War-torn Gaza is heavily contaminated by unexploded ordnance, which frequently kill and maim people and could threaten recovery efforts far into the future, the UN said Friday.
Unexploded ordnance, ranging from undetonated bombs or grenades to simple bullets, has become a common sight in the Gaza Strip since the start of Israel's war in the Palestinian territory, sparked by Hamas's unprecedented attack on October 7, 2023.
NICOSIA, April 24 (Reuters) - It is too early to talk about relieving any kind of sanctions on Iran, EU Council President Antonio Costa told a joint press conference on Friday after a meeting of EU leaders in Cyprus.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made similar comments.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had said after the meeting that EU leaders were willing to gradually ease sanctions on Iran in the event that a comprehensive agreement is reached.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer, editing by Ingrid Melander)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO, April 24 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike killed at least three in Gaza on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials.
The strike hit a crowded area in Gaza city near an area where local police are stationed to guard a bank, said the medics and eyewitnesses.
Gaza's interior ministry said that the strike had targeted a police patrol, in a statement Friday.
By Sam Tabahriti
LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - The United States could seek to punish Britain for its lack of support on the Iran war by reviewing its position on London's claim to the Falkland Islands, an internal Pentagon email described to Reuters by a U.S. official states.
The proposal on the remote British-ruled archipelago in the South Atlantic is among a range of options being considered by President Donald Trump's administration to pressure NATO allies it believes failed to support U.S. military operations in the war with Iran.
TEL AVIV, April 24 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that he had received successful treatment for early-stage prostate cancer, without specifying when the treatment took place.
In a statement on social media, as his annual medical report was released, Netanyahu, 76, said an early stage malignant tumor had been discovered during a routine checkup. He said "targeted treatment" had removed "the problem" and left no trace of it.
MOSCOW, April 24 (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin may or may not travel to the G-20 summit in Miami, the Kremlin said on Friday after U.S. President Donald Trump said it would be very helpful if the Russian president did attend.
Trump intends to invite Putin to attend the G-20 summit in December in Miami, the Washington Post reported earlier on Thursday, citing administration officials.
By Saurabh Sharma
NEW DELHI, April 24 (Reuters) - Ankit Yadav, a seafarer from India, has been stuck on a boat at an inland Iranian port for about 2-1/2weeks, surviving with his three fellow mariners on limited rations of tomatoes and potatoes.
He is one among thousands of seafarers from India and other nations who are stranded in and around the Strait of Hormuz, as the war in Iran disrupts trade along one of the world's busiest ship routes.
Heating with geothermal energy, lighting with solar panels, cooking with biodegradable waste: how can we live with less oil and gas?
It's a long-burning question -- but one that is catching fire as energy costs soar due to the conflict in the Middle East, which has strangled exports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
With the global energy shock caused by the conflict expected to linger, AFP's video journalists around the world have explored how countries are experimenting with the climate transition.
- Geothermal in France -
WASHINGTON, April 24 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday that the U.S. blockade on Iran is going global, adding Tehran had a chance to make a "good deal" with Washington.
"Our blockade is growing and going global," Hegseth told reporters.
"No one sails from the Strait of Hormuz to anywhere in the world without the permission of the United States Navy," he said.
Thirty-four ships had been turned around from the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. Navy so far, he said.
Despite heightened security measures, Jewish residents in northwest London remain on "high alert" after a spate of arson attacks on synagogues and community sites in recent weeks.
So far there have been no casualties. But since the first antisemitic attack in late March -- when ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola were set ablaze in Golders Green -- other incidents have followed.
