US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had claimed that 90% of the terms for a cease-fire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas have been settled, but urged both parties to resolve remaining critical issues. Speaking during a press conference in Haiti on Thursday, Blinken said the need to finalise discussions on points such as control over the Philadelphi Corridor and the details of a hostage exchange. “We’ve reached 90% agreement, but key aspects remain unresolved,” Blinken said, highlighting active talks with Egypt and Qatar as mediators. He expressed urgency in finalizing the deal, stating, “Every day without a finalized…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
Israeli forces have withdrawn from three refugee camps in the occupied West Bank, including Jenin, Tulkarm, and Al-Faraa, following a 10-day military operation aimed at curbing militant activity. The operation, described as the deadliest in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, left at least 36 Palestinians dead and caused widespread destruction to infrastructure, according to Palestinian health officials. The Israeli military had launched the offensive in response to what they described as increasingly sophisticated attacks against Israeli civilians. The Jenin refugee camp, a known stronghold of Palestinian militants, was a primary target of the operation. Israeli…
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has launched her career as a film producer with the release of the trailer for Last of the Sea Women, a documentary that spotlights Korea’s legendary haenyeo divers. Directed by Sue Kim and produced by Yousafzai under her banner Extracurricular Productions, the film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September before its official release on Apple TV+ on 11 October. Produced by Sue Kim, Erika Kennair, and Yousafzai, the film is also backed by executive producers Nicole Stott, Emily Osborne, Harry Go, and Marissa Torres Ericson. The Last of the Sea…
Democratic Republic of Congo received its first batch of mpox vaccines on Thursday, which health authorities hope will help curb an outbreak that has prompted the UN to declare a global public health emergency. Congo is the epicentre of the outbreak, which has spread to neighbouring countries and elsewhere, but a lack of vaccines in Africa has hampered efforts to stop the spread of the sometimes deadly disease. A plane carrying doses manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and donated by the European Union touched down in the capital Kinshasa around 13:00 local time (12:00 GMT), Reuters reporters at the airport said. Congo’s health minister,…
Israel has denied coordination for medical teams to administer polio vaccinations in areas east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. This region is home to a significant portion of the target population for the vaccination campaign. The ministry has urged immediate intervention from relevant organizations to ensure the vaccination campaign’s success and reach all children in need. The second phase of the polio vaccination campaign began on Thursday in Khan Younis, targeting children under ten. Dr. Abdul Hadi Seyam reported strong parental interest in the vaccination effort, with medical teams working diligently despite the challenging…
NEW YORK: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday he would establish a government efficiency commission headed by billionaire supporter Elon Musk if he wins the November 5 election, during a wide-ranging speech in which he laid out his economic vision for the country. The former president has been discussing the idea of a government efficiency commission with aides for weeks, people with knowledge of those conversations have told Reuters. His speech to the New York Economic Club on Thursday, however, was the first time he had publicly endorsed the idea. It was also the first time Trump said that…
Former US President Donald Trump has vowed to establish a “government efficiency” commission, headed by Elon Musk, if he wins the 2024 presidential election. During a campaign speech at the New York Economic Club, Trump laid out his economic agenda, highlighting plans to boost energy production, cut government spending, and lower corporate taxes for US companies. Trump stated that the Musk-led commission would be tasked with conducting a comprehensive audit of the federal government to identify inefficiencies and fraud, aiming to reform the system within six months. While he did not provide specifics on how this commission would function, the…
OTTAWA: An early Canadian election is more likely now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has lost the support of the opposition New Democratic Party that was helping keep him in power, the party’s leader said on Thursday. Jagmeet Singh spoke after pulling his unconditional support for the minority center-left Liberal government on Wednesday, forcing Trudeau to seek new alliances to stay in office until a federal vote that must be held by end-October 2025. Polls show the Liberals would lose badly to the official opposition right-of-center Conservatives amid increasing voter fatigue with Trudeau, who first took power in November 2015, and unhappiness…
The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a military institute in the east central Ukrainian town of Poltava on Tuesday rose to 55 as the rescue operation was completed, the emergency service said on Thursday. Moscow’s troops hit the educational facility with two extremely hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles, and the Ukrainian officials said people barely had time to seek shelter. The deadliest single attack of this year wounded 328 others, the emergency service added on the Telegram messaging app. Regional governor Filip Pronin said 27 people were in intensive care. The rescue operation continued for three days but had…
BEIJING: President Xi Jinping pledged on Thursday to step up China’s support across debt-laden Africa with funding of nearly $51 billion over three years, backing for more infrastructure projects, and the creation of at least 1 million jobs. China was ready to step up cooperation with Africa in industry, agriculture, infrastructure, trade and investment, Xi told delegates from more than 50 African nations gathered in Beijing for the three-yearly Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Summit. “China and Africa account for one-third of the world population. Without our modernisation, there will be no global modernisation,” Xi said. China, the world’s biggest bilateral…
