UNRWA: Gaza aid attack ‘a heinous crime'
We spoke to Juliette Touma, who's the Director of Communications for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which has been stopped from delivering aid in Gaza by Israel.
We began by asking her what we have learnt from the killing of so many people who were trying to get food.
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Glasgow Times
3 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Stop the War protest outside Glasgow's Buchanan Galleries
The demonstration, held on the Buchanan steps outside Buchanan Galleries, was organised by Glasgow Stop the War as an 'emergency protest' in response to the interception of a yacht carrying aid to Gaza. The group began to gather at around 5.30pm today, June 9. The vessel, described by organisers as a 'symbolic' mission, was reportedly attempting to break the Israeli naval blockade and deliver humanitarian supplies. RIGHT NOW: Emergency demonstration in Glasgow Release the Madleen crew immediately, end Israel's genocide now! — Glasgow Stop the War (@GlasgowStopWar) June 9, 2025 (Image: Newsquest) READ MORE: Activists surround police van as man 'detained' at pro-Palestine protest It was carrying 12 pro-Palestinian activists from around the world, including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. In a video recorded before the yacht's interception, activists said: 'If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped." The Glasgow protest was held in solidarity with the detained activists, with organisers urging the public to 'defend the flotilla.' Footage from the scene showed demonstrators chanting 'Stop the bombing' and holding signs that read 'Cut war, not welfare.' Emergency demo 🚨 Defend the Flotilla Buchanan steps tonight Monday 9 June 5.30pm 🇵🇸 — Glasgow Stop the War (@GlasgowStopWar) June 9, 2025 (Image: Newsquest) The protest takes place amid intensifying global scrutiny of Israel's military operations in Gaza, which began nearly 20 months ago following the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, in which approximately 1200 people were killed and 251 hostages taken. In the months since, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reports that more than 54,880 people have been killed during the ongoing Israeli campaign. READ MORE: Pro-Palestine protesters target Glasgow firm linked with supplying weapons to Israel The activists aboard the intercepted yacht included nationals from Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. Israel's foreign ministry confirmed the vessel had been seized and was 'safely making its way to the shores of Israel.' The Glasgow protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations held across the UK and beyond, as calls grow louder for an immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access to Gaza.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
World must move from ‘plunder to protection' to save oceans, UN chief warns
Nations must move from 'plunder to protection' in order to save the world's seas from crisis, the UN chief told the ocean summit on Monday. All countries must come forward with 'bold pledges' including a biodiversity target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, to tackle plastic pollution, overfishing and for greater governance of the high seas, he urged at the opening ceremony. Guterres also stressed the importance of multilateralism and warned, in an apparent swipe at the US, which was not present at the conference: 'The deep sea cannot become the wild west.' 'We live in an age of turmoil, but the resolve I see here gives me hope' UN secretary general, António Guterres told the summit in Nice. 'Hope that we can turn the tide. Hope that we can move from plunder to protection.' His words drew applause from the audience, which included 60 world leaders, including the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, heads of small island developing states as well as ministers, policymakers, scientists and civil society activists. The conference, which seeks to finally get the high seas treaty into place, comes against a backdrop of increasing competition for ocean resources. In April, Donald Trump moved to fast-track deep-sea mining under US law, sidestepping ongoing international efforts to regulate the industry. His actions have lent urgency to the voices of those calling for a moratorium, amid warnings it will cause irreversible damage to vulnerable ecosystems. Emmanuel Macron, the French president, began his address with an urgent call to 'revitalise multilateralism behind the UN secretary general' in order to save oceans. 'While the Earth is burning, the ocean is boiling' warned Macron, adding that working together to 'mobilise all actors, heads of state and governments speaking here but also scientists' was the only way to tackle the crisis. Macron told leaders it was a 'necessity' for nations to impose a suspension on deep-sea mining. 'It's madness to launch predatory economic action that will disrupt the deep seabed, disrupt biodiversity, destroy it … The moratorium on deep seabed exploitation is an international necessity.' So far 37 countries have announced their support for a moratorium or pause, and in July, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) will meet to discuss a global mining code. Macron said the high seas treaty 'will be properly implemented' as he expects the crucial threshold of 60 ratifying countries to be reached. He did not specify a timeline. The high seas lie outside national boundaries, where fragmented and loosely enforced rules have so far meant the vast area was essentially lawless. Getting 60 countries to ratify the agreement, which in itself took 20 years to negotiate, was a crucial goal for France and Macron at the summit. 'In addition to the 50 ratifications already submitted here in the last few hours, 15 countries have formally committed to joining them,' Macron said. The treaty, signed in 2023, will enter into force 120 days after the 60th ratification. The treaty is crucial to meet a globally agreed biodiversity target of protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030, known as '30x30'. But so too, is increased protection of national waters. The French president has been criticised for doing less than others to meet this goal, by failing to ban bottom trawling in 'protected' areas. On Sunday, France announced it would 'limit' bottom trawling and seek to protect 4% of its metropolitan waters. Nicolas Fournier, campaign director at Oceana, said: 'These announcements bring more questions than answers. President Macron built expectations that the French government would finally act against bottom trawling in marine protected areas – yet these announcements are more symbolic than impactful.' The UK announced on Sunday it would ban bottom trawling in half of its protected marine areas. The conference comes as just 2.7% of the ocean is effectively protected from destructive activities, according to the Marine Conservation Institute.
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Billie Eilish's brother Finneas tear-gassed at protest in Los Angeles
Billie Eilish's brother Finneas has claimed that he was tear-gassed by the National Guard at a 'very peaceful' protest in Los Angeles. The singer-songwriter, 27, took to social media to detail his experience, sharing his message to more than four million followers on Instagram. 'Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown – they're inciting this,' he wrote. The musician had attended a protest against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department's operations in Los Angeles over the weekend. The protests, which began on Friday and carried on through until Sunday, saw numerous people stage a peaceful demonstration, campaigning against ICE's raids of several workplaces in Los Angeles for alleged immigration violations. President Donald Trump authorised the deployment of the National Guard in response. On Sunday, Finneas wrote on an Instagram Story: 'F**k ICE.' His next post saw him repost a message to National Guard and military personnel who do not wish to partake in Trump's order: 'If you are National Guard or Active Duty military and you are being ordered to violate the Constitutional rights of US citizens, then this is the number to the GI Rights Hotline. There is support, you don't have to go through with it.' Several celebrities have banded together to criticise ICE and the military reaction to protests across Los Angeles, including Eva Longoria and Chrissy Teigen. On X, Longoria shared a post from California Governor Gavin Newsom, which criticises Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over his threat to deploy active-duty Marines in response to the protests. Newsom described the threat as 'deranged behaviour,' while Longoria added that it was 'Un-American' while also sharing a video of a woman being separated from her child during an ICE raid. Teigen shared various posts in support of the protests on her Instagram Stories, including a link to a mass protest on June 14. Massive raids are underway in major cities across the US as part of Trump's pledge to arrest 3,000 suspected illegal immigrants per day. One in Los Angeles descended into chaos, as counterprotests led to multiple arrests, allegedly without warrants. Two Home Depot stores, a clothing shop called Ambient Apparel, and other locations were raided by ICE agents in the predominantly Latino city of Paramount. The President issued an executive order, posted to the White House website, outlining Trump's plan to prevent undocumented immigrants from 'invading' communities and costing state and local governments. And a policy which previously restricted officers' abilities to arrest undocumented immigrants at 'sensitive' locations, such as schools, churches and hospitals, was rolled back. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
