International

Nato foreign ministers on Wednesday debated the creation of a €100bn fund for Ukraine, as alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg urged them to guarantee long-term arms supplies for Kyiv’s outgunned forces.Stoltenberg pitched the five-year fund for Kyiv and a plan to deepen Nato’s involvement in delivering weapons in a bid to shield support in the face of a potential return by Donald Trump to the US presidency.The Nato secretary-general said allies “agreed to move forward with planning for a greater Nato role in coordinating security assistance and training” with the view to reaching a deal by a summit in Washington in July.“The details will take shape in the weeks to come. But make no mistake, Ukraine can rely on Nato support now and for the long haul,” he said, after foreign ministers held talks in Brussels.Despite a welcome for the proposed fund from staunch Ukraine allies such as Poland and the Baltic states there appeared to be considerable scepticism among other allies.Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock backed setting up “long-term structures” to support Kyiv, but warned against “juggling in the air” vague figures.Belgium’s top diplomat Hadja Lahbib insisted the proposal that envisions Nato members contributing according to the size of their economy was not “charity”.“But it is dangerous to make promises that we cannot keep,” she said.The second plank of Stoltenberg’s plan which appeared to get a warmer welcome envisions a Nato mission taking more control of coordinating arms supplies from a US-led grouping currently overseeing support.The move would mark a major shift for the Western military alliance, which has so far refused as an organisation to send weapons to Ukraine for fear it would drag Nato closer to a conflict with Russia. But Hungary — the friendliest country towards Russia in Nato — said it would not support any proposal that might “draw the alliance closer to war”.Stoltenberg said he had tried to reach a compromise with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban but diplomats said the right-wing populist had rebuffed a possible opt-out clause.

Hours after he was sworn in for a five-year presidential term, the new Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed Ousmane Sonko as prime minister.The new 49-year-old prime minister said following this appointment that he understands the heavy responsibility and trust that President Faye has placed in him.Sonko announced that he would form his new government in the coming hours. (QNA)

Google is testing several new changes in the user interface in the Android 15 operating system, which is expected to launch the first beta version of this new system in April, including modifying the display of applications according to users' preferences.The company added "color contrast" options hidden within the "Accessibility" settings in the system.These settings allow users to control the contrast of text, buttons, and even icons within applications. The options can be set to "default", "medium", "high", or a click on the "Maximize Text Contrast" option to place a background behind the text for better visibility.Google will provide these new options to help users who have visual disabilities in particular.The company is also testing a redesign of the audio control interface in the Android 15 system, where the volume control bars will be thicker for each volume control element. The name of each control will be located inside the slider. (QNA)

Taiwan's biggest earthquake in at least 25 years killed nine people Wednesday and injured about 1,000, while 50 workers travelling in minibuses to a hotel in a national park were missing.Some buildings tilted at precarious angles in the mountainous, sparsely populated county of Hualien, near the epicentre of the 7.2 magnitude quake, which struck just offshore at about 8 am and triggered massive landslides.The city's mayor, Hsu Chen-Wei, said all residents and businesses in buildings that were in a dangerous state had been evacuated. Demolition work was beginning on four buildings, the mayor said. The power of the quake was captured live as news anchors delivered their bulletins, steadying themselves against giant screens as their sets swayed and lighting rigs rocked back and forth overhead. The earthquake hit at a depth of 15.5 km, as people were headed for work and school, setting off a tsunami warning for southern Japan and the Philippines that was later lifted.Video showed rescuers using ladders to help trapped people out of windows. Strong tremors in Taipei forced the subway system to close briefly, although most lines resumed service.Contact has been lost with 50 workers aboard four minibuses heading to a hotel in a national park.The government put the number of injured at 946.The White House said the US stood ready to provide any assistance necessary.Taiwan's air force said six F-16 fighter jets had been slightly damaged at a major base in the city.In Japan, the weather agency put the quake's magnitude at 7.7, saying several small tsunami waves reached parts of the southern prefecture of Okinawa.

Price growth in inflation-plagued Turkey gathered pace in March, rising to 68.5 percent year-on-year, the country's statistics agency TUIK said Wednesday.The increased reading followed a Sunday municipal election drubbing for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party that many blamed on the out-of-control cost of living.Last month the cost of education, health, transport and food showed the biggest increases, after inflation reached 67.07 percent in February, TUIK said.But ENAG, a group of independent economists, said their own calculations put the year-on-year figure at almost 125 percent.Pointing to slowing month-on-month inflation in the official data, at 3.16 percent rather than February's 4.53 percent, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek wrote that "monthly inflation decreased in line with our forecast".Following a return to orthodox central bank policy, with the headline interest rate having been raised to 50 percent, the government has also vowed to control spending to brake activity and inflation."All these developments... will anchor inflation expectations and support the disinflation process," Simsek said."We will do whatever is necessary until we reach our goal of price stability, which is our top priority," he added.

The Muslim World League (MWL) has strongly condemned the Israeli occupation forces targeting of the World Central Kitchen convoy in the Gaza Strip, in a systematic continuation of crimes and flagrant violations of all international and humanitarian laws and norms.Secretary-General of the Association Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, condemned, in a statement, the targeting of missions and relief organizations and their workers, reiterating the call to stop these horrific violations against defenseless civilians and workers in humanitarian and relief organizations.The Israeli occupation army targeted a convoy of the "World Central Kitchen" organization in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, killing 7 people. (QNA)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres renewed the call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying that the devastating Israeli airstrikes that killed World Central Kitchen personnel in the city of Deir al Balah in the middle of the Strip are "unconscionable but it is an inevitable result of the way the war is being conducted."Guterres said, addressing an informal meeting of the UN General Assembly held to discuss his report on "human security," that "it demonstrates yet again the urgent need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and the expansion of humanitarian aid into Gaza as the Security Council demanded in its resolution last week."The devastating Israeli airstrikes that killed World Central Kitchen personnel yesterday bring the number of aid workers killed in this conflict to 196 including more than 175 members of our own UN staff," Guterres reported."When I hear the words 'human security,' I think about the two million humans in Gaza who have no security at all, desperately seeking protection from hunger, disease, and relentless Israeli bombardment," he said.In a related context, the UN Secretary-General affirmed that "our world faces very serious challenges. Conflicts, the climate emergency, and a global cost-of-living crisis are combining to reverse decades of development gains.""Many countries are struggling to implement the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. Deepening divisions and growing inequalities are leaving people with a heightened sense of anxiety and even fear," He explained.He stressed that the "concept of Human Security, with its emphasis on people and prevention, has an important role to play in strengthening links at the local, national and regional levels, and creating momentum to tackle our shared challenges," indicating that the fourth report on Human Security focuses on the practical and operational value of human security, building on the experiences of Member States, regional and intergovernmental organizations, and the UN at Headquarters and in the field."It showcases examples of the Human Security approach in action: supporting national peace and development objectives; strengthening regional cooperation; improving collaboration across the United Nations system and our partners," he added.The Israeli entity continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip, despite the UN Security Council (UNSC) issuing a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan last week.

Sultanate of Oman on Tuesday expressed its condemnation of the acts of the Israeli occupation forces in continuously targeting the unarmed civilians in the Gaza Strip and killing a number of relief workers.The action being carried out by the Israeli occupation forces to persistently target unarmed civilians in the strip and the civil utilities and facilities are overly a continuation of the policy of genocide that the occupation commits against the Palestinian people, Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a statement on Tuesday.The statement called on the international community to hold the Israeli occupation forces responsible for their systematic acts that pose a candid and flagrant obstacle in front of all international demands for ceasefire, stopping the aggression and getting the humanitarian assistance into the Gaza Strip.

Despite the Israeli occupation's stringent measures, 45,000 worshipers performed the Tarawih and Isha prayers inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, the ceilings and courtyards, the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem reported.Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces were deployed both in the mosque's doors and the Old City and embarked on inspecting several young people and vetting their identities when those young people were passing through Bab Hutta Street.Several of those who were prevented from praying in the Al-Aqsa Mosque performed the prayers near the Lions' Gate in the Old City of the occupied Jerusalem.The measure undertaken by the Israeli occupation have resulted in plummeting the number of worshippers due to preventing the Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from arriving at the occupied Jerusalem. The occupation established dozens of barricades in multiple neighborhoods, as well as entry and exit points at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The second edition of the Khalifa Squash Complex Open tournament 2024, held at the Khalifa International Complex with the participation of more than 120 players, concluded today.Player Walid Zaman won the final match against his counterpart Youssef Essam with three sets to one. Additionally, Rafaela Pereira secured the women's title.In the Men's 45 Years category, Youssef Al Maliki clinched the title. Meanwhile, Qatari player Khalid Al Muhannadi emerged victorious in the Boys Under-17 category. In the Boys Under-15 category, Talal Al Badr claimed the first position. On the other hand, Zoe Macarios won the Girls Under-15 category.Secretary-General of the Qatar Tennis, Squash and Badminton Federation Tarek Zeinal, along with Saad Al Muhannadi, the tournament director, crowned the winning players.Al Muhannadi expressed his happiness with the participation of a large number of players in these local tournaments, which contribute to the development of the game and the improvement of the players' technical and physical abilities. He also noted that the tournament is part of the federation's strategy to increase the popularity of the sport and provide opportunities for various players to participate and compete for its titles.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned in strongest terms the crime of bombing perpetrated by the Israeli occupation on a team of staff operating in international relief organizations in the Gaza Strip, deeming it an extension of a series of the Israeli violations against the international laws and norms and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.Consequently, OIC called on the international community to uphold its responsibility towards compelling Israel- the occupation power- to respect its obligations under the international humanitarian law and the relevant UN resolutions.The organization reiterated its call for the importance of stopping the Israeli aggression fully and immediately, in addition to protecting the civilians and their objects, including relief staff and ensuring that humanitarian aid is adequately and sustainably delivered to all regions across the Gaza Strip,

The Israeli occupation carried an airstrike on Tuesday on a residential flat resulting in the martyrdom of six Palestinians and injuring others at Nuseirat camp, local sources reported.The sources added that six Palestinians were martyred, among them two ladies and a child, in addition to injuring others in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential flat west of Nuseirat camp, indicating that the occupation's fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, southeast of Gaza city, while other forces fired live rounds at the Palestinian houses in Sheikh Ajlin neighborhood southwest of the city.Meanwhile, the Israeli occupation forces demolished residential flats east of Khan Yunis concurrently with the artillery shelling in Al-Amal neighborhood and its vicinity.In a related development, rescue teams and paramedics retrieved the bodies of ten martyrs from underneath the rubble of a house west of Rafah after it was bombed overnight by the Israeli occupation's fighter jets.

The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education confirmed Tuesday that 6,050 students have been martyred and 219 others injured in Gaza and the West Bank since the start of the Israeli aggression.The number of students who have martyred in the strip reached 5,994 and 9,890 others wounded, while 56 students martyred and 329 others injured, in addition to detaining 105 others in the West Bank, Palestinian Ministry of Education reported in a statement, pointing out that 266 martyrs and 973 injured were among administrative teachers in the strip, in addition to injuring six and arresting 73 teachers in the West bank.Additionally, 351 schools, including 65 schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been bombed and devastated in the Gaza Strip, resulting in entire destruction of 40 schools and inflicting severe damage upon 111 others, while 57 schools in the West Bank have been stormed and vandalized, the statement reads.The ministry highlighted that 620,000 students in the strip are still bereft of education since the start of the aggression, while most of students suffer from psychological shock and are beset by difficult health conditions.In an infinite figure, the casualties of the persistent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip have risen to 32,916 martyrs and 75,494 injured, 72 percent of them women and children.

Hundreds of schools in the Philippines, including dozens in the capital Manila, suspended in-person classes yesterday due to dangerous levels of heat, education officials said.The country’s heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.The index was earlier forecast to reach the “danger” level of 42C in Manila for yesterday and 43C today, with similar levels in a dozen of other areas of the country, the state weather forecaster said.Local officials across the main island of Luzon, the central islands, and the southern island of Mindanao suspended in-person classes or shortened school hours to avoid the hottest part of the day, education ministry officials said.The department of education was unable to provide an exact number of schools affected.March, April and May are typically the driest months of the year for swathes of the tropical country. This year conditions have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.Primary and secondary schools in Quezon, the most populous part of the capital, were ordered to shut while schools in other areas were given the option by local officials to shift to remote learning.Some schools in Manila also reduced class hours.A heat index of 42-51C can cause heat cramps and exhaustion, with heat stroke “probable with continued exposure”, the weather forecaster said in an advisory.Heat cramps and heat exhaustion are also possible at 33-41C, according to the forecaster.The orders affected hundreds of schools in the Mindanao provinces of Cotabato, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, as well as the cities of Cotabato, General Santos and Koronadal, Zamboanga regional education ministry spokeswoman Rea Halique said.Five schools in Mindanao’s Zamboanga region also shut schools for the day, though local officials in the area did not recommend the suspension of in-person classes in other schools, the ministry said.“At the Pagadian City Pilot School one (kindergarten) student and two in the elementary school suffered nosebleeds,” Zamboanga regional education ministry official Dahlia Paragas said.

The US, France and Britain led international criticism Tuesday of a deadly strike in the Gaza Strip that killed seven charity staff as they unloaded desperately needed aid brought by sea to the war-torn territory.World Central Kitchen (WCK) — one of two NGOs spearheading efforts to deliver aid by boat — said a "targeted Israeli strike" on Monday killed Australian, British, Palestinian, Polish and US-Canadian staff.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged a "swift, impartial investigation" into the airstrike and said Israel needed to do more to protect innocent civilians. The Israeli military expressed "sincere sorrow" over the incident, which drew widespread condemnation and ratcheted up pressure for steps to ease the disastrous humanitarian situation in Gaza after nearly six months of war.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli airstrike was unintended and "tragic", and the military pledged an independent inquiry. "We will do everything to prevent a recurrence," he said.Israeli President Isaac Herzog apologised for the air strike that killed the aid workers.Herzog said he spoke to Jose Andres, the US-based celebrity chef who heads the aid group World Central Kitchen, to express his "deep sorrow and sincere apologies over the tragic loss of life".WCK said they had been travelling in two armoured cars emblazoned with the charity's logo and another vehicle.Britain summoned Israel's ambassador in London to express its "unequivocal condemnation of the appalling killing" of the WCK workers, three of whom were British nationals."Israel must urgently explain how this happened and make major changes to ensure safety of aid workers on the ground," British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said in a post on X.Israel must clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths of seven people working for World Central Kitchen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said."I hope and demand that the Israeli government clarifies as soon as possible the circumstances of this brutal attack that has taken the lives of seven aid workers who were doing nothing more than helping," Sanchez said after visiting the Jabal el-Hussein camp for Palestinian refugees in Amman.Israel has long denied accusations that it is hindering the distribution of urgently needed food aid in Gaza, which it has besieged in a war since October, saying the problem is caused by international aid groups' inability to get it to those in need.Despite coordinating movements with the Israeli military, the convoy was hit as it was leaving its Deir al-Balah warehouse after unloading more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid brought to Gaza by sea, WCK said.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had spoken directly to close ally Israel's government and "urged a swift, thorough and impartial investigation to understand exactly what happened".Britain, Australia and Poland, countries which have generally been friendly towards Israel, all demanded action to protect aid workers, underlining Netanyahu's increasing diplomatic isolation over the situation in Gaza.WCK, which said last month it had served more than 42 mn meals in Gaza over 175 days, announced it was pausing its operations in the region immediately and would make decisions soon about the future of its work.Conditions in Gaza remain extremely precarious with fighting going on in several areas and 71 people killed in Israeli strikes over the past 24 hours, according to Gaza health authorities.

A minor opened fire Tuesday at a school in Vantaa outside the Finnish capital Helsinki injuring three others, police said, adding that the attacker was in custody.The school has around 800 pupils and 90 staff.Police were alerted to the scene and later specified that both the suspect and the injured were all minors.The city of Vantaa's crisis group was activated following the shooting, local media reported.Police urged the public to stay away from the area and remain indoors.

Hundreds of schools in the Philippines, including dozens in the capital Manila, suspended in-person classes on Tuesday due to dangerous levels of heat, education officials said.The country's heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.The index was expected to reach the "danger" level of 42 degrees Celsius in Manila on Tuesday and 43C on Wednesday, with similar levels in a dozen other areas of the country, the state weather forecaster said.The actual highest temperature forecast for the metropolis on Tuesday was 34C.Primary and secondary schools in Quezon, the most populous part of the city, were ordered to shut while schools in other areas were given the option by local officials to shift to remote learning.Some schools in Manila shortened class hours to avoid the hottest part of the day.A heat index of 42-51C can cause heat cramps and heat exhaustion, with heat stroke "probable with continued exposure", the weather forecaster said in an advisory.Heat cramps and heat exhaustion are also possible at 33-41C, according to the forecaster.Local officials in several areas of the southern island of Mindanao also suspended in-person classes or shortened school hours over two weeks, regional education department spokeswoman Rea Halique told AFP.The orders affected hundreds of schools in the provinces of Cotabato, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, as well as the cities of Cotabato, General Santos and Koronadal, Halique said.Cotabato city experienced the highest heat index in Mindanao, reaching 42C on Monday and Tuesday, the state forecaster reported.

KSTAR, KFE's fusion research device which it refers to as an "artificial sun," managed to sustain plasma with temperatures of 100 million degrees for 48 seconds during tests between December 2023 and February 2024, beating the previous record of 30 seconds set in 2021, according to the Korean Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) in South Korea.Nuclear fusion seeks to replicate the reaction that makes the sun and other stars shine, by fusing together two atoms to unleash huge amounts of energy.Often referred to as the holy grail of climate solutions clean energy, fusion has the potential to provide limitless energy without planet-warming carbon pollution. But mastering the process on Earth is extremely challenging.The most common way of achieving fusion energy involves a donut shaped reactor called a tokamak in which hydrogen variants are heated to extraordinarily high temperatures to create a plasma.High temperature and high density plasmas, in which reactions can occur for long durations, are vital for the future of nuclear fusion reactors, director of the KSTAR Research Center at the Korean Institute of Fusion Energy (KFE) Si-Woo Yoon told CNN.Sustaining these high temperatures "has not been easy to demonstrate due to the unstable nature of the high temperature plasma," he said, which is why this recent record is so significant.The ultimate aim is for KSTAR to be able to sustain plasma temperatures of 100 million degrees for 300 seconds by 2026, a "a critical point" to be able to scale up fusion operations, Si-Woo Yoon said.

Japan will resume providing funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said Tuesday, after suspending it in January following agency staff's alleged involvement in last year's attack on Israel.A contribution of some $35 million that had been scheduled in fiscal 2023 ended March for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, known as UNRWA, will be delivered soon, Japan's News Agency (Kyodo) quoted Kamikawa as saying."The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory of Gaza continues to worsen," Kamikawa said. "It is our country's responsibility to respond to the crisis as a member of the UN Security Council."The resumption comes after Japan in late January joined the United States and others in suspending funding for the UN agency, after it was reported that a dozen UNRWA employees may have been involved in a military attack.So far, nations such as Canada, Australia, Sweden, Finland and France have decided to resume providing their contributions to UNRWA.

Iran called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to address the attack launched by the Israeli entity on the Iranian consulate building in Syria.Iran's permanent delegation to the UN sent a letter to the rotating president of the UN Security Council, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, following the attack that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus, (IRNA) reported.The letter explained that these attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter, international laws; and the foundational principle of the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, as outlined in the 1961 Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes Against Internationally Protected Persons including Diplomatic Agents of 1973.