Foreign News
ICJ Begins Hearing on Israel’s UN Agencies’ Restriction in Gaza
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has started hearing on Israel’s continuing severe restrictions on the work of the UN and other international organisations in Gaza.The ICJ, which sits in The Hague and is the UN’s top court, is expected to hear from 40 states and four international organisations in proceedings slated to last all week.
Representing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN legal counsel Ms Elinor Hammarskjöld reiterated Guterres’ many calls for a ceasefire, for humanitarian aid to reach all people in need and for all hostages to be freed. A total of 13 UN entities are present in Gaza, Hammarskjöld noted, adding that 295 UN personnel have died in Gaza since the war began on 7 October 2023, following the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel.The UN legal counsel insisted on the special protections and immunities of UN agencies and personnel needed to implement its mandated activities all over the world, including in the said territories.These protections also apply during armed conflict, Ms. Hammarskjöld said, before highlighting Israel’s obligations as the occupying power under international law.“The overarching obligation is to administer the territory for the benefit of the local population and “to agree to and facilitate relief schemes.“In the specific context of the current situation, these obligations entail allowing and facilitating all relevant UN entities to carry out those activities for the benefit of the local population,” she said.The purpose of the hearings at the ICJ all this week is to establish what’s known as an “advisory opinion” on Israel’s obligations as the occupying power in Gaza and the wider territory, in accordance with the UN Charter.It follows a meeting of the UN General Assembly in December where Member States voted 137 to 12 to seek the view of the ICJ’s 15 judges, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment and dramatic aid shortages across Gaza.The ICJ judges’ advisory opinion is not binding as opposed to the legal disputes between countries on which it rules (so-called “contentious cases”)It, however, provides clarity on legal questions.Once the court has issued its opinion, the General Assembly would be open to pick up the matter again and decide on further action.Welcoming the hearings, the head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees, (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, insisted that aid agencies were working “to address overwhelming needs”.The UNRWA Commissioner-General explained that the Israeli Parliament’s widely condemned “no-contact” policy banning any coordination with UNRWA official had obstructed the delivery of essential relief services and aid.The move is particularly significant because UNRWA is the largest aid agency in Gaza, where it has provided health, education and other vital public services for decades.But since these restrictions came into effect at the end of January, UNRWA international staff have not received visas to enter Israel, Lazzarini said.Inside Gaza, meanwhile, ordinary Gazans continue to face desperate food shortages linked to the 2 March decision by Israel to seal the enclave’s borders.“Today people are not surviving in Gaza, those that aren’t being killed with bombs and bullets are slowly dying,” Jonathan Whittall, local Head of Office for the UN aid coordination wing, OCHA said.He insisted that humanitarian agencies were unable to meet soaring needs following Israel’s decision to cut all commercial and relief supplies.“People here are being suffocated. What we see around us is endless suffering under a total and complete blockade.“It is a total closure that’s now lasted for almost two months while airstrikes, ground operations are intensifying and displacement orders that are pushing people out of their homes are increasing,” he said.(NAN)
The United States says it will begin revoking visas of Chinese students and tighten screening for future applicants from China and Hong Kong, the US State Department said on Thursday.
“The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media platform X.
In a press release, the State Department stated that it would also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.
It was not immediately clear how many students currently in the United States would be affected or whether any exemptions would apply.
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), about 277,000 Chinese students were enrolled at U.S. universities during the 2023-2024 academic years, making them the second-largest group of international students after those from India.
The U.S. already applies strict visa rules for Chinese nationals in certain academic disciplines, particularly in science and technology.
China’s Foreign Office said it filed a complaint against the unjustified step.
Washington’s discriminatory actions expose the lie of freedom and openness that the U.S. has always boasted about, said spokeswoman Mao Ning in Beijing.
The new measures come amid reports that the State Department has halted new visa interviews for international students and exchange visitors while it reviews screening procedures, including expanded checks on social media activity.
The pause reportedly affects F, M and J visa categories, including those for students, interns and au pairs, with further instructions expected in the coming days.
However, relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated further since U.S President Donald Trump took office in January.
The two economic powers are engaged in a deepening trade dispute and competing for global influence across multiple fronts.(dpa/NAN)
A South Korean Navy patrol plane with four people on board crashed on a mountain in Pohang, a city in the south-eastern part of the country.
The Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing authorities.
The crash happened at 1:50 pm (0450 GMT).
According to the report, witnesses said smoke was seen rising from the mountain.
The bodies of all four people aboard the plane have since been recovered, Yonhap reported.
The navy, in a short statement to reporters, said the crash occurred after the aircraft took off for a training exercise, but crashed due to unidentified reasons.
The navy said that it is investigating further details.
Fire workers were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze.(dpa/NAN)
The Israeli Government has rejected the latest proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, local media reported on Monday.
“The proposal received by Israel cannot be accepted by any responsible government,’’ the Times of Israel quoted an unnamed senior official as saying, who didn’t give any further details.
According to the ynet news website, the proposal was made by a Palestinian-American businessman who has reportedly been involved in direct negotiations with Palestinian extremist group Hamas for some time.
According to Hezbollah-affiliated Arab broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, the proposal involves a 70-day ceasefire to allow both sides to conduct negotiations on an end to the war.
With Hamas is to release five living hostages and the bodies of a further five from Gaza.
The draft is far removed from the proposal drawn up by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, ynet quoted an Israeli official as saying.
Witkoff’s recently submitted draft provides for the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for 45 to 60 days of ceasefire.
According to Israeli sources, at least 20 hostages are still being held alive in the Gaza Strip, with the fate of three further abductees unclear.
In addition, the Islamists are still holding the bodies of 35 hostages abducted from Israel during the attacks it launched on Oct. 7, 2023. (dpa/NAN)
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