A generous donation of 21,000 tons of rice from South Korea to the WFP in Kenya will provide vital support to thousands of vulnerable individuals affected by the refugee crisis.

 The Pentagon on Monday slammed China’s “irresponsible” military drills near Taiwan, saying that the US “closely” monitored the exercise. “This military pressure operation is irresponsible, disproportionate, and destabilizing,” spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a written statement. His remarks came after the Chinese military said its Joint Sword-2024B drills took place on Monday in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south, and east of the self-ruled island. “Deterrence remains strong in the Indo-Pacific, and the Department remains confident in its current force posture and operations in the region,” said Ryder. “The entire world has a stake in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and we continue to see a growing community of countries committed to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” The US will continue to work with allies and partners to advance its shared vision for a “free and open” Indo-Pacific, despite China’s “destabilizing behavior,” he added. Beijing considers Taiwan “an inseparable part of Chinese territory” and has repeatedly urged other nations to refrain from actions that would send a wrong signal to “separatist forces” seeking independence. The drills come four days after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said in a speech that China has no right to represent Taiwan and declared his commitment to “resist annexation.”

Some US lawmakers on Monday voiced concern over the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, and called on the Biden administration to stop military aid to Israel. “(Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is committing human rights abuses over and over again – bombing hospitals, burning Palestinians alive, blocking food aid, and killing aid workers,” Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said on X. “This evil genocide must end and President Biden has to stop enabling it. That starts with cutting off military aid,” she added. Her remarks came after the Pentagon announced on Sunday the deployment to Israel of a THAAD anti-missile system battery and a crew of US military personnel to operate it in order to help bolster the country’s air defenses. Congresswoman Cori Bush also called for an arms embargo to Israel. “There are no words powerful enough to capture the agony of human beings being massacred & burned alive,” Bush said, referring to images of Gazans being burned alive due to Israeli attacks. Four people were killed and 40 others injured early Monday when Israeli warplanes hit a hospital courtyard in the central city of Deir al-Balah, burning 30 tents where people were sleeping. “The U.S. is funding & arming the Israeli military’s extermination of the Palestinian people. It’s unconscionable. End this genocide. There must be an #ArmsEmbargoNow,” Bush said on X. – When will US ‘stop funding this madness?’ Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American member of Congress, said “genocidal maniac” Netanyahu is burning Palestinians alive, bombing hospitals, starving people, and killing aid workers. “When will our country stop funding this madness? When?” she said on X. During its offensive in Gaza, Israel has numerous times attacked hospitals, schools, and houses of worship – civilian sites normally off limits to attacks, raising the specter of war crimes. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – a member of the progressive “Squad” group in the US House of Representatives, along with Omar, Bush, and Tlaib – wrote on X: “The horrors unfolding in northern Gaza are the result of a completely unrestrained Netanyahu gov, fully armed by the Biden admin while food aid is blocked and patients are bombed in hospitals. This is a genocide of Palestinians.” “Arms embargo now,” she added. Over the last year, Israel has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million people, while also generating famine-like conditions and the spread of disease. It is now also carrying out air and ground raids in Lebanon, despite warnings that this could turn the war into a larger regional conflict. The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the Gaza Strip amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. Mediation efforts led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a Gaza cease-fire and prisoner swap agreement between Israel and Hamas have failed over Netanyahu’s refusal to halt the war. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

President Ramaphosa demands a global response to stop Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon, stressing the need for a cease-fire, humanitarian aid, and justice for Palestinian casualties.

The diplomatic relationship between India and Canada has been severely strained following the expulsion of diplomats on both sides over accusations of Indian involvement in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since last October rose to 2,306, with 10,698 others injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Sunday. In a statement, the ministry said 51 people were killed and 174 others injured over the last 24 hours. Israel has mounted massive airstrikes across Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing at least 1,488 people, injuring over 4,297 others, and displacing more than 1.34 million people. The aerial campaign is an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of its offensive on the Gaza Strip, in which Israel has killed over 42,200 people, most of them women and children, since a Hamas attack last year. Despite international warnings that the Mideast was on the brink of a regional war amid Israel’s relentless attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, it expanded the conflict on Oct. 1 by launching an incursion into southern Lebanon.

The EU is facing criticism for its inability to reclaim funds paid to Tunisia, where allegations of human rights abuses, including sexual violence against migrants, have surfaced.

Iran has threatened to target Arab Gulf states and other American allies if they facilitate an Israeli attack, according to Wall Street Journal report.

 The situation with children in the Gaza Strip is similar to Japan at the end of World War II, Toshiyuki Mimaki, co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, a group of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bomb survivors, said Friday. “In Gaza, bleeding children are being held (by their parents). It’s like in Japan 80 years ago,” Mimaki said at a news conference in Tokyo. “Children in Hiroshima and Nagasaki lost their fathers in the war and their mothers in the bombings. They became orphans.” Mimaki warned that nuclear weapons do not bring peace. “It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists,” he said. “If Russia uses them against Ukraine, or Israel against Gaza, it won’t stop there.” Mimaki was 3 years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, killing 140,000 victims. Three days later, another bomb hit Nagasaki, killing an additional 70,000. Japan surrendered Aug.t 15, 1945, ending World War II. This Nobel Peace Prize for 2024 was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement representing survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as Hibakusha. Nihon Hidankyo, founded in 1956, has been a voice for atomic bomb survivors, providing testimony of the horrors of nuclear warfare and advocating for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

Yuri Ushakov, Russia’s foreign affairs adviser, announced Thursday that 24 leaders have confirmed their attendance at the upcoming BRICS summit in Kazan later this month. Ushakov specified that leaders from nine member states will be present, including Xi Jinping of China, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, and Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran. He noted that invitations were extended to 38 countries, encompassing both member states and nations interested in collaborating with BRICS, during a news briefing in Moscow. The BRICS alliance, established in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, welcomed South Africa in 2010 and has recently expanded to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia is considering joining, while Azerbaijan has submitted a formal application.

Police are investigating 40 new allegations and Harrods has issued an apology.

A new route from Libya to Greece emerges as thousands of migrants seek refuge.

Algeria conducted a second evacuation mission to bring home its citizens from Lebanon, which has been under attack by Israel.

 UN Political Affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo on Thursday warned of the “alarming” situation in Lebanon, as she urged Israel to end airstrikes and withdraw troops. “Since the commencement of Israeli ground operations into Lebanon on 1 October, Hizbullah and the Israel Defense Forces have been engaged in intensified clashes in southern Lebanon,” DiCarlo said at a UN Security Council session on Lebanon. Emphasizing the escalating “humanitarian emergency” caused by exchanges of fire, she said: “The number of dead and wounded has spiraled: over 300 people have been killed in Lebanon just in the past week.” “Since last October, the number of dead has reached over 2,000, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Hundreds of those killed were civilians, including more than 100 children,” she said. Noting the pressure on Lebanon’s health services, DiCarlo said that “many hospitals and centers closed following airstrikes hitting healthcare facilities and personnel.” She stressed that the Middle East is “dangerously teetering on the brink of an all-out war” with Israel’s attacks on Syria, Lebanon as well as its genocide in the Gaza Strip and violence in the occupied West Bank. “Our collective inability to stop the violence and stem the bloodshed is damning,” said DiCarlo. She urged all sides to seek diplomatic options. “The state sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Lebanon and Israel must be respected. Obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, must be upheld,” she said. DiCarlo urged Hezbollah and non-state actors to end their attacks against Israel. Urging not to target civilian infrastructure, she stressed that “indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks must be avoided.” She highlighted the need to protect aid workers and stressed that “journalists also must not be targeted.” “We need now to invest every effort to reverse this cycle of violence and bring Lebanon and Israel, and the region, back from the brink of catastrophe,” she said.

US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issues alert for severe geomagnetic storm expected Thursday, Friday

The Gaza Strip has been “unrecognizable” and there is no end in sight to the violence engulfing the Middle East, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Wednesday. “One year after the abhorrent attacks against Israel, and the catastrophic war on Gaza, no end is in sight to the brutal violence engulfing the region,” Philippe Lazzarini said at a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Palestinian enclave. “It has been a year of profound loss and suffering,” he said. Gaza has become a sea of rubble and a graveyard for tens of thousands of people including far too many children, he said, noting that almost the entire population is displaced. Turning to the situation in the occupied West Bank, he warned of escalating violence where nearly 700 people have been killed in the past year, more than 160 of them being children. “Civilian life is increasingly militarized, and settlement activity is expanding aggressively,” he said. He said Lebanon is the latest casualty of the widening conflict. “Civilians are paying a heavy price. Airstrikes by Israeli forces are killing and enduring thousands and displeasing hundreds of thousands,” said Lazzarini. He highlighted the importance of the UNRWA in Gaza, cautioning that the agency’s operational space is shrinking amid Israeli attacks. The commissioner said senior Israeli officials are describing destroying UNRWA as their “war goal” and Israel wants to ban the agency’s presence and operation. “Failing to push back against attempts to intimidate and undermine the United Nations in the occupied Palestinian territory will eventually compromise humanitarian and human rights war worldwide,” he said, as he urged the Security Council to decide to which extent it will tolerate acts that compromise international peace and security. “The climate of impunity that prevails will not dissipate without decisive action,” he added. Lisa Doughten, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s director of the financing and partnerships division, began by slamming Israeli evacuation orders for civilians in northern Gaza. “Once again, utter chaos ensues as the world watches on,” said Doughten. She denounced Israeli legislation seeking to ban UNWRA’s activities. “This would be disastrous for the provision of aid and essential services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank,” she said. Doughten said women and children are hard-hit by the trauma of the war and each day, according to UNRWA,10 children are losing one or both of their legs. “Gaza is home to the largest cohort of child amputees in modern history. Women are three times more likely to miscarry, and three times more likely to die from childbirth,” she said. “We cannot claim ignorance to what is happening — nor can we afford to look away. That is why we repeat our calls for the Security Council, and member states, to take action.” Flouting a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza following an attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, a little more than a year ago, which killed nearly 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures. Since then, more than 42,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 97,700 injured, according to local health authorities. The Israeli onslaught has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

 Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast Wednesday night as a Category 3 storm packing 145 mile (233 kilometer) per hour winds, instantly destroying homes and buildings upon making landfall near Sarasota, according to media outlets. More than 20 million people in Florida and Georgia are under hurricane or tropical storm warnings, with much of north central Florida under tornado and flood warnings. The storm surge from Milton is expected to engulf the same area that was ravaged by Hurricane Helene just two weeks ago, which killed more than 230 people across the southeast United States. While it is too early to accumulate casualty data, emergency officials have already confirmed several fatalities just moments after Milton made landfall. “We have lost some life,” St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson told the WPBF television station. Pearson did not reveal how many people died but said that search and rescue teams have already been called into duty. Nearly 1.7 million people are without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us, and that number is expected to increase dramatically as Milton carves its destructive path across the state, downing power lines. Residents living along Florida’s Gulf Coast were told to evacuate as the storm approached, and for those who did not leave, they were urged to shelter in place. “With night falling and power outages climbing, high winds are only getting worse across western FL,” the National Weather Service (NWS) posted on X. “While sheltering from #Milton, stay in interior rooms away from places with overhanging trees or branches,” the NWS continued, as people have died from falling trees and branches during previous hurricanes. Emergency officials on Florida’s east coast are responding to tornadoes which have reportedly touched down in several Atlantic Coast communities. Nearly 12 million residents are under tornado warnings. President Joe Biden referred to Hurricane Milton as “the storm of the century” at a White House emergency briefing and told residents to take all necessary safety precautions. “It’s a matter, literally, of life and death,” said Biden. In addition to the damaging winds and tornadoes, Milton is expected to cause catastrophic flooding across much of the state. The National Weather Service is expecting rainfall totals between 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters) in some areas. The National Hurricane Center is expecting widespread damage from Milton, forecasting tropical-storm-force winds extending out 255 miles (410 kilometers) from the center of the storm. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that hundreds of search and rescue personnel and 180 high-water vehicles are on alert to begin emergency operations. More than 6,000 state National Guard members and 3,000 more from other states are also on standby, in addition to 50,000 linemen who will work on restoring electricity after the storm.

A Turkish Airlines flight traveling from Seattle to Istanbul had to make an emergency landing in New York after one of the pilots collapsed during the flight, the airline confirmed on Wednesday. The incident took place shortly after takeoff from Seattle on Tuesday evening. Despite swift attempts at first aid, the 59-year-old pilot sadly passed away before the plane could reach its destination, as reported by Turkish Airlines spokesperson Yahya Ustun on social media. The Airbus A350, operating as flight TK204, was diverted to New York by the co-pilot and remaining flight crew. The pilot, who had been with Turkish Airlines since 2007, had recently passed a routine medical examination in March with no reported health issues.

Over 97,700 Palestinians injured in Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza’s Health Ministry says

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit began in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on Wednesday. In a short statement on X, the ASEAN Secretariat said the summit started with the opening ceremony which will be followed by a plenary session and a retreat session. “ASEAN Leaders will engage with representatives from AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly), ASEAN-BAC (ASEAN Business Advisory Council), and ASEAN Youth,” it said. Leaders from member countries who arrived on Tuesday in Vientiane are expected to discuss regional issues, including recent devastating floods that have hit several ASEAN countries, the crisis in Myanmar, South China Sea tensions, and Middle East violence. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other leaders from partner countries are also expected to arrive in Laos for summits with regional bloc leaders. The ASEAN region is home to over 700 million people, spans 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers), and recorded a total GDP of $3.62 trillion in 2022.

At least 97,300 Palestinians injured in Israeli onslaught since Oct. 7, 2023, Health Ministry says

Moscow’s new ambassador to Washington will be appointed ‘in a timely manner,’ says Kremlin spokesman

 Israel has killed 146 doctors from various specialties in Gaza, while most medicines and medical supplies have been depleted amid the Israeli military’s genocide in the enclave, the Gaza Health Ministry announced Sunday. In a statement marking one year since the start of the Israeli genocide, the ministry said that 83% of medical supplies and 60% of medications are unavailable in hospitals and health centers. The ministry also noted that there are 25,000 patients and injured people in need of treatment outside the besieged territory. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has cut off electricity to Gaza and prevented the entry of fuel to operate its only power plant in addition to halting water supplies, communication, food and medical supplies and closing crossings. Since the onset of the genocide, Israel has prevented the entry of humanitarian, medical and fuel aid, allowing only a small amount for international organizations, which does not meet the needs of residents. Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. Nearly 41,900 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 97,100 others injured, according to local health authorities. The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine. Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

Pope Francis expands the College of Cardinals with 21 new appointments, reinforcing his influence and commitment to diverse global Church leadership.