposal calls for an Israeli withdrawal from "all cities and populated areas" in Gaza during a six-week truce and more humanitarian aid, according to an official from the Palestinian group.

With the situation on the ground increasingly dire, aid donors have turned to deliveries by air or sea.

Multiple governments have begun daily airdrops of food over Gaza, while the new maritime corridor is to be complemented by a US-military-built temporary pier.

Malnutrition and disease

But air and sea missions are no alternative to land deliveries, UN agencies say. Humanitarian groups have cited Israeli restrictions as among the obstacles they face.

The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has also grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu over his handling of the war.

Washington has said it cannot support Israel's long-threatened operation against Hamas in Rafah without a "credible, achievable, executable plan" to protect Palestinian civilians.

The crisis has only grown worse in Rafah, said medical staff at a clinic run by Palestinian volunteers that offers treatment for displaced Gazans.

"We're facing shortages of medications, especially paediatric medicines," said Dr Samar Gregea, herself displaced from Gaza City in the north.

"There are a lot of patients in the camp, with all children suffering from malnutrition," she told AFP, also reporting the "widespread presence of hepatitis A".

"Children require foods high in sugars, like dates, which are currently unavailable."

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How should Israel bring to justice the perpetrators behind the worst attack in its history?https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/how-should-israel-bring-to-justice-the-perpetrators-behind-the-worst-attack-in-its-historyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/how-should-israel-bring-to-justice-the-perpetrators-behind-the-worst-attack-in-its-history#comments0ac152be-8ca4-466c-933e-d51337cd2a27Sun, 17 Mar 2024 13:05:43 +00002024-03-17T13:05:43.800ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Palestine,Gaza,Israel- Hamas warWorldTEL AVIV: Hamas’ unprecedented raid on southern Israel has prompted a legal predicament: How does a country scarred by the deadliest attack in its history bring the perpetrators to justice?

Israel is holding hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza accused of taking part in the October 7 attack that sparked its war with Hamas. It is grappling with how to prosecute suspects and offer closure to Israelis, including victims' families.

None of the available legal options seem to fit.

Mass criminal trials could overwhelm Israel's already sluggish courts. An ad hoc war crimes tribunal established under Israel's far-right government could lack credibility. Freeing the suspects as part of a deal to release hostages held in Gaza would trouble many traumatized Israelis.

“They slaughtered, raped, looted and were caught red-handed,” said Yuval Kaplinsky, a former senior official in the Israeli Justice Ministry. “There is no silver bullet here for how to try them.”

Rights groups say the longer Israel takes to decide the right legal path, the longer suspected perpetrators languish in poor conditions and with no known contact with the outside world. At least 27 Palestinians from Gaza have died in Israeli custody since the war began, according to Israeli figures.

How does Israel handle Palestinian suspects?

Israel has long contended with legal issues surrounding Palestinian suspects — and has long been criticized for its approach. It regularly uses a measure called administrative detention to hold Palestinians without charge or trial.

Palestinian suspects from the West Bank are tried in Israeli military courts that have been a longtime fixture of its open-ended occupation of the territory. Palestinians and human rights groups say the system almost always renders guilty verdicts. Israel says it provides due process and imprisons those who threaten its security.

Shawan Jabarin, who heads the Palestinian rights group Al-Haq, said any trial held by Israel would not be credible.

“This is the system that Israelis have: Inhuman. Unfair. No due process,” he said.

In the Oct. 7 attack, thousands of Palestinians crossed the border from Gaza into Israel, breaking down the country’s defenses and rampaging through sleepy communities. They killed entire families, hunted down revelers at an outdoor music festival and committed sexual violence.

Hamas took roughly 250 hostages, including women, children and older adults, and is believed to still be holding 100 of them.

Israel’s subsequent invasion has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians and led to widespread hunger.

What about the criminal courts?

Israel’s criminal courts are distinct from the military courts and are widely seen as independent of political influence.

But Barak Medina, a law professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, said trying the hundreds of suspects there would overwhelm the backlogged system and could take years.

Israel’s public defenders’ office has said it will not provide a state-funded attorney for the suspects, seeing Israeli lawyers also scarred by Hamas’ attack as unsuitable and unwilling to do so.

According to Israel's public broadcaster Kan, the office has suggested foreign lawyers be enlisted, like in Israel’s 1961 criminal trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of Nazi Germany’s main organizers of the Holocaust.

Some experts have pointed to that trial as a possible precedent because it was high profile, dealt with a traumatic event and challenged Israel's existing legal framework. In publicly airing the Nazis’ heinous crimes, the trial offered some catharsis for Holocaust survivors.

Eichmann, who was captured by Mossad agents in Argentina, was represented by a German lawyer and was found guilty of crimes against humanity, crimes against the Jewish people and war crimes. He was executed in 1962, the only time Israel has carried out a death sentence.

A similarly public trial for Hamas' crimes might offer Israelis some sense of justice. But Eichmann's trial focused on just one defendant.

Kaplinsky, the former Justice Ministry official, said the narratives presented at criminal trials could also work against Israel by providing fodder for its opponents.

For example, if prosecutors fail to include rape charges in any indictment because the evidence they have doesn't meet the legal threshold, that could fuel arguments about whether sexual violence occurred at all. Defense attorneys might use friendly fire shootings to whip up suspicions about the death toll from the attack.

What about a tribunal?

Kaplinsky presented a plan to an Israeli parliamentary committee that suggests creating a tribunal that takes the events of Oct. 7 as established fact. The tribunal would not call witnesses but would be based on documents from Israel's security forces as well as the suspects' interrogations. Suspects would fund their own defense.

It was not clear if his plan was being considered.

Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst who wrote a book about Israel's democracy, said any tribunal created under Israel's current far-right government would be politically tainted.

“It will look like the laws are tailored according to the political whim of the current government," she said.

Medina, the law professor, said it appeared the state was holding off on making any decisions on how to try the suspects because it was expecting them to be released as part of a deal to free hostages.

The Israeli Justice Ministry declined to comment.

What is happening to suspects now?

For now, many of the suspects are said to be considered “unlawful combatants,” meaning Israel can extend their detention indefinitely, delay their access to a lawyer and keep legal proceedings classified. Rights groups say that lack of transparency can enable abuse.

Israel's predicament is similar to the one the U.S. faced after the 9/11 attacks as it sought to capture al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The U.S. sent hundreds of suspects to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The detention center became the focus of international outrage because of the torture of prisoners and the U.S. insistence that it could hold men indefinitely without charge.

Avi Kalo, who heads the international law program at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at Israel's Reichman University and is a former legal advisor to the Israeli military's intelligence corps, said this situation is different because the Oct. 7 detainees are being held in Israeli territory and are subject to Israeli law. That includes judicial oversight on their cases, though rights groups say that oversight is flawed.

Tal Steiner, executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said that accounts from freed prisoners indicate detainees are receiving little food and experiencing inhumane treatment that could amount to torture.

The Israel Prison Service, which holds some of the suspects, said prisoners are granted their basic rights.

Steiner said the committee hasn't taken a position on the best way to bring the attackers to justice.

"It’s a complicated legal question," she said. “But the alternative of holding them in lengthy detention, incommunicado, in such harsh conditions is also not a normal legal option.”

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Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says army will go into Gaza's Rafah despite 'international pressure'https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-says-army-will-go-into-gazas-rafah-despite-international-pressurehttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/israeli-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-says-army-will-go-into-gazas-rafah-despite-international-pressure#comments71b54409-0956-4e95-b58e-85e1e11afb25Sun, 17 Mar 2024 12:47:39 +00002024-03-17T12:47:39.060ZAFP/api/author/1869233Benjamin Netanyahu,Gaza,Rafah,Israeli Army,Israel-Hamas warWorldJERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli troops would pursue a planned ground offensive in southern Gaza's Rafah that has spurred fears of mass civilian casualties.

"No amount of international pressure will stop us from realising all the goals of the war: eliminating Hamas, releasing all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting in a video released by his office.

"To do this, we will also operate in Rafah."

His comments came as talks were expected to resume in Doha towards a truce in Gaza, where Israel has pursued a campaign against Hamas militants for more than five months.

Israeli cabinet members were set to discuss the "mandate" of the negotiations team later on Sunday, Netanyahu's office has said.

The prime minister was also due to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was expected to reiterate his warning against a ground offensive in Rafah.

The majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have sought refuge from relentless Israeli bombardment in the southern city, near the coastal territory's border with Egypt.

US President Joe Biden, who has backed Israel during the war, has said an Israeli invasion of Rafah would be a "red line" without credible civilian protection plans in place.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that Washington wanted a "clear and implementable plan" for Rafah to ensure civilians are "out of harm's way".

The head of the UN's World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Friday appealed to Israel "in the name of humanity" not to launch an assault on Rafah.

Netanyahu's office said on Friday he had approved the military's plan for an operation in Rafah, though no timeline has been given.

Elections would 'paralyse' Israel

Rafah is the last major population centre in Gaza yet to be subjected to a ground assault in the war, which was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel.

The attack resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

Hamas took about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages on October 7, and Israel believes about 130 of those remain in Gaza including 32 presumed dead.

Israel's military campaign has killed at least 31,645 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Netanyahu on Sunday also criticised "those in the international community who are trying to stop the war now" by "making false accusations" against Israel and its military.

Israel has faced consistent criticism for civilian casualties in Gaza as well as stark aid shortages that have fuelled fears of famine.

On Thursday US Senate leader Chuck Schumer called for Israel to hold new elections, sparking angry pushback from Netanyahu's Likud party which said Israel "is not a banana republic".

Netanyahu said on Sunday that new elections would "stop the war, and paralyse the country for at least six months."

"If we stop the war now, before all of its goals are achieved, it means that Israel has lost the war, and we will not allow that."

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UK PM Rishi Sunak's leadership in turmoil amid infightinghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/uk-pm-rishi-sunaks-leadership-in-turmoil-amid-infightinghttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/uk-pm-rishi-sunaks-leadership-in-turmoil-amid-infighting#comments77b6b08d-6958-4b00-91e8-4ef934892a3aSun, 17 Mar 2024 12:11:16 +00002024-03-17T12:11:16.924ZPTI/api/author/1903325Rishi SunakWorldLONDON: A UK minister came out strongly in defence of his party leader Rishi Sunak on Sunday as the increasingly beleaguered prime minister attempts to ride out infighting within the ranks, with sections to the right of the governing Conservative Party calling for a leadership change ahead of a general election expected later in the year.

The 43-year-old British Indian leader has ruled out the prospect of an early election in May and with possibly months before he decides to go to the electorate, the murmurings of rebellion within the Tory ranks fearful of losing their seats seem to be growing at a steady pace.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper was directly asked during a television interview if he thinks Sunak will be the leader of the Conservative Party at the general election.

"Yes he will, and he'll take us into that election and he'll set out very clearly that we're a government with a plan," Harper told 'Sky News'.

"The plan is working, we're driving down inflation, we're reducing people's taxes. We're the only party that's got a plan to deal with the priorities of the country that will take us into that election and set out a choice," he said.

On rumours that a group of Tory MPs are keen to replace Sunak with his former leadership rival and now Leader of the House of Commons in his Cabinet, Penny Mordaunt, Harper added: "What I would say to all my colleagues is this; I spend my time as Transport Secretary focusing on doing what I think is the right thing for the country, making decisions that I think are sensible."

"That is the approach that the Prime Minister takes as well. He focuses on making the right decisions even if in the short term they are not necessarily popular," Harper said.

According to 'The Daily Telegraph', a meeting is understood to have taken place this weekend between leading figures on the right wing of the Tory party and prominent supporters of Mordaunt from when she previously ran for the Tory leadership after the exit of Boris Johnson as prime minister in 2022.

"Some right-wing MPs met with Team Penny this week, where they expressed the view they were prepared to back her. They take the view that Penny is preferable to Rishi Sunak right now. Penny Mordaunt is now seen as the most likely person to stem the losses," the newspaper quoted a source as saying.

The discussions are reflective of despair among some Conservative MPs at the steady lead in favour of the Opposition Labour Party in pre-poll surveys and the prospect of heading towards a disastrous defeat.

With the Spring Budget earlier this month failing to turn the dial in the party's favour and a series of high-profile exits from the Tory ranks, there is growing discontent among the Conservative backbenchers.

However, some of Sunak's very vocal critics and Boris Johnson allies, such as former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, have dismissed the idea of replacing the British Indian leader at this juncture in the electoral cycle as 'madness'.

"Interesting to hear lots of media reporting of centre-right Conservative MPs pushing for a certain leadership candidate to replace Rishi. Having spoken with lots of my colleagues, no one seems to have heard or been pushing for such a thing," said Andrea Jenkyns, a Tory MP critical of Sunak's leadership.

Labour, meanwhile, has jumped on the turmoil to demand an early general election. "This is not in the national interest anymore. It is irresponsible. We need stability in this country. He [Sunak] could stabilise this by naming the date of a general election. Otherwise, I fear we may have a Tory leadership election ahead of a general election," said shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth.

The pressure on Sunak is likely to intensify further after the local council and mayoral elections take place across England on May 2, when the Tories are expected to suffer losses.

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US suspect in custody after fatal shootings of 3 family membershttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/us-suspect-in-custody-after-fatal-shootings-of-3-family-membershttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/us-suspect-in-custody-after-fatal-shootings-of-3-family-members#comments2775ba1d-ec38-4f26-9bdb-f7c527b338d4Sun, 17 Mar 2024 07:14:17 +00002024-03-17T07:14:17.817ZAFP/api/author/1869233Shooting,Andre GordonWorldTRENTON, UNITED STATES: An "extremely dangerous" suspect was taken into custody in New Jersey on Saturday after allegedly shooting dead three family members, authorities said, following an hours-long effort to detain him.

Andre Gordon, 26, "surrendered peacefully," Trenton Police Department spokesperson Lisette Rios told AFP, after a trail of violence that triggered shelter-in-place orders in two states.

Authorities said Gordon, who is believed to be homeless, began the day by carjacking a vehicle in Trenton before driving some 40 miles (65 kilometers) to the northern Philadelphia suburb of Levittown.

There, police said, the suspect killed two people -- identified as his 52-year-old stepmother and his 13-year-old sister.

Three others, including a minor, managed to hide "as he went through the house searching for them," Bucks County, Pennsylvania district attorney Jennifer Schorn said in a briefing.

The suspect then drove to a nearby residence where he broke in before shooting and killing a 25-year-old woman -- who Schorn said was the mother of his two children -- before bludgeoning her mother with the butt of his rifle. She was expected to recover.

Driving to a nearby discount store, the suspect carjacked a 44-year-old man before fleeing. The man was not injured, according to Falls Township, Pennsylvania Sheriff Nelson Whitney.

The suspect then drove across the state line back to Trenton, where police believed he had barricaded himself in a three-story house.

Whitney had said the suspect was believed to be armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle and police described him as "extremely dangerous."

For several hours they appealed to him to surrender, after SWAT officers evacuated people in the home through a second-story window.

"Andre, get away from the windows. We know you're inside, if you'd like to surrender, dial 911 now," police said over loudspeaker. "You're a young man, you have too much to live for."

Later on Saturday Gordon was "located at another location in Trenton," Rios said.

Trenton Police Director Steve Wilson said Gordon was uninjured and walking along a street when a patrol officer approached him.

Gordon had apparently slipped out of the house before police had completed setting up a perimeter, Wilson said.

Because the suspect crossed state lines, federal authorities -- including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives -- were working the case, along with local, county and state police.

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21 dead, 38 injured in bus collision with tanker in Afghanistanhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/21-dead-in-bus-collision-with-tanker-in-afghanistan-provincial-officialhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/21-dead-in-bus-collision-with-tanker-in-afghanistan-provincial-official#commentsed064b3b-0065-4b65-a43b-1f05f9ce5999Sun, 17 Mar 2024 06:57:48 +00002024-03-17T06:57:48.122ZAFP/api/author/1869233Afghanistan,bus collissionWorldKABUL: Twenty-one people were killed and 38 injured in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province on Sunday when a bus collided with an oil tanker and a motorbike, a provincial official said.

"Early in the morning today, based on the information we have received so far, 21 people were killed" in an accident "between a passenger bus, a tanker, and a motorbike", the provincial governor's spokesman Mohammad Qasim Riyaz told AFP.

Another 38 people were injured in the collision, the provincial information department said, updating an initial tally of 11 provided by Riyaz.

The collision caused the vehicles to ignite, with images shared by the Helmand information department on social media showing charred, twisted metal and the crushed cabin of the tanker.

The accident took place early Sunday morning on a main highway between the capital Kabul and northern Herat City in the Grishk district of Helmand.

Deadly traffic accidents are common in Afghanistan, due in part to poor roads, dangerous driving on highways, and lack of regulation.

In December 2022, an oil tanker overturned and caught fire in Afghanistan's high-altitude Salang pass, killing 31 people and leaving dozens more with burn injuries.

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Trump hails election as 'most important date' in US historyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/trump-hails-election-as-most-important-date-in-us-historyhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/trump-hails-election-as-most-important-date-in-us-history#comments4fce72b9-7100-4b90-81bb-e6358f6fa227Sun, 17 Mar 2024 06:29:34 +00002024-03-17T06:29:34.511ZAFP/api/author/1869233Donald TrumpWorldVANDALIA, UNITED STATES: Donald Trump told a rally in Ohio on Saturday that November's presidential election will be the "most important date" in US history, painting his campaign for the White House as a turning point for the country.

Days after securing his position as the presumptive Republican nominee, the former president also warned of a "bloodbath" if he is not elected -- though it was not clear what he was referring to, with the remark coming in the middle of comments about threats to the US auto industry.

"The date -- remember this, November 5 -- I believe it's going to be the most important date in the history of our country," the 77-year-old told rally-goers in Vandalia, Ohio, repeating well-worn criticisms that his rival, President Joe Biden, is the "worst" president.

Criticizing what he said were Chinese plans to build cars in Mexico and sell them to Americans, he stated: "They're not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected.

"Now if I don't get elected it's going to be a bloodbath for the whole, that's going to be the least of it, it's going to be a bloodbath for the country. That'll be the least of it. But they're not going to sell those cars."

As Trump's comment gained traction on social media, Biden's campaign released a statement calling the Republican a "loser" at the ballot box in 2020 who then "doubles down on his threats of political violence."

"He wants another January 6 but the American people are going to give him another electoral defeat this November because they continue to reject his extremism, his affection for violence, and his thirst for revenge," the campaign said, referring to the deadly attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters in 2021.

Later, Biden spoke at a dinner in Washington, where he also warned of "an unprecedented moment in history."

"Freedom is under assault... The lies about the 2020 election, the plot to overturn it, to embrace the Jan. 6 insurrection pose the greatest threat to our democracy since the American Civil War," he said.

"In 2020, they failed, but ... the threat remains."

The 81-year-old, who has waved off concerns that he is too old for a second term, leavened his rhetoric with humor.

"One candidate's too old and mentally unfit to be president," he said of the presidential race. "The other guy's me."

Border issues

Earlier this month Trump and Biden each won enough delegates to clinch their party nominations in the 2024 presidential race, all but assuring a rematch and setting up one of the longest election campaigns in US history.

Among the issues Trump is campaigning on is sweeping reform of what he calls Biden's "horror show" immigration policies, despite successfully pressuring Republicans to block a bill in Congress that included the toughest border security measures in decades.

On Saturday he invoked the border again as he reached out to minorities who have traditionally voted Democrat.

He said Biden had "repeatedly stabbed African-American voters in the back" by granting work permits to "millions" of immigrants, warning that they and Hispanic Americans "are going to be the ones that suffer the most."

For decades Ohio had been seen as a bellwether battleground state, though it has trended more strongly Republican since Trump's White House win in 2016.

The rally came a day after Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, said he would not endorse his old boss for a second White House term.

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Putin poised to rule Russia for six more years after an election with no other real choiceshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/putin-poised-to-rule-russia-for-six-more-years-after-an-election-with-no-other-real-choiceshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/17/putin-poised-to-rule-russia-for-six-more-years-after-an-election-with-no-other-real-choices#comments77a73f46-d3b7-4031-97dc-97cb10e8463dSun, 17 Mar 2024 05:51:35 +00002024-03-17T05:51:35.677ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Putin,russia presidential electionWorldRussian President Vladimir Putin is poised to extend nearly a quarter century of rule for six more years on Sunday after wrapping up an election that gave voters no real alternatives to an autocrat who has ruthlessly cracked down on dissent.

The three-day election that began Friday has taken place in a tightly controlled environment where no public criticism of Putin or his war in Ukraine is allowed. Putin’s fiercest political foe, Alexei Navalny, died in an Arctic prison last month, and other critics are either in jail or in exile.

The 71-year-old Russian leader faces three token rivals from Kremlin-friendly parties who have refrained from any criticism of his 24-year rule or his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Putin has boasted of Russian battlefield successes in the run-up to the vote, but a massive Ukrainian drone attack across Russia early Sunday sent a reminder of the challenges faced by Moscow.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported downing 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, including four near the Russian capital. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said there were no casualties or damage.

Russia’s wartime economy has proven resilient, expanding despite bruising Western sanctions. The Russian defense industry has served as a key growth engine, working around the clock to churn out missiles, tanks, and ammunition.

Russia’s scattered opposition has urged those unhappy with Putin or the war to express their protest by coming to the polls at noon on Sunday. The strategy was endorsed by Navalny not long before his death.

Voting is taking place at polling stations across the vast country’s 11 time zones, in illegally annexed regions of Ukraine, and online. Despite tight controls, at least a half-dozen cases of vandalism at polling stations were reported on Friday and Saturday.

A 50-year-old university professor was imprisoned Saturday for 15 days after she tried to throw green liquid into a ballot box in the Urals city of Ekaterinburg, local news site Ura.ru reported. In Podolsk, a town close to Moscow, a woman was fined 30,000 rubles ($342) and charged with “discrediting the Russian army” after spoiling her ballot with an unspecified message, according to OVD-Info, a police monitoring group.

Ahead of the election, Putin cast his war in Ukraine, now in its third year, as a life-or-death battle against the West seeking to break up Russia.

Putin has boasted about recent gains in Ukraine, where Russian troops have made slow advances relying on their edge in firepower. Ukraine has fought back by intensifying cross-border shelling and raids, and by launching drone strikes deep inside Russia.

Air raid sirens sounded multiple times Saturday in the Russian border city of Belgorod, where two people were killed by Ukrainian shelling, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had thwarted attempts to enter the country by “Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups,” following claims by Ukraine-based Russian opponents of the Kremlin last week that they had made an armed incursion into the Belgorod and Kursk regions.

Western leaders have derided the election as a travesty of democracy.

Beyond the lack of options for voters, the possibilities for independent monitoring are very limited. No significant international observers were present. Only registered, Kremlin-approved candidates, or state-backed advisory bodies, can assign observers to polling stations, decreasing the likelihood of independent watchdogs.

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US shooting: Suspect barricaded in New Jersey home after killing three people in Philadelphiahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/us-shooting-suspect-barricaded-in-new-jersey-home-after-killing-three-people-in-philadelphiahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/us-shooting-suspect-barricaded-in-new-jersey-home-after-killing-three-people-in-philadelphia#commentsf23f07bb-033b-4ed7-98be-dc91a11881c0Sat, 16 Mar 2024 18:34:55 +00002024-03-16T18:34:55.329ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Philadelphia,New Jersey,US shootingWorldLEVITTOWN: A suspect has barricaded himself in a home in New Jersey after allegedly shooting three people to death in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday, authorities said.

The morning shooting in Falls Township in eastern Pennsylvania forced the cancellation of a St. Patrick's Day parade and shut down Sesame Place, a children's theme park. Authorities in Bucks County issued a shelter-in-place order for the area for several hours, but it was canceled by early afternoon.

Police said the suspect, a 26-year-old man who was currently homeless, knew the shooting victims.

The Trenton Police Department said the suspect is believed to be hiding in a house in Trenton and that the residents were successfully evacuated with no injuries. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was assisting, as were the New Jersey State Police, the Mercer County Rapid Response Team and the Mercer County Homicide Task Force. The FBI was on standby.

Falls Township police said in a statement earlier that the shootings occurred at two locations in the township. The suspect then carjacked a vehicle in a Dollar Store parking lot and drove to Trenton, where he barricaded himself in a home.

Video from a WPVI helicopter showed numerous police vehicles surrounding several blocks of homes in Trenton, where the suspect is believed to be barricaded. An officer roped off an area with crime tape, while others took cover behind vehicles. Another officer was stationed behind a wooden fence in the back of one of the multilevel homes.

Middletown Township police said the suspect has ties to addresses in Bucks and Trenton and "stays in Trenton primarily."

Shaun Murphy, who lives in the Falls Township community of Levittown, said he was headed to the parade when he saw that the road had been blocked.

"All the neighbors were outside wondering what was going on and then we got the notice about shelter in place," Murphy said.

"I did see ambulances coming up the street earlier without their sirens on," Murphy said. "My neighbors were just outside with me last night, and we were just saying how great of a town and how great of a neighborhood it is."

The Oxford Valley Mall reopened after being shut for several hours, Middletown Township police said. Other businesses would make individual decisions as to whether to operate.

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Cyprus says second aid ship ready to leave for Gazahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/cyprus-says-second-aid-ship-ready-to-leave-for-gazahttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/cyprus-says-second-aid-ship-ready-to-leave-for-gaza#comments876bf4a8-2f0a-438e-bbbc-62d6f3e760c3Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:49:45 +00002024-03-16T17:49:45.525ZAFP/api/author/1869233Cyprus,Israel Gaza war,Gaza aidWorldGAZA CITY: A second ship loaded with aid for Gaza could depart as early as Saturday, Cyprus said, as the first vessel returned from the war-ravaged territory after successfully delivering its cargo.

The Jennifer was set "to depart for Gaza today or tomorrow," foreign ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis told state radio.

US charity World Central Kitchen said the Jennifer had been loaded with 240 tonnes of food but that rough weather made it hard to predict when it would set sail for Gaza or when the first vessel, the Open Arms, might make a return trip.

"Maritime weather reports show bad weather from Sunday until end of next week —- so exact timing of sailing for either boat to return to Gaza is not available at this time," the charity said in a statement.

The maritime aid corridor from Cyprus is meant to at least partly address stark shortages in Gaza after more than five months of war, as UN agencies warn of looming famine.

Earlier on Saturday, World Central Kitchen said its team had finished unloading food and other desperately needed supplies from the barge towed by Spanish aid vessel Open Arms, which left Cyprus on Tuesday in a trial run for the aid corridor.

"All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza," World Central Kitchen said in a statement, noting it included "almost 200 tonnes of food".

The cargo on the Jennifer includes "pallets of canned goods and bulk product -- including beans, carrots, canned tuna, chickpeas, canned corn, parboiled rice, flour, oil and salt," the charity said.

It also includes a forklift and a crane to assist with deliveries, it said.

The United Arab Emirates has sent "a special load of 120 (kilogrammes of) fresh dates," it added.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters that Open Arms "has begun to return" to Cyprus "and we are ready to send the second ship with humanitarian aid to Gaza."

The Spanish charity that owns the first vessel, also named Open Arms, said it would get back to Cyprus on Sunday and could participate in future aid deliveries.

A first 'test'

With the humanitarian situation in Gaza increasingly dire, donors have pursued alternatives including airdrops and maritime shipments.

World Central Kitchen built a makeshift jetty southwest of Gaza City to receive Friday's shipment but US troops are on their way to build a larger pier.

The Israeli military said troops had secured the area around the jetty while the Open Arms shipment was unloaded. It said it had inspected the cargo before delivery.

World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres said on X that the first shipment was "a test" and that "we could bring thousands of tonnes each week."

The war in Gaza was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign against Hamas has killed at least 31,553 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

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Surveillance of Maldives' vast maritime territory not a concern of 'external parties': Prez Muizzuhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/maldives-jurisdiction-not-a-concern-of-external-parties-president-muizzuhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/maldives-jurisdiction-not-a-concern-of-external-parties-president-muizzu#commentsf2ce070e-3d01-404e-b73c-7e596dab24d1Sat, 16 Mar 2024 17:22:28 +00002024-03-16T17:22:28.668ZPTI/api/author/1903325China,Maldives,Maldives india ties,Mohamed MuizzuWorldMALE: President Mohamed Muizzu has said the surveillance of the Maldives' territory should not concern any "external parties" as he announced measures to boost its defence forces, including the maiden deployment of drones to guard the archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean.

Muizzu's latest comments came while speaking at a ceremony to launch the Maldives National Defence Force's (MNDF) Air Corps and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), a press release by the President's Office said.

Muizzu announced new initiatives to strengthen the Maldives' military capabilities at the ceremony.

The pro-China Maldivian leader's remarks came days after the first batch of Indian military personnel operating a helicopter gifted by India left the island nation after Muizzu stepped up his anti-India rhetoric.

Asserting that Maldives isn't a small nation, Muizzu said the country is capable of monitoring its jurisdiction.

"The Maldives isn't a small nation," he said, noting that the island nation stretches along nine hundred thousand square kilometres and is capable of monitoring its jurisdiction.

"Maldives is an independent and sovereign nation and that surveillance of the Maldives' jurisdiction should not concern any external parties," he said, without naming any country.

He said this would not impede the Maldives' close relations with all countries.

Muizzu said his government would double the capacity of the Coast Guard, expand the Air Corps fleet, and enhance land-based vehicles and platforms.

Muizzu after assuming the office last year had asked India to withdraw nearly 90 military personnel from the island nation.

India agreed to replace the military personnel with civilians and continue the operations of two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft provided to the country for humanitarian and medical evacuation services.

Muizzu's administration has also said that it would review more than 100 agreements signed with India by the previous governments.

Muizzu "affirmed the importance of the Maldives navigating its course towards self-reliance and remaining an independent and sovereign nation in every aspect," the press release said on Friday.

Muizzu said that Maldives' independence and sovereignty "must be in the common interest of the entire populace, despite varying ideologies".

He added that this would not impede the Maldives' close relations with all countries.

Muizzu has affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10.

He rode to power last year on an anti-India stance, and within hours of taking oath, demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located island nation in the Indian Ocean.

During the same function, Muizzu also thanked Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his continuous assistance in augmenting the Maldives' military capabilities.

He said Erdogan played a "pivotal role" in realising his goal of using drones for the first time to patrol the huge maritime area of the Maldives.

He said the Maldives received three UAVs and hoped to increase the number through the close bilateral ties between Türkiye and the Maldives.

The President added that most of it was received through grant aid from Turkiye.

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Gaza truce efforts revived as first sea aid unloadedhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/gaza-truce-efforts-revived-as-first-sea-aid-unloadedhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/gaza-truce-efforts-revived-as-first-sea-aid-unloaded#comments9072a1eb-e34e-420c-8545-ba7c65858c95Sat, 16 Mar 2024 15:11:32 +00002024-03-16T15:11:32.970ZAFP/api/author/1869233Israel Gaza war,Gaza ceasefire,Gaza truce,Gaza aidWorldPALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Efforts towards a truce in the Israel-Hamas war appeared to rekindle on Saturday after a new proposal from the Palestinian militant group which also called for more aid into Gaza, where the first food shipment by sea reached shore.

Israel said it would send a delegation to Qatar for another round of talks on a possible deal. It also advanced plans for a military operation in Rafah, where most of Gaza's population has sought refuge from more than five months of war and deprivation.

The US charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) on Saturday said its team had finished unloading almost 200 tonnes of food, the first shipment to arrive on a new maritime aid corridor from Cyprus.

"All cargo was offloaded and is being readied for distribution in Gaza," WCK said in a statement.

WCK's partner, the Open Arms vessel which towed the aid on a barge, had sailed from Larnaca port on Tuesday.

The United Nations has reported particular difficulty in accessing the besieged Gaza Strip's north for deliveries of food and other aid.

Residents say they have resorted to eating wild plants and animal fodder, and some have stormed the few aid trucks that have made it through.

"Doctors are reporting that they no longer see normal-sized babies," Dominic Allen, of the United Nations Population Fund, said after visiting Gaza's north.

'God help us'

With the situation increasingly dire, donors have turned to the air and sea.

Multiple nations have begun daily aid airdrops over Gaza. Germany's air force said on Saturday it successfully made its first delivery over north Gaza.

The new maritime corridor is to be complemented by a temporary pier which United States troops are on their way to build.

But air and sea missions are no alternative to land deliveries, UN officials and aid groups say. Humanitarians have cited Israeli restrictions as among the obstacles they face.

The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza said at least 63 people had been killed over the previous 24 hours.

Earlier Saturday, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra reported 36 deaths from a strike on a house sheltering displaced people in Nuseirat, central Gaza.

AFPTV images showed a building blown apart. Yussef Tabatibi, lifting concrete blocks among the rubble, said residents were trying to recover the dead with only their bare hands.

"What should we do? God help us," he said.

Witnesses reported air strikes and fighting in the southern Gaza Strip's main city Khan Yunis as well as areas of the north.

Talks

In negotiations aimed at securing a truce and hostage deal, Hamas has put forward a new proposal for a six-week ceasefire and the exchange of about 42 Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, an official from the Islamist group told AFP.

Palestinian militants seized about 250 Israeli and foreign hostages during the Hamas attack which triggered the war on October 7. Dozens of captives were released during a week-long truce in November. Israel believes about 130 remain in Gaza, including 32 presumed dead.

The Hamas attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has carried out relentless bombardment and a ground invasion that has killed at least 31,553 people in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the health ministry.

Until Friday Hamas had insisted no further hostages would be exchanged without a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Now the militants are saying that, during a six-week truce, Israeli forces would need to pull out of "all cities and populated areas" in Gaza, according to the Hamas official.

The Hamas proposal also calls for ramped up humanitarian aid, the official added.

Israel has so far rejected withdrawing troops from Gaza, saying such a move would amount to victory for Hamas.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would send a delegation to Qatar for another round of talks on securing the hostages' release.

Israel did not attend earlier negotiations in Cairo which failed to secure a truce for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which began last Monday.

'Not self-defence'

Washington's Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday acknowledged "a counter-proposal" from Hamas and said, "we're working intensively with Israel, with Qatar, with Egypt, to bridge the remaining gaps and to try to reach an agreement."

The United States, which provides Israel with billions of dollars in military assistance, has grown increasingly critical of Netanyahu over his handling of the war but has not supported an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who favours such a measure, said after meeting US President Joe Biden in Washington that "none of us like to see American weapons being used in the way they are" which, he said, "is not self-defence."

Biden praised unusually critical comments by US Senate leader Chuck Schumer, who had described Netanyahu as one of several "major obstacles" to peace.

"I think he expressed serious concern shared not only by him, but by many Americans," Biden said.

Netanyahu's office said on Friday he had approved the military's plan for an operation against Hamas in Rafah, where around 1.5 million people are sheltered, many in rough tents near the Egyptian border.

There were no details or a timeline for the long-threatened operation which Washington says it could not support without a "credible, achievable, executable plan" to shelter the civilians there.

World Central Kitchen founder Jose Andres said the first seaborne aid to reach Gaza is the equivalent of 12 trucks but "we could bring thousands of tons a week."

Prior to the war a daily average of around 500 trucks entered Gaza, the UN has said, but the current number is far below that.

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'Bloody' Ramadan Friday as Gaza strike kills 36 relativeshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/bloody-ramadan-friday-as-gaza-strike-kills-36-relativeshttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/bloody-ramadan-friday-as-gaza-strike-kills-36-relatives#comments33a533d1-8311-41f4-a699-286961036df8Sat, 16 Mar 2024 14:33:24 +00002024-03-16T14:33:24.352ZAFP/api/author/1869233Ramadan,Gaza strike,Israel Gaza strikeWorldPALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Displaced by Israeli bombardment, the Tabatibi family gathered in central Gaza to eat together during the first Friday night of Ramadan, a scene that soon turned into a bloodbath.

An air strike hit the building where they were staying as women prepared the pre-fasting meal, killing 36 members of the family, survivors told AFP on Saturday.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which provided the same death toll, blamed Israel for the strike in Nuseirat, while the Israeli military said it was looking into the incident.

"This is my mother, this is my father, this is my aunt, and these are my brothers," 19-year-old Mohammed al-Tabatibi, whose left hand was injured in the strike, said through tears at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah.

"They bombed the house while we were in it. My mother and my aunt were preparing the suhoor food. They were all martyred."

He spoke as bodies were spread out in the hospital courtyard, then stacked on a truck to be driven to a cemetery.

Because there were not enough body bags, some of the dead –- including at least two children -– were wrapped in white cloth stained with blood, AFPTV footage showed.

The first Friday of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month which began on Monday, passed peacefully in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, despite concerns about tensions at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

But it was a different story in Gaza.

The strike in Nuseirat was one of 60 "deadly air strikes" reported overnight by the press office of the Hamas-run government, from Gaza City in the north to Rafah in the south.

"This is a bloody night, a very bloody night," said Salama Maarouf of the Hamas-run government media office.

'Look at the extent of the destruction'

The war in Gaza erupted with Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign to destroy Hamas has killed at least 31,553 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.

In Rafah, where the majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have sought refuge, more bloodshed is feared after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday he had approved plans for a military operation there.

Yet even before any such operation begins, air strikes continue, including one early Saturday that witnesses said killed Issa Duhair, the muezzin of a mosque, along with his two sons.

Mahmoud Duhair, a 41-year-old relative who lives nearby, described the muezzin as "a good man" who, as usual, dutifully performed the call to prayer before dawn on Saturday, then went to eat with his family "when his house was struck".

Back in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, Yussef Tabatibi said the true toll of the strike that killed 36 members of his family could rise.

"Some of the martyrs we are unable to retrieve. We lack equipment, bulldozers, machinery, or anything else, " he told AFP, his hands and sweatshirt covered with dust from trying to clear rubble.

"We retrieve them only with our hands. We brought shovels and hammers, but to no avail. Look at the extent of the destruction."

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Two Army officers among 7 personnel killed in terror attack in Pakistanhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/two-army-officers-among-7-personnel-killed-in-terror-attack-in-pakistanhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/two-army-officers-among-7-personnel-killed-in-terror-attack-in-pakistan#comments64a7ea21-d1f0-4dbc-bbaa-3f52851deb88Sat, 16 Mar 2024 13:08:38 +00002024-03-16T13:08:38.178ZPTI/api/author/1903325Pakistan terror attack,Pakistan Army soldiersWorldPESHAWAR: At least seven Pakistan Army soldiers, including two officers, were killed when six terrorists launched multiple suicide attacks on a security check post in the restive tribal district of North Waziristan bordering Afghanistan on Saturday, the military said.

A Lieutenant Colonel and a Captain were killed along with five soldiers.

All the six terrorists who attacked the check post in Mir Ali area were shot dead.

According to the ISPR statement, after the troops foiled the initial attempt of intrusion, the terrorists rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks.

During the subsequent clearance operation, troops effectively engaged and killed all six terrorists.

However, during the intense exchange of fire, Lieutenant Colonel Syed Kashif Ali and Captain Muhammad Ahmed Badar were killed, the statement said.

The military's media wing said a sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists present in the area.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the attack and expressed grief over the death of the soldiers.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 marking a record six-year high.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84 per cent of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.

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Cease-fire talks with Israel and Hamas expected to restarthttps://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/cease-fire-talks-with-israel-and-hamas-expected-to-restart-2https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2024/Mar/16/cease-fire-talks-with-israel-and-hamas-expected-to-restart-2#commentsd883eb56-5519-417e-b863-452573916a68Sat, 16 Mar 2024 11:50:15 +00002024-03-16T11:50:15.326ZAssociated Press/api/author/1897567Palestinians,Israel Hamas war,Gaza ceasefireWorldCAIRO: Stalled talks aimed at securing a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas are expected to restart in earnest in Qatar as soon as Sunday, according to Egyptian officials.

The talks would mark the first time both Israeli officials and Hamas leaders joined the indirect negotiations since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. International mediators had hoped to secure a six-week truce before Ramadan started earlier this week, but Hamas refused any deal that wouldn't lead to a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, a demand Israel rejected.

In recent days, however, both sides have made moves aimed at getting the talks, which never fully broke off, back on track.

Hamas gave mediators a new proposal for a three-stage plan that would end the fighting, according to two Egyptian officials, one who is involved in the talks and a second who was briefed on them. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the contents of the sensitive discussions.

The first stage would be a six-week cease-fire that would include the release of 35 hostages — women, those who are ill and older people — being held by militants in Gaza in exchange for 350 Palestinian prisoners being held by Israel.

Hamas would also release at least five female soldiers in exchange for 50 prisoners, including some serving long sentences on terror charges, for each soldier. Israeli forces would withdraw from two main roads in Gaza, let displaced Palestinians return to north Gaza, which has been devastated by the fighting, and allow the free flow of aid to the area, the officials said.

Nearly one in three children under 2 years old in the isolated north are suffering acute malnutrition, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF reported Friday.

In the second phase, the two sides would declare a permanent cease-fire and Hamas would free the remaining Israeli soldiers held hostage in exchange for more prisoners, the officials said.

In the third phase, Hamas would hand over the bodies it's holding in exchange for Israel lifting the blockade of Gaza and allowing reconstruction to start, the officials said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the proposal "unrealistic." However, he agreed to send Israeli negotiators to Qatar for more talks.

Those talks were expected to resume Sunday afternoon, though they could get pushed to Monday, the Egyptian officials said.

Netanyahu's government has rejected calls for a permanent cease-fire, insisting it must first fulfill its stated goal of "annihilating Hamas." Netanyahu's office also said Friday he approved military plans to attack Rafah, the southernmost town in Gaza where some 1.4 million displaced Palestinians are sheltering.

The United States and other countries have warned such an operation could be disastrous, but Israel says it plans to push ahead to destroy Hamas battalions stationed there.

Many Palestinians fled to Rafah when Israel began attacking Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and left another 250 hostage in Gaza.

Netanyahu's office said the Rafah operation would involve the evacuation of the civilian population, but did not give details or a timetable. The military said Wednesday it planned to direct civilians to "humanitarian islands" in central Gaza.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday: "We have to see a clear and implementable plan" to safeguard innocent people in Rafah from an Israeli incursion.

"We have not seen such a plan," he said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday that at least 31,553 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

Israel's offensive has driven most of Gaza's 2.3 million people from their homes. A quarter of Gaza's population is starving, according to the United Nations.

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