World Echo

Israeli attacks killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a 9-year-old ​girl, Palestinian health officials said. Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at ‌a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military did ​not immediately comment on the girl's death. Israel's ​military told Reuters it had struck "terrorist" infrastructure, without giving further details. The ​ceasefire, opened new tab agreed in October 2025 between Israel and Hamas, halted major fighting in the enclave, but it has failed to stop Israeli attacks that have killed ​more than 1,000 Palestinians since it took effect. Four Israeli ​soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the same period. Read More: Israel targets more than 500 acres in occupied West Bank with military orders The latest ‌violence comes as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for further talks over implementing the sec...

Israel has issued 49 military orders targeting 2,093 dunams (517 acres) of privately owned Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank since January, the Palestinian Colonisation and Wall Resistance Commission said Saturday. It said the orders, issued under “security measures,” do not formally confiscate the land or transfer ownership. They impose sweeping legal and physical restrictions, however, by allowing the removal or trimming of trees, restricting access to the land and preventing its cultivation. Read: Israel grants US confiscated Palestinian land to build Jerusalem embassy complex for $1 The commission said the measures are mainly concentrated around Israeli settlements, settlement roads, the separation barrier and military sites, effectively expanding Israeli control over Palestinian land without formally changing ownership. Israel issued 47 orders covering 1,613 dunams during 2025, compared with 49 orders affecting 2,093 dunams in the first half of 20...

The Pentagon on Friday published a new collection of materials related to UFOs, now commonly referred to as unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). Among the released documents is a report from a military pilot who described encountering an object that was "unlike anything I had seen" during nearly three decades of service. The latest release contains 40 files, including 14 documents, 19 videos, four audio recordings, and three images. These materials were compiled from several US government agencies, including the Pentagon, NASA, the CIA, the FBI, and the Department of Energy. The files were made available on the Pentagon's official UAP website as part of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year requiring the public release of such records. Read: Pentagon releases 1st batch of declassified UFO files Like previous disclosures, the new release combines mostly unredacted historical records with more recent reports and videos document...

China announced on Friday a temporary ban on helium exports, effective immediately, as renewed military conflict in the Middle East threatens to trigger fresh shortages of the gas, which is critical for semiconductor manufacturing. Earlier this year, the US-Israeli war on Iran caused helium shortages, disrupting companies worldwide, including in China, where the artificial intelligence industry increasingly relies on domestically produced chips to train and run AI models. Helium is essential for heat management during semiconductor production. The export ban is the latest example of Beijing seeking to prevent domestic shortages of critical materials by restricting overseas shipments. China has previously imposed similar export curbs on fuel, fertilisers and sulphuric acid. China is also seeking to expand domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity and reduce the industry's reliance on advanced Nvidia chips that are subject to US export controls. China re-exports helium ...

The French government will activate its Extreme Heat ORSEC emergency plan for the first time on Friday in all departments placed under the highest red heat wave alert, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon announced. "We will activate today, in all departments placed under red heat wave alert, the Extreme Heat ORSEC plan. (...) We will open cooling centres to shelter the most vulnerable," Bregeon told broadcaster TF1. The plan, unveiled on July 2, aims to organise a coordinated response by all public authorities during extreme heat episodes. Read: At least 3,700 excess deaths reported during heatwave in France, Belgium, Netherlands The new civil protection mechanism is designed to mobilise additional resources during periods of exceptionally high temperatures. It also includes measures to identify and assist isolated people. Nine departments in western France will be placed under a red heat wave alert from noon on Friday, according to the latest bulletin from Met...

At least one million women and girls have lost access to life-saving support within the last year due to global donor aid cuts, a new United Nations report on Friday found. Nearly nine in 10 women’s organisations can no longer meet the needs on the ground despite a large increase in demand since January last year, following the steepest drop in aid funding on record, the UN Women report found. The Trump administration slashed billions of dollars in foreign assistance this year, while other major international donors have also reduced aid budgets due to fiscal pressures and increased defence spending. The United States had previously been the world's largest aid donor. Read: Pakistan seeks end to wartime sexual violence Some 120 million women and girls require humanitarian assistance and protection worldwide. However, 40% of the 85...