Latest news with #Younis
The Independent
21-07-2025
- The Independent
‘Skeletons marching to death': Palestinians face hunger and gunfire as Israel pushes into central Gaza
'We were just skeletons, walking.' This is how Younis, 32, a father of four, described the death march to the Gaza aid convoy yesterday when Israeli forces opened fire. Shortly after the food trucks, arrived, a shell blew up a small crowd sending people flying through the air to the side of him. Then a bullet ripped through the air by his head. 'The gunfire was so intense that it was like they were aiming to drink our blood,' he told the Independent, his voice still shaking. 'I feel like we've been put on a chicken farm and starved and killed.' Trapped under a mound of people—some alive, some injured, some dead—he managed to crawl free with a single kilo of flour, which later, in the scrum to safety, he had to drop. 'Since the morning, my children had woken me up crying 'Daddy I want to eat'. These words burned my blood and made me go to danger.' The UN's global hunger monitor has repeatedly warned that nearly all of Gaza's 2.3 million population are teetering on the edge of famine. Accusing Hamas militant group of stealing supplies to fuel its war, Israel has imposed sieges on Gaza, either fully restricting or significantly restricting aid into the tiny 25-mile long strip, as well as corralling people into areas. These are policies that legal experts have told The Independent would amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and even 'genocide in action' - something Israel vehemently denies. On Sunday, the World Food Programme (WFP) said a rare convoy of 25 trucks carrying vital food assistance had been permitted to cross into northern Gaza. It was met with large crowds of civilians anxiously waiting to access desperately needed food supplies—among them, Younis. 'As the convoy approached, the surrounding crowd came under fire from Israeli tanks, snipers and other gunfire,' the WFP said. The Palestinian health authorities said that at least 99 people were killed in what is believed to be the deadliest day yet for families seeking aid since the war began in October 2023 - over 800 in total have been killed just trying to get food. The Israeli military has said it fired warning shots "to remove an immediate threat", but has questioned the death toll reported by the Palestinians. A day later - on Monday - Israel announced an expansion of its military operation against Hamas, announcing fresh forced evacuation orders for parts of Deir al-Balah, a southwestern area of Gaza mostly labeled as a 'safe zone' and home to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of war in Gaza, as well as several vital UN facilities, aid agency guesthouses, and clinics. And so the situation in Gaza is so dire that even the Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his counterparts from 24 other nations said on Monday that the suffering of civilians has reached 'new depths', and told Israel that the war must 'end now'. Belgium's King Philippe, who is rarely outspoken about this conflict, separately called it a 'disgrace to humanity' and again called for 'an immediate end to this unbearable crisis'. Instead, the escalation of killing and conflict is undermining attempts to broker even a temporary truce taking place in Qatar. As one official close to the negotiators told me: 'Whatever happens on the battlefield directly impacts what happens at the negotiating table.' And right now Israel is escalating. On Monday, the Israeli forces pushed into districts of Deir al-Balah for the first time, despite widespread condemnation international and even protests at home from biggest group representing the families of those taken captive by Hamas militants during its bloody attacks in October 2023. On the ground in Deir al-Balah, medics told The Independent they had scrambled to evacuate, trying to get patients to safety while having to abandon vital supplies. 'We were only able to extract around 50% of our medical stock. The rest remains behind,' says Maram Shurafa, medical programme officer for UK-based Medical Aid for Palestinians about the clinic where she works, which serves on average 320 people a day. Shurafa's own home is within the evacuation zone, but she couldn't do anything about it because she had to prioritise the patients. 'The pressure was immense. We were still treating patients right up to the moment we shut the doors. Many people stood outside waiting for care, but we had to turn them away,' she tells The Independent . 'I felt lost, overwhelmed, and feared losing everything.' UN officials meanwhile say despite the orders some offices now inside the evacuation area would stay open despite the obvious dangers. Tamara al-Rifae, spokesperson for the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, tells the Independent that Deir al-Balah had been considered one of the few zones where the UN and an other aid groups could 'set up shop, set up services'. 'The UN will stay and deliver which means we will continue to seek the deconfliction of our the aid facilities' she tells The Independent adding that across Gaza their facilities and shelters have been repeatedly hit. 'We will continue to ask the Israeli government to spare the UN. The toll is already very, very high. Over 325 UNRWA staff members have been killed. So… we asked to be spared as per international humanitarian law.' Even in Israel the pressure is mounting on the Israeli government. The largest group representing the families of the hostages said they were 'shocked and alarmed' by the push into Deir al-Balah. They demanded an audience with Benjamin Netanyahu, the country's prime minister and the heads of the military ' to clearly explain why the offensive in the Deir al-Balah area does not put the hostages at serious risk.' Back in Gaza civilians pray for a ceasefire. 'I hope these are the last days of the war,' says Ihab Abdullah, 43, displaced within Gaza City. 'We eagerly await a truce that will end the hunger and war we are living. We are dying of hunger and bombing."
India.com
04-07-2025
- Sport
- India.com
India Tour of Bangladesh 2025
Videos India Tour of Bangladesh 2025 | ইউনূসের উপর চাপ বাড়ানোর কৌশল, এবার কি তাহলে ভারত-বাংলাদেশ ক্রিকেট সিরিজ বাতিল? | Zee 24 Ghanta Strategy to increase pressure on Younis what if India Bangladesh cricket series is cancelled this time Strategy to increase pressure on Younis what if India Bangladesh cricket series is cancelled this time | Updated: Jul 04, 2025, 02:05 PM IST Advertisement Strategy to increase pressure on Younis what if India Bangladesh cricket series is cancelled this time
Iraqi News
17-06-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Iraq's foreign exchange reserves decline
Baghdad ( – The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) revealed on Tuesday that the country's foreign exchange reserves declined in May 2025. Official data released by the CBI indicated that the country's reserves of foreign exchange reached 126 trillion Iraqi dinars ($96.9 billion) on May 31 compared to 127.32 trillion Iraqi dinars ($97.94 billion) on May 1, Shafaq News reported. Iraq's foreign exchange reserves declined from 127.51 trillion Iraqi dinars ($98.089 billion) in April. The country's foreign exchange reserves amounted to 130.34 trillion Iraqi dinars ($100.27 billion) in 2024, down from 145.25 trillion Iraqi dinars ($111.73 billion) in 2023. The director of the Investment Department in the CBI, Mohammed Younis, revealed earlier in June that foreign reserves surpassed $100 billion. Iraq's foreign reserves are managed in accordance with thoroughly planned policies based on highly secure standards and invested in safe financial products that yield appropriate returns, according to Younis. The CBI disclosed last month that its official reserves fell by more than 11 trillion Iraqi dinars ($8.39 billion) in a single year. Foreign reserves provide comprehensive coverage of the monetary base, as well as financial indicators including trade and foreign obligations. Iraq, the world's fifth-largest oil producer, can quickly and effectively increase its foreign exchange reserves due to consistent international financial flows.
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Queen Camilla praises literary prize championing women authors
Queen Camilla made a surprise appearance at an open-air event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Women's Prize for Fiction in London where she hailed the competition for helping female writers The Queen has praised a leading fiction competition for elevating women's narratives from the "margins" to the "very centre" of the literary world. The royal graced an alfresco celebration marking the Women's Prize for Fiction's 30th anniversary with her unexpected presence, where she engaged with this year's shortlisted writers. British novelist and non-fiction writer Kate Mosse, who helped establish the award, lauded Camilla as a "genuine reader" and a staunch supporter of the initiative, remarking on the Royal visit: "If you're going to lay on the Queen, if it's not Beyoncé, it's got to be the actual Queen." The Queen addressed the crowd gathered in Bedford Square gardens, reflecting on 1995 — the year the prize was founded — as a pivotal moment for women. She highlighted that while 1995 saw women achieving milestones like winning a Nobel Prize and piloting a space shuttle for the first time, the literary world presented a "bleaker" picture, with only 9% of female authors making it onto major prize shortlists despite penning 60% of novels. Camilla underscored that Mosse and her colleagues initiated the Women's Prize for Fiction because "they believed that women's stories should be truly heard, understood and honoured; and that it was time to disprove Virginia Woolf's famous statement that ' often a woman'". Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you! She expressed: "They did this by establishing the Women's Prize for Fiction and its instantly recognisable statuette, 'The Bessie'. This simple, but radical, step brought the female voice from the margins of the literary world to its very centre." Camilla engaged in conversation with the six authors shortlisted for the prize – Aria Aber, Sanam Mahloudji, Elizabeth Strout, Nussaibah Younis, Miranda July and Yael van der Wouden. Younis managed to inject some humour into the proceedings and got some laughs when she quipped: "We're trying to take each other out, the champagne glasses are spiked, there could be one left standing." Following her chat with Camilla, Younis commented on her competition, saying: "I have read all of the books and I'm blown away. They're funny and so sexy and very erotic." The Queen Consort then met the authors selected for the shortlist of the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, including the illustrious singer-songwriter and rapper Neneh Cherry, who penned A Thousand Threads, recounting her extraordinary career journey. "I wrote a memoir, a book about my life," Cherry told Camilla enthusiastically. She revealed that it took her over four years to pen the memoir, admitting: "It took more than four years to write it and I'm still slightly recovering. It's out there now, I have let it go, it's out in the world." During the exchange, the Queen evidently showed interest, telling author Claire Mulley: "I think I will put that on my holiday reading list." Furthermore, she conveyed to Chloe Dalton that she had delved into her book Raising Hare, which narrates Dalton's transition from the frantic urban landscape to a pastoral existence. "Thank you so much, I am honoured," she responded.
Iraqi News
11-06-2025
- Business
- Iraqi News
Iraq's foreign exchange reserves rise in May
Baghdad ( – The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) revealed on Wednesday that its foreign exchange reserves rose during May 2025. According to the CBI, Iraq's foreign reserves as of May 22 amounted to $98.83 billion (128.47 trillion Iraqi dinars), up from $97.94 billion (127.32 trillion Iraqi dinars) on May 1. These reserves have also grown since April, when they stood at $98.08 billion (127.51 trillion Iraqi dinars). The CBI stated that reserves have declined from last year's level of $100.276 billion (130.34 trillion Iraqi dinars) and are also lower than the 2023 figure of $111.73 billion (145.25 trillion Iraqi dinars). The director of the CBI's Investment Department, Mohammed Younis, revealed earlier in June that foreign reserves surpassed $100 billion. In a statement to the state-run news agency (INA), Younis explained that the country has a large reserve of gold, exceeding 163 tons. Iraq's foreign reserves are managed in accordance with thoroughly planned policies based on highly secure standards and invested in safe financial products that yield appropriate returns, according to Younis. The CBI disclosed last month that its official reserves fell by more than 11 trillion Iraqi dinars ($8.39 billion) in a single year. According to the CBI's report on financial and monetary indicators in Iraq for February 2025, the bank's official reserves reached 127.20 trillion Iraqi dinars ($97.12 billion) in February, a decrease of 8.21 percent compared to the same period in 2024, when reserves reached 138.570 trillion Iraqi dinars ($105.8 billion).
