Author: ALJAZEERA

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promises revenge after deadly attack of its diplomatic facility in Syria that killed at least 13 Revolutionary Guard members.Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has promised revenge for an Israeli air raid in Syria that killed senior military officers. Iran’s supreme leader declared on Tuesday that “Israel will be punished” for the attack that killed members of the Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, at the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The attack and rhetoric have raised concern that Israel’s war in Gaza threatens to escalate major conflict across the region. “The evil Zionist regime will be punished at…

Seven workers from the relief group World Central Kitchen (WCK) were killed in central Gaza in a “targeted attack” by Israeli forces that has drawn global condemnation and forced the charity to suspend operations in the region. WCK said its team members came from Australia, Palestine, Poland and the United Kingdom. One was a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. “This is not only an attack against WCK, this is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the most dire of situations where food is being used as a weapon of war,” CEO Erin Gore said in…

Media network denounces Israeli prime minister’s ‘slanderous accusations’, says they incite against the safety of its journalists around the world.Al Jazeera has condemned a new Israeli law that could shut down its operations in Israel and said “lies” spread by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incited against the safety of the media network’s journalists worldwide. As Israel’s war on Gaza nears the six-month mark, the Israeli parliament, or Knesset, on Monday overwhelmingly backed legislation which allows the government to order the closure of foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if it is believed its content posed “harm to…

Bangkok, Thailand – Sheltering from the sun on a street corner, Kridsada Ahjed rues the day he got involved with the loan sharks who now gobble up most of his daily earnings. “I went to the loan sharks because people like me – with no assets or savings – cannot qualify to get help from legitimate banks,” Ahjed, a 40-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, told Al Jazeera. “Now almost everything I make in a day goes towards paying the interest on my debt.” Kridsada is far from alone. Thailand’s household debt reached nearly 87 percent of gross domestic product last year,…

Binnish, Syria – Despite the dangers of dissent, people in northwestern Syria have been taking to the streets in recent weeks to protest an armed group formed out of an al-Qaeda breakaway faction. The protests against Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which controls a large portion of Idlib province, began on February 25 in Sarmada, near the Syria-Turkey border. Prompted by the treatment of prisoners by the group’s security arm, the General Security Service (GSS), protesters carry banners calling HTS prisons “slaughterhouses”. Protests with hundreds of participants have now taken place across Idlib. In Binnish, 29-year-old Mohammed Ali Basha spent the…

Former United States president was in February found liable for misrepresenting his net worth by as much as $2bn.Former United States President Donal Trump has posted a $175m bond in his civil fraud case in New York, avoiding asset seizures which could have dealt a serious blow to his finances and reelection hopes. Trump, who is set to face off against US President Joe Biden for the presidency in November, was in February found liable for misrepresenting his net worth by as much as $2bn to secure better terms for loans and insurance. An appeals court last week ordered Trump,…

The Israeli military has withdrawn from its second devastating raid on Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa, leaving it in ruins.Here’s how things stand on Tuesday, April 2, 2024: Fighting and humanitarian crisis The Israeli military withdrew from its second raid on al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest medical facility, on Monday after a two-week siege, leaving it in ruins. Despite the widespread devastation, Israeli forces claimed to have killed and captured dozens of Hamas fighters and described the raid as one of the most successful operations of its war on Gaza. The Israeli military claimed it did not harm civilians sheltering inside the al-Shifa…

Japanese foreign minister makes the announcement after holding talks last week with UNRWA chief.Japan has announced it will lift its pause on funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa confirmed the resumption of funding to UNRWA with local media after meeting UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini last week. “Japan will lift the moratorium on its financial contributions to UNRWA and provide assistance while ensuring and confirming the appropriateness of Japan’s funds,” Kamikawa told reporters on Tuesday. During their meeting in Tokyo, Kamikawa and Lazzarini discussed ways the UN agency could strengthen its transparency and…

Seven people working with the United States-based NGO World Central Kitchen (WCK) have been killed in the Gaza Strip in what the group’s founder chef said was an Israeli air attack. The NGO, which provides fresh meals in response to conflict and natural disasters, was set up by Michelin-starred chef Jose Andres and his wife Patricia in 2010, and has been supplying food assistance in Gaza, which the United Nations has warned is on the brink of famine. Here is what we know so far about the attack: What happened? WCK said it was “devastated to confirm” that seven members…

US President Joe Biden’s son is scheduled to go on trial for tax evasion in June.Hunter Biden, the son of United States President Joe Biden, has failed in a bid to have tax charges against him dismissed. US District Judge Marc Scarsi on Monday denied eight motions to dismiss the case accusing the younger Biden of scheming to evade $1.4m in taxes. Scarsi said Hunter Biden’s lawyers had provided “virtually no evidence” that his prosecution showed political bias, one of a number of grounds raised for dismissing the case. “Defendant fails to present a reasonable inference, let alone clear evidence,…