August 6, 2024

*) Haniyeh’s assassination aimed at prolonging Gaza war: Abbas Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas has told Russia’s state media that the killing of Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh aims to prolong the war in besieged Gaza and complicate peace talks. He said: “There is no doubt that the purpose of Mr. Haniyeh’s assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope.” He went on to say that Israel’s conduct “will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza”. *) Bangladesh protesters call for new govt under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus The Bangladeshi students who led the protests which toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government want a new interim government with Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus as its leader. They have warned that any government other than the one protesters have asked for would not be accepted. Yunus has agreed to take on this responsibility. *) Israel fails to recruit hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Jews for Gaza genocide Tel Aviv continues to struggle with the headache of enlisting orthodox Jews into its military, which is fighting a never-ending war with Hamas in Gaza. The Israeli military has once again failed to register hundreds of Haredi Jews for military service. The Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported that only 30 Haredi Jews appeared at the conscription office, despite 1,000 being scheduled to register on Monday and Tuesday. *) Several countries issue UK travel advisory amid far-right violence Some would say that the UK is getting to taste its own medicine as another country has warned its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to the UK amid violent far-right riots. Nigeria has joined Malaysia and Australia in issuing travel advisories for the UK. The UK is experiencing its worst wave of riots in 13 years, with far-right demonstrators targeting asylum seekers, mosques and ethnic minorities across the country. And finally… *) Türkiye to join genocide case against Israel at ICJ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Türkiye will submit an application to join the world court genocide case against Israel. Erdogan said the country’s parliamentary legal team will submit a petition to join the genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice in The Hague on Wednesday. He emphasised Türkiye’s commitment to ending the “barbarism” that has claimed the lives of nearly 40,000 innocents in Gaza over the past ten months.