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☆ These Gazan children have been reunited with their families after months of war. But thousands remain unaccompanied
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-09 | by ( Antoinette Radford | Billy Stockwell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ten days after the war started, Abdallah’s pregnant wife and three children fled to the south of the Gaza Strip seeking safety. Under-18s make up close to half of the population of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian census figures. It’s not known exactly how many children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated, according to UNICEF. Agencies like UNICEF are working hard to identify and support children at risk of exploitation, particularly unaccompanied and separated children, she said. But there are many operational constraints restricting their efforts and more information is needed about unaccompanied and separated children living in displacement camps, she added.

Persons: Abdallah, ”, Abdallah’s, “, –, Israel’s, Liz Allcock, Majdi, Allcock, ” Allcock, OCHA’s, Jessica Dixon, That’s, Tanya Haj, Hassan, WCNSF, Yasser Abu, Dixon Organizations: CNN, “ UNICEF, UN, UNICEF, Gaza, Ministry of Health, Aid, UN’s, Humanitarian Affairs, West Bank, Frontieres, Mental Health Locations: Gaza, Israel, United Kingdom, Deir, Balah, ”, Wadi Gaza, ” Wadi Gaza

CNN —Yet again, tens of thousands of people in Gaza are on the move, as the Israeli military issues fresh evacuation orders for a number of areas in Gaza City. It’s unclear how many people in Gaza City have heeded the latest evacuation order. The IDF confirmed to CNN that the evacuation order for parts of Gaza City was the third in the past 10 days. On July 2, the Israeli authorities clarified that the European Hospital in Khan Younis was not included in the evacuation order. Now, one of the main hospitals in Gaza City – the Al Ahli Baptist – has also closed its doors.

Persons: CNN —, Khan Younis, don’t, Khader Al Za’anoun, Wafa, Al Za’anoun, “, ” Al Za’anoun, OCHA, Deir, Dawoud Abu Alkas, – Jonathan Whittall –, Tedros Ghebreyesus, –, Nasser, Al, Hosam Naoum, Rasheed, Saleh, ” Saleh, ” OCHA, ”, Maysa Saleh, Khan Younis “, Louise Wateridge Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, UN, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, IDF, Reuters, European Hospital, World Health Organization, Cross, Nasser, WHO, Episcopal, Facebook, Norwegian Refugee Council, NRC Locations: Gaza, Gaza City, Shujaya, Old City, Daraj, Khan Younis, Rafah, Al Mawasi, Khan, Al Ahli, Jerusalem, Deir al, Deir

☆ These Teens Adopted an Orphaned Oil Well. Their Goal: Shut It Down.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Delger Erdenesanaa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As a child in Bolivia, Mateo De La Rocha told his family he wanted to work as a garbage man when he grew up. In La Paz, his home city at the time, trash piles were everywhere. In Mr. De La Rocha’s eyes, the local sanitation worker was the only person cleaning up pollution. As many as 3.9 million abandoned and aging oil and gas wells dot the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. estimates that abandoned wells collectively released 303,000 metric tons of methane in 2022, roughly equivalent to how much carbon dioxide 23 gas-burning power plants might release in one year.

Persons: Mateo De La Rocha, De, ”, De La Rocha Organizations: Paz, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Bolivia, United States, Cary, N.C, Ohio

A former U.S. ambassador accused of working for decades as a secret agent for Cuba indicated on Thursday that he would plead guilty, a move that would bring to a swift end the legal case over one of the biggest national security breaches in years. Manuel Rocha, 73, said in federal court in Miami that he would file a change of plea, signaling that he is prepared to plead guilty. He was charged in December with acting as an agent of a foreign government and defrauding the United States. Mr. Rocha is expected to plead guilty to two counts of conspiring to act as a foreign agent. Prosecutors are expected to drop the other charges; the wire fraud charge carried a 20-year maximum sentence.

Persons: Manuel Rocha, Rocha, Rocha’s Organizations: Prosecutors, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Cuba, Miami, United States

Here are some key findings from an Associated Press investigation into Rocha's alleged betrayal and the missed red flags that could have helped him avoid scrutiny for decades. Rodríguez told AP he believed at the time he received from the Cuban defector in 2006 was an attempt to discredit a fellow anti-communist crusader. It wasn’t just Rodríguez’s tipster — whom he refused to identify to the AP but says was recently interviewed by the FBI. Officials told the AP that as early 1987, the CIA was aware Castro had a “super mole” burrowed deep inside the U.S. government. The FBI and CIA declined to comment, and the State Department didn’t respond to requests.

Persons: Manuel Rocha, Félix Rodríguez, Rocha, “, ” Rodríguez, MANUEL ROCHA, ”, Fidel Castro’s, Fidel Castro, “ El, Liliana Ayalde, Castro, Evo Morales, Ayalde, retracing, “ Che ” Guevara, Rodríguez, tipster, Peter Romero Organizations: MIAMI, Ivy League, CIA, Cuban, Miami, FBI, State Department, Associated Press, WHO, Yale, of Intelligence, Authorities, The Taft School, Prosecutors, U.S, AP, Officials, . Locations: America, Cuban, Cuba, Chile, Colombia, New York City, Connecticut, Bolivia, U.S, Paraguay, Brazil, Latin America, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Palestinians are eating grass and drinking polluted water as famine looms across Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Sana Noor Haq | Rosa Rahimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

“They are weak now, they always have diarrhea, their faces are yellow,” El Jamara, whose family was displaced from northern Gaza, told CNN on January 9. “Unfortunately, many relatives and friends are still in the northern Gaza Strip, suffering a lot,” Hamouda, a father-of-three, told CNN. The first 1,000 days of a child’s life are “absolutely critical” for physical growth and cognitive development, Inglis told CNN. “It is not enough to meet my family’s needs at all,” the student, who is sheltering in a tent in Rafah, told CNN. “We simply don’t have enough, and we cannot keep up with the overwhelming needs of people on the ground,” she told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Hanadi Gamal Saed El Jamara, El Jamara, Arif Husain, Martin Griffiths, “, ”, El, Mohammed Hamouda, Odeh Al, Haw, Hamouda, Yahya Hassouna, Israel, ” Hamouda, Jabalya, Gihan, Baz, ” El Baz, Hoor, Hazem Saeed Al, Mohammed Hamouda Hamouda, Abu Youssef Al, Rebecca Inglis, Inglis, Shadi Bleha, Khan Younis, OCHA, Mohammed Hamouda Juliette Touma, Naizi Organizations: CNN, Food Programme, Integrated Food Security, UN, of Health, “, Getty, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, UNRWA, Najjar Hospital, UNICEF, World Health Organization, United Nations Population Fund, WFP, OCHA, World, Al Locations: Rafah, Gaza, Israel, Egypt, “, Gaza City, AFP, East, Britain, Al, Territories, Deir al, Balah

One of the people said the Justice Department case accuses Rocha of working to promote the Cuban government’s interests. The Justice Department declined to comment. It was not immediately clear if Rocha had a lawyer and a law firm where he previously worked said it was not representing him. Following his retirement from the State Department, Rocha began a second career in business, serving as the president of a gold mine in the Dominican Republic partly owned by Canada’s Barrick Gold. Foley & Lardner said Rocha left the law firm in August.

Persons: —, Manuel Rocha, Rocha, Fidel Castro’s, Evo Morales, “, ″ Rocha, Morales, Rocha’s, ” Rocha, Karla Wittkop Rocha, ”, Canada’s Barrick, he’s, Foley, Lardner, ” Dario Alvarez, ____ Tucker Organizations: MIAMI, Associated Press, Justice Department, AP, Democratic, Republican, Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, Bolivian, National Security Council, State Department, Canada’s, Clover Leaf, Llorente, Cuenca’s Locations: American, Bolivia, Miami, Cuban, America, Cuba, U.S, Colombia, New York City, Argentina, Washington, United States, Italy, Honduras, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Pennsylvania, Spanish, Cuenca, “, Investigative@ap.org

☆ Gaza's sole power plant shuts down due to shortage of fuel under Israeli blockade
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Ibrahim Dahman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Gaza CNN —Gaza’s only power station has stopped working after the fuel needed for generating electricity ran out on Wednesday, Gaza officials said. “Gaza is currently without power,” the head of the Gaza power authority, Galal Ismail, told CNN. People in Gaza still use power generators for electricity, but with a blockade on all sides of the border, the fuel needed for generators to work is running out, Ismail said. The Palestinian health ministry warned that hospitals are set to run out of fuel on Thursday, leading to “catastrophic” conditions. The only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt was struck by Israeli warplanes Tuesday, the spokesperson for the Palestinian Interior Ministry Eyad al-Bozom said.

Persons: Gaza CNN —, Galal Ismail, Ismail, Stephane Dujarric, Yoav Gallant, ”, Gallant, Khan Yunis, OCHA, Ravina Shamdasani, Jens Laerke, Juliette Touma, Shalom, Palestinian Interior Ministry Eyad, Bozom Organizations: Gaza CNN, CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations Office, of Humanitarian Affairs, UN’s, Works Agency, UNRWA, Israeli, Palestinian Ministry of Interior Affairs, UN, Palestinian Interior Ministry Locations: Gaza, Israel, People, Jabalia, Khan, Erez, Egypt, Rafah

Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10. Erik Marmor/AP Six-month-old Sama Alwadia is rescued from the rubble in Gaza City on October 9. Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto/Getty Images Israeli soldiers work on a tank at the border between Israel and Gaza on October 9. Ramez Mahmoud/AP A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on October 9. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8.

Persons: Jerusalem CNN — Israel, Kfar, “, ”, Yoav Gallant, ” Gallant, Mohammed Salem, Khan Yunis, Joe Biden, ’, Biden, Ravina Shamdasani, Jens Laerke, Communications Juliette Touma, Shalom, Palestinian Interior Ministry Eyad, Bozom, Israel ”, Eden Guez, Violeta Santos Moura, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Mohammed Abed, Atef Safadi, Fatima Shbair, Tamir Kalifa, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Yuri Cortez, Belal Khaled, Samar Abu, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Ali Jadallah, Oren Ziv, Mohammed Saber, Ronen Zvulun, Majdi, Ilia Yefimovich, Ramez Mahmoud, Mahmud Hams, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Khan, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ahmad Gharabli, Baz Ratner, Mustafa Hassona, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, Michael Herzog, Herzog, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, IDF, Reuters, Palestinian Health Ministry, Palestinian Ministry of Interior Affairs, Hamas, ISIS, ”, Israeli Defense, UN, Human Rights, United Nations, UN’s, Works Agency, Communications, Palestinian Interior Ministry, US State Department, Air France, Hezbollah, Nova Festival, New York Times, Getty, Ben Gurion, AP, Mount, Anadolu Agency, Shifa, West Bank, Rockets, Israel's, Palestinian, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, US Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Israel, Kfar Aza, Rafah, “, Gaza City, Jabalia, Khan, Erez, Egypt, Germany, Lebanon, Iran, Ashkelon, Kfar Azza, AFP, Tel Aviv, Mount Herzel, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Yassin, Palestinian, Beitar Ilit, Mount Herzl, Sderot, Ramat Gan, Khan Younis, Israeli, Kiryat Shmona, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, Syria

CNN —Nearly 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes amid an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in war torn Sudan. The toll on civilians continues to grow, according to the latest report from the UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which states that 414,625 individuals comprising 483,672 households, have been displaced, an increase of 183,102 individuals compared to last week. The number of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries, mainly Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, is also increasing with an estimated 750,000 civilians leaving Sudan entirely. So, you just see many women, many children,” WFP Chad Country Director Pierre Honnorat said, describing desperate scenes from the Zabout refugee camp in Goz Beida in a call with journalists. In addition to clashes between RSF and SAF, OCHA’s report also notes increased RSF and militia presence reports emerging from other Darfur states, as well as fighting in North and South Kordofan, in an increasingly complex fighting landscape across Sudan.

Persons: ”, Pierre Honnorat, ” Honorat, ” Martin Griffiths, it’s, “ Organizations: CNN, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, Humanitarian Affairs, Food Programme, Chad Country, WFP, UN Locations: Sudan, Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Goz Beida, Darfur, RSF, North, South Kordofan

His family – all 11 of them – had huddled together in their house in Sittwe, on the coast of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, as ferocious winds intensified overhead. As the water rose, the family ran to escape the storm surge but they got separated in the chaos. Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty ImagesCrisis upon crisisWhile western Rakhine state took a direct hit from the cyclone, the UN estimates 150,000 people in the country’s northwest were also heavily affected. One resident from Magway, where around 11,000 households were affected by the storm, said her husband died in flooding caused by Cyclone Mocha. Smashed-up boats are piled up next to a broken bridge in Sittwe, in Myanmar's Rakhine state, on May 15 after Cyclone Mocha.

☆ Cyclone Mocha: Myanmar junta travel restrictions are holding up vital aid to cyclone-hit communities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Myanmar’s military junta is holding up humanitarian access to some cyclone-hit communities in western Rakhine state after Cyclone Mocha devastated the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the poorest parts of the country. Storm damage has hampered efforts to access rural and hard-to-reach areas while pre-existing travel restrictions imposed by the junta have delayed the delivery of vital aid to communities in urgent need. “It seems that many agencies haven’t even been able to conduct needs assessments, let alone deliver aid, because SAC (junta) officials have not granted travel authorization. This is extremely worrying.”A girl draws water from a pump at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe on May 16 in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha. A Rohingya woman stands in her damaged house at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe on May 16 following Cyclone Mocha.

☆ Cyclone Mocha tears into Myanmar
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cyclone Mocha barrels into Myanmar The powerful storm unleashes its fury, disrupting communications in the regionAround midday on Sunday, Cyclone Mocha pummelled western Myanmar and southern Bangladesh. Map shows the path of Cyclone Mocha. It originated in the Bay of Bengal three days before it hit the coast of Myanmar on May 14. Satellite images show Sittwe before and after landfall of Cyclone Mocha, in Myanmar. Myanmar’s coast bore the brunt of the storm surge from Mocha, according to data from the EU’s Joint Research Centre.

☆ Big Bow Energy: Fashion’s Latest Power Statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Kristen Bateman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

TURN OF THE TIED From left: power bows at Louis Vuitton’s spring 2023 show, Acne Studios’s spring 2023 show and on Simone Rocha’s fall 2023 runway. Look to the red satin bows that drenched diaphanous black dresses on London designer Simone Rocha’s latest runway. Big black bows playfully obscured models’ torsos at Acne Studios’s spring 2023 show. And during its latest Paris presentation, Japanese brand Noir Kei Ninomiya used sparkly pink or black loops to adorn harnesses that evoked bondage. Designer Kei Ninomiya said he’s intrigued by the way bows “represent something positive, as well as the variety of shapes and expressions that they can convey.” Feel-good harnesses, anyone?

☆ How Simone Rocha Is Translating Her Feminine Style for Menswear
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jacob Gallagher | Photography Annie Lai For Wsj. Magazine | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Designer Simone Rocha, right, with musician Grian Chatten, who wears a trench coat, T-shirt, pants and shoes from Rocha’s inaugural menswear collection. Simone Rocha trench coat, $2,780, T-shirt, $385, pants, $970, and shoes, $900, SimoneRocha.com. To Simone Rocha the standout item in her recently launched menswear collection isn’t one of her balloon-sleeved bomber jackets or tricksy zip-front trousers—it’s the oh-so-elemental white cotton dress shirt. “Something like the pure cotton shirt, I think, is such a beautiful starting point” for the collection, says Rocha, 36, an Irish-born fashion designer based in London. “I love going to something that’s really pure.”

☆ UN agency says Israel is delaying new visas for its staff
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Jerusalem CNN —A United Nations agency that operates in the West Bank and Gaza says Israel is not processing visas for its newly recruited staff, while Israeli officials accuse the agency of “ignoring Israeli victims of terror” in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, a charge the agency denies. The UN considers East Jerusalem and the West Bank to be occupied territory, and Israelis living there to be living in illegal settlements. Erdan said when OCHA is asked why they don’t count Israeli victims, they are told the agency does not have reliable data. “Of course you don’t, you don’t employ Hebrew speakers, and the senior manager of the agency is Palestinian,” Erdan said. OCHA’s latest report does record some instances of Israelis being injured by stones thrown at civilian vehicles traveling in the West Bank.

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