China’s Belt and Road Initiative hits record $213bn in 2025
China’s Belt and Road Initiative recorded its strongest year since launch in 2025, with Chinese investment a...
More than 250,000 tons of waste have accumulated across Gaza City, creating what local officials describe as a growing “environmental and health disaster” amid ongoing water shortages and sewage leaks.
Municipal spokesperson Asim al-Nabih said the crisis is worsening due to massive destruction from the ongoing conflict and the lack of machinery or fuel needed to provide basic services.
“Gaza City is facing several health and environmental disasters that endanger residents’ lives,” Nabih said, warning that the waste poses a “grave catastrophe” and increases the risk of disease as rodents and insects spread.
Authorities say more than 85 percent of the city’s heavy and medium equipment has been destroyed during the conflict, leaving municipal crews unable to clear the waste or repair damaged systems. Israeli forces are also blocking access to the main landfill in Juhor al-Dik, southeast of Gaza City, located beyond the so-called “yellow line” — the boundary separating areas occupied by Israeli troops from those evacuated under the 10 October ceasefire.
Officials added that large quantities of untreated sewage are flooding the streets, further worsening the public health emergency.
Nabih called for urgent international intervention to provide machinery, fuel, and safe access for workers, warning that without immediate help, “residents will face the risk of death from diseases and epidemics.”
Local authorities estimate that about 90 percent of Gaza City has been damaged, with total losses nearing $70 billion.
The U.S military said it carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran on Thursday (7 May). Meanwhile, Iran's Joint Military Command accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire, by striking an Iranian oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and launching attacks on several Iranian cities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran wanted to negotiate and make a deal in comments to reporters on Wednesday (6 May). But earlier, he warned Washington would ramp up attacks if no agreement was reached.
Argentinian authorities are reconstructing the journeys of Dutch citizens who presented with symptoms of deadly hantavirus after visiting Argentina and Chile as part of a luxury cruise trip, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (6 May)
The 61st Venice Biennale has opened under grey skies and political tension, with disputes over Russia and Israel, resignations on the jury, and protests marking the start of one of the art world’s most high-profile events.
Latvian authorities said two drones entered NATO member Latvia from Russian territory and crashed on Thursday morning, with officials linking them to Ukraine’s wider drone operations against targets in Russia.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative recorded its strongest year since launch in 2025, with Chinese investment and construction activity surging across Asia, Africa and the Middle East despite years of criticism that the programme was losing momentum.
Two Chinese-British dual nationals have been found guilty by a London court of spying for China. Chung Biu “Bill” Yuen, 65, and Chi Leung “Peter” Wai, 40, targeted prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the UK, whom they referred to as “cockroaches.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed five of eight suspected hantavirus cases linked to the luxury cruise ship MV Hondius. The U.N. health agency warned on Thursday (7 May) that more infections could emerge because of the virus’s long incubation period.
A group of Australian women and children detained for years in Kurdish-run camps in northeastern Syria due to links to Islamic State are expected to arrive in Australia on Thursday evening.
A South Korean appeals court on Thursday reduced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s prison sentence from 23 years to 15 years over his role in ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in 2024.
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