Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso

No fewer than 32 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 injured on Saturday morning when Israeli troops opened fire on crowds gathered near two humanitarian aid hubs in southern Gaza, according to witnesses and hospital officials. The incident, which occurred in the Teina area east of Khan Younis and near another site north-west of Rafah, has been described by those on the ground as “a massacre”. Witnesses allege that Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fired indiscriminately at groups of Palestinians, mostly young men, on their way to food distribution centres operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an entity backed…

Brazilian lawmakers have passed a bill that significantly weakens the country’s environmental protections, in what activists are calling the most devastating blow to Brazil’s environmental legislation in over four decades. Dubbed the “devastation bill”, the legislation was approved in the lower house of Congress during the early hours of Thursday, passing by 267 votes to 116. The bill, which had already been approved by the Senate in May, now awaits President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s decision. He has 15 working days to either sign it into law or issue a presidential veto. However, even if Lula chooses to veto…

The blaze erupted late on Wednesday evening at the newly opened Hyper Mall, quickly engulfing the five-storey building that housed a supermarket and a restaurant. Civil defence officials reported that most of the victims died from smoke inhalation in the building’s bathrooms, with 14 of the bodies so severely burned they have yet to be identified. Heartbroken relatives gathered outside hospitals and the charred remains of the mall throughout the night, desperately searching for news of their loved ones. Disturbing footage shared online showed grief-stricken people wailing, collapsing in tears, and pounding the ground in despair. “I lost five family…

An Israeli strike has hit the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in Gaza, killing two people and injuring several others, including the parish priest, who was known for his close relationship with the late Pope Francis. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed in a statement: “Two persons were killed as a result of an apparent strike by the Israeli army that hit the Holy Family compound this morning.” The compound had been sheltering both Christians and Muslims, including disabled children and elderly civilians. Father Gabriel Romanelli, the Argentinian parish priest of the church since 2019, was among the…

In a blistering outburst on his social media platform, US President Donald Trump has branded some of his supporters “gullible weaklings” for demanding transparency over a secretive government inquiry into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The tirade marks a dramatic departure from Trump’s usual strategy of appeasing his fiercely loyal Make America Great Again (MAGA) base. It comes amid mounting suspicion among conservatives that Trump’s administration is concealing incriminating details to protect high-profile figures, possibly including Trump himself, who were associated with Epstein. Posting on Truth Social on Wednesday, the U.S. President accused his base of…

Norwegian skier who won bronze in ski cross at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Audun Grønvold, has died after being struck by lightning. The Norwegian Ski Federation announced on Wednesday. He was 49. Grønvold was injured during a cabin trip and, despite being rushed to the hospital for treatment, died on Tuesday night as a result of the injuries he sustained. “It is with great sadness that we have received the news of Audun Grønvold’s untimely passing,” the federation said in a statement. “The former national alpine skier and ski cross athlete was recently struck by lightning during a cabin…

US President Donald Trump’s dramatic intervention in Brazil’s domestic affairs appears to be backfiring, triggering widespread outrage across the South American nation and unintentionally giving a political boost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. On 9 July, Trump penned a letter to Lula demanding that criminal charges against Brazil’s far-right former leader, Jair Bolsonaro, be dropped. In an extraordinary move, Trump also declared a punitive 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports into the United States unless his demand was met. Calling the legal proceedings against Bolsonaro a “Witch Hunt,” Trump thundered that the investigation “should end IMMEDIATELY!” The intervention…

A nurse who offered $3,000 to a patient to mutilate her ex-lover and disfigure him with acid has been banned from practising for just four years and could return to treating patients once that period elapses. Karenjeet Kaur Warburton, a former nurse in Queensland, Australia, orchestrated a chilling plot to have her ex-partner, senior police inspector Don McKay, horrifically attacked. She instructed a patient, whom she believed “might be up for it”, to carry out the act, handing over cash, photos of McKay, and details of his home between April and October 2021. According to a ruling published last week…

Donald Trump has announced plans to impose fresh tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products and semiconductors, marking a significant escalation in his administration’s ongoing global trade war. The new levies could come into effect as early as 1 August, coinciding with the expiry of a temporary pause on so-called “reciprocal” tariffs first unveiled in April. Speaking to reporters late on Tuesday, the US president said the tariffs on drug imports would be introduced with an initial low rate, before increasing steeply after giving pharmaceutical companies “a year or so to build” manufacturing capacity in the United States. “We’re going to start…

A deportation flight carrying migrants removed from the United States has landed in the Kingdom of Eswatini, according to an announcement by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The operation follows a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court which lifted restrictions on deporting individuals to so-called “third countries.” In an online statement, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that five individuals from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Cuba, and Yemen were aboard the flight. All five had been convicted of serious crimes, including child rape and murder. “A safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed. This…