UK under pressure to act on Jimmy Lai case after 20-year Hong Kong sentence
The UK has pledged to step up engagement with Beijing after Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison, ...
The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it has resumed airdropped humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, just days after more than 100 international aid agencies warned of spreading mass starvation in the besieged enclave.
According to the statement, seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food, supplied by international organisations, were delivered by air. Palestinian sources confirmed that the airdrops had reached northern Gaza.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) also stated that designated humanitarian corridors would be established to ensure the safe passage of UN aid convoys, and that temporary humanitarian pauses would be implemented in densely populated areas.
The decision comes amid growing international criticism accusing Israel of restricting aid access to Gaza. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has described the crisis as a “man-made mass starvation”.
Israel, which halted all supplies to Gaza in early March and re-opened border access under new restrictions in May, insists it remains committed to allowing aid in – but under strict controls to prevent it falling into the hands of militant groups. It blames Hamas for the humanitarian suffering of Gaza’s 2.2 million displaced residents.
The Israeli military has also accused the United Nations of delays in aid distribution, claiming that some 700 truckloads of humanitarian supplies remain idle inside Gaza.
“The IDF emphasises that there is no starvation in Gaza; this is a false narrative promoted by Hamas,” Saturday’s statement said.
“Responsibility for the distribution of aid lies with the United Nations and international organisations. These bodies are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid delivery and ensure it does not reach Hamas.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 125 people, including at least 85 children, have died due to malnutrition.
France, Amnesty International, and other international actors have expressed concern over the lack of humanitarian access to Gaza. While Israel has been accused of restricting airspace for aid operations, the government maintains that it continues to facilitate humanitarian missions.
With more than 2.2 million people displaced inside the enclave, the flow of humanitarian aid remains significantly limited.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
Iran would retaliate by striking U.S. military bases across the Middle East if it comes under attack by American forces, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday (7 January), stressing that such action should not be seen as targeting the countries hosting those bases.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
A Japanese city near Mount Fuji has cancelled its annual cherry blossom festival, saying growing numbers of badly behaved tourists are disrupting daily life for residents.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
Australia’s move to ban social media access for children under 16 has intensified a global debate, as governments across Europe and beyond weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
The UK has pledged to step up engagement with Beijing after Hong Kong media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the case resurfacing as a key issue following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent trip to Beijing.
Venezuelan authorities said they were seeking court approval to put prominent opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa under house arrest on Sunday, shortly after he was seized by armed men in Caracas in what his son called a kidnapping.
Hong Kong’s most prominent media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced on Monday (9 February) to a total of 20 years in prison on national security charges. The verdict covers two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count related to publishing seditious materials.
Russian overnight drone attacks killed at least three people in Ukraine’s east and south on Monday (9 February), with officials reporting casualties in the Kharkiv, Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
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