Barack Obama

·It’s been 17 days since Hamas launched its horrific attack against Israel, killing over 1,400 Israeli citizens, including defenseless women, children and the elderly. In the aftermath of such unspeakable brutality, the U.S. government and the American people have shared in the grief of families, prayed for the return of loved ones, and rightly declared solidarity with the Israeli people.

AJ+ – 22-5-2021

Israeli occupation of Palestine tends to be a touchy subject for news media, so much so that they break journalistic standards and writing etiquette just to avoid implicating one party over another — which still seems to end up working out in Israel’s favor and never Palestine’s. That’s led to a media environment that can’t clearly call out the ethnic cleansing and apartheid inflicted upon Palestinians, doesn’t point to context when talking about the results of decades-long oppression and displacement, and can’t help but equivocate about two disproportionately affected populations. But maybe that’s starting to change.

Sana Saeed looks at what U.S. media coverage has gotten wrong about recent events in Gaza, Sheikh Jarrah and occupied Palestine, and offers her own media critique.

Al Jazeera English – 19-10- 2023

What’s happening with civilians in Gaza? Why is it so complicated to open Egypt’s border for aid? And where’s this all going? #AJStartHere with Sandra Gathmann answers three big questions on the Israel-Gaza war.

00:55 – What will happen to civilians in Gaza?

01:16 – Israel’s air assault on Gaza

01:56 – Israel’s total blockade on Gaza

02:34 – Half of Gaza’s population has been displaced

02:43 – Why people moved from the north to the south of Gaza

03:58 – Why can’t Egypt send supplies or open the Rafah crossing?

04:06 – The relationship between Egypt and Israel

04:51 – Egypt and Israel say some aid can now cross through Rafah

05:25 – The situation for Palestinian dual nationals in Gaza

06:06 – Why Egypt and Jordan don’t want to take any Palestinian refugees

07:30 – Where’s the Israel-Gaza war going? How will it end?

09:33 – Is Israel’s aim to wipe out Hamas actually possible?

This episode features:

Youmna ElSayed – Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza

Rami Khouri – American University of Beirut

Elijah Magnier – military analyst

Laila El-Haddad – Palestinian journalist & author

China’s Belt And Road Initiative: 10 Years Of Evolution And Beyond | Insight | Full Episode

CNA Insider – 12 thg 9, 2023

It is the 10th year of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). From Central and Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Africa, how has China’s mega infrastructure project changed the world? In this retrospective on the 10th anniversary of the BRI, Insight looks at the developments in Asia and Africa that have sprung from China’s marquee project. From growing trade links to environmental impacts to political influence, the BRI has undeniably changed the region. But with growing economic headwinds and a flagging Chinese economy, will Beijing continue to invest in the BRI? What will the next decade bring?

0:00 Introduction

01:10 Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia

07:55 How the war in Ukraine is shaping the BRI

12:13 Growing China-ASEAN trade

13:57 How the BRI increased durian exports from Thailand to China

17:54 Dams: Good for energy generation, bad for food supply?

26:28 China’s growing influence in the Middle East

31:21 Why China is investing so much in Africa

35:34 Debt trap diplomacy?

38:40 Rise in non-performing loans on the Belt and Road

40:16 A shift in strategy for the BRI?

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ABOUT THE SHOW: Insight investigates and analyses topical issues that impact Asia and the rest of the world.

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Israeli soldiers inspect the site of a music festival near the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel, Friday. Oct. 13, 2023. At least 260 Israeli festival-goers were killed during the attack by Hamas gunmen last Saturday. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)Read More

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Israeli tanks head towards the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Friday, Oct.13, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)Read More

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Palestinians evacuate wounded people after an Israeli airstrike in Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. As Israel escalates its war on Hamas, it will confront many of the same dilemmas it has grappled with over decades of conflict with the Palestinians. It will want to punish Hamas like never before, but without killing so many Palestinian civilians that it loses international support. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali)Read More

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Palestinians inspect the rubble of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike at Al Shati Refugee Camp Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023. As Israel escalates its war on Hamas, it will confront many of the same dilemmas it has grappled with over decades of conflict with the Palestinians. It will want to punish Hamas like never before, but without killing so many Palestinian civilians that it loses international support. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)Read More

BY MIKE CORDER AND JULIA FRANKEL APnews

Updated 3:14 AM GMT+7, October 14, 2023

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The deadly attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians and the devastating Israeli airstrikes and blockade of Gaza have raised accusations among international legal experts that both sides were violating international law.

From CNN’s Caitlin Danaher in London

The United Nations has “unequivocally condemned” attacks on civilians in Israel and Gaza, and also Israel’s “further tightening of the unlawful blockade,” in a statement released Thursday.

The killings and hostage-taking by Hamas “constitute heinous violations of international law and international crimes, for which there must be urgent accountability,” the statement read.

There is no justification for such violence in Israel or Gaza, the statement said.

The UN also focused on the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

“We also strongly condemn Israel’s indiscriminate military attacks against the already exhausted Palestinian people of Gaza, comprising over 2.3 million people, nearly half of whom are children. They have lived under unlawful blockade for 16 years, and already gone through five major brutal wars, which remain unaccounted for,” they said. “This amounts to collective punishment.”

The experts also warned the withholding of essential supplies, such as food, water and medicine, will “precipitate a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where its population is now at inescapable risk of starvation.” They called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to allow people to leave Gaza.

The UN urged the international community to “address the root causes of the current conflict, including the 56-year-old occupation and the annexation pursued by Israel.”