![Rifaat Jouda walks with his son as he enters Gaza City following a long journey from southern Gaza,on January 28, 2025 [Abdelhakim Abu Riash/Al Jazeera]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Exhausted-Palestinians-arrive-in-Gaza-City-to-no-homes-killed-family.jpg)
Al-Rashid Street, Gaza City, Palestine – There are many stories among the tens of thousands of people walking along Gaza’s al-Rashid Street, heading for the north. In the crowds is a man with a white beard walking with determination alongside his family. In one hand, he carries a blanket and a few meagre possessions. In the other, he holds onto his adult son, who has Down Syndrome. Rifaat Jouda doesn’t pretend that he isn’t tired. He started his journey in the morning in southern Gaza, in Khan Younis’s al-Mawasi, where his family had been displaced for 15 months during Israel’s war on Gaza. The aim was to reach Gaza City, a journey finally possible since Israel allowed Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip to travel north on Monday, after a
Category Archives: WORLD NEWS
![Palestinian families packing their belongings in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, January 27, 2025 [Mohamed Soulaimane/Al Jazeera]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Palestinians-reject-Trumps-relocation-plan-as-they-return-to-Gazas-north.jpg)
Khan Younis and Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine – Saqr Maqdad and his family set out on their difficult journey back to northern Gaza late on Sunday night, hours before Israel reopened the north for the first time since the early days of its 15-month war on the Palestinian enclave, following a fragile ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Leaving behind the Khan Younis displacement camp in the south, the 31-year-old, along with his wife, and two daughters, Reema, 5, and two-year-old Rawaa, walked northward along the coastal al-Rashid road hoping to reach Beit Hanoon, the family’s hometown, at the far northern tip of the besieged territory. The Maqdad family were among an estimated 200,000 Palestinians who streamed back into the most devastated parts of the Gaza Strip on Monday, a dramatic
Jan
India’s Hindu festival of Maha Kumbh Mela, which has drawn millions of devotees to a confluence of sacred rivers in the northern Uttar Pradesh state, is mired in political controversy after officials held a cabinet meeting at the site and ritually bathed in its waters. State Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a special session in Prayagraj on January 22, after which his cabinet colleagues took a holy dip, sparking a war of words with Akhilesh Yadav, leader of the opposition Samajwadi party, who accused him of drawing political mileage by garnering attention. The row comes months after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered unexpected reversals in the politically important state in the parliamentary elections last year, despite the state’s core base of majority-Hindu voters. The BJP and its allies
Jan
A Chinese start-up said its superfast drone – capable of reaching four times the speed of sound – would make its first flight next year as military hypersonic technology trickled down to the commercial sector. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is being developed by Sichuan Lingkong Tianxing Technology Co, Ltd as part of a broader effort to develop a supersonic passenger jet, according to the company. The company announced it was developing the aircraft at a news conference in southwest China’s Chengdu on Monday. The drone bears the name Cuantianhou, which means “soaring stone monkey” – a name given to Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King , one of the best-known figures in Chinese literature and mythology. It weighs 1.5 tonnes and measures seven metres (23 feet) long
Jan
South Korea ’s anti-corruption agency has referred the case of suspended president Yoon Suk-yeol to the prosecution, requesting that he be indicted on insurrection charges over his failed martial law bid. Calling for charges against Yoon over his abuse of power, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) said in a statement on Thursday: “We have decided to request the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office to charge [Yoon] as the mastermind behind the insurrection [on December 3].” Although the CIO has the authority to investigate corruption and abuse of power cases involving high-ranking officials, it cannot directly file charges, which is the sole responsibility of state prosecutors. After a failed attempt to arrest Yoon on January 3, the CIO succeeded in taking him into custody on January 15 during
Jan
The family of a Japanese national who was just 13 when she was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 have called on US President Donald Trump to intervene with Pyongyang and bring her and other abductees home – but experts say their wish may remain unfulfilled due to complex geopolitical realities. In a statement released on Tuesday, soon after Trump was sworn into office in Washington, 88-year-old Sakie Yokota said she hoped the president could use his connections with North Korea ’s leader Kim Jong-un to arrange the release of her daughter Megumi. “I want President Trump to urge North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to realise the rescue and return of the abduction victims,” Yokota said. “Mr Trump is a person who can talk with Mr Kim Jong-un.” The
Jan
Nearly 10 million malaria vaccine doses were delivered to Africa during the first year of routine immunisation being rolled out across the continent, the Gavi vaccine alliance said Wednesday. The mosquito-borne disease kills nearly 600,000 people a year, the vast majority in Africa, with children heavily affected, according to the World Health Organisation. In a […] The post Africa malaria jab rollout delivers 10 million doses appeared first on The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News.
Jan
Malaysians have accused business owners of “blatant profiteering” over the increase in service charges at restaurants during the Lunar New Year holiday next week. Complaints started to bubble earlier this week after coffee chain Oriental Kopi, which has 23 outlets across the country and one in Singapore , announced that it will charge a 15 per cent service charge on the two holiday days (January 29 and 30) instead of the usual 10 per cent. The Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association said other restaurants were also imposing similar surcharges that can be levied at their discretion, local media reported. Andrew Lo from the Labour Solidarity and Learning Resources Association questioned whether business owners plan to take a cut of the 15 per cent service charge instead of giving
Jan
In a rare moment of accord amid their simmering feud over the South China Sea , Beijing and Manila have agreed to maintain a provisional deal allowing the Philippines to resupply a remote outpost at the Second Thomas Shoal – a move hailed as a “win” for Manila, albeit one fraught with uncertainty. The agreement, reached during the 10th bilateral consultation mechanism (BCM) meeting in Xiamen on Thursday, comes as the Philippines continues to push back against what it calls a rising tide of Chinese incursions in the South China Sea. The BCM, established as a forum for dialogue, has often been weighed down by the deep mistrust between the two neighbours. But this time, envoys described the talks as “frank and constructive”, according to the Philippines’ foreign affairs department.
Jan
Israel knows, as it has for decades, that we are dealing with a group of people who glorify death and destruction, who turn light into darkness. By JPOST EDITORIAL JANUARY 21, 2025 06:00 Israelis watch the release of three hostages from Hamas captivity as part of a deal between Israel and Hamas, at hostage square in Tel Aviv, January 19, 2025. (photo credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90) When Jews all around the world, of all colors and creeds, raise their glasses in a toast, we famously say “LeChaim” – to life. When we wish someone a happy birthday in Hebrew, we say “Ad meah v’esrim” – (may you live) until 120 (years old). If someone has recovered from a serious illness or completed a dangerous journey, Jews have a special blessing known
Jan
Hong Kong will welcome more than 1.4 million mainland Chinese tourists over Lunar New Year, the city leader has predicted, saying the trend of having overseas visitors will be noticeable in the Year of the Snake. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday a 23-minute fireworks display and a parade featuring international performance groups would be among a string of celebratory events set for the holiday, which will run from January 28 and February 4 on the mainland. “[We] estimate that more than 1.4 million mainland tourists will visit Hong Kong via different borders during the eight-day holiday,” Lee said before his weekly meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body. He said the estimated number of daily visitors would represent 3 and 14 per cent increases
Jan
China has executed a man found guilty of killing at least 35 people in a car attack in November, in what is thought to be the deadliest attack in the country for a decade. Fan Weiqiu, 62, injured dozens more when he drove his car into people exercising outside a stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai. State media said a second man was executed for a separate attack that came days later. Xu Jiajin, 21, killed eight people in a stabbing spree at his university in the eastern city of Wuxi. Authorities said Fan was driven by “dissatisfaction” over how his property had been divided following his divorce, while Xu carried out his attack after “failing to obtain his diploma due to poor exam results”. Fan was detained at the scene on 11
Jan
TikTok briefly went dark in the US over the weekend after the Supreme Court denied a last-ditch challenge from its Chinese owner ByteDance to overturn a law banning the platform. But it was back after a day with a message thanking incoming president Donald Trump for his “efforts” in restoring the app. The US Supreme […]
Jan
Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China and economy stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing . 1. With Trump’s inauguration, US-China rivalry opens new and uncertain chapter When Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, a new chapter of geopolitical uncertainty will be written, potentially ushering in an intensified rivalry between the US and China under his “America First” policy. 2. Han and Vance strike positive tone for US-China ties ahead of Trump inauguration Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng held talks with the US vice-president-elect J.D. Vance and tech billionaire Elon Musk at separate meetings in Washington ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to a “long
Jan
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) has been awarded the highest accreditation by an internationally recognised halal travel promotion company, the first of such venues to obtain such a certification, giving a boost to the city’s effort to tap Muslim markets for more tourists. The centre’s management company on Monday announced Singapore-based research and consultancy firm CrescentRating had accredited it with the Gold Certification for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions – or MICE venues – last month. “The HKCEC is the first MICE venue in Hong Kong to receive this Gold Certification, the highest ranking of the certification scheme, reflecting the good experiences that the exhibition centre has created for Muslim exhibitors and visitors,” its spokesman said. “In order to support the [government’s] initiative of promoting Muslim-friendly business