AFP

Israel opposition leader backs call for strike in Gaza hostages support

Israeli opposition chief Yair Lapid on Tuesday backed calls for a general strike in solidarity with hostages still held in Gaza.

“Strike on Sunday,” Lapid posted on X, saying even supporters of the current government should take part and insisting it was not party political.

Sunday is the first day of the working week in Israel.

“Strike out of solidarity. Strike because the families have asked, and that’s reason enough. Strike because no one has a monopoly on emotion, on mutual responsibility, on Jewish values.”

Lapid’s post followed a call on Sunday by around 20 parents of hostages still held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip for a strike.

On Monday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the main representative group for relatives, backed the idea.

The group has been pressing the leaders of Israel’s main trade union federation, Histadrut, to join in but it decided against doing so.

Instead, it said it would support “workers’ solidarity demonstrations”, the Forum said.

“Allow a citizens’ strike, from the grassroots to the top. Allow everyone to take a day off on Sunday to follow the dictates of their conscience,” the Forum added in a statement.

“The moment has come to act, to take to the streets,” it said, adding “675 days of captivity and war must end”.

The group again accused the government of sacrificing the remaining hostages “on the altar of an endless, aimless war”.

Last week, Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to expand the war into the remaining parts of Gaza not yet controlled by the military, sparking fears that more hostages might die as a result.

Of the 251 hostages taken captive by Palestinian militants during Hamas’s October 2023 attack on southern Israel, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

In early August, Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad released videos showing two hostages in emaciated conditions.

Hamas’s 2023 attack that sparked the Gaza war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, the majority civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 61,499 people, the majority civilians, according to the figures from the health ministry of Gaza considered reliable by the United Nations.

August 12, 2025
Trump says plans to test out Putin in Alaska summit

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday described his upcoming summit with Vladimir Putin as a “feel-out meeting” to gauge his ideas for ending the war in Ukraine, as European leaders rushed to ensure respect for Kyiv’s interests.

Trump has invited his Russian counterpart to Alaska on Friday — the first face-to-face meeting between the two countries’ presidents since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 — while criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for rejecting territorial concessions.

Fearing privately that Putin will team up with Trump to force unacceptable compromises, European leaders plan to speak separately Wednesday with both Zelensky and Trump.

The US president has spent the first months of his second term in office trying to broker peace in Ukraine — after boasting he could end the conflict in 24 hours — but multiple rounds of talks, phone calls and diplomatic visits have failed to yield a breakthrough.

Trump, usually fond of boasting of his deal-making skills, played down the possibility of a breakthrough in Alaska but said he expected “constructive conversations” with Putin.

“This is really a feel-out meeting a little bit,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

“We’re going to see what he has in mind and if it’s a fair deal, I’ll reveal it to the European Union leaders and to NATO leaders and also to President Zelensky,” Trump said.

“I may say — lots of luck, keep fighting. Or I may say, we can make a deal.”

EU leaders stressed on Tuesday “the inherent right of Ukraine to choose its own destiny.”

“A just and lasting peace that brings stability and security must respect international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and that international borders must not be changed by force,” they said in a statement.

Zelensky has ruled out ceding territory. Trump — who publicly berated the Ukrainian president at a White House meeting in February — said he was a “little bothered” by Zelensky’s stance and insisted land swaps would need to take place.

“There’ll be some swapping, there’ll be some changes in land,” he said.

But Trump said he would also tell Putin that “you’ve got to end this war.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited the French, British and other European leaders and the EU and NATO chiefs to virtual talks on Wednesday.

Merz’s office said Monday the leaders would discuss “further options to exert pressure on Russia” and “preparation of possible peace negotiations and related issues of territorial claims and security.”

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and also examined imposing a 19th package of sanctions on Russia since the invasion.

Until Russia agrees to a “full and unconditional ceasefire, we should not even discuss any concessions,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after the talks.

“It has never worked in the past with Russia and will not work with Putin today.”

Zelensky again warned against capitulating to Putin’s demands.

“Russia refuses to stop the killings and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits. And this is not just a moral position — it is a rational one,” Zelensky wrote in a statement published on social media.

“Concessions do not persuade a killer,” he added.

August 12, 2025
Xi says China, Brazil can model self-reliance for Global South

BEIEJING: China’s President Xi Jinping told his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that the two countries could set an example of “self-reliance” in a phone call on Tuesday, state media reported.

The two leaders have both sought in recent months to present their countries as staunch defenders of the multilateral trading system — in stark contrast with US President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught.

Xi said China would “work with Brazil to set an example of unity and self-reliance among major countries in the Global South” and “jointly build a more just world and more sustainable planet”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

He also said that “all countries should unite and firmly oppose unilateralism and protectionism”, Xinhua reported — a thinly veiled reference to US tariffs.

A statement by the Brazilian presidency said that the phone call lasted about an hour, during which time Lula and Xi discussed a range of topics including the war in Ukraine and combatting climate change.

“Both agreed on the role of the G20 and BRICS in defending multilateralism,” the statement said.

The leaders also “committed to expanding the scope of cooperation in sectors such as health, oil and gas, digital economy and satellites”, it added.

The phone call came after Lula indicated plans last week to speak with the leaders of India and China to consider a coordinated response to US tariffs.

August 12, 2025
Norway sovereign wealth fund drops investments in 11 Israeli firms over Gaza war

Oslo: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund said Monday that it was selling its investments in 11 Israeli companies following reports it had invested in an Israeli jet engine maker even as the war in Gaza raged.

Nicolai Tangen, chief of Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), which manages the fund, said the decision was taken “in response to extraordinary circumstances”.

“The situation in Gaza is a serious humanitarian crisis. We are invested in companies that operate in a country at war, and conditions in the West Bank and Gaza have recently worsened,” Tangen said in a statement.

Read More: Israel signs $35 billion natural gas supply deal with Egypt

He said the move would reduce the number of Israeli companies the fund’s Council of Ethics needed to supervise.

Norway’s wealth fund — also known as the oil fund as it is fuelled by vast revenue from the country’s energy exports — is the biggest in the world with a value of around $1.9 trillion, with investments in more than 8,600 companies spanning the globe.

Last week, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported that the fund had invested in Israeli Bet Shemesh Engines Holdings, which makes parts for engines used in Israeli fighter jets.

Tangen later confirmed the reports, and said the fund had increased its stake after the Israeli offensive in Gaza began.

The revelations led Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to ask Finance Minister and former NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg for a review.

NBIM said it had investments in 61 Israeli companies at the end of the first six months of this year, 11 of which were not in its “equity benchmark index” — which is set by the finance ministry and used to gauge the wealth fund’s performance.

NBIM added that it had decided last week that “all investments in Israeli companies that are not in the equity benchmark index will be sold as soon as possible”.

– Ethical guidelines –

Going forward, “the fund’s investments in Israel will now be limited to companies that are in the equity benchmark index,” it said.

NBIM also said that all investments in Israeli companies managed by external managers would be moved in-house, and that it was “terminating contracts with external managers in Israel”.

In addition, NBIM said the finance ministry had asked it to review “its investments in Israeli companies, and to propose new measures that it deems necessary”.

It said it initiated the review and would present its findings before an August 20 deadline.

The fund also said that it had “long paid particular attention to companies associated with war and conflict”.

“Since 2020, we have been in contact with more than 60 companies to raise this issue. Of these, 39 dialogues were related to the West Bank and Gaza,” NBIM said.

It said that monitoring of Israeli companies had been intensified in the autumn of 2024, and that “as a result, we have sold our investments in several Israeli companies”.

Speaking at a press conference later Monday, Stoltenberg said he was glad Norges Bank had “acted quickly”.

“The fund’s ethical guidelines stipulate that it shall not invest in companies that contribute to violations of international law by states,” he told reporters.

“Therefore, the pension fund should not hold shares in companies that contribute to Israel’s warfare in Gaza or the occupation of the West Bank,” he said.

Also on Monday, Norwegian pension fund KLP said it had excluded Israeli company NextVision Stabilized Systems “from its investments because the company supplies key components for military drones used in the war in Gaza”.

August 11, 2025
Antonio Banderas, 65, rules out retirement plans

Spanish film star Antonio Banderas said in an interview published Sunday for his birthday that he has no plans to slow down now that he has reached 65.

“When I was 20, I thought that 65-year-olds walked with a cane,” said Antonio Banderas, known for roles in films such as ‘The Mask of Zorro’, ‘Desperado’, and ‘Philadelphia’, in an interview with the Spanish daily El País.

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“Back then, at 65, you retired. Not anymore — now it’s later.”

“Maybe I’m doing things I shouldn’t be doing,” added Banderas, who suffered a heart attack in 2017. “But the doctors don’t say anything to me. They say I’m fine, that I should do whatever I want.”

The actor said he has recently started music theory classes and bought himself a piano.

“I think I’d be one of those people who die if they stop. And I work at what I love; it’s been the luck of my life,” he said.

Banderas, who began acting in the 1980s, said he remains busy running the theatre he opened in 2019 in his hometown of Malaga, in southern Spain.

Also Read: Antonio Banderas joins Dominic Sessa in Anthony Bourdain biopic ‘Tony’

He spent part of the summer in Boston filming a biopic of legendary chef Anthony Bourdain, titled ‘Tony’, and then travelled to Spain’s Canary Islands to work on a thriller, ‘Above and Below’.

August 11, 2025
Italy’s defence minister says Israel has ‘lost humanity’ on Gaza

ROME: Italy’s defence minister said in an interview published Monday that Israel’s government had “lost its reason and humanity” over Gaza and signalled an openness to potential sanctions.

“What is happening is unacceptable. We are not facing a military operation with collateral damage, but the pure denial of the law and the founding values of our civilisation,” Defence Minister Guido Crosetto told La Stampa daily.

“We are committed to humanitarian aid, but we must now find a way to force Netanyahu to think clearly, beyond condemnation.”

Asked about possible international sanctions against Israel, Crosetto said that “the occupation of Gaza and some serious acts in the West Bank mark a qualitative leap, in the face of which decisions must be made that force Netanyahu to think”.

“And it wouldn’t be a move against Israel, but a way to save that people from a government which has lost reason and humanity.

“We must always distinguish governments from states and people, as well as from the religions they profess. This applies for Netanyahu, and it applies to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, whose methods, by now, have become dangerously similar.”

He was speaking after Netanyahu defended his plan to take control of Gaza City, a plan which has sparked criticism from across the world.

Italy has declined to join other nations in saying it would recognise a Palestinian state — a decision Crosetto defended, saying that “recognising a state that doesn’t exist risks turning into nothing but a political provocation in a world dying of provocations”.

August 11, 2025
Three-quarters of UN members support Palestinian statehood

PARIS: Three-quarters of UN members have already or soon plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, with Australia on Monday becoming the latest to promise it will at the UN General Assembly in September.

The Israel-Hamas war, raging in Gaza since the Palestinian militant group’s attack on October 7, 2023, has revived a global push for Palestinians to be given a state of their own.

The action breaks with a long-held view that Palestinians could only gain statehood as part of a negotiated peace with Israel.

According to an AFP tally, at least 145 of the 193 UN members now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, including France, Canada and Britain.

Here is a quick recap of the Palestinians’ quest for statehood:

1988: Arafat proclaims state

On November 15, 1988, during the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising against Israeli rule, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat unilaterally proclaimed an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

He made the announcement in Algiers at a meeting of the exiled Palestinian National Council, which adopted the two-state solution as a goal, with independent Israeli and Palestinian states existing side-by-side.

Minutes later, Algeria became the first country to officially recognise an independent Palestinian state.

Within a week, dozens of other countries, including much of the Arab world, India, Turkey, most of Africa and several central and eastern European countries followed suit.

The next wave of recognitions came in late 2010 and early 2011, at a time of crisis for the Middle East peace process.

South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil and Chile, answered calls by the Palestinians to endorse their statehood claims.

This came in response to Israel’s decision to end a temporary ban on Jewish settlement-building in the occupied West Bank.

2011-2012: UN recognition

In 2011, with peace talks at a standstill, the Palestinians pushed ahead with a campaign for full UN membership.

The quest failed, but in a groundbreaking move on October 31 of that year, the UN cultural agency UNESCO voted to accept the Palestinians as a full member, much to the dismay of Israel and the United States.

In November 2012, the Palestinian flag was raised for the first time at the United Nations in New York after the General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinians to “non-member observer state”.

Three years later, the International Criminal Court also accepted the Palestinians as a state party.

2024-2025 new push

Israel’s offensive in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 attack has boosted support for Palestinian statehood.

Four Caribbean countries (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and the Bahamas) and Armenia took the diplomatic step in 2024.

So did four European countries: Norway, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia, the latter three EU members.

Within the European Union, this was a first in 10 years since Sweden’s move in 2014, which resulted in years of strained relations with Israel.

Other member states, such as Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, had already done so in 1988, long before joining the EU.

On the other hand, some former Eastern bloc countries, such as Hungary and the Czech Republic, do not or no longer recognise a state of Palestine.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday that “Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own” at the UN General Assembly.

France said last month it intends to recognise a Palestinian state come September, while Britain said it would do the same unless Israel takes “substantive steps”, including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.

Canada also plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said, marking a dramatic policy shift that was immediately rejected by Israel.

Among other countries that could also formally express recognition, Malta, Finland and Portugal have raised the possibility.

August 11, 2025
The Russian past of Alaska, where Trump and Putin will meet

WASHINGTON: Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will hold a high-stakes meeting about the Ukraine war on Friday in Alaska, which the United States bought from Russia more than 150 years ago.

Russian influence still endures in parts of the remote state on the northwest edge of the North American continent, which extends just a few miles from Russia.

Former Russian colony

When Danish explorer Vitus Bering first sailed through the narrow strait that separates Asia and the Americas in 1728, it was on an expedition for Tsarist Russia.

The discovery of what is now known as the Bering Strait revealed the existence of Alaska to the West — however Indigenous people had been living there for thousands of years.

Bering’s expedition kicked off a century of Russian seal hunting, with the first colony set up on the southern Kodiak island.

In 1799, Tsar Paul I established the Russian-American Company to take advantage of the lucrative fur trade, which often involved clashes with the Indigenous inhabitants.

However the hunters overexploited the seals and sea otters, whose populations collapsed, taking with them the settlers’ economy.

The Russian empire sold the territory to Washington for $7.2 million in 1867.

The purchase of an area more than twice the size of Texas was widely criticized in the US at the time, even dubbed “Seward’s folly” after the deal’s mastermind, secretary of state William Seward.

Languages and churches

The Russian Orthodox Church established itself in Alaska after the creation of the Russian-American Company, and remains one of the most significant remaining Russian influences in the state.

More than 35 churches, some with distinctive onion-shaped domes, dot the Alaskan coast, according to an organization dedicated to preserving the buildings.

Alaska’s Orthodox diocese says it is the oldest in North America, and even maintains a seminary on Kodiak island.

A local dialect derived from Russian mixed with Indigenous languages survived for decades in various communities — particularly near the state’s largest city Anchorage — though it has now essentially vanished.

However near the massive glaciers on the southern Kenai peninsula, the Russian language is still being taught.

A small rural school of an Orthodox community known as the “Old Believers” set up in the 1960s teaches Russian to around a hundred students.

Neighbors

One of the most famous statements about the proximity of Alaska and Russia was made in 2008 by Sarah Palin, the state’s then-governor — and the vice-presidential pick of Republican candidate John McCain.

“They’re our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska,” Palin said.

While it is not possible to see Russia from the Alaskan mainland, two islands facing each other in the Bering Strait are separated by just 2.5 miles (four kilometers).

Russia’s Big Diomede island is just west of the American Little Diomede island, where a few dozen people live.

Further south, two Russians landed on the remote St. Lawrence island — which is a few dozen miles from the Russian coast — in October, 2022 to seek asylum.

They fled just weeks after Putin ordered an unpopular mobilization of citizens to boost his invasion of Ukraine.

For years, the US military has said it regularly intercepts Russian aircraft that venture too close to American airspace in the region.

However Russia is ostensibly not interested in reclaiming the territory it once held, with Putin saying in 2014 that Alaska is “too cold”.

August 11, 2025
Indian police arrest fake police running ‘crime bureau’

NEW DELHI: Indian police have arrested six men for allegedly posing as police and extorting “donations” from a rented office labelled a “crime investigative bureau”.

The “International Police and Crime Investigation Bureau”, run from an office decorated with “police-like colours and logos”, was located in New Delhi satellite city Noida, police said in a statement late Sunday.

The accused forged documents and certificates and ran a website where they sought “donations” from victims, police said.

They also claimed they had an “affiliation with Interpol” and other international crime units.

“The perpetrators presented themselves as public servants,” the police said.

Police recovered several mobile phones, cheque books, stamp seals and identity cards.

The arrests come just weeks after a man was arrested for allegedly running a fake embassy from a rented house near New Delhi and duping job seekers of money with promises of employment abroad.

The accused was operating an illegal “West Arctic embassy” and claimed to be the ambassador of fictional nations including “West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia”.

August 11, 2025
Australia will recognise Palestinian state: PM

SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday.

“Until Israeli and Palestinian statehood is permanent, peace can only be temporary,” he told reporters.

“Australia will recognise the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own.”

Several countries, including France, Britian and Canada, have announced plans to recognise statehood for Palestinians since Israel launched a bombardment of Gaza nearly two years ago in response to the Hamas attacks.

Albanese added that he had received assurances from the Palestinian Authority that there would be “no role for the terrorists of Hamas in any future Palestinian state”.

“There is a moment of opportunity here, and Australia will work with the international community to seize it,” he said.

August 11, 2025