Author: ALJAZEERA

Russia did not give any reason for the selection of the people it had banned.Japan’s government said it has protested against Russia’s announcement that it is permanently banning 13 Japanese citizens, mostly business leaders of prominent companies including Toyota Motor Corp, in retaliation for Tokyo’s sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday the ban “limits Japanese companies’ legitimate activities [in Russia], and is absolutely not acceptable.” Hayashi said his government has lodged a protest against Russia over the entry ban. Hayashi was commenting on an announcement by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs…

Petrol will cost up to 15 percent more from Friday.Egypt is raising fuel prices for the second time in four months, fulfilling an economic reform condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock hundreds of millions in new loans. Egypt’s official gazette reported an up to 15 percent price hike for petrol on Thursday, four days before the IMF is to review its $8bn loan programme, the next tranche of which is $820m. The new prices will take effect on Friday, said Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. Petrol prices jumped about 15 percent and will now…

The collapse at Delta is stunning for an outfit that was widely viewed as the best big US airline.United States regulators are investigating how Delta Air Lines is treating passengers affected by cancelled and delayed flights as the airline struggles to recover from a global technology outage. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the Delta investigation on the X social media platform on Tuesday “to ensure the airline is following the law and taking care of its passengers during continued widespread disruptions”. “All airline passengers have the right to be treated fairly, and I will make sure that right is upheld,”…

Average global temperature on Monday smashed Sunday’s record for the hottest day on Earth, EU climate monitor says.The European Union’s climate monitor says Monday was the world’s hottest day on record after it inched past Sunday’s high as swaths of Europe, Asia and North America experienced blistering temperatures. The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Wednesday that the global average surface air temperature on July 22 rose to 17.15 degrees Celsius (62.9 degrees Fahrenheit) – or 0.06 degrees Celsius higher than the record set just a day earlier. C3S has been tracking such patterns since 1940. “This is exactly…

Kim Beom-su is accused of conspiring to inflate SM Entertainment’s stock price to prevent takeover by rival agency.The founder of South Korea’s Kakao Corp has been arrested on suspicion of rigging the tech giant’s stock price during its acquisition of K-pop juggernaut SM Entertainment. Seoul Southern District Court issued the arrest warrant for Kim Beom-su on Tuesday, citing the possibility he could try to flee or destroy evidence. South Korean prosecutors have accused Kim, also known as Brian Kim, of colluding with a private equity fund to buy some 240 billion won ($173m) worth of shares to inflate SM Entertainment’s…

Palestinian factions have signed a “national unity” agreement aimed at maintaining Palestinian control over Gaza once Israel’s war on the enclave concludes. The deal, finalised on Tuesday in China after three days of intensive talks, lays the groundwork for an “interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The agreement was signed by long-term rivals Hamas and Fatah, as well as 12 other Palestinian groups. “Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity,” said senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk at…

Israeli tank shelling and air strikes killed at least 39 Palestinians near Khan Younis after issuing new orders for people to leave some neighbourhoods in the area. The Israeli army justified yet another instance of forced displacement of Palestinians on Monday due to what they said were renewed attacks from those areas. To facilitate evacuations, the military said, it was adjusting the boundaries of a humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi west of Khan Younis to keep the civilian population away from areas of combat with Hamas-led Palestinian fighters. The Palestinians, the United Nations and international relief agencies have said there is…

Hospitals have not been spared and humanitarian missions are being blocked, the NGO says.Civilians face violence and killings and health workers and medical facilities are suffering persistent attacks amid severe violence being perpetrated by both warring sides in Sudan, Doctors Without Borders has said in a new report. The NGO, known by its French initials MSF, warned in the report issued on Monday that protection of civilians has collapsed, with entire communities “facing indiscriminate violence, killings, torture and sexual violence amid persistent attacks on health workers and medical facilities”. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces…

Top UN court rules that Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territory is unlawful.Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, have been steadily expanding in the Palestinian territory for years. Now, the top court of the United Nations says it’s time for Israel to stop, reverse course and repair the damage. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel’s occupation is unlawful and is fuelling a surge in violence. However, the court’s findings are not legally binding – and the Israeli government has ignored previous decisions. So will the ICJ’s advisory opinion have any practical implications? Presenter:…

This week, Israel’s government announced that starting Sunday, it would begin conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men for the first time in the country’s 76-year history. The statement came more than a month after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the military was to begin enlisting ultra-Orthodox men into the army, upending a longstanding political arrangement that exempted them from compulsory military service. The ruling threatens to antagonise large segments of the community, which argues that serving in the army threatens its way of life. In addition, the forced enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men could destabilise Israel’s far-right coalition government, headed by Prime…