Pope Francis urges inquiry into Gaza genocide allegations
Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine whether Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, tackling the issue for the first time in excerpts from an upcoming book. “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” the pope said in excerpts published on Sunday by the Italian daily La Stampa. “We should investigate carefully to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies,” he added. The book, by Hernan Reyes Alcaide and based on interviews with the pope, is entitled Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims towards a Better World. It will be released on Tuesday ahead of the pope’s 2025 yearlong jubilee, which is expected to bring more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome to celebrate. The Argentine pontiff has frequently deplored the number of victims of Israel’s war in Gaza, where the death toll stands at 43,846 people, most of them civilians, according to the territory’s Ministry of Health. But his call for a probe marks the first time he has publicly used the term “genocide”, albeit without endorsing its use, in the context of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza. Israel’s embassy to the Vatican responded later on Sunday with a post on X, quoting its Ambassador Yaron Sideman. “There was a genocidal massacre on 7 October 2023 of Israeli citizens, and since then, Israel has exercised its right of self-defence against attempts from seven different fronts to kill its citizens,” said the statement. “Any attempt to call it by any other name is singling out the Jewish State.” But campaigners and Palestinian supporters have dubbed the Israeli offensive as a “war of vengeance” that has left the Gaza Strip in ruins. Stepping up criticism The war in Gaza has triggered several legal cases at international courts in The Hague involving requests for arrest warrants as well as accusations and denials of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. On Thursday, a United Nations Special Committee judged Israel’s conduct of warfare in Gaza “consistent with the characteristics of genocide”, accusing the country of “using starvation as a method of war”. Its conclusions have already been condemned by Israel’s key backer, the United States. South Africa brought a genocide case before the International Court of Justice with the support of several countries, including Turkey, Spain and Mexico. In January, the judges at the court ordered Israel to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts. The court has not yet ruled on the core of the case – whether genocide has occurred in Gaza. Pope Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church, is usually careful not to take sides in international conflicts, and to stress de-escalation. But he has stepped up his criticism of Israel’s conduct in its war against Palestinians. In September, he decried the killings of Palestinian children in Israeli strikes in Gaza. He also sharply criticised Israel’s air strikes in Lebanon as going “beyond morality”. Francis has not previously described the situation in Gaza as a genocide in public. But last year, he was at the centre of a messy dispute after a meeting with a group of Palestinians at the Vatican, who insisted he had used the word with them in private, while the Vatican said he had not. Francis has also frequently called for the return of the Israeli captives taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Of the 251 people taken that day, 97 are still held in the Palestinian territory, including 34 the Israeli army says are dead. On Thursday, the pontiff received 16 former captives who were freed after months of detention in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump “bad” for climate change but all not lost if …
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Adair Turner on how a Trump administration is expected to push back on climate action, but says there are other options.
Trail of destruction as Typhoon Man-yi lashes the Philippines
A powerful typhoon has wrecked houses, caused towering tidal surges and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee to emergency shelters as it cut across the northern Philippines in the sixth major storm to hit the country in less than a month. Typhoon Man-yi slammed into the eastern island province of Catanduanes on Saturday night with sustained winds of up to 195km/h (125mph) and gusts of up to 240km/h (149mph). The country’s weather agency warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” in provinces along its path. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the typhoon, which was forecast to blow northwestwards on Sunday across northern Luzon, the archipelago’s most populous region. The capital region of metropolitan Manila would likely be spared from a direct hit but was placed, along with outlying regions, under storm alerts and warned of dangerous coastal storm surges. The entire province of Catanduanes had no power after the typhoon knocked down trees and electricity posts, and disaster-response teams were checking how many more houses were damaged in addition to those affected by previous storms, he said. More than 750,000 people took refuge in emergency shelters, including churches and a shopping mall, due to Man-yi and two previous storms mostly in the northern Philippines, civil defence official Cesar Idio and other provincial officials said. The rare number of back-to-back storms and typhoons that lashed Luzon in just three weeks has killed more than 160 people, affected nine million and caused such extensive damage to residential communities, infrastructure and farmlands that the Philippines may have to import more rice, a staple food for most Filipinos. In an emergency meeting as Man-yi approached, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr asked his cabinet and provincial officials to brace for “the worst-case scenario”. The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. It is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Adblock test (Why?)
Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic – UFC 309: MMA heavyweight championship fight
Jon Jones has cemented his position as arguably the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of all time by pulling off a stunning knockout of Stipe Miocic to retain his heavyweight belt at the UFC 309 fight night. The 37-year-old American looked fully in control throughout the main event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, preventing his opponent from leveraging his boxing skills and finishing with a brutal heel to the body that left Miocic on the canvas clutching his ribs. “That body shot man, no matter how tough you are, the liver’s the liver,” a jubilant Jones said in the cage following his victory. In the aftermath, 42-year-old former champion Miocic said he was retiring from the sport. “I’m done,” Miocic said. “I’m hanging ’em up.” Widely considered the best fighter in the world, Jones (28 wins, 1 loss, 1 no contest) was the aggressor from the start and took Miocic down with a superbly timed trip and trapped him before raining down elbows as he dominated the rest of the round. Keen not to get taken down again, Miocic was hesitant as he tried to manage the distance, but Jones was able to measure strikes to the body from his southpaw stance to keep Miocic on the back foot. Croatian-American Miocic enjoyed some success early in the third round, but once again Jones was able to work out the puzzle, connecting with a couple of punches late in the round before his creative rotating kick ended the bout. British heavyweight Tom Aspinall looms as the next challenger for Jones. Aspinall won a fight for the interim heavyweight title in November 2023. UFC CEO Dana White had promised Aspinall, who chatted with Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, would challenge the winner of the main event in a unification bout. UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones (R) fights challenger Stipe Miocic [Kena Betancur/AFP] Trump, Musk in attendance With Donald Trump in the audience, Jones imitated the United States president-elect’s campaign trail dance as he celebrated. In the co-main event, Brazil’s Charles Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler by unanimous decision to put his name back in contention for a crack at the lightweight title he was stripped of for missing weight in May 2022. Jones posed and played to the crowd on top of the octagon in front of Trump, Elon Musk, picked by Trump to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, and Robert Kennedy Jr, Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services in his incoming administration. Trump walked out to a rousing ovation in front of 20,200 fans just before the start of the pay-per-view card and seemed to bask in the thrill of the fighters that throughout the night gave him props — including Jones. “I want to give a big, big thank you to President Donald Trump [for] being here tonight,” Jones said to a roaring ovation that bled into a “USA! USA!” chant. “I’m proud to be a great American champion,” Jones said. US President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk watch the fight [Kena Betancur/AFP] Charles Oliveira vs Michael Chandler In a lightweight bout that made every fan, from Kid Rock to Jordan Knight to Anthony Kiedis, go wild at the finish in the fifth round, Charles Oliveira beat Michael Chandler via unanimous decision. The fight was a rematch of their May 2021 fight when Charles Oliveira topped Chandler to win the lightweight title. Oliveira staked his claim to another title fight with the win. The fifth round was about as good as it gets inside the octagon highlighted by Chandler dropping Oliveira twice on his back. The 38-year-old Chandler stepped inside the cage for the first time in two years, in large part because he waited for a fight that never materialised with Conor McGregor. “We’ve been wondering where you’ve been, Conor,” Chandler bellowed in the cage. “Come back and beat me if you can.” Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler grapple on the ground in a lightweight fight [Sarah Stier/Getty Images via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
Media bias, inaccuracy and the violence in Amsterdam
What one night of violence revealed about the western media’s failings on Israel and Palestine. In the wake of an ugly eruption of violence on the streets of Amsterdam, the media coverage of the story has been put under the microscope with editors scrambling to revise headlines, rework narratives, and reframe video content. Contributors: Dana Mills – Writer, Local Call and +972 MagazineMarc Owen Jones – Associate professor, Northwestern University QatarJames North – Editor-at-large, MondoweissSamira Mohyeddin – Founder, On The Line Media On our radar Incoming president Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk – one of his most vocal supporters – to co-lead the brand new Department of Government Efficiency. Meenakshi Ravi looks at Musk’s new role and how he could use his influence to get favourable government treatment for his companies. The Headline Fixer Throughout Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, critics have been tearing apart the media coverage – especially by news outlets in the United States. Feature blurb: Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has shone an often-unflattering spotlight on media coverage by mainstream US news outlets. Such failings jump out at us because they often come in the form of headlines. Historian Assal Rad explains the mission she has undertaken to “fix” misleading headlines. Featuring: Assal Rad – Author of State of Resistance: Politics, Culture and Identity in Modern Iran Adblock test (Why?)
G7 backs Ukraine as Zelenskyy says he wants to end war next year
Ukraine president says Kyiv will do everything possible so the war with Russia ends in 2025 ‘through diplomatic means’. Leaders of the G7 alliance have reaffirmed support for Ukraine “for as long as it takes” as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he wants to end the war through talks next year. The Ukrainian president said in a radio interview aired on Saturday that his side will do everything possible so that the war with Russia ends in 2025 “through diplomatic means”. The previous day he said that the re-election of Donald Trump as United States president means that the war will likely end “sooner” than it otherwise would have. Trump has said he wants to end the war immediately and Vice President-elect JD Vance has suggested that a Trump administration could favour letting Russia keep land it has seized on the battlefield, but Zelenskyy said he “didn’t hear anything that goes against our position” when he spoke with Trump earlier this month. For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Moscow will only accept an agreement if it sees Kyiv surrender the Ukrainian territory it has lost during the war. The Russian leader told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday during their first direct conversation in almost two years that an agreement would also need to address the “root causes” of the conflict, which include NATO expansion. As all sides prepare for the impacts of a Trump presidency on the war, the G7 affirmed its “support of Kyiv as the thousandth day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine approaches”. “Russia remains the sole obstacle to just and lasting peace. The G7 confirms its commitment to imposing severe costs on Russia through sanctions, export controls and other effective measures,” the leaders of the group said in a statement. The intergovernmental group consists of the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada. Italy currently holds the rotating presidency until the end of the year. In advance of Trump’s inauguration in January, Ukraine has been scrambling to secure more Western weapons and funding as the president-elect has heavily criticised US spending on aiding Ukraine. The outgoing administration of President Joe Biden has pledged to strengthen its support for Kyiv in its remaining time in power. Russian advances Zelenskyy also conceded that the situation in eastern Ukraine was difficult and Russian forces were making advances. Moscow’s forces are bearing down on Kurakhove, which has a thermal power plant and is only seven kilometres (four miles) from Pokrovsk, a large town that, for much of the war, has been one of Ukraine’s logistical linchpins. On the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, Russia is now advancing at the fastest rate since the war’s earliest days in 2022. North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to the Russian region of Kursk to help Moscow fight off a Ukrainian incursion that started in August. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that air defences downed 15 drones in Kursk, along with multiple other attacking aircraft in several other regions. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli air raid on Gaza City school-turned-shelter kills 10 people
The strike took place at a UN-run school in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp. An Israeli strike on a school where displaced Palestinians were sheltering in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp has killed 10 people and wounded at least 20 others, Palestinian medics said. Rescue operations were under way at the UN-run Abu Assi school in northern Gaza on Saturday, health officials said. Reporting from Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said that according to locals and witnesses, most of the people sheltering in the school were displaced from other parts of Gaza. “Let me remind you there is only one hospital functioning in the city … and we know the health situation in hospitals in Gaza has been horrible … so it is difficult to help the injured,” she said. Palestinian health officials said at least 30 people were killed by Israeli military strikes across the enclave on Saturday. The northern Gaza Strip, in particular, has been under siege for more than 40 days. “Israeli soldiers have surrounded and imposed a strict blockade on Palestinians in Beit Lahiya, Jabalia and Beit Hanoon, where Palestinians are unable to evacuate their besieged homes,” Khoudary said. “We have received many appeals from people in Beit Lahiya who say they’re stuck and need rescuing. They have no food, water or medical aid,” she noted. “Other than air strikes and continuing artillery shelling, the military has extensively deployed quadcopters that Israeli forces use to fire live ammunition at Palestinians and kill them in different areas across the Gaza Strip,” Khoudary added. Later on Saturday, the Israeli military reported that two rockets fired at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip were intercepted. The launches show the ability of Palestinian fighters to fire rockets into Israel despite more than 13 months of an aerial and ground offensive that turned vast land in the enclave into wasteland and displaced most of the 2.3 million population. Israel’s genocide in Gaza has killed at least 43,799 Palestinians and wounded 103,601 since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 995
Here is the situation on Saturday, November 16: Fighting Russia’s Ministry of Defence said air defences downed 15 drones in the Kursk region on the Ukrainian border. The ministry said one drone each was downed in the Bryansk region, also on the border, and in Lipetsk, further north, as well as in the central Oryol region. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region, a frequent target on the Ukrainian border, said a series of attacks had smashed windows in an apartment building and caused other damage, but no casualties were reported. Dozens of mourners filled a golden-domed Orthodox cathedral in Ukrainian capital Kyiv to pay their respects to a beloved combat medic, 32-year-old Maria-Khrystyna Dvoinik, who was killed this week on the front line. Politics and diplomacy Adblock test (Why?)
‘Stripped of our human dignity’: What it means to be hungry in Gaza
Khan Younis, Gaza – What does it mean to be hungry for months? In Gaza, where more than 43,000 of us have been killed by Israel’s bombardment and ground invasions – and many more thousands are lost, feared dead, under the rubble – we have been punished with hunger now for more than a year. In war, survival becomes the only focus, and hunger is a constant reminder of that. We have been forced to be hungry – we did not choose this. We’re struggling to survive under Israeli bombardment, but we’re failing. It has become clear to us that the Israeli army’s goal is to spread famine across the entire Gaza Strip, from north to south. The fear of hunger has been a constant since the beginning. At the moment, we live on one meal a day. How I have come to hate the question: “What can we eat?” The cheese we eat for breakfast is the same cheese we eat for dinner. I have developed a loathing for this type of cheese, but it is the only option we have. My sister and mother wake up every morning and go to the market looking for any food they can find for my sister’s children, for my brother who goes to work, or for my mother who needs to eat to take her medicine. They generally return downcast because there is nothing in the market. We used to think that maybe it was just our neighbourhood that had no food, so we would call our friends and relatives in other areas. But they told us every time that there was no food in their markets besides a little canned food. When we go out, we see the miserable faces of the vendors who look as if the worries of the world are weighing on their hearts. When we speak to them they barely reply because there is nothing to buy. Every day, they say the same thing: “The crossing hasn’t opened yet.” There’s a vegetable vendor in our neighbourhood, Uncle Ahmed, who knows us well. We’ve come to rely on him since the start of this war. Women sit near their malnourished infants at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza on June 1, 2024 [Jehad Alshrafi/AP] He used to sell his produce in the main market but had to move after the bombing and destruction, now he sells in our neighbourhood. We’ve lived together through difficult circumstances like the shortage of vegetables and fruits and the frightening rise in prices. Now, there is nothing on his stand except some peppers, eggplant and a little lemon. This poor man, ashamed to answer our questions. Starving as the world is silent The Israeli army is deliberately starving us. The Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom to Israelis) crossing, through which some aid was arriving earlier this year, has been closed for a month. It was closed, we were told, for the Jewish holidays but has since not reopened. People waited and hoped that the end of the holiday was approaching and the crossing would open soon, but that never happened. We’ve been stripped of our dignity as human beings. I can’t believe what we are living through. I look at my family and feel so angry that this can be so frightening and the world is silent about what we are living through. A three-year-old child who suffers from diabetes, a weakened immune system and malnutrition, rests at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on June 1, 2024 [Jehad Alshrafi/AP] Our faces have become so pale and we look so tired. We can barely do normal daily activities. We live on just one meal a day – if that. It is the same meal every day. My brother Muhammad, who works at what remains of Nasser Hospital, has gotten used to going to work without eating. He used to reassure us that he could buy food in the nearby market and eat with his colleagues, but then he started asking us to prepare anything we can for him because there’s no food in the market. If he doesn’t eat anything at all before he goes out, he won’t be able to work and stay up all night at work. My mother needs to eat when she takes her blood pressure medication and her bone and nerve medications. The tablets are harmful if taken on an empty stomach. Recently, she has had to take her medication without food because there is nothing to eat. I feel desperate for her. I am so afraid that she will develop a stomach ulcer. My sister’s children, Rital and Adam, ask for food constantly. They tell us they crave chicken and red meat, French fries, biscuits and juice. We don’t know what to tell them. I’ve started telling them the truth, that the Israeli army closed the crossing. Adam, the three-year-old, responds that he’s going to open the crossing. The situation is impossible for him to comprehend. When my niece sees food online, she asks us why we don’t eat like that. Why don’t we just buy a chicken? When Adam goes to the market with his mother, he asks the vendors, “Do you have chicken? I want to eat rice, chicken and potatoes.” The vendors now know Adam well and they have become invested in finding a chicken for him. They always ask us: “Did Adam eat today?” You cannot ration a child Two days ago, our neighbour came to visit. I could see that she’s lost a lot of weight. The main topic of conversation is always food these days. She asked us what we ate that day. Did we eat anything different? She told us that she only eats a little zaatar every day and cannot afford tomatoes, which are now 55 shekels ($20) a kilo – if you find them. A displaced child lines up for food aid in Deir el-Balah on October 17, 2024 [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP] She said she goes to
Ten newborns killed in north India hospital fire
The babies died from burns and suffocation after a blaze swept through a neonatal intensive care unit in Jhansi. A fire ripped through the neonatal unit of a hospital in northern India, killing 10 newborns and injuring 17, the authorities said. Emergency responders rescued 38 newborns from the ward, which housed 49 infants at the time of the incident, said Uttar Pradesh state’s Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday. The fire broke out at 10:30pm (17:00 GMT) on Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, about 450km (280 miles) south of the national capital, New Delhi. “Seventeen of the injured are receiving treatment in different wings and some private hospitals,” Pathak told reporters in Jhansi. The newborns died from burns and suffocation. Seven of the dead infants have been identified, while efforts were on to identify the remaining three, Pathak said. The cause of the fire was being investigated, but police said it was most likely caused by a faulty oxygen concentrator. Footage from the scene posted on social media showed charred beds and walls inside the ward as anguished families waited outside. The rescued babies, all only days old, were laid side by side on a bed elsewhere in the hospital as staff hooked them up to intravenous drips. Images of charred beds and walls inside the neonatal unit at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi [AFP Screenshot] One infant remains missing, a government official, who asked not to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to media, told the Reuters news agency. Pathak said a safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February, followed by a fire drill three months later. “If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared,” he said. District official Avinash Kumar told The Hindustan Times newspaper that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the unit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths “heart-wrenching” in a post on social media. “My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this,” Modi wrote. “I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss.” Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced compensation equivalent to $5,900 to the bereaved families. Building fires are common in India due to shoddy construction and a routine disregard for safety regulations. Six months back, a similar blaze at a children’s hospital in New Delhi killed seven newborns. Last October, a huge explosion involving fireworks left dozens of people injured in the state of Kerala. Adblock test (Why?)