Gaza hunger crisis: 'The situation seems to be rapidly deteriorating'
23/07/2025
ICJ: World's top court to hand down watershed climate opinion
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France: Culture minister Rachida Dati to be tried on corruption charges
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Venezuela to investigate Bukele, other officials for alleged detainee abuse
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Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
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Russian delegation departs Moscow for Istanbul talks with Ukraine
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Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76
23/07/2025
More than 100 aid groups warn 'mass starvation' spreading across Gaza
22/07/2025
Brazil: Bolsonaro flashes ankle monitor as judge threatens imprisonment
22/07/2025
"Colbert stays, Trump must go": End of the Late Show shakes New York fans
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Netanyahu calls for 'complete' defeat of Hamas as Israel considers total Gaza occupation
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel must "complete" the defeat of Hamas in Gaza to secure the release of the remaining hostages, days ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss an updated war plan. Israeli media have said the premier is considering ordering the total occupation of Gaza, even as international pressure mounts for him to end the war, with a senior UN official warning Tuesday that expanding the fighting risked "catastrophic consequences", including to the captives held by Hamas. "It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said during a visit to an army training facility. His office later said he had held a three-hour "security discussion" with army chief Eyal Zamir, but did not disclose any new war plans. The premier's office has said the security cabinet will convene later in the week to approve new instructions. Public broadcaster Kan has reported that "Netanyahu wants the Israeli army to conquer the entire Gaza Strip". Citing cabinet members, it said Netanyahu had "decided to extend the fight to areas where hostages might be held". But some major media outlets such as Channel 12 have suggested that the rumoured expansion of operations might only be a negotiating tactic. While the reported plan has not been approved, it has already drawn angry reactions from the Palestinian Authority and Gaza's Hamas-run government. Hamas insisted such a move would not shift its position in ceasefire talks, demanding the withdrawal of all forces from Gaza. "The ball is in the hands of... (Israel) and the Americans," senior Hamas official Hossam Badran told AFP, adding that the militant group wanted to "end the war and the famine". UN assistant secretary-general Miroslav Jenca told the Security Council on Tuesday that a widening of the war "would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages". Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar was also in New York attending a Security Council meeting on the plight of the hostages after recent footage of weak and emaciated captives sparked shock and outrage in Israel. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed disgust over the videos released by Hamas, one of which showed an emaciated Israeli hostage purportedly digging his own grave. "I hope a lot of people do get to see it, as bad as it is, because I think it's a horrible thing," Trump told reporters. 'Agreement must be reached' Over the war's 22 months, Israeli forces have devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip, where a humanitarian crisis has taken hold, with UN experts recently warning of an unfolding famine. The war was sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. Palestinian militants also seized 251 hostages, 49 of whom remain held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,020 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. Netanyahu has faced growing pressure on several fronts. Domestically, families of hostages are demanding a ceasefire to bring their loved ones home. And around the world, there are increasing calls for a truce to allow food into a starving Gaza. The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday said it was "ready to bring in medicine, food and family news for the hostages in Gaza", and to "scale up the delivery of life-saving aid safely to civilians". But "to do this, an agreement must be reached between Israel and Hamas", it said. Meanwhile, Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners demand to keep fighting and reoccupy Gaza for the long haul, after Israel withdrew settlers and troops stationed there two decades ago. Aid 'exploited' Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza in early March, which it only began easing more than two months later to allow a US-backed private agency, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), to open food distribution centres. United Nations special rapporteurs called on Tuesday for the GHF to be immediately dismantled, saying aid was being "exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas". COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body overseeing civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said it would partially reopen private sector trade with Gaza to reduce its reliance on aid deliveries. "A limited number of local merchants were approved by the defence establishment", and would be allowed to bring in basic staples including fruit, vegetables, baby formula and hygiene products, COGAT said. On the ground in Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 56 Palestinians who were waiting near aid distribution sites on Tuesday. The Israeli military told AFP troops had "fired warning shots" in the direction "a gathering of Gazans advancing" towards them near one of those sites, in the territory's south, but that it was "not aware of any casualties as a result". In northern Gaza, where the civil defence said 20 people were killed not far from an aid crossing, an AFP journalist saw bodies brought to Hamad Hospital. The army told AFP it was looking into the report.
Euronews
6 hours ago
- Euronews
Ozzy Osbourne died of heart attack, death certificate shows
Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal icon and self-styled Prince of Darkness, died of a heart attack, according to a death certificate filed in London and reviewed by the New York Times. The certificate confirms that Osbourne died of "(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes)." The former Black Sabbath frontman had been diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2003. Osbourne died at home surrounded by his family on 22 July at the age of 76, just weeks after his farewell concert in Birmingham. Either clad in black or bare-chested, the singer was often the target of parents' groups for his imagery and once caused an uproar for biting the head off a bat. Later, he would reveal himself to be a slightly doddering and sweet father on the reality TV show "The Osbournes." Black Sabbath's 1969 self-titled debut LP has been likened to the Big Bang of heavy metal. It came during the height of the Vietnam War and crashed the hippie party, dripping menace and foreboding. The cover of the record was of a spooky figure against a stark landscape. The music was loud, dense and angry, and marked a shift in rock 'n' roll. The band's second album, "Paranoid," included such classic metal tunes as "War Pigs," "Iron Man" and "Fairies Wear Boots." The song "Paranoid", which hit top ten on many charts across Europe, became in many ways the band's signature song. Both albums were voted among the top 10 greatest heavy metal albums of all time by readers of Rolling Stone magazine. "Black Sabbath are the Beatles of heavy metal. Anybody who's serious about metal will tell you it all comes down to Sabbath," Dave Navarro of the band Jane's Addiction wrote in a 2010 tribute in Rolling Stone. "There's a direct line you can draw back from today's metal, through Eighties bands like Iron Maiden, back to Sabbath." Black Sabbath fired Osbourne in 1979 for his legendary excesses, like showing up late for rehearsals and missing gigs. "We knew we didn't really have a choice but to sack him because he was just so out of control. But we were all very down about the situation," wrote bassist Terry "Geezer" Butler in his memoir, "Into the Void." Osbourne re-emerged the next year as a solo artist with "Blizzard of Ozz" and the following year's "Diary of a Madman," both hard rock classics that went multi-platinum and spawned enduring favourites such as "Crazy Train," "Goodbye to Romance," and "You Can't Kill Rock and Roll." Osbourne was twice inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, once with Sabbath in 2006 and again in 2024 as a solo artist. The original Sabbath line-up reunited for the first time in 20 years in July 2025 in the UK for what Osborne said would be his final concert. "Let the madness begin!" he told 42,000 fans. "Black Sabbath: we'd all be different people without them, that's the truth," said Pantera singer Phil Anselmo. "I know I wouldn't be up here with a microphone in my hand without Black Sabbath." Thousands of fans lined the streets of Birmingham to pay respect to Osbourne as his funeral cortege made its way through the city on 30 July.
France 24
9 hours ago
- France 24
S.Africa urges more countries to stand up to Israel's 'genocidal activities'
Pretoria has been a leading critic of Israel's actions in Gaza, bringing a case before the UN's top court in December 2023 arguing that its war in the Palestinian territory amounted to genocide. As some of Israel's allies "are now also saying, no, this can't continue, it means that it is bringing us closer and closer to the Israel regime to stop the genocidal activities", Lamola said. This will also boost efforts to "allow humanitarian access to the people of Gaza" and "to agree to go into a negotiation table to cease the fire", he said. "We really welcome this development, and we call for more countries to continue to recognise Palestine." "We welcome the intention to recognise by France, Canada, and all countries of the world. This will put the pressure so that we can end up with ceasefire," Lamola said. South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice argues that the war in Gaza, which began with the militant group Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly denied that accusation. Several nations have added their weight to the proceedings, including Spain, Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Turkey, Chile and Libya. The leaders of France, the United Kingdom and Canada have meanwhile said they plan to recognise a Palestinian state in September, and urged other nations to do so. The announcements by some of Washington's closest allies have displeased US President Donald Trump. Lamola said that had the world acted when South Africa made its case at the ICJ, "we would not be where we are". "It's clear starvation is emerging, famine, and all these are things we warned about in our ICJ case -- that this will lead to famine, will lead to complete cleansing of the population," he said. © 2025 AFP
