- The Guardian
- Issue #2192
LEBANON: Israeli military forces escalated their direct attacks against health facilities and emergency vehicles in multiple locations across southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Ministry of Health strongly condemned the killings of at least 122 paramedics and reiterated that attacks against medical facilities and medical workers challenge the very foundations of international law.
DRC: Authorities and medics are finding it difficult to contain the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as cases continue to spread. Hospitals are overwhelmed and treatment facilities are struggling to cope with the growing number of patients. Another problem facing the medics is violent attacks on medical facilities by the locals.
JAPAN: The US has informed Japan that the promised delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles will be delayed by up to two years. Tokyo had planned to receive 400 Tomahawk missiles by 2028 as part of a major upgrade. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that the US has expended more than 1,000 Tomahawks during the Iran war – roughly a quarter to a third of the total US inventory. The production timeline for new missiles is currently 42 months.
TÜRKIYE: Police stormed the offices of Türkiye’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), firing tear gas and rubber bullets at a crowd of party supporters and officials gathered outside the gates. It was a violent end to a standoff between members of CHP and its new court-appointed leadership. The top court earlier nullified the election of Ozgur Ozel as party chairperson and members of the party’s executive board.
FRANCE: France has banned Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from its territory. “The decision follows his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens who were passengers on the Global Sumud Flotilla,” the French Foreign Minister said. The images of the activists being mistreated and humiliated prompted several countries – including Italy, France, the Netherlands, Canada, and Spain to summon Israeli ambassadors, condemning the “unacceptable” treatment and violation of human dignity.
IRAN: The US military has attacked southern Iran, targeting Iranian military sites and boats. The US Central Command has claimed that the strikes were taken in “self-defence” in order to “protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.” That’s Iranian forces in Iran. Captain Tim Hawkins, speaking for Central Command described the US military as “using restraint.”
RUSSIA: Russia has urged foreigners to leave the Ukrainian capital and warned residents to stay away from military, industrial and government sites. The Foreign Ministry’s warning comes after a deadly attack on a college dorm which was “the last straw” for Russia. It will be conducting “systematic strikes” on targets across Kiev from now on.
DPRK: The first North Korean sports team to visit the South in eight years crowned their trip by winning the Asian Women’s soccer Champions League, beating Japan 1-0 in the final.
INDIA: A satirical political party called “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) is rapidly going viral in India. Launched in response to chief Justice remark that “There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment, or have any place in the profession,” CJP, literally Cockroach People’s Party, has become a hit with Gen Z under the slogan “voice of the lazy and unemployed.” The CJP launched on 16 May this year. As of 22 May its Instagram account had more than 29 million followers. The party’s website was blocked days after launching, leading the party founder to ask why the government is so scared of cockroaches.
