Author: ALJAZEERA

Bangladesh has been rocked by student protests for nearly three weeks. Since July 1, university students have been protesting across the country to demand the removal of quotas in government jobs after the High Court reinstated a rule that reserves nearly one-third of posts for the descendants of those who participated in the country’s 1971 liberation movement. Following the High Court’s ruling in June, 56 percent of government jobs are now reserved for specific groups, including children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, women, and people from “backward districts”. Student protesters have clashed with police and members of Bangladesh Chhatra League,…

Nine people rescued from 16-strong crew of Indian and Sri Lankan nationals as search ongoing for others.Rescuers have saved nine crew members and retrieved the body of another after their oil tanker went down off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The search teams responded to the tanker, MT Prestige Falcon, after it keeled over late on Monday some 25 nautical miles (46.3km) from Oman’s Ras Madrakah, said the country’s maritime security agency on Wednesday. Thirteen Indian and three Sri Lankan nationals were on board. It was not immediately clear what caused the Comorian-flagged ship to capsize. But…

PodcastPodcast, The TakeIsrael has bombed eight UNRWA-run schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in the last two weeks. Schools run by UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, have been havens for civilians fleeing Israeli bombing in Gaza. But a string of UNRWA-run schools sheltering displaced Palestinians have been bombed, and the agency’s headquarters in Gaza City was destroyed. Where can Palestinians find safety? In this episode:  Episode credits: This episode was produced by Sarí el-Khalili, Khaled Soltan, and Ashish Malhotra, with Veronique Eshaya, Mohammed Zain Shafi Khan, Duha Mosaad, Manahil Naveed, and our host, Malika Bilal. Our sound designer is Alex…

The Israeli military has carried out more deadly attacks across the Gaza Strip in recent hours, the Wafa news agency reports. Israeli forces have targeted the al-Ramli family home in the Palestine Square area in the centre of Gaza City, northern Gaza, killing at least two girls. Israeli fighter jets have also bombed an apartment belonging to the Abu Rakab family in az-Zawayda in central Gaza, killing at least five Palestinians and injuring more. Four children have been taken to the al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza, after being injured in an Israeli attack targeting a residential apartment in al-Ittihad Tower…

Taipei, Taiwan – As the United States was struggling to come to terms with the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, factories halfway across the world in China were already hard at work pumping out commemorative T-shirts. Within hours of the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao was selling T-shirts emblazoned with an Associated Press photo of a bleeding, fist-pumping Trump being escorted away by Secret Service agents. Featuring slogans like “Fight! Fight! Fight!” and “Shooting Makes Me Stronger!” under the image, some T-shirts retailed for as low as $4 apiece.…

Antonio Guterres says recent developments in the occupied West Bank are ‘driving a stake through the heart’ of a two-state solution.Israel’s policy toward the occupied West Bank is dooming any prospect of a two-state solution with the Palestinians, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. Through administrative and legal steps, Israel is changing the geography of the West Bank, Guterres said in a statement read by his chief of staff, Courtenay Rattray, during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday. Settlement expansion is expected to speed up due to big land seizures in strategic areas and changes…

US told allies it is considering using the most severe trade curbs available if companies continue giving Beijing access to advanced semiconductor technology.Wall Street’s semiconductor index lost over $480bn in stock market value on Wednesday and headed for its worst session since 2022 after a report said Washington was mulling tighter curbs on exports of advanced semiconductor technology to China. Remarks from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump saying key production hub Taiwan should pay the United States for its defence deepened selling in chip stocks. The US has told allies it is considering using the most severe trade curbs available…

North African countries seek assistance at Tripoli conference to help stem flow of refugees and migrants.Representatives from 28 African and European countries have met in Libya’s capital, Tripoli, to discuss ways to address irregular migration. In his opening remarks at the beginning of the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum on Wednesday, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said countries “have a moral responsibility” towards the people “who cross the desert and the sea” hoping to reach Europe. The North African country is a main departure point for refugees and migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries, risking dangerous sea journeys to seek better…

Heatstroke is a severe medical condition that occurs when a human body’s internal temperature exceeds 40C (104F). Here are some tips to help minimise its risk.As summer temperatures soar in various regions across the globe, with some even shattering all-time heatwave records, staying cool becomes crucial. Fortunately, there are effective methods to beat the heat, whether you have access to air conditioning or not. One of the biggest health concerns with hot weather is the risk of heat-related illnesses, particularly heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Heatstroke, also known as sunstroke, is a severe medical condition that occurs when the human body’s…

Warning increases concern low-level conflict across the Israel-Lebanon border could escalate into full-scale war.Hezbollah has warned it will find new targets for its rocket attacks should Israeli attacks continue to “target” civilians in Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah, the Lebanese armed group’s leader, delivered the threat during a televised address on Wednesday. His words increase concern that the low-level conflict that Israel and the Iran-aligned group have pursued since the start of the war in Gaza could escalate towards a full-scale war. Noting that eight non-combatants were killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon in recent days, Nasrallah said that more civilian bloodshed would…