http://torrentinvites.org/ A place to chill out and chat with others, if you so wish. en Sat, 18 Jan 2025 02:06:15 GMT vBulletin 60 http://torrentinvites.org/images/styles/ChitChat/misc/rss.png http://torrentinvites.org/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/earthquake-struck-644936/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:41:34 GMT Say Palestinians as air strikes in Gaza crush joy of ceasefire deal After news of a ceasefire agreement sparked mass rejoicing in Gaza, residents... Say Palestinians as air strikes in Gaza crush joy of ceasefire deal

After news of a ceasefire agreement sparked mass rejoicing in Gaza, residents woke up yesterday to columns of smoke, rubble and more deaths following new Israeli air strikes.

"We were waiting for the truce and were happy. It was the happiest night since October 7," said Gaza resident Saeed Alloush, referring to the Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in 2023.

"Suddenly... we received the news of the martyrdom of 40 people," including his uncle, Alloush said. "The whole area's joy turned to sadness, as if an earthquake struck."

The latest strikes came after Qatar and the United States announced a fragile ceasefire deal that should take effect on Sunday.

AFP has contacted the Israeli military for comment.

Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for Gaza's civil defence agency, told AFP yesterday that at least 73 people had been killed in Israeli air strikes since the announcement on Wednesday.

Among them were 20 children and 25 women, he said, with around 200 others wounded.

As day broke, crowds gathered to inspect and clear the remains of a building reduced to rubble, where chunks of concrete lay interspersed with rebar and personal items scattered across the site.

The scenes mirrored those in other parts of the densely populated territory of 2.4 million people, most of whom have been displaced at least once since the offensive broke out in October 2023.

At Nasser Hospita ln Khan Yunis, AFP journalists saw stained metal mortuary stretchers stained in red as staff drained them of the blood of the dead in a strike.

In Gaza City's Al-Ahli hospital, where several strike casualties were taken, grieving families knelt by the white shrouds enveloping their loved ones' bodies.

Rescuer Ibrahim Abu al-Rish told AFP that "after the ceasefire was announced and people were happy and joyful, a five-storey building was targeted, with over 50 people inside". ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/earthquake-struck-644936/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/israeli-strikes-gaza-kill-77-after-truce-accord-644935/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:40:06 GMT Women, children among dead; Netanyahu says Hamas backtracking on agreements Palestinians gather to receive food aid being distributed in Deir... Women, children among dead; Netanyahu says Hamas backtracking on agreements

Palestinians gather to receive food aid being distributed in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, yesterday. Photo: AFP
Israel delays cabinet vote on ceasefire deal
Hamas is committed to ceasefire deal: official
Trucks carrying aid lining up in Egyptian border town
Israel airstrikes killed 77 people in Gaza yesterday, residents and authorities in the enclave said, hours after a ceasefire and hostage release deal was announced to bring an end to 15 months of offensive.

The complex ceasefire accord emerged on Wednesday after mediation by Qatar, Egypt and the US to stop the offensive that has devastated the coastal territory and inflamed the Middle East.

The deal, scheduled to be implemented from Sunday, outlines a six-week initial ceasefire with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, where tens of thousands have been killed. Hostages taken by Hamas, which controls the enclave, would be freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.

Israel's acceptance of the deal will not be official until it is approved by the country's security cabinet and government, and a vote was slated for yesterday, an Israeli official said.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of making last-minute demands and going back on agreements.

"The Israeli cabinet will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement," a statement from Netanyahu's office said. It was unclear what impact the latest delay will have on the deal.

Hamas is committed to the ceasefire agreement announced by mediators on Wednesday, senior group official Izzat el-Reshiq said yesterday.

Hardliners in Netanyahu's government were still hoping to stop the deal, though a majority of ministers were still expected to back it.

While people celebrated the pact in Gaza and Israel, Israel's military conducted more attacks after the announcement, the civil emergency service and residents said.

Yesterday, Hamas fighters fired a rocket into Israel, the Israeli military said, causing no casualties.

Israeli airstrikes throughout the night and early yesterday killed at least 77 Palestinians, including women and children, raising the death toll to 46,788 people, according to Gaza health officials.

The agreement calls for a surge in humanitarian assistance to Gaza, and the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross said they were preparing to scale up their aid operations.

Rows of aid trucks were lined up in the Egyptian border town of El-Arish waiting to cross into Gaza, once the border is reopened.

Global reaction to the ceasefire was enthusiastic. Leaders and officials of Egypt, Turkey, Britain, the United Nations, the European Union, Jordan, Germany and the United Arab Emirates, among others, celebrated the news.

Biden and Trump both claimed credit for the deal that was months in the making but was helped across the line by a Trump emissary. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/israeli-strikes-gaza-kill-77-after-truce-accord-644935/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/india-achieves-historic-space-docking-mission-644934/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:39:09 GMT India docked two satellites in space yesterday, a key milestone for the country's dreams of a space station and manned Moon mission, the space agency said.

The satellites, weighing 220 kilograms each, blasted off in December on a single rocket from India's Sriharikota launch site. Later they separated.

The two satellites were manoeuvred back together yesterday in a "precision" process resulting in a "successful spacecraft capture", the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said, calling it a "historic moment".

India became the fourth country to achieve the feat -- dubbed as SpaDeX, or Space Docking Experiment -- after Russia, the United States and China.

The aim of the mission was to "develop and demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft", ISRO said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian scientists for the successful docking.

Two earlier docking attempts by ISRO were postponed due to technical issues.

ISRO said the technology is "essential" for India's Moon mission, and comes after Modi announced plans last year to send a manned mission to the Moon by 2040. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/india-achieves-historic-space-docking-mission-644934/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/china-says-population-fell-third-year-row-2024-a-644933/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:38:04 GMT This photo taken on January 16, 2025 shows children taking a ride with adults in a park in Fuyang, east China's Anhui province. China said on January 17 its population fell for the third year running in 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country battles a looming demographic crisis. Photo: AFP
China said Friday its population fell for the third year running in 2024, extending a downward streak after more than six decades of growth as the country faces a rapidly ageing population and persistently low birth rates.

The population stood at 1.408 billion by the end of the year, Beijing's National Bureau of Statistics said, down from 1.410 billion in 2023.

But the decline was less sharp than the previous year, when it was more than double the fall reported for 2022, data showed.

China ended its strict "one-child policy", imposed in the 1980s over overpopulation fears, in 2016 and started letting couples have three children in 2021.

But that has failed to reverse the demographic decline for a country that has long relied on its vast workforce as a driver of economic growth.

Many blame falling birth rates on the soaring cost of living as well as the growing number of women going into the workforce and seeking higher education.

People over 60 are expected to make up nearly a third of China's population by 2035, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, a research group.

And data released Friday showed that the population aged 60 and over reached 310.31 million -- just a few percentage points short of a quarter of the country and an increase from the nearly 297 million recorded in 2023.

In September, officials said they would gradually raise the statutory retirement age, which had not been raised for decades and had been among the lowest in the world.

The rules took effect from January 1.

China's current retirement age was set at a time of widespread scarcity and impoverishment, well before market reforms brought comparative wealth and rapid improvements in nutrition, health and living conditions.

But in recent years, the world's second-largest economy has had to contend with slowing growth, while a fast-greying population and a baby bust have piled pressure onto its pension and public health systems. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/china-says-population-fell-third-year-row-2024-a-644933/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/trump-says-ceasefire-would-ve-never-happened-without-his-team-644932/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:37:03 GMT People wave flags as they march past Trump Tower during a pro-Palestinian rally, in York City on January 16, 2025. Israel and Hamas have reached a... People wave flags as they march past Trump Tower during a pro-Palestinian rally, in York City on January 16, 2025. Israel and Hamas have reached a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, a US official confirmed January 15, in the final days of President Joe Biden's administration. Photo: AFP/CHARLY TRIBALLEAU
US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas would have never been reached without pressure from him and his incoming administration.

The agreement, which would exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, awaits approval by Israel's security cabinet before taking effect, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be negotiated.

Four days away from being inaugurated for a second term, Trump told the Dan Bongino Show that negotiations would have never finalized without pressure from his team, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

"If we weren't involved in this deal, the deal would've never happened," Trump said.

"We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office," he added.

Israel's security cabinet was set to meet Friday to discuss the terms of the ceasefire, which would go into effect Sunday at the earliest, just before Trump's presidential inauguration on Monday.

Trump also blasted outgoing President Joe Biden for taking credit for the ceasefire agreement, calling him "ungracious" and saying: "He didn't do anything! If I didn't do this, if we didn't get involved, the hostages would never be out."

Biden had proposed a ceasefire agreement last May with terms that mirrored the deal reached this week.

The ceasefire agreement under discussion proposes an initial 42-day ceasefire that would see the release of 33 hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza's populations centers.

The second phase of the agreement could bring a "peramanent end to the war," Biden said.

In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Biden said that he had not had any recent discussions with Trump about the ceasefire negotiations. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/trump-says-ceasefire-would-ve-never-happened-without-his-team-644932/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/release-gaza-hostages-expected-begin-sunday-israel-pm-office-644931/ Fri, 17 Jan 2025 11:36:01 GMT A young Palestinian girl walks along a street on a misty morning in Khan Yunis in the northern Gaza Strip on January 17, 2025, as Israel's security cabinet is expected to approve a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. Qatar and the United States announced on January 15 a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas that will take effect on January 19, adding that they hoped it would pave the way for a permanent end to the war in Gaza. Photo: AFP/BASHAR TALEB
The release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel is expected to begin on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Friday.

"Subject to the approval of the cabinet and the government, and the implementation of the agreement, the release of the hostages can proceed according to the planned framework, with the hostages expected to be released as early as Sunday," the office said in a statement.

Two sources close to Hamas told AFP that the first group of hostages to be released consists of three Israeli women soldiers.

"They are expected to be released on Sunday evening," one source said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.

"The Red Cross, along with Egyptian and Qatari teams, will receive the Israeli prisoners (hostages)," he said.

"They will then be transported to Egypt, where they will be handed over to the Israeli side present there to complete the handover and conduct necessary medical examinations."

"Afterward, they will be transported directly to Israel. (Israel) is then expected to release the first group of Palestinian prisoners, including several with high sentences," the source added ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/release-gaza-hostages-expected-begin-sunday-israel-pm-office-644931/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/get-off-your-high-horses-644894/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 15:59:09 GMT I am only new here and the majority of people are generally sound as a rule of thumb I don't need to name names but some a tiny majority of long term members should learn some manners and get off your high and mighty horses and cop on. If you don't like it tough!
Sincerely
Freddie ]]> The Lounge freddiesims http://torrentinvites.org/f24/get-off-your-high-horses-644894/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/gaza-ceasefire-deal-agreed-644886/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:34:49 GMT People celebrate the news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo: AFP Ceasefire would... People celebrate the news of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday. Photo: AFP
Ceasefire would take effect on Sunday
Thousands across Gaza celebrate deal
Biden hails agreement, says worked with Trump
UN chief hopes truce will remove aid obstacles
Qatar's prime minister announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed yesterday to a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza, adding he hoped the deal would pave the way for a permanent end to the fighting.

After mediators earlier said a deal had been reached, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned that some issues in the framework remained "unresolved", though it hoped the "details will be finalised tonight".

Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who holds a largely ceremonial role, said the deal was the "right move" to bring back hostages on October 7, 2023.

The Palestinian group now holds 94 hostages in Gaza. Israel says at least 34 of them are already dead.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani told a press conference that the ceasefire would take effect on Sunday.

"The two belligerents in the Gaza Strip have reached a deal on the prisoner and the hostage swap, and (the mediators) announce a ceasefire in the hopes of reaching a permanent ceasefire between the two sides," he said.

The first phase of the deal would see Hamas release 33 captives, he added, "including civilian women and female recruits, as well as children (and) elderly people... in return for a number of prisoners who are being held in Israeli prisons".

Demonstrators in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the hostages embraced as news of the agreement spread, while thousands across Gaza celebrated the deal to halt the hostilities that have devastated much of the Palestinian territory.

"I can't believe that this nightmare of more than a year is finally coming to an end. We have lost so many people, we've lost everything," said Randa Sameeh, a 45-year-old displaced from Gaza City to the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Hamas said the ceasefire was the "result of the legendary steadfastness of our great Palestinian people and our valiant resistance in the Gaza Strip for over 15 months".

Pressure to put an end to the fighting had ratcheted up in recent days, as mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States intensified efforts to cement an agreement.

Qatar's Sheikh Mohammed said the three countries would monitor the implementation of the ceasefire via a body based in Cairo.

US President Joe Biden said he was "thrilled" at the development, adding the deal would "halt the fighting in Gaza, surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families".

The agreement came after months of failed bids to end the deadliest war in Gaza's history, and days ahead of the inauguration of Biden's successor Donald Trump, who hailed the deal even before it was officially announced by the White House.

Trump had warned Hamas of "hell to pay" if it did not free the remaining captives before he took office, and envoys from both his incoming administration and Biden's outgoing one had been present at the latest negotiations.

"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November," Trump said on social media.

The president-elect added that his White House would "continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven".

Since October 7, last year, Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 46,707 people, most of them civilians.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pointed to the "importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid" into Gaza, as he welcomed news of the deal.

Egypt's state-linked Al-Qahera news outlet cited a security source as saying coordination was "underway" to reopen the Rafah crossing on Gaza's border with Egypt to allow the entry of international aid.

The state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper also reported that talks were underway to open the crossing.

Among the sticking points in successive rounds of talks had been disagreements over the permanence of any ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the scale of humanitarian aid for the Palestinian territory.

The UN's Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, facing an Israeli ban on its activities set to take effect later this month, said it will continue providing much-needed aid.

Netanyahu, who vowed to crush Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 attack, has opposed any post-war role for the militant group in the territory.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday Israel would ultimately "have to accept reuniting Gaza and the West Bank under the leadership of a reformed" Palestinian Authority, and embrace a "path toward forming an independent Palestinian state".

He added that the "best incentive" to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace remained the prospect of normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

World powers and international organisations have for months pushed for a ceasefire, which up until Wednesday had remained elusive. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/gaza-ceasefire-deal-agreed-644886/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/trump-takes-credit-epic-gaza-peace-deal-644885/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:33:38 GMT US President-elect Donald Trump hailed an "epic" ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday -- and claimed credit for an accord that comes days before he is due to be sworn in for his second term.

"We have a deal for the hostages in the Middle East. They will be released shortly. Thank you!" Trump said on his Truth Social network, before any official announcement from outgoing President Joe Biden's White House.

Trump had warned Palestinian armed group Hamas of "hell to pay" if it did not free the captives before he took office, and envoys from both his incoming administration and Biden's outgoing one had been present at the latest negotiations.

"This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November," Trump added in a lengthy second post.

The Republican said his 2024 US election win had "signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies."

He added that he was "thrilled" about the release of the hostages taken by Hamas in its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Those taken included several Americans.

The attack sparked a war that has seen Israel level large swaths of Gaza, killing at least 46,707 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

Hamas's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. The group took 251 people hostage during the attack, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza. At least 34 are dead, according to the Israeli military.

Trump returns to the White House on Monday -- meaning that much of the implementation of the Gaza deal will play out under his incoming administration.

The 78-year-old said his national security team would "work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven."

Trump also signaled he would push for an elusive deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

He said he would "build upon the momentum of this ceasefire" to expand the Abraham Accords from his first term, which established diplomatic ties between Israel and the Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Trump's incoming National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, credited the Gaza deal in a post on X to "The Trump Effect." ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/trump-takes-credit-epic-gaza-peace-deal-644885/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/biden-warns-trump-oligarchy-dark-farewell-speech-644884/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:32:47 GMT US President Joe Biden urged Americans Wednesday to stand guard against a "dangerous" oligarchy forming under Donald Trump as he delivered a dark farewell address before stepping down next week.

In a primetime speech from the Oval Office at the end of his single term in office, he warned of an ultra-wealthy "tech industrial complex" that he said could gain unchecked power over the American people.

"Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms," the 82-year-old Democrat said.

Biden began his speech by touting the legacy of his four years in office, saying it may take time to feel the benefits but that the "seeds were planted" for Americans in the future.

But he soon turned to painting a series of dangers that he said were facing the United States, which clearly referred to billionaire Trump's close ties to the world's richest man, Elon Musk, and other tech tycoons.

Biden warned there was a "dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-wealthy people" with "dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked."

- 'Avalanche of misinformation' -

He then lashed out at social media firms, with Musk having turned X into a right-wing megaphone and Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg ending fact-checking operations in the US as he courts Trump.

"Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation," said Biden.

"The free press is crumbling. Editors are disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit."

He recalled a stark warning issued by president Dwight Eisenhower in his own farewell address in 1961 about the dangers of an out-of-control military industrial complex.

"I'm equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex," he said.

With Trump planning to roll back US commitments to reduce global warming, Biden further warned that "powerful forces" threatened his climate achievements.

He also cautioned over the rise of AI, saying that America must take the lead over China on the transformative technology.

Biden finished by sounding a valedictory tone at the end of a 50-year political career that has seen the former senator mount several failed presidential bids before becoming Barack Obama's vice president, and finally rising to the top himself.

"It's been the highest honor of my life to lead you as commander in chief," said Biden.

Signing off as Trump returns for a second term on Monday, Biden told Americans: "Now it's your turn to stand guard."

- Family hugs -

In emotional scenes, First Lady Jill Biden, son Hunter and Vice President Kamala Harris were in the Oval Office as Biden delivered his political swansong.

After the speech, Biden kissed and hugged family members including his young grandson Beau.

But the dark address was a stunning shift in tone from Biden, who had largely toned down his criticisms of his rival after the election in pursuit of what he called a smooth transition.

Instead, America's oldest ever president has spent much of his final months in office trying to burnish his legacy before he is replaced by the man he beat in the 2020 election -- a result Trump still disputes.

Biden's efforts got a boost earlier Wednesday when Israel and Hamas agreed to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal, with Biden hailing rare cooperation with Trump's team to reach an accord.

But Biden's legacy was badly damaged by his decision to run for a second term despite his age.

The Democrat was forced to drop out of the race last June after a disastrous debate against Trump, 78, who went on to a commanding victory over Harris.

Polls show Biden remains an unpopular president. A CNN poll published Wednesday showed him with a 36 percent approval rating, remaining at the lowest of his term.

That puts him above Trump, who left office with a 34 percent approval rating, according to the American Presidency Project. The lowest in recent times was Richard Nixon with 24 percent while the highest was Bill Clinton with 66 percent, followed by Barack Obama with 59 percent." ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/biden-warns-trump-oligarchy-dark-farewell-speech-644884/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/world-figures-urge-quick-action-after-gaza-deal-644883/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:31:46 GMT World figures hailed the announcement Wednesday of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, urging them to stick... World figures hailed the announcement Wednesday of a ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement between Israel and Hamas, urging them to stick to it and hurry aid to Gaza civilians.

Here is a roundup of reactions from official statements, broadcast remarks and online messages.

- UN: urgent aid -

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said it was "imperative that this ceasefire removes the significant security and political obstacles to delivering aid across Gaza so that we can support a major increase in urgent life-saving humanitarian support".

- Trump: no terrorist 'haven' -

Incoming US president Donald Trump vowed to "work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven".

- Biden: 'thrilled' -

US President Joe Biden said he was "thrilled" that hostages would be freed and "confident" the deal would hold. "I'm deeply satisfied this day has... finally come," he said in a televised statement.

- EU: 'fully implement' -

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said "both parties must fully implement this agreement, as a stepping stone toward lasting stability in the region".

- Turkey: lasting stability -

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hoped the agreement "will be beneficial for our region and for all humanity, particularly for our Palestinian brothers, and that it will open the way to lasting peace and stability".

- Saudi Arabia: end 'Israeli aggression' -

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry stressed "the need to adhere to the agreement and stop the Israeli aggression on Gaza," calling for "the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the (Gaza) Strip and all other Palestinian and Arab territories and the return of the displaced to their areas".

- Egypt: aid call -

The president of neighbouring Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, called for "the entry of urgent humanitarian aid" into Gaza. He said the deal followed "strenuous efforts" by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.

- Jordan: swift aid -

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi called on world powers to ensure the "sufficient and durable" delivery of aid to Gaza.

- Iraq: immediate aid -

Iraq's foreign ministry stressed the "need to immediately allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories" and "intensify international efforts to rebuild" areas damaged during Israel's Gaza offensive.

- France: political solution -

France's President Emmanuel Macron said the agreement must be "respected" and followed by a "political solution".

- Germany: permanent end -

Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the deal "opens the door to a permanent end to the war and to the improvement of the poor humanitarian situation in Gaza" and must be "implemented to the letter".

- Britain: 'overdue' -

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it "the long overdue news that the Israeli and Palestinian people have desperately been waiting for". He urged steps for a "permanently better future... grounded in a two-state solution".

- Italy: 'step to peace' -

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her country "expects that all the hostages can finally return to their families" and saw an "opportunity to significantly increase humanitarian assistance" to Gaza civilians. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called it an "important step towards peace".

- Spain: stability -

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the ceasefire was "crucial to achieving regional stability" and "an indispensable step on the path towards a two-state solution and a just peace that respects international law".

- UN rights chief: relief -

UN rights chief Volker Turk said the deal promised "huge relief after so much unbearable pain and misery... and it is imperative that it now holds". The chief of the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini called for "rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war".

- Netherlands: lasting peace -

Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said it should be "a first step towards a durable and lasting peace".

- Norway: respect deal -

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store called the deal "encouraging and long overdue" and urged the sides to "respect all parts of the agreement".

- Sweden: civilian relief -

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard welcomed the deal for hostages and said "it is now crucial that the ceasefire alleviates the immense suffering of the civilian population in Gaza".

- Ireland: Israeli approval -

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said he hoped the deal "will now receive the formal approval of the Israeli government". ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/world-figures-urge-quick-action-after-gaza-deal-644883/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/un-agencies-tremble-trump-term-nears-644882/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:30:48 GMT A supporter wears a Trump-themed jacket. AFP photo With just days to go before Donald Trump again enters the White House, anxiety is rising across... A supporter wears a Trump-themed jacket. AFP photo
With just days to go before Donald Trump again enters the White House, anxiety is rising across UN agencies fearful he could wreak even more havoc than last time.

During Trump's first term in office, Washington slashed its contributions to United Nations operations and agencies, stormed out of the UN Human Rights Council, exited the Paris climate accord and the education agency UNESCO, and began withdrawing from the World Health Organization.

But while Trump's first administration did not get to the harshest measures until later in the term, experts warn things could move faster this time.

"I don't think Trump is going to hang about so long this time," Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group told AFP.

"He's likely to walk away from those UN mechanisms and arrangements that he boycotted before without much ceremony."

The United States remains the largest donor to the UN, which is already facing significant budget pressures, spurring palpable anxiety over the prospect of funding cuts.

UN officials have scrambled to emphasise the value of US partnership.

"The cooperation between the United States and the United Nations is a critical pillar of international relations, and the UN system," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres, told AFP.

But the love is not always mutual.

Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, whom Trump has tapped to become his UN ambassador, has described the organisation as "a corrupt, defunct and paralysed institution".

And fears abound that Republicans in Congress could push ahead with a bill calling to defund the organisation completely.

- Total exit 'unlikely' -

Jussi Hanhimaki, an international history professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute, played down that threat.

"The total exit is unlikely," he told AFP, suggesting that Washington would not want to cede the leverage it has within the UN system.

"The best argument against the US wholesale withdrawal is (that) China will... become more and more influential," he said.

During Trump's first term, China and its allies clearly expanded their influence in the bodies he left in Geneva, like the Human Rights Council.

Outgoing US ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Sheba Crocker, highlighted that "some of our strategic rivals are heavily invested in promoting their interests in Geneva".

That, she told AFP in an email, "is why I believe the United States will remain engaged, and why I believe it is in our interest to do so".

The exiting administration of Joe Biden has protected against another high-profile walk-out from the Human Rights Council, by opting not to re-apply for membership.

Hanhimaki suggested that the World Trade Organization might face "the most challenging times" to start with, pointing to Trump's focus on imposing tariffs on traditional foes and allies alike.

- 'Very worried' -

There is particular concern about funding for reproductive rights-linked programmes.

During Trump's first term, Washington cut funding to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which works to improve reproductive and maternal health worldwide.

"We're very worried," said Rachel Moynihan, deputy director of UNFPA's Washington office.

But the agency, which says US contributions allowed it to prevent 3,800 likely deaths during pregnancy in 2023 alone, is accustomed to seeing its funding cut during Republican administrations.

"We are a resilient agency," Moynihan told AFP.

Other agencies may be less prepared, with UN Women expected to be in the firing line, as was the UN rights office.

And word on the street in Geneva is that the new Trump administration aims to withdraw from the WHO on day one.

Suerie Moon, co-director of the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said that would be a mistake.

"Having a well-functioning, impartial WHO is very much in the US national interest," she told AFP.

Another withdrawal would certainly leave Washington with "a less influential voice", she warned.

- 'Painful' -

The WHO has been seeking to broaden its funding base since the last debacle, but Washington remains its largest donor.

Asked last month about the threat, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters he believed the new administration would "do the right thing".

Moon said the WHO could clearly survive a US withdrawal.

"But it would be painful... The real question is, which priorities get downgraded, which programmes?"

And "what do other countries do on the finances?"

Last time Trump was in power, European countries rallied to keep targeted UN agencies afloat.

But the Europeans now have "made it clear that they do not have spare cash lying around... to ride to the rescue of the UN", said Gowan, of the International Crisis Group.

Agencies likely to see funding slashed are already mulling alternatives and cost cuts, observers say.

Hanhimaki said reflections on alternative sources of funding were healthy.

"It's quite foolhardy to rely upon a country that is politically volatile as your long-term source of funding." ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/un-agencies-tremble-trump-term-nears-644882/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/how-nazis-carried-out-their-final-solution-644881/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:29:45 GMT People visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem, on January 9, 2025. Eight decades after the Holocaust, its memory is at a... People visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum in Jerusalem, on January 9, 2025. Eight decades after the Holocaust, its memory is at a "crossroads" as survivors who can offer first-hand accounts of the horrors of Nazi-era Europe dwindle, said the head of an Israeli memorial centre. Yad Vashem has more than 227.6 million pages of documentation, 2.8 million pages of testimonies, 541,500 Holocaust-era photographs and thousands more artefacts and works of art. Photo: AFP
The World War II extermination of Europe's Jews by Nazi Germany began after the invasion of Poland in 1939 and increased in scale with the creation of death camps.

The Nazis called it the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" and killed six million Jews from across Europe -- more than a third of the world's Jewish population at the time.

- Starvation, death squads -

The first massacres were perpetrated through starvation and mass shootings.

In Poland, Jews were imprisoned in ghettos from 1939 to late 1941, where many starved to death or died of disease.

The Nazis also dispatched mobile death squads called Einsatzgruppen which mowed down one million people in what is known as the "Holocaust by bullets", dumping them into mass graves.

They were mainly Jews and Soviet prisoners of war in Polish, Baltic and Soviet territories.

- Gas chambers -

The leader of the SS, Heinrich Himmler, and his deputy Reinhard Heydrich, introduced the gas chambers in 1941, an extermination technique tried out in Germany on disabled people.

At the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp near Krakow in southern Poland, the Nazis were already experimenting with Zyklon B, a cyanide-based pesticide. They used the chemical for the mass gassing of 600 Soviet prisoners and 250 Poles in September 1941.

"Operation Reinhard" led to the construction of three purpose-built extermination camps with gas chambers in occupied Poland.

Once the Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka death camps were operational in 1942, the Nazis transferred people held in the ghettos to them, with about two million Polish Jews murdered.

- 'Final Solution' intensifies -

The intensification and coordination of the "Final Solution" was agreed at a landmark conference of government ministries and top-ranking Nazi and SS officials in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on January 20, 1942.

The 15 participants at the Wannsee Conference, convened by Heydrich, agreed that 11 million Jews should be moved to death camps under the exclusive authority of the SS.

Jews from all over Europe were systematically deported from mid-1942 to six death camps: Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka.

At Auschwitz -- which became the symbol of the Holocaust -- more than 1.1 million people were killed, mainly Jews but also Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and Poles.

It also had work camps where German industry, notably the IG Farben chemical producer, used inmates as slaves. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/how-nazis-carried-out-their-final-solution-644881/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/japan-panel-says-megaquake-probability-up-82-a-644880/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:28:50 GMT A Japanese government panel said Thursday it has slightly raised its estimated probability of a "megaquake" to up to 82 percent in the next 30 years.

Such a jolt could potentially have a devastating 8-9 magnitude, trigger colossal tsunamis, kill several hundred thousand people and cause billions of dollars in damage, experts say.

The Earthquake Research Committee said it has increased its estimate of the probability to between 75 and 82 percent from between 74 and 81 percent previously.

It concerns what is known as a subduction megathrust quake along the Nankai Trough, an 800-kilometre (500-mile) undersea gully running parallel to Japan's Pacific coast.

The trench is where the Philippine Sea oceanic tectonic plate is "subducting" -- or slowly slipping -- underneath the continental plate that Japan sits on top of.

The plates become stuck as they move, storing up vast amounts of energy that is released when they break free, causing potentially massive earthquakes.

Over the past 1,400 years, megaquakes in the Nankai Trough have occurred every 100 to 200 years, according to the government's Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion.

The last recorded one happened in 1946.

"It's been 79 years since the last quake, and the possibility of another quake occurring is rising every year at a pace of by about one percent," an official of the Earthquake Research Committee's secretariat told AFP.

According to government estimates in 2012, smaller islands off the main coasts could be swamped by a tsunami over 30 meters (100 feet) high.

Densely populated areas on the main islands of Honshu and Shikoku could be hit by huge waves within a few minutes.

Last August the Japan Meteorological Association (JMA) issued its first megaquake advisory under rules drawn up after the devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

It said that the likelihood of a new major earthquake along the Nankai Trough was higher than normal after a magnitude 7.1 jolt that injured 15 people.

The advisory was lifted again after a week but caused shortages of rice and other staples as people restocked their emergency stores.

In 1707, all segments of the Nankai Trough ruptured at once, unleashing an earthquake that remains the nation's second-most powerful on record.

That quake -- which also triggered the last eruption of Mount Fuji -- was followed by two powerful Nankai megathrusts in 1854, and then two in 1944 and 1946. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/japan-panel-says-megaquake-probability-up-82-a-644880/ http://torrentinvites.org/f24/south-korea-s-president-arrest-what-happens-next-644879/ Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:27:45 GMT A photo of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arriving at the Corruption Investigation Office a few hours earlier is shown during a news... A photo of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arriving at the Corruption Investigation Office a few hours earlier is shown during a news broadcast on a television screen seen at a bus station in Seoul on January 15, 2025, after Yoon became the first sitting president to be detained in the nation's history. Impeached South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on January 15 over his failed martial law bid, ending a weeks-long standoff with authorities and becoming the first sitting president to be detained in the nation's history. Photo: AFP
Impeached leader Yoon Suk Yeol made history this week as the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested, ending a weeks-long standoff. But analysts say the country's political crisis is far from over.

Yoon said he's cooperating to avert "bloodshed" but invoked his right to remain silent and his lawyers are using "every legal tactic" in the book, analysts say, against the insurrection probe into his ill-fated declaration of martial law.

He also faces a separate Constitutional Court case that could finalise his impeachment and removal from office.

Here is the state of play:

- President behind bars? -

Yoon, who remains South Korea's sitting head of state, is being held at the Seoul Detention Center.

Yoon's lawyers have said the investigation lacks legitimacy and challenged the legality of the arrest, and Yoon himself is refusing to speak -- even as investigators address him as "Mr President".

"It appears that every legal tactic is being employed by Yoon's team to prolong the situation," Lee Jong-soo, a law professor at Yonsei University, told AFP.

Because of the complexity of the investigation, and the number of different authorities involved, "it doesn't appear that this can be done quickly," Lee said.

Yoon is accused of "acts of insurrection... one of the few crimes for which even the president can be prosecuted," lawyer Chu Eun-hye said.

The trial could take months, Chu said, but the separate impeachment hearing could move more quickly.

- And the impeachment? -

Eight justices at the country's Constitutional Court are now deliberating whether to uphold Yoon's impeachment and remove him from office. Six must rule in favour.

They will review whether Yoon's martial law declaration was unconstitutional and illegal.

Their ruling -- which could come as early as February or as late as June -- is the only official way to remove Yoon from office.

The court is ruling on "a constitutional process" whereas the probe is a criminal investigation, Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

"These two processes proceed on different planes," he added.

Only the impeachment trial can judge whether "the president can no longer be trusted with the position," professor Lee at Yonsei Law School told AFP.

"Even if Yoon is acquitted in a future criminal trial, he can still be removed from office based on the impeachment ruling," he said.

- What about elections? -

If Yoon is removed from office, fresh elections will have to be held within 60 days -- which would likely be won by the opposition, politics expert Park Sang-byung told AFP.

But fresh polls are unlikely to resolve South Korea's deep-rooted political tensions and could, in fact, lead "to more intense conflicts," Park warned.

"Even if a new presidential election occurs, I'm afraid the already divided political landscape is expected to worsen."

Yoon's party will likely seek to undermine and even impeach a new opposition president, Park said, "making bipartisan agreements increasingly difficult".

- And Yoon's party? -

Yoon is the second successive conservative president to be impeached, after Park Geun-hye who was removed from office in 2017 over a corruption scandal.

After that political disaster, Yoon's People Power Party re-branded and were, after five years in opposition, able to return to power thanks to their widely understood role as South Korea's traditional conservative bloc.

But under Yoon, "there are concerns that it has been co-opted by far-right elements since his declaration of martial law and his impeachment," Lee Jae-mook, a political science professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, told AFP.

"If this trend continues, it risks alienating centrist voters and losing touch with public sentiment. While this may yield short-term advantages, it could have detrimental effects in the long run."

- Economic woes? -

Yoon's arrest has also caused economic rumblings in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

Consumer sentiment fell to its lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic, the South Korean won plunged against the dollar and the country's unemployment rate spiked to the highest since 2021.

"It is still difficult to determine the impact of political uncertainties, as the effects will depend on how long the conflicts continue," Rhee Chang-yong, Bank of Korea governor told reporters on Wednesday.

"The fourth quarter of last year was affected by the martial law situation. Growth rates beyond the first quarter of this year remain highly uncertain," he added.

But if the Constitutional Court acts fast and "political instability is resolved early, the negative economic impact is likely to be minimal," said Park Sang-in, Seoul National University Economics professor. ]]> The Lounge NIL TANVIR http://torrentinvites.org/f24/south-korea-s-president-arrest-what-happens-next-644879/