Israeli army will ‘take control’ of Gaza City: PM’s office

Israel’s security cabinet has approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the military to “take control” of Gaza City, his office said in a statement Friday.Under the plan to “defeat” Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli army “will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones”, it said.Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, the Israeli prime minister faces mounting pressure at home and abroad for a truce to pull the Palestinian territory’s more than two million people back from the brink of famine and to spare hostages held by Palestinian militants.As he convened his security cabinet on Thursday, Netanyahu said Israel planned to take full control of Gaza but did not intend to govern it.Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu told US network Fox News that the government intended to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, where the military has been fighting Hamas since the Palestinian group’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.He added that Israel did not want “to keep” the Gaza Strip, which Israel occupied in 1967 but withdrew troops and settlers from in 2005.Netanyahu said Israel wanted a “security perimeter” and to hand the Palestinian territory to “Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans a good life.””That’s not possible with Hamas,” he added.His office on Friday said a majority of the security cabinet had adopted “five principles for concluding the war: the disarming of Hamas; the return of all hostages — living and dead; the demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip; Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip; the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.”A decisive majority of security cabinet ministers believed that the alternative plan that had been submitted to the security cabinet would neither achieve the defeat of Hamas nor the return of the hostages,” it added, without giving further details.An expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, Israeli media reported.The reported plans to expand the war have sparked growing concern in Israel about what it means for the remaining hostages.As the cabinet meeting kicked off, hundreds rallied near the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, calling for a deal to free the hostages.”The only way to bring the hostages home is to halt the war and end the suffering of the hostages and all those living through this terrible conflict,” said protester Sharon Kangasa-Cohen.In Gaza, fears grew over what an expansion of Israeli operations would entail.”Ground operations mean more destruction and death,” said Ahmad Salem, 45.- ‘More destruction’ -Hamas in a statement said that “Netanyahu’s plans to escalate the aggression confirm beyond any doubt his desire to get rid of the captives and sacrifice them in pursuit of his personal interests and extremist ideological agenda.”Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas’s 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead.Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, rumours have been rife in the Israeli press about disagreements between the cabinet and Israel’s military chief Eyal Zamir, who is said to oppose plans to fully reoccupy Gaza.Defence Minister Israel Katz weighed in on social media Wednesday, saying the military must ultimately respect any policies adopted by the government.In a statement released by the military Thursday, Zamir underscored his independence, vowing to “continue to express our position without fear”.- ‘Unrealistic costs’ -International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment warned that famine was unfolding.The World Health Organization said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the Gaza Strip this year, with the figure likely an underestimate.Displaced Gazan Mahmoud Wafi said that the prices of available food remained high and erratic.”We hope that food will be made available again in normal quantities and at reasonable prices, because we can no longer afford these extremely high and unrealistic costs,” the 38-year-old told AFP.In late July, Israel partially eased restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient.Amjad Al-Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in the Gaza Strip, told AFP that lengthy inspection procedures at entry points meant few trucks could come in — “between 70 to 80 per day — carrying only specific types of goods”.The UN estimates that Gaza needs at least 600 trucks of aid per day to meet its residents’ basic needs.Israel’s offensive has killed at least 61,258 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Library user borrows rare Chinese artwork, returns fakes: US officials

A California library user who allegedly took home rare Chinese manuscripts and returned fake ones in their place has been charged with $216,000-worth of theft, US officials said Thursday.Jeffery Ying used a number of aliases to get access to classics works, some over 600 years old, at the library at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Department of Justice said.Ying, 38, would check the works out and return days later with dummy manuscripts. He would frequently travel to China shortly thereafter, charging documents say.”The library noticed that several rare Chinese manuscripts were missing, and an initial investigation revealed the books were last viewed by a visitor who identified himself as ‘Alan Fujimori,'” the DoJ said.When detectives raided the Los Angeles area hotel where Ying was staying, they found blank manuscripts in the style of the books that had been checked out.”Law enforcement also found pre-made labels known as asset tags associated with the same manuscripts that could be used to create ‘dummy’ books to return to the library in place of the original books.”Libraries allow rare, one-of-a-kind works to be examined on site; they are not permitted to be taken home like regular paperbacks.Ying, from Fremont, in the Bay Area, was also found to have a number of library cards in different names.If convicted of the charge of theft of a major artwork, Ying, who is being held in state custody, faces up to 10 years in federal prison.China is home to one of the world’s fastest-growing art markets, with a booming number of state-sanctioned museums as well as a lively private market, as an increasingly wealthy and nationalistic middle class looks to claim the country’s cultural heritage.

Crypto group reportedly says it planned sex toy tosses at WNBA games

A cryptocurrency group has said it organized a spate of “stunts” in which sex toys were tossed on courts at WNBA games, US media reported on Thursday.USA Today first reported that an unnamed spokesman for a group behind a meme coin called Green Dildo Coin had orchestrated at least some of the incidents, which angered WNBA players and led to at least two arrests.”We didn’t do this because, like, we dislike women’s sports or, like, some of the narratives that are trending right now are ridiculous,” the unnamed source told USA Today.”We knew that in order to get a voice in the space … we had to go out and do some viral stunts to save us from having to pay that influencer cabal, sacrifice our souls and the fate of the project.”On July 29, a sex toy landed on the court as the Atlanta Dream hosted the Golden State Valkyries.In the week since, similar objects have been thrown onto the court or into the stands at several other games, including another game in Atlanta.The WNBA confirmed that one person had been arrested in connection with one of the incidents in Atlanta and on Wednesday an 18-year-old man was arrested for throwing a sex toy at a Phoenix Mercury game which hit another fan — who was at the game with his young neice.USA Today reported that the meme coin group spokesman said that Delbert Carter, who was arrested for allegedly throwing a green sex toy on the court at the end of Atlanta’s home game against Phoenix, was not part of the cryptocurrency group.Nor was Kaden Lopez, who was arrested in Phoenix. According to the statement from the Phoenix Police Department, Lopez said he saw the trend on social media and bought his own sex toy to throw.”Moving forward, we have a lot more pranks, but they’re a lot lighter. They’re a lot more tasteful,” the unnamed source told USA Today.The WNBA said in a statement on Thursday it was working with arena personnel to identify culprits and “ensure appropriate action is taken.”The WNBA did not immediately comment on the reports of the cryptocurrency group connection.

Tokyo soars on trade deal relief as Asian markets limp into weekend

Japanese stocks rallied Friday on a mixed day for Asian markets, fuelled by relief that Tokyo and Washington had settled a tariff issue that raised concerns about their trade deal.The news compounded optimism sparked by strong earnings from market heavyweights Sony and Softbank that fanned a rally in the tech sector.Meanwhile, expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates were boosted by Donald Trump’s nomination of a key economic adviser to the central bank’s policy committee, adding to downward pressure on the dollar.The Nikkei 225 jumped more than two percent after Japan’s tariffs envoy Ryosei Akazawa told reporters that Washington is expected to revise an executive order that stacked tariffs on top of each other.It also lowered vehicle tariffs on Japanese autos, a crucial driver of the world’s number-four economy.Car titan Toyota jumped almost four percent and Nissan more than three percent.Tech investment giant SoftBank rocketed more than 13 percent to a record after posting a quarterly profit thanks to its booming Vision Fund.And Sony piled on more than four percent — extending Thursday’s 4.1 percent gain — after it hiked its annual profit forecasts owing to its gaming business.But while Wellington, Taipei and Jakarta also rose, the rest of Asia struggled, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore and Manila all down. Investors are now keeping tabs on talks between Washington and several other trading partners following the imposition Thursday of Trump’s tariffs, with India and Switzerland scrabbling for a deal.Also in view are China-US talks to extend a 90-day truce in their stand-off, with their current agreement ending on August 12 and dealers looking on cautiously.”We think uncertainties in US-China trade relations remain high, and any perception of one side failing to fully uphold its promise could trigger a renewed escalation in tensions,” economists at Bank of America said.”Moreover, as is the case with India, China could face potential penalties from crude oil imports from Russia,” they added. The dollar held losses on Fed rate cut bets after Trump said he had tipped Stephen Miran, the chair of his Council of Economic Advisers to a governor role recently made vacant.”He has been with me from the beginning of my Second Term, and his expertise in the World of Economics is unparalleled — He will do an outstanding job,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. Miran shares Trump’s calls for interest rate cuts and has been a critic of the central bank in the past.”Miran has been very critical of US Fed policy and would likely advocate for cuts. This makes at least two rate cuts by the end of the year much more probable,” said National Australia Bank’s Tapas Strickland.The greenback had already been under pressure this week following data last Friday showing US job creation cratered in May, June and July.- Key figures at around 0250 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 2.2 percent at 41,968.68 (break)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.5 percent at 24,958.15Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,636.18Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3438 from $1.3445 on ThursdayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1659 from $1.1665Dollar/yen: UP at 147.31 yen from 147.07 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.77 pence from 86.76 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $63.88 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: UP 0.1 percent at $66.46 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 43,968.64 (close)London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 percent at 9,100.77 (close)

Aude: l’incendie est fixé, mais le combat des pompiers continue

Les pompiers poursuivent vendredi leur combat acharné contre l’incendie géant dans l’Aude qu’ils ont réussi à fixer jeudi soir, mais qui ne sera pas éteint avant plusieurs jours.Cet incendie, le plus important depuis au moins 50 ans sur le pourtour méditerranéen français, a parcouru 17.000 hectares de végétation en un peu plus de 48 heures et coûté la vie à une personne.”La mobilisation des sapeurs pompiers restera intense sur le terrain dans les jours à venir”, selon la préfecture qui a interdit l’accès aux massifs forestiers audois jusqu’à dimanche inclus.Pour elle, “les axes fermés à la circulation restent pour l’essentiel non reconnus et donc potentiellement encore dangereux, notamment du fait de la présence de câbles électriques sur les routes”.Dans ce contexte, “les personnes sinistrées, sauf autorisation des autorités locales sur place, ne peuvent pas encore regagner leur domicile”.Le préfet de l’Aude, Christian Pouget, a également indiqué que quelque 2.000 personnes évacuées n’avaient pas encore pu rentrer chez elles.Jeudi, plusieurs centaines d’entre elles ont encore été accueillies dans les salles polyvalentes mise à disposition par les communes.-“Pas éteint avant plusieurs jours”-M. Pouget a également affirmé que l’incendie ne serait pas “déclaré éteint avant plusieurs jours”, ajoutant qu'”il y a encore beaucoup de travail”.Plus de 2.000 soldats du feu restent ainsi mobilisés, de même que plus de 200 gendarmes, appuyés par un dispositif aérien.Jeudi soir, 1.500 foyers étaient encore privés d’électricité, a fait savoir à l’AFP Enedis, pour qui “la priorité immédiate (…) est d’assurer la continuité des services essentiels”, comme l’accès à l’eau ou aux réseaux de télécommunications.”Au plus fort de la crise, 5.000 foyers ont été privés d’électricité”, précise la préfecture qui recommande d’annuler tous les évènements publics et privés prévus ce week-end.Le sinistre géant a aussi détruit ou endommagé 36 habitations et brûlé 54 véhicules, selon le bilan provisoire de la préfecture.Parties mardi après-midi de la commune de Ribaute, à une quarantaine de kilomètres de Narbonne et de Carcassonne, les flammes ont parcouru 17.000 hectares de pinède et de garrigue, dont 13.000 brûlés, selon la sécurité civile. C’est le pire incendie depuis au moins 50 ans sur le pourtour méditerranéen français, selon une base de données gouvernementale répertoriant les feux de forêt depuis 1973.À Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, une femme de 65 ans a été retrouvée morte mercredi à son domicile dévasté par les flammes. La préfecture a également décompté 18 blessés: deux habitants hospitalisés, dont un grièvement brûlé, et 16 sapeurs-pompiers.Jeudi soir, le feu a enfin pu être fixé.C’est le résultat de “la lutte menée depuis le début”, se sont félicités les pompiers de l’Aude. “C’était un travail classique mais d’une ampleur extraordinaire”, ont-ils précisé à l’AFP.Leur patron, le colonel Christophe Magny, à la tête des opérations, avait annoncé jeudi matin que “l’objectif (était) de pouvoir fixer” le feu au plus tard en fin de journée.D’après les premiers éléments de l’enquête, l’incendie a démarré à Ribaute, sur le bord d’une route, selon la gendarmerie.Le parquet de Carcassonne a indiqué à l’AFP ne pas connaître encore son origine.Par ailleurs, le préfet a évalué “de 800 à 900 hectares” les vignobles perdus.”Si on n’est pas aidés, on ne se relèvera pas. On perd gros. C’est un désespoir complet. Ça m’écœure, cette vigne, toutes ces années de travail, c’est parti en fumée en une heure”, confie à l’AFP Fabien Vergnes, 52 ans, dans sa propriété de 20 hectares à Tournissan, à quelques kilomètres de Saint-Laurent.

Aude: l’incendie est fixé, mais le combat des pompiers continue

Les pompiers poursuivent vendredi leur combat acharné contre l’incendie géant dans l’Aude qu’ils ont réussi à fixer jeudi soir, mais qui ne sera pas éteint avant plusieurs jours.Cet incendie, le plus important depuis au moins 50 ans sur le pourtour méditerranéen français, a parcouru 17.000 hectares de végétation en un peu plus de 48 heures et coûté la vie à une personne.”La mobilisation des sapeurs pompiers restera intense sur le terrain dans les jours à venir”, selon la préfecture qui a interdit l’accès aux massifs forestiers audois jusqu’à dimanche inclus.Pour elle, “les axes fermés à la circulation restent pour l’essentiel non reconnus et donc potentiellement encore dangereux, notamment du fait de la présence de câbles électriques sur les routes”.Dans ce contexte, “les personnes sinistrées, sauf autorisation des autorités locales sur place, ne peuvent pas encore regagner leur domicile”.Le préfet de l’Aude, Christian Pouget, a également indiqué que quelque 2.000 personnes évacuées n’avaient pas encore pu rentrer chez elles.Jeudi, plusieurs centaines d’entre elles ont encore été accueillies dans les salles polyvalentes mise à disposition par les communes.-“Pas éteint avant plusieurs jours”-M. Pouget a également affirmé que l’incendie ne serait pas “déclaré éteint avant plusieurs jours”, ajoutant qu'”il y a encore beaucoup de travail”.Plus de 2.000 soldats du feu restent ainsi mobilisés, de même que plus de 200 gendarmes, appuyés par un dispositif aérien.Jeudi soir, 1.500 foyers étaient encore privés d’électricité, a fait savoir à l’AFP Enedis, pour qui “la priorité immédiate (…) est d’assurer la continuité des services essentiels”, comme l’accès à l’eau ou aux réseaux de télécommunications.”Au plus fort de la crise, 5.000 foyers ont été privés d’électricité”, précise la préfecture qui recommande d’annuler tous les évènements publics et privés prévus ce week-end.Le sinistre géant a aussi détruit ou endommagé 36 habitations et brûlé 54 véhicules, selon le bilan provisoire de la préfecture.Parties mardi après-midi de la commune de Ribaute, à une quarantaine de kilomètres de Narbonne et de Carcassonne, les flammes ont parcouru 17.000 hectares de pinède et de garrigue, dont 13.000 brûlés, selon la sécurité civile. C’est le pire incendie depuis au moins 50 ans sur le pourtour méditerranéen français, selon une base de données gouvernementale répertoriant les feux de forêt depuis 1973.À Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, une femme de 65 ans a été retrouvée morte mercredi à son domicile dévasté par les flammes. La préfecture a également décompté 18 blessés: deux habitants hospitalisés, dont un grièvement brûlé, et 16 sapeurs-pompiers.Jeudi soir, le feu a enfin pu être fixé.C’est le résultat de “la lutte menée depuis le début”, se sont félicités les pompiers de l’Aude. “C’était un travail classique mais d’une ampleur extraordinaire”, ont-ils précisé à l’AFP.Leur patron, le colonel Christophe Magny, à la tête des opérations, avait annoncé jeudi matin que “l’objectif (était) de pouvoir fixer” le feu au plus tard en fin de journée.D’après les premiers éléments de l’enquête, l’incendie a démarré à Ribaute, sur le bord d’une route, selon la gendarmerie.Le parquet de Carcassonne a indiqué à l’AFP ne pas connaître encore son origine.Par ailleurs, le préfet a évalué “de 800 à 900 hectares” les vignobles perdus.”Si on n’est pas aidés, on ne se relèvera pas. On perd gros. C’est un désespoir complet. Ça m’écœure, cette vigne, toutes ces années de travail, c’est parti en fumée en une heure”, confie à l’AFP Fabien Vergnes, 52 ans, dans sa propriété de 20 hectares à Tournissan, à quelques kilomètres de Saint-Laurent.