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World Monthly Headline News March 2024
A court ruling freezing subsidies to yeshiva students has piled greater strain on Israel’s coalition
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Ya’akov Cohen shrugs off the prospect of a new law that will force young ultra-Orthodox men like him to abandon full-time study of Jewish scriptures and serve in the Israeli army.

“I can promise you that none of us students will leave the seminary,” he said. “We’ll continue to do what our people have done for hundreds of years: study Torah.”

Cohen is one of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews studying at seminaries — or “yeshivas” — who are exempt from mandatory military service. A dispensation that has grown increasingly contentious in Israeli society now threatens to blow Benjamin Netanyahu’s government apart.

The exemption has long irritated secular Israelis, who must all serve nearly three years in the army followed by years of reserve duty. But with the war in Gaza dragging on, and more than 250 soldiers killed in combat, that irritation has morphed into anger and a determination to change the status quo.
Natasha Turak

The United Nations Security Council on Monday adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, after the United States abstained from the vote — prompting Israel to cancel the visit of a high-level delegation to Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned prior to the vote that the delegation’s visit would be pulled, if Washington did not veto the motion. The U.S. abstention signals a widening divide between the White House and Israel’s current government, the most right-wing in its history, nearly six months into its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israel’s offensive into the Gaza enclave, which comes in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, has killed tens of thousands of people.

“This is a clear retreat from the consistent position of the U.S. in the Security Council since the beginning of this war,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office said, adding that “this withdrawal hurts both the war effort and the effort to release the abductees.”
Aljazeera

The United Nations Security Council has demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages as the United States abstained from the vote.

The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution on Monday.

Speaking after the vote, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield blamed Hamas for the delay in passing a ceasefire resolution.

“We did not agree with everything with the resolution,” which she says is the reason why the US abstained.

“Certain key edits were ignored, including our request to add a condemnation of Hamas,” Thomas-Greenfield said. She stressed that the release of captives will lead to the increase in humanitarian aid in the besieged coastal enclave.
MSN

A U.S. effort to ramp up political pressure on Israel by casting an international spotlight on its concerns failed Friday in the United Nations Security Council when Russia, China vetoed it.

Algeria also voted against. Eleven countries voted in favor and one abstained.

The resolution draft emphasized "concern that a ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries," and decried the humanitarian toll of Israel's offensive.

However, the draft also linked a cease-fire to the release of hostages held in Gaza -- a position supported by Israel and a term that similar resolutions calling for a truce put forth by other nations have failed to include.
Story by Lucy Sarret

Taiwan has officially confirmed the presence of US troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait permanently, a development that could further escalate tensions with China.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed in 2023 facilitated the deployment of these troops to conduct training programs for Taiwanese frontline forces.

The move comes as China continues to assert its disputed claim over Taiwan, viewing it as a renegade province despite never having ruled it. The heightened military activities by China in and around the Taiwan Strait have prompted Taiwan to bolster its defense capabilities.

In response to queries about the presence of the US Army Green Special Forces, also known as Green Berets, Taiwanese Defense Chief Chiu Kuo-cheng said: "No matter the situation, there may be blind spots or shortcomings. So we need to communicate with our allies - whether it is a team, a group or a country.

"We can learn from each other to see what strengths we have. This is a fixed thing."
The prime minister’s comments came a day after Biden warned him against carrying out an operation in a city sheltering more than a million displaced Palestinians.
By Henry Austin

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday reiterated plans to launch an offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, less than 24 hours after President Joe Biden warned against precisely such a move in a call with the Israeli leader.

Netanyahu's defiant message came during the opening of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, with him telling lawmakers that the country had “an argument with Americans” about the need to enter the city, which is sheltering more than 1 million Palestinians who fled their homes elsewhere in Gaza as it was being bombed.

Israeli forces needed to ensure “the destruction or elimination of the military and governmental capabilities of Hamas, the release of all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said, reiterating the goals of the war triggered by the militants' Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and led to some 240 being kidnapped.

“This necessitates the elimination of the remaining battalions in Rafah,” he said. “We are determined to do this.”
By Tara John and Abel Alvarado, CNN

CNN  — Brazil’s former leader Jair Bolsonaro has been indicted by the country’s federal police on suspicion of fraud over allegations that he falsified Covid-19 vaccination data while he was still president, affiliate CNN Brasil reported Tuesday.

Police say the far-right leader allegedly ordered one of his closest aides to enter false vaccination data into the Ministry of Health’s system for himself and his daughter, according to CNN Brasil.

“Evidence collected” for the investigation shows Bolsonaro acted willingly when he allegedly ordered the false data to be added into the country’s health system, police said according to CNN Brasil.

Bolsonaro’s closest aide, Lieutenant-Colonel Mauro Cid, and 15 others were also indicted for allegedly participating in the same scheme.
By Tom Bateman,BBC News, travelling with Antony Blinken

Gaza's two million people are experiencing "severe levels of acute food insecurity", US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said.

This was first time an entire population had been so classified, he said when questioned by the BBC about conditions in the territory.

Mr Blinken called on Israel to prioritise providing for those in need.

UN agencies have said north Gaza could face famine by May without a pause in the fighting and a surge in aid.

Mr Blinken's warning came during a trip to the Philippines as US officials announced that he would travel to the Middle East, his sixth trip to the region since October, as efforts to secure a ceasefire continue.
Story by Ashlee Banks

“The Tory party has long been a source of whipping up racism in this country, including directed at me personally,” said Diane Abbott, an independent member of the U.K.’s Parliament.

Diane Abbott, the first elected Black woman and the longest-serving Black member of Parliament, blasted United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for denying her the ability to ask questions during a debate over racist remarks that were allegedly made about her.

“The Tory party has long been a source of whipping up racism in this country, including directed at me personally,” said Diane Abbott, an independent member of the U.K.’s Parliament.

Diane Abbott, the first elected Black woman and the longest-serving Black member of Parliament, blasted United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for denying her the ability to ask questions during a debate over racist remarks that were allegedly made about her.
Story by Aurora Bosotti

Vladimir Putin has weighed in on multiple reports alleging Russian citizens have burned down ballot boxes in protest as the Russian election is underway.

Footage has emerged online showing Russian voters expressing their dissent by tampering with voting papers at polling stations.

In one video, a woman was filmed pouring what appeared to be ink into one of the ballot boxes.

In another clip, a woman wearing a black coat and scar can be seen setting fire to a ballot box before stepping away and seemingly pulling her phone out to document the incident.

Putin slammed the reports as he accused Ukraine of waging a "terrorist" campaign against Russia in an effort to thwart the election.
Palestinian officials call latest assault ‘premeditated’ as people seeking humanitarian supplies increasingly targeted.
Aljazeera

At least 21 Palestinians have been killed after Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of people waiting for aid in Gaza City in the same area that was targeted hours earlier, government officials said.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza described the late Thursday attack as a “new, premeditated massacre” and said more than 150 people were wounded.

It was the latest in a string of assaults on people desperately in need of food and other essential supplies as Israel continues to obstruct and severely control the entry of aid into the enclave.
Story by Rebecca Robinson

A Russian airport went up in flames on Wednesday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Videos of the incident have been circulating on social media. These show billowing smoke and blazing flames rising from the airport.

The incident occurred 180 miles from Vladimir Putin's Black Sea Resort.

It comes just days before the Russian elections are due to begin, and marks yet another in a series of mysterious explosions that have occurred in Russia since its war with Ukraine.

Crimean Wind's Telegram channel report "something is happening at Sochi airport" alongside footage taken by a Sochi resident who believed a plane to be on fire.
Story by Front Page Detective

A gripping new documentary released by the team of the late dissident Alexei Navalny has levied accusations against Russian President Vladimir Putin, implicating him in the murders of 17 politicians, journalists and activists.

Broadcast on Navalny LIVE, and reaching an audience of approximately 3.3 million followers, the feature branded Putin as a “brutal killer” and “mass murderer,” and claimed he was directly responsible for the assassinations of numerous prominent critics and investigators over the past couple decades, the Daily Mail reported.

The documentary's release intensifies the mounting pressure on Putin to explain the sudden death of Russian opposition leader Navalny, who passed away at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16, just weeks before the president's reelection bid.

The documentary asserts that further killings are likely because of the apparent impunity Putin's regime enjoys.
Navalny's team, committed to carrying on their leader's legacy of challenging state corruption, maintains that Putin orchestrated Navalny's demise, alleging a deliberate poisoning attempt in 2020.
Daily Mail

An investigation has revealed suspicious communications devices inside Chinese-made cargo cranes used widely at US ports, supporting fears that the equipment could be part of an espionage plot. Cranes made by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries (ZPMC), a state-owned Chinese company, in some cases carry cellular modems, according to a congressional investigation reported by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

The modems offer a potential backdoor for remote access, and do not appear to support the normal operations of the equipment, the investigation found. The discovery of the modems, which had not been previously disclosed, supports growing fears in US intelligence circles that Chinese cranes could be used to covertly monitor US ports, or even sabotage their operations.

Chinese firms make nearly 80 percent of the cranes used in US ports, after years of undercutting domestic suppliers on price. House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican, told the Journal that the Chinese government 'is looking for every opportunity to collect valuable intelligence and position themselves to exploit vulnerabilities by systematically burrowing into America's critical infrastructure. The United States has clearly overlooked this threat for far too long,' he added.

A spokesman for China's embassy in DC said any fears over Chinese cranes are 'entirely paranoia' and amount to 'abusing national power to obstruct normal economic and trade cooperation.' Last month, President Joe Biden's administration announced a $20 billion investment to build more ship-to-shore cranes in America over spying concerns.
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS, March 5 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday revised language in a draft United Nations Security Council resolution to back "an immediate ceasefire of roughly six-weeks in Gaza together with the release of all hostages," according to the text seen by Reuters.

The third revision of the text - first proposed by the U.S. two weeks ago - now reflects blunt remarks by Vice President Kamala Harris. The initial U.S. draft had shown support for "a temporary ceasefire" in the Israel-Hamas war.

The U.S. wants any Security Council support for a ceasefire to be linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Washington had been averse to the word ceasefire.
By Ali Sawafta

RAMALLAH, West Bank, March 4 (Reuters) - Israeli forces raided the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank overnight, killing a 16-year-old in a refugee camp during their biggest such operation into the city in years, Palestinian sources said on Monday.

The Israeli military said security forces had conducted a counter-terrorism operation in the camp during which a riot broke out, with rocks and petrol bombs thrown at soldiers, who responded with live fire.

In a separate West Bank raid, Israeli forces killed a 10-year-old boy and in the village of Burin, south of Nablus, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Citing medical sources, it said the boy had been shot in the head by Israeli soldiers.
Reuters

ADEN, Yemen, March 2 (Reuters) - The Rubymar cargo ship, attacked last month, has sunk in the southern Red Sea, Yemen's internationally recognised government said in a statement on Saturday.

If verified, it would be the first vessel lost since Houthi militants began targeting commercial shipping in November.
The government statement said the ship sunk on Friday night and warned of an "environmental catastrophe".

The ship was carrying more than 41,000 tons of fertilizer when it came under attack, the U.S. military's Central Command previously said.
By WAFAA SHURAFA and BASSEM MROUE

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The head of a Gaza City hospital that treated some of the Palestinians wounded in the bloodshed surrounding an aid convoy said Friday that more than 80% had been struck by gunfire, suggesting there was heavy shooting by Israeli troops.

At least 115 Palestinians were killed and more than 750 others injured Thursday, according to health officials, when witnesses said nearby Israeli troops opened fire as huge crowds raced to pull goods off an aid convoy. Israel said many of the dead were trampled in a crowd surge that started when desperate Palestinians in Gaza rushed the aid trucks. Israel said its troops fired warning shots after the crowd moved toward them in a threatening way.

Dr. Mohammed Salha, the acting director of Al-Awda Hospital, told The Associated Press that of the 176 wounded brought to the facility, 142 had gunshot wounds and the other 34 showed injuries from a stampede.

He couldn’t address the cause of death of those killed, because the bodies were taken to government-run hospitals to be counted.

Dr. Husam Abu Safyia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, said the majority of the injured taken there had gunshot wounds in the upper part of their bodies, and many of the deaths were from gunshots to the head, neck or chest.
Reuters

MOSCOW, March 1 (Reuters) - Thousands of Russians chanted Alexei Navalny's name and said they would not forgive the authorities for his death as the opposition leader was laid to rest in Moscow on Friday.

In video streamed from the Borisovskyoe cemetery, Navalny's mother Lyudmila and father Anatoly stooped over his open coffin to kiss him for the last time as a small group of musicians played.

Crossing themselves, mourners stepped forward to caress his face before a priest gently placed a white shroud over him and the coffin was closed.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic inside Russia, died at the age of 47 in an Arctic penal colony on Feb. 16., sparking accusations from his supporters that he had been murdered. The Kremlin has denied any state involvement in his death.
By Rob Picheta, Abeer Salman, Jeremy Diamond and Khader Al Za’anoun, CNN

CNN — Calls are growing for an investigation into one of the worst single tragedies to occur during Israel’s war with Hamas took, after scores of Palestinians were killed trying to access food aid in Gaza City on Thursday.

At least 112 people were killed and 760 injured in an incident where Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops used live fire as hungry and desperate Palestinian civilians were gathering around food aid trucks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza. CNN is unable to independently confirm these numbers.

The incident took place amid a backdrop of vast hunger and dire poverty in the besieged enclave, where food aid has been so rare as to frequently elicit panic when it arrives.

But there are competing narratives surrounding the devastation that have been put forward by Israel and by eyewitnesses on the ground.

The United Nations has said an independent investigation is required to establish the facts, and nations including France have backed that call.
“We do not see any imminent threat of Russia using these weapons,” said military alliance’s deputy secretary-general.
By Stuart Lau

NATO's No. 2 official said Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear threat is currently just "psychological intimidation."

Putin issued the warning Thursday as French President Emmanuel Macron stood by his message that the West could not rule out sending troops to help Ukraine fend off Putin's full-scale invasion. "This really threatens a conflict with nuclear weapons," Putin said.

NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoană characterized Putin's nuclear saber-rattling as "a discourse that delves into the logic of psychological intimidation rather than real intentions," in an interview with Spanish newspaper El País published Friday.
By Barbara Plett Usher & Alex BinleyBBC News

Around 1,000 Kenyan police officers are set to be deployed to Haiti in a bid to combat raging gang violence.

Last year, Kenya volunteered to lead a multinational security force in the troubled Caribbean nation.

However, in January the Kenyan High Court blocked the plan, ruling the government did not have the authority to deploy police to other countries without an agreement.

On Thursday, Haiti's PM arrived in the East African state to salvage the plan.

In January, a UN envoy said that gang violence in Haiti had reached "a critical point", with nearly 5,000 deaths reported last year.

Along with the Kenyan officers, the Bahamas has committed 150 personnel. Jamaica and the state of Antigua & Barbuda have said they are willing to help, while the US has pledged £158m ($200m) to support the deployment.

Earlier this week, Benin offered 2,000 troops.
By Parisa Hafezi

DUBAI, March 1 (Reuters) - Iranians voted for a new parliament on Friday in an election seen as a test of the clerical establishment's legitimacy at a time of growing frustration over economic woes and restrictions on political and social freedoms.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has called voting a religious duty, was the first to cast his vote in Iran.
"Vote as soon as possible ... today the eyes of Iran's friends and ill-wishers are on the results. Make friends happy and disappoint enemies," Khamenei said on state television.
The former Labour lawmaker won a landslide in a vote which he made all about Israel.
Dan Ladden-Hall News Correspondent

George Galloway, a controversial and outspoken critic of Israel and U.S. foreign policy, is set to return to to British Parliament after winning by-election Thursday night which he hailed as a victory “for Gaza.”

The veteran campaigner, who once served in the U.K.’s Parliament as a Labour lawmaker before his expulsion from the party over his opposition to the Iraq war, used his speech after winning nearly 40 percent of the vote in the Rochdale constituency to attack the incumbent Labour leader, Keir Starmer. “You will pay a high price for the role that you have played in enabling, encouraging and covering for the catastrophe presently going on in occupied Gaza, in the Gaza Strip,” Galloway said.

The by-election in northwest England had been triggered by the January death of the incumbent Labour lawmaker Tony Lloyd. Galloway repeated a strategy of appealing to Muslim voters in the ensuing race, putting the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas at the heart of his campaign. In campaign materials, Galloway explicitly attacked Starmer for his support for “Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”
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