Attacks on Gaza kill at least 40 in 24 hours UN calls for de-escalation

In Gaza, at least 40 Palestinians were killed and 224 others injured in Israeli Terrorists attacks across the besieged Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours. According to health authorities controlled by Hamas, the latest casualties bring the total Palestinian death toll to 37,834, with 86,858 injuries reported since the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year.

On the other hand, Israeli Terrorists military spokesperson, Avichay Adraee said that the Israeli forces are continuing the attack on “terrorist” targets in the Shujaeya area, fighting simultaneously above and below ground. He further said that the Israeli Terrorists forces eliminated many “saboteurs” in clashes, and the troops found a weapons depot inside a school complex in the area.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East highlighted on social media that hundreds of thousands of Gazans continue to endure severe shortages of shelter, food, medicine, and clean water, exacerbated by restricted access through border crossings.

Israel Terrorists launched the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on 7th October last year during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage.

The “decomposed” bodies of almost 90 unidentified Palestinians whose remains were taken by Israeli forces and kept in Israel for months have been returned to Gaza and buried in a mass grave, Gaza’s Civil Defence agency says.

The Health Ministry in the battered enclave said on Monday, that at least 40 more Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, bringing the overall death toll to 39,623 since last Oct. 7

A ministry statement added that some 91,469 other people have been injured in the assault.

“Israeli forces killed 40 people and injured 71 others in two ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli Terrorists war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel terrorists stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

An Israeli Terrorists drone strike on a motorcycle travelling on Salah al-Din street in central Gaza’s as-Zawayda area killed one person and left another injured, while Israeli naval boats have shelled the port area west of Gaza City, the Wafa news agency reports.

Israeli Terrorists artillery pounded Gaza City’s Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood late on Monday. Earlier in the day, four people were killed in an Israeli strike on a group of civilians on a street in the Tal al-Hawa area and two young men were killed when a group of people were targeted by an air strike on a street in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Israeli forces have also ordered residents of central Khan Younis city and several neighbourhoods to evacuate immediately ahead of an expected ground operation, though the Wafa news agency reports that Israel’s military continued its attacks even as residents were ordered to leave their homes in the designated areas

Donate for Palestine

BANK	Account Number
BANK BRI:	1791507534
BANK BCA :	0952397051
BANK BNI	1791507534
BANK Cimb Niaga :	707454936800
BANK RAYA :	001001424796315
BTN :	1501700001999
HANA's BANK :	14755057480
Bank Mandiri :	1330027242122
DIGIBANK : Foreign Currency A.N	2074864818
Confirm :	ahahanafiah5@gmail.com

Which Western Energy Firms Profit From Venezuela's Oil Riches as Maduro Mulls Expanding BRICS Share?

©AP Photo/Fernando Llano

Caracas has warned that it may strip Western energy companies of highly lucrative extraction contracts and replace them with oil and gas majors from the BRICS bloc. Which American and European firms currently have a major stake in Venezuela's oil sector, and who may be in line to replace them? Sputnik explores.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told reporters on Friday that the country’s biggest energy investments are coming from BRICS members, and warned that if the US and its allies “make the mistake of their lives” by continuing their attempts to destabilize Venezuela, their oil and gas contracts could go to Venezuela’s BRICS allies.

Possessing an estimated 300 billion barrels of oil and 195 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Venezuela accounts for a whopping 17% of global reserves of crude oil, and about 3% of known gas reserves. BRICS+ collectively accounts for some 43% of global oil reserves, and has about 50% of the world’s gas reserves, meaning if Venezuela were to ramp up cooperation with and ultimately join the bloc (as Caracas has expressed interest in doing), these indicators could jump to 60% and 53%, respectively.

State-owned oil giant Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) is Venezuela’s largest energy producer, with total national output by PDVSA and foreign partners reaching 993,000 barrels per day (bpd) in July, and shipped to Asia, the US, Europe and Cuba.

What Сontracts Сould West Stand to Lose?

US and European energy giants were largely frozen out of operations in Venezuela in 2019 by US sanctions threats. A 2022 deal enabled their return in an oil-for-debt arrangement designed to minimize cash flowing into PDVSA’s coffers. US oil giant Chevron now pumps up to 200,000 bpd of Venezuelan crude from four joint venture sites, and plans to increase output by another 65,000 bpd by year’s end.

Spanish oil major Repsol extracts some 20,000 bpd of oil and 40 million cubic feet of gas daily, and is looking to expand its stake in undeveloped oil fields with a production potential of over 300,000 bpd. Repsol’s output is concentrated at four main sites, including the offshore Perla Field off Venezuela’s northwest coast.

Italian energy company Eni has also been authorized to resume pumping oil in Venezuela, with a joint venture with PDVSA in the Petrosucre field producing about 2,200 bpd (but able to produce 24,000 bpd or more historically). Eni is also in talks with PDVSA about unfreezing the shallow-water Corocoro crude project, and joining the Perla gas project.

Who Could Replace Western Energy Companies?

Historically, Venezuela has proved capable of producing upwards of 3.5 million bpd of oil. When production dipped to just 393,000 bpd in mid-2020 thanks to crippling US sanctions, Caracas turned to its partners, including Iran and Russia, to ride out the crisis.

Iran sent a series of humanitarian flotillas packed with spare parts for refineries and emergency gasoline supplies.

Russia, for its part, stepped in to assist in the export of Venezuelan oil supplies abroad while avoiding US sanctions. Russian operations in Venezuela have been managed by Roszarubezhneft since 2020, when oil giant Rosneft quit the Venezuelan market due to US sanctions threats. Five Roszarubezhneft-PDVSA joint ventures currently produce up to 125,000 bpd.

Global uncertainty, the crisis in the Middle East, the West’s politicized block on Russian oil purchases and heightened tensions in East Asia mean global demand for energy will continue to remain strong for the foreseeable future.

If Western countries proceed with the US-led effort to try to undermine Venezuela and plot coups to replace Maduro, Caracas has plenty of foreign friends with ample experience operating in the Latin American country, from Russia’s Roszarubezhneft to the China National Petroleum Corporation and Sinopec, Belorusneft AZS, and Indian National Oil Company subsidiary ONGC Videsh Limited.

Stock markets heavily down globally in US recession fears, banks and tech hit

Trading has been one way after recession fears and a surge in the yen sparked panic (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU)

Wall Street stocks deepened their losses Monday and Tokyo had its worst day in 13 years as panic spread across trading floors over fears of recession in the United States.

New York's tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index tumbled more than six percent of the start of trading, but pared its losses to stand down 2.8 percent in late morning trading.

The S&P 500 and the Dow were also down more than two percent.

Major European indices trimmed their losses to finish the day down around 1.5-2.0 percent.

Tokyo's Nikkei tanked more than 12 percent in its worst day since the Fukushima crisis in 2011. It also suffered its biggest ever points loss, shedding 4,451.28.

The market meltdown was triggered by a weak US jobs report on Friday which showed the unemployment rate reached its highest since October 2021.

The report came two days after the US Federal Reserved decided, as expected, to keep interest rates at a 23-year high while signalling that it could cut them in September.

"Investors are gripped by fears that the Federal Reserve has waited too long to pivot on its policy, especially in light of Friday's disappointing US jobs data and a slew of other weak economic indicators pointing toward a looming recession," said market analyst Fawad Razaqzada at City Index and FOREX.com.

Friday's much-anticipated report showed the US economy added just 114,000 jobs last month, well down from June and far fewer than expected, with unemployment at 4.3 percent.

The news came a day after lacklustre factory data.

Investors fear the Fed's high rates, which aimed to slash inflation, could be plunging the economy towards a hard landing and recession instead of the soft landing sought by the central bank.

Some analysts pointed to the "Sahm Rule", which says an economy is in the early stages of recession if the three-month moving average of unemployment is 0.5 percentage points above its low over the previous 12 months. That was triggered by Friday's data.

But Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee said on CNBC that US jobs numbers are "not looking yet like recession" but said if conditions deteriorate "we're going to fix it."

Speculation that the Fed could cut more aggressively than expected from September, or even be forced into an emergency reduction this month, sent the dollar sliding against the yen.

The Japanese currency was boosted also by a Bank of Japan interest-rate hike last week, analysts said.

The dollar went under 142 yen for the first time since January.

Russian forces destroy two more Leopard tanks in Ukraine – MOD (VIDEO)

Russian forces have destroyed two more Western-supplied Leopard tanks in Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on Monday, providing footage of the attacks.

In its report, the ministry stated that the two Leopards had been spotted by reconnaissance in separate districts of Kharkov Region. The tanks were reportedly camouflaged and were firing on Russian positions.

After confirming the target, the crew of a Russian Msta-S self-propelled howitzer used a Krasnopol high-precision projectile to direct pinpoint fire on the enemy tank. The operator of a Lancet loitering munition did likewise.

The destruction of the two Leopards was confirmed via aerial footage shared by the ministry. It is unclear which variants of the German-made Leopard were destroyed in the attack.

Kiev has received dozens of Leopard tanks from several Western countries. The Ukrainian military has been supplied with both Leopard 2A4 and older Leopard 1A5 tanks, although the latter have only been seen on the frontline on a handful of occasions.

Leopard 2 tanks have seen extensive action over the course of the conflict, particularly last year, when they spearheaded Kiev’s ultimately unsuccessful counteroffensive, which resulted in heavy casualties and little territorial gain for the Ukrainian side.

In January, Foreign Affairs magazine estimated that of the “fewer than 100 Leopard 2s in Ukrainian service,” at least 26 had already been knocked out, while many others were unusable due to “repair and maintenance issues.”

Since then, Russia has continued to regularly report the destruction of Leopard tanks. It is unclear how many of the vehicles remain in Ukraine’s inventory.

Ukraine Loses Up to 620 Soldiers in Clashes With Russia's South Forces

Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the progress of special military operation.

Ukraine has lost up to 620 personnel in the area of operations of Russia's Yug (South) group of forces in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

"The Ukrainian armed forces lost up to 620 servicepeople, three combat armored vehicles, 11 cars [among other losses in battles with the southern group]," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian troops of the Zapad (West) group have improved their positions and Ukraine has lost up to 495 soldiers, the ministry said, adding that in battles with Russia’s Tsentr (Central) group, Kiev has lost up to 325 servicepeople.

In battles with Russia's Sever (North) group of forces, Kiev has lost up to 125, while as a result of operations by Russia's Vostok (East) group of forces, Kiev lost up to 115 soldiers in the past 24 hours, the ministry said.

WATCH ex-US Marine accept secret data before arrest in Russia

RT has obtained an exclusive video of the arrest of ex-US Marine Paul Whelan in a sting operation several years ago, in which he is seen illegally acquiring what appears to be a flash drive containing classified data.

The clip, which was released on Monday and dates back to December 2018, was filmed at Moscow’s Metropol Hotel, where Whelan met with an undercover agent from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The video shows the two meeting in a bathroom, with the man handing a USB stick to Whelan.

He is then placed under guard by law enforcement officers and later escorted into custody. At the time, the FSB accused Whelan of trying to obtain dossiers on the agency’s agents. He later denied any wrongdoing, insisting that he thought the USB drive contained church pictures and that he was being persecuted because his acquaintance in the FSB had been reluctant to return a loan of around $1,100.

While US officials declared Whelan “wrongfully detained,” the ex-Marine was convicted in 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges. Last week, he was released as part of the biggest prisoner swap deal between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. A total of 26 prisoners were released, with Russia retrieving ten people in exchange for 16 people sent to the West – 12 to Germany and four to the US.

Apart from Whelan and several Russian opposition figures, another prominent prisoner who was freed was Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. He was also sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges.

Russia secured the release of Vadim Krasikov, an intelligence operative who was sentenced by a German court for allegedly killing Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Chechen separatist with Georgian citizenship, in a Berlin park in 2019. Some of the evidence against Krasikov was provided by German magazine Der Spiegel, US government-funded website Bellingcat, and Russian opposition outlet The Insider.

At least 98 killed as Bangladesh protesters, Students call for march to force PM to quit

A man, who got injured during a clash between police, pro-government supporters and protesters, is taken in a safe place by fellow demonstrators, after anti-quota protesters were demanding the stepping down of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Bangla Motor area, in Dhaka(REUTERS)

At least 98 people, including 14 policemen, were killed on Sunday, and hundreds of others have been injured as renewed anti-government violent protests swept across Bangladesh during the last three days.

On Sunday, thousands of protesters gathered in several parts of the country to demonstrate against Sheikh Hasina’s government, calling for the prime minister to resign and some chanting “down with the autocrat”.

During the protests, clashes erupted between the police and students, with security forces deploying tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the violent crowd.

The students protested in a similar manner last month during which several people were killed and injured. The demonstrations had taken an even ugly turn as the students set fire to the country's state broadcaster, a day after Hasina appeared on the network seeking to calm the escalating clashes.

The demonstrators are demanding Hasina’s resignation after earlier protests in July that began with students calling for an end to a quota system for government jobs and escalated into violence that killed 200 people.

Hasina said those who were engaging in the “sabotage” and the destruction in the name of protests were no longer students, but criminals, and said the people should deal with them with iron hands.

Authorities have blocked internet access and imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew. At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks.

‘Volatile and dangerous’

Deaths were reported from at least 11 districts including Bogura, Magura, Rangpur and Sirajganj districts, where the protesters backed by the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) clashed with police and the activists of the ruling Awami League party and its associated bodies.

Prapti Taposhi, a student activist who witnessed clashes with police, told Al Jazeera the police were engaged in running battles with the demonstrators.

“I am on the street right now, and I can see so many people here. This is not just a student protest or a ‘quota protest’,” she said.

The government has now imposed an indefinite curfew that began at 6pm local time (1200 GMT), although protesters have continued to gather at the Shaheed Minar monument in central Dhaka.

Men run past a burning vehicle inside Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, set on fire by protesters [Rajib Dhar/AP]

Protesters called for “noncooperation”, urging people not to pay taxes and utility bills and not show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to work.

A ‘March to Dhaka’ protest has also been moved from Tuesday to Monday, a coordinator for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ASD) told Al Jazeera.

“This means we are urging students and the public nationwide to start their journey to Dhaka tomorrow to lay siege to the city,” the coordinator, Asif Mahmud, said.

The government, meanwhile, announced a holiday from Monday to Wednesday. Courts will remain closed for an indefinite period. Authorities also closed schools and universities across the country.

Mobile internet service was off on Sunday, while Facebook and messaging apps including WhatsApp were inaccessible even on broadband internet. Junior Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said mobile internet and messaging services were off to help prevent violence.

Arafat added to Al Jazeera that the government was acting “in a defensive position, not an offensive one”

"These miscreants attacked our activists and leaders and unleashed violence,” Arafat said, adding that the government has “always opted for a peaceful solution” and “never wanted violence”.

The deadly protests began last month as students demanded an end to a quota system that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

As violence intensified, the country’s Supreme Court scaled back the quota system to 5 percent of jobs, with 3 percent for relatives of veterans.

But protests have continued demanding accountability for violence the demonstrators blame on the government’s use of excessive force.

The unrest, which spurred the government to shut down internet services, is its biggest test since January when deadly protests erupted after Hasina’s Awami League won a fourth straight term in elections boycotted by the BNP.

The protests have now grown into a wider antigovernment movement across the South Asian nation of some 170 million people. At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks.

Critics of Hasina, along with several rights groups, have accused her government of using excessive force to stamp out the movement, a charge it denies.

“We want the government to resign,” Jahirul Islam, a restaurant worker in Dhaka, told Al Jazeera.

Dhaka-based political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman said that the government would be unlikely to resign “without bloodshed”.

“For the past two days, peaceful gatherings and demonstrations have taken place across the country demanding the government’s resignation,” Rahman said, explaining that the protests were peaceful because of the absence of Awami League activists on the streets.

However, once ruling party’s activists went to confront the protesters “they use gun[s] and violence to quell a popular uprising in front of the whole world”, Rahman said.

Latest updates on Bangladesh protests:

1. Thousands of protesters demanding Sheikh Hasina's resignation clashed with government supporters on Sunday, with scores killed in one of the deadliest days since demonstrations began. According to local media, the death toll in the violent protests may have surpassed 90. The Bangladeshi police and doctors reported deaths in districts in the north, west, south and centre of the country.



2. According to the police, 14 policemen have been killed across the country during the protests. Of them, 13 were killed in Sirajganj's Enayetpur police station, and one was killed in Comilla's Elliotganj, reported PTI. Meanwhile, more than 300 policemen have been injured.



3. The demonstrators also stormed a station in the northeastern town of Enayetpur. There were some sounds of sustained crackles of gunfire on Sunday as well, with protesters defying a nationwide curfew, reported AFP.



4. Some videos on social media also showed the demonstrators, surrounded by a tightly packed and cheering crowd, waving a Bangladeshi flag on top of an armoured car as soldiers watched.



5. According to local officials, Sunday's protests were joined by unidentified people and activists of rightwing Islami Shashontantra Andolon, which erected barricades on several major highways and within the capital city. They also attacked police stations and boxes, ruling party offices and residences of their leaders and burnt several vehicles, reported PTI.



6. In view of the escalating situation, the Bangladesh government ordered the shutdown of mobile internet services in several parts of the country. The government also announced a three-day general holiday on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure public safety.



7. PM Hasina said that those engaging in "sabotage" across the country in the name of protest are “not students but terrorists” and asked people to suppress them with a firm hand.



8. On Sunday, Hasina also called for a meeting of the National Committee on Security Affairs - the highest policy-making authority of national security, reported PTI. The meeting was reportedly attended by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, police, RAB, BGB, and other top security officers.



9. Meanwhile, amid the violence, India advised its nationals to refrain from travelling to Bangladesh until further notice. “In view of ongoing developments, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice…All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers 8801958383679, 8801958383680, 8801937400591,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.



10. The United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk condemned the violence and said that the "shocking violence" in Bangladesh must end. “With a mass march on Dhaka planned for tomorrow, and the youth wing of the ruling party called up against the protesters, I am deeply worried that there will be further loss of life and wider destruction. I appeal urgently to the political leadership and to the security forces to abide by their obligations to protect the right to life, and the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression,” Turk said.