Welsh vets to take first-ever strike action at a private practice

Eva Osborne-Sherlock
July 10, 2024 


Nearly 100 vets working in South Wales are set to take the UK’s first-ever strike action at a private veterinary practice.

The workers, who undertake a range of roles including veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses, receptionists and animal care assistants, will strike for two weeks from July 16 until July 30.

The vets are employed by Valley Vets, which has offered its lowest paid staff a “derisory” pay rise that takes them to slightly above minimum wage, the Unite union has said.

The union said this is despite 80% of workers reporting that they regularly borrow money to meet basic living costs and 5% reporting having to use food banks.

Meanwhile, Unite said the higher-paid workers have been offered increase of between 1% and 1.5% from April 2024.

The offer is a real terms pay cut as the RPI rate of inflation was 3.3% when the deal was due to be implemented.

Valley Vets is owned by VetPartners, which recorded gross profits of £553 million in 2023 – an increase of nearly £120 million from the year before.

As well as paying “poverty wages”, Unite said VetPartners has been accused of overcharging pet owners.
‘This is pure corporate greed’

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently conducting a sector-wide investigation into overcharging in the veterinary sector.

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “It is disgusting that Valley Vets staff are getting into debt and using foodbanks to survive when profits are astronomical.


“This is just pure corporate greed from a company that is already being investigated for widespread profiteering.

“Unite is supporting our Valley Vets members 100% as they strike for a fair pay rise and improvements to their terms and conditions.”


Unite said industrial action will severely impact Valley Vets operations and will escalate if the dispute is not resolved.

Unite regional officer Paul Seppman said: “Valley Vets and VetPartners are entirely responsible for the disruption that will be caused.


“These workers are being forced to strike over poverty pay and this hugely wealthy company’s refusal to pay a living wage and provide reasonable terms and conditions.

“Industrial action could still be avoided but only if the company returns with an acceptable offer.”


Defra staff members are ‘able to and prepared to’ strike for fair pay

Eva Osborne-Sherlock
July 10, 2024 


Public and Commercial Services (PCU) Union members that work for the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have said they are “able to and prepared to” strike for fair working conditions.

The PCU Efra group handed in a letter to new Defra Secretary of State, Steve Reed, on his first day in office on Monday (July 8).

The letter, which was signed by around 1,400 members, congratulated Reed on his new role and expressed PCS Efra members’ commitment to delivering the new government’s agenda, while stating that this “simply isn’t possible in the current pay climate”.

The letter said: “At such a critical moment, we must ensure that the workforce is equipped to face our collective challenges.

“So, while we never want to have to resort to withdrawing our labour, we find ourselves in the position where we are able and prepared to, to achieve fair working conditions for those delivering the new government’s environmental agenda.”

In May, 85% of PCS Efra group members voted to give a mandate for strike action over PCS national demands, including fair pay and a significant shortening of the working week.

“It highlights the decline in the pay and living standards of civil and public servants, with employees in Defra Group now finding themselves nearing the national minimum wage,” the union said.

“One in 12 civil servants working across government are now forced to use foodbanks.


“At such a critical junction in the UK’s future, PCS Efra committed to ensuring the workforce is equipped to face the nation’s collective challenges.

“Even if this means having to resort to taking action so that they can deliver the new government’s environmental agenda,” it added.


One union member said: “The kind of work we do is massively undervalued and has been for way too many years now. We’re being kept on the breadline and fearing the monthly bills.”

 

Researcher on ‘most complete dinosaur’ unearthed in a century: Tech & Science Daily podcast

AN ARTIST’S IMPRESSION OF COMPTONATUS CHASEI – A NEW DINOSAUR SPECIES FROM THE ISLE OF WIGHT (JOHN SIBBICK/UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH)

RACHELLE ABBOTT|ROCHELLE TRAVERS

Listen here on your chosen podcast platform.

The ‘most complete dinosaur’ in a century has been unearthed in the Isle of Wight and analysis has found it’s a new species that roamed the earth around 125 million years ago.

It’s been named ‘Comptonatus chasei’ in tribute to the late fossil hunter Nick Chase, who made the discovery back in 2013. Since then extensive work has gone into excavating, cleaning and analysing the 149 bones.

Comptonatus chasei belongs to a group of herbivorous dinosaurs known as iguanodontians, which are large, bulky creatures that are often described as the “cows of the Cretaceous period”, which was around 145-66 million years ago.

Tech & Science Daily speak to Dr Jeremy Lockwood, researcher with the University of Portsmouth, and the Natural History Museum in London, who worked on the study. He explains why this discovery could be incredibly significant for the scientific community.

WALES
Unique lowland proves to be a rich sanctuary for a now threatened butterfly species

10 Jul 2024

Euphydras aurinia hibernica 

(Marsh fritillary) by Leon van der Noll is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The unique lowland Rhos Pastures found in parts of Wales have once again proved to be a rich sanctuary for a now threatened butterfly species.

Natural Resources Wales’ (NRW) Environment Team in Ceredigion has recently carried out crucial surveys to monitor the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly at the Rhosydd Brynmaen Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

These efforts are part of a broader mission to conserve these rare butterflies and the unique Rhos Pastures they inhabit.

Rhos Pastures are species-rich marshy grasslands found in lowland regions like Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, and the South Wales coalfield.

These habitats are essential for the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly, providing the ideal environment for their survival and reproduction. Rhos Pastures are known for their diverse plant life and the delicate balance of the ecosystem they support.


Population health

The first phase of the surveys, completed in late June, aimed to gather essential data on the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly, which thrives in these unique grasslands.

The second phase, set for late summer, will focus on counting the egg webs laid by these butterflies, providing further insights into their population health.

Once widespread throughout the UK, the Marsh Fritillary has suffered a dramatic 79% decline in distribution since the mid-1970s and a 60% decline in abundance in Wales.

The degradation of Rhos Pastures has been a significant factor in this decline. Today, west and south Wales remain vital strongholds for this endangered species.

During the survey, NRW officers not only observed a good number of Marsh Fritillary Butterflies but also documented the diverse plant life that supports this ecosystem, including Birdsfoot Trefoil, Devil’s Bit Scabious, Greater and Lesser Butterfly Orchids, Heath-Spotted Orchid, and Ragged Robin.

Marsh Fritillary – Euphydryas aurinia

Encouraging numbers

Reflecting on the survey, NRW’s Ceredigion Team Leader, Dr. Carol Fielding shared, “It’s always a treat to spend a day in beautiful Rhos Pastures surveying butterflies and seeing the rich plant life that Rhos Pastures are comprised of.”

“We saw encouraging numbers of butterflies, but we won’t have the results until we carry out the second half of the surveys in late summer. Last year’s results were encouraging, and we are hoping for similar results this year.”

“It’s very encouraging to see that the habitats where we have ongoing management agreements with landowners are improving in condition,” Dr. Fielding noted, highlighting the positive impact of these efforts on the environment and the future of the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly.

Japan wants to relax bear hunting laws as attacks rise

By Annabelle Liang & Chika Nakayama,

 BBC News, in Singapore and Tokyo
Getty Images
Brown bears are now thought to outnumber the less aggressive black bear in Japan


Facing an alarming rise in bear attacks, Japan wants to make it easier to shoot the animals in residential areas - but hunters say it is too risky.

In the year to April, there were a record 219 bear attacks in the country - six of them fatal, according to official data.

Deadly attacks have continued to occur in recent months, as bears increasingly venture into populated areas. Some are now even thought to see humans as prey.

Bear numbers have revived as Japan's human population ages and shrinks, especially outside cities. The consequences have been dangerous, although usually resulting in injury not death.

Under the current law, licensed hunters can fire their guns only after the approval of a police officer.

The government plans to revise the law at its next parliamentary session so the weapons can be used more freely. For instance, hunters will be allowed to shoot if there is a risk of human injury, such as when a bear enters a building.

But hunters are wary. "It is scary and quite dangerous to encounter a bear. It is never guaranteed that we can kill a bear by shooting," said Satoshi Saito, executive director of the Hokkaido Hunters' Association.

"If we miss the vital point to stop the bear from moving... it will run away and may attack other people," he added. "If it then attacks a person, who will be responsible for that?"

Hokkaido has come to exemplify Japan's growing bear problem.

The country's northernmost major island is sparsely populated - but its bear population has more than doubled since 1990, according to government data. It now has around 12,000 brown bears, which are known to be more aggressive than black bears, of which there are around 10,000 in Japan by experts' estimates.

Local governments have tried different strategies to keep bears away.

Some have turned to odd guardians - robot wolves, complete with red eyes and spooky howls, while elsewhere in the country they are testing an artificial intelligence warning system.

The town of Naie in Hokkaido has been trying to hire hunters for 10,300 yen ($64; £50) a day to patrol the streets, lay traps and kill the animals if necessary.

But there are few takers - it's a high-risk job, the pay is not attractive enough and many of the hunters are elderly.

"It is not worth the trouble because confronting a bear will put our lives on the line," a 72-year-old hunter from the area told The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, likening an encounter with a brown bear to "fighting a US military commando".

In May, two police officers in northern Akita prefecture were seriously injured by a bear while trying to retrieve a body from the woods after a suspected fatal bear attack.

"The bears know humans are present and attack people for their food, or recognise people themselves as food," local government official Mami Kondo said.

"There is a high risk that the same bear will cause a series of incidents."

As bear numbers have grown, more of them have moved from the mountains into flatlands closer to human populations. Over time, they have become used to the sights and sounds of humans, and less afraid of them.

There are also fewer humans around as young people move to big cities, leaving whole towns nearly empty. When bears do encounter humans, it can turn violent.

"Bears that enter urban areas tend to panic, increasing the risk of injury or death to people," said Junpei Tanaka from the Picchio Wildlife Research Center in Japan.

Getty Images
Hunters currently require police approval to shoot bears in residential areas

Bear sightings and incidents usually happen around April when they awake from hibernation in search of food, and then again in September and October when they eat to store fat for the winter months.

But their movements have become more unpredictable as yields of acorn - the biggest food source for bears - fall because of climate change.

"This amendment to the law is unavoidable, but it is only a stopgap measure in an emergency," Mr Tanaka said.

Capturing and killing the animals is not the way forward, he adds. Rather, the government needs to protect the bears' habitat so they are not compelled to venture too far.

"In the long-term, it is necessary to implement national policy to change the forest environment, to create forests with high biodiversity."

He added that the government also needs to clarify who should take responsibility for bears that wander into residential zones - local officials or hunters.

"Ideally, there should be fully trained shooters like government hunters who respond to emergencies, but at present there are no such jobs in Japan."

Residential areas are a vastly different terrain for hunters, who are used to killing bears in unpopulated regions, Mr Saito said.

"If we don't shoot, people will criticise us and say 'Why didn't you shoot when you have a shotgun?' And if we shoot, I am sure people will be angry and say it might hit someone.

"I think it is unreasonable to ask hunters who are probably just ordinary salarymen to make such a decision."

Archegos founder Bill Hwang convicted at fraud trial over fund’s collapse

The Archegos meltdown sent shock waves across Wall Street and drew regulatory scrutiny on three continents.

Sung Kook 'Bill' Hwang, the founder and head of the private investment firm Archegos, was convicted on fraud and other charges [File: Andrew Kelly/Reuters]

Published On 10 Jul 2024

Archegos Capital Management founder Sung Kook “Bill” Hwang has been convicted of fraud and other charges by a jury in a Manhattan federal court at a criminal trial in which prosecutors accused him of market manipulation ahead of the 2021 collapse of his $36bn private investment firm.

On Wednesday, the jury, which began deliberations on Tuesday, found Hwang guilty on 10 of 11 criminal counts, and Patrick Halligan, his Archegos deputy and co-defendant, guilty on all three counts he faced. Hwang and Halligan sat flanked by their lawyers as the verdict was read by a soft-spoken foreperson.

United States District Judge Alvin Hellerstein set the sentencing for October 28. Both men will remain free on bail.

The Archegos meltdown sent shock waves across Wall Street and drew regulatory scrutiny on three continents. Prosecutors have said Hwang and Halligan lied to banks in order to obtain billions of dollars that they used to artificially pump up the stock prices of multiple publicly traded companies. The trial began in May.

Hwang, 60, had pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, three counts of fraud and seven counts of market manipulation. Halligan, 47, had pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of fraud. Halligan was the chief financial officer at Archegos.

They now face maximum sentences of 20 years in prison on each charge for which they were convicted, though any sentence would likely be much lower and would be imposed by the judge based on a range of factors.

When the charges were brought in 2022, the US Department of Justice called the case an example of its commitment to hold accountable people who distort and defraud US financial markets.

Jurors heard closing arguments on Tuesday.

Implosion

The trial centred on the implosion of Hwang’s family office Archegos, which inflicted $10bn in losses at global banks and, according to prosecutors, caused more than $100bn in shareholder losses at companies in its portfolio. Prosecutors said Hwang’s actions harmed US financial markets as well as ordinary investors, causing significant losses to banks, market participants and Archegos employees.

Hwang secretly amassed outsized stakes in multiple companies without actually holding their stock, according to prosecutors. Hwang lied to banks about the size of the derivative positions of Archegos in order to borrow billions of dollars that he and his deputies then used to artificially inflate the underlying stocks, prosecutors said.

Halligan was accused by prosecutors of lying to banks and enabling the criminal scheme.

During closing arguments, Assistant US Attorney Andrew Thomas told jurors, “By 2021, the defendants’ lies and manipulation had ensnared nearly a dozen stocks and half of Wall Street in a $100bn fraud, a fraud that came crashing down in a matter of days.”

Hwang’s defence team painted the indictment as the “most aggressive open market manipulation case” ever brought by US prosecutors. Hwang’s attorney, Barry Berke, told jurors in his closing argument that prosecutors criminalised aggressive but legal trading methods.

Archegos’s head trader, William Tomita, and chief risk officer, Scott Becker, testified as prosecution witnesses after pleading guilty to related charges and agreeing to cooperate in the case.

According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which brought the case, Hwang’s positions eclipsed those of the companies’ largest investors, driving up stock prices. At its peak, prosecutors said Archegos had $36bn in assets and $160bn of exposure to equities.

When stock prices fell in March 2021, the banks demanded additional deposits, which Archegos could not make. The banks then sold the stocks backing Hwang’s swaps, wiping out an alleged $100bn in value for shareholders and billions at the banks, including $5.5bn for Credit Suisse, now part of UBS, and $2.9bn for Nomura Holdings.

SOURCE: REUTERS

What is Trump's Project 2025? Things you need to know about the conservative blueprint

ByTuhin Das Mahapatra
Jul 11, 2024

Donald Trump's hidden agenda? Project 2025 reveals radical plan to transform federal workforce.

A potential Donald Trump presidency in November could lead to the implementation of Project 2025, a sweeping policy plan crafted by the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank, which outlines a vision for radical changes to the federal government and its policies.

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)(AP)

This plan includes a wide range of far-right policies and has been described as “authoritarian,” “dystopian,” and a “blueprint for destroying our democracy.”
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However, Trump denied any connection with Project 2025. He denied knowing in a Truth Social post, posting, “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying, and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.” Notably, MAGA tied with Project 2025.

“Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them,” he added.

What is Project 2025?

Project 2025 goes beyond typical conservative agendas, such as restricting abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, and halting initiatives to address climate change and income inequality, to propose more far-reaching and fundamental changes to the federal government's structure and functioning. It also proposes several significant changes that would fundamentally alter the structure and functioning of the federal government. These changes include what is being termed the most substantial transformation of the federal workforce since the 19th century.

The plan, titled “Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,” spans 900 pages and lays out detailed policy recommendations for major federal agencies.

Although Trump’s name is not explicitly mentioned in the document, many of the individuals involved in creating the plan have previously worked with his administration or have close ties to his team.

To which Trump's spokesperson replied, “Crooked Joe Biden, his campaign, and Democrats have been engaging in 'cheap fakes' to misrepresent President Trump's agenda. Their Trump Derangement Syndrome continues unabated.”

Project 2025 was initiated by the Heritage Foundation in collaboration with over 100 right-wing organizations. Among these groups are the Alliance Defending Freedom, which played a pivotal role in overturning Roe v. Wade; the NRA; Moms for Liberty, known for their efforts to influence educational policies; and America First Legal, led by Stephen Miller, a former Trump adviser known for his stringent anti-immigration stance.

ALSO READ| Biden campaign fact-checks Donald Trump's claim ‘I know nothing about Project 2025’

Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts has been vocal about the transformative nature of this initiative. In a recent interview with Steve Bannon, he stated, “We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”

U.S. to again ship 500-pound bombs to Israel, reversing suspension

The Biden administration will resume sending large bombs to Israel that had been held up since May amid concerns about the Rafah invasion. But 2,000-pound bombs are still under review.


By John Hudson
July 10, 2024 

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday. (Abdel Kareem Hana/AP)

The United States is resuming a shipment of 500-pound bombs to Israel that had been held up since May, when the Biden administration suspended delivery of two types of large, airdropped weapons amid concerns about the ballooning scale of civilian casualties in Gaza, said U.S. officials familiar with the matter.

The paused delivery included 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, which remain on hold, U.S. officials said. But the supply of 1,700 500-pound bombs will move forward.

The U.S. decision followed a pressure campaign by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and pro-Israel lobbyists in the United States, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, demanding the resumption of all weapons shipments regardless of their lethality.

Despite the pressure campaign and initial hold, the U.S. officials said the 500-pound bombs were never a serious concern for the Biden administration.

“Because of how these shipments are put together, other munitions may sometimes be co-mingled. That’s what happened here with the 500-lb bombs, since our main concern had been and remains the potential use of 2,000-lb bombs in Rafah and elsewhere in Gaza,” said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive arms deliveries.

While the tempo of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has slowed somewhat, Israeli strikes continue to be associated with mass-casualty events, including a strike Tuesday at a school sheltering displaced Palestinians near Khan Younis that killed at least 25 people and wounded 50 more, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Israel said the airstrike targeted Hamas fighters.

The decision to partially lift the pause in U.S. shipments was first reported by Israel’s Channel 12.

The United States originally suspended the provision of large bombs as a “shot across the bow” and a serious indication of U.S. concern about Netanyahu’s planned invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians were sheltering.

President Biden had said a major operation there would cross a “red line,” triggering a suspension of U.S. support. U.S. officials later said Israel’s operations there never crossed the line, including a May 26 incident in which at least 46 Palestinians were killed during an Israeli bombing of the Tal al-Sultan tent camp.

U.S. officials said the offensive in Rafah was carried out with much more precision than Israel’s other operations in Khan Younis and Gaza City. Last week, the Israel Defense Forces brought a large group of journalists to tour parts of Rafah for the first time. Reporters described the city as “decimated” and largely empty.

Janet Abou-Elias, a research fellow at the Center for International Policy, a Washington-based think tank, said the destructive power of 500-pound bombs should not be taken lightly. “In Gaza’s densely populated areas, the difference in the destructive impact between a 500-pound and a 2,000-pound bomb is negligible, both causing immense destruction and civilian casualties,” she said.

Iraq condemns Turkish military 'incursions' into north

According to Community Peacemakers Teams, Turkey advanced 15 kilometers into Iraqi Kurdish territory.

The New Arab Staff & Agencies
10 July, 2024

Turkey regularly carries out operations against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan [Getty]


Iraqi authorities denounced on Wednesday renewed Turkish military operations and "incursions" into northern Iraq, urging Ankara to solve security issues diplomatically.

The Turkish army has been mainly conducting strikes against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a "terrorist" group by Ankara and several Western allies, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region.

On Wednesday, Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the National Security Council during which officials discussed "the issue of interventions and violations by Turkish forces in the shared border areas", General Yehia Rasool, military spokesman for the PM, said in a statement.

The council said it rejects "Turkish military incursions" in Iraqi territories and urged Ankara to "diplomatically engage with the Iraqi government for any security-related matters."

A delegation led by the National Security Advisor will travel to the Kurdistan Region to "assess the general situation and develop a unified stance on this matter", the statement added.

The PKK, which has fought a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state, has a presence in northern Iraq, as does Turkey, which has operated from several dozen military bases there against the Kurdish group.

Turkey's military operations, which sometimes take place deep inside Iraqi territory, have frequently strained bilateral ties.

In recent weeks, Iraqi local media have reported an increase in Turkish strikes, sparking several fires in border areas. Some reports mentioned Turkish forces establishing new positions.

Turkish forces "have advanced 15 kilometres into Iraqi Kurdistan territory", said the Community Peacemakers Teams (CPT), an NGO registered in the United States, that monitors Turkish operations in northern Iraq.

In an interview earlier this week, Turkey's Defence Minister Yasar Guler said his country is "determined" to clear the border area with Iraq and neighbouring Syria of "terrorists".

In March, following a visit by senior Turkish officials to Iraq, Baghdad quietly listed the PKK as a "banned organisation" - though Ankara demands that the Iraqi government do more in the fight against the militant group.

During a visit to Iraq in April, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke of "expectations" of Iraq regarding the fight against the PKK, and Sudani mentioned "bilateral security coordination" that would meet the needs of both countries.

However, Iraqi Defence Minister Thabet al-Abbasi ruled out in March "joint military operations" between Baghdad and Ankara.

 

Dozens of migrants rescued at sea

About 87 migrants were rescued by Doctors Without Borders. Video showed dozens of migrants jumping into the sea from an overcrowded migrant boat.

UN agency says 453 Israeli attacks targeted its buildings in Gaza since October 7

July 10, 2024 

A view from a school belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was heavily damaged in the Israeli army attack, becoming a shelter for the displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, Gaza on June 30, 2024 [Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency]

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Wednesday that its facilities in Gaza have been subjected to a staggering 453 Israeli attacks since last October 7.

“Two-thirds of our schools in Gaza have been hit, with 524 people sheltering in our facilities killed,” the UN agency said in a statement.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Lazzarini called for an immediate ceasefire “before we lose what is left of our common humanity.”

“Schools have gone from safe places of education and hope for children to overcrowded shelters, often ending up a place of death and misery,” he said.

Lazzarini said four UN-run schools were hit in the past four days.

“Nine months in, under our watch, the relentless, endless killings, destruction and despair continue. Gaza is no place for children,” he added.

On Tuesday, at least 25 people were killed and 53 others injured in an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Abasan town, east of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

It followed the killing of at least 16 people while dozens were injured in another Israeli attack on July 6 on a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since a 7 October, 2023 attack by Hamas.

Nearly 38,300 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and at least 88,241 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.