Japanese activist pledges to continue daily Gaza protests
After more than 600 days of protesting alone against the Gaza genocide, Japanese activist Yusuke Furusawa has been telling Al Jazeera what drives him to continue.
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Al Jazeera
32 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
US secures trade deal with Vietnam as negotiations continue with S Korea
A trade deal between the United States and Vietnam has marked the first full pact President Donald Trump has sealed with an Asian nation, but has also raised fears that it could provoke a new standoff between the US and China. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who came to power last month on a platform of pursuing pragmatic diplomacy with both the US and China, indicated on Thursday that it remained unclear whether tariff negotiations between Washington and Seoul would be concluded by next week's deadline. Vietnam has the third-biggest trade surplus with the US of any country after China and Mexico, and was targeted with a 46 percent rate, one of the highest in Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff blitz on April 2. Analysts say the US-Vietnam trade deal may give a glimpse of the template Washington will use with other Asian countries still scrambling for accords, including South Korea, Japan and Thailand. Speaking at his first news conference on Thursday since taking office on June 4, Lee said the tariff negotiations with the US have been 'clearly not easy' and stressed that the countries must reach mutually beneficial outcomes. 'It's difficult to say with certainty whether we will be able to reach a conclusion by July 8. We are now doing our best,' Lee said. 'What we need is a truly reciprocal outcome that benefits both sides and works for everyone, but so far, both sides are still trying to define exactly what they want.' Lee, a liberal, came to power after winning a snap presidential election caused by the removal of conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December. Trump's 90-day pause in global reciprocal tariffs is set to expire on July 9, potentially exposing South Korean products to 25% tax rates. The US has separately been seeking higher duties on specific products such as automobiles and semiconductors, which are key exports for South Korea's trade-dependent economy. There are growing concerns in Seoul that Trump may also demand a broader deal, requiring South Korea to pay significantly more for the 28,000 US soldiers stationed in the country to deter threats from North Korea. Lee has consistently urged patience on tariffs, arguing that rushing to secure an early deal would not serve the national interest. Provoking China? South Korea's struggle to reach a trade deal with the US comes as the US-Vietnam trade deal was secured late on Wednesday, meaning that the 46 percent rate due to take effect next week has been averted. Vietnam is now set to face a minimum 20 percent tariff in return for opening its market to US products, including cars. But a 40 percent tariff will hit goods passing through the country to circumvent steeper trade barriers – a practice called 'transhipping' – and has raised concerns about how Beijing will react. Washington has accused Hanoi of relabelling Chinese goods to skirt its tariffs, but raw materials from the world's number-two economy are the lifeblood of Vietnam's manufacturing industries. 'From a global perspective, perhaps the most interesting point is that this deal again seems in large part to be about China,' said Capital Economics. The terms on transhipment 'will be seen as a provocation in Beijing, particularly if similar conditions are included in any other deals agreed over coming days', it added. Shares in clothing companies and sport equipment manufacturers – which have a large footprint in Vietnam – rose on news of the deal in New York. But they later declined sharply as details were released. Vietnam's government said in a statement late on Wednesday that under the deal, the country had promised 'preferential market access for US goods, including large-engine cars'. But the statement gave scant detail about the transhipment arrangements in the deal, which Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. Uncertainty over how transshipping will be 'defined or enforced' is likely to have diplomatic repercussions, said Bloomberg Economics expert Rana Sajedi. 'The looming question now is how China will respond,' she said. 'Beijing has made clear that it would respond to deals that came at the expense of Chinese interests.'
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Hindu pilgrimage begins in Kashmir in wake of India-Pakistan conflict
Hindus have embarked on a monthlong pilgrimage in Muslim-majority Indian-administered Kashmir, with many of the faithful on Thursday starting from near the site where a deadly attack in April triggered a four-day conflict between India and Pakistan, which propelled the region to the cusp of their fifth all-out war. Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar, located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam, where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad vehemently rejected, setting off a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that then erupted into a four-day conflict on May 7. It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a ceasefire was declared on May 10. 'Pilgrims I spoke to earlier said they were worried about the security at first, but now feel safe after seeing the strong security arrangements,' said Al Jazeera's Umar Mehraj, reporting from Pahalgam. 'The April attack has made this year's pilgrimage more cautious and technology-based, with the highest level of security ever, with around 600 additional paramilitary units having been deployed, making it the most heavily guarded pilgrimage so far,' he added. Pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told the AFP news agency that 'there is no fear of any kind. 'Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,' he said. India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 soldiers with high-tech surveillance tools to oversee the gruelling trek to the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction, Shiva. 'We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,' said VK Birdi, police chief for the territory. Surveillance systems like security cameras and facial recognition have been set up, as well as checkpoints, added Mehraj, with paramilitary posts every 100 metres (330ft). 'Public confidence is returning' All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys until they start on the walk. Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food, and electronic radio cards pinpoint their location. Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres (12,800ft) high, about 30km (20 miles) uphill from the last easily motorable track. 'Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation),' said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India's Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine. 'Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.' Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Jammu and Kashmir, said 'public confidence is returning', but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10 percent this year. Once a modest, little-known ritual attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed rebellion erupted in 1989. India's government has since heavily promoted the annual event, which runs until August 9. Rebels fighting against India's military presence in Kashmir have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it is used to assert Hindu dominance. The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces in Kashmir, where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed. On June 22, India's National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area, who they said had 'provided food, shelter and logistical support' to the gunmen. Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they said were Pakistani citizens. In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people.
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israel kills more than 300 in Gaza in 48 hours as possible truce in balance
More than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the last 48 hours, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which says Israel has 'committed 26 bloody massacres' in that period. At least 73 people have been killed by Israel since dawn on Thursday, including 33 desperate aid seekers at the controversial Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites. Thirteen people were killed when Israeli forces attacked a tent in al-Mawasi in the south, while 16 were killed and many wounded in an attack on Mustafa Hafez School, sheltering displaced people west of Gaza City, medical sources told Al Jazeera. The Government Media Office statement on Thursday said the attacks over the last 48 hours had targeted civilians in shelters and displacement centres overcrowded with tens of thousands of displaced people, public rest areas, Palestinian families inside their homes, popular markets and vital civilian facilities, and starving civilians searching for food. Reporting from Deir el-Balah on the latest killings of Palestinians near GHF aid centres, Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum said, 'People described scenes of horror as they wait for hours just hoping to get their hands on basic food supplies, only to be met with sudden and unprovoked gunfire … I've been speaking to a number of survivors this morning, and they told me such heartbreaking testimonies and they shared the horrific scenes that unfolded near the GHF-run aid centres. 'They told me that there was no prior warning, no prior indication – just gunfire ripping through the crowd, desperate Palestinians scattered for cover as bullets flew. They told me that emergency services and medical teams were not able to access the area due to the intensity of the gunfire … This absolutely reflects the collapse of the humanitarian landscape here in Gaza,' he added. GFH's US contractors reportedly using live fire US contractors ostensibly guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza have been using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press news agency. Two US contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity, said they were speaking out because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open licence to do whatever they wished. Al Jazeera's Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, said an Israeli statement on a recent Haaretz report that detailed Israeli troops shooting Palestinians at aid sites stated 'that the Israeli army does not deliberately target civilians and that media reports are exaggerated about the number of casualties. Of course, this is a template, if you will, of Israeli reaction that we see every time something is uncovered about the conduct of the Israeli army. This particular report talks about the [US] contractors as well.' GHF, she added, is 'not just to replace the humanitarian mechanism run by international organisations for decades in Gaza, but it's also to apply maximum pressure on the civilian population'. Odeh also noted that Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said this week that too much aid is going to Gaza and that none should enter to ensure an Israeli victory. Dr Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian emergency medicine doctor and professor who has provided healthcare in Gaza for more than 30 years, told Al Jazeera the GFH operation 'is part of the Israeli occupation forces' and the Israeli government plan to ethnically cleanse and to fulfil their goal of genocide in Gaza'. 'This has nothing to do with alleviating starvation in Gaza,' Gilbert said. Describing the aid from GFH as a 'drop in the ocean' and a 'sham operation', Gilbert added: 'The distribution organisation is aimed at using food as bait to attract starving people, to terrorise them and to kill them. The shooting of people in food lines is a war crime.' More than 130 humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam, Save the Children and Amnesty International on Tuesday demanded the immediate closure of the GHF, accusing it of facilitating attacks on starving Palestinians. The NGOs said Israeli forces and armed groups 'routinely' open fire on civilians attempting to access food. Since the GHF began operations in late May, more than 600 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid and nearly 4,000 have been wounded. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 56,647 people and wounded 134,105, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks, and more than 200 were taken captive. Possible ceasefire in the balance Meanwhile, Hamas has said it is studying a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, but insisted it is seeking an agreement that would bring an end to Israel's devastating war. Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday that it had received proposals from the mediators and is holding talks with them to 'bridge gaps' to return to the negotiating table and try to reach a ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian group said it was aiming for an agreement that would end the Gaza war and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave. The announcement came a day after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to the ceasefire proposal and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. Trump has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and an agreement for the group to release the Israeli captives held in Gaza.
