25/08/2025

MONDAY | AUG 25, 2025

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‘Gaza conflict at realm of non-accountability’

Israel approved a plan this month to seize control of Gaza City. It is not expected to begin for a few weeks, leaving room for mediators Egypt and Qatar to try and resume ceasefire talks between the sides. Defence Minister Israel Katz yesterday vowed to press on with the offensive, which has raised alarm abroad and objections at home. – Bernama/Reuters

buildings were blown up in the northern town of Jabalia. The Israeli military said on Sunday that its forces have returned to combat in Jabalia in recent days, to dismantle tunnels and strengthen control of the area. It said the operation “enables the expansion of combat into additional areas and prevents Hamas from returning”.

o Use Chapter Seven, says Irish president

DUBLIN: The Irish president has said the conflict in Gaza is at the “realm of non-accountability”. Michael D. Higgins described the conflict as a “tragic period” in the world’s history. The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said on Friday that famine is occurring in Gaza City and could spread further south. It comes after weeks of warnings by aid groups that restrictions on aid were leading to starvation among Palestinians. In an interview with RTE Radio 1 as he prepares to step down from his role, which he has held since 2011, Higgins said the realm of unaccountability is the most “dangerous threat to democracy”. He said: “We are in the realm of non-accountability. “And we are in an extraordinary moment where you have three members of (the Israeli) Cabinet who are interested explicitly in illegality, but they’re not worried about international law. “The other thing which is now proposed is, in fact, breaking the link between the West Bank and Gaza. “The realm of unaccountability is the most dangerous threat to democracy. “Standing at the back of it is the unaccountable role of technology, the idea that you could shift it up to the arms race, without taking into account the fundamental distinction with humanity itself. “You can’t use the genocide that is taking place (in Gaza) as a distraction from the neglected political issues that have been neglected for so long. “The main thing is, I think, for a global reassertion of the importance of the General Assembly. “I have been outlining recently how in the Charter there is a mechanism called Chapter Seven, where, if a certain proportion of the committee of the General Assembly supported, even if the Security Council uses the veto to block it, the secretary-general can call for a force to be put together to guarantee humanitarian access.”

leaders vowed to press on with a planned offensive on the city. Witnesses reported the sound of explosions non-stop in Zeitoun and Shejaia, while tanks shelled houses and roads in the nearby Sabra neighbourhood and several

Attitude outshone style at the National Art Gallery in Caracas. – AFPPIC

Venezuelan fashionistas defy tradition

CARACAS: Ninety fashion aficionados showcased lace, denim, cotton, satin and recycled garments in an eclectic “battle of outfits” on Saturday at Venezuela’s National Art Gallery in Caracas, challenging conventional fashion and embracing their “unusual” identities. On a stage where attitude at times outshone style, participants strutted in bold combinations – long skirts over pants, plunging necklines, scarves and ties over dresses, high boots and heels. “It’s about existing in resistance, in a country that doesn’t always agree with you,” said 28-year-old Alejandro Castro, who won the contest. His outfit, inspired by Venezuelan writer Miguel Otero Silva’s novel Casas Muertas , which depicts a town’s decline amid disease and the discovery of oil, featured earthy and cream tones, a deep neckline, a crop top, a long white skirt with a train, and a belt crafted from multiple scarves. “Fashion in Venezuela has a rich tradition, tied to our colonial heritage, racial diversity and American influences,” Castro said. The event, centred on urban and street culture, featured rap performances. “We want to promote culture and inspire more people,” said organiser and fashion designer Miguel Soriano. Many outfits were sourced from used material or at low cost due to the prohibitive price of designer clothing. For the participants, fashion lay not in big brands but in the creative combinations of garments. Some even blended cinematic fantasies with cultural styles borrowed from other countries to set trends. Wearing a white overcoat, 20-year old Anjuliet Duran said: “I felt like the Phantom of the Opera.” She later layered an Asian-style dress over it, dubbing herself “the Chinese Phantom of the Opera”. – AFP A thousand kilometres north, on the Gulf of Finland, at least 10 Ukrainian drones were downed over the port of Ust-Luga in Russia’s northern Leningrad region, with debris sparking fire at the Novatek operated terminal – a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and processing complex, the regional governor said. – Reuters

A demonstrator holds a placard at the ‘Nationwide March for Palestine’ protest in Sydney. – REUTERSPIC Widespread protests held in Australia SYDNEY: Thousands of Australians joined pro-Palestinian rallies

government’s decision this month to recognise a Palestinian state. Diplomatic ties between Australia and Israel soured after Albanese’s Labor government said it would conditionally recognise Palestinian statehood, following similar moves by France, Britain and Canada. The Aug 11 announcement came days after tens of thousands of people marched across Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge, calling for peace and aid deliveries to Gaza, where Israel began an offensive nearly two years ago.

In Sydney, organiser Josh Lees said Australians were out in force to “demand an end to this genocide in Gaza and to demand that our government sanction Israel” as rallygoers, many with Palestinian flags, chanted “free, free Palestine”. Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, the umbrella group for Australia’s Jews, told Sky New television that the rallies created “an unsafe environment and shouldn’t be happening”.

yesterday, organisers said, amid strained relations between Israel and Australia following the centre-left government’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state. More than 40 protests took place across Australia yesterday, Palestine Action Group said, including large turnouts in state capitals Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. The group said around 350,000 attended the rallies nationwide, including around 50,000 in Brisbane, though police estimated the numbers at closer to 10,000. Police did not have estimates for crowd sizes in Sydney and Melbourne.

In Gaza, Israeli planes and tanks pounded the eastern and northern outskirts of Gaza City on Saturday night, destroying buildings and homes, residents said, as Israeli Drone attack hits Russian nuclear plant, fuel export terminal The protests follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week stepping up his personal attacks on his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese over his The conflict has claimed the lives of more than 60,000 people in Gaza. – Reuters

MOSCOW: Ukraine launched a drone attack on Russia yesterday, forcing a sharp fall in the capacity of a reactor at one of Russia’s biggest nuclear power plants and sparking a huge blaze at the major Ust-Luga fuel export terminal, Russian officials said. Despite talk of peace by Russia and Ukraine, the deadliest European war since World War Two is continuing

which the drone sparked, the plant said. Two other reactors are operating without power generation and one is undergoing scheduled repairs. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was aware of reports that a transformer at the plant caught fire due to military activity and stressed that every nuclear facility should be protected at all times.

The Kursk nuclear power plant, just 60km from the border with Ukraine, said that air defences shot down a drone that detonated near the plant just after midnight, damaging an auxiliary transformer and forcing a 50% reduction in the operating capacity at reactor No. 3. Radiation levels were normal and there were no injuries from the fire

along the 2,000km front line accompanied by missile and drone attacks deep into Russia and Ukraine. Russia’s Defence Ministry said at least 95 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across more than a dozen Russian regions yester, the day that Ukraine celebrates its declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.