Hamas warns Israel of 'last chance' as talks resume

The thrust into the eastern sector of Rafah, packed with displaced civilians, came as negotiators and mediators met in Cairo in another effort to forge a hostage release and truce in the seven-month war.A senior Hamas official, requesting anonymity, warned this would be Israel's 'last chance' to free the estimated 128 captives still held in Gaza, including 36 officials say are dead.Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera News reported that mediators from Qatar, the United States and Egypt were meeting with a Hamas delegation.It later reported that 'all parties' including Israel had agreed to resume talks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said earlier his country's delegation was already in Cairo.Israel's close ally Washington said it was hopeful the two sides can 'close the remaining gaps'.'We're going to do everything we can to support that process,' National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.'Everybody's coming to the table,' Kirby told reporters. 'That's not insignificant.'Despite the Cairo talks, an AFP correspondent reported that Israeli strikes continued to pound east Rafah late yesterday.Israel's long-threatened Rafah operation began hours after Hamas announced late Monday it had accepted a truce proposal, prompting cheering crowds to take to the streets — despite Israel saying it was 'far' from plans it had previously agreed to.Netanyahu said that 'within hours' of approving the operation, 'our forces raised the Israeli flags at the Rafah crossing and took down the Hamas flags'.Rafah resident Abu Aoun al-Najjar said the 'indescribable joy' following the Hamas statement was short-lived.'It turned out to be a bloody night,' he told AFP, as more Israeli bombardment 'stole our joy'.Army footage showed tanks taking 'operational control' of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, in a deployment that the military said had a 'very limited scope against very specific targets'.UN humanitarian office spokesman Jens Laerke said Israel had denied it access to both Rafah and Kerem Shalom — the other main aid crossing, on the border with Israel — with only 'one day of fuel available' inside Gaza.At the United Nations, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Israel to 'stop any escalation' and 'immediately' reopen the crossings.'The closure of both... crossings is especially damaging to an already dire humanitarian situation', Guterres said.White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told a briefing Israel's closure of the crossings was 'unacceptable'.She said the Kerem Shalom crossing was expected to reopen on Wednesday.The Pentagon meanwhile said the US military had completed construction of an aid pier off Gaza's coast, but weather conditions mean it is currently unafe to move the two-part facility into place.Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 34,789 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel may 'deepen' its Gaza operation if negotiations fail to bring the hostages home.'This operation will continue until we eliminate Hamas in the Rafah area and the entire Gaza Strip, or until the first hostage returns,' he said in a statement.Hamas said Monday it had told Egyptian and Qatari officials of its 'approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire'.Netanyahu's office called the proposal 'far from Israel's essential demands', but the government would still send negotiators to Cairo.Hamas member Khalil al-Hayya told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel that the proposal agreed to by Hamas involved a three-phase truce.It included a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war and a hostage-prisoner exchange, with the goal of a 'permanent ceasefire', he said.International alarm has been building about the consequences of an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, where the United Nations says 1.4mn people are sheltering.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the attack on Rafah began despite European and US warnings, and it could cause many 'civilian casualties'.US spokesman Kirby said Israel told Washington 'that this operation last night was limited and designed to cut off Hamas's ability to smuggle weapons' into Gaza.Egypt urged Israel to 'exercise the utmost restraint', while the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation condemned Israel's 'criminal aggression'.Aid groups warn the coastal 'humanitarian area' of Al-Muwasi that Israel's military told people in eastern Rafah to head for unprepared for such an influx.Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, said yesterday it was 'overcrowded with more than 400,000 people'.Al-Muwasi 'does not have the facilities to take more people & is not safer than other parts of Gaza', he said in a post on X.Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it had begun discharging patients from a field hospital in Rafah and was preparing 'for a possible evacuation'.'This offensive is... going to further aggravate the damage to the health system, which is barely functioning,' an MSF statement said.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/682024/international/hamas-warns-israel-of-last-chance-as-talks-resume

US, Philippine forces stage joint combat drills in South China Sea

US and Philippine forces have launched their largest joint combat exercises in years on the Philippines' northern coast near the disputed South China Sea.In Mondays mock battle scenario, American and Filipino forces took positions at the airfield, ringed by low-lying hills, as three Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters landed to deliver combat supplies. The troops fired missiles and artillery.The annual exercises by the longtime treaty allies will run until May 10. The drills involve more than 16,000 of their military personnel, along with more than 250 French and Australian forces.This years exercises are meant to deter possible aggression. They come against the backdrop of increased confrontations between Chinese and Filipino vessels around shoals in the South China Sea, as well as stepped-up Chinese air and naval activity around nearby Taiwan.Washington and Manila say the drills are not directed at any country and are crucial for improving the response to emergencies in the Philippines, one of the worlds most disaster-prone countries.However, this years drills focus on territorial defense and are being staged mainly in two of the most sensitive fault lines in the regional rivalry between China and the United States: the disputed South China Sea and the Bashi Channel.The critical waterway between Taiwan and the Philippines, an important trade conduit laden with international undersea cables, has been closely watched and guarded by Chinese and American forces.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681961/international/us-philippine-forces-stage-joint-combat-drills-in-south-china-sea

UNRWA: Israeli entity continues to deny UN humanitarian access to Gaza

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) affirmed that the Israeli entity continues to deny UN humanitarian access to Gaza.'Just this week, they have denied - for the second time- my entry to Gaza where I planned to be with our UNRWA teams including those on the front lines,' the UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.'We have recorded 10 incidents involving shooting at convoys, arrests of UN staff including bullying, stripping them naked, threats with arms and long delays at checkpoints forcing convoys to move during the dark or abort,' he added.The UNRWA Commissioner-General explained that 'these incidents happen repeatedly at the time we are engaged in a race against the clock to avert famine in Gaza. It also creates fear among courageous and committed humanitarian teams.'Since the beginning of the war, the UN including UNRWA and other humanitarian personnel, premises and operations have been blatantly disregarded.'I demand an independent investigation and accountability for the blatant disregard of humanitarian workers, operations, and facilities, all protected under international law,' he said.'To do otherwise would set a dangerous precedent and compromise humanitarian work around the world,' he added.He called on the Israeli Authorities to facilitate humanitarian access across the Gaza Strip including to the north, considering that the denial of humanitarian access is a violation of humanitarian law.

Brazil floods death toll rises to 78

Brazilian authorities announced that the number of victims of torrential rains that caused floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the south of the country rose to at least 78 people, with tens of thousands displaced.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held a press conference in the state, accompanied by a group of ministers, about rescue and reconstruction work. Bureaucracy will not prevent restoring the greatness of the state, he said.In turn, Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Eduardo Leite, said that the situation is more like a war zone, and its repercussions should also be addressed.Floods caused by storms in the past few days have damaged about two-thirds of the state's 500 towns and cities, displacing more than 88,000 people.The water destroyed roads and bridges in several cities in the state. The rains also caused landslides and a partial collapse of a dam at a small hydroelectric power station.Rio Grande do Sul was hit last September by a tropical cyclone causing floods that killed more than 50 people.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681900/international/brazil-floods-death-toll-rises-to-78

22 martyrs in Israeli shelling in Rafah

A number of Palestinians were martyred and others were injured Monday in Israeli occupation shelling of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.According to Palestinian news agency (WAFA), 22 citizens, including children, were martyred as a result of occupation raids that targeted 11 homes in Rafah.Four people, including two children, were martyred in an Israeli bombing that targeted a house in Al-Geneina neighborhood, east of Rafah, while nine people, including four children, were martyred as a result of an Israeli bombing that targeted a house in Al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah, WAFA added.Additionally, four Palestinians, including an infant, were martyred as a result of the occupation warplanes bombing a house east of Rafah. An air strike also targeted Khirbet Al-Adas northeast of the city.Civil defense crews in Gaza had earlier recovered five decomposed bodies of martyrs from Al-Jaabari family, whose house was targeted near the Palestine Stadium in the city.Medical sources announced that the death toll in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 rose to 34,683, along with 78,018 injuries. Meanwhile, thousands are still missing under the rubble and on the roads as occupation forces prevent ambulance and civil defense crews from reaching them.

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681899/international/22-martyrs-in-israeli-shelling-in-rafah

Brazil flood death toll rises to 58

The death toll from floods and mudslides triggered by torrential storms in southern Brazil has climbed to 58 people, with the major city of Porto Alegre particularly hard-hit, the country’s civil defence agency said yesterday.The deaths included two people who died in an explosion at a flooded gas station in Porto Alegre where rescue crews were attempting to refuel, said an AFP journalist who witnessed the blast.Overall, raging floodwaters have left 74 people injured and another 67 missing, the civil defence agency said. Fast-rising water levels in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were straining dams and particularly threatening economically important Porto Alegre, a city of 1.4 million.The Guaiba River, which flows through the city, is at a historic high — at 5.04 metres (16.5 feet), well above the 4.76 metres that had stood as a record since the devastating floods of 1941. Authorities were scrambling to evacuate swamped neighbourhoods. “Despite the unfavourable weather, rescue actions are taking place day and night,” a government statement said.President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva posted a video of a helicopter depositing a soldier atop a house, where he used a brick to pound a hole in the roof and rescue a baby wrapped in a blanket. In a northern Porto Alegre suburb, 61-year-old Jose Augusto Moraes looked shaken after fast-rising floodwaters engulfed his house and he had to call firefighters to rescue a trapped child.“I lost everything,” he told AFP.With waters starting to overtop a dike along another local river, the Gravatai, Mayor Sebastiao Malo issued a stern warning on social media platform X, saying, “Communities must leave!”

source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/681827/international/brazil-flood-death-toll-rises-to-58

Houthis to target ships heading for Israel anywhere within range

Yemen’s Houthis will target ships heading to Israeli ports in any area that is within their range, military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Friday.“We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach,” he said.The Houthi fighters have launched repeated drone and missile strikes on ships in the crucial shipping channels of the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden since November to show their support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.This has forced shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and has stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilise the Middle East.

Death toll from Brazil floods jumps to 29

The death toll from floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state jumped to 29, with another 60 people missing, according to the state's civil defense agency.Authorities in Rio Grande do Sul have declared a state of emergency as rescuers continue to search for dozens of people reported missing among the ruins of collapsed homes, bridges and roads.Storm damage has affected nearly 150 municipalities in the state, also injuring 36 people and displacing more than 10,000.Governor Eduardo Leite said Rio Grande do Sul was dealing with 'the worst disaster in (its) history.'As the rains continued, forecasts warned the states main Guaiba River, which has already overflowed its banks in some areas, would reach an extraordinary level of three meters.Entire communities in Rio Grande do Sul state have been completely cut off as persistent rains have destroyed bridges and blocked roads, and left towns without even telephone or internet services.The downpour started Monday and was expected to last through Friday. In some areas, such as valleys, mountain slopes and cities, more than 150 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours, according to Brazil's National Institute of Meteorology.Weather across South America is affected by the climate phenomenon El Nio, a periodic naturally occurring event that warms surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region. In March, heavy rains killed 25 people in southeast Brazil.

Thousands protest Georgia ‘foreign influence’ bill

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Georgia on Thursday to protest against a “foreign influence” bill likened to Russian laws silencing dissent, an AFP journalist saw.Unlike previous demonstrations, Thursday’s protests took place in two different locations: the traditional one in front of parliament in Tbilisi, but also on Heroes’ Square, home to a monument remembering Georgian soldiers that died at war, through which moves most of the traffic between the city’s neighbourhoods.Georgia’s parliament on Wednesday approved the second reading of a bill on “foreign agents” that has been criticised as Kremlin-inspired.The bill, which would require organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as agents of foreign influence, has sparked a political crisis in the South Caucasus country.On Thursday that UN human rights chief asked Georgia to withdraw the divisive draft law.United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged authorities to withdraw the law and engage in dialogue with civil society and journalists who risk being affected by the proposed legislation that takes aim at organisations receiving foreign funding.“I am concerned by reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement personnel against demonstrators and media workers in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi this week,” he said.The ruling Georgian Dream party says the law is needed to ensure transparency.The party’s billionaire founder insisted this week that Georgia must defend its sovereignty against Western attempts to dictate to it.

Kerala shuts schools amid sweltering heat

India’s Kerala state has closed all schools and colleges until Monday due to scorching temperatures, urging people in the coastal region to limit exposure to the sun and take care to prevent wildfires.With most parts of India reeling from high temperatures, the weather department has forecast an unusually high number of heatwave days for April to June, as the country stages a general election that has seen a low voter turnout.Heatwaves are rare in Kerala and data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that the state recorded five heatwave days in April.Referring to the current El Nino weather pattern, the IMD said on Wednesday that El Nino years typically have more heating, with hot and dry weather in Asia and heavier rains in parts of the Americas.Fewer thunderstorms and an anti-cyclonic circulation near India’s southeastern coast were causing heatwaves, the IMD said.Kerala’s state government on Thursday directed people to minimise exposure to the sun and urged authorities to monitor situations to avoid fires.With several districts in Kerala issuing heatwave warnings, the government asked all educational institutions to be shut till Monday.Heatwaves have forced school closures in parts of Asia and North Africa too, widening learning gaps between developing nations in the tropics and developed countries, experts said,Local media reported that at least two people died earlier this week in Kerala, but authorities are yet to confirm if their death was due to extreme heat.Temperature in state capital Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday touched 35 degrees Celsius but the IMD said it felt like 46 due to high humidity.Soaring temperatures and dry spells have caused frequent forest fires in other parts of India, and the blazes have been worsened by people burning the forest to collect a flower used to brew alcohol in Odisha state.

UN Secretary-General calls for international investigation into mass graves reports in Gaza

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave deep alarm over reports of the discovery of mass graves at several locations in Gaza, including Al-Shifa and Nasser hospitals, affirming that 'it is imperative that independent international forensic investigators are allowed immediate access.'Guterres said in a statement that the war has 'decimated' the health system in the enclave, where two-thirds of hospitals and health centers are out of commission, while many of those remaining are seriously damaged, stressing the need to protect hospitals, health workers and all civilians, and to respect the human rights owed to all.He affirmed that 'a military assault on Rafah would 'be an unbearable escalation, killing thousands more civilians and forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.' Furthermore, it would have a devastating impact on Palestinians in Gaza, with serious repercussions in the occupied West Bank and across the wider region, Guterres added.He urged the international community to 'do everything possible to avert an entirely preventable human-made famine.'Guterres explained that one of the main obstacles to the distribution of aid across Gaza is the lack of security for humanitarian workers and for the people who benefit from the services.He stressed that humanitarian convoys, facilities and personnel as well as people in need 'must not be targets.'He called on the Israeli occupation authorities to allow and facilitate safe, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access for humanitarian aid and humanitarian workers, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), throughout Gaza.Regarding the settlements and the escalation of settler violence in the West Bank, Guterres reiterated that the settlements are illegal and an obstacle to peace and the two-state solution.The UN Secretary-General affirmed UN's full commitment to support the path to peace, on the basis of ending the occupation and establishing a fully independent, democratic, and viable Palestinian state that enjoys territorial integrity and sovereignty, of which Gaza is an integral part. (QNA)