Author: ALJAZEERA

UNRWA says Israeli forces fired on aid convoy travelling on designated route; attacks on civilians continue across Gaza. Source link

Israeli authorities barred Palestinians from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem for the 12th consecutive Friday. According to Anadolu Agency, the Israeli police set up barriers at the entrances to the Old City and allowed only the elderly to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Israeli police also set up checkpoints at the outer gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound – Islam’s third holiest site. Hundreds of people performed Friday prayers in the streets near the Old City, after they were prevented from reaching the mosque. A large number of Israeli forces were also deployed in the Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood near the Old…

The artificial intelligence (AI) industry began 2023 with a bang as schools and universities struggled with students using OpenAI’s ChatGPT to help them with homework and essay writing. Less than a week into the year, New York City Public Schools banned ChatGPT – released weeks earlier to enormous fanfare – a move that would set the stage for much of the discussion around generative AI in 2023. As the buzz grew around Microsoft-backed ChatGPT and rivals like Google’s Bard AI, Baidu’s Ernie Chatbot and Meta’s LLaMA, so did questions about how to handle a powerful new technology that had become…

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to flee again towards the south after Israel intensified assaults in the centre of the besieged enclave killing more than 180 people in the past 24 hours. The Israeli army on Friday said in a post on X that it was “expanding the operation in the Khan Younis area” of Gaza, previously sheltering hundreds of thousands of people displaced from the north – initially the focus of Israel’s ground assault. Israeli shelling near El Amal hospital in Khan Younis killed 41 people over the past two days, the Palestinian…

Medan, Indonesia – As far as local ranger Ajo is concerned, no one should have been trekking on Mount Marapi, one of Indonesia’s most famous volcanoes, on December 3. For almost a year, the 25-year-old guide, who led tours on the mountain from 2020 to 2022, had been warning authorities about increased volcanic activity at the peak, and his fears that climbers would die if the active volcano erupted. Unfortunately, his prediction about the volatility of Mount Marapi proved to be correct. About 75 hikers were on the mountain when it erupted earlier this month, sending a 2,000-foot-high (600-metre) ash…

South Africa has filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza after nearly three months of relentless Israeli bombardment has killed more than 21,500 people and caused widespread destruction in the besieged enclave. In an application to the court on Friday, South Africa described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”. “The acts in question include killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them…

Lagos, Nigeria – Chinenye Ikechukwu’s Decembers are usually dotted with concerts, parties, and restaurant and beach outings with friends. But this year, the 27-year-old resident of Yaba in Lagos has stayed mostly at home due to the economic downturn plaguing Africa’s largest economy. The rising cost of living and soaring inflation, which stands at 28 percent, forced her to draw up a preference list. What was most painful to strike out was Detty December, as Nigeria’s end-of-year celebrations are known. They feature a rolling succession of concerts, parties and other festivities. “The point is that Detty December this year is…

When Sudan’s second largest city, Wad Madani, fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on December 18, Afnan Hind and her family fled to a nearby town to stay with relatives. But the paramilitary group came there too and prevented residents from leaving. Hind and her family were trapped by a group that kills civilians, rapes women and girls, and loots citizens of their wealth. Days later, she said, RSF fighters stormed their apartment to steal a car parked outside. “My uncle just gave them the keys without resistance. He feared for [the girls in the house],” Hind, 21, told…

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Penang, Malaysia – For foreigners hoping to relocate to Malaysia or extend their stay, the announcement of new terms for one of the most coveted residential and retirement visas prompted mixed emotions. Many expats drawn to the Southeast Asian country, which offers a sunny climate, famed cuisine and a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Indigenous influences, breathed a sigh of relief at the rollout of “relaxed” requirements for Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H). But after nearly a year of anxious waiting for clarity about changes to the scheme, some prospective applicants were disappointed to see key details left unmentioned…