Why Israel is so determined to launch an offensive in Rafah. And why so many oppose it
Israel is determined to launch an offensive against Hamas in Rafah, Gazaโs southernmost town, a plan that has raised global alarm because of the potential for harm to more than a million Palestinian civilians sheltering there.
Live updates | Israel releases 30 prisoners after Hamas frees 12 hostages in extended truce deal
The latest swap of hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel started with the release of 10 Israeli hostages โ nine women and a 17-year-old girl โ as well as two Thais handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza.
The AP Interview: EU President Michel warns about spillover of Israel-Hamas war into Europe
European Union leader Charles Michel has warned in The AP Interview that the Israel-Hamas war could create a surge in refugees heading for Europe, raising the risk of spurring on anti-migrant forces, deepening divisions and inflaming tensions between supporters of Israel and the Palestinians.
United Nations humanitarian chief says Sudan appears to be in a civil war 'of the most brutal kind'
The United Nations humanitarian chief tells The Associated Press that Sudan appears to be in a civil war โof the most brutal kindโ and the world needs a new forum for talks in pursuit of a cease-fire.
Flirting with climate danger: UN forecasts 2 in 3 chance of briefly hitting key heat limit soon
The United Nations' weather agency says there's a two-out-of-three chance that the world will reach the internationally accepted global temperature threshold for limiting the worst effects of climate change sometime in the next five years.
Palestinian Authority blocks registration of legal aid group
The Palestinian Authority has blocked the registration of a legal advocacy group representing critics and opponents detained in Palestinian jails, a move condemned as the authorityโs latest effort to stifle civil society in the occupied West Bank.
UN seeks court opinion on climate in win for island states
The countries of the United Nations led by the island nation of Vanuatu adopted what they called a historic resolution Wednesday calling for the U.N.โs highest court to strengthen countriesโ obligations to curb warming and protect communities from climate disaster.
Gore announces fossil fuel emissions inventory at UN summit
A detailed inventory of the top known sources of greenhouse gas emitters launched by former U_S_ Vice President Al Gore at the U_N_ climate summit in Egypt on Wednesday found that the top 14 individual polluters are all gas and oil fields and their associated facilities, despite their emissions being โsignificantly underreported.โ.
UK government rejects plan to build national flagship
Britainโs government has scrapped a 250 million-pound ($288 million) plan to build a national flagship that was supposed to tour the world as a โfloating embassyโ amid a public spending squeeze and to prioritize funding for boosting U.K. defenses against Russia.
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Blinken claims progress in effort to boost Gaza truce
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has wrapped up a two-day Mideast mission, winning valuable diplomatic support and hundreds of millions of dollars of pledges from Arab allies as he moved to shore up the cease-fire that ended an 11-day war between Israel and the Gaza Stripโs militant Hamas rulers.
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Experts examine bottom of big ship that was stuck in Suez
Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is seen in Egypt's Great Bitter Lake Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Experts have boarded Ever Given container ship that had blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week before it was dislodged. A canal pilot says engineers are inspecting the Ever Given for damage and trying to determine why it ran aground. Two senior canal officials said the vessel's bulbous bow had suffered slight to medium damage. Some broke into tears, many hugged each other as the vesselโs bow was rooted out from the eastern side of the canal.
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With ship now freed, a probe into Suez Canal blockage begins
Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship, is seen in Egypt's Great Bitter Lake Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Experts have boarded Ever Given container ship that had blocked the Suez Canal for nearly a week before it was dislodged. A canal pilot says engineers are inspecting the Ever Given for damage and trying to determine why it ran aground. Global legal firm Clyde and Co. said the Ever Given's owner likely would pay Egypt's canal authority for the assistance already rendered to the vessel. He stood before a sign that said: "Welcome to the Suez Canal: Egypt's lifeline of peace, prosperity and development."
![That boat in the Suez Canal is unstuck and the internet is so happy for it](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/6a0fBAtHDP5ClojhvZe57OeVQos=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/6LQLVQDT2FHE3JJN2MVSEEGHNM.jpg)
That boat in the Suez Canal is unstuck and the internet is so happy for it
Ever Given, a Panama-flagged cargo ship blocks the Suez Canal almost a week after it got stuck sideways in the crucial waterway, Monday, March 29, 2021. Engineers on Monday "partially refloated" the colossal container ship that continues to block traffic through the Suez Canal, a canal services firm said, without providing further details about when the vessel would be fully set free. After what seems like eternity (OK, it was only six days), the massive shipping boat -- that has been blocking traffic in the Suez Canal in Egypt -- is now unstuck. Some pointed out that the giant ship is basically a metaphor for our lives now. * โ Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) March 29, 2021Happy trails, giant cargo ship!
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Suez Canal blockage adds to pressure points in global trade
(Maxar Technologies via AP)The plight of a mammoth container ship stuck in Egyptโs Suez Canal has highlighted still more pressure points in global trade, a year after supply chains were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned ship has been lodged in a single-lane stretch of the canal for nearly a week, holding up $9 billion each day in global trade. The disruption from the Suez Canal blockage is less dramatic but not insignificant. The canal carries over 10% of global trade, including 7% of the worldโs oil. The Suez Canal accounts for 30% of the worldโs daily shipping container freight.
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Giant container ship that blocked Suez Canal is finally free
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Sunday, March 28, 2021. โWe pulled it off!โ said Peter Berdowski, CEO of Boskalis, the salvage firm hired to extract the Ever Given. โI am excited to announce that our team of experts, working in close collaboration with the Suez Canal Authority, successfully refloated the Ever Given โฆ thereby making free passage through the Suez Canal possible again.โAdNavigation in the canal resumed at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT, noon EDT) said Lt. Gen. Osama Rabei, the head of the Suez Canal Authority, adding that the first ships that were moving carried livestock. From the city of Suez, ships stacked with containers could be seen exiting the canal into the Red Sea. Monday's strong tide โhelped push the ship at the top while we pulled at the bottom and luckily it shot free,โ he said.
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2 tugboats deploy to Egypt's Suez Canal as shippers avoid it
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Saturday, March 27, 2021. Authorities are preparing to make new attempts to free the giant container vessel stuck in Egypt's Suez Canal for a fifth day and reopen a crucial east-west waterway for global shipping. The Dutch-flagged Alp Guard, a specialist tugboat, arrived at the location Sunday, according to the stuck ship's technical management company, Bernard Schulte Shipmanagement. Excavators dug Sunday on the eastern wall of the Suez Canal, hoping to free the bulbous bow of the Ever Given that plowed into the embankment, satellite photos showed. Dozens of others still listed their destination as the canal, though shippers increasingly appear to be avoiding the passage.
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No timeline given for extracting wedged ship from Suez Canal
This satellite image from Maxar Technologies shows the cargo ship MV Ever Given stuck in the Suez Canal near Suez, Egypt, Friday, March 26, 2021. Meanwhile, the head of the Suez Canal Authority said strong winds were โnot the only causeโ for the Ever Given running aground on Tuesday, appearing to push back against conflicting assessments offered by others. A Dutch salvage firm is attempting to refloat the vessel with tugboats and dredgers, taking advantage of high tides. AdSome 9,000 tons of ballast water had been already removed from the vessel, the canal chairman said. The Suez Canal Authority organized the first media trip Saturday to the site where the vessel was stuck.
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Ethiopia rejects outside mediation in Nile River dam dispute
An Ethiopian official said on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 that his government opposes calls by Sudan for outside mediators including the United States in the ongoing dispute over its construction of a massive hydroelectric dam on the Nile River. Ethiopia is generally opposed to mediation by outside parties even though the African Union is welcome to help, Dina Mufti, spokesman for Ethiopiaโs Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters. โThe tripartite talks between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam should be concluded between the three countries themselves, not through mediators,โ he said. Mufti added that Ethiopia has โbig respect for the African Unionโ and that the country "believes in resolving African problems by Africans." AdNegotiators have said key questions remain about how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a multi-year drought occurs and how the countries will resolve any future disputes.
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The Latest: Tennessee probe finds wasted vaccines
___WASHINGTON โ Coronavirus vaccine makers tell Congress to expect a big increase in the delivery of doses over the coming month. AdLooking ahead to summer, Pfizer and Moderna expect to complete delivery of 300 million doses each, and J&J aims to provide an additional 100 million doses. ___MADRID โ Spain has registered 7,461 new coronavirus cases and 443 more deaths. AdThe country has reached a total of 3.1 million cases and 68,000 confirmed deaths. Ad___GENEVA โ The head of the World Health Organization is criticizing the lack of access to coronavirus vaccines for the worldโs poor.
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US: Aid pause to Ethiopia no longer linked to dam dispute
(AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty, File)NAIROBI โ The United States says it has decided to โde-linkโ its suspension of millions of dollars of aid to Ethiopia from that countryโs dispute with Egypt over a massive hydroelectric dam project. The State Department said humanitarian assistance remains exempt from the aid suspension. Ethiopia had left a U.S.-led attempt to mediate the dispute with Egypt, alleging bias. Trump also caused an uproar by saying downstream Egypt would โblow upโ the dam project that Cairo considers an existential threat. AdThe U.S. has said Eritrean soldiers should โimmediatelyโ leave Ethiopia.
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Under the sea, humans have changed ocean sounds
Using underwater microphones, scientists can record fish sounds โ which tend to hover around the same low frequencies as shipping traffic noise. โFor many marine species, their attempts to communicate are being masked by sounds that humans have introduced,โ said Carlos Duarte, a marine ecologist at the Red Sea Research Center in Saudi Arabia and co-author of the paper. AdThe Red Sea is one of the worldโs key shipping corridors, full of large vessels traveling to Asia, Europe and Africa. Some fish and invertebrates now avoid the noisiest areas, as the sound effectively fragments their Red Sea habitat, he said. Climate change also influences physical processes that shape ocean sounds, such as winds, waves and melting ice, the researchers found.
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Gulf Arab leaders sign declaration to ease rift with Qatar
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters after the summit that diplomatic relations would be restored in full with Qatar, although no time frame was given. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are primarily concerned about Qatarโs ties with Iran. The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha has been deepest, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds. Egyptโs foreign minister also attended the meeting of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who spearheaded those deals, was at the summit for the signing of the Gulf declaration.
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Saudi Arabia to lift Qatar embargo, easing the Gulf crisis
The Saudi border, which Qatar relied on for the import of dairy products, construction materials and other goods, opened briefly during the past three years to allow Qataris into Saudi Arabia to perform the Islamic hajj pilgrimage. The rift between Abu Dhabi and Doha has been deepest, with the UAE and Qatar at sharp ideological odds. This year, Egyptโs president has also been invited to attend the summit of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. โSaudi Arabia could frame a partial dรฉtente, which allows Qatari civilian planes to fly over Saudi airspace and de-escalates the information war, as proof of โnew thinkingโ in Riyadh,โ Ramani said ahead of the announcement. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain are primarily concerned with Qatar's close ties with regional foe Iran.
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Charity rescue ship with 265 migrants anchors off Italy
Migrants from Eritrea, Egypt, Syria and Sudan, rest on board the Spanish NGO Open Arms vessel after having been rescued in the Mediterranean sea, about 110 miles north of Libya, on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu)ROME โ Italy allowed a Spanish-flagged charity ship with 265 rescued migrants aboard to anchor off Sicily on Monday. The Open Arms vessel had brought the migrants safely aboard in separate rescues last week in the central Mediterranean. Open Arms said 96 of those rescued had been adrift two days in a wooden boat without life vests in international waters. In an earlier, separate operation, Open Arms had taken aboard 169 migrants, who had departed Libyan shores, where many human traffickers are based.
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Spanish-flagged boat rescues 265 migrants in Mediterranean
Migrants from Eritrea, Egypt, Syria and Sudan, are assisted by aid workers of the Spanish NGO Open Arms, after fleeing Libya on board a precarious wooden boat in the Mediterranean sea, about 110 miles north of Libya, on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu)ROME โ A Spanish-flagged humanitarian ship on Sunday was seeking a port of safety for 265 migrants its crew rescued from the Mediterranean Sea in the last few days. The Open Arms charity tweeted that its vessel on Saturday had safely brought aboard 96 migrants who had been adrift in a wooden boat with without life vests in international waters. In a separate operation two days before that rescue, Open Arms took aboard 169 migrants, who had departed Libyan shores, where many human traffickers are based. The traffickers launch vessels, many of them flimsy rubber dinghies or rickety fishing boats, crowded with migrants who hope to reach European shores to seek asylum.
![20 migrants dead off Tunisia after boat sinks, more missing](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/-qX53siiFjQhGnDOkCcR6q4M2_M=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/HFAEA562FZA5HO55NI7SGB3AVA.jpg)
20 migrants dead off Tunisia after boat sinks, more missing
Tunisian authorities say 20 African migrants have been found dead after their boat, which was trying to reach Europe, sank in the Mediterranean Sea. Five survivors were rescued Thursday, Dec. 24, 2020 and authorities are searching for up to 20 others believed missing. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios, File)TUNIS โ About 20 African migrants were found dead Thursday after their smuggling boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach Europe, Tunisian authorities said. Five survivors were rescued and the Tunisian navy is searching for up to 20 others still believed missing. According to survivors, the migrant smuggling boat was carrying about 40 or 50 people heading toward Italy, Ben Zekri said.
![Funeral services held for San Antonio soldier killed in helicopter crash in Egypt](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/cVyIyxnzFHmboBlXTWj3xgJySZk=/1600x900/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/d1vhqlrjc8h82r.cloudfront.net/12-03-2020/t_dabe4de0710d4b57a11be5414791f18f_name_image.jpg)
Funeral services held for San Antonio soldier killed in helicopter crash in Egypt
SAN ANTONIO โ Family, friends and military leaders came together Wednesday to honor the life of a San Antonio soldier who died in a helicopter crash while on a peacekeeping mission in Egypt. A funeral service for CW3 Dallas Gerald Garza was held Wednesday at Community Bible Church. A French peacekeeper and Czech officer also were killed, and a sixth American on the helicopter was injured. Garza served in the United States Army for 14 years. RELATED: Katy, Texas soldier among five killed in Egypt helicopter crash
![KSAT Kids: Today in History, Nov. 17](https://www.ksat.com/resizer/GBHYyB-X-pf1fMOHXE9NuQRi9Fs=/640x360/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/OHLGYRZ6CNH47KUM6HG57F4KRI.jpg)
KSAT Kids: Today in History, Nov. 17
Today is Tuesday, Nov. 17, the 322nd day of 2020. On Nov. 17, 1869, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt. In 1889, the Union Pacific Railroad Co. began direct, daily railroad service between Chicago and Portland, Oregon, as well as Chicago and San Francisco. In 1969, the first round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the United States and the Soviet Union opened in Helsinki, Finland. In 1970, the Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the Lunokhod 1.
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Saeb Erekat, longtime Palestinian spokesman, dies at 65
FILE - In this Oct. 2, 2011 file photo, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, speaks during a press conference at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt. Erekat, a veteran peace negotiator and prominent international spokesman for the Palestinians for more than three decades, has died Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020. Erekat's body was brought to a West Bank hospital and was to be laid to rest in Jericho on Wednesday. He spent most of his life in the occupied West Bank town of Jericho, a palm-studded desert oasis about 30 minutes from Jerusalem. ___Associated Press writers Mohammed Daraghmeh and Haitham Hamad in Ramallah, West Bank, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
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Egyptians vote in 2nd stage of parliamentary election
A woman casts her vote on the first day in the second and final stage of the country's parliamentary elections in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Egyptians began voting on Saturday after a relatively low turnout in the first stage that embarrassed the government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. A total of 568 seats in the lower chamber are up for grabs in the election, with half the seats reserved for candidates running as individuals. The other 50% of seats in the House of Representatives are for over 1,100 candidates running on four party lists. For weeks before the vote, pro-government media called voting a patriotic duty and urged Egyptians to vote in high numbers.
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Three-way talks over Ethiopia's Nile River dam set to resume
JOHANNESBURG โ Negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the controversial dam that Ethiopia is building on the Nile River will resume Tuesday, according to the chairman of the African Union, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Egypt and Sudan, however, have expressed concern that the dam will reduce the flow of Nile River waters to their countries. Egypt relies heavily on the Nile to supply water for its agriculture and to its more than 100 million people. Ethiopia celebrated the first stage of the filling of the dam in August, citing heavy rains, to the dismay of Egypt. "The dam already has more than 4.9 billion cubic meters of water in its reservoir,โ Abebe Yirga told The Associated Press.
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Ethiopia blasts Trump remark that Egypt will 'blow up' dam
Without naming Trump or the U.S., Prime Minister Abiy Ahmedโs office issued a separate critical statement amid an outcry in Ethiopia over Trumpโs latest threat over the dam. Downstream Sudan is a party to the talks with Ethiopia and Egypt over the disputed dam. โThey (Egypt) will end up blowing up the dam,โ Trump said. Ethiopia celebrated the first filling of the dam in August, citing heavy rains, to the dismay of Egypt. Negotiators have said key questions remain about how much water Ethiopia will release downstream if a multi-year drought occurs and how the countries will resolve any future disputes.
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IMF: Nearly all Mideast economies hit by pandemic recession
Well before the coronavirus swept across the globe, several Mideast countries had been struggling with issues ranging from lower oil prices and sluggish economic growth to corruption and high unemployment. The IMF projects the Lebanese economy will see one of the region's sharpest economic contractions this year at 25%. The pandemic has only pushed the country further to the brink after a wave of anti-government anger before the virus struck. Meanwhile, wealthy Mideast oil exporters are expected to see their economies contract by 6.6% in 2020, the IMF said. Gulf Arab states, however, are expected to see average economic growth of 2.3% next year.