International

President-elect Donald Trump said that North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, a wealthy former software company executive, will be his pick for interior secretary.“He’s going to head the Department of Interior, and it’s going to be fantastic,” a tuxedo-wearing Trump said at a gala at his Mar-a-Lago Florida retreat, adding that he would make an official announcement on Friday.Burgum, 68, has portrayed himself as a traditional, business-minded conservative. He ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination before quitting and becoming a loyal Trump supporter, appearing at fundraisers and advocating for Trump on television.At the gala, which featured tech billionaire Elon Musk, actor Sylvester Stallone and members of his incoming administration, Trump praised his latest cabinet picks and made some of his longest remarks since his presidential election victory speech.“Nobody knew we were going to win it the way we won it,” Trump said.He teased Musk about his ongoing post-election stay at Mar-a-Lago. Musk is involved in some of Trump’s meetings at the oceanfront property. “I can’t get him out of here. He just loves this place. And I like having him here,” said Trump. At the end of the event, Musk mounted the stage. “The public has given us a mandate that could not be more clear. The people have spoken, the people want change,” he said.Since his victory, Trump has chosen several loyalists with little experience for key cabinet positions, stunning some allies and making clear that he is serious about reshaping - and in some cases testing - America’s institutions.The Interior Secretary will oversee policies guiding the use of 500mn acres of federal and tribal land, a fifth of the nation’s surface area. President Joe Biden made the agency central to his climate change agenda by boosting the permitting of offshore wind and solar energy projects and creating a program to lease lands for conservation in the same way they are for development.Burgum is expected to be tasked with increasing oil, gas and mineral production on federal lands and waters. That job would likely involve ratcheting up new leasing in the Gulf of Mexico and on federal lands in oil-producing states like Wyoming and New Mexico. Biden had pledged to stop new federal leasing for oil extraction but was prevented by the courts from doing so.Interior leadership under Trump could scrap Biden’s five-year offshore drilling plan, which had a historically low number of auctions scheduled, and step up acreage offered at Congressionally-mandated onshore sales. Drilling activity on federal lands and waters accounts for about a quarter of US oil production and 12% of gas production.The number of drilling permits approved on federal lands fell 16% between fiscal 2020, the last year of Trump’s first administration, and fiscal 2023, according to data from the US Bureau of Land Management. Acreage in new onshore leases slid 95%.

The people of Kenya’s coastal village of Mwazaro used to earn their living mainly growing cassava and maize, until the ravages of drought forced them to try a new crop - seaweed.They plant it on the beachfront and lay it out to dry inland, joining scores of other communities feeding a growing demand at home and abroad for associated products including soap, shampoo and seaweed powder, used in food.Seaweed farming was first introduced in Kenya in 2008 and has expanded rapidly to cover 20 villages, David Mirera, a scientist at the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), said. Higher temperatures, rising sea levels and poor rains have all played their part in the shift.Along the coast in the village of Kibuyuni, investments in seaweed farming have led to improvements in infrastructure and electricity, said Kassim Ramtu Bakari, who does marketing for the Seaweed Farmers’ Co-operative there, which employs more than 100 households. Tima Jasho, a mother of seven in Kibuyuni, said she was now able to pay her children’s school fees and move her family from a mud home to a brick house.“If you grow seaweed, you don’t have to depend on a man,” she told Reuters. “I can earn my own money.” In 2022, the industry produced almost 100 tons of seaweed worth more than $30,000, according to KMFRI data. Farmers export dry seaweed to China, France, the United States and other countries.The global market for seaweed has tripled in size in the last two decades, according to a 2024 United Nations Report, growing from $5bn in 2000 to $17bn in 2021.It is Tanzania’s third largest export and employs over 26,000 farmers, said George Maina, a scientist at The Nature Conservancy, an environmental nonprofit which supports seaweed farmers in Kenya and Tanzania. Kenya has a long way to go before it becomes a global industry leader like its neighbour, Maina said.“It’s still lagging in terms of production,” he said. “But it’s a sector that is growing.”

Dozens of escaped residents of the besieged town of Al-Hilaliya in Sudan’s El Gezira state have tested positive for cholera, a medical source told Reuters, in a development that provides a likely explanation for the reported deaths of hundreds there.While local activists say that more than 300 people have died, a group of Hilaliya residents in the diaspora provided to Reuters a list of more than 400 fatalities, a number they say is increasing by the hour.The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began a siege of the town, home to tens of thousands of locals and displaced people, on Oct 29 as part of a campaign of attacks in east Gezira in revenge for the defection of a top RSF commander to the army. At least 15 were killed by gunfire in the RSF raid that started the siege, according to activists.As reports of mass fatalities trickled out, rumours swirled about the cause of the deaths and whether RSF soldiers had intentionally poisoned people.But an increasing number of those who have escaped from the town have tested positive for cholera, the medical source said.Other medics from the town told Reuters that after the soldiers drove people from their homes, stealing money, cars, and livestock, most inhabitants sought refuge in the courtyards of three mosques.The soldiers had also taken the solar panels and electrical wires used to extract groundwater, forcing at least some of the residents to rely on a shallow traditional well that had gone unused for decades and may have mixed with sewage, according to the medics and an eyewitness.The medics and eyewitnesses asked for anonymity to avoid retribution by either side in the conflict.The UN said earlier this week that there was a suspected cholera outbreak among people who escaped eastern Gezira, one of several across the country, but did not specify Hilaliya. The Shargelnil Emergency Response Room said medics in Omdawanban Hospital had received at least 200 cholera cases from the region.With the exact cause unknown, dozens in Hilaliya began falling ill with stomach pains, diarrhoea, and vomiting. The soldiers had looted the town’s hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies, so only a few were able to take antibiotics and recover, one of the medics said.The rest began to die.Those who wanted to leave paid RSF soldiers large sums to be transported out of the state, eyewitnesses who arrived in the army-controlled town of Shendi said. Thousands remain.“We escaped death by a miracle, so many around us were dying from this illness,” said one 70-year-old man.The Sudanese Ministry of Health and the Rapid Support Forces did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The devastating war that broke out in April 2023 between the army and RSF has destroyed Sudan’s infrastructure and spread disease, creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.

A 2,000-year-old Roman knife handle shaped like a gladiator that was discovered in northern England will go on public display for the first time, the charity English Heritage said yesterday.Two divers found the well-preserved object in 1997 in the River Tyne at Corbridge near Hadrian’s Wall, the 73-mile fortification built by the Romans to defend the northern limits of their empire. It was donated to English Heritage this year.The copper alloy handle, part of a folding knife, was probably used as a souvenir, reflecting the celebrity status that gladiators enjoyed as they fought in arenas for the entertainment of the public, English Heritage said.“This beautifully made knife handle is a testament to how pervasive this celebrity culture was, reaching all the way to Hadrian’s Wall at the very edge of the Roman Empire,” archaeologist Frances McIntosh said. Some two millennia later, the fascination has endured, highlighted by the Gladiator film sequel which released yesterday.

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday directed authorities to stock up on food and other supplies in advance as Typhoon Man-yi threatened to hit the capital region.Marcos warned of potential storm surges that meteorologists estimate could reach up to 3m and told residents to seek safe shelter ahead of heavy rain in eastern provinces and Metro Manila over the weekend.Man-yi, locally known as Pepito, is the sixth tropical cyclone to enter the typhoon-battered Philippines in a month.“We have to do a little extra here. We are already in bad shape because of the saturation, the damage done to infrastructure, homes and other infrastructure,” Marcos told a situation briefing.“Watch out for the storm surge and continue what you are doing on the relief goods.”The National Capital Region (NCR), a dense urban sprawl of 16 cities and home to more than 13mn people, is at risk of flooding from heavy to intense rains starting tomorrow at noon, data from the state weather agency showed.“NCR is in greatest danger here,” Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla told the briefing. “NCR is very vulnerable to flooding again.”Man-yi gained strength overnight in the western Pacific, with sustained winds of up to 150km per hour and gusts of up to 185kph. It is forecast to make landfall in the eastern Catanduanes province between today evening and tomorrow morning.Another typhoon, Usagi, weakened sharply yesterday after bearing down on the Philippines’ northern towns, blowing away houses in its path before heading towards Taiwan.No casualties have yet been reported from Usagi but thousands of families living in vulnerable communities have fled ahead of its arrival.Rueli Rapsing, head of the Cagayan disaster relief office, said town officials are still checking the extent of the damage from the storm.“There were more homes that were partially or totally blown after Marce (Typhoon Yinxing). Currently, we’re moving around assessing the damage,” Rapsing said yesterday.Mandatory evacuations of vulnerable residents in coastal towns in Typhoon Man-yi’s path will begin soon, the interior ministry said.In October, Tropical Storm Trami and Typhoon Kong-rey brought heavy flooding and triggered landslides, killing 162 people with 22 still missing, according to government data.Four storms churned in the western Pacific ocean at the same time this month, the first time it has happened since records began in 1951, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Canada's foreign minister on Thursday expressed deep concern about "catastrophic" humanitarian conditions across Gaza and warned about "the life-threatening levels of acute malnutrition."Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly cited a Nov. 8 report by the Famine Review Committee that found a strong likelihood that famine is occurring or imminent in areas within the northern Gaza Strip. The committee has previously found that 133,000 people in Gaza were facing catastrophic food insecurity."This means that civilians - men, women and children - are dying because of the lack of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza," she said in a joint statement with International Development Minister Ahmend Hussen.The statement said not enough aid is reaching those who rely on it for survival and humanitarian agencies and humanitarian workers continue to face preventable impediments.Israel must abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law and provide a significant and sustained increase to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population, it added.

US President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to build a strong military and bring an end to wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.In his first major address since winning the presidential race last week, Trump spoke at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, asserting, "We need to restore our greatness as a low-tax nation with a powerful military. Weve done it before, and we will do it again," while also criticizing the substantial spending in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021.Trump also promised to work toward ending conflicts in the Middle East, Russia, and Ukraine, stating that "this has to stop."The president-elect praised his recent appointments in health, justice, and defense departments, as well as the Department of Government Efficiency, which he has entrusted to businessman Elon Musk.Trump assigned Musk to propose strategies for reducing federal government spending, including a possible downsizing within the Department of Defense.Last week, Trump secured the presidential election by defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, returning to the White House for another term.

Nadezhda Grishaeva, a former professional basketball player and owner of Anvil Fitness Club, is expanding her influence beyond sports and fitness. With the success of Anvil Café, which promotes a healthy lifestyle through balanced meals, Grishaeva is taking her wellness philosophy into the Middle East, setting new trends in the regional dining scene. Healthy Eating on the Rise in the Middle EastThere has been a growing interest in healthy eating across the Middle East in recent years. People are becoming more aware of what they are eating, paying attention not only to how food tastes but also to where it comes from and how it benefits their health. According to a 2023 report from Statista, the health and wellness food market in the Middle East has seen consistent growth, driven by increased awareness of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and heart disease.This shift toward healthier eating habits has prompted the opening of restaurants like Anvil Café. Grishaeva offers nutritious meals and detailed information about their ingredients and nutritional value. "People today want to know what is in their food and how it supports their health," Grishaeva says.The Middle Eastern market is ripe for health-conscious dining options. Cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi are seeing a surge in demand for places where people can enjoy healthy, balanced meals, and Grishaeva's expansion plans fit right into that growing market.The Success of Anvil CaféAnvil Café opened its doors as part of the Anvil Fitness Club. What started as a service for gym members quickly gained popularity among the general public. Today, the café draws in customers from all walks of life, from fitness fanatics to local families looking for healthier meal options.One reason for the café's success is its emphasis on quality. Anvil Café works closely with suppliers to ensure that only the best fruits, vegetables, and fish are used in its dishes. The café also uses modern cooking techniques to preserve the nutritional value of its ingredients. Whether a person is looking for a gluten-free option, a vegan meal, or something low-carb, Anvil Café offers a variety of choices, each prepared with care and attention."Healthy eating is not about limiting yourself; it is about finding balance," says Grishaeva. This philosophy has resonated with the café’s clientele, many of whom return regularly to enjoy the balanced meals that Anvil Café provides. The café has successfully built a reputation as a place where people can enjoy good food that supports their fitness goals.A Menu Designed for TransparencyOne of Anvil Café's standout features is how it presents its menu. Each dish has a detailed breakdown of calories, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, giving diners the information they need to make informed choices. This kind of nutritional transparency has become increasingly important as more people take control of their health and fitness.The café’s menu includes various options, from salads and lean proteins to healthy desserts. It caters to various dietary needs, including vegans and people with food allergies. This level of flexibility is one reason why Anvil Café has built such a loyal customer base. People know that when they come to Anvil Café, they will find something that fits their dietary preferences.Challenges of the Healthy Restaurant FormatDespite its success, running a health-focused restaurant like Anvil Café comes with its own set of challenges. One key issue is maintaining the high standards that Grishaeva has set for the café. For example, Anvil Café has a strict policy against smoking and does not serve alcohol. While these decisions are in line with the café's health-focused mission, they may limit its appeal to some customers.The challenge of sourcing high-quality ingredients year-round is also present. The café prides itself on offering only the freshest produce, but this means that some ingredients may be harder to find depending on the season or location. As Grishaeva expands into the Middle East, she must maintain the same quality, even in new markets."Consistency is key," Grishaeva notes. As she opens new locations in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain, maintaining the same level of quality will be one of her top priorities. Her team is already building relationships with local suppliers to ensure that each new café meets the same high standards.Expansion Plans in the Middle EastBuilding on the success of Anvil Café, Grishaeva plans to open two new locations in the Middle East, specifically in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain. These cities have been identified as growth markets for health-focused dining due to their increasing populations and interest in wellness culture. The expansion reflects the rising demand for healthy, convenient dining options in the region, particularly among younger urban populations.According to a report by Euromonitor, the Middle Eastern health and wellness food market is expected to grow by 7.4% annually through 2030, driven by both consumer demand and government initiatives aimed at reducing obesity and promoting healthy lifestyles. By entering this growing market, Anvil Café will become vital in the Middle Eastern dining scene, appealing to consumers looking for nutritious and flavorful meals that meet their health goals.By: Andi Stark

An entire generation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip would "be denied the right to education" if the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA collapses in the enclave under new Israeli legislation, the head of UNRWA warned on Wednesday.Israel's parliament passed a law last month that will ban UNRWA from operating in the country when it takes effect in late January. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said its implementation "will have catastrophic consequences."

President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, longtime political rivals, met yesterday for the first time since Trump won back the White House last week and both promised a smooth transfer of power in January.The two American leaders sat side by side before a roaring fire in the Oval Office, a peaceful scene that belied tensions between them. The meeting ended after roughly two hours, a White House official said. Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump in the 2020 election but dropped out of the 2024 race in July after a disastrous debate with the Republican candidate. Vice-President Kamala Harris became the candidate but lost to Trump.“We’re looking forward to having, like we said, a smooth transition, do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” Biden said. “Welcome, welcome back.”“Politics is tough, and in many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth it’ll be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that, Joe,” said Trump, who takes over on January 20.Reporters shouted questions but were quickly ushered out.The traditional courtesy of welcoming the president-elect into the Oval Office is one that Trump did not extend when Biden won in 2020. It was a sharp contrast to the criticism the two men have hurled at each other for years. Their respective teams hold vastly different positions on policies from climate change to Russia to trade.First lady Jill Biden joined Biden in greeting Trump on his arrival. The White House said she gave Trump a handwritten letter of congratulations for his wife, Melania Trump, and “expressed her team’s readiness to assist with the transition.” Biden, 81, has portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump, 78, has portrayed Biden as incompetent. Trump made false claims of widespread fraud after losing the 2020 election to Biden.Trump celebrated his victory earlier in the day with Republicans in the House of Representatives who have a good chance of maintaining control of the chamber as November 5 election results trickle in.“Isn’t it nice to win? It’s nice to win. It’s always nice to win,” Trump said. “The House did very well.” Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk joined Trump at the meeting with Republican lawmakers. Trump on Tuesday named Musk to a role co-leading a newly created Department of Government Efficiency, handing even more influence to the world’s richest man who donated millions of dollars to help Trump get elected.“He believes in the norms, he believes in our institution, he believes in the peaceful transfer of power,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said of Biden’s decision to invite Trump. She spoke at a briefing for reporters on Tuesday.Outside the White House gates, signs of the impending power transfer were evident with construction already under way for the stands for VIP guests to sit during the parade that will take place after Trump is inaugurated. Dozens of White House staff members gathered on an outdoor stairwell to glimpse Trump’s arrival.Although Biden intended to use the meeting to show continuity, the transition itself has partially stalled. Trump’s team, which has already announced some members of the incoming president’s cabinet, has yet to sign agreements that would lead to office space and government equipment as well as access to government officials, facilities and information, according to the White House.

Russia escalated its attacks on Kyiv early yesterday, launching waves of drones and missiles in its first combined aerial assault on the capital in more than 70 days, authorities said.The attacks came as Washington and Seoul echoed warnings from Ukraine that North Korean troops had begun “engaging in combat operations” alongside Russian forces on the border between the warring countries.Ukraine’s air force said its units had downed four missiles and 37 drones launched by Russia over eight regions of Ukraine overnight and into last morning.“It is important that our forces have the means to defend the country from Russian terror,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response to the attack.Ukraine has for months been appealing to its Western allies to provide more air-defence systems to fend off Russian attacks on cities and critical infrastructure.The large-scale bombardment comes at a critical moment on the battlefield. Russian forces are advancing in the east and concerns are growing over future aid for Ukraine after Donald Trump’s victory in US presidential elections.AFP journalists heard explosions ring out over Kyiv and saw dozens of residents seeking shelter in an underground metro station in the centre of the capital.Kyiv officials said one man was wounded by falling debris from a downed drone in the suburb of Brovary, while emergency services distributed images of firefighters battling flames at one impact site.A separate drone attack in the Ukrainian-controlled southern region of Kherson, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia, killed a 52-year-old woman, the regional head said.Multiple air raid sirens rang out early yesterday as authorities said missiles were closing in on Kyiv, which was home to nearly three million people before Russia invaded in February 2022.“As missiles were approaching Kyiv, the enemy simultaneously launched a ballistic missile attack on the capital. The enemy attack ended with another drone strike,” city authorities said.The attack is the latest in an uptick in escalating strikes on Ukrainian cities, mainly in the south of the war-battered country.A Russian strike this week on Kryvyi Rig, Zelensky’s hometown, killed a 32-year-old mother and her three children.The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its forces target civilians in Ukraine, a claim its spokesman repeated yesterday in response to a question over whether Russian forces were working to minimise civilian casualties.Over the weekend, Moscow and Kyiv launched record overnight drone attacks on each other.

A US federal jury found that contractor CACI International shared responsibility with the US Army for abusing detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, awarding $42 million in damages Tuesday to three Iraqi men who said they were tortured there two decades ago.The jury said that the Virginia-based company liable for its role in the torture of Iraqi men at Abu Ghraib prison in 2003-2004, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights.This verdict came after two civil trials held in Virginia courts, the first of which began in Reston in April, followed by a second trial in the city of Alexandria in late October.The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed in 2008. The jury ordered CACI International to pay each of the three plaintiffs, Suhail Al Shimari, Asaad Zubae and Salah Al-Ejaili, $3 million in compensatory damages and $11 million in punitive damages, for a total of $42 million.

Ukrainian authorities issued air raid alerts covering the entire country on Wednesday, as the president's chief of staff warned of a missile attack on the capital."Putin is launching a missile attack on Kyiv right now," Andriy Yermak said on Telegram, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.Ukraine's air force warned earlier Wednesday that a missile had entered the country's airspace and was headed for the capital city."Attention! Missile in Chernihiv region heading for Kyiv region," it said on Telegram.The attack comes after a week of relentless strikes, including one on the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that killed a 32-year-old mother and her three children.Over the weekend, Moscow and Kyiv launched record overnight drone attacks on each other.Zelensky has warned that Russia has prepared a force of some 50,000 troops, including North Korean fighters, to expel Ukrainian forces from the Russian region of Kursk

Thirty-five people were killed and 43 others injured in a car ramming accident at a sports center in Zhuhai City, southern China's Guangdong Province.The Zhuhai Public Security Bureau reported Tuesday that the accident occurred last night when a number of people were exercising at the center.The bureau said that shortly after the accident, the 62-year-old driver was taken under control.

Donald Trump is expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state, sources said, putting the Florida-born politician on track to be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat once the Republican president-elect takes office in January.Rubio was arguably the most hawkish option on Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, and he has in past years advocated for a muscular foreign policy with respect to America’s geopolitical foes, including China, Iran and Cuba.Over the last several years he has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Trump’s views. The president-elect accuses past US presidents of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.While the famously mercurial Trump could always change his mind at the last minute, he appeared to have settled on his pick as of Monday, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss private conversations. The apparent Rubio selection has generated concern among some Trump allies who see the Florida senator as having a world view and establishment credentials at odds with the more isolationist stance favoured by the Republican hard right.Some cautioned on the social media site X that the choice of Rubio had not been finalised, although it was unclear where their information was coming from.Caroline Wren, a pro-Trump fundraiser, mocked Rubio, comparing him unfavourably to former ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, who was also in the running to be secretary of state.“Why would we have wanted someone totally loyal like Ric Grenell when we can have a Senator who is ‘totally owned by lobbyists’ and a ‘lightweight with the worst voting record in the Senate’?” Wren posted on X, referring to Trump’s own past statements about Rubio.Representatives for Trump and Rubio did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither Trump nor Rubio has spoken publicly about the matter.The new administration will confront a world more volatile and dangerous than it was when Trump took office in 2017, with wars raging in Ukraine and the Middle East and with China aligning itself more closely with US foes Russia and Iran.The Ukraine crisis will be high on Rubio’s agenda.Rubio, 53, has said in recent interviews that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade. He was also one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a $95bn military aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other US partners, passed in April.

After surviving more than a year of war in Gaza, Aisha Khaled is now afraid of dying of hunger if vital aid is cut off next year by a new Israeli law banning the UN Palestinian relief agency from operating in its territory.The law, which has been widely criticised internationally, is due to come into effect in late January and could deny Khaled and thousands of others their main source of aid at a time when everything around them is being destroyed.“For me and for a million refugees, if the aid stops, we will end. We will die from hunger not from war,” the 31-year-old volunteer teacher told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.“If the school closes, where do we go? All the aspects of our lives are dependent on the agency: flour, food, water...(medical) treatment, hospitals,” Khaled said from an UNRWA school in Nuseirat in central Gaza.“We depend on them after God,” she said.UNRWA employs 13,000 people in Gaza, running the enclave’s schools, healthcare clinics and other social services, as well as distributing aid.Now, UNRWA-run buildings, including schools, are home to thousands forced to flee their homes after Israeli air strikes reduced towns across the strip to wastelands of rubble.UNRWA shelters have been frequently bombed during the year-long war, and at least 220 UNRWA staff have been killed.If the Israeli law as passed last month does come into effect, the consequences would be “catastrophic,” said Inas Hamdan, UNRWA’s Gaza communications officer.“There are 2mn people in Gaza who rely on UNRWA for survival, including food assistance and primary healthcare,” she said.The law banning UNRWA applies to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gaza and Arab East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in 1967 during the Six-Day War.Israeli lawmakers who drafted the ban cited what they described as the involvement of a handful of UNRWA’s thousands of staffers in the attack on southern Israel last year that triggered the war and said some staff were members of Hamas and other armed groups.FRAGILE LIFELINEThe war in Gaza erupted in the first week of October 2023, when Hamas fighters stormed Israel.Israel’s military campaign has levelled much of Gaza and killed around 43,500 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say. Up to 10,000 people are believed to be dead and uncounted under the rubble, according to Gaza’s Civil Emergency Service.Most of the strip’s 2.3mn people have been forced to leave their homes because of the fighting and destruction.The ban ends Israel’s decades-long agreement with UNRWA that covered the protection, movement and diplomatic immunity of the agency in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.For many Palestinians, UNRWA aid is their only lifeline, and it is a fragile one. Last week, a committee of global food security experts warned there was a strong likelihood of imminent famine in northern Gaza, where Israel renewed an offensive last month.Israel rejected the famine warning, saying it was based on “partial, biased data”.COGAT, the Israeli military agency that deals with Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that it was continuing to “facilitate the implementation of humanitarian efforts” in Gaza.But UN data shows the amount of aid entering Gaza has plummeted to its lowest level in a year and the United Nations has accused Israel of hindering and blocking attempts to deliver aid, particularly to the north.“The daily average of humanitarian trucks the Israeli authorities allowed into Gaza last month is 30 trucks a day,” Hamdan said, adding that the figure represents 6% of the supplies that were allowed into Gaza before this war began.“More aid must be sent to Gaza, and UNRWA work should be facilitated to manage this aid entering Gaza,” she said.‘BACKBONE’OF AID SYSTEMMany other aid organisations rely on UNRWA to help them deliver aid and UN officials say the agency is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza.“From our perspective, and I am sure from many of the other humanitarian actors, it’s an impossible task (to replace UNRWA),” said Oxfam GB’s humanitarian lead Magnus Corfixen in a phone interview with the Thomson Reuters Foundation.“The priority is to ensure that they will remain...because they are essential for us,” he said.UNRWA supports other agencies with logistics, helping them source the fuel they need to move staff and power desalination plants, he said.“Without them, we will struggle with access to warehouses, having access to fuel, having access to trucks, being able to move around, being able to coordinate,” Corfixen said, describing UNRWA as “essential”. UNRWA schools also offer rare respite for traumatised children who have lost everything.Twelve-year-old Lamar Younis Abu Zraid fled her home in Maghazi in central Gaza at the beginning of the war last year.The UNRWA school she used to attend as a student has become a shelter, and she herself has been living in another school-turned-shelter in Nuseirat for a year.Despite the upheaval, in the UNRWA shelter she can enjoy some of the things she liked doing before war broke out.She can see friends, attend classes, do arts and crafts and join singing sessions. Other activities are painfully new but necessary, like mental health support sessions to cope with what is happening.She too is aware of the fragility of the lifeline she has been given. Now she has to share one copybook with a friend because supplies have run out. “Before they used to give us books and pens, now they are not available,” she said.

Mauritius opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam was confirmed as prime minister yesterday following a thumping election victory for his coalition that took every parliamentary seat on the main island.One of Africa’s most stable and prosperous democracies, the Indian Ocean island chain has been dominated by a handful of political dynasties since independence from Britain in 1968.Ramgoolam was confirmed as the new prime minister, a post he has held twice before, by the president’s office.“The court of the people has delivered its verdict and a new Mauritius awakes,” the 77-year-old said to boisterous cheers and blaring horns.The outgoing premier Pravind Jugnauth resigned. He had been in office since 2017, having inherited the job from his father.The election commission said Ramgoolam’s alliance had won 62.6% of the vote while Jugnauth’s Lepep Alliance took 27.8%. Thanks to its winner-takes-all system, it is the third time Mauritius has seen a 60-0 result for parliamentary seats, though four additional seats were given to so-called “best losers”.Jugnauth, 62, was just last month celebrating a historic deal that saw Britain cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a long-running dispute.But the vote was overshadowed by an explosive wire-tapping scandal, when secretly recorded phone calls of politicians, diplomats, members of civil society and journalists were leaked online.The government responded by banning social media until a huge outcry forced the ban to be scrapped within 24 hours.Analysts had recently warned of worsening governance, corruption and the need to diversify the economy.The election result was a “rejection of the now former regime’s abuse and misuse of power that have contributed to a weakening of good governance in Mauritius,” said Adeelah Kodabux, director of LEDA, a research and advocacy organisation in Mauritius.In last month’s Ibrahim Index, which monitors governance across Africa, Mauritius lost the top spot to Seychelles.The peaceful change of power raises hope of reform “to consolidate separation of power and rebuild the trust of their citizens,” said Kodabux.But she said the new government needed to introduce political reforms to address the lack of opposition caused by lop-sided election results.The Alliance of Change has promised changes to how the president and parliament speaker are chosen.But both campaigns focused on cost-of-living issues, with Ramgoolam offering increased pensions and cheaper fuel.The majority-Hindu nation has seen substantial stability and growth since independence, building an economy based on tourism, financial services and textile manufacturing, with GDP per head over $10,000, according to the World Bank.Ramgoolam, formerly a doctor and lawyer, served as prime minister in 1995-2000 and 2005-14.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed concern about the fate of Palestinians remaining in North Gaza, as the siege there continues, and urgently called on the Israeli occupation authorities to open up the area to humanitarian operations at the scale needed, given the massive needs required.Humanitarian access to northern Gaza broadly has been extremely limited. In October, OCHA registered 98 attempts to coordinate movements to the north via the checkpoint along Wadi Gaza. 85% of the requests were denied or impeded, OCHA said.In October, humanitarian organizations submitted 50 requests to the Israeli authorities to enter North Gaza Governorate. Thirty-three of those requests were rejected outright, and eight were initially accepted but then faced impediments along the way, OCHA added.Urgent assistance is needed, including medical treatment and essential medications. Palestinians in Gaza City also need blankets, warm clothing, shoes, heaters, and fuel as winter approaches. The sewage system also needs repairs, and a reliable supply of safe drinking water is essential to improve sanitation and to avoid the spread of waterborne diseases, OCHA stressed.

North Korea has ratified a landmark mutual treaty to establish a strategic partnership with Russia stipulating mutual military aid, state media has announced, as international concern grows over increasing military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.Kim Jong Un, the leader of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea - North Koreas official name - has signed a decree to ratify the "Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships" with Russia. The agreement will take effect when both sides exchange the ratification instruments, according to North Koreas official news agency (KCNA).The treaty, first signed in Pyongyang on June 19 during a lavish state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, obliges both countries to provide immediate military assistance to each other using "all means" necessary if either faces "aggression".Russias parliament ratified the treaty on Nov. 6.

Tom Homan, US President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming “border czar”, (pictured) said yesterday he would prioritise deporting immigrants in the United States illegally who pose threats to public safety and national security as well as employers who hire immigrants without legal status.Trump, who takes office in January, said in a social media post overnight that the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from his first administration would be in charge of the country’s borders in his new administration starting January 20.The president-elect made cracking down on illegal immigration the central element of his campaign, promising mass deportations. He is expected to mobilise agencies across the US government to help him deport record numbers of immigrants in an operation that Vice President-elect J D Vance has said could remove an estimated 1mn people per year.“Public safety threats and national security threats will be the priority...they pose the most danger to this country,” Homan told Fox News in an interview, adding: “Worksite operations have to happen.”Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform late on Sunday, said Homan will be “in charge of our nation’s borders (“The Border Czar”), including, but not limited to, the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” including the deportation of immigrants in the US illegally.Immigrant advocates have warned that Trump’s deportation effort would be costly, divisive and inhumane, leading to family separations and devastating communities.Homan, who was often praised by Trump during the campaign and who campaigned for him, said he would also focus on immigrants ordered to leave after a failed asylum claims.“At the end of that due process, if the judge says you must go home, then we have to take them home,” Homan told Fox. He said he would like to have cooperation from local law enforcement but if Democrat-led “sanctuary” jurisdictions like New York City resist, he would consider sending in more ICE officers.“We’re going to do the job without you or with you,” Homan said. While ICE executed several large-scale worksite raids during Trump’s first term, the number of employers arrested for hiring immigrants in the US illegally fell compared with his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama, agency statistics show.Groups favouring lower levels of immigration have long said increased enforcement against employers could reduce incentives for illegal immigration.Homan was among several top Trump immigration officials who in 2018 recommended the administration implement a stringent border policy that resulted in thousands of migrant families being separated at the border.