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Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, March 25
JAKARTA -- One was killed and nine others, including children, went missing after a landslide struck a village in the Indonesian province of West Java on Sunday, a local official said Monday. The disaster took place in Cibenda village in West Bandung regency on Sunday after torrential rain reportedly poured over the area for around two hours. (Indonesia-Landslide) - - - - SYDNEY -- Local media repo.....»»
Philippines braces for La Nina, continues to deal with El Nino
MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines will continue to implement measures to lessen the impact of the El Nino weather phenomenon, as it braces for the opposite La Nina weather pattern, Philippine Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum said Tuesday. Solidum said in a news conference that the Department of Science and Technology's record showed that as of Sunday, 37 provinces across the country hav.....»»
Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, March 26
MANILA -- Three suspected rebels were killed in a clash with government forces in Batangas province, south of Manila, on Tuesday, the Philippine military said. The military said a 30-minute gunfight broke out around 6:30 a.m. local time after the troops ran into a group of New People's Army (NPA) rebels in Rosario town. (Philippines-Clash) - - - - BEIRUT -- Two people were killed and nine other civ.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, March 25
JAKARTA -- One was killed and nine others, including children, went missing after a landslide struck a village in the Indonesian province of West Java on Sunday, a local official said Monday. The disaster took place in Cibenda village in West Bandung regency on Sunday after torrential rain reportedly poured over the area for around two hours. (Indonesia-Landslide) - - - - SYDNEY -- Local media repo.....»»
3 araw magdidilim ang mundo fake news, pero may solar eclipse –PAGASA
HINDI totoong makakaranas ng “three days of darkness” ang mundo. Ito ang nilinaw mismo ng Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) matapos kumalat ang naturang fake news dahil umano sa pagdaan ng tinatawag na “Photon Belts” simula April 8. Ayon sa weather bureau, walang scientific evidence ang magpapatunay sa balitang ito. “The news.....»»
Indonesia catches illegal Philippine fishing vessel
JAKARTA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has caught an illegal fishing vessel from the Philippines and its four crew members with fake documents in the Sulawesi Sea, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has reported. Acting Director General of Marine Resources and Fisheries Supervision, Pung Nugroho Saksono, said Thursday that the vessel was caught on Monday, when it was transporting around 2 tons of tuna to.....»»
Xinhua world economic news summary at 0900 GMT, March 17
MANILA -- The number of Chinese inbound travelers to the Philippines surged by 235 percent year-on-year in the first two months of 2024, a Philippine lawmaker said Sunday. Citing data from the Philippines' Department of Tourism, Representative Marvin Rillo, vice chairperson of the committee on tourism in the House of Representatives, said that 82,314 Chinese travelers entered the Philippines in January and Febru.....»»
Biden to host trilateral summit with Japan, Philippines on April 11
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US President Joe Biden will host a three-way summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in Washington on April 11, as announced by the White House, as reported by Kyodo News. This historic summit, the first of its kind involving the United States, Japan, and the Philippines, aims to bolster defence cooperation in response to China's asse.....»»
US warns China against armed attack on Philippines
Washington, DC [US], March 19 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned China on Tuesday, stating that any "armed" attack on Philippine vessels in the South China Sea would activate a mutual self-defence agreement between Washington and Manila, underscoring the escalating tensions in the region that could potentially embroil the United States in conflict with Beijing, as reported by The New York Times. Despite th.....»»
Suspected Houthi attack: Missile hits ship in Red Sea, crew reportedly safe
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck a ship in the Red Sea early Friday, causing damage to the vessel, authorities said. The attack off the port city of Hodeida comes as part of the rebels’ campaign against shipping over Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip......»»
Musk tours site of Hamas attack with Israeli PM
Tech tycoon Elon Musk visited the site of a Hamas attack in southern Israel Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the two discussed artificial intelligence with defence chiefs, officials said. Musk and Netanyahu held a brief interview on the billionaire's online platform X, formerly Twitter, following their tour of Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim -- communal farms -- in southern Israel attacked by the Palestinian militant group on October 7. "We have to demilitarise Gaza after the destruction of Hamas," Netanyahu said, calling for a campaign to "deradicalise" the Palestinian territory. "Then we also have to rebuild Gaza, and I hope to have our Arab friends help in that context." Netanyahu told Musk he hoped to resume US-mediated normalisation talks with Saudi Arabia after Hamas's defeat and "expand the circle of peace beyond anything imaginable". None of the prime minister's public statements addressed charges of rampant anti-Semitism on Musk's social media outlet. Earlier in the day, Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said Israel had reached an understanding in principle on the use of Starlink satellites, operated by Musk's company SpaceX, in Israel and the Gaza Strip "with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications". Musk and Netanyahu also "held an extended meeting on the security aspects of artificial intelligence," a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said. "Senior security establishment officials in the fields of artificial intelligence and cyber participated in the meeting." The American tycoon was also set to meet with President Isaac Herzog during his visit to Israel. Herzog would address "the need to act to combat rising anti-Semitism online", the office of Israel's figurehead president said Sunday. Musk has come under fire over what critics say is a proliferation of hate speech on X since his takeover of the social media site in October 2022. He has also been accused by the White House of "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism after endorsing a conspiracy theory seen as accusing Jews of trying to weaken white majorities. Herzog's office said the meeting would be joined by "representatives of families of hostages held by Hamas, who will speak about the horrors of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, and of the ongoing pain and uncertainty for those held captive". Israel bombarded the Gaza strip for weeks and launched a ground assault in response to the attacks, before a four-day ceasefire took effect on November 24. In September, Netanyahu urged Musk "to stop not only anti-Semitism, or rolling it back as best you can, but any collective hatred" on X. Musk, the world's richest person, said while his platform could not stop all hate speech before it was posted, he was "generally against attacking any group, no matter who it is". X Corp is currently suing nonprofit Media Matters on the grounds that it has driven away advertisers by portraying the site as rife with anti-Semitic content. Musk has also threatened to file suit against the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, over its claims that problematic and racist speech has soared on the site since he completed his $44-billion takeover......»»
Israeli president tells Musk he has ‘huge role’ in anti-Semitism
Israel's president told Elon Musk on Monday that the tech mogul has "a huge role to play" to combat anti-Semitism, which his social media platform is accused of spreading. The meeting came after the world's richest person visited a kibbutz community devastated in attacks by Hamas militants on October 7, and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence officials. Musk has been criticised over what critics say is a proliferation of hate speech on X, formerly Twitter, since his takeover of the social media site in October 2022. He has been accused by the White House of "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism after endorsing a conspiracy theory seen as accusing Jews of trying to weaken white majorities. Israel's figurehead President Isaac Herzog told him: "Unfortunately, we are inundated by anti-Semitism, which is Jew hatred. "You have a huge role to play," he said. "And I think we need to fight it together because on the platforms which you lead, unfortunately, there's a harbouring of a lot of... anti-Semitism." Musk did not mention anti-Semitism in his video remarks released by Herzog's office, but said Hamas militants "have been fed propaganda since they were children". "It's remarkable what humans are capable of if they're fed falsehoods, from when they are children; they will think that the murder of innocent people is a good thing." On October 7 Hamas militants broke through Gaza's militarised border into southern Israel to kill around 1,200 people and seize about 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials, in the worst-ever attack since the nation's founding. Vowing to destroy Hamas in response, Israel has carried out a relentless bombardment of targets in Gaza, alongside a ground invasion, that the Hamas government says has killed almost 15,000. A temporary truce has been in effect since Friday. Talk of satellites Earlier Monday, Netanyahu and Musk discussed "security aspects of artificial intelligence" with senior defence officials, the Prime Minister's Office said. Musk and Netanyahu held a conversation on X following their tour of Kfar Aza, one of the communities attacked by Hamas. "We have to demilitarise Gaza after the destruction of Hamas," Netanyahu said, calling for a campaign to "deradicalise" the Palestinian territory. "Then we also have to rebuild Gaza, and I hope to have our Arab friends help in that context." Netanyahu told Musk he hoped to resume United States-mediated normalisation talks with Saudi Arabia after Hamas's defeat and "expand the circle of peace beyond anything imaginable". The war stalled progress towards a Saudi-Israel normalisation deal, and in early November Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler denounced the conduct of Israeli forces fighting Hamas in Gaza. Israel's Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said his country had reached an understanding in principle on the use of Starlink satellites, operated by Musk's company SpaceX, in Israel and the Gaza Strip "with the approval of the Israeli Ministry of Communications". Starlink is a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that can provide internet to remote locations, or areas that have had normal communications infrastructure disabled. In September, Netanyahu urged Musk "to stop not only anti-Semitism, or rolling it back as best you can, but any collective hatred" on X. Musk said at the time that while his platform could not stop all hate speech before it was posted, he was "generally against attacking any group, no matter who it is". X Corp is currently suing nonprofit Media Matters on the grounds that it has driven away advertisers by portraying the site as rife with anti-Semitic content. Musk has also threatened to file suit against the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, over its claims that problematic and racist speech has soared on the site since he completed his $44-billion takeover......»»
UN barking up the wrong tree
Negotiations with the terror group Hamas, the crux of the humanitarian pause being pushed in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations, or UN, are backed by groups with an ax to grind against the United States and Israel. The UN said the halt in hostilities is needed to bring in aid and provide fuel primarily to run the electricity for hospitals to maintain medical operations. At the height of the terror attack, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said Hamas bandits ransacked the UN office and carted away provisions, including fuel. The UN agency, which provides aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and is the only specialized UN agency for a particular group of refugees, warned it would have to halt operations if no fuel was delivered. The lack of fuel means hospitals and water desalination plants will not function. While there have been limited deliveries of food, water, and medicines, no fuel has been allowed, as Israel is concerned about Hamas’ possible diversion of fuel deliveries. White House national security spokesman John Kirby described Israel’s concerns as legitimate. A satellite image provided by the Israel Defense Forces showed Hamas owns fuel tanks near the Rafah border crossing, containing 500,000 liters of fuel. The IDF suggested that the United Nations ask Hamas for fuel after it showed the satellite images on social media. “Ask Hamas if you can have some,” the IDF wrote. Rafah is the main crossing in and out of Gaza that does not border Israel. It has become the focus of efforts to deliver aid since Israel imposed a “total siege” of the enclave in retaliation for an attack by Hamas militants on 7 October. Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari recounted that Hamas has been stealing fuel from UNRWA, prompting the decision to block the fuel supply to Gaza. “Petrol will not enter Gaza. Hamas takes the petrol for its military infrastructure,” he said. Another IDF spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the photographs belied Hamas’s claims that “it does not have enough fuel to support hospitals and bakeries.” The IDF added: “Hamas-ISIS steals this fuel from civilians and transfers it to its tunnels, rocket launchers, and leaders. This is what Hamas’s list of priorities looks like.” Hamas propaganda said that a power outage at the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was a “crime against humanity” and called on Arab and Muslim countries and the UN to address the crisis. A power outage hit the hospital on Monday night due to a fuel shortage. It was news network Al Jazeera which reported that electricity was restored during the night, but the hospital only had fuel to operate generators for 48 more hours, after which lifesaving medical devices such as respirators and incubators would cease functioning. The fuel supply from Israel was halted after the 7 October terror assault. Under the cover of a barrage of thousands of rockets, over 2,500 gunmen crossed the border and rampaged murderously through southern Israeli towns, killing more than 1,400, most of whom were civilians. More than 220 were taken hostage. Now, Hamas is trying to deceive the world by crying in violation of human rights with the denial of fuel to the territory it controls. The outrageous twist Hamas applies to the atrocities it initiated then is swallowed lock, stock and barrel by the UN, which is pounding on Israel for a humanitarian pause. “Residents of Gaza, the address for your complaints is not Israel. It’s Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, and other Hamas-ISIS members who pushed Gaza into this abyss,” according to the IDF. The IDF has disputed the so-called humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip that the UN and Hamas are peddling. “As of now, I can tell you that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There are hardships in moving people within days to the south of the Gaza Strip, but the population is getting along,” an IDF official said. Another indicator that the terror organization controlling Gaza has little concern for the civilians is their obstructing the movement of the Gaza residents south as Israel had directed to the extent of confiscating the car keys of individuals. Hamas is the source of the crisis that the UN said should be solved, which is precisely what Israel is trying to do in committing to wipe out the terror group from the planet. The post UN barking up the wrong tree appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN General Assembly calls for ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza
The UN General Assembly on Friday called by a large majority for an "immediate humanitarian truce" in Gaza, on the 21st day of the Israel-Hamas conflict as the Israeli army announced it was extending its ground operation into the shattered territory. The non-binding resolution, criticized by Israel and the United States for failing to mention Hamas, received 120 votes in favor, 14 against and 45 abstentions from UN members. Israel angrily dismissed the measure, and said the country would use "every means at our disposal" in confronting Hamas. "Today is a day that will go down as infamy. We have all witnessed that the UN no longer holds even one ounce of legitimacy or relevance," Israeli ambassador Gilad Erdan said, telling the assembly: "Shame on you." "Israel will continue to defend itself. We will defend our future, our very existence by ridding the world of Hamas's evil so that it can never threaten anyone else again," he said. Hamas meanwhile welcomed the call for a break in the conflict. "We demand its immediate application to allow the entry of fuel and humanitarian aid for civilians," said a Hamas statement. The rival Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry said that as Israel's campaign "reaches a new peak of brutality," there was "a solid international position rejecting Israel's unhinged aggression". The text proposed by Jordan in the name of 22 Arab countries called for "an immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities." An earlier version called for an "immediate ceasefire." Jordan's Ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud, just before the vote, stressed that: "It is not merely our responsibility, but a profound moral obligation to champion the cause of peace." Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 220 others, according to Israeli officials. The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, in an update on Friday, said the Israeli strikes had now killed 7,326 people, mainly civilians and many of them children. The resolution co-sponsored by nearly 50 other countries centered largely on the dire humanitarian situation in sealed-off Gaza as Israel presses on with its bombardment. The document urges "immediate" provision of water, food, medical supplies, fuel and electricity and unhindered access for UN and other humanitarian agencies trying to help the Palestinians. The draft condemns "all acts of violence aimed at Palestinian and Israeli civilians, including all acts of terrorism and indiscriminate attacks" but it does not mention Hamas. The resolution exposed a division within Western countries, with France voting for the measure; Germany, Italy and Britain abstaining; while Austria and the United States voted against. "It is outrageous that this resolution fails to name the perpetrators of the October 7 terrorist attack," US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said. "Another key word missing in this resolution is hostage," she added. The post UN General Assembly calls for ‘humanitarian truce’ in Gaza appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN barking upthe wrong tree
Negotiations with the terror group Hamas, the crux of the humanitarian pause being pushed in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations, or UN, are backed by groups with an ax to grind against the United States and Israel. The UN said the halt in hostilities is needed to bring in aid and provide fuel primarily to run the electricity for hospitals to maintain medical operations. At the height of the terror attack, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said Hamas bandits ransacked the UN office and carted away provisions, including fuel. The UN agency, which provides aid to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip and is the only specialized UN agency for a particular group of refugees, warned it would have to halt operations if no fuel was delivered. The lack of fuel means hospitals and water desalination plants will not function. While there have been limited deliveries of food, water, and medicines, no fuel has been allowed, as Israel is concerned about Hamas’ possible diversion of fuel deliveries. White House national security spokesman John Kirby described Israel’s concerns as legitimate. A satellite image provided by the Israel Defense Forces showed Hamas owns fuel tanks near the Rafah border crossing, containing 500,000 liters of fuel. The IDF suggested that the United Nations ask Hamas for fuel after it showed the satellite images on social media. “Ask Hamas if you can have some,” the IDF wrote. Rafah is the main crossing in and out of Gaza that does not border Israel. It has become the focus of efforts to deliver aid since Israel imposed a “total siege” of the enclave in retaliation for an attack by Hamas militants on 7 October. Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari recounted that Hamas has been stealing fuel from UNRWA, prompting the decision to block the fuel supply to Gaza. “Petrol will not enter Gaza. Hamas takes the petrol for its military infrastructure,” he said. Another IDF spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said the photographs belied Hamas’s claims that “it does not have enough fuel to support hospitals and bakeries.” The IDF added: “Hamas-ISIS steals this fuel from civilians and transfers it to its tunnels, rocket launchers, and leaders. This is what Hamas’s list of priorities looks like.” Hamas propaganda said that a power outage at the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was a “crime against humanity” and called on Arab and Muslim countries and the UN to address the crisis. A power outage hit the hospital on Monday night due to a fuel shortage. It was news network Al Jazeera which reported that electricity was restored during the night, but the hospital only had fuel to operate generators for 48 more hours, after which lifesaving medical devices such as respirators and incubators would cease functioning. The fuel supply from Israel was halted after the 7 October terror assault. Under the cover of a barrage of thousands of rockets, over 2,500 gunmen crossed the border and rampaged murderously through southern Israeli towns, killing more than 1,400, most of whom were civilians. More than 220 were taken hostage. Now, Hamas is trying to deceive the world by crying in violation of human rights with the denial of fuel to the territory it controls. The outrageous twist Hamas applies to the atrocities it initiated then is swallowed lock, stock and barrel by the UN, which is pounding on Israel for a humanitarian pause. “Residents of Gaza, the address for your complaints is not Israel. It’s Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif, and other Hamas-ISIS members who pushed Gaza into this abyss,” according to the IDF. The IDF has disputed the so-called humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip that the UN and Hamas are peddling. “As of now, I can tell you that there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. There are hardships in moving people within days to the south of the Gaza Strip, but the population is getting along,” an IDF official said. Another indicator that the terror organization controlling Gaza has little concern for the civilians is their obstructing the movement of the Gaza residents south as Israel had directed to the extent of confiscating the car keys of individuals. Hamas is the source of the crisis that the UN said should be solved, which is precisely what Israel is trying to do in committing to wipe out the terror group from the planet. The post UN barking upthe wrong tree appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
After conflict’s won, what happens next?
In the wake of the coordinated, well-planned savage attack mounted by the Palestinian terror group Hamas, which stunned Israel on 7 October, a seething Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the total annihilation of Hamas. A “mighty vengeance” is what he promised against what he described as a “cruel enemy, worse than ISIS.” Likewise enraged by the slaughter of scores of Israelis, including over 200 revelers who were mowed down by armed paragliders and foot soldiers as they made merry at an electronic music festival outside the Re’im kibbutz, about 3.3 miles (5.3 kilometers) from the wall that separates Gaza from southern Israel, Netanyahu’s words were echoed by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant who declared, “We will wipe this thing called Hamas, ISIS-Gaza off the face of the earth. It will cease to exist.” Hamas didn’t spare any of the nearly 1,500 Israelis they felled —men, women, children, old people — they also took with them over 200 hostages. Within a week of the attack, Israel retaliated with an intense bombing of Central and Northern Gaza, with Israel striking over 7,000 targets, including rocket launchers, command centers, munitions factories, and leaders of Hamas. It has been nearly three weeks since the 7 October attack by Hamas, and it remains unclear if or when Israel will conduct a ground invasion of Gaza. Even as Israel continues to blast enemy targets, Western leaders and the UN are pleading for a pause to give aid a chance to get through the blockade and into Gaza and for the safe release of the hostages in Hamas’s hands. On Thursday, Israel said it had briefly sent tanks into Gaza to “prepare the battlefield ahead of the next stages of combat.” Again, on Wednesday, Netanyahu vowed Israel would exact a price for the terrorist assault, which killed over 1,400. Despite these statements by Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister to decimate Hamas to kingdom come, there is no exact clarity as to when Israel will begin its ground invasion. For sure, the challenges of a ground war are gargantuan. If or when such a ground invasion is finally mounted, what awaits the Israeli defense force will be sustained urban warfare in enemy territory in pursuit of an objective that, other than the total demolition of Hamas, leaves so many other vital matters hanging in the air. The Israelites will confront at least four critical challenges in carrying out a major ground offensive. For Council for Foreign Relations expert Max Boot, these include urban fighting, an inherently different form of warfare where buildings provide positions for defenders, and the multiplication of difficulties for Israeli combatants due to the presence of a large number of Palestinian civilians and even the hostages seized by Hamas who could be used as human shields. Then there are all the underground tunnels built by Hamas over the years, enabling them to hide from Israeli troops and emerge at unexpected moments. There, too, is the challenge of a possible second front, with the Hezbollah in Lebanon poised on Israel’s northern border. The Hezbollah has an estimated arsenal of some 150,000 missiles and rockets. So far, Hezbollah has not mounted a major assault on Israel, but analysts fear it could do so once Israeli ground forces get into Gaza. “A two-front conflict would be a nightmare for Israel,” says Boot. A third critical challenge consists of post-combat stabilization operations. Known in the US military as “Phase IV,” this is where US efforts in both Washington and Iraq foundered badly for lack of preparation. Israeli media have reported that the Israeli government has been struggling to develop a Phase IV plan of its own and, Boot points out, “no wonder because there are no good options.” If Israel simply attacks Hamas and then leaves — as it had done in the past — the terrorist group would just regenerate itself. If to prevent that from happening, a Palestinian Authority government would be established in place of Hamas, with help from Arab states, that could be an option. But if that fails, Israel may have no choice but to re-occupy Gaza — a situation that could leave Israeli soldiers vulnerable to a grinding guerrilla war of the kind they faced in Lebanon in the early 1980s all through 2000. Even as they do get into Gaza, there are many unknowns, according to Boot: how will Israel deal with the Hamas tunnel network; how skillfully will Hamas fight; will a toll on civilian lives in Gaza force Israel to suspend its offensive; will Hezbollah join the war; will this war spread across the region and draw into the fray Hamas’s biggest supporter, Iran? If Hamas is indeed physically decimated — what then should be done to stabilize Gaza after the enemy has been vanquished? Who takes over Gaza once the guns have been stilled and the smoke of war clears? What happens next? Israel’s leaders say those matters, for the moment, are not of immediate concern to them. But at a certain point, they will become unavoidable; Israel will have to grapple with complex questions and carve out a workably resolute path through the din for its continued survival. The post After conflict’s won, what happens next? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gaza genocide may trigger nuke war
The genocide by Israel in Gaza is ongoing: 1. An Israeli ground assault that would duplicate and surpass the viciousness of the Hamas ground assault in terms of the number of casualties, a ten-eyes-for-an-eye biblical vendetta; 2. Intensifying random airstrikes killing civilians and 3. The deadliest — a food, water, and electricity blockade leading to genocide — if not stopped. Only about 700,000 have evacuated Gaza. The rest of the 400,000 have nowhere to go. They will be the victims of genocide by slow starvation. Sending two aircraft carriers with troops to the war region and promising total support during his recent visit to Israel, U.S. President Biden failed to stop Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from continuing the genocide. In the eyes of the entire Arab and Persian worlds, both conservatives and radicals, this was tantamount to the U.S. being part of the crime. Instantly, the Arabs unilaterally boycotted a scheduled U.S.-Arab summit. Biden was left talking only to the Israelis in his Middle East tour. The U.S. is now geopolitically isolated in the entire Middle East. Rocket attacks on U.S. bases immediately ensued — two in Saudi Arabia and one in Syria. Also, Iran and Saudi Arabia, historically arch enemies, are now talking to each other. The genocide may unite all Islamic splinters into one scary solid mass. Now, the U.S. is as much a target of Islamic anger as the Israelis. It was a knee-jerk diplomatic blunder by Biden, who could have played more of a referee by openly warning Israel to stop the genocide. Now, the U.S. is part of that genocide, the critical ingredient to a possible nuclear war. As the reality of genocide emerges, it is inevitable for Iran and the Arabs to make a vicious response. There are protests in Israel against Netanyahu’s war moves, but the peacemakers are overwhelmed by the screams of the bloodthirsty. The genocide is virtually unstoppable. The Arab-Iran response may trigger a nuclear war if Israel is “cornered.” The U.S. will use its carriers to attack Iran. These carriers can quickly be taken out by a massive rain of Iranian hypersonic missiles from underground silos if these missiles are long-range enough to reach the carriers, which they will not hesitate to use in the name of survival. Existential survival is the catalyst to a nuclear holocaust. Once Iran is “cornered” by a U.S. counter-response, Russia will come into the picture, completing the elements for a full-blown proxy war beyond imagination. Russia will never permit Iran to fall into the hands of the U.S. The fall of Iran will mean the fall of Russia. The Russian response may be nuclear. China may now take the opportunity to launch the Taiwan war to weaken the U.S. in a “war on two fronts.” Many may think this scenario is an exaggeration. But this may be a valid warning if you put it side by side with the prophecies of Fatima, Medjugorje, and the Book of Revelation. There is total fear of a nuclear holocaust among the big powers — U.S.-NATO, Russia, China, and even lesser nuclear-capable nations such as Iran and India — which has been a deterrent to a nuclear war. But these prophecies may become a reality once fear evolves into anger or survival. There are violent street protests worldwide, especially in EU and U.S. cities, for and against Israel. Nations are uniting for or against Israel, a seeming new biblical event. This ongoing rapid intensifying polarization is the preview to World War III, as it was for World Wars I and II. But this new one is ten-fold in size. The Lord saved the Chosen People from their enemies in Old Testament accounts. But He punished them for turning away from Him, as in the Babylonian exile. Now, we do not know what the Lord has in store for Israel — salvation or punishment. If it is punishment, Israel may bring the entire human race down with it. Pope Francis is in a panic, launching global prayer campaigns, because he has an insight into the looming hand of God in the expanding war in the Middle East. His move in telling humanity to pray, pray, pray, and return to the Lord’s fold may be the only option. It may take the Hand of God to bring peace if prayers and a change of heart somehow appease His wrath. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Gaza genocide may trigger nuke war appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Goal: End terror
The United Nations, thus far, has fared dismally in fulfilling its role in the Israel-Hamas conflict that has been playing out for over two weeks. Instead of giving clarity to the situation by making an unequivocal stand against the reign of terror, the UN has turned into an accomplice of the Hamas terrorists in the unprecedented brutality that was wreaked on 7 October when more than 1,400 mostly civilians were massacred. The UN has repeatedly called for a humanitarian pause, which is coopting to the wishes of the terror group. More than 200 people were taken hostage by the extremists who rampaged through the peaceful communities. Relatives of the Hamas hostages and their supporters called on the UN the other day to do its part in bringing back their family members and rendering justice. One by one, members of the hostages’ families stood on a podium in front of the United Nations, pleading to world leaders for help rescuing their children, parents, brothers, and sisters who had nothing to do with the raging war. “We have not heard anything from anybody. Do your work. Give us signs of life. Give a sign of hope. We’re waiting for that. We’re not getting anything, I’m sorry,” said Orna Neutra, the mother of a hostage. In the plaza across the street, a solidarity rally displayed the horrors of war, putting up the names and photos of the missing hostages and setting shoes next to each poster. “These are the little shoes of 4-year-old girls that danced and walked in the kibbutz and now are held hostage in Gaza,” American resident Shany Granot-Lubaton said. “We just want people to understand how real it is for us. These are our family. These are our friends. This is what it looks like. These are real people.” The UN response led by Russia and China — which received support from the UN leadership — was appalling, calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to deliver “desperately needed food, water, medicine and fuel,” which Israeli officials said would benefit the besieged terrorists. Russia and China on Wednesday vetoed the US-authored draft resolution condemning the terror attacks by Hamas on Israel. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan said that had these nations endured a similar massacre, they would have acted with much greater force. “In Israel, we are fighting for our very survival. If any of your countries endured a similar massacre, I am certain that you would act with much greater force than Israel,” he said. “There would be no question in your mind that such a barbaric slaughter requires a broad military operation against the terrorists who committed such inhumane atrocities to eradicate their terrorist capabilities, to make sure that such atrocities can never happen again,” he said. The draft resolution condemned the attack by Hamas on Israel and called for the release of the hostages and compliance with international humanitarian law. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for universal condemnation of Hamas’s terrorism and the immediate release of hostages. “I implore every member here, use your voice, use your influence, use your leverage to secure their unconditional and immediate release,” Blinken said. Ten countries on the UN Security Council backed the resolution, while Russia, China, and the United Arab Emirates voted against it, and two other nations abstained. Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said his country won’t support the US resolution, adding that they see no point in it as the document has no demand for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire between the parties to the conflict. As a victim of similar atrocities inflicted by terrorists in Marawi City, Filipinos know a quick resolution is essential to end the crisis, which for Israel is the complete elimination of Hamas. The post Goal: End terror appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Message of PM Anwar Ibrahim
Crisis brings out the best and the worst in man. It reveals his true persona behind the façade of photo-shopped and public relations-created images. Amidst the Israel-Hamas war, former president Rodrigo Duterte outrageously advised Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu to make “Gaza the world’s biggest cemetery.” And just recently, our ambassador to the United Kingdom twitted on social media (taken down later) that “Palestinian children should be killed . . .” These comments went viral among Moro netizens who unleashed a barrage of angry libelous words against the source. Now, juxtapose this with the public statements by regional leaders about the crisis. And from the gallery of regional statesmen, I pick Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’Seri Anwar Ibrahim whose poignant messages earned the praise of not a few, including non-Muslims. The reaction of these leaders betrays the dichotomy of opinions along religious lines. The Muslim countries, true to their affiliation with the Muslim Palestinians, as members of the World Brotherhood of Muslims or “Ummah Islamiyyah” stood should-to-shoulder with the Palestinians. On the flip side are the non-Muslims led by the United States which condemned the 7 October surprise attack by Hamas on Israel. The world is now on edge because of the strong words of revenge of rightist President Benjamin Netanyahu using the world media stage for his threats of annihilation and cutting off of basic supplies of food, medicines, water, electricity, and fuel to the Palestinians of the Muslim City of Gaza. According to jurists, these are crimes against International Humanitarian Law and other UN covenants and Geneva Conventions. And they claim that while Israel has the right to defend itself, that is not a license to commit genocide. Prime Minister Ibrahim stood tall among Muslim leaders in expressing the sentiment of his government. He had been vocal at every turn of the crisis. He must have had a premonition of the impending catastrophe. His eloquent speech before the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September, which in my book is in the same league as the “What it means to be a Muslim” speech of King Abdullah of Jordan, has earned praise from many observers. He said, “In the Middle East, the politics of dispossession continues with a vengeance with more illegal settlements being built, stripping Palestinians of land that rightfully belongs to them. This constitutes a gross violation of international law. It also poses an insurmountable obstacle to a two-state solution, not to mention the continued killings. There is also flagrant hypocrisy in dealing with the issue of Palestine. The international community must speak up against the atrocities committed towards the Palestinians even as they so vehemently speak out against human rights violations, injustice, and abusive regimes.” When the war broke out on 7 October, one of the countries that reacted immediately was Malaysia. PM Ibrahim issued a statement expressing his country’s solidarity with the struggles of the Palestinians and reiterated his indictment of the international community for its “one-sided actions regarding . . . cruelty and oppression against the Palestinians. The confiscation of land and property belonging to the Palestinian people . . . done relentlessly by the Zionists.” After the bombing of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which killed more than 500 innocent civilians, PM Ibrahim described it as being “on an insane and inhumane level. What is most regrettable is that Western countries, which speak about human rights, seem to differentiate between peoples, with some considered first-class and others as subordinates.” PM Ibrahim knows how geopolitics works. There will be consequences for standing up against the position of the world powers, the US and Europe, which had expressed total support for Israel. There might be a price to pay. Economic, trade, and political relationships might be put in jeopardy. But the Islam in him outweighed other interests. And for that, Muslims salute him. We are proud to belong to the Malay race. amb_mac_lanto@yahoo.com The post Message of PM Anwar Ibrahim appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Shame on int’l media’
As the conflict between the state of Israel and the Hamas terror organization intensifies, international media coverage has thus far been described as dismal and heavily slanted against the Jewish nation. Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss cited as an example the Hamas missile attack on the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, which was hit directly a few days after the 7 October attack by a rocket fired from Gaza, resulting in Israeli deaths and injuries. In contrast, an explosion on 17 October at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City that resulted in a massive number of fatalities and injuries was splashed all over broadcast and print media and was immediately blamed on an Israeli air strike, a narrative peddled by Hamas. Investigations by Israel and the United States proved that a missile launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Gaza-based terror group more radical than Hamas, had misfired and landed on the hospital grounds. “Nobody in the media reported that an Israeli hospital was bombed in Ashkelon, which had so many patients injured and killed. The rockets were shot at the hospital. No media picked it up and condemned nobody,” Fluss lamented during an interview with Daily Tribune editors. “So, for me, this incident is a shame on the international media. These news (outfits) and (media) people sort of still live with this image that it is the ratings that must (dictate the news coverage),” Fluss said. New York Times sorry US publication The New York Times issued on Monday an unprecedented admission that it had “relied too heavily on claims by Hamas” in its reporting of an explosion at a Gaza hospital. The newspaper issued the statement five days after running a headline on its front page, above the fold, reading: “Israeli Strike Kills Hundreds in Hospital, Palestinians Say.” “The Times’ initial accounts attributed the claim of Israeli responsibility to Palestinian officials and noted that the Israeli military said it was investigating the blast,” according to NYT’s editor’s note. “However, the early versions of the coverage — and the prominence it received in a headline, news alert, and social media channels — relied too heavily on claims by Hamas and did not make clear that those claims could not immediately be verified,” the NYT continued. NYT editors also acknowledged that “the report left readers with an incorrect impression about what was known and how credible the account was.” The note said Times reporters quickly edited the story on the website, as Israeli officials denied striking the hospital. Nonetheless, it added, “Given the sensitive nature of the news during a widening conflict and the prominent promotion it received, Times editors should have taken more care with the initial presentation and been more explicit about what information could be verified.” Islamic Jihad missile Israeli officials have vehemently denied responsibility for the explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital and have released audio files of Hamas officials admitting that the blast was caused by a Palestinian Islamic Jihad projectile that fell onto Gaza. Also provided were images showing that the parking lot where the blast occurred did not have a crater in the ground, and there was no structural damage to nearby buildings, both of which typically would have been left by an Israeli Defense Forces strike. Recurring phenomena Media bias, as Fluss indicated, is a persistent issue. Terror groups like Hamas know this and take full advantage to sway public opinion. “As a result, coverage is often selective, stories get framed misleadingly, or certain perspectives go missing,” according to the American Jewish Committee, or AJC, which is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. “Instead of focusing on Hamas’ massacre of Israeli civilians, Israel’s efforts to thwart terrorists, destroy terrorist headquarters and weapons sites, and prevent more civilian deaths, some major media outlets characterize Israel’s targeted response as attacks on innocent and beleaguered Palestinians — feeding an unequivocally false narrative,” the AJC said. It added that Western media outlets often use the term “militant” to describe Hamas and other terrorist groups. For example, in the New York Times coverage of Hamas’ unprovoked attack on Israel on 7 October, the word “terrorists” was nowhere to be found on the front page of its website. The AJC said, “Hamas is not a militant group. It is a terrorist organization internationally designated as such by the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, and others that has fired thousands of rockets and slaughtered Israeli civilians in cold blood.” Hamas has set two long-term goals articulated in its charter: The end of the Jewish state and the creation of an Islamic state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In the current conflict, Hamas has murdered over 300 Israelis and wounded nearly 2,000. “Using the term ‘militant’ to describe Hamas diminishes the true threat that the terror group poses. Media outlets need to call a terrorist a terrorist,” the AJC added. No occupation Some media accounts on the Gaza Strip often blame Israel’s “occupation” as the root cause of the conflict. Fluss pointed out, however, that Israel does not occupy the Gaza Strip and has had no presence in the coastal enclave for nearly two decades. From 1948 to 1967, the Gaza Strip was occupied by Egypt, which took control of the territory during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, also known as Israel’s War of Independence. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel took control of the Gaza Strip from Egypt. In 2005, Israel, facing huge political pushback, withdrew from the Gaza Strip, and dismantled its settlements and military forces in the name of peace and in hopes of creating a better future. However, those hopes were shattered after Hamas came to power through elections and, with it, violence and rocket attacks on Israeli civilian population centers. Since 2007, when Hamas violently ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip, it began launching tens of thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel. Hamas terrorists also infiltrated Israel through land, sea, and air incursions from Gaza to murder and abduct Israeli civilians. Over 600 Israelis were murdered on the 7 October large-scale infiltration into Israeli territory from Gaza. 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