Douglas Murray slams NY mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, London’s Sadiq Khan: ‘Stay out of foreign policy’
Israel-supporting British commentator Douglas Murray said New York mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani should “stay out” of foreign policy, as should London Mayor Sadiq Khan. “Khan decides to make statements about the international stage. Funnily enough, the job of Mayor of London does not include having a foreign policy summit,” Murray told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the Israel on Campus Coalition (ICC). “Sadiq Khan does not realize what he does when he’s just being silly. Mamdani seems to have the same idea, which is that the mayor of New York should get involved in foreign policy, which they shouldn’t,” he went on.”That’s a big mistake.” Both Khan and Mamdani have lambasted Israel’s offensive campaign in Gaza. Mamdani earlier this month told a group of business leaders he would no longer use the phrase “globalize the intifada,” after repeatedly declining to walk back his past use of the term. The phrase encourages expanding Palestinian uprisings against Israel. DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER ‘NO LONGER ON SPEAKING TERMS’ WITH SOME FAMILY OVER ISRAEL SUPPORT Murray claimed Khan “isn’t a progressive, just a sort of opportunist and heartless bad man.” President Donald Trump reignited his feud with Khan during a visit to Scotland over the weekend, calling him a “nasty person” who has done a “terrible job.” “The international community — including our own government — must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific, senseless killing and let vital life-saving aid in. Nothing justifies the actions of the Israeli government,” Khan said in a statement urging his government to recognize a Palestinian state. “The U.K. must immediately recognise Palestinian statehood. There can be no two-state solution if there is no viable state left to call Palestine.” Murray characterized Mamdani as an “opportunistic politician” who “would like to get into power by promising New Yorkers things that he cannot bring and failing to address things that New Yorkers need.” “His position as a so-called Democratic socialist, would make sure that New York, which has been suffering for some many years now with a brain drain, talent drain, money train, money drain would simply go down even further.” During a June debate prior to Mamdani’s win in the Democratic primary, mayoral candidates were asked where they would visit. A number of them said Israel before Mamdani said he would stay in New York. “I would stay in New York City. My plans are to address New Yorkers across the five boroughs and focus on that.” Mamdani has proposed ideas like free buses, free childcare and government-run food markets. When asked if he believes Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state, he said, “I believe Israel has a right to exist.” When pressed on the “as a Jewish state” point, he said, “As a state with equal rights.” Murray’s criticisms also extended to British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, who recently said the United Kingdom would recognize a Palestinian state in September if there wasn’t any progress on a ceasefire in Gaza. Starmer’s announcement followed French President Emmanuel Macron making the same announcement. Khan had urged Starmer to recognize a Palestinian state immediately, arguing the U.K. government “must do far more to pressure the Israeli government to stop this horrific senseless killing.” “A Palestinian state is not going to emerge because the prime minister of Britain or the president of France has called for it,” said Murray. “It’s purely to make a political signal to the domestic population, and I think, part of the immigrant population in these countries to show we’re on the side of the Palestinians, not on Israel’s side, because it’s a very cynical, cynical move. It does absolutely nothing to bring peace to the Middle East.” Amid a slew of reports of starvation among the Gazan population, Murray and the 700-some students gathered at the summit are undeterred in their support for Israel. Murray claimed it was Hamas, not Israel, who was the architect of mass hunger. NEW YORKERS SKEPTICAL AFTER ZOHRAN MAMDANI DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM PHRASE ‘GLOBALIZE THE INTIFADA’ “People have to understand that the Hamas narrative is not just, ‘let’s kill Israelis for our benefit.’ The Hamas narrative is ‘let’s make sure that the Gazans starve and suffer’ also for their own benefit,” Murray said. “This is a very counter-intuitive narrative for a lot of people to understand. But Hamas does not mind Palestinian deaths. In fact, it wants it because [Hamas] believes it can use a narrative to go against Israel, go against America.” The Washington, D.C., summit comes as Israel-supporting students feel a renewed sense of vindication with the Trump administration cracking down on pro-Gaza protests that they say veered into antisemitic territory. The State Department has revoked the visas of students they believe to be engaging in “pro-Hamas” conduct and the Trump administration has yanked federal funding from universities it believes have not sufficiently addressed antisemitic conduct at such protests. At the same time, the nation has faced a rise in antisemitic acts and political violence. Two months ago, a pair of Israel Embassy staffers were shot and killed in Washington, D.C., while attending an event at the Capital Jewish Museum. The summit, in turn, had heightened security protocols and a police presence guarding outside. “We’re not going to be intimidated by violent actors. We’re not going to be intimidated by these misguided protesters,” said ICC CEO Jacob Baime in an interview with Fox News Digital. He said that pro-Gaza protests were “highly professionalized, highly organized, coordinated, well-funded operations,” and ICC sought to bring Jewish students together to “match that level of organizing, the level of sophistication.”
Mamdani, Cuomo clash over who is better at supporting law enforcement after Manhattan mass shooting
New York City mayoral contenders Zohran Mamdani and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are facing off over who is a better supporter of law enforcement after Monday’s mass shooting in a midtown Manhattan office building. Mamdani is the 33-year-old democratic socialist state lawmaker from Queens who shocked the political world last month by coming from behind to top Cuomo and nine other candidates to capture the Democratic Party mayoral nomination in the overwhelmingly blue city. He has been facing criticism after the shooting over his past comments calling to defund the NYPD. Cuomo has called Mamdani “anti-police,” arguing he “doesn’t understand the need for public safety.” “He has said the NYPD are racists, the police are a threat to public safety,” Cuomo charged Wednesday morning ahead of a press conference held by Mamdani, during which he addressed the criticism from Cuomo. “I think he’s dangerous because he doesn’t understand the need for public safety in this city.” MAMDANI FACES BACKLASH FOR OPULENT WEDDING CELEBRATION After the Manhattan shooting this week, Mamdani is facing renewed scrutiny over past statements made on social media in 2020 when he called for defunding the police multiple times. And Mamdani, who spent the past several days in his native Uganda celebrating his recent wedding, has also been chastised for what some argue was his tardy response to the shooting, which left four people dead, including a police officer. In response to Cuomo’s criticism, Mamdani slammed the former governor for politicizing the mass shooting that occurred in downtown Manhattan earlier this week, while blasting the former governor for being stuck in the past. “I know that Gov. Cuomo is far more comfortable in the past, whether it be his own or whether it be in attacking me for tweets made before I was even an Assembly member,” Mamdani said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon after Cuomo’s morning criticism. They were Mamdani’s first public remarks since New York City’s worst mass shooting in a quarter century. MAMDANI’S PAST ‘DEFUND THE POLICE’ STANCE RESURFACES AFTER DEADLY MANHATTAN SHOOTING “Cuomo wishes he was running against me in the past. He wants to find every tweet he can. He doesn’t want to look at the present but the past,” Mamdani added. Cuomo denied Mamdani’s claims he was using the mass shooting to score political points, telling Fox News Digital in response to Mamdani’s rebuttal that “it’s not politicizing the tragedy … it is a political discussion that we have to have in this campaign.” “The public safety discussion has been ongoing for months. It’s a very important topic,” Cuomo said. “It is an everyday issue and, yes, it is a political discussion that we have to have in this campaign.” Cuomo, who is running in November’s general election as an independent candidate after losing his bid for the Democratic Party nomination, said that, for him, “public safety comes first.” Pivoting to the recent mass shooting in Manhattan, Cuomo also suggested that the magnitude of the shooting, which has grabbed plenty of national attention, could shake up the mayoral race. “New Yorkers have PTSD from 9/11 and from other horrific situations, and I think it’s always in the back of every New Yorker’s mind that all it takes is one mentally ill person with an assault weapon and that’s TNT, that’s a public safety stick of dynamite,” Cuomo said. “And, yeah, I think it brought that back. It’s back to reality. In New York City you’re a target.” During Wednesday’s press conference, Mamdani sought to distance himself from his 2020 comments about defunding the police, arguing they were made before he even entered public service and “amidst a frustration that many New Yorkers held at the murder of George Floyd.” “I’m proud of the public safety platform we’ve put together,” Mamdani said. “For the former governor to have spent an entire day speaking almost exclusively about me and barely about the New Yorkers who have been killed is indicative of the very politics New Yorkers want to leave in the past.”
Kamala Harris decision not to run in 2026 opens door to possible second presidential run in 2028
Former Vice President Kamala Harris closed one door with her announcement that she wouldn’t run in 2026 for governor of her home state of California. But her decision to keep her name off the ballot next year left the door open for a possible second presidential bid in 2028. In her statement explaining her decision, Harris said, “For now, my leadership — and public service — will not be in elected office.” But Harris, who replaced then-President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee last summer after he dropped out of the race amid mounting questions over his physical and mental stamina, pledged to stay involved in politics. KAMALA HARRIS RULES OUT 2026 RUN IN HER HOME STATE OF CALIFORNIA “I look forward to getting back out and listening to the American people, helping elect Democrats across the nation who will fight fearlessly, and sharing more details in the months ahead about my own plans,” she said. After losing last year’s election to President Donald Trump and then serving out the remainder of her term as vice president, Harris returned to California and kept close counsel with an inner circle of confidants. 21 DEMOCRATS WHO MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 And some in her inner circle, as well as political analysts, suggested that running and winning the election in 2026 for governor of California, the nation’s most populous state and home to the world’s fifth-largest economy, would likely take a 2028 White House run off the table. But with a gubernatorial run off the table, that’s no longer a concern. If Harris eventually does launch a 2028 presidential campaign, she would start her ride on the road to the White House as the most recognizable Democrat in what’s expected to be a large field of contenders. And she would also come equipped with a broad fundraising network that she built up last cycle. “She would certainly be a very serious candidate in the primary in 2028, if she runs,” a Democratic strategist and veteran of multiple White House campaigns told Fox News Digital. The strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, said that “a lot of Democrats think she was put in a tough spot in 2024 and deserves to have a chance to run a race on her own…she was limited in doing some of the things that politically she might have needed to do to make a cleaner break with Biden.” But Harris could also potentially be weighed down with plenty of political baggage from the 2024 campaign, when the Democrats lost not only the White House but also their Senate majority, and failed to win back control of the House. SUCCEEDING TRUMP IN 2028: SIX REPUBLICANS TO KEEP YOUR EYES ON As the party looks to escape the political wilderness, many Democrats are aiming to make a clear break with the past as they strive for a reset. “If you’re trying to take a different path for the party, it’s hard to go backwards and pick the person who lost to Trump,” a Democratic consultant told Fox News. “There needs to be a fresh start, a new generation.” If Harris does run, she’d have to deal with her unwavering support for Biden as his physical and mental abilities appeared to waver in front of Americans. Republican Rep. James Comer, who as House Oversight chair is investigating the former president’s use of the autopen and mental fitness while in the White House, said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle” that “the odds of Kamala Harris getting a subpoena are very high.” While Harris has been spending recent months mulling her decision on a gubernatorial run, other potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders have already been making early moves as they try to move past the Biden administration and last year’s election setbacks. Among them are Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Wes Moore of Maryland, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, as well as Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. While Harris, in her statement, ruled out a run for elective office next year, she pledged to stay in the fight. And on Thursday she took to social media to announce her new book about her 2024 presidential campaign, titled “107 Days.” “What the world saw on the campaign trail was only part of the story. My new book is a behind-the-scenes look at my experience leading the shortest presidential campaign in modern history,” Harris wrote. Former Democratic National Committee chair Donna Brazile, who’s part of the former vice president’s wider orbit of friends and advisers, noted that “in the modern vice presidency, these individuals don’t go into obscurity; they continue their public life, whether it’s academia, the public sector, public speaking, serving in advisory capacities for corporations or nonprofits, launching their own personal advocacy, writing a memoir or returning to public office.” “There are so many gaps the former vice president can fill, so many roles she can play, whether it’s as a private citizen or a public official. This is just one of the many decisions she will make over the course of her lifetime,” Brazile told Fox News.
Trump brushes back Russia’s Medvedev after ‘war’ warning: ‘Watch his words’
President Donald Trump hammered back at former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s warnings about war with the United States, telling the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council to “watch his words.” “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social at midnight Thursday. “We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World. Likewise, Russia and the USA do almost no business together. Let’s keep it that way, and tell Medvedev, the failed former President of Russia, who thinks he’s still President, to watch his words. He’s entering very dangerous territory!” In response to Trump’s post, Medvedev referenced Russia’s “Dead Hand” – the Cold War-era automated nuclear retaliation system developed by the Soviet Union. “If a few words from a former Russian president provoke such a nervous reaction from the supposedly mighty President of the United States, then clearly Russia is in the right – and will continue on its chosen path,” Medvedev wrote on Telegram. TRUMP ANNOUNCES 25% TARIFF ON INDIA, SLAMMING ‘OBNOXIOUS’ TRADE BARRIERS, RUSSIA MILITARY AND ENERGY BUYS “And as for all that talk about the ‘dead economies’ of India and Russia, or about ‘venturing into dangerous territory’ – well, maybe he should rewatch some of his favorite zombie movies,” he added. “And also remember just how dangerous the supposedly mythical ‘Dead Hand’ system can be.” In theory, the “Dead Hand,” described by the West during the 1980s as a Russian doomsday device, is meant to guarantee a massive retaliatory nuclear strike even if Moscow’s leadership is destroyed or incapacitated. While in Scotland on Monday, Trump warned during public remarks that Russian President Vladimir Putin had 10 or 12 days to reach a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, shortening a previous 50-day deadline he issued earlier this month. If Russia does not, Trump promised more “sanctions, tariffs, and maybe secondary tariffs” against Moscow and the purchasers of Russian goods and energy. He lamented that repeated talks with Putin have resulted in little progress toward peace. “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10,” Medvedev complained in a post to X earlier this week. “He should remember 2 things: 1. Russia isn’t Israel or even Iran. 2. Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country. Don’t go down the Sleepy Joe road!” Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff on imports from India – one of the biggest consumers of Russian oil, next to China – starting on Aug. 1. The president described India as a “friend,” but slammed the South Asian country’s “strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary” trade barriers. Trump vowed other unspecified “penalties” against India for buying most of its military equipment from Russia and Russian energy “at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE.” During an unrelated press conference, Trump noted that India and Russia are founding members of BRICS, originally formed as a counterweight to Western institutions. BRICS is “basically a group of countries that are anti-the United States and India is a member of that, if you can believe it. It’s an attack on the dollar. And we’re not going to let anybody attack the dollar,” Trump said. “We have a tremendous deficit.” FROM TALK TO TACTICS: TRUMP PIVOTS ON RUSSIA STRATEGY TO END WAR In recent days, Medvedev has also shredded the framework of the trade deal Trump reached with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during his recent trip to Scotland. Trump has repeatedly communicated that trade deals with other countries would be contingent on foreign policy alignment with the United States. For example, after Canada announced it was backing Palestinian statehood amid Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Trump wrote Thursday, “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.” Trump, meanwhile, on Thursday celebrated this reciprocal tariffs plan after telling reporters on Wednesday that they brought “billions” of dollars into the U.S. economy. “Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,” Trump wrote on social media. “They were successfully used against the USA for decades and, coupled with really dumb, pathetic, and crooked politicians, we’re having a devastating impact on the future, and even the survival, of our country. Now the tide has completely turned, and America has successfully countered this onslaught of Tariffs used against it.” “ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE ‘HOTTEST’ COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!” Trump added.
Trump’s tariffs forge ‘feeling of big betrayal’ in Canada’s manufacturing
Krysten Lawton, 53, works in health and safety at Ford Motor Company of Canada’s engine plant in Windsor, Ontario — mere blocks from the Detroit River — where she has worked for 30 years. Lawton is a fourth-generation auto worker in Windsor, an industrial hub abutting Canada’s US border near Detroit. Her great-grandfather, both grandfathers and her father all worked for Ford, which employs her, her husband and their oldest son. “These are really good-paying jobs,” Lawton says of the factory, where she currently works in health and safety. “This is life-changing for people to work here.” Windsor employs more people in manufacturing jobs than in any other sector — 19 percent of its workforce. Those workers and employers in Canada’s industrial heartland are now rattled by tariff threats. In March, United States President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium, and weeks later, the same on automobiles. In June, he doubled steel and aluminium duties. And now, he is threatening to tax copper at 50 percent starting Friday. That’s Trump’s deadline for Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney to reach a deal or face 35 percent tariffs on all goods deemed not compliant with the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), atop previous duties. Last Friday, Trump threw cold water on Canadians’ hopes for reprieve. “Canada could be one where they’ll just pay tariffs,” Trump said. “It’s not really a negotiation.” Facing the same deadline, the European Union agreed on Sunday to accept 15 percent duties on most European exports. Advertisement US and Canadian manufacturers, long interconnected, are bracing for the worst — as are industry-dependent communities. “Volatility continues to be the new certainty,” said Alex Greco, senior director of manufacturing at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Loss of confidence Trump’s first tariffs had Lawton’s coworkers “all on edge”, she says. Her plant makes engines for factories in the US states of Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan, with some components sourced globally. “It definitely has real human impact,” she said, “especially in our region … the manufacturing hub of all Canada.” Auto workers in Canada like Krysten Lawton (pictured) are worried about their jobs because of tariffs [Photo courtesy of Krysten Lawton] Canadian manufacturers employ 1.7 million people, exceeding one-tenth of the country’s gross domestic product, and last year exported to the US 356 billion Canadian dollars ($257bn US) of goods they produced, with 530,000 manufacturing jobs directly tied to exports. Passenger vehicles and parts made up 62 billion Canadian dollars ($45bn) of that, exceeding 30,000 direct export-dependent jobs. Canada exported 13 billion Canadian dollars ($9bn) of domestically manufactured aluminium — representing nearly 10,000 jobs — and 8.4 billion Canadian dollars ($6bn) of steel and iron, nearly 6,000 jobs. Trump’s volatile approach “just creates a chill on overall investment”, Greco said, “eroding confidence in cross-border supply chains”, freezing many companies’ expansion plans. Official data lags on job impacts. But thousands have already been laid off across the automotive and metals industries this year. Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell in April, mostly in manufacturing, a “significant impact already”, said Centre for Future Work director and economist Jim Stanford. “The tariffs themselves, and probably more importantly the uncertainty around the tariffs, is definitely hitting home,” he said. Trump’s tariff whims have sparked anxiety amongst workers, employers and voters — just 11 percent of whom believe Trump negotiates in “good faith”. But despite layoffs and slowdowns, the damage could be worse, said Catherine Connelly, head of McMaster University’s Centre for Research on Employment and Work. Without mass layoffs or inflationary changes, employment is actually up, she noted. “We’re in the stage of anything can happen,” said the business professor in Hamilton, Ontario. “But it’s starting to look like we’re going to have some kind of tariffs. “No business has ever wanted anything like this.” Advertisement Auto sector ‘going to hurt’ if tariffs stay Car factories by the Michigan-Ontario border are increasingly entangled since the 1965 Canada-US Auto Pact. “We had 60 years of integration,” said McGill University economics lecturer Julian Vikan Karaguesian, who worked in Canada’s finance ministry on trade issues, including in Canada’s US embassy. “If these tariffs are sustained, it’s going to hurt.” John D’Agnolo, chair of Unifor’s Auto Industry Council, notes that workers are fretting — especially younger ones with less seniority protections and rising expenses. “It’s a scary thing,” the longtime Ford employee and unionist said. “They’re worried. “They’ve got to make sure they can take care of their families.” Industry slowdowns would “ripple” across auto-dependent regions, Greco said. “Companies will have to make very tough decisions,” he said. “There’s still a threat of, potentially, a recession.” A silver lining, experts say, is exemptions for North American-made parts. “In theory, the US tariff on cars is supposed to make an adjustment for US-made content in the car,” said Stanford. “But in practice … industry are just scratching their heads.” ‘Cascading impacts’ Even for USMCA-compliant auto parts, tariffs on raw metals for cars will have “cascading impacts”, Greco said. One-quarter of imported US steel is Canadian, and over half of its imported aluminium. The US gets a quarter of its steel from Canada, and tariffs will increase prices [File: Carlos Osorio/Reuters] In Ontario, “the heart” of Canada’s metal industry, one region hosts one-third of the provincial sector’s workforce. The peninsula around Hamilton, Canada’s “steel capital”, employs nearly 12,000 people in metal manufacturing. “Hamiltonians in particular are concerned about steel; it’s a huge industry,” said Connelly. “The companies, they’re extraordinarily resilient. “But nobody ever thought that something like this would ever happen. It’s certainly quite a shock.” The United Steelworkers represent tens of thousands of metalworkers. Its national union director for Canada, Marty Warren, warns that “a whole lot is at stake” for members, who produce products “from when you’re born to caskets for your last day”. Tariffs have many of his members fearful for their futures in “great-paying jobs” that “support communities”. “It’s definitely set off some panic,” he noted. “There’s fear throughout the membership: ‘Should I be saving my
Canada will recognise Palestinian state at UN General Assembly: Carney
The Canadian prime minister says Hamas cannot play a role in the future of Palestine or take part in possible 2026 elections. Canada has joined several Western countries in announcing its intention to recognise a Palestinian state amid the continuing Israeli atrocities unfolding in Gaza. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement on Wednesday. He explained that Ottawa had hoped that a two-state solution could be achieved through a negotiated peace process, but that approach was “no longer tenable”. “Canada intends to recognise the State of Palestine at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025,” Carney told reporters. The move follows a similar announcement by the United Kingdom and France earlier this month. But it is not clear how such recognitions will impact Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank – the two territories that would form a Palestinian state. Carney said the recognition is predicated on promises of reform from the Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas, as well as a commitment to hold general elections in 2026. He stressed that Hamas can play no role in the future of Palestine and would not be allowed to take part in future elections, a condition that some argue may taint any democratic process. “Preserving a two-state solution means standing with all people who choose peace over violence or terrorism,” Carney said. US rejects Palestine recognition The United States, Israel’s top ally, has rejected moves to recognise a Palestinian state, saying that the policy rewards Hamas. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump dismissed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, when the latter announced plans to acknowledge Palestine. Advertisement “What he says doesn’t matter,” Trump said of Macron. “It’s not going to change anything.” On Tuesday, he also objected to the UK’s move, saying that the issue did not come up during his meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. “You could make the case that you’re rewarding people, that you’re rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don’t think they should be rewarded. I’m not in that camp, to be honest,” Trump said. The Trump administration has been uncompromising in its support for Israel, despite accusations by UN experts and rights groups that the US ally is committing a genocide against Palestinians. The Israeli military has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza and flattened most of the territory since the start of the war in 2023. Calls for sanctions Last year, Canada announced that it would stop issuing new permits for weapons exports to Israel amid concerns over human rights violations. But earlier this week, a coalition of advocacy groups released a report based on Israeli tax records, revealing new details indicating that weapons have continued to be sent to Israel. The groups accused the Canadian government of constructing a “web of lies” to shield itself from criticism and called on Ottawa to cancel all existing arms export permits to Israel. On Wednesday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims welcomed Carney’s announcement but called on Canada to take other practical steps to stop Israel’s assault on Gaza. It compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to Trump’s own pressure campaign to make Canada the 51st state in the US. “Canada must continue to stand by our values to drive an independent foreign policy, particularly as the same Trump administration that backs the annexation of Gaza also threatens Canada with ideas of a 51st state,” the group said in a statement. “This means Canada must apply further sanctions on the Netanyahu government, impose a full two-way arms embargo on the [Israeli military], review the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement, and provide better assistance to those escaping Gaza to reunite with loved ones here in Canada.” Adblock test (Why?)
More than 70 aid seekers killed as starvation worsens in Gaza
Israeli attacks have killed at least 71 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid amid a deepening hunger crisis in Gaza, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as hospitals in the besieged territory recorded seven more deaths from famine and malnutrition. At least 51 people were killed and more than 648 others were wounded by Israeli forces on Wednesday as they were heading towards the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering northern Gaza, according to the Gaza Government Media Office. Another 20 people seeking aid were killed near the so-called Morag Corridor near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, the Nasser Medical Complex reported. More than 1,000 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces near aid distribution sites run by the US and Israeli-backed GHF, which launched operations in late May. The GHF has been heavily criticised by the UN and other humanitarian organisations for failing to provide enough aid and for the dire security situation at and around its aid distribution sites. The attacks come as aid agencies and health officials warn of a sharp rise in starvation, particularly among children and the elderly. The Gaza Health Ministry said 154 people, including 89 children, have died of malnutrition, most in recent weeks. A global hunger monitor said on Tuesday that a famine scenario is unfolding. Among those struggling to survive is Jihan al-Quraan, a mother who spoke to Al Jazeera while holding her young daughter. “Look at her stomach! There is no flesh, just bones from the lack of food – an entire month without bread,” she said. Advertisement Al-Quraan said she tried to get food at a crowded soup kitchen, but returned empty-handed. “I only found some dry pasta shells on the floor,” she added. Despite mounting needs, aid entering Gaza remains far below required levels. Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for UNRWA, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, told Al Jazeera Arabic that the trickle of aid allowed into Gaza “does not reach the majority of the population”. According to the UN, Gaza needs at least 500 to 600 aid trucks per day to meet basic humanitarian needs. Yet, only 269 trucks have entered the territory over the past four days. “Most of them were looted by hungry crowds,” reported Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum from Gaza. “Now, looting aid is not very shocking. It has been a predictable outcome for a prolonged period of a starving population that has been denied access to water, food and medical supplies.” “People have gone days without getting any kind of food,” he added. “The number of trucks sent to the Gaza Strip falls short of meeting the needs of the population.” The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said it had documented the deaths of dozens of elderly people in displacement camps “due to starvation, malnutrition, or lack of treatment”. “Many of these deaths were recorded as natural causes, owing to the absence of a clear reporting mechanism within the ministry and the tendency of families to bury their loved ones immediately,” the group said in a statement on X. It added that hospitals and primary care centres have seen an “unprecedented surge” in daily deaths over the past two weeks, with hundreds of elderly people arriving in “states of extreme exhaustion, seeking nutritional fluids”. Israeli bombardment continues At least 15 other people were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday, medical sources told Al Jazeera. That includes the minimum three people, including Palestinian photojournalist Ibrahim Mahmoud Hajjaj, 35, were killed in two separate Israeli air strikes in Gaza City. One strike targeted a group of people near az-Zahra School in the central Daraj neighbourhood, killing two and wounding others. A second strike in eastern Gaza City killed Hajjaj. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 178 journalists have been killed during Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7. Since the war began, Israeli attacks have killed at least 60,138 Palestinians and wounded more than 146,000 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, and more than 200 others were taken captive. Advertisement Gaza annexation threat Meanwhile, an Israeli minister hinted at the possibility of annexing parts of Gaza – a move that could any remaining hopes of a two-state solution and further entrench Israel’s occupation in violation of international law. Accusing Hamas of trying to drag out ceasefire talks to gain Israeli concessions, security cabinet member Zeev Elkin told public broadcaster Kan that Israel may give the group an ultimatum to reach a deal before further expanding its military actions. “The most painful thing for our enemy is losing lands,” he said. “A clarification to Hamas that the moment they play games with us they will lose land that they will never get back would be a significant pressure tool.” The remarks came just days after Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the Israeli government is “advancing the destruction of Gaza”. “The government is racing ahead for Gaza to be wiped out,” Eliyahu told Haredi radio station Kol Barama. “Thank God, we are wiping out this evil. We are pushing this population that has been educated on ‘Mein Kampf’,” he said, referring to the 1925 autobiographical and political work by Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany’s Nazi Party. Eliyahu’s comments drew widespread outrage, including from within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s own coalition. However, Israeli media reports suggest the government is preparing a formal ultimatum to Hamas: agree to their terms of a ceasefire or face the annexation of territory. Israel’s Channel 13 reported that Israel may seek to annex land adjacent to the Gaza perimeter fence, pushing up to one kilometre inside the Strip. These threats come as negotiations continue between Hamas and Israel, with mediation from the United States, Qatar and Egypt. Channel 12 reported that Israel has proposed a 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial withdrawal of troops from Gaza, but not an end to the war. A US official confirmed that special envoy
2 Army personnel dead, several injured as boulder falls on convoy vehicle in Ladakh
Two army personnel, including a Lt Colonel, died and three officers were injured when a boulder fell on an army vehicle, part of a convoy, in a remote area in eastern Ladakh on Wednesday. Read on to know more.
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Shahjahanpur DM Dharmendra Pratap Singh said that IAS Rahi, who was posted to Puwaiyan tehsil only on Tuesday, has now been relieved of the post.
Good news for customers, government is rolling out NEW reforms in Bank laws, will be effective from…
The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025, aimed at improving governance standards in the banking sector and ensuring enhanced protection for depositors and investors.