live Iran warns of confrontation if U.S. blockade persists - Thursday, 30 April
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader warned the U.S. port blockade would fail, saying Tehran has ways to bypass it and could turn to con...
Gaza’s food production is collapsing, with more than 80% of farmland damaged and most green houses destroyed according to the FAO of the United Nations. Its new report says, nearly the entire population faces severe food insecurity, prompting urgent calls for humanitarian aid to prevent famine.
Gaza’s ability to produce food is nearing total collapse, with less than five percent of cropland still usable, according to a new joint assessment by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT).
As of April 2025, more than 80 percent of farmland had been damaged and nearly 78 percent was inaccessible. Just 688 hectares out of over 15,000 remain available for cultivation. The situation is particularly severe in Rafah and the northern governorates, where nearly all farmland cannot be reached.
Widespread destruction has also hit greenhouses, with over 70 percent damaged. Rafah experienced the sharpest rise in destruction, jumping from 57.5 percent in December 2024 to 86.5 percent in April. In Gaza City, all greenhouses have been destroyed.
One farmer, Oudai Issa Abdelrahman Al Faleet, who previously received an FAO project grant, said his family installed greenhouses on 8,000 square metres of land, but the war disrupted everything. He added that "two dunams of greenhouses were bulldozed, and the rest were damaged. The well and the agricultural warehouse, including all inputs, were also destroyed."
Before the war, agriculture contributed around 10 percent to Gaza’s economy and supported over half a million people. Earlier this year, the FAO estimated total losses in the sector at more than 2 billion dollars, with recovery needs around 4.2 billion. The collapse of the ceasefire has likely worsened those figures.
At the same time, a new food security analysis shows that Gaza’s entire population of about 2.1 million people is facing a critical risk of famine. Between April 1 and May 10, 93 percent were experiencing Crisis-level food insecurity or worse. Nearly 250,000 are already in Phase 5, classified as Catastrophe, a level where starvation is already taking place.
According to projections, around 470,000 people, or 22 percent of the population, could face catastrophic food insecurity between May and September 2025.
The UN is urging immediate humanitarian access and the lifting of restrictions to prevent a full-scale famine.
A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran that does not deal with its nuclear programme. Washington is insisting that any talks must address Iran’s nuclear activities.
A report published by Minval Politika has raised new questions over alleged efforts by Luis Moreno Ocampo to shape international pressure against Azerbaijan and influence political dynamics around Armenia.
The decision by the United Arab Emirates to leave OPEC+ on 1 May has put renewed focus on one of the most influential groups in global energy - and how its decisions can shape oil prices worldwide.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader warned the U.S. port blockade would fail, saying Tehran has ways to bypass it and could turn to confrontation if pressure persists, even as an extended U.S.–Iran ceasefire remains in place after weeks of deadly fighting earlier this year across the region.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 30th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a three‑year budget plan on Wednesday that clears the way for Congress to take up an additional $70 billion for immigration enforcement by federal agencies.
An initial inquiry into last year’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach has called for a series of counter-terrorism reforms, alongside increased security at Jewish public events and further gun control measures.
Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla commemorated victims of the 11 September, 2001, an al Qaeda attack on New York City on Wednesday, laying a floral bouquet at the memorial where the World Trade Centre's twin towers once stood.
Two Jewish men have been stabbed in London in an incident that British police are treating as a terrorist attack.
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