A PART of a mural is seen through a tent as displaced Palestinians stay at a camp amid a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 25, 2023. — REUTERS
GAZA/JERUSALEM — Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel on Sunday in the second release of hostages from Hamas captivity in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in a deal briefly endangered by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza.
Although overcome by the mediation of Egypt and Qatar, the dispute that threatened the truce to free captives underscored the fragility of the pact meant to release 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant groups and 150 prisoners held in Israeli jails over four days.
Television images showed hostages on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing after leaving Gaza, as Hamas handed the captives to the International Committee of the Red Cross late on Saturday.
Six of the 13 Israelis released were women and seven were children and teenagers.
“The released hostages are on their way to hospitals in Israel, where they will re-unite with their families,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Israel released 39 Palestinians — six women and 33 minors —from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said.
Some of the Palestinians arrived at Al-Bireh Municipality Square in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where thousands of citizens awaited them, a Reuters witness said.
A Palestinian official familiar with the diplomatic moves said Hamas would continue the truce, the first halt in fighting since Hamas fighters rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 hostages.
In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to destroy the Hamas militants who run Gaza, raining bombs and shells on the enclave and launching a ground offensive in the north. Some 14,800 people, roughly 40% of them children, have been killed, Palestinian health authorities said on Saturday.
Saturday’s swap follows the previous day’s initial release of 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly, by Hamas in return for the release of 39 Palestinian women and young people from Israeli prisons.
On Friday Hamas also released a Philippine national and 10 Thai farm workers.
The four Thais released on Saturday “want a shower and to contact their relatives,” Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said a day later on social media platform X, adding that all were safe and showed few ill-effects.
Eighteen Thais remain captive, Thailand’s foreign ministry said on Sunday.
“I’m so happy, I’m so glad, I can’t describe my feeling at all,” Thongkoon Onkaew told Reuters by telephone, after news of the release of her 26-year-old son Natthaporn Onkaew, the family’s sole breadwinner.
The deal risked being derailed when Hamas’ armed wing said on Saturday it was delaying releases until Israel met all truce conditions, including committing to let aid trucks into northern Gaza.
Ensuring the deal did not collapse took a day of high-stakes diplomacy mediated by Qatar and Egypt, a process US President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. joined, calling Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan said only 65 of 340 aid trucks that had entered Gaza since Friday had reached northern Gaza, which was “less than half of what Israel agreed on.”
Al-Qassam Brigades, the Hamas armed wing, also said Israel had failed to respect terms for the release of Palestinian prisoners that factored in their time in detention.
The IDF said the United Nations (UN) and international organizations distribute aid inside the Gaza Strip. The UN said 61 trucks delivered aid to northern Gaza on Saturday, the most since the war began seven weeks ago. They included food, water and emergency medical supplies.
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said there had been “a lot of discussion” on how and whom to prioritize for release and that a key criterion for the Palestinian side was the length of time spent in Israeli prisons.
“We are now hopeful that, with the second or the third day of this pause, we would be able to hash out a lot of these details that made this day so difficult,” he told CNN.
Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continued to release at least 10 hostages a day. A Palestinian source has said up to 100 hostages could go free.
‘HEART IS SPLIT’ Saturday also brought hours of nail-biting waiting for the families of hostages, some of whose joy was tempered by the continued captivity of others.
“My heart is split because my son, Itay, is still in Hamas’ captivity in Gaza,” Mirit Regev, the mother of Maya Regev, one of those released late on Saturday, said in a statement from the Hostage and Missing Families Forum that represents the families.
Also released was nine-year-old Irish-Israeli hostage Emily Hand, who was initially thought to have been killed. She spent her ninth birthday in captivity and was released alongside 12-year-old Hila Rotem, whose mother remains in captivity.
“We are overjoyed to embrace Emily again, but at the same time, we remember Raya Rotem and all the hostages who have yet to return,” Ms. Hand’s family said in a statement.
Palestinians’ joy at the release of prisoners from Israeli jails was tinged with bitterness.
“I feel like I am in a dream, but I hope that the war on Gaza will stop as soon as possible,” one of them, Shorouk Dwayyat, who had served half her term of 16 years, told Al Jazeera TV from her home, saying her joy was mixed with pain. — Reuters
BEIJING/SHANGHAI — China and the United States exchanged accusations at the weekend over the disputed South China Sea, after China’s military said it had driven away a US warship that the US Navy said was on a routine freedom of navigation operation.
According to a post on the official WeChat social media account of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Southern Theatre Command on Saturday, the Chinese military deployed its naval and air forces to “track, monitor and warn away” the US destroyer.
The US Navy said on Sunday that the Hopper had “asserted navigational rights in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law”.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 said China’s claims had no legal basis.
The Philippines and Australia began their first joint sea and air patrols in the sea on Saturday, days after Beijing accused Manila of enlisting foreign forces to patrol the South China Sea, referring to joint patrols by the Philippine and US militaries.
This weekend’s incident, China said, “proves that the United States is an out-and-out ‘security risk creator’ in the South China Sea.”
Lieutenant Kristina Weidemann, deputy spokesperson for the US 7th Fleet, said in an e-mailed statement: “The United States challenges excessive maritime claims around the world regardless of the identity of the claimant.
“Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas.”
Earlier this month, the United States and China held talks on maritime issues, including the contested South China Sea, where the US underscored concerns about what it called “dangerous and unlawful” Chinese actions, the US State department said. — Reuters
BENGALURU — India’s government on Friday warned social media firms including Facebook and YouTube to repeatedly remind users that local laws prohibit them from posting deepfakes and content that spreads obscenity or misinformation, two sources told Reuters.
The warning was conveyed by deputy IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a closed-door meeting where he said many companies had not updated their usage terms despite 2022 rules that prohibit content “harmful” to children, obscene or that “impersonates another person”.
It comes amid growing concerns over deepfakes — realistic yet fabricated videos created by artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms trained on online footage — which a top minister this week said this week India is drawing up rules to address.
Mr. Chandrasekhar said the companies must raise awareness of the rules by reminding users every time they log in that they cannot post such content, or by issuing reminders.
He said otherwise he will issue directions forcing them to do so, said the two sources, who declined to be named as the meeting was private.
The minister described it as a “non-negotiable” demand of the Indian government during the meeting, said one of the sources.
India’s IT ministry said in a press statement all platforms had agreed to align their content guidelines with government rules.
Facebook and Mr. Chandrasekhar did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alphabet, Inc’s Google, which owns YouTube, said in a statement it was committed to responsible AI development and has robust policies and systems to identify and remove harmful content across its products and platforms.
The Indian government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have raised concerns over deepfakes in recent days.
During a virtual summit of G20 nations on Wednesday, Mr. Modi called on global leaders to jointly work towards regulating AI, and raised concerns over the negative impact of deepfakes on society.
Countries across the world are racing to draw up rules to regulate AI. India has been tightening regulations of social media companies, which count the South Asian nation as a topgrowth market.
Last year, the government privately criticized the companies for not removing what it described as fake news on their sites, which it said had forced itto order content takedowns. — Reuters
THE MEXICAN FLAG flutters during the National Flag Day event in Iguala, Guerrero State, Mexico, Feb. 24, 2021. — REUTERS
ACAPULCO — One month since Hurricane Otis devastated Acapulco, fears for the local economy stalk the Mexican beach resort with businesses saying efforts to repair the damage have been too slow to save a vital part of the tourist season: December.
Otis, the strongest hurricane to ever hit Mexico’s Pacific coast, hammered Acapulco in the early hours of Oct. 25, killing at least 50 people, causing billions of dollars in damage, and sparking widespread looting.
Residents still searching for loved ones say the official death toll is likely significantly higher. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has rejected unconfirmed media reports suggesting fatalities may have gone well past 300.
Lopez Obrador has launched a $3.4-billion recovery plan and pledged to get Acapulco back on its feet quickly, but local businesses say time is fast running out for this year.
“Acapulco lives off just three seasons: December, which is the biggest for us, Easter, and a bit of summer. December is the most hotly anticipated and we’re not going to be up and running,” said Jesus Zamora, head of infrastructure for a local tourism body.
“By the December season we won’t even have 50% of hotels running, so even if we wanted to have more tourists, we couldn’t host them,” he added.
Business groups have estimated the damage at around $16 billion in Acapulco, which is the biggest city in Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest states.
The hurricane battered Acapulco’s airport, and international flights are not due to resume until next year. Some business leaders fear the city will not recover until 2025.
“People who work on social events, beach weddings and conventions have been unemployed since that day,” said Roberto Buenfil, who works for a company organizing events. “Everything there was for these last months of the year is no longer happening.”
Security forces are still struggling to clean up the rubbish engulfing some areas. Some 221,000 tons of trash have been collected so far.
Trash has been collected faster from central areas with hotels than in outlying neighborhoods like Renacimiento and Emiliano Zapata where the smell of rotting garbage has grown as it piles up, local residents say. — Reuters
BEIJING — Alibaba’s online shopping platforms Taobao and Tmall said on Friday they had cancelled their Dec. 12 shopping festival and will instead host another shopping spree called ‘year-end good price’ from Dec. 9.
“Compared with the 12.12 festival of previous years, the discount intensity, scale of merchants and the scale of commodities have all been greatly improved,” a written statement from Alibaba supplied to Reuters read in part. It did not specify how long the festival would run.
The 12.12 shopping festival, held annually on Dec. 12 since 2012, was the less-celebrated sister of November’s Singles Day sales festival, which traditionally fell on Nov. 11 but has in recent years ballooned into a multi-week event beginning in late October.
This year marked the second time Alibaba declined to release its sales results for the Singles Day festival period, but data provider Syntun estimated cumulative gross merchandising volume (GMV) sales across major e-commerce platforms rose 2.08% to 1.14 trillion yuan ($156.40 billion) compared with growth of 2.9% last year.
According to Alibaba, 80 million products were offered at their deepest discount of the year for Singles Day.
Analysts saw Alibaba’s focus on discounts this year as an attempt to fight rivals such as Douyin and PDD Holdings’ Pinduoduo that have changed the landscape of Chinese e-commerce in recent years by selling lower-cost and discounted items year-round.
Chinese consumers are in a thrifty mood, amid a deepening crisis in the country’s giant property sector, where most of the country’s household wealth is parked, spending cuts by highly indebted local governments, youth unemployment rates surpassing 20%, and falling wages in some sectors of the economy.
“Macroeconomic headwinds are causing consumers to be more value-conscious,” consultancy Bain said in a report released earlier this month focused on Singles Day sales. — Reuters
Sun Life Philippines is kickstarting the holiday season by mounting the brightest and grandest thanksgiving concert for Sun Life clients and guests at the World Trade Center Tent on Nov. 30.
Hosted in partnership with Wish 107.5, the Wish Upon a Sun: Sama-Sama sa Pasasalamat Concert will feature Sun Life’s very own brand ambassadors, Piolo Pascual, Sarah Geronimo, Matteo Guidicelli, and Donny Pangilinan. The concert will also have live performances from Belle Mariano, BGYO, BINI, and Imago.
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As part of the festivities, Donny will be roaming around the venue with a ‘Partner for Life Cam,’ where chosen pairs among the crowd will be interviewed for a chance to take home a limited-edition Sunson plushie.
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Meanwhile, concert attendees are all eligible to win exciting prizes, including holiday baskets and P5,000 and P10,000 gift certificates. An enchanting trip for two to Singapore along with a much-coveted pair of concert tickets to a global superstar’s concert in March will also be raffled off to one lucky Sun Life client during the event.
Pre-concert, early birds will be able to enjoy exciting games and activities, as well as food concessionaires from select Sun Life business owner clients at the Partner for LiFEST. A special lounge for eligible clients will be also available on a first-come, first- serve basis.
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“We are immensely grateful to our clients for the honor of making Sun Life their guaranteed Partner for Life. We want to express our appreciation by giving them a fun- filled and memorable night with loved ones through this thanksgiving concert,” Sun Life Chief Client Experience and Marketing Officer Carla Gonzalez-Chong said.
Wish Upon a Sun: Sama-Sama sa Pasasalamat Concert also serves as a culminating event of the Kasa-Kasama sa Roadtrip, a roadshow that brought free live performances from local artists, as well as fun activities and games in Iloilo, Pampanga, Quezon, and Batangas in support of the Partner for Life campaign.
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RHK Land executives toast to the launch of The Velaris Residences North Tower, the second tower of the award-winning residential enclave The Velaris Residences. In photo are (from L-R) Chad Sotelo, RHK Land CEO and President; Nonette Notarte, RHK Land Technical Director; Martha Herrera-Subido, RHK Land Head of Marketing; Katherine Silva, RHK Land Chief Finance Officer; Rouen Abel Raz, RHK Land General Manager; Jeffrey Lun, Hongkong Land Philippines Country Head; and Ehryq Young, RHK Land Head of Sales.
RHK Land Corp., a joint venture between international property leader Hongkong Land (HKL) and Philippine real estate giant Robinsons Land (RLC), continues to elevate the benchmark for luxury real estate with the launch of The Velaris Residences North Tower, the second tower of The Velaris Residences, the award-winning three-tower residential enclave within the rising C5 megalopolis.
“Drawing from the success of the South Tower, we are pleased to announce the next chapter in the masterpiece that is The Velaris Residences: the North Tower, a beautiful expression of design and luxurious, contemporary living,” says Rouen Abel V. Raz, General Manager of RHK Land.
Among the event’s attendees were some influential names in Metro Manila’s sophisticated circles: content creator Mikaela Lagdameo, model-influencer Nicole Hernandez, model and entrepreneur Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, social media personality Camille Co, and TV host Kelly Misa.
Prominent families and influentialnames from Metro Manila’s most sophisticated circles graced the grand launch of The Velaris Residences North Tower. Among the guests were key opinion leaders Rissa Mananquil–Trillo, Nicole Hernandez, Kelly Misa, Camille Co, and Mikaela Lagdameo.
The event was hosted by voice artist Inka Magnaye.
Hosted by voice artist and multihyphenate Inka Magnaye, the festivities were held at The Velaris Residences Show Gallery which captivated guests with its stunning interiors. In each room, the property’s signature scent, Jo Malone’s Peony & Blush Suede, enveloped the senses, creating an unforgettable olfactory experience that complemented the visual splendor. As guests relished in a symphony of bespoke culinary delights and delightful company, they were serenaded by the Philippines’ Premier Crooner, Richard Poon, whose melodious performance added a touch of magic to the event.
Philippine Crooner Richard Poon gave a stellar performance during the launch event, adding to the magic of the evening.
The highlight of the launch was the unique tour of the show units, a groundbreaking concept never before seen in the Philippines. Inside these exquisite spaces, actors brought to life the vibrant lifestyle of The Velaris Residences, transforming the viewing experience into an immersive theatrical performance. Guests were transported into a world where they could envision themselves as residents, fully appreciating the beauty and functionality of the residences and catching a glimpse of the unparalleled lifestyle that awaits future homeowners.
THE NORTH TOWER: A BASTION OF TRUE ELEGANCE
Embodying RHK Land’s signature intentional design philosophy, the North Tower has been carefully conceived as a landmark residence for those with discriminating and erudite tastes. It caters to individuals for whom excellence is not an aspiration but a constant — masters of the well-appointed life whose every aspect has been shaped by their bold intentions and studious curation.
From its collection of beautifully crafted light-filled residences to its extensive line-up of exquisitely designed amenities and stunning architecture, the North Tower represents the pinnacle of modernity, sophistication, and luxury. While enveloping residents with the hallmarks of refinement with which they are familiar, it also provides everyday revelations that spark inspiration, excitement, and joy.
LIVING SPACES THAT INSPIRE AN INTENTIONAL LIFE
Nicole Hernandez touring the beautiful show units of The Velaris Residences North Tower
While rising to 40 storeys, the North Tower houses a limited collection of units, each masterfully designed to the minutest detail to reflect a first world lifestyle, one which melds together tasteful aesthetics, easy comfort, and quiet discretion.
All residences, which range from one- to four-bedroom units, are elegantly proportioned with generous floor plans. The four-bedroom, penthouse, and townhouse suites are of special note with their impressive double volume ceilings. This bold architectural detail imbues these units with an airy grandeur, transforming them into inviting spaces that lend themselves naturally to both restful retreats and graceful entertaining.
One- and one-and-a-half bedroom units are equipped with spacious indoor patios, which enable residents to bring the outside in and create indoor oases that both calm and reinvigorate. Meanwhile, the rest of the units feature balconies which bring the joys of outdoor living. Both provide inimitable views of the surrounding environs, which include two notable art and design landmarks: the Victor, a 200-feet lighting installation piece by globally recognized artist JEFRË, and Bridgetowne’s scenic bridge designed by the late national artist Francisco Mañosa. A thoughtful approach to layouts that maximizes natural light further brings a feeling of brightness and openness to every unit.
Smart home features utilize the latest technologies to supply the modern domestic niceties that define today’s connected home. Digital door locks with biometric fingerprint scan, PIN code, and RFID card access ensure security while light and air-conditioning systems that can be controlled remotely through smart devices deliver convenience and energy-efficiency. Smart mirrors, which are available in two-bedroom and larger units, kick-start mornings efficiently by delivering news, weather reports, and even personal calendars, among others, to help prepare for and organize the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, the private lifts for two-bedroom and bigger units and the two-units-to-one-elevator ratio of the typical floors provide North Tower residents with a high level of privacy, one of the remaining true luxuries in today’s world.
“Each residence was designed to resemble modern sky villas,” shares Martha Herrera-Subido, Head of Marketing, RHK Land. “We believe our homes are not merely spaces for habitation — they are reflections of the kind of life we want and choose to live. The North Tower provides residents with the perfect backdrop for the purposeful lives they lead.”
A MULTI-SENSORIAL JOURNEY OF INTENTION AND INSPIRATION
Kelly Misa inside one of the show units of The Velaris Residences
The Velaris Residences offers best-in-class amenities that are comparable to 5-star hotel facilities. “Each amenity was designed to become part of a multi-sensorial journey of intention and inspiration, following our vision to create an environment with the power to inspire people,” continues Herrera-Subido.
Some of the exciting amenities offered by the property include an indoor and outdoor Japanese sento, a sculpture garden, a garden lounge with floating daybeds, a lifestyle gym with a dance studio and cycling studio, a badminton and pickleball court, a golf simulator studio, an Olympic-length infinity pool, a treetop playground, and camping grounds.
The Velaris Residences North Tower also nods to recent shifts in how people live and work. The business lounge, which includes a meeting room, as well as the creative studio, furnish spaces geared for productivity, making them suitable for residents for whom hybrid work arrangements have become the norm.
Smart lockers and a secure mailroom allow for convenient package deliveries with limited interface. The residents’ portal, a companion app to access property management services and updates, takes this a step further by offering a contactless lifestyle option. With it, residents can settle dues, send requests for maintenance, coordinate deliveries, and book amenities with just a few taps on their smartphones.
The pièce de résistance of The Velaris Residences’ amenities, however, is the Velaris SkyClub. Like a social club in the clouds, it contains multiple features where residents can immerse themselves in their interests and pastimes without having to take one step outside—a private theater and game room for entertainment aficionados, a wine gallery and casual and gourmet dining areas for gourmands, and a cigar room for tobacco connoisseurs. Moreover, it offers several options for hosting private gatherings with its SkyLounge, SkyBar and SkyDeck areas.
CAPTURING THE PULSE OF A NEW MEGALOPOLIS
The Velaris Residences North Tower residents are set to be advantageously placed right at the beating heart of the megalopolis rising along the 44-kilometer C5 growth corridor. Given this, residents have unparalleled access to several of Metro Manila’s major business hubs, including Makati City, Bonifacio Global City (BGC), and Ortigas Center. Planned and on-going infrastructure projects such as the MRT 4, Metro Manila Mega Subway Project, and C-6 Expressway, are slated to further enhance its connectivity.
Specifically, The Velaris Residences sits in a prime spot in Bridgetowne, a 31-hectare master-planned estate that stretches across Pasig City and Quezon City. Envisioned as a mixed-use community with grade A office buildings, an upscale mall, hotels, schools, a FIFA-preferred sports field, and the world’s biggest outdoor obstacle park, Bridgetowne offers The Velaris Residences residents the accoutrements of a truly cosmopolitan lifestyle. These are further complemented by the attractions and establishments in nearby townships.
“With its central location, The Velaris Residences not only allows owners to create the home they have always envisaged but it can also help them further build equity in the long term by being an attractive investment opportunity,” comments Raz. “The sizeable current economic activity in and around Bridgetowne and The Velaris Residences is expected to continue to soar in the foreseeable future, positioning residents to benefit immensely from this projected growth.”
AN ALLIANCE OF GIANTS
A true luxury real estate gamechanger, The Velaris Residences is the visionary collaboration between two well-respected real estate titans.
Hongkong Land, founded in 1889, is a major listed property investment, management, and development group. It owns and manages more than 850,000 square meters of prime office and luxury retail property in key Asian cities, principally Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing and Jakarta. A member of the Jardine Matheson Group, it has a number of high-quality residential, commercial, and mixed-use projects under development in cities across China and Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, its other notable projects include premium properties One Roxas Triangle and Two Roxas Triangle in Makati City and Mandani Bay in Cebu.
Meanwhile, RLC is one of the leading real estate companies in the Philippines and a subsidiary of one of the country’s largest conglomerates, JG Summit Holdings, Inc. RLC has a diversified portfolio that includes office buildings, full-service shopping malls, and varied class hotels across the Philippines.
Through RHK Land, HKL and RLC expertly melds local expertise and international award-winning design. This finds its initial expression in The Velaris Residences, a modernist concrete-and-glass embodiment of intentional design.
To own a piece of one of the city’s most coveted addresses, visit The Velaris Residences Show Gallery located in Bridgetowne. Visit their website at thevelarisresidences.com to learn more about the property.
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BERLIN – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will convene car executives with ministerial leaders, energy executives and unions on Monday to discuss how Germany can meet its target of 15 million electric cars on the road by 2030, a government spokesperson said.
The chancellor is convinced the goal could be reached if carmakers produced more cheaply priced and longer-range cars, spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said at a press conference on Friday.
A ruling last week by a German constitutional court that the re-allocation of 60 billion euros ($65.44 billion) towards climate and industry initiatives was unconstitutional has left the government scrambling for alternative sources of funds and cast doubt over planned projects, including expanding charging infrastructure.
Still, a spokesperson for the transport ministry said they were working at high speed to expand the charging network, with over 100,000 publicly available spots already built.
The coalition agreement of Germany’s government stated it aimed to have “at least 15 million fully-electric passenger vehicles in 2030“, but Transport Minister Volker Wissing loosened the terms last year to include both electric and hybrid cars.
The latest available data from German federal motor authority KBA showed there were 2.2 million cars with an electric motor on German roads by October this year, of which 1.3 million were fully-electric cars. – Reuters
GAZA/ISRAEL-GAZA BORDER – Combat between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters halted on Friday for the first time in seven weeks in a temporary truce ahead of the planned release of Israeli hostages held by the militants in exchange for jailed Palestinians.
No big bombings, artillery strikes or rocket attacks were reported, although Hamas and Israel both accused each other of sporadic shootings and other violations. Both said the war would resume on full throttle as soon as the truce was over.
In Khan Younis town in southern Gaza, streets filled with people venturing out of home and shelters into a landscape of buildings flattened into heaps of rubble. Displaced families with small children carried belongings in plastic bags, hoping to return at least temporarily to homes they had abandoned earlier in the war.
“I am now very happy, I feel at ease. I am going back to my home, our hearts are rested,” said Ahmad Wael, smiling as he walked carrying a carpet balanced on his head. “I am very tired of sitting without any food or water. There (at home) we can live, we drink tea, make bread.”
Above northern Gaza‘s combat zone, viewed from across the fence in Israel, there was no sign of the warplanes that have thundered through the sky for weeks, explosions on the ground or the contrails of Hamas rocket fire. Just one plume of smoke was visible in the early afternoon.
Columns of Israeli tanks rolled away from the Gaza Strip’s northern end, while aid trucks entered from Egypt at the southern end.
The four-day ceasefire, which began at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT), involves the release of 50 women and children hostages held by the fighters, in return for 150 Palestinian woman and teenagers held in Israeli jails. The first 13 hostages and 39 Palestinians were due to be freed later on Friday.
Israel says it could be extended beyond four days if more hostages are freed at a rate of at least 10 per day, and a Palestinian source has said up to 100 could ultimately go free.
Additional aid is to flow into Gaza, which has been gripped by a humanitarian crisis under weeks of Israeli bombardment that has killed thousands of Palestinians.
Hamas confirmed that all hostilities from its forces would cease. But Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, later stressed that this was a “temporary truce”.
In a video message, he called for an “escalation of the confrontation…on all resistance fronts”, including the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed a similar return to fighting: “This will be a short pause, at the conclusion of which the war (and) fighting will continue with great might and will generate pressure for the return of more hostages.”
Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters burst across the border fence into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and seizing about 240 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel has rained bombs on the Hamas-ruled enclave, killing some 14,000 Gazans, around 40% of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Hundreds of thousands of Gaza‘s 2.3 million people have fled their homes to escape the violence as conditions grew ever more desperate, with food, drinking water, fuel and other basic supplies running short.
It is the bloodiest episode in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel’s stated intention is to eradicate Hamas once and for all.
NO RETURN ALLOWED TO NORTH OF STRIP
Israel has told displaced Gazans not to attempt to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, focus of its ground campaign since the start of this month.
Gaza residents said the Israelis had dropped leaflets warning people not to travel north and have fired over the heads of some people who were trying to get back into Gaza City.
Al-Jazeera reported that two Palestinians were killed and another was wounded by Israeli soldiers shooting at people who tried to return to the north. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Sirens sounded in two southern Israeli villages warning of possible incoming Palestinian rockets. An Israeli government spokesman said Hamas had fired rockets in violation of the truce but there were no reports of damage.
Fighting had raged in the hours leading up to the truce, with officials inside the enclave saying a hospital in Gaza City was among the targets bombed.
The Indonesian Hospital was operating without light and filled with bedridden old people and children too weak to be moved, Gaza health officials said. Al-Jazeera quoted Mounir El Barsh, the Gaza health ministry director, as saying a patient, a wounded woman, was killed and three others injured.
There was no comment from Israel on the reported incident.
WOMEN, CHILDREN HOSTAGES TO BE FREED
The temporary truce came about amid international concern over the fate of the hostages and the plight of Palestinian civilians trapped in Gaza. Israel has rejected calls for a full ceasefire, arguing it would benefit Hamas, a position backed by the United States.
The 13 first hostages were expected to be released around 1400 GMT to the Red Cross and an Egyptian security delegation, then brought out through Egypt for transfer to Israel, Egyptian security sources said. In exchange Israel will release 24 women and 15 teenagers in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said.
The head of the Palestinian Authority’s prisoners’ commission, Qadura Fares, said that as soon as Israel received the hostages at the Rafah crossing, Israel’s prisons’ authority would move the Palestinian prisoners to the Red Cross.
Under the agreement, desperately-needed aid began to be delivered to Gaza. By mid-morning, 60 trucks carrying aid had crossed from Egypt at the Rafah border point, according to Gaza border authorities.
Two of the first trucks to enter sported banners that said, “Together for Humanity.” Another said: “For our brothers in Gaza.”
Egypt has said 130,000 liters of diesel and four trucks of gas will be delivered daily to Gaza and that 200 trucks of aid would enter Gaza daily.
A Palestinian official familiar with the truce talks told Reuters that only three trucks of aid out of 100 trucks had reached the northern Gaza Strip so far.
“This is grave foot-dragging,” the official said. – Reuters
LONDON – Amazon workers came out on strike at multiple locations across Europe on Friday as protests against the US e-commerce giant’s working practices picked up pace on one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
“Make Amazon Pay”, a campaign coordinated by the UNI Global Union, said strikes and protests would take place in more than 30 countries from Black Friday – the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday, when many retailers slash prices to boost sales – through to Monday.
Originally known for crowds lining up at big-box stores in the US, Black Friday has increasingly moved online and gone global, fueled in part by Amazon, which advertises ten days of holiday discounts this year from Nov. 17 to Nov. 27.
In Germany, Amazon‘s second-biggest market by sales last year, trade union Verdi said around 250 workers were on strike at an Amazon warehouse in Leipzig on Friday, about 20% of the workforce,and 500 went on strike at a warehouse in Rheinberg – nearly 40% of workers.
The union said a 24-hour strike across five fulfillment centers in the country had started at midnight on Thursday to demand a collective wage agreement.
An Amazon spokesperson in Germany said only a small number of workers were on strike, and that workers are paid fair wages, with a starting salary of more than 14 euros ($15.27) an hour. The spokesperson said deliveries of Black Friday orders would be reliable and timely.
In Coventry, England, more than 200 workers were striking on Friday at Amazon‘s warehouse as part of a long-running dispute over pay.
Nick Henderson, a worker at the Coventry warehouse, which acts as a logistics hub for Amazon to process products to send to other warehouses, said he was striking for higher pay and better working conditions.
The striking workers were chanting their demand for a pay rise to 15 pounds ($18.69) an hour.
An Amazon UK spokesperson said minimum starting pay is between 11.80 pounds and 13 pounds an hour depending on location, and would increase to 12.30 to 13 pounds an hour from April 2024. Amazon said the strike would not cause disruption.
In Italy, there were competing reports on strike participation. Trade union CGIL said more than 60% of workers at the Amazon warehouse in Castel San Giovanni went on strike on Friday, but Amazon said more than 86% of workers came to work and there has been no impact to operations.
Spanish union CCOO called for Amazon warehouse and delivery workers to stage a one-hour strike on each shift on “Cyber Monday”, the last day of Amazon‘s ten-day sale.
In France, Amazon‘s parcel lockers – located in train stations, supermarket car parks, and street corners, and used by many customers to receive orders – were also targeted.
Lockers in Paris and other cities in France were plastered with posters and ticker tape, according to anti-globalization organization Attac, which planned the protest.
Attac, which calls Black Friday a “celebration of overproduction and overconsumption”, said it expects the protest to be wider than last year, when it estimates 100 Amazon lockers across France were targeted.
Amazon has remained popular in Europe even as rivals like Shein and Temu have seen rapid growth. Amazon‘s app had 146 million active users in Europe in October, compared to 64 million for Shein and 51 million for Temu, according to data.ai. – Reuters
MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned that the West should not be allowed to develop a monopoly in the sphere of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and said that a much more ambitious Russian strategy for the development of AI would be approved shortly.
China and the United States are leading the development of AI, which many researchers and global leaders think will transform the world and revolutionize society in a way similar to the introduction of computers in the late 20th century.
Moscow also has ambitions to be an AI power but its efforts have been set back due to the war in Ukraine which prompted many talented scientists to leave Russia and triggered Western sanctions which have hindered the country’s high-tech imports.
Speaking to an AI conference in Moscow beside Sberbank CEO German Gref, Mr. Putin said that trying to ban AI was impossible and cautioned that it would be dangerous and unacceptable to allow Western platforms to gain a monopoly in AI technology.
“In the very near future, as one of the first steps, a presidential decree will be signed and a new version of the national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence will be approved,” Mr. Putin told the conference.
Mr. Putin said the new strategy would make significant changes, including “expanding fundamental and applied research in the field of generative artificial intelligence and large language models”.
Russia, he said, needed to make legislative and investment changes to spur the development of AI. – Reuters
JAKARTA – Indonesia said on Friday it had hosted a meeting of some of the key stakeholders in the conflict in military-ruled Myanmar at which each gave a “positive indication” about holding inclusive dialogue soon.
The Nov. 20-22 meeting in Jakarta included pro-democracy groups, ethnic minority armies and a shadow National Unity Government (NUG), but the junta was not present, instead represented by “interlocutors”, Indonesia‘s foreign ministry said in a statement, without elaborating.
As outgoing chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia is pushing for dialogue between rival camps in a bloody crisis triggered by the military’s coup against Myanmar’s elected government in 2021. Little progress has been made so far.
Fighting has escalated of late, with an alliance of ethnic minority insurgents launching coordinated attacks on military posts in several border states, emboldening militias to do the same elsewhere, presenting the biggest battlefield challenge to the junta since the coup.
The United Nations says more than 2 million people have been displaced by the post-coup violence.
The objective of the meeting, Indonesia said, was to enable inclusive talks, reduce violence, and support humanitarian efforts, in line with a “five-point consensus” agreed to by Myanmar’s military soon after the coup.
“The office of the special envoy also facilitated the exchanges of ‘messages’ from each group that were expected to pave the way for a possible preliminary dialogue,” the statement said.
“Upon receiving the respective messages, stakeholders indicated positive indication on the possibility of convening dialogues in an inclusive and genuine manner soon.”
Indonesia has been quietly engaging various parties but has said progress has been impaired by some insisting on preconditions for talks.
ASEAN has barred the generals from attending its summits until they implement the ASEAN peace plan. The bloc has been divided by the issue and patience with the junta has worn thin.
The military has accused the NUG of backing a resistance movement it says are “terrorists” that it refuses to engage. A spokesperson for the junta could not immediately be reached for comment on the Indonesian talks.
A spokesperson for the NUG said it was committed to genuine dialogue, “but the military has no place in our political future. The armed forces must be made subordinate to a civilian government.” – Reuters
