India sends aid flights to quake-hit Myanmar

India sends aid flights to quake-hit Myanmar
This handout photograph taken and released by External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Mar. 29, 2025, shows an Indian Air Force aircraft carrying relief materials after it landed in Yangon, in Myanmar, on Mar. 29, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 29 March 2025
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India sends aid flights to quake-hit Myanmar

India sends aid flights to quake-hit Myanmar
  • Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid
  • Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a C-130 military transport plane had been dispatched carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other essentials

NEW DELHI: Indian aid flights began landing in Myanmar on Saturday, New Delhi’s foreign ministry said, a day after a powerful 7.7-magnitude caused widespread damage in its civil war-ravaged neighbor.

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid, indicating the severity of a calamity that has killed at least 694 people and injured 1,670 others.

Previous military regimes in the country have shunned foreign assistance even after major natural disasters.

Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said a C-130 military transport plane had been dispatched carrying hygiene kits, blankets, food parcels and other essentials.

“A search and rescue team and medical team is also accompanying this flight,” he added. “We will continue to monitor the developments and more aid will follow.”

Jaishankar’s ministry later shared photographs of the flight being unloaded after it landed in the commercial capital Yangon.

Two more Indian air force aircraft were being sent on Saturday carrying “80 search and rescue specialists” and a canine squad alongside more relief material, ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said.

A further two aircraft carrying a field hospital and medical personnel took off from Agra military base on Saturday for Naypyidaw, an Indian army official said during the ministry’s briefing.

Two Indian navy ships carrying more relief assistance material and personnel had already set sail from Port Blair for Yangon, an Indian navy official added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had spoken with Min Aung Hlaing of Myanmar to give his “deep condolences at the loss of lives” in the earthquake.

“As a close friend and neighbor, India stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult hour,” he wrote in a social media post.

Friday’s quake struck destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with severe damage reported in the second-biggest city, Mandalay.


Philippines to ‘seek help’ securing release of Houthi-held sailors

Philippines to ‘seek help’ securing release of Houthi-held sailors
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Philippines to ‘seek help’ securing release of Houthi-held sailors

Philippines to ‘seek help’ securing release of Houthi-held sailors
  • Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega confirmed the Houthis were holding nine Filipino seafarers
  • “We’re not going to talk directly with the Houthis. We’re going to seek help from friendly countries,” he added

MANILA: The Philippines said Tuesday it would ask “friendly countries” to help secure the release of nine Filipino sailors being held by Yemen’s Houthis.

The Iran-backed Houthis released footage on Monday of crew members missing after attacks on the Eternity C and Magic Seas cargo ships, claiming in an accompanying statement to have “rescued” the mariners.

Last week, Human Rights Watch said the Houthis were unlawfully detaining the crew and that their attacks on shipping amounted to war crimes. The United States has accused the Houthis of kidnapping.

Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega confirmed the Houthis were holding nine Filipino seafarers.

“I do not want to use the term hostage. At least we know they are alive,” he told AFP.

“We’re not going to talk directly with the Houthis. We’re going to seek help from friendly countries,” he added.

The European Union’s Operation Aspides naval task force told AFP that 15 of the 25 people onboard the Eternity C were still missing — with four presumed dead.

Cosmoship, the owner of the Eternity C, urged the Houthis on Tuesday to release its crew members “at the earliest opportunity.”

In a statement, the company expressed relief that “ten of our missing crew members, as well as one of the vessel’s security guards (11 in total), are alive and appear to be receiving care,” after viewing the footage released by the rebels.

“We continue to work through every available channel to support their continued care and to facilitate their safe and swift return home to their families,” it added.

The Philippines Department of Migrant Workers, which has overseen efforts to bring the survivors home, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Houthis sank the Magic Seas and Eternity C in separate Red Sea attacks this month, after a temporary hiatus in their campaign against maritime traffic.

The Houthis launched attacks on ships in the trade route soon after the start of the Gaza war in October, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.

The sinking of the Magic Seas was their first attack since late last year, with the Eternity C facing a similar fate soon after.

In its statement, the Houthis said they rescued 11 crew members, including two injured, and also recovered a body from aboard the ship before it sank.

The video appeared to show the moment the mostly Filipino crew were pulled from the sea wearing life jackets.

A man the Houthis said was an electrician was shown lying in bed and speaking in English. Aspides had said a Russian electrician onboard the ship had lost his leg.

De Vega said one of the nine Filipinos had suffered an unspecified injury, and that one of the non-Filipino personnel was also injured.

Two weeks ago, eight other Filipino crew members who survived the Eternity C attack were flown back to the Philippines. All 17 Filipino seafarers from the Magic Seas have likewise been flown home.

Previously, the Houthis held the mostly Filipino crew of the Galaxy Leader merchant ship for more than a year, before releasing them in January.

Filipino sailors make up as much as 30 percent of the world’s commercial shipping force. The nearly $7 billion they sent home in 2023 accounted for about a fifth of the remittances to the archipelago nation.


UK plans to recognize Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets conditions, Starmer says

UK plans to recognize Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets conditions, Starmer says
Updated 19 min 48 sec ago
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UK plans to recognize Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets conditions, Starmer says

UK plans to recognize Palestinian state in September unless Israel meets conditions, Starmer says
  • Government statement: ‘He (Starmer) said that the UK will recognize the state of Palestine in Sept., before UNGA, unless Israel takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza’
  • Statement: ‘He (Starmer) reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain’

LONDON: Britain will recognize the state of Palestine in September unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza and meets other conditions, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told cabinet on Tuesday according to a government statement.

“He said that the UK will recognize the state of Palestine in September, before UNGA (United Nations General Assembly), unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, reaches a ceasefire, makes clear there will be no annexation in the West Bank, and commits to a long-term peace process that delivers a Two State Solution,” the statement said.

“He reiterated that there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas and that our demands on Hamas remain, that they must release all the hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, accept that they will play no role in the government of Gaza, and disarm.”


Ukraine to let over 60s into armed forces amid shortages

Ukraine to let over 60s into armed forces amid shortages
Updated 29 July 2025
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Ukraine to let over 60s into armed forces amid shortages

Ukraine to let over 60s into armed forces amid shortages
  • The law will allow them to sign a one-year contract for non-combat roles
  • Ukraine has launched several initiatives to attract more people into the armed forces

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday signed a law allowing Ukrainian people over 60 to join the armed forces, which are struggling to find recruits as the Russian invasion drags through a fourth year.

The law will allow them to sign a one-year contract for non-combat roles if they pass medical tests, according to an explanatory note on the parliament’s website.

“A significant number of citizens aged 60 and over have expressed a strong desire to voluntarily join the defense of the state,” the note said.

“It is necessary to involve a larger number of people who wish to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” it said.

Ukraine has launched several initiatives to attract more people into the armed forces — including with a one-year contract and financial incentives for people aged 18 to 24.

It also lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25 in April 2024 — resisting calls from the US administration to lower it to 18.


Netherlands bars two hard-line Israeli ministers

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (L). (File/AFP)
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (L). (File/AFP)
Updated 29 July 2025
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Netherlands bars two hard-line Israeli ministers

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (L). (File/AFP)
  • Smotrich responded on X, saying European leaders had succumbed to “the lies of radical Islam that is taking over” and “rising antisemitism”
  • Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if he was banned from entering “all of Europe”

AMSTERDAM: The Netherlands has declared Israel’s finance and national security ministers persona non grata for inciting violence and urging ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

In June, the Netherlands backed a failed Swedish proposal to impose EU sanctions on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

“They repeatedly incited settler violence against Palestinians, promoted illegal settlement expansion, and called for ethnic cleansing in Gaza,” Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp told parliament in a letter released late Monday.

Smotrich responded on X, saying European leaders had succumbed to “the lies of radical Islam that is taking over” and “rising antisemitism.”

Ben-Gvir said he would continue to act for Israel, even if he was banned from entering “all of Europe.”

“In a place where terrorism is tolerated and terrorists are welcomed, a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted,” he wrote on X.

Veldkamp said the Netherlands wanted to “relieve the suffering of the population in Gaza” and was exploring further ways to contribute to humanitarian aid.

“Airdrops of food are relatively expensive and risky,” he said.

“This is why the Netherlands is also taking steps to further support land-based aid delivery.”

Aid drops resumed in Gaza on Sunday as Israel announced temporary humanitarian pauses in parts of the besieged territory.

Around 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza are facing what UN aid agencies have warned is a deadly wave of starvation and malnutrition.

The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Initiative (IPC) said on Tuesday that famine is unfolding across much of Gaza, with thresholds breached and over 20,000 children treated for acute malnutrition since April.

Veldkamp said the Netherlands would push to suspend the trade element of the EU-Israel Association Agreement if Israel fails to meet its humanitarian obligations.

“The summons will also be used to remind Israel to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law,” he said.

After speaking by phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said the government’s position was “crystal clear.”

“The people of Gaza must be given immediate, unfettered, safe access to humanitarian aid,” he said.

Israel’s foreign ministry said Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar had summoned the Dutch ambassador Marriët Schuurman to Jersualem for a formal reprimand on Tuesday afternoon.

“The conversation will take place in light of the Dutch government’s decisions to take measures against Israel, including against its right to defend itself and against ministers in its government,” the ministry said in a statement.

The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 59,921 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.


Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level

Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level
Updated 29 July 2025
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Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level

Shipping on Rhine river in Germany back to normal after rain raises water level
  • Dry weather and a heatwave in June and July meant the river became too shallow for vessels to sail
  • Rain in past days means the last northern river sections where shipping was hindered by shallow water

HAMBURG: Repeated rain in past days has raised water levels on all of the river Rhine in Germany to normal levels allowing cargo vessels to sail with full loads, commodity traders said on Tuesday.

Dry weather and a heatwave in June and July meant the river became too shallow for vessels to sail fully loaded. Ship operators imposed surcharges on freight rates to compensate for vessels sailing partly empty, increasing costs for cargo owners.

Rain in past days means the last northern river sections where shipping was hindered by shallow water, including around Duisburg and Cologne, have been raised to levels allowing full loads.

Rain had raised other sections of the river, including the chokepoint at Kaub, to normal levels over the weekend.

The impact of the heatwave had been stronger than expected as fields were especially dry which drain into smaller streams and rivers feeding into the Rhine.

The Rhine is an important shipping route for commodities such as grains, minerals, ores, chemicals, coal and oil products, including heating oil.

German companies faced supply bottlenecks and production problems in summer 2022 after a drought led to unusually low water levels on the river.