UNRWA sounds alarm as 1 in 10 children in Gaza malnourished
US nurse tells of Israeli authorities confiscating supplies of baby formula being brought into Gaza by medical workers. One in every 10 children screened in clinics in Gaza run by the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is malnourished, as child hunger surges across the territory amid the continuing Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid. Israel’s punishing prevention of aid entering Gaza has led to “severe shortages of nutrition supplies”, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Tuesday, describing the situation for starving children as “engineered and man-made”. Lazzarini said the UN must be allowed to do its work in Gaza, particularly bringing in “humanitarian assistance at scale, including for children”. “Any additional delay to a ceasefire will cause more deaths,” he said, noting that more than 870 starving Palestinians had been killed so far while trying to access food from the highly criticised distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is backed by Israel and the United States. UNRWA’s communications director, Juliette Touma, told reporters in Geneva via a videolink from Amman, Jordan, that “medicine, nutrition supplies, hygiene material, fuel are all rapidly running out”. “Our health teams are confirming that malnutrition rates are increasing in Gaza, especially since the siege was tightened more than four months ago on the second of March,” Touma said. “One nurse that we spoke to told us that in the past, he only saw these cases of malnutrition in textbooks and documentaries,” she said. “As malnutrition among children spreads across the war-torn enclave, UNRWA has over 6,000 trucks of food, hygiene supplies, medicine, medical supplies outside of Gaza. They are all waiting to go in,” Touma added. Advertisement “The world cannot continue to look away.” “1 in 10 children screened by UNRWA in #Gaza is now malnourished,” UNRWA @JulietteTouma briefs the press at @UNGeneva. Before the war, such cases were almost unheard of. Now, Gaza’s shattered health system is overwhelmed — and aid is being blocked by the Government of Israel.… pic.twitter.com/3b8S2qONef — UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 15, 2025 Since January 2024, UNRWA said it had screened more than 240,000 boys and girls under the age of five in its clinics, adding that before the war, acute malnutrition was rare in Gaza. Andee Clark Vaughan, an emergency nurse with the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association (PANZMA) based in Gaza, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday how Israeli authorities had confiscated baby formula from medical workers entering the territory. “Immune systems are so compromised here because of the malnutrition,” Vaughan said, describing how Palestinian mothers are so malnourished that they are unable to produce breast milk to feed their infants and forced to make difficult decisions to keep their children alive. “What we’ve been seeing here is moms trying to do their utmost best, mixing water – which is often contaminated – with beans or lentils just to make something of sustenance to get these kids fed and get them nutrients,” Vaughan added. On Monday, UNICEF said that last month, more than 5,800 children were diagnosed with malnutrition in Gaza, including more than 1,000 children with severe, acute malnutrition. It said it was an increase for the fourth month in a row. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli forces bomb Syrian military after sectarian fighting
NewsFeed Israel’s military has carried out air attacks against Syrian forces sent to a southern region where sectarian fighting has left dozens of people dead. Israel says it was acting to protect the Druze community after gun battles in Suwayda. On Tuesday, the Syrian defence minister announced a ceasefire. Published On 15 Jul 202515 Jul 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
‘My heart is broken’: Indigenous Australians lose landmark climate case
Federal court says government not obliged to shield residents of Torres Strait Islands from the effects of climate change. Indigenous Australians living on a string of climate-threatened islands have lost a landmark court case to hold the government responsible for lacklustre emissions targets, dealing a blow to Indigenous rights in the country. Australia’s Federal Court ruled on Tuesday that the government was not obliged to shield the Torres Strait Islands from the effects of climate change. “The applicants have not succeeded in making their primary case in negligence. The Commonwealth did not and does not owe Torres Strait Islanders the duty of care alleged by the applicants in support of their primary case,” Justice Michael Wigney was quoted by SBS news outlet as saying in his ruling. Scattered through the warm waters off Australia’s northernmost tip, the sparsely populated Torres Strait Islands are threatened by seas rising much faster than the global average. Torres Strait elders have spent the past four years fighting through the courts to prove the government failed to protect them through meaningful climate action. “I thought that the decision would be in our favour, and I’m in shock,” said Torres Strait Islander Paul Kabai, who helped to bring the case. “What do any of us say to our families now?” Fellow plaintiff Pabai Pabai said: “My heart is broken for my family and my community.” In his decision, Justice Wigney criticised the government for setting emissions targets between 2015 and 2021 that failed to consider the “best available science”. But these targets would have had little effect on global temperature rise, he found. Advertisement “Any additional greenhouse gases that might have been released by Australia as a result of low emissions targets would have caused no more than an almost immeasurable increase in global average temperatures,” Wigney said. Australia’s previous conservative government sought to cut emissions by about 26 percent before 2030. The incumbent left-leaning government in 2022 adopted new plans to slash emissions by 40 percent before the end of the decade and reach net zero by 2050. Torres Strait Islanders and allies march during a protest in Melbourne, Australia, November 13, 2019 [File: EPA] Fewer than 5,000 people live in the Torres Strait, a collection of about 274 mud islands and coral cays wedged between Australia’s mainland and Papua New Guinea. Lawyers for traditional land owners from Boigu and Saibai – among the worst-affected islands – asked the court to order the government “to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will prevent Torres Strait Islanders from becoming climate refugees”. Sea levels in some parts of the archipelago are rising almost three times faster than the global average, according to official figures. Rising tides have washed away graves, eaten through huge chunks of exposed coastline, and poisoned once-fertile soils with salt. The lawsuit argued some islands would soon become uninhabitable if global temperatures rose more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization has warned this threshold could be breached before the end of the decade. More than one billion people will live in coastal areas at risk of rising sea levels by 2050, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Global sea levels could rise by up to 60cm (24 inches) by the end of the century, even if greenhouse gas emissions are not dramatically reduced, it said. Adblock test (Why?)
Australian activist sends “shoutout” to Tel Aviv embassy
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Aboard the flotilla to Gaza, activist Tania Safi slams Australia’s Tel Aviv embassy for urging her to drop the mission.
Trump announces new weapons for Ukraine, threatens tariffs on Russia
[unable to retrieve full-text content] US President Donald Trump announced a shipment of weapons for Ukraine while threatening tariffs on Russia.
Why are Afghan refugees being sent back to Taliban rule?
Afghans who fled decades ago are now being forced back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as Iran, Pakistan, or the US turn their backs on them. With refugees who were once promised safety now being deported into crisis, why are these countries choosing to abandon them, and what does this reveal about the state of asylum worldwide? Adblock test (Why?)
Trump again slams ‘stupid’ US Fed chairman over interest rate levels
The president’s frequent attacks against Jerome Powell have sparked concerns about the independence of the central bank. United States President Donald Trump has again attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, stepping up criticism that has sparked concerns over efforts to undermine the independence of the country’s central bank. In remarks before religious figures at the White House on Monday, Trump called Powell a “knucklehead” and insisted that he should lower interest rates. “He’s a knucklehead. Stupid guy. He really is,” Trump said, insisting that inflation is not currently a serious concern for the economy and that interest rates should be brought down to one percent. The US president’s frequent barbs and threats to replace Powell have previously spooked markets, wary of what some investors see as an effort to bring the central bank and the crafting of monetary policy under greater political control. The central bank chief has thus far refused to budge on the question of interest rates, saying that it is still too early to bring them down given sources of potential disruption such as changing tariff policy. Trump said over the weekend that he is planning to place important US trading partners such as the European Union and Mexico under a 30 percent tariff starting on August 1, and has warned other countries they could face similar rates or worse if they do not swiftly come to individual agreements with the US. Kevin Hassett, an economic adviser to Trump, also stated over the weekend that the president might be able to fire Powell for cause, citing higher-than-expected expenses for the renovation of the bank’s headquarters. Advertisement The Fed has been in the process of renovating two buildings for its offices in Washington, DC for several years, with a current cost estimate of $2.5bn, about $700m more than originally anticipated. Such cost overruns are far from atypical in Washington, but officials in the Trump administration have pounced on them as a potential door to firing Powell, whom Trump has long criticised. Trump’s top budget adviser Russell Vought said last week that the White House is “extremely troubled” by the expense of the project, which critics saw as an effort to pile additional pressure on the central bank. Vought played an important role in the controversial conservative blueprint for a second Trump term known as Project 2025, which envisions a radical restructuring of government and consolidation of greater power in the executive branch. A spokesperson for the US Inspector General, a nonpartisan government watchdog, says that Powell has requested a review of the cost overruns. Adblock test (Why?)
EU delays retaliatory tariffs against US amid hopes for trade deal
Ursula von der Leyen says bloc hopes to see negotiated solution to trade tensions. The European Union has delayed retaliatory tariffs on exports from the United States as officials scramble to reach a trade deal with Washington ahead of US President Donald Trump’s August 1 deadline. Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said on Sunday that the bloc would extend its suspension of countermeasures as it continued negotiations with the Trump administration. “At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures, so we’re fully prepared,” von der Leyen said during a news conference in Brussels. “We have always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution,” she added. “This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now until the 1st of August.” The EU’s announcement comes after Trump on Saturday unveiled plans to slap a 30 percent tariff on European and Mexican exports from August 1. The EU in March announced retaliatory tariffs on 26 billion euros ($30bn) of US exports in response to Trump’s duties on steel and aluminium. The bloc paused the measures for 90 days the following month after Trump announced he would delay the implementation of his so-called “reciprocal tariffs”. The EU’s pause had been due to expire at midnight on Monday. EU trade ministers are scheduled to convene in Brussels on Monday to discuss options for responding to Trump’s latest tariff threats. On Sunday, White House Economic Adviser Kevin Hassett said that Trump was not happy with the “sketches of deals” presented by US trade partners so far and that their offers would “need to be better”. Advertisement “These tariffs are real if the president doesn’t get a deal that he thinks is good enough, but, you know, conversations are ongoing, and we’ll see where the dust settles,” Hassett told ABC News’s This Week. Taken together, EU member countries are the US’s largest trading partner. US-EU trade in goods and services amounted to 1.7 trillion euros ($2 trillion) in 2024, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat. Adblock test (Why?)
Historic Grand Canyon lodge burns to ashes in wildfire at US national park
About 50 to 80 other structures also destroyed as two wildfires burn at or near the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in Arizona. Wildfires have engulfed a historic lodge, destroying it and dozens of other structures along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim in the state of Arizona in the southwestern United States, park officials say. Rangers were forced to close access to that part of the Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday. Superintendent Ed Keable said the Grand Canyon Lodge was consumed by flames. He said a park visitor centre, petrol station, wastewater treatment plant, administrative building and employee housing were also among the 50 to 80 structures lost. Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim. They are known as the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire. The latter is the one that destroyed the lodge and other structures. Started by lightning on July 4, the Dragon Bravo Fire was initially managed by authorities with a “confine and contain” strategy. However, due to hot temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, it grew to 20 square kilometres (7.8 square miles), fire officials said. No injuries have been reported so far. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs urged the federal government late on Sunday to investigate the National Park Service’s response to the wildfire. “They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage,” she said in a post on X. “But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.” I am incredibly saddened by the destruction of the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, and my heart goes out to every person impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire near the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Thank you to every firefighter and first responder taking action to combat the flames. — Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) July 14, 2025 Advertisement Millions of people visit the park annually with most going to the South Rim. The North Rim is open seasonally. It was evacuated on Thursday because of the wildfire and will remain closed for the rest of the season, the park said in a statement. The Grand Canyon Lodge was often the first prominent feature that visitors would see, even before viewing the canyon. “It just feels like you’re a pioneer when you walk through [the lodge],” said Tim Allen, an Arizona resident and yearly visitor to the Grand Canyon. “It really felt like you were in a time gone by.” Caren Carney, another visitor to the park evacuated with her family, said she was heartbroken to hear that such a “magical place” had burned down. Firefighters at the North Rim and hikers in the inner canyon were also evacuated on Saturday and Sunday. The park said that beside the fire risk, they could also potentially be exposed to chlorine gas after the treatment plant burned. Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests were safely evacuated. “As stewards of some of our country’s most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss,” spokesperson Debbie Albert said. One of the greatest wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon is the result of the Colorado River eating away at layers of red sandstone and other rock for millions of years, leaving a gash up to 30km (18 miles) wide and more than 1.6km (1 mile) deep. Last year, almost five million people visited the site. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Inexcusable’: US Senate report faults Secret Service for Trump shooting
Presidential protection service accused of pattern of negligence, communications breakdowns in planning and execution of Trump rally. A United States Senate inquiry into an attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump at a campaign rally last year has blamed the Secret Service for “inexcusable” failures in its operations and response and called for more serious disciplinary action. The report, released on Sunday, a year after a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on Trump, accused the presidential protection service of a pattern of negligence and communications breakdowns in planning and executing the rally. On July 13, 2024, a gunman shot the then-Republican Party presidential candidate during a campaign rally in the town of Butler in the state of Pennsylvania, grazing his ear. One bystander was killed and two people in addition to Trump were wounded before a government sniper killed the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks. “What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation,” said the report released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The shooting energised Trump’s bid to return to the White House as his campaign used a photo of him bloodied and pumping his fist as he was hurried offstage to woo voters. ‘Complete breakdown’ The report did not shed new light on the gunman’s motive, which still remains a mystery, but accused the Secret Service of “a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life”. “The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement,” said the committee’s Republican chairman, Rand Paul. Advertisement “Despite those failures, no one has been fired,” he added. “It was a complete breakdown of security at every level – fuelled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats. “We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again.” The Secret Service identified communications, technical and human errors and said reforms were under way, including improving coordination between different law enforcement bodies involved in security at events and establishing a division dedicated to aerial surveillance. Six unidentified staff have been disciplined, according to the agency. The punishments ranged from 10 to 42 days of suspension without pay, and all six were put into restricted or nonoperational positions. Days before the assassination attempt’s anniversary, Trump said “mistakes were made” but he was satisfied with the investigation. On Sunday, Trump told reporters, “God was protecting me,” adding that he did not like to think “too much” about the assassination attempt. “It’s a little bit of a dangerous profession being president, but I really don’t like to think about it too much,” he said. Trump marked the event on Sunday by joining family, friends and close advisers to witness Chelsea’s dominating FIFA Club World Cup final victory over Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Adblock test (Why?)