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☆ No Gaza Aid Delivered Through U.S.-Built Pier Has Been Distributed, Pentagon Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Gaya Gupta | More About Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

General Ryder said that 569 metric tons of aid had made it onto Gaza’s shore but that those supplies had yet to be parceled out by humanitarian organizations. On Saturday, hungry crowds looted several World Food Program trucks transporting aid that had been delivered through the pier, prompting the agency to suspend deliveries of aid arriving at the pier on Sunday and Monday. That is a far less than the number of aid trucks that were entering through the two southern border crossings before Israeli troops went into Rafah. The 569 metric tons that have arrived at the pier so far are a fraction of the amount of aid that was entering Gaza through land routes before Israel seized the Rafah crossing. The United Nations estimates that trucks carrying food to Gaza have been loaded with roughly 15 to 30 metric tons each.

Persons: Patrick S, Ryder, General Ryder, “, ” Organizations: Pentagon, Food, United Nations Locations: Gaza, U.S, Israel, Rafah, Egypt, Kerem

☆ Court Drops Charges in Deadly Wreck in Mediterranean
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Niki Kitsantonis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly a year after one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, off southern Greece, a court in Kalamata dropped criminal charges on Tuesday against nine Egyptians charged in connection with the tragedy. The court deemed that Greece did not have the jurisdiction to try the case, as the trawler sank in international waters. Lawyers for the defendants, who were on the trawler when it sank but were accused of smuggling and other crimes, hailed the decision as belated justice. But the court did not rule on whether the Egyptian men were guilty or not — only that the case was not for Greece to decide. Survivors’ testimonies said that women and children were onboard, too, but on lower decks and unable to escape.

Persons: Adriana Organizations: Lawyers Locations: Greece, Kalamata, Italy, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan

☆ Saudi king to be treated for lung inflammation, state news agency says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Photo: Oliver Weiken/dpa (Photo by Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images)Saudi King Salman will undergo treatment at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah for a lung inflammation, the state news agency said on Sunday, hours after he underwent medical tests. Citing the royal court, the state news agency said the 88-year-old king would be treated with antibiotics until the inflammation subsides. Earlier on Sunday, King Salman underwent medical tests at the royal clinics at Al Salam Palace due to "high temperature and joint pain", the Saudi state news agency said. King Salman, the custodian of Islam's holiest sites, became ruler of the world's top oil exporter in 2015 after spending more than 2-1/2 years as the crown prince and deputy premier. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the crown prince's cancelled trip.

Persons: Abdel Fattah el, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Jean, Claude Juncker, Oliver Weiken, Saudi King Salman, King, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, King Salman of, Prince Mohammed's, Hayashi, King Salman, Jake Sullivan, Emperor Naruhito, Fumio Kishida Organizations: Arab League, European Union, of Arab, Getty Images, Al Salam, Saudi, Al, U.S . National Locations: Egypt, Sharm El, Saudi King, Sharm, Saudi, Jeddah, Japan, Saudi Arabia, King Salman of Saudi Arabia, Tokyo, Washington, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia's

☆ Bob Menendez: 4 big questions as senator’s corruption trial enters its second week
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Here are four big questions facing Menendez, his lawyers and federal prosecutors as the trial intensifies. How hard does the defense lean on Nadine Menendez? The other half of their telling, in short, is that Nadine Menendez was the one pulling the strings — and hiding it from her husband. Republicans have been surprisingly absent from the hoopla around the Menendez trial. This dynamic could change later this week or next when Trump’s trial is expected to reach its denouement.

Persons: Sen, Bob Menendez’s, —, Menendez, Nadine, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Andy Kim, Lara Pomerantz, “, Pomerantz, James Bret Tate, Hana’s, Prosecutors, Nadine Menendez, Avi Weitzman, ” “, ” Weitzman, Weitzman, ”, Candace E, Hana, Will, hasn’t, Donald Trump Organizations: CNN, New, New Jersey Democrat, Garden, Democratic, Capitol, US Department of Agriculture, of Agriculture, USDA, Will Republicans, GOP, Republicans Locations: New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, New York, Manhattan, Egyptian American, Cairo, Hana’s New Jersey, New York City

☆ Israel-Hamas War in Gaza: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Matt Surman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The United States has repeatedly called on Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Credit... Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters Mr. Sullivan is expected to stress the need for a targeted approach to fighting Hamas in Gaza and to emphasize American opposition to a full-scale attack on Rafah. Mr. Sullivan traveled to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a visit that had been slated for April originally but was delayed after the U.S. official cracked a rib. In the interim, tensions between the United States and Israel over the Rafah invasion and Israel’s conduct of the war have escalated. Mr. Sullivan is expected to try to advance the deal in his meeting with the Israeli leader.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony J, Blinken, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Organizations: U.S, Sunday, United, White House, Washington . Credit, Reuters, CNN, Senate, Crown Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Washington ., Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi

☆ Top U.S. Official Visits Israel as Allies Urge Limits on Rafah Incursion
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The United States has repeatedly called on Israel not to launch a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza. Earlier this month, President Biden said in an interview with CNN that the United States would not supply weapons for a major Israeli offensive in Rafah. Hamas said its fighters had fired on Israeli troops in eastern Rafah and close to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. In the interim, tensions between the United States and Israel over the Rafah invasion and Israel’s conduct of the war have escalated. Mr. Sullivan is expected to try to advance the deal in his meeting with the Israeli leader.

Persons: Jake Sullivan, Benjamin Netanyahu, John Kirby, Sullivan, Netanyahu, Elizabeth Frantz, Biden, Lloyd Austin, Antony J, Blinken, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prince Mohammed, Vivian Nereim Organizations: U.S, Sunday, United, White House, Washington . Credit, Reuters, CNN, Crown, Saudi Press Agency Locations: United States, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, Washington ., Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestinian, U.S, Saudi

☆ Member of Israel's War Cabinet says he'll quit the government June 8 unless there's a new war plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz arrives at the US State Department ahead of a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 5, 2024 in Washington DC. Gantz, a popular politician and longtime political rival of Netanyahu, joined his coalition and the War Cabinet in the early days of the war. There was fresh frustration Friday when the military said its troops in Gaza found the bodies of three hostages killed by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack. The war began after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel says around 100 hostages are still captive in Gaza, along with the bodies of around 30 more.

Persons: Benny Gantz, Antony Blinken, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gantz, Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Jake Sullivan Organizations: US State Department, Washington DC, Israeli, U.S, West Bank Locations: Washington, Gaza, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Rafah, U.S, —, Qatar, United States, Egypt

☆ In Dubai, this English teacher ditched the 9 to 5 to lead treks across the desert
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Leah Collins | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A few years later she turned it into a business called UAE Trekkers, running weekend hikes while she continued teach English in the week. A lot of people don’t realize that there’s so much nature here – they’re blown away.”Amy Subaey, founder of UAE Trekkers. From this, UAE Trekkers developed a “student- centered” approach that caters to new hikers, from the classroom to the trails. UAE Trekkers’ hikes include a sunset trek across the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi, a location used in “Dune Part Two.” UAETrekkers FZ LLCPlanning aheadBut even hikes aimed at beginners can require extensive planning. UAE Trekkers’ certified guides provide hikers with coaching on how to prepare for treks, what to bring and how to make the most of the experience.

Persons: Amy Subaey, “, ” Subaey, ” Amy Subaey, Subaey, I’m, “ There’s, ” Organizations: CNN, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Warner Bros, ’, Subaey Locations: Minnesota, Bahrain, Egypt, Dubai, UAE, Dubai Subaey, Hatta, Sharjah, Fujairah, Oman, Abu Dhabi, Lima

☆ Opinion: Israel could defeat Hamas in Gaza more quickly if the US didn’t hold it back, this military expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Hilary Krieger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

CNN: Do you think that Israel can defeat Hamas without conducting a ground invasion in Rafah? The fact is that Rafah’s where the hostages and remaining Hamas military power and leadership are believed to be, their rockets and weapons production and other capabilities, everything. CNN: Couldn’t Israel’s offensive still have the effect of creating more militants who are going to join Hamas and fight against Israel? But it’s also a very winnable war for Hamas at this point because wars are not determined just by military capability. The problem is that the international community pushed Israel into this framework of going slower, going methodically, evacuating every area beforehand.

Persons: CNN —, John Spencer, Spencer, John Spencer Spencer, He’s, ” Spencer, JACK GUEZ, they’ve, we’re, there’s, Couldn’t, David Petraeus, Petraeus, who’s, it’s, You’ve, Dawoud Abo, Israel, I’ve, Israel doesn’t, that’s, — we’re, they’re, would’ve Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Modern, Institute, IDF, United Nations Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Getty, Israel, Nazi, Spencer, Shiva, Dawoud Abo Alkas, ISIS, UN, Gaza, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iraq, West, Rafah, Spencer, Israeli, Hamas, Gaza City, AFP, Iran, Palestine, Northern Gaza, Afghanistan, United States, Egypt, Sinai, Anadolu, Qaida, Mosul, Panama, Tokyo

Senator Robert Menendez’s bribery trial got underway this week in a Manhattan courtroom eight months after he was first indicted on corruption charges. The government has brought a complicated set of accusations against Mr. Menendez, 70. “This case is about a public official who put greed first,” said Lara Pomerantz, an assistant U.S. attorney. “A public official who put his own interests above his duty to the people. Who put his power up for sale.”Two businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, are on trial with Mr. Menendez, accused of plying him with bribes.

Persons: Robert Menendez’s, Menendez, ”, Lara Pomerantz, “, Who, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana, Nadine Menendez Locations: Manhattan, Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, New Jersey, U.S

☆ Gaza floating pier: US military starts delivering aid through temporary pier
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jessie Yeung | Colin Mccullough | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Trucks carrying humanitarian aid into Gaza have begun moving ashore after arriving through the floating pier built by the US military, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Aid first arrives from abroad to Cyprus, before being brought by ship to a floating platform near the Gaza coast, then finally transported to the floating pier and loaded onto trucks to distribute on land. The new maritime corridor is coming at a critical moment – with the Rafah border closing into Gaza having been closed for more than a week, preventing aid from getting through. The Rafah crossing was the only one between Gaza and Egypt – with all other border points in the strip controlled by Israel. The US State Department warned that only 50 humanitarian aid trucks made it through to Gaza on Sunday, down from hundreds per day in previous weeks, adding that the number is “not nearly enough.”

Persons: CNN —, Brad Cooper, ” Organizations: CNN, CNN — Trucks, US Central Command, US Naval Forces Central Command, US State Department Locations: Gaza, Cyprus, Rafah, Egypt, Israel

☆ Why Middle East travel is growing faster ‘than any other region’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Rym Bendimerad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Last week, travel and tourism industry representatives from more than 150 countries gathered at the annual Arabian Travel Market trade show, held this year in Dubai. There, CNN’s Eleni Giokos spoke with Julia Simpson, president of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), about trends in tourism in the Middle East, and the challenge of making travel more sustainable. We are here in the Middle East — this is the first time I’ve been to the Arabian Travel Market — but what’s interesting is everyone’s telling me they have never, ever seen it this busy. Simpson: Well, the GCC and Middle East is growing faster than any other region. Visitors and delegates at the Arabian Travel Market.

Persons: CNN’s Eleni Giokos, Julia Simpson, I’ve, Simpson, Saud, you’ve, We’ve, we’ve Organizations: CNN, Travel, Tourism Council, Arabian, GCC, Gulf Cooperation, United, Visitors, Oxford Economics Locations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al, Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, Saudi, Arabia, —, Saudi Arabia, Oman, East, UAE, Gaza, Egypt

☆ Scientists map long-lost arm of the Nile that flowed past 31 pyramids
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The inhospitable location has long puzzled archaeologists, some of whom had found evidence that the Nile River once flowed near these pyramids in some capacity, facilitating the landmarks’ construction starting 4,700 years ago. “This is the first study to provide the first map of the long-lost ancient branch of the Nile River.”Ghoneim and her colleagues refer to this extinct branch of the Nile river as Ahramat, which is Arabic for pyramids. Ancient Egyptians likely used the now-extinct Ahramat Branch to build many pyramids. Eman Ghoneim et alThe ancient waterway would have been about 0.5 kilometers wide (about one-third of a mile) with a depth of at least 25 meters (82 feet) — similar to the contemporary Nile, Ghoneim said. Most likely, a period of drought and desertification swept sand into the region, silting up the river, Ghoneim said.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Ghoneim, ” Ghoneim, Nick Marriner, ” Marriner Organizations: CNN, University of North, University of North Carolina Wilmington’s, Branch, National Science Foundation, French National Centre for Scientific Research Locations: Giza, University of North Carolina, Ahramat, Egypt, Paris

☆ Jake Sullivan met in-person with representatives of countries whose citizens Hamas took hostage
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Mj Lee | Kylie Atwood | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan convened for the first time this week an in-person meeting of ambassadors and chiefs of mission representing countries whose citizens were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, CNN has learned, as a ceasefire and hostages release deal remains stalled. Those 17 countries, along with the United States, have citizens whom Hamas took captive at the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The meeting comes at a critical moment when the efforts to secure the release of hostages and Gaza ceasefire appear to have stalled once again. Multiple US diplomats have told CNN in recent weeks that they are consistently hearing those concerns from their counterparts abroad. Still, the White House has also been clear that the US remains a steadfast supporter of Israel, including its right to defend itself.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Israel, “, ” Sullivan, Biden, ”, CNN’s Erin Burnett Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Hamas, Qatar –, United Nations, Israel, White Locations: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Rafah

☆ Oil prices rise on moderate U.S. inflation data, strong demand
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Oil prices extended gains from the previous session on Thursday on signs of stronger demand in the U.S. where data showed slower inflation than markets expected, strengthening the argument for an interest rate cut which could result in even stronger demand. U.S. crude oil, gasoline and distillate inventories fell, reflecting a rise in both refining activity and fuel demand, showed data from the Energy Information Administration, or EIA. Crude inventories fell 2.5 million barrels to 457 million barrels in the week ended May 10, the EIA said, versus the 543,000 barrel consensus analyst forecast in a Reuters poll. Signs of slowing inflation and stronger demand were supporting prices, ANZ Research said in a client note, as is geopolitical risk which it said remains elevated. Gains were constrained after the IEA trimmed its forecast for 2024 oil demand growth, widening the gap between its view and that of producer group OPEC.

Persons: Brent Organizations: U.S, West Texas Intermediate, Federal Reserve, Energy Information Administration, EIA, ANZ Research, OPEC, Global, Organization for Economic Co Locations: Nolan , Texas, U.S, East, Gaza, Rafah, Qatar, Egypt, Israel

☆ American medics trapped in Gaza call on US government to help bring them home
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | Muhammad Darwish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

FAJR Scientific, the United States-based nonprofit organization that brought Kattan and 16 other physicians to Gaza, is now calling on the US government to help coordinate the team’s safe exit from Gaza. ‘This is what clean looks like in Gaza’The FAJR Scientific team recorded video diaries of their experiences and the conditions they face inside the European Hospital exclusively for CNN. Picking up a single vial of Propofol, she describes how the medics were able bring it in with them from the US. FAJR ScientificNo way outFAJR Scientific operates under the umbrella of WHO which, according to FAJR Scientific, has been attempting to coordinate an evacuation. Of the 19 members on the PAMA medical team, 10 are US citizens.

Persons: Ahlia Kattan, ” Kattan, “, ”, Mosab Nasser, Kattan, anesthesiologists, Laura Swoboda, ” Swoboda, We’re, Sameer Khan, “ It’s, they’re, I’ve Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Gaza’s, CNN, WHO, World Health, FAJR, Hospital, “, FAJR Scientific, European Hospital, Palestine American Medical Association Locations: Jerusalem, California, Rafah, Kattan, Gaza, Egypt, FAJR, United States, Gaza ’, Wisconsin

☆ An early retiree shares the advice he received in his early 20s that helped him retire at age 48 — and how he invested his money to build a seven-figure portfolio
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

It aligned with the life-changing money advice he received from a boss in his early 20s. The stock market: from tech stocks to low-cost index fundsCooper's investment strategy has evolved over the years. AdvertisementTo lower his risk, "I am in the process of transitioning my portfolio to mostly low-cost index funds, which are very popular among the FI community." "They're all paid off and bring in about $65,000 a year in rent," he said, adding that they played an important role in his early retirement. Advertisement"I think the easier route is to invest in low-cost index funds," he said, noting that the playbook is much simpler.

Persons: —, Eric Cooper, I'd, Cooper, Cooper's, Roth Organizations: Service, Business, Roth IRA, FI Locations: Louisville, Egypt

Maps Show Scarce Shelter and Medical Care as Rafah Operation Is UnderwayHundreds of thousands of Gazans have fled the southern region of Rafah over the past week, after Israel has expanded its evacuation orders amid continued bombardment and fierce fighting there. Satellite imagery taken after the May 6 incursion shows extensive new damage to eastern parts of Rafah. Additional damaged buildings were identified in satellite imagery collected from May 5 to May 7. As of Tuesday, new high resolution satellite imagery of the evacuation area in Rafah was not available after May 7. ISRAEL Rafah crossing N EGYPT Kerem Shalom crossing 1 mile Source: World Health Organization; International Committee of the Red Cross press releases Note: Data is as of May 14.

Persons: Younis, Copernicus, Israel, Corey Scher, Den, Abu Yousef al, EGYPT Al Helal, Helal, EGYPT Kerem Organizations: Planet Labs, The New York Times, Health, United Nations, The United Nations, New York Times, Copernicus Sentinel, CUNY, Center, Den Hoek of Oregon State University, Labs, Najjar, Maternity, Health Organization, International Committee, Red Cross Locations: Rafah, Israel, Gaza, Rafah Egypt Israel Rafah, Kerem Shalom, Israel Egypt Rafah, Egypt, GAZA, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT Rafah, Rafah ISRAEL EGYPT, Shalom, Den Hoek of, Kuwait, EGYPT, EGYPT Al Helal Al, ISRAEL Rafah, Helal Al, EGYPT Kerem Shalom, Jabaliya, Gaza City

☆ Egypt warns Israel of ‘dire repercussions’ over Rafah operation in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The official said that coordination between the two countries on the Rafah operation, which Egypt has publicly opposed, “didn’t go well. The top diplomats in both countries traded blame over the closure of the Rafah crossing as aid deliveries through the key land crossing halted. Rafah had been the entry point for nearly a quarter of the relief entering the Gaza Strip before Israel’s operation. Videos released by the Israeli military last week showed Israeli flags raised on the Palestinian side of the frontier. It is unclear how many troops Israel now has stationed across the border in Rafah.

Persons: “ didn’t, Israel, ”, ” Israel, Israel Katz, David Cameron, Annalena Baerbock, Sameh Shoukry, Katz, ” Shoukry, Shoukry, Egypt didn’t, Fatah, Abdel Kareem Hana Organizations: CNN, ” CNN, Street, Palestinian, US State Department, Israeli, Foreign, German, AFP, Getty, Israel Locations: Egypt, Israel, Gaza’s, Rafah, Gaza, Cairo

☆ CEO: I asked ChatGPT to read my journal from my late 20s and flag my top 10 weaknesses: It was 'alarmingly accurate'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Ravin Gandhi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In my late 40s, I sold GMM in a landmark buyout and stepped away last year after turning 50. I decided to upload the sprawling, disorganized document into ChatGPT and ask it to find blind spots in my youthful worldview. The experiment allowed me to reflect on the hunger and ambition I had and the challenges I faced in my 20s. Today I'm confident in my judgment, but I am mindful to not be judgmental. Close relationships with family and friends, says Ravin Gandhi, are "by far the most important thing we all have."

Persons: journaling, Ravin Gandhi, Gandhi, I've, ChatGPT, YPO, nodded, I'm, Taj Organizations: Northwestern Locations: —, Egypt, India, Africa

☆ Sen. Robert Menendez bribery trial: Opening statements expected in corruption case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), arrives at Federal Court, for his bribery trial in connection with an alleged corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen, in New York City, U.S., May 14, 2024. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are poised Wednesday to select a full jury and deliver opening statements in the federal bribery trial of Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey. Prosecutors will begin their opening statements shortly afterward "if all goes to plan," the judge said. A third New Jersey businessman charged in the case, Jose Uribe, pleaded guilty in March and agreed to cooperate with the federal prosecutors. Nadine Menendez has not been in court with her husband.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Sen, Sidney Stein, Stein, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Wael Hanna, Fred Daibes, Jose Uribe Organizations: Federal Court, Prosecutors, Robert Menendez of New, Democratic, Benz, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Locations: Jersey, New York City, U.S, Robert Menendez of, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Manhattan, Egypt, Qatar, New Jersey

☆ Robert Menendez’s Corruption Trial Opens: 5 Takeaways
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Nicholas Fandos | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The corruption trial of Senator Robert Menendez, a powerful New Jersey Democrat, spun into motion in Manhattan on Wednesday, with combative opening statements and an extraordinary claim by the defense. Speaking directly to the jury, a U.S. prosecutor asserted that Mr. Menendez “put his power up for sale,” trading favors involving Egypt and New Jersey businessmen for gold bars, cash and a Mercedes-Benz convertible. But it was a lawyer for Mr. Menendez who shook the courtroom awake, piling blame on the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez. Mr. Menendez, 70, betrayed little emotion as he watched the opening statements from the courtroom, where he is facing some of the gravest charges ever leveled against a sitting U.S. senator. Prosecutors have also charged Ms. Menendez, but her trial was delayed until July for health reasons.

Persons: Robert Menendez, Mr, Menendez “, Menendez, Nadine Menendez, Fred Daibes, Wael Hana Organizations: New Jersey Democrat, Benz, Prosecutors Locations: New Jersey, Manhattan, U.S, Egypt

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken warned on Wednesday that recent gains in getting desperately needed humanitarian aid to people in the Gaza Strip risked being undone by the fighting in southern Gaza. The border crossing in the southern city of Rafah has been closed since Israel began what it describes as a limited military operation against Hamas fighters in the town, on the border with Egypt. The United Nations said on Wednesday that 600,000 people had fled Rafah since Israel’s ground assault started there. “At the very time when Israel was taking important and much needed steps to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance,” Mr. Blinken said to reporters in Kyiv, Ukraine, “we’ve seen a negative impact on the fact that we have this active, very active conflict in the Rafah area.”Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a statement that Israel needed to end its Rafah operation “immediately,” warning that extending it “would inevitably put a heavy strain on the E.U.’s relationship with Israel.”

Persons: Antony J, Blinken, Israel, ” Mr, “ we’ve, ” Josep Borrell Fontelles, ” Organizations: Israel, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Kyiv, Ukraine, “, Israel

☆ Menendez defense lawyer denies bribery scheme and says gold bars found at senator’s home belonged to his wife
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Menendez is not running for reelection in next month’s Democratic primary but has said he would consider an independent bid should he be exonerated. “Evidence will show Nadine’s family had a lot of gold,” Weitzman said, asserting that she did not discuss money with the senator and kept financial problems she had from him. Weitzman also said the gold bars were found in Nadine’s locked closet, which the senator didn’t have access to. The potential jurors – an array of New Yorkers, including pastors, a standup comedian and amateur musicians – were pressed on whether they could be unbiased and fairly consider testimony from law enforcement officers or convicted criminals. One potential juror spoke about being a “news junkie” who couldn’t sit on the trial because “I’ve learned about the case significantly.

Persons: CNN — Sen, Bob Menendez’s, “, ” Menendez, Avi Weitzman, Nadine, Menendez, Wael Hana, Fred Daibes, Donald, Lara Pomerantz, “ Robert Menendez, ” Pomerantz, Nadine Menendez, Weitzman, ” “, ”, ” Weitzman, Menendez “, ” Nadine, didn’t, Hana, whittle, “ I’ve, Sidney Stein, they’ve, ” Stein, Bob Menendez, Stein, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, I’m Organizations: CNN, New, New Jersey Democrat, Jersey businessmen, Democratic, United, White House, Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Manhattan, New Jersey, Egypt, Qatar, Jersey, Egyptian American, United States, Lebanon, Paris

☆ ‘We give birth only to lose them’: Injured Palestinian mothers grieve for babies killed in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sarah Sirgany | Jomana Karadsheh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Hijazi tells her story in a faint voice lying in a hospital bed in Doha, Qatar’s capital. Hijazi was evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment a month after her injury. Doctors Hasan Abuhejleh and Ahmed AlSaadi inspect Gaza patients at the Hamad hospital in Doha, Qatar. Like many patients coming out of Gaza, she has a drug-resistant infection picked up in the territory’s struggling hospitals. Despite the different outcome of their pregnancies, Alqutati and Hijazi describe a similar despair that shackles them to the horrors of the war in Gaza.

Persons: Raneem Hijazi, Azzouz, ”, Khan Younis, “, Mariam, cesarian, Hijazi, ‘, ’ ” Hijazi, hasn’t, I’ve, Hasan Abuhejleh, Ahmed AlSaadi, Hamad, Sanjiv Talreja, Ola, Darren Bull, Shaimaa Al, Ghoul, Hothaifa, Mohamed, Abdullah, Shahed Alqutati, Ali, ‘ Ali, ’, ‘ Shahed, Sham, Alqutati, I’ll, ” Hijazi Organizations: Doha CNN, CNN, Hamad Hospital, United Nations, Shifa Locations: Qatar, Doha, Gaza, Qatar’s, Egypt, orthopedics, Israel, Rafah, Territories, Sabha, Al, Gaza City

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