Jordan, Norway call for Gaza ceasefire, renew push for two-state solution

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Amman, May 27 (IANS) Jordan and Norway urged an immediate, lasting ceasefire in Gaza and unrestricted humanitarian access, while reaffirming support for a two-state solution as the basis for lasting regional peace.Following talks in Amman on Monday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Norway’s recognition of Palestine underscored its commitment to international law and justice, Xinhua news agency reported.The minister stressed that peace and stability require the two-state solution, namely a sovereign Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.Safadi praised Norway’s role as chair of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which coordinates donor support for Palestinians, and commended its efforts to ease Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and revive peace talks.He also condemned the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli extremist ministers, warning of escalating tensions.Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide called the situation in Gaza “catastrophic” and pressed for an end to the 19-month conflict. Eide warned that conflicts in Gaza would continue to recur unless the underlying issue — the lack of a Palestinian state — is addressed.The Norwegian diplomat also said Norway would continue promoting Palestinian recognition and welcomed the upcoming UN conference on the two-state solution in New York in June, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.–IANSint/rs

Three Palestinian camps in Lebanon to hand over weapons in June: Lebanese President

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Beirut, May 27 (IANS) Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that three Palestinian camps in Beirut will begin handing over their weapons in mid-June, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.Aoun made the remarks on Monday, during a meeting with a visiting delegation from the US Congress in Beirut.Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed earlier this week to end the presence and operation of weapons held by Palestinian factions outside the control of the Lebanese state, including within Palestinian refugee camps, Xinhua news agency reported.”Joint committees have been formed to implement the agreement, and the handover of weapons will begin in mid-June in three camps in Beirut,” Aoun said, adding that three Palestinian military camps in the North, Mount Lebanon, and the South had already been dismantled.During the meeting with the US delegation, the Lebanese president also stressed that Israel has failed to meet its obligations under the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon, which took effect on November 27, 2024.”Israel continues to occupy five hilltops in the South and has not returned the Lebanese detainees, despite repeated Lebanese appeals, particularly to the United States and France, which co-sponsored the agreement,” Aoun said.Angus King, head of the US delegation, commended “the achievements of the Lebanese army on various fronts, particularly in maintaining stability in the South, in addition to its other national duties.”According to the NNA, King confirmed that “US support for the Lebanese army will continue, especially in terms of advanced equipment and vehicles.”–IANSint/rs

18 dead in Pakistan after heavy rain, thunderstorms

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Lahore, May 26 (IANS) Torrential rains and severe thunderstorms have claimed lives of at least 18 and injured more than 110 people in Pakistan’s Punjab province, the authorities revealed on Monday.

The aggressive rains swept away homes, causing structural collapse across the province. As per Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), rain-related incidents in the province were unprecedented and beyond expectations. It admitted that although heavy rainfall had been forecast, the severity of the system was not anticipated.As many as 124 incidents of structural collapse have been reported so far from across the Punjab province since Saturday, majority of which are linked with solar panels installed on rooftops. Sources said that the solar panels were not installed with adequate safety measures.”80 per cent of the collapses involved solar plates. Except for three incidents, all others were caused by these installations. We welcome solar technology, but installations must be secure to prevent such tragedies,” said PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia.”I urge citizens to be prepared for worsening weather patterns as there is a link between increasing temperatures and extreme climate events,” he added.Kathia warned that Pakistan is facing the consequences of a 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius rise in global temperature, revealing that the year 2025 is the second consecutive year when a sudden seven degree Celsius increase in temperature has been witnessed during the summer season, which has caused severe heat waves.”For any real reduction in temperature, we need serious action – afforestation, better urban planning and collective efforts across South Asia. Despite the fact that the government has introduced multiple measures to protect citizens, including water supply efforts and early warning systems; there is a need for regional cooperation and long-term strategies,” he said.–IANSint/hamza/as

USCIRF chief meets Yunus as minorities continue to suffer in Bangladesh

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Dhaka, May 26 (IANS) Stephen Schneck, Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), met with Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser, Muhammad Yunus, at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka on Monday as minorities in Bangladesh continue to be oppressed massively under the interim government that was installed after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024.

The meeting took place as several global human rights groups have urged the United Nations to help stop Yunus, the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh, from emboldening the religious fundamentalists in his country.Sources said that the discussion between Yunus and Schneck encompassed the state of religious freedom in Bangladesh, the July 2024 uprising, the Interim Government’s reform agenda, proposed constitutional amendments, and the ongoing Rohingya crisis.Yunus — who in the past has been trivialising the acts of violence against the Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians in Bangladesh by describing them as outcomes of personal disputes, criminal acts, or accidents — reportedly underscored the significant role of religion in Bangladesh and reaffirmed his government’s dedication to ensuring religious harmony in the country of 171 million people.Hindus in Bangladesh have faced over 2000 attacks after Hasina was forced to flee in August 2024, several reports have revealedThe UN Human Rights Office in September 2024 dispatched a team to Bangladesh, including human rights investigators, a forensics physician and a weapons expert, to conduct an independent and impartial fact finding into the deadly events.The report released in February this year found patterns of security forces deliberately and impermissibly killing or maiming protesters, including incidents where people were shot at point-blank range.Addressing allegations of violence against minorities, Yunus has emphasised the interim government’s commitment to transparency and expressed concerns over “orchestrated disinformation campaigns”.As Schneck enquired about the activities of the reform commissions and the proposed constitutional changes following the uprising, Yunus stated that any constitutional amendments would uphold religious freedom and minority rights in Bangladesh.Yunus also sought support from the USCIRF to highlight the plight of the Rohingya people and their prolonged persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.He mentioned that the United Nations is scheduled to hold a special session on the Rohingya issue in September this year following his request.–IANSint/scor/as

South African President says Trump agreed to US attending G20 Summit

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Johannesburg, May 26 (IANS) South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced Monday that President Donald Trump had agreed that the United States should participate in the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Summit scheduled for November in Johannesburg.”President Trump agreed that the US should continue playing a key role in the G20, including attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg later this year, where South Africa will hand over the presidency of the G20 to the US,” Ramaphosa wrote in his letter to the nation, following last week’s visit to the United States.Since Trump took office in January, the United States has boycotted some G20 meetings hosted by South Africa, including key gatherings of finance and foreign ministers earlier this year. US media recently reported that government agencies were even instructed to avoid G20-related work in South Africa.In the newsletter, Ramaphosa acknowledged the recent diplomatic tensions between the two countries, attributing them largely to misinformation, Xinhua news agency reported. “Our visit came at a time when US-SA relations have come under increasing strain, largely as a result of misinformation peddled by fringe groups in our two countries, including a false narrative about a so-called genocide and an orchestrated campaign of violence against white farmers,” he noted.Despite mixed domestic reactions to the White House meeting, Ramaphosa described his US visit as a success and signaled that further engagements on trade matters would still follow. “One of the key outcomes of the substantive discussions we had with President Trump was agreement on an economic cooperation channel between the US administration and South Africa to engage further on tariffs and a broad range of trade matters,” he said.Emphasising that the two countries “have much to gain from working together,” Ramaphosa also confirmed that he had extended an invitation to Trump to send a government and business delegation to South Africa “to explore opportunities for deepening investment and trade,” but provided no specifics.–IANSint/as

Aid agencies scale back operations in Somalia amid funding cuts

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Mogadishu, May 26 (IANS) Humanitarian agencies have rolled out a new decentralized coordination structure to improve humanitarian response across Somalia following severe reductions in donor funding, the UN relief agency said on Monday.The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said humanitarian agencies have scaled back operations to match dwindling funding.”The reductions in donor funding have forced humanitarian agencies in Somalia to scale back or even close critical interventions, thereby drastically reducing life-saving programs and putting millions of lives at risk,” OCHA said in its humanitarian report released in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.The UN agency said the reductions in donor funding have forced humanitarian agencies to reprioritize the 2025 response plan.Early this year, the United States initiated a freeze on foreign aid, including US Agency for International Development (USAID) programmes. OCHA said the revised response targets 1.3 million people, down 72 per cent from 4.6 million initially targeted for 2025, and will cost 367 million US dollars, a 74 per cent reduction from the 1.4 billion dollars initially requested.”If additional funding becomes available, responses will be expanded to cover all identified people targeted, as originally planned,” OCHA said, noting that as of April 30, the Somalia 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 11 percent funded, Xinhua news agency reported. “Reprioritization does not mean that overall humanitarian needs and requirements have reduced across the country. All needs and responses identified in the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan remain valid and urgent,” OCHA said.According to the UN agency, Somalia is currently experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis due to prolonged dry conditions, conflict, weak government institutions, and displacement exacerbated by recurrent climatic shocks and poor infrastructure.”Low-income communities, IDPs (internally displaced persons) and marginalized groups bear the brunt of these challenges. The already dire situation has been worsened by severe funding cuts that have paralysed the responses of aid agencies at various levels,” OCHA said.It said food assistance has drastically reduced, health facilities are closing, and water and sanitation services are declining.”Due to the drastic scale back of lifesaving services, over two million Somalis are projected to face increased vulnerability this year,” OCHA said.–IANSint/as

Israel orders evacuation of Khan Younis ahead of ‘unprecedented’ assault

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Jerusalem, May 26 (IANS) The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning on Monday for residents of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip ahead of what it called an “unprecedented attack”.The order covered three towns in the Khan Younis Governorate: Bani Suheila, Abasan, and Al-Qarara, according to Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli military, who posted the warning on the social media platform X. He said the attack would target militant infrastructure.”The Khan Younis Governorate is considered a dangerous combat zone and has been warned multiple times,” he wrote, calling on residents to evacuate immediately westward to the al-Mawasi area.He added that the evacuation order does not apply to Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals, Xinhua news agency reported. The Khan Younis area has already suffered intense Israeli strikes in recent days, including one over the weekend that hit the home of a pediatrician, killing nine of her 10 children.Israel has repeatedly issued evacuation orders across the enclave, forcing the majority of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents to flee multiple times amid the 19-month offensive.Meanwhile, Israel has rejected a new proposal aimed at halting its offensive in Gaza and securing the release of 10 more hostages, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV reported on Monday.A senior Israeli official from the country’s negotiation team told Kan TV that US mediators presented the proposal overnight. It included the release of five living hostages and five deceased, the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a 70-day ceasefire, and negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire, according to the official.The official said Israel rejected the deal, describing it as a “surrender to Hamas.”Israel has insisted on the so-called Witkoff framework, a deal proposal presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early March, which calls for the release of additional Israeli hostages in return for a 50-day truce, and a promise to engage in talks on a longer truce. It doesn’t mention a withdrawal of Israeli forces or the release of Palestinian prisoners, two of Hamas’s key demands.Another round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas — aimed at ending Israel’s 19-month-long military campaign and securing the release of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza — ended on Thursday after Netanyahu recalled the delegation, Xinhua news agency reported. Israel ended a three-phase ceasefire agreement in March, following two months of truce during which Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages. It refused to proceed to the second phase and resumed its assault on Gaza.Last week, Philip Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), called for a “meaningful and uninterrupted” flow of aid into the Gaza Strip.Israel has long argued that much of the international aid to Gazans was diverted by Hamas, the armed de facto authority in the strip with tacit approval by the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees. The United Nations strongly denied the allegation.–IANSint/as