Author: ALJAZEERA

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has urged allies of Israel, primarily the United States, to stop sending it weapons as “too many people” are being killed in Gaza. Pointing to US President Joe Biden’s comment last week that Israel’s military action was “over the top”, Borrell said on Monday: “Well, if you believe that too many people are being killed, maybe you should provide less arms in order to prevent so many people having been killed.” “Is [it] not logical?” he asked, in a Brussels news conference alongside Philippe Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works…

Rafah, Gaza – In a little tent in Rafah, 15-year-old Nagham al-Yaziji and her brother Mohammad, 14, are holding down the fort as best they can, keeping house and caring for their seven younger siblings, the youngest of whom is six-month-old sister Toleen. The children have lost both their parents over the past four months and had to bring their younger siblings south on their own, set up a tent, and struggle through every day as best they can. Holding Toleen in his arms and bouncing her gently, Mohammad tells Al Jazeera about the day they lost their mother, Shouq…

PodcastPodcast, The TakeWith Israel keeping Palestinian workers out of the country, some Israeli companies are bringing Indian workers in. More than 100,000 Palestinian workers are banned from entering Israel amid its ongoing war on Gaza. Now, Israeli companies are recruiting in India. What is India’s relationship with Israel four months into the war? In this episode:  Arbab Ali (@arbabali_jmi) – freelance journalist Clifton D’Rozario (@clifroz) – national secretary, All India Central Council of Trade Unions Azad Essa (@azadessa) – author of Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra and…

EXPLAINERIsrael has carried out air strikes in Rafah where 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering, raising fears of a humanitarian disaster.Here’s how things stand on Monday, February 12, 2024: Humanitarian crisis in Gaza Israel has carried out overnight air strikes in Rafah in southern Gaza, killing at least 67 people. Israeli forces hit houses, hospitals and three mosques, Palestinian officials said. Rafah hosts 1.4 million Palestinians, most of whom were displaced by Israeli offensives in northern and central Gaza. The total death toll of Palestinians in Gaza stands at 28,340 since the start of the war on October 7. The Israeli…

Nobel peace prize laureate Maria Ressa and Urvashi Aneja explore how current AI developments impact the Global South.While many of today’s headline-grabbing artificial intelligence (AI) tools are designed in Silicon Valley, much of the labour that fuels the boom is based in the Global South, raising questions over who stands to gain from the technology and at what cost. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa and the director of the Digital Futures Lab, Urvashi Aneja, explore the impact AI is already having on communities in the Global South – from labour conditions to democracy and the environment – and why…

In September, Soulayma Abdel Hay started a soup kitchen in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. She solicited overseas donations to buy rice, beans and eggs and to cook for hungry families three times a week. Khartoum had mostly fallen to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSP), who looted the property and savings of hundreds of thousands of people. In Abdel Hay’s neighbourhood, many Sudanese fell into poverty and relied on her meals to survive. “When we started, about 70 people would come to us for food … from several neighbourhoods,” Abdel Hay told Al Jazeera from Khartoum. “Eventually, we started to see…

Altman has discussed ‘wildly ambitious’ plans with investors, including the United Arab Emirates government, the WSJ says.OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seeking to raise trillions of dollars from investors, including the United Arab Emirates government, to boost the world’s capacity to produce advanced chips and power artificial intelligence, The Wall Street Journal has reported. Altman’s “wildly ambitious tech initiative” could require raising as much as $7 trillion, the WSJ reported on Thursday, quoting people familiar with the matter. As part of his pitch to investors, Altman has proposed building dozens of chip foundries that would then be run by existing…

Beirut, Lebanon – With its grand Ottoman-era palaces and mansions, Beirut’s historical Sursock Street in the heart of the Achrafieh district – dotted with pockets of greenery, winding streets and small eateries – is a magnet for architecture and heritage lovers. Most people know of the stunning stained glass windows of the Sursock Museum and the magnificent stucco ceilings of Sursock Palace, buildings that sit opposite each other. These were the homes of the aristocratic Sursock family, wealthy merchants with political ties to the Ottoman Empire, who were among Beirut’s seven founding families. However, a lesser-known historical gem sits on…

Bengaluru, India – On January 23, an icon of Indian cinema and politics, M Karunanidhi appeared before a live audience on a large projected screen, to congratulate his 82-year-old friend and fellow politician TR Baalu on the launch of his autobiographical book. Dressed in his trademark black sunglasses, white shirt, and a yellow shawl around his shoulders — Karunanidhi’s style was spot on. In his eight-minute speech, the veteran poet-turned-politician congratulated the book’s author but was also effusive in his praise for the able leadership of MK Stalin, his son and the current leader of the state. Karunanidhi has been…

Air raids come as Palestinians in Rafah brace for offensive that aid agencies fear will cause massive casualties.Israel has carried out air strikes in southern Gaza’s Rafah, killing dozens, according to health officials, as Palestinians brace for a major offensive on the densely-crowded city. There were conflicting reports of the death toll following the pre-dawn strikes on Monday. The AFP news agency reported that the strikes killed 52 people, while Reuters reported that 37 had been killed. Both outlets cited health officials in Gaza. The Israeli strikes hit 14 houses and three mosques in Rafah, according to Palestinian officials. Israel’s…