Monday, 18 March 2019
West Bank Attack Raises Tensions Ahead of Israeli Elections
JERUSALEM — An assailant believed to be Palestinian carried out a stabbing and shooting attack in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, killing an Israeli soldier and ratcheting up tensions ahead of Israeli elections.
The attack came amid a heated campaign for the April 9 ballot in which a former general leading a new, centrist party is challenging the longtime incumbent, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over who can provide Israelis with better security.
The situation was already volatile.
On Friday, a fragile calm was restored after two rockets from Gazawere fired at Tel Aviv the night before, without causing harm.
Israel retaliated swiftly, with strikes at what it said were military sites and compounds belonging to Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. The Israeli military said that one of the sites it struck in Gaza was the headquarters for coordinating Hamas activities in the West Bank, where the group has been seeking to foment violence.
The soldier killed on Sunday was identified as Staff Sgt. Gal Keidan, 19. Another soldier and a civilian were seriously wounded. As of Sunday evening, the assailant was still at large.
Hamas praised the attack as a “courageous and daring operation,” without claiming responsibility for it. In a statement, it described the West Bank as a “strategic” place where it was possible to surprise Israel with violent attacks.
Read more - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/world/middleeast/west-bank-attack-israel.html
West Bank Attack Raises Tensions Ahead of Israeli Elections
JERUSALEM — An assailant believed to be Palestinian carried out a stabbing and shooting attack in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, killing an Israeli soldier and ratcheting up tensions ahead of Israeli elections.
The attack came amid a heated campaign for the April 9 ballot in which a former general leading a new, centrist party is challenging the longtime incumbent, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over who can provide Israelis with better security.
The situation was already volatile.
On Friday, a fragile calm was restored after two rockets from Gazawere fired at Tel Aviv the night before, without causing harm.
Israel retaliated swiftly, with strikes at what it said were military sites and compounds belonging to Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza. The Israeli military said that one of the sites it struck in Gaza was the headquarters for coordinating Hamas activities in the West Bank, where the group has been seeking to foment violence.
The soldier killed on Sunday was identified as Staff Sgt. Gal Keidan, 19. Another soldier and a civilian were seriously wounded. As of Sunday evening, the assailant was still at large.
Hamas praised the attack as a “courageous and daring operation,” without claiming responsibility for it. In a statement, it described the West Bank as a “strategic” place where it was possible to surprise Israel with violent attacks.
Read more - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/world/middleeast/west-bank-attack-israel.html
Read more - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/world/middleeast/west-bank-attack-israel.html
Saturday, 16 March 2019
Severe floods swept away 16,000 homes, death toll rises to 70, Afghanistan
Heavy rainfall has been affecting central, southern and western regions of Afghanistan since the start of the month, triggering deadly floods that resulted in widespread destruction. The most affected provinces are Kandahar, Helmand, Farah, Herat and Badghis, DG ECHO reports.
Nine provinces have been affected by heavy rains and flooding since March 1, with Helmand, Zabul, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Herat and Farah, also affected by a five-year drought, particularly impacted. Another seven provinces were hit by snowfall, avalanches and mudslides.
Many areas are also exposed to conflict and drought and are host to hundreds of thousands of displaced, UN OCHA reported. Population resilience is very low, and any additional shock puts them in a dire situation.
According to ACAPS (Assessment Capacities Project), the death toll stands at 70 as of March 13. A further 111 000 people live in areas of high risk and may be affected as rains resume in the coming days.
More than 16 000 houses were swept away and 8 670 damaged with approximately 250 000 people affected.
The storm that hit Kandahar city and the districts of Zheri, Dand, Damand, Arghandab, Spinboldak and Takhtapu at the beginning of March dropped 97 mm (3.81 inches) of rain in just 30 hours.
This region has a desert climate with about 176 mm (6.92 inches) of rain in an entire year.
January is the region's wettest month with about 62 mm (2.44 inches) of rain, followed by February with 43 mm (1.69 inches), and March and December with 21 mm (0.82 inches). Other months receive between 0 and 4 mm (0.15 inches) of rain.
Over the next 72 hours, locally heavy rain and snowfall are forecast over Kabul area and north-eastern areas of the country while moderate rainfall and snowfall are forecast over the central areas of the country.
Read more - https://watchers.news/2019/03/14/afghanistan-flood-damage-march-2019/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0672qz0W_pJdQUCwXIo9Qh_gHBmsr9cdf3N2PmLYnU8FRmKfNB8VhdqZQ
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