Israel condemns Slovenia’s Palestinian statehood move

Israel's foreign minister denounced the Slovenian government's decision on Thursday to recognise an independent Palestinian state. (AFP/File)
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Updated 31 May 2024
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Israel condemns Slovenia’s Palestinian statehood move

  • Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision, which requires Slovenian parliamentary approval, rewarded Hamas for murder and rape

JERUSALEM: Israel’s foreign minister denounced the Slovenian government’s decision on Thursday to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision, which requires Slovenian parliamentary approval, rewarded Hamas for murder and rape, a reference to the Palestinian Islamist group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
In a statement, Katz said the move also strengthened Israel’s arch-enemy Iran and damaged “the close friendship between the Slovenian and Israeli people.” He added: “I hope the Slovenian parliament rejects this recommendation.”


German backpacker drank from puddles in Australian bush ordeal

Carolina Wilga. (Supplied)
Updated 12 July 2025
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German backpacker drank from puddles in Australian bush ordeal

  • Wilga was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, “extensive insect bites,” and an injured foot, police said

SYDNEY: German backpacker Carolina Wilga drank water from puddles and sheltered in a cave before escaping an 11-night ordeal in the Australian bush, police said Saturday.
The 26-year-old walked “confused and disorientated” 24 kilometers away from her van after it got stuck in remote bushland in Western Australia. The backpacker had lost hope of being rescued, police said.
But on Friday, she managed to flag down a woman who drove her to police in the agricultural community of Beacon, northeast of Perth. Wilga was airlifted to a Perth hospital for treatment.
“She spent 11 nights exposed to the elements and survived by consuming the minimal food supplies she had in her possession, and drinking water from rain and puddles,” Western Australia police said in a statement.
“She sought shelter at night where possible, including in a cave.”
Wilga was suffering from exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, “extensive insect bites,” and an injured foot, police said.
The driver who spotted her, Tania Henley, told public broadcaster ABC that she saw Wilga waving her hands by the side of the road.
She appeared to be in a “fragile state,” bitten by midges and suffering from the cold.
“Everything in this bush is very prickly. I just can’t believe that she survived. She had no shoes on, she’d wrapped her foot up.”
The rescue was down to “sheer luck,” Western Australia police acting inspector Jessica Securo told a news conference in Perth after speaking to Wilga.
“She is still in disbelief that she was able to survive. In her mind, she had convinced herself that she was not going to be located,” said Securo.
“She basically looked at the direction of the sun and tried to head west, thinking that that would be her best bet of coming across someone or a road.”
Wilga told police she was “very confused and disorientated.”
Until her rescue, she had been last seen on June 29 arriving in the van at a general store in Beacon.
A police search spotted the van on Thursday, abandoned in dense bushland north of Beacon with plastic orange traction tracks placed beneath the rear wheels.
“It appears that she has somewhat lost control of the vehicle, and then it’s become mechanically unsound, and bogged,” Securo said.
She stayed with the van for one day before leaving the vehicle through “panic,” hoping to find help.
Wilga was “overwhelmed” to have found someone to help her.
“She had minimal food and minimal water. From speaking to her, she has said she could have planned better.”
The terrain can be “quite dangerous,” Securo added.
Wilga remained in hospital and was not expected to be released on Saturday, still needing “emotional support” and treatment for some injuries.
“She’s had a good night’s sleep. She’s had a shower. We’ve got her some food, which was a massive relief for her. So she’s just taking it one day at a time at the moment.”
The backpacker is now in “frequent communication” with her family who are relieved and thankful the Western Australian community came together to “throw every resource at locating their daughter,” Securo said.
The family had no plans at this stage to travel to Australia.
Police say Wilga had spent two years backpacking around the country, and was working at mine sites in Western Australia while staying mostly at hostels.
“Carolina has told me that she loves Australia. She still has so much travel to do here. She hasn’t made it over to the east coast yet, so that’s still on her bucket list,” said Securo.

 


Emergency vaccines slash deaths by 60 percent

Updated 12 July 2025
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Emergency vaccines slash deaths by 60 percent

  • ‘For the first time, we are able to comprehensively quantify the benefits of deploying vaccines against outbreaks,’ Gavi chief Sania Nishtar says

GENEVA: Emergency vaccination during outbreaks of diseases like cholera, Ebola and measles have over the past quarter-century reduced deaths from such illnesses by nearly 60 percent, according to a new study.

A similar number of infections are also believed to have been prevented, while billions of euros have been generated in estimated economic benefit.
The Gavi vaccine alliance, which backed the study, said it collaborated with researchers at Burnet Institute in Australia to provide the world’s first look at the historical impact of emergency immunization efforts on public health and global health security.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Vaccination was shown to decrease deaths during yellow fever outbreaks by a full 99 percent, and 76 percent for Ebola.

• At the same time, emergency vaccination significantly reduced the threat of outbreaks expanding.

• The study estimated that the immunization efforts carried out during the 210 outbreaks generated nearly $32 billion.

“For the first time, we are able to comprehensively quantify the benefit, in human and economic terms, of deploying vaccines against outbreaks of some of the deadliest infectious diseases,” Gavi chief Sania Nishtar said in a statement.
“This study demonstrates clearly the power of vaccines as a cost-effective countermeasure to the increasing risk the world faces from outbreaks.”
The study, published this week in the British Medical Journal Global Health, examined 210 outbreaks of five infectious diseases — cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis and yellow fever — in 49 lower-income countries between 2000 and 2023.
Vaccine roll-outs in these settings had a dramatic impact, with the study showing they reduced both the number of infections and deaths by almost 60 percent across the five diseases.
For some of the diseases the effect was far more dramatic.
Vaccination was shown to decrease deaths during yellow fever outbreaks by a full 99 percent, and 76 percent for Ebola.
At the same time, emergency vaccination significantly reduced the threat of outbreaks expanding.
It also estimated that the immunization efforts carried out during the 210 outbreaks generated nearly $32 billion in economic benefits just from averting deaths and years of life lost to disability.
That amount was however likely to be a significant underestimate of overall savings, it said, pointing out that it did not take into account outbreak response costs or the social and macro-economic impacts of disruptions created by large outbreaks.
The massive Ebola outbreak that hit West Africa in 2014, before the existence of approved vaccines, for instance saw cases pop up worldwide and is estimated to have cost the West African countries alone more than $53 billion.
The study comes after the WHO warned in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis, and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and cuts to international aid.
Gavi, which helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against infectious diseases, is itself currently trying to secure a fresh round of funding in the face of the global aid cuts and after Washington last month announced it would stop backing the group.

 


London’s Met Police arrest dozens for alleged support for banned Palestine Action group during protest

Updated 12 July 2025
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London’s Met Police arrest dozens for alleged support for banned Palestine Action group during protest

  • Protest marked second consecutive weekend of arrests over alleged references to the proscribed organization

LONDON: London’s Metropolitan Police arrested 41 people on Saturday during a protest in Parliament Square, accusing them of showing support for the now-banned direct action group Palestine Action, it was reported.

The protest marked the second consecutive weekend of arrests over alleged references to the proscribed organization.

The demonstration was part of a coordinated campaign by the group Defend Our Juries, which held simultaneous actions in other UK cities including Manchester, Cardiff, and Derry.

Protesters gathered in Parliament Square shortly after 1 p.m., sitting silently at the base of statues of Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi while holding cardboard signs bearing messages in support of Palestine Action, The Guardian reported.

According to the Metropolitan Police, the arrests were made under terrorism legislation.

In a statement posted on social media, the force said: “We are responding to a protest in support of Palestine Action. Officers are in the process of making arrests. We will issue any updates on this thread.”

In a follow-up statement, the Met confirmed: “Officers have made 41 arrests for showing support for a proscribed organisation. One person has been arrested for common assault.”

 

 

Defend Our Juries said on X: “Over 300 police officers have been seen to carry away dozens of people from the foot of statues of Nelson Mandela and Gandhi for alleged ‘terrorism offences’. Those arrested are accused of holding signs in support of Palestine Action.”

Officers were seen cordoning off demonstrators, searching their bags, inspecting ID cards, and seizing signs. Some protesters lay atop one another as police moved in to confiscate their placards. The demonstrators’ signs reportedly included messages such as: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.”

 

 

The protest comes days after the UK government’s controversial decision to ban Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act.

The move followed an incident in which activists allegedly broke into RAF Brize Norton and defaced two military aircraft with spray paint.

The ban was announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper in late June and formally approved by MPs last Wednesday.

The House of Lords backed the decision without a vote the following day. It marks the first time a direct action protest group has been proscribed under terrorism legislation in the UK, placing Palestine Action in the same legal category as Hamas, al-Qaeda, and Islamic State.

Under the new law, supporting or promoting the group now carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

Palestine Action is known for its campaigns targeting Israeli and Israeli-linked businesses in Britain, particularly defense firm Elbit Systems.

Its protests have included blocking entrances, damaging property, and spraying buildings with red paint to symbolise blood.

Critics of the ban say the government is conflating protest with terrorism and suppressing legitimate dissent.

In a failed legal challenge to the proscription, a lawyer for Palestine Action argued the government’s move marked “the first time Britain had proscribed a group which undertook this type of direct action.”

UN experts, human rights organisations, cultural figures, and hundreds of lawyers have also voiced alarm over the decision, warning it sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing civil disobedience.

Saturday’s demonstration echoed scenes from the previous weekend, when 29 protesters, including 83-year-old former priest Rev Sue Parfitt, were arrested at a similar gathering in Parliament Square.

In Manchester, police also made arrests at a protest in support of Palestine Action, while peaceful demonstrations took place in Cardiff and Derry.

The controversy surrounding Palestine Action’s ban comes amid heightened tensions over the war in Gaza, where the International Court of Justice in The Hague is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians. Israel denies all allegations of wrongdoing.

* With Reuters


Nearly 60 British Labour MPs urge UK to immediately recognize Palestinian state

Updated 12 July 2025
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Nearly 60 British Labour MPs urge UK to immediately recognize Palestinian state

  • In letter sent to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, cross-section of MPs, spanning both centrist and left-wing factions, accused Israel of ethnic cleansing in Gaza

LONDON: A group of nearly 60 British Labour politicians have called on the UK government to immediately recognize a Palestinian state, following alarming developments in Gaza and controversial remarks from Israel’s defense minister, The Guardian reported on Saturday.

In a letter sent to UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday, the cross-section of MPs, spanning both centrist and left-wing factions, accused Israel of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and demanded urgent action to prevent the forcible transfer of Palestinian civilians to a camp in the ruins of Rafah.

“It is with great urgency and concern that we are writing to you regarding the Israeli defense minister’s announcement on Monday of his plans to forcibly transfer all Palestinian civilians in Gaza to a camp in the ruined city of Rafah without allowing them to leave,” the MPs wrote.

Citing a prominent Israeli human rights lawyer, they continued: “The defense minister’s plans have been described by a leading Israeli human rights lawyer, Michael Sfard, as ‘an operational plan for crimes against humanity. It’s about population transfer to the southern tip of Gaza in preparation for deportation outside the strip.’

“Though an accurate description, we believe there is a clearer one. The ethnic cleansing of Gaza,” they added.

The letter, organized by Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East, was signed by 59 MPs, including group co-chairs Sarah Owen and Andrew Pakes, as well as Liam Byrne, chair of the business and trade select committee.

Other prominent signatories include Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Stella Creasy, Clive Lewis, Diane Abbott and Dawn Butler.

The MPs outlined five key demands to ministers, some of which are in line with existing UK policy, such as continued funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency and efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

However, other recommendations are likely to stir political debate.

These include imposing a trade blockade on Israeli settlements in the West Bank and granting immediate recognition to Palestine as a sovereign state.

“By not recognizing (Palestine) as a state, we undermine our own policy of a two-state solution and set an expectation that the status quo can continue and see the effective erasure and annexation of Palestinian territory,” the MPs warned.

The UK government has previously indicated that it supports recognition of a Palestinian state “at the point of maximum impact,” as part of a broader peace process in coordination with international allies.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office reiterated this position: “We are committed to recognizing a Palestinian state and to doing so when (it) will have most impact in support of a peace process.”

The Labour MPs’ intervention comes just days after French President Emmanuel Macron issued a similar call during his state visit to the UK.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Macron stressed the need for an unconditional ceasefire and momentum toward recognition.

“Calling today for a ceasefire in Gaza without any condition is telling the rest of the world that for us as Europeans, there is no double standard. As we are attached to human lives, as we are attached to territorial integrity, we want the ceasefire, no discussion,” Macron said.

“Today, working together in order to recognize the state of Palestine and to initiate this political momentum is the only path to peace,” he added.

This is the second letter sent by Labour MPs in recent weeks calling for immediate recognition of Palestine, but the first time the signatories have made their names public. A previous letter also included some parliamentary aides and junior ministers.


Trump says Mexico, EU to face 30% tariff from August 1

Updated 12 July 2025
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Trump says Mexico, EU to face 30% tariff from August 1

  • Cites Mexico’s role in illicit drugs flowing into the United States and a trade imbalance with the EU respectively

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Saturday said major US trading partners Mexico and the European Union would face a 30 percent tariff starting next month, ramping up pressure for deals in his trade wars.

Both sets of duties would take effect August 1, Trump said in separate letters posted to his Truth Social platform, citing Mexico’s role in illicit drugs flowing into the United States and a trade imbalance with the EU respectively.

The duties are higher than the 25 percent levy Trump imposed on Mexican goods earlier this year, although products entering the United States under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement are exempted.

Canada earlier received a similar letter setting out 35 percent tariffs on its goods.

The EU tariff is also markedly steeper than the 20 percent levy Trump unveiled in April, as negotiations with the bloc continue.

The EU, alongside dozens of other economies, had been set to see its US tariff level increase from a baseline of 10 percent on Wednesday, but Trump pushed back the deadline to August 1 just days before the elevated rates were due to take effect.

Since the start of the week, Trump has sent out letters to more than 20 countries with updated tariffs for each.