Interactive

Despite a ceasefire deal with Israel, Palestinians across the devastated Gaza Strip continue to go hungry as food supplies remain critically low and aid fails to reach those who need it most.

As per the ceasefire agreement, Israel was supposed to allow 600 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza per day. However, Israel has since reduced the limit to 300 trucks per day, citing delays in retrieving bodies of Israeli captives buried under the rubble by Israeli attacks.

According to the UN2720 Monitoring and Tracking Dashboard, which monitors humanitarian aid being offloaded, collected, delivered and intercepted on its way into Gaza, from October 10-16, only 216 trucks have reached their intended destinations inside Gaza.

According to truck drivers, aid deliveries are facing significant delays, with Israeli inspections taking much longer than expected.

‘Palestinians want food’

While some food aid has trickled in over the past few days, medical equipment, therapeutic nutrition and medicines are still in extremely short supply, despite being desperately needed by the most impoverished, particularly malnourished children.

Reporting from Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary said some commercial trucks have entered Gaza over the past few days, but most Palestinians do not have the ability to buy any of the items they are bringing in as they have spent all of their savings in the past two years.

So far, what has arrived in the trucks includes “wheat, rice, sugar, oil, fuel and cooking gas”, she said.

While food distribution points are expected to open for parcels and other humanitarian aid, people in Gaza have yet to receive them. “Palestinians want food, they want shelter, they want medicine,” Khoudary said.

She added that even 600 trucks a day would be insufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s entire population.

Food ‘is not a bargaining chip’

The UN humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, has urged Israel to open more border crossings for humanitarian aid.

“We need more crossings open and a genuine, practical, problem-solving approach to removing remaining obstacles. Throughout this crisis, we have insisted that withholding aid from civilians is not a bargaining chip. Facilitation of aid is a legal obligation,” Fletcher said.

Since the ceasefire began, 137 World Food Programme trucks have entered Gaza as of October 14, delivering supplies to bakeries and supporting nutrition and food distribution programmes.

With the ceasefire in effect, WFP is now scaling up.

🔹137 trucks have already entered #Gaza — supporting bakeries, nutrition, and food distributions.

🔹170,000+ MT of food ready to move, enough to feed 2M people.

The goal: flood Gaza with food, fast. The ceasefire must hold. pic.twitter.com/AjKBu8rap7

— World Food Programme (@WFP) October 14, 2025

Israeli authorities continue to block UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – the primary and largest organisation providing aid to Palestinians – has faced significant restrictions imposed by Israel.

The agency, which was responsible for delivering food, medical care, education and emergency assistance, says it has enough food aid in warehouses in Jordan and Egypt to supply the people in Gaza for three months.

This includes food parcels for 1.1 million people and flour for 2.1 million, and shelter supplies sufficient for up to 1.3 million individuals.

However, despite the ceasefire, Israeli authorities are continuing to block them from entering.

UNRWA has enough food outside #Gaza to supply people there for three months, amid desperate need. Our teams stand ready to deliver it.

But despite the #ceasefire, the Israeli Authorities’ block on UNRWA bringing any supplies into Gaza still continues after over 7 months.

Let us… pic.twitter.com/O3fwK70d5V

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) October 16, 2025

Malnutrition among children

As of October 12, at least 463 people, including 157 children, have died from starvation amid Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. Nearly one in four children suffers from severe acute malnutrition.

After prolonged starvation, food must be reintroduced carefully under medical supervision to avoid re-feeding syndrome, a potentially fatal condition in which sudden intake of nutrients causes dangerous shifts in electrolytes, affecting the heart, nerves and muscles. A larger supply of nutritional aid, given safely, could dramatically save lives.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 90 percent of children in Gaza less than two years of age consume fewer than two food groups each day, which doesn’t include protein-rich foods.

At least 290,000 children between the ages of six months and 5 years, and 150,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women require feeding and micronutrient supplies.

In addition to this, there are an estimated 132,000 cases of children less than the age of five, and 55,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women projected to be suffering from acute malnutrition by June 2026, if immediate food aid isn’t made available.

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize is scheduled to be announced on Friday, October 10, at 11:00 am local time in Oslo, Norway (09:00 GMT).

The announcement comes from the Norwegian Nobel Institute on behalf of the all-Norwegian, five-member Nobel Committee, appointed by the Norwegian Parliament and responsible for selecting and presenting the laureates.

Nominations for this year’s award closed on January 31, and the selection process remains shrouded in secrecy.

A brief history of the Nobel Prize

The Nobel Prizes are named after Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), a Swedish chemist, engineer and industrialist best known for inventing dynamite, an explosive that transformed the modern world through advances in construction and mining, but which was also responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people in wars.

Motivated by a desire to shape his legacy, Nobel left a multimillion-dollar fortune to fund annual prizes, awarded to those who “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” in the preceding year.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 for outstanding achievement in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace.

In 1968, Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, expanding the categories to six.

So far this year, four Nobel Prizes have been announced. After the Peace Prize on October 10, the final award for economics will be revealed on October 13.

Who can be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize?

The Nobel Peace Prize is meant to recognise individuals and organisations that have made exceptional efforts to promote peace, resolve conflicts and advance human rights.

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize has 338 nominees, including 244 individuals and 94 organisations, up from 286 candidates in 2024.

Nominations are kept confidential, and committee members are prohibited from discussing their decisions for 50 years. Only the nominators themselves may choose to disclose their submissions.

While a person cannot nominate themselves, they may be nominated multiple times by others.

This year, United States President Donald Trump has become a focus of Nobel Peace Prize nominations. Trump, who has said, “Everyone says I should get the Nobel Peace Prize,” has received several endorsements: Israel, Cambodia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan, even as many have questioned his credentials.

While many well-known figures have been nominated in the past but never received the Nobel Peace Prize, the names most frequently searched in the Nobel nomination database are Adolf Hitler, Mahatma Gandhi and Joseph Stalin.

These individuals represent vastly different legacies: Hitler was nominated in 1939 as a satirical gesture, Gandhi was nominated multiple times between 1937 and 1948 but never awarded, and Stalin was nominated in 1945 and 1948 for his role in ending World War II.

Who has received the Nobel Peace Prize?

As of 2024, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 105 times to 142 laureates – 111 individuals and 31 organisations.

Among the individual recipients, 92 are men and 19 are women.

The youngest laureate to date is Malala Yousafzai, who received the award at the age of 17 in 2014, while the oldest is Joseph Rotblat, honoured at 86 for his work against nuclear weapons.

The International Committee of the Red Cross holds the record for the most Peace Prizes, having been recognised three times, followed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which has won twice.

Geographically, Europe accounts for the largest share of laureates at 45 percent, followed by North America (20 percent), Asia (16 percent), Africa (9 percent) and South America (3 percent).

In addition, United Nations organisations represent about 7 percent of all Nobel Peace Prize recipients.

When was the Peace Prize not awarded?

The Nobel Peace Prize has not been awarded every year.

It was skipped on 19 occasions, specifically in 1914–1916, 1918, 1923, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1939–1943, 1948, 1955–1956, 1966–1967, and 1972, usually due to war or the absence of a suitable candidate.

According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, if none of the candidates’ work is deemed significant enough, the prize may be withheld and the prize money carried forward to the next year. If it still cannot be awarded, the amount is transferred to the Foundation’s restricted funds.

One notable instance came in 1948, the year Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. Gandhi had been nominated several times – in 1937, 1938, 1939, 1947, and again in 1948 – for his nonviolent leadership of India’s freedom movement. In 1948, the Nobel Committee chose not to award the prize, citing “no suitable living candidate”, widely seen as an implicit tribute to him.

Has anyone refused the award?

The Nobel Peace Prize has only been refused on one occasion.

In 1973, Vietnamese politician Le Duc Tho and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger were awarded the prize for their efforts to end the Vietnam War.

Tho declined the award, citing the ongoing conflict in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War lasted from the late 1950s to 1975, ending with the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, and killed millions of people.

Has the award ever been shared?

Yes, very often. Out of the 105 awards presented so far:

• 71 prizes were given to a single laureate,
• 31 prizes were shared between two laureates, and
• 3 prizes were shared among three laureates.

According to the Nobel Foundation’s statutes, a prize can be divided equally between two recipients or shared among up to three if their work is considered to merit the award jointly. The prize cannot be divided among more than three people.

Who are all the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize?

The table below lists all Nobel Peace Prize laureates from 1901 to 2024, along with their country of origin.

EXPLAINER

In the first phase of the ceasefire plan, Israel will remain in control of nearly 60 percent of the Gaza Strip.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning in Gaza, United States President Donald Trump announced that Hamas and Israel had agreed on the first phase of his ceasefire and captive-exchange plan.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated : “ALL the hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their troops to an agreed upon line.”

The “agreed upon line” refers to a vague map shared by Trump on October 4, showing an initial Israeli withdrawal zone marked in yellow, later dubbed the “yellow line” by Trump officials.

After negotiations, Israel has agreed to the initial withdrawal line, which we have shown to, and shared with, Hamas. When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next… pic.twitter.com/0VfaMSOqQ1

— Trump Truth Social Posts On X (@TrumpTruthOnX) October 4, 2025

By Sunday or Monday, Hamas is expected to release about 20 living captives, along with the bodies of about 25 others, while Israel will free some 2,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons. Final details have yet to be confirmed.

Where is the initial withdrawal ‘yellow line’?

Israel currently controls more than 80 percent of Gaza’s 365sq km (141sq miles) area, including areas under forced evacuation orders or designated by Israel as military zones.

Once the deal is signed, fighting would be expected to end immediately, and Israeli forces would withdraw to the line marked in yellow.

The final map has not yet been published following negotiations in Egypt, but based on the October 4 map, the area inside the yellow line represents approximately 155sq km (60sq miles), leaving about 210sq km (81sq miles), or 58 percent of Gaza, under Israeli control, as verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad team.

Most notably, Israeli forces will remain in several previously populous Palestinian neighbourhoods, including:

• Beit Lahiya
• Beit Hanoon
• Parts of Gaza City’s Shujayea, Tuffah and Zeitoun
• More than half of the Khan Younis governorate
• Nearly all of the Rafah governorate

In addition, Israel will continue to control all crossings in and out of Gaza, including the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been displaced multiple times throughout two years of war and are desperate to return to their homes, but the continued Israeli presence in these areas makes that unlikely in the near term.

What is supposed to happen next?

According to the 20-point plan announced by Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on September 29 – developed without any Palestinian input – Israel is to withdraw its forces in three phases, as shown on an accompanying crude map, with each phase marked in a different colour:

• Initial withdrawal (yellow line): In the first phase, Hamas is expected to release all remaining Israeli captives, both living and deceased, while Israeli forces pull back to the line designated in yellow on the map.
• Second withdrawal (red line): During the second phase, an International Stabilization Force (ISF) will be mobilised to oversee security and support Palestinian policing, while Israeli forces retreat further to the line marked in red, reducing their direct presence in Gaza.
• Third withdrawal (security buffer zone): In the final phase, Israeli forces are to pull back to a designated “security buffer zone”, leaving a limited portion of Gaza under Israeli military control, while an international administrative body supervises governance and a transitional period.

Even after the third withdrawal phase, Palestinians will be confined to an area which is smaller than before the war, continuing a pattern of Israel’s control over Gaza and its people.

Many questions remain about how the plan will be implemented, the exact boundaries of Palestinian territory, the timing and scope of Israeli withdrawals, the role of the International Stabilization Force, and the long-term implications for Palestinians across both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Many children, their eyes wide with shock, cling to the arms of rescuers after explosions tear through their neighbourhoods.

Some images are too horrific to show, with small bodies crushed beneath rubble, homes erased in an instant, and the innocence of youth replaced by trauma.

These faces, once vibrant and full of life, grow thinner and paler, fading under the weight of hunger and loss.

One such image, taken on May 21, 2024, by Ashraf Amra, shows a child with a broken arm wrapped in plaster, lying on a hospital floor stained with blood. He stares fixedly up at the camera, the blood on the floor seeping closer to his uninjured shoulder.

He was one of the injured Palestinians brought to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital following Israeli attacks on the Bureij refugee camp in Deir el-Balah.

Also among them are Gaza’s women – mothers, teachers, doctors, journalists, and caregivers, carrying heavy loads, both physical and emotional. Some are guided by faith, in mosques or churches.

The older generation bears the eyes of displacement, having lived through such events before.

One of the most powerful images shows Palestinian woman Inas Abu Maamar, 36, embracing the body of her 5-year-old niece Sally, who was killed in an Israeli strike, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 17, 2023.

Photographer Mohammad Salem was at the hospital morgue that day.

“It was a powerful and sad moment, and I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said.

“People were confused, running … anxious to know the fate of their loved ones, and this woman caught my eye as she was holding the body of the little girl and refused to let go.”

The image went on to win the 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award, recognised for capturing the profound grief and chaos experienced by those living through the attacks in Gaza.

Many of the men pictured are carrying shrouded bodies, the weight of loss heavy.

Rescue workers and young men, often civilians turned first responders, move through the rubble with grim determination.

Each shrouded body tells a story of tragedy and sudden loss, and each man’s face reflects exhaustion, grief, and the urgent need to help in the midst of chaos.

One image taken by Omar Al-Qattaa shows a man carrying the shrouded body of a child killed in overnight Israeli bombardment at the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on October 2, 2024.

Explore an interactive mosaic of nearly 2,000 photos spanning two years in Gaza. Hover over or click on each icon to view the full image.

Last week the European Commission said it was preparing to introduce tariffs on Russian oil imports entering the EU through Hungary and Slovakia.

It comes as US President Donald Trump has piled pressure on NATO members to stop buying Russian energy, in a bid to end the Russia-Ukraine war. At the UN last week he said, “They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?” Trump was referring to the more-than one billion euros ($1.35bn) EU countries are still paying to Russia each month for fossil fuels.

In this explainer, Al Jazeera outlines the latest figures on Europe’s oil and gas imports from Russia, why some countries remain dependent on Russian energy and which other nations are now purchasing Russian fuel.

Which European states are still buying Russian energy?

According to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), which tracks physical flows of fossil fuels, the EU spent 1.15bn euros ($1.35bn) on Russian fossil fuels in August.

The five largest importers accounted for 85 percent of that total, buying 979 million euros ($1.15 billion) worth of Russian oil and gas. The remaining 15 percent came from countries including Spain, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Poland.

The top buyers of Russian energy include:

• Hungary: 416 million euros ($488m)
• Slovakia: 275 million euros ($323m)
• France: 157 million euros ($184m)
• Netherlands: 65 million euros ($76m)
• Belgium: 64 million euros ($75m)

Hungary and Slovakia both purchased Russian crude oil and pipeline gas, while France, the Netherlands and Belgium imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is natural gas cooled into a liquid so it can be transported by ship instead of through pipelines.

Europe’s heavy reliance on oil and gas

Together, oil (33 percent) and natural gas (24 percent) account for more than half of Europe’s energy supply. Coal contributes 11.7 percent, followed by nuclear at 11.2 percent, biofuels at 10.9 percent, solar and wind at 6.1 percent, and hydropower at 3.1 percent.

To transport these large volumes of oil and gas, Europe relies on an extensive network of 202,685 km of active pipelines as of 2023, according to GlobalData.

A key part of this network is the 4,000 km (2,500 miles) Druzhba pipeline, one of the world’s longest oil pipelines, with a capacity of 1.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day, carrying oil from eastern Russia through Belarus and Ukraine to Hungary and Slovakia.

Hungary and Slovakia continue to receive oil through the pipeline under a temporary EU exemption, granted to prevent severe energy shortages, as these landlocked countries rely heavily on the Druzhba pipeline and have few alternative import routes or ports.

How has Europe’s reliance on Russian gas changed?

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the EU sourced more than 45 percent of its total gas imports and 27 percent of its oil from Russia. By 2024, these shares had fallen to 19 percent for gas and three percent for oil.

Many European leaders have faced pressure to impose heavier sanctions on Russia as the EU seeks to reduce its dependence on Russian energy. However, this remains challenging for countries heavily reliant on a single energy source, for example, in Hungary, more than 60 percent of energy comes from oil and gas.

Imports of Russian gas fell from over 150 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2021 to less than 52 bcm in 2024. This shortfall was largely offset by increased imports from other partners: US imports rose from 18.9 bcm in 2021 to 45.1 bcm in 2024, Norway from 79.5 bcm to 91.1 bcm, and other partners from 41.6 bcm to 45 bcm.

What other commodities is Europe buying from Russia?

In addition to lower energy imports, the EU is now importing less nickel, iron and steel from Russia.

However, fertiliser essential for farming, for which Russia is a major producer and exporter, has increased by almost 20 percent from 2021 to 2025.

Earlier this year, the European Commission’s proposal to introduce a 6.5 percent tariff on fertiliser imports from Russia and Belarus was endorsed by the European Commission with the aim to phase out reliance on inorganic fertiliser from Moscow.

Outside the EU, who is buying Russian energy?

In August, China was the largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, accounting for 5.7 bn euros ($6.7 bn) worth of Russian energy export revenues, with 58 percent (3.1 bn euros) of these imports being crude oil.

India was the second-largest buyer, with 3.6 bn euros ($4.2bn) in imports, of which 78 percent (2.9 bn euros) was crude oil.

Turkiye ranked third, importing 3 bn euros ($3.5bn) worth of energy, including a mix of pipeline gas, oil products, crude oil and coal.

The EU was the fourth-largest purchaser, accounting for 1.2 bn euros ($1.4bn)  in imports. Two-thirds of these were Russian LNG and pipeline gas, valued at 773 million euros ($907m).

South Korea was the fifth-largest buyer at 564 million euros ($662m), with three-quarters of its imports consisting of coal.

The United States federal government shut down at 12:01am East Coast time (04:01 GMT) on Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a new spending bill, forcing operations considered inessential to close.

President Donald Trump has threatened to use the budget deadlock to push through mass layoffs of federal employees.

Democrats and Republicans remain divided over spending priorities as Democrats push to protect healthcare, social programmes and foreign aid while Republicans demand cuts.

This is not the first time Washington has faced such a standoff. The graphic below shows every US funding gap and government shutdown since 1976, including how long each lasted and under which administration it occurred.

What is a government shutdown?

A government shutdown happens when Congress does not agree on a budget, so parts of the federal government have to close until a spending plan is approved.

Shutdowns tend to happen in October because the government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.

How many times has the government shut down?

The current budget process was established in 1976. Since then, the government has had 20 funding gaps, resulting in 10 shutdowns.

A funding gap occurs whenever Congress misses the deadline to pass a budget or a stopgap spending bill (also called a continuing resolution), leaving the government without legal authority to spend money.

• A single shutdown can involve multiple funding gaps if temporary funding measures expire before a long-term agreement is reached.
• A shutdown happens only if government operations actually stop because of that funding gap.

Before the 1980s, funding gaps did not usually lead to shutdowns, and agencies kept operating, assuming funding would be restored soon.

After 1980, Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti issued legal opinions stating that, under federal law, agencies may not spend money without congressional approval. Only essential services – such as national security, air traffic control and law enforcement – could continue.

Since 1982, with this new legal basis in place, funding gaps have more often resulted in full or partial government shutdowns until Congress resolves the standoff.

When was the last government shutdown?

The last government shutdown occurred in December 2018 and January 2019 after President Donald Trump, then in his first term, and Democratic politicians hit an impasse over the president’s request for $5bn in funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border, a demand the Democrats opposed.

When was the longest shutdown?

The last shutdown was also the longest in US history, lasting 35 days from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, when Trump announced he had reached a tentative deal with congressional leaders to reopen the government for three weeks while negotiations on the border wall continued.

What happens during a shutdown?

During a government shutdown, nonessential federal services are halted or reduced, and many government employees are furloughed, or placed on unpaid leave.

Meanwhile, essential personnel – such as military service members, law enforcement officers and air traffic controllers – are required to keep working, often without pay until funding is restored.

How are government shutdowns resolved?

Shutdowns are typically resolved when Congress passes a continuing resolution, which provides short-term funding while negotiations for a longer-term budget continue.

Since 1990, every shutdown has ended through the passage of a continuing resolution.

Which services are halted?

A shutdown primarily affects nonessential federal employees as well as people and businesses that rely on government services.

The federal government is the nation’s largest employer. As of November, it had a little more than 3 million workers – about 1.9 percent of the civilian workforce – according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported by the Pew Research Centre.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that if funding lapses in fiscal year 2026, about 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day, and their lost pay would add up to about $400m daily. The exact number of furloughed workers could change over time because some agencies might increase layoffs the longer a shutdown continues while others could bring some employees back.

Past shutdowns have affected numerous services and agencies, including:

• National parks and monuments
• Federal museums
• Federal research projects
• Processing of certain government benefits
• IRS taxpayer services

Which services are still in operation?

Even during a shutdown, many core government functions remain in operation. Some continue because they are classified as essential for public safety and welfare while others are funded separately from the annual budget process through mandatory or self-sustaining programmes. Examples include:

• Social Security and Medicare benefits
• The military and federal law enforcement
• US Postal Service
• Air traffic control
• US Passport Agency

In September 2005, Israeli forces pulled out of the Gaza Strip, with the last troops leaving through the al-Karara (Kisufim) and Beit Hanoon (Erez) crossings.

The withdrawal was seen at the time as a historic turning point, raising hopes that nearly four decades of military occupation had come to an end.

But instead of relinquishing control, Israel repositioned itself on Gaza’s edges. It sealed off the territory by land, sea, and air, restricting movement through fence crossings, imposing limits on fishing waters, and keeping watch from above.

In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera breaks down factors that led to then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan, maps the 21 illegal settlements Israel dismantled across Gaza, and explores how their removal paved the way for deeper settlement expansion across the occupied West Bank.

What led up to disengagement?

The idea of the Gaza disengagement was primarily conceived and championed by Sharon.

A strong supporter of Israeli settlements, Sharon began considering a withdrawal from Gaza in the early 2000s, particularly after the outbreak of the second Intifada (2000-05).

The idea was motivated by the high cost of defending isolated settlements, the demographic challenges of ruling over a large Palestinian population, and the strategic goal of consolidating Israel’s hold on larger illegal settlements in the West Bank.

Despite facing intense opposition from within his Likud party and across the political spectrum, Sharon pushed forward the plan, framing it as a strategic move rather than a concession.

The proposal, formally known in Hebrew as the “Hitnatkut” (Disengagement), was announced in December 2003 and eventually approved by the Knesset in October 2004, paving the way for the dismantling of 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the northern West Bank in 2005.

Timeline of Gaza disengagement

• June 6, 2004 – The Israeli cabinet votes 14-7 in favour of PM Sharon’s disengagement plan, setting the stage for withdrawal from Gaza.
• February 16, 2005 – The Knesset passes the Disengagement Implementation Law, providing the legal framework for evacuations and compensation.
• August 15, 2005 – Israeli forces begin dismantling settlements and removing settlers from Gaza.
• August 22, 2005 – All 21 settlements in Gaza are emptied, removing about 8,000 settlers.
• August 23-24, 2005 – Attention shifts to the northern West Bank, where four settlements (al-Ghanim, Homesh, Kadim, Sanur) are dismantled.
• September 12, 2005 – Military jeeps and armoured bulldozers leave through the al-Karara and Beit Hanoon crossing points, ending 38 years of continuous Israeli military presence in the Strip.

Where were the 21 illegal settlements in Gaza?

Following the Six-Day War in 1967, when Israel occupied Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula, it intensified settlement building.

Israeli settlements are Jewish-only communities built on Palestinian land. Settlements are illegal under international law because they involve transferring an occupying power’s civilian population into occupied territory, which violates the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The first settlement in Gaza after 1967 was Kfar Darom, set up as a combined military-agricultural outpost in 1970 and later converted into a civilian community. It became part of Gush Katif, the largest Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip, located in southern Gaza, where most settlements were concentrated, particularly in the Khan Younis and Rafah governorates.

Other settlements included Netzarim, just south of Gaza City, and several sites in northern Gaza. These settlements were heavily protected by the Israeli military and surrounded by buffer zones that restricted Palestinian movement.

Over the next three decades, a total of 21 settlements were built, housing some 8,000 settlers.

Although settlers made up just 0.6 percent of Gaza’s population, they controlled roughly 20 percent of its land, affecting about 1.3 million Palestinians living in the territory at the time.

During Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, it built several corridors named after the settlements they connected, including Netzarim and Morag, two of the territory’s largest and most prominent settlements.

Settlement expansion across the West Bank

Since Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza, settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has accelerated. Today, there are between 600,000 and 750,000 Israeli settlers living in at least 250 settlements and outposts.

Many of these settlements have expanded while new outposts were set up, often strategically located to control roads, high ground, and key resources, effectively blocking Palestinians from accessing their land and limiting their freedom of movement.

One of Israel’s latest settlement announcements came in August 2025, when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich approved the construction of about 3,400 housing units in E1, between East Jerusalem and the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim.

E1 is strategically significant, as it forms one of the last geographic links between Bethlehem and Ramallah, and expansion there could undermine plans for a territorially contiguous Palestinian state.

Leaders from across the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have gathered in Doha for an Arab-Islamic summit to forge a unified stance on Israel following its attack on a Hamas office in Qatar’s capital on September 9 that killed six people.

The emergency summit of the Arab League and OIC began on Monday, following a closed-door meeting of foreign ministers in Doha, where a draft resolution outlining concrete measures against Israel was prepared.

“It’s time for the international community to abandon dual standards and to hold Israel accountable for all the crimes it has committed,” Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said before the meeting, adding that the attack must be met with “fierce” and “firm” measures.

The Qatari leader also chided Israel’s continuous derailment of Gaza ceasefire talks, stating: “Israel must know that the continuous genocidal war against the Palestinian people, aiming at forcibly transferring them outside their homeland, cannot succeed, no matter what false justification is provided.”

Israel’s attack on Qatar was part of a broader wave of strikes extending beyond its borders, marking the sixth country Israel had targeted in 72 hours and the seventh since the start of this year.

Who are the 22 members of the Arab League?

Among the attendees are representatives from the Arab League, a group of 22 member nations stretching from North Africa to the Gulf and representing primarily Arab-majority states, with a combined population of nearly 500 million — about six percent of the world’s population.

Officially known as the League of Arab States, the Arab League was established in Cairo on March 22, 1945, by seven founding members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (now Jordan), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen. Its creation reflected the shared desire of Arab countries emerging from colonial rule to coordinate their political stances, promote regional solidarity and safeguard their sovereignty and independence.

Over the decades, membership grew to 22 states, stretching from North Africa to the Gulf. Egypt was suspended in 1979 after signing a peace treaty with Israel, but its membership was reinstated in 1989. Libya was suspended during the 2011 uprising but readmitted later that year. Syria was suspended in 2011 amid its civil war and reinstated in 2023.

The group accounts for about 3.25 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP), with several members ranked among the world’s leading oil producers.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, and Algeria are also part of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and hold some of the largest proven oil reserves. Collectively, Arab League members produce about a quarter of the world’s oil.

All Arab League members are also part of the 57-member OIC.

Who are the 57 members of the OIC?

The OIC, which was formed in 1969 in response to an arson attack on Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, brings together 57 countries with significant Muslim populations across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

In September 1969, Muslim leaders met in Rabat, Morocco, to establish a body that would safeguard Islamic holy sites, protect shared political and economic interests, and promote solidarity among Muslim-majority nations on the global stage.

Over time, its membership expanded from 30 to 57 states, reflecting its growing reach. Today, the OIC represents more than 2.1 billion people — about 26 percent of the world’s population and 8 percent of the world’s GDP.

In its early years, the OIC had loose membership rules. Its original charter allowed any Muslim state to join with the approval of two-thirds of existing members, which opened the door for countries without Muslim majorities but with significant Muslim populations. These include Gabon, the Maldives, Mauritania, Uganda, Mozambique, Cameroon, Togo, Benin, the Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau.

In the Americas, Guyana and Suriname joined despite having relatively small Muslim communities.

The 2008 charter revision made membership stricter. Now, a country must be a United Nations member (with Palestine as the exception), have a Muslim-majority population, abide by the charter and apply formally. Even then, admission requires consensus among all 57 members — a difficult task.

Albania is the only European state in the OIC.

The organisation has maintained a consistent and forceful stance against Israeli actions, particularly regarding occupation and military offensives in Palestine.

Over the past three years, the OIC has convened several emergency summits and ministerial meetings — most notably in Riyadh, Jeddah and Istanbul – to condemn Israeli attacks on Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and, more recently, strikes involving Iran and Qatar.

The group has repeatedly called for immediate ceasefires, protection of Palestinian civilians and international accountability for what it describes as “Israeli crimes”.

More than 20 leaders from non-Western nations gathered in Tianjin, China over the weekend for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which concluded on Monday, and at which President Xi Jinping set out his vision for a global economic order with the Global South at its centre.

Against the backdrop of new global tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump, Xi told delegates: “We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics, and practise true multilateralism.”

The summit brought together some of the strongest emerging economies, including India and Russia, which, along with China, account for more than one-fifth of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Trilateral trade between China, India and Russia accounted for $452bn in 2023, up from $351bn in 2022, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC).

Seen as an alternative power structure to most US-led international institutions, the 10-member SCO includes much of Central Asia, Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Belarus, and represents about 43 percent of the world’s population and 23 percent of global GDP.

Beijing’s push for multilateralism is coming at a time of rising grievances with Washington, whose trade tariff policies have provided SCO members with common ground to work on.

Which countries buy the most from China?

China has a diverse range of trading partners.

Its largest buyer is the US, which imported $442bn or 12.9 percent of China’s total exports in 2023 – mainly consisting of electronics, machinery, consumer goods and telecommunications equipment.

Regionally, Asia is the main destination for China’s exports, accounting for $1.6 trillion of goods, with India alone receiving $120bn, or 3.1 percent of China’s total exports.

In Europe, China exported $819bn worth of goods, with the main destinations being Germany ($151bn), Russia ($110bn) and the UK ($95.3bn).

Which countries buy the most from India?

The US is also the largest buyer of Indian goods.

In 2023, the US bought goods worth $81.4bn, or 17.9 percent of India’s total exports, mostly medications and pharmaceutical products, followed by precious stones, machinery and textiles.

Regionally, Asia is also the main destination for India’s exports, accounting for $178bn of goods, with the UAE being India’s second largest destination for exports, at $31.4bn, or 6.9 percent of India’s total exports, mainly jewellery and refined petroleum.

The Netherlands is India’s third-biggest export market at $22.5bn, with refined petroleum being the largest export item, worth $15bn. China is India’s fourth-largest export market and second-largest in the Asia region.

On August 6, US President Donald Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports, citing India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude oil as the primary reason.

In response, India expressed strong disapproval, calling the tariffs “unfair, unjustified, and unreasonable”, and reaffirmed its sovereign right to determine its energy policies independently. Despite the US pressure, India continued to import Russian oil, attracted by substantial discounts offered by Moscow.

Which countries buy the most from Russia?

Before the Ukraine war, Russia’s trading partners were much more diversified.

While China was its largest trading partner, accounting for 14.6 percent ($72.1bn) of Russian exports in 2021, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), Russia also had a broad range of European partners. The Netherlands was Russia’s second-largest partner, with 8 percent ($39.5bn) of total exports, followed by the US at 5.5 percent ($27.3bn).

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, heavy sanctions sharply reduced trade with many Western nations.

By 2023, China accounted for about one-third ($129bn) of Russia’s exports, followed by India at 16.8 percent ($66.1bn) and Turkiye at 7.9 percent ($31bn), according to the OEC, making the Asia region the bulk recipient of Russian goods, with more than three-quarters of Russia’s exports heading there.

What do China and Russia trade most?

In 2023, China exported $110bn worth of goods to Russia, led by machinery and transport equipment. According to the OEC, the top export items from China to Russia were cars.

That same year, Russia sold $129bn worth of goods to China – mostly mineral products, including oil and natural gas.

In recent years, Russia has run a trade surplus with China, mostly due to energy products, which make up nearly three-quarters of its exports.

What do India and Russia trade most?

India runs a major trade deficit with Russia, importing far more than it exports.

In 2023, Russia sold $66.1bn worth of goods to India, with energy products – primarily crude oil and natural gas – making up about 88 percent of these imports, much of which India buys at a discounted rate.

India’s exports to Russia are more diversified, totalling $4.1bn in 2023, with significant contributions from chemical products, machinery and metals.

What do China and India trade most?

India runs a major trade deficit with China, importing about seven times more goods by dollar value than it exports.

In 2023, China exported $125bn worth of goods to India, mainly machinery and chemical products, while India exported $18.1bn worth of goods to China, with oil and fuel-related products comprising the largest share of its exports.

A global fleet of boats is preparing to set sail for Gaza as part of an international maritime initiative aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to starving people in Gaza.

The first convoy, consisting of dozens of small civilian vessels carrying activists, humanitarians, doctors, seafarers, and humanitarian supplies, is scheduled to depart from Spanish ports on August 31, to meet up in Tunisia with a second wave on September 4.

Organisers describe the Global Sumud Flotilla as the largest maritime mission to Gaza, bringing together more than 50 ships and delegations from at least 44 countries.

Which countries are taking part?

According to the Global Sumud Flotilla, delegations from 44 countries have already committed to sail to Gaza as part of the largest maritime mission to break Israel’s illegal siege.

Countries from six continents will be taking part in the flotilla, including countries such as Australia, Brazil, South Africa and numerous European states.

According to the group, participants are unaffiliated with any government or political party.

Who are the groups participating?

This mission is organised by four major coalitions, including groups that have participated in previous land and sea efforts to Gaza:

• Global Movement to Gaza (GMTG) – Formerly known as Global March to Gaza, is a grassroots movement organising global solidarity actions to support Gaza and break the siege.
• Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) – With 15 years of experience running sea missions, including past flotillas such as the Madleen and Handala, FFC provides hands-on advice, guidance, and operational support to current efforts to break the Gaza blockade.
• Maghreb Sumud Flotilla –  Formerly known as the Sumud Convoy, is a North Africa-based initiative carrying out solidarity missions to deliver aid and support to Palestinian communities.
• Sumud Nusantara – A people-led convoy from Malaysia and 8 other countries, that aims to break the Gaza blockade and foster solidarity among Global South nations.

Collectively, they will form the largest coordinated civilian flotilla in history.

Who are the people involved?

According to the Global Sumud Flotilla website, the coalition comprises a range of people, including organisers, humanitarians, doctors, artists, clergy, lawyers, and seafarers, who are united by a belief in human dignity, the power of nonviolent action, and a single truth: the siege and genocide must end.

A steering committee has also been set up, which includes the likes of Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, historian Kleoniki Alexopoulou, human rights activist Yasemin Acar, socioenvironmentalist Thiago Avila, political scientist and lawyer Melanie Schweizer, social scientist Karen Moynihan, physicist Maria Elena Delia, Palestinian activist Saif Abukeshek, humanitarian Muhammad Nadir al-Nuri, activist Marouan Ben Guettaia, activist Wael Nawar, activist and social researcher Hayfa Mansouri, and human rights activist Torkia Chaibi.

Although hundreds will set sail from the organised fleet, tens of thousands of others have registered to participate in the initiative.

When will the ships depart and how long to reach Gaza?

In a media briefing from Placa del Rei in Barcelona, ​​Saif Abukeshek said the exact number will be specified later and that the details of the specific ports and ships have been withheld for security reasons.

The group estimates that the fleet will take between seven and eight days to make the approximately 3,000km (1,620-nautical-mile) journey to Gaza.

What is a flotilla and why send aid by sea?

A flotilla is a group of boats or ships organised to deliver essential supplies, such as food, medicine and other materials, to regions in crisis. They are usually organised when traditional supply routes such as air and land corridors are blocked or inaccessible.

Since 2007, Israel has tightly controlled Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters, restricting the movement of goods and people. Even before the war, Gaza had no functional airports after Israel bombed and destroyed the Yasser Arafat International Airport in 2001, just three years after it opened.

Humanitarian and grassroots flotillas usually operate under the protection of international organisations and are governed by naval laws.

By delivering aid by sea, the Sumud flotilla aims to confront Israel’s blockade head-on and carry a message that the siege must end.

What has happened to previous flotillas?

Several Freedom Flotilla vessels have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza.

In 2008, two boats from the Free Gaza Movement successfully reached Gaza, marking the first breach of Israel’s naval blockade. The movement, founded in 2006 by activists during Israel’s war on Lebanon, went on to launch 31 boats between 2008 and 2016, five of which reached Gaza despite heavy Israeli restrictions.

Since 2010, all flotillas attempting to break the Gaza blockade have been intercepted or attacked by Israel in international waters.

2010 – Gaza Freedom Flotilla

In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara in international waters. The assault killed 10 activists and injured dozens, leading to global outrage. The ship was carrying humanitarian aid and more than 600 passengers.

2011 – Freedom Flotilla II

Freedom Flotilla II was launched in 2011 as a follow-up to the 2010 mission. Organised by a coalition of international activists and NGOs, it aimed to breach Israel’s blockade on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

2015 – Freedom Flotilla III

Freedom Flotilla III was launched in 2015 as the third major attempt by international activists to break through Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Organised by the FFC, the mission included several vessels, with the Swedish-flagged Marianne of Gothenburg leading the effort.

2018 – Just Future for Palestine

The Just Future for Palestine Flotilla – also known as the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla – was part of a continued effort by the FFC to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza.

2025 – Break the Siege ‘Conscience’

While preparing to sail to Gaza on May 2, the Conscience was struck twice by armed drones, just 14 nautical miles (25km) off the coast of Malta. The attack triggered a fire and caused a significant breach in the hull, forcing the 30 Turkish and Azeri activists on board into a desperate effort to bail out water and keep the ship afloat.

2025 – Madleen – The Madleen, launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) on June 9, was intercepted by the Israeli military about 185km (100 nautical miles) from Gaza, in international waters.

2025 – Handala – On June 26, Israeli forces stormed the Gaza-bound Handala ship, which was carrying aid to starving Palestinians.

After a week of high-stakes diplomacy aimed at halting the war in Ukraine, United States President Donald Trump says he is set on arranging a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Following separate meetings with both leaders, Trump has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine, but pledged security guarantees to Kyiv and indicated that Washington could provide air support to reinforce a potential deal.

Ukraine, in turn, told reporters at the White House it would obtain US-made weapons purchased by Europeans for an estimated $90bn as part of the effort to bolster its defences.

Which countries are aiding Ukraine?

At least 41 countries have contributed to Ukraine’s war efforts monetarily, either through military, humanitarian or financial assistance, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank.

Military assistance includes weapons, equipment and financial aid for the Ukrainian military. Humanitarian relief covers medical, food and other items for civilians, while financial assistance comes in the form of grants, loans and guarantees.

Most contributions to Ukraine have come from NATO, with 29 of its 32 members providing monetary aid, according to the Kiel Institute.

Additionally, 12 non-NATO countries and territories have sent monetary aid to Ukraine. These include Australia, Austria, Cyprus, the Republic of Ireland, Japan, Malta, New Zealand, South Korea, Switzerland, China, Taiwan, and India.

The European Union, through the Commission and Council, has also delivered substantial aid to Ukraine.

How much aid has Ukraine received so far?

So far, Ukraine has received more than 309 billion euros ($360bn) in military, financial, and humanitarian aid, according to the Kiel Institute:

• Military aid – 149.26 billion euros ($174bn – using today’s exchange rate of €1 = $1.17)
• Financial aid – 139.34 billion euros ($163bn)
• Humanitarian aid – 21.04 billion euros ($24bn)

Who are Ukraine’s largest donors?

The US has committed the largest amount of aid to Ukraine, providing 114.64 billion euros ($134bn) between January 24, 2022 and June 30, 2025, of which:

• Military aid – 64.6 billion euros ($75bn)
• Financial aid – 46.6 billion euros ($54bn)
• Humanitarian aid – 3.4 billion euros ($4bn)

The EU (Commission and Council) is the second biggest donor at 63.19 billion euros ($74bn), followed by Germany (21.29 billion euros or $25bn), the UK (18.6 billion euros or $21bn) and Japan (13.57 billion euros or $15bn).

How much aid has been pledged v allocated?

According to the Kiel Institute, European countries have collectively allocated 167.4 billion euros ($195bn) to the war in Ukraine, more than the 114.6 billion euros ($134bn) allocated by the US.

Allocated aid refers to funds or resources that have actually been set aside, delivered, or officially committed for use by Ukraine.

It is different from pledged aid, which is money or equipment promised by a country but not yet delivered or officially set aside.

In total, Europe as a whole has committed 257.4 billion euros ($300bn) and the US 119 billion euros ($139bn).

US aid to Ukraine plummets under Trump

Days before Trump took office, the Biden administration gave one final injection of military support to Ukraine with a weapons package of $500m on January 9.

Following the start of the Trump administration’s second term in office, aid to Ukraine has plummeted, with Washington suspending all support, including weapons, in March after a tense meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House.

Trump made claims that the US has given Ukraine more than $300bn in wartime aid. That number has been contested by Ukraine and its supporters, despite the US being the single largest donor country.

What weapons has Ukraine received?

Ukraine has received various weapons systems from its allies, including armoured vehicles, artillery, aircraft, air defence systems, drones, missiles, and a wide range of support equipment.

According to the Kiel Institute, Poland has supplied its neighbour with the largest number of tanks, totaling 354, while the US leads in providing infantry fighting vehicles (305), howitzers (201), air defence systems (18), and HIMARS rocket launchers (41).

The HIMARS, capable of striking targets just a few metres (feet) wide from nearly 80km (50 miles) away, gave Ukraine a vital long-range precision strike capability that slowed Russian advances early in the war.

NATO defence spending

In a news briefing, the White House said the US could help coordinate a security guarantee for Ukraine. However, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has ruled out the deployment of troops from NATO countries to help secure a peace deal.

In June, NATO leaders signed a deal to increase defence spending, which is to be achieved over the next 10 years, and is a jump worth hundreds of billions of dollars a year from the current goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to 5 percent.

Currently, 23 of the 32 member countries have met this target, with the alliance as a whole spending 2.61 percent of its combined GDP on defence last year.

NATO countries bordering Russia, such as Estonia and Lithuania, have significantly increased their defence spending – from less than 1 percent of their GDP just 10 years ago.

EXPLAINER

With this year’s hurricane season under way, Al Jazeera visualises the differences between various storm systems.

Hurricane Erin became the Atlantic Ocean’s first hurricane of the season – which runs from June 1 to November 30 – rapidly intensifying to Category 5 on Saturday before weakening to Category 2 on Tuesday.

While the storm remained far out at sea, it still generated major waves along the United States East Coast. Officials in North Carolina’s Outer Banks warned of coastal flooding and issued evacuation orders.

On its path were the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, and the Turks and Caicos, with swells reaching the Bahamas, Bermuda, the US East Coast and Atlantic Canada.

The storm’s rapid intensification, reaching Category 5 in a short span, ranks it among the fastest-strengthening hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Scientists have linked such rapid intensification to climate change, as global warming increases atmospheric water vapour and ocean temperatures, providing hurricanes with more fuel to strengthen quickly and unleash heavier rainfall.

Storms that ramp up so quickly complicate forecasting and make it harder for government agencies to plan for emergencies.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) publishes an alphabetical list of names for upcoming tropical cyclones. These names are meant to be short, easy to pronounce, appropriate across languages and unique.

Erin was the fifth named storm of the season but became the first hurricane because the previous four storms never reached hurricane strength.

Are hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons the same thing?

When broken down to basics, yes, hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons are all essentially the same thing. The only thing that differs is where they originated from. All three are storm systems with winds exceeding 119km/h (74mph).

Hurricanes: Occur in the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific, often affecting the United States East Coast, the Gulf, and the Caribbean. The strength of a hurricane is measured on a wind scale from 1 to 5. A Category 1 hurricane will bring with it sustained winds of 119-153km/h (74-95mph), whereas a Category 5 storm can exceed 252km/h (157mph).

Cyclones: Occur in the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, often impacting countries from Australia all the way to Mozambique. Cyclone season typically runs from November to April.

Typhoons: Occur in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, frequently hitting the Philippines and Japan. Typhoon season is most common between May and October, but they can form year-round. The strength of a typhoon has various classification scales with the most severe storms named “super typhoons”.

How does a tropical storm form?

Tropical storms form over warm ocean waters near the equator. As this warm air rises, an area of lower air pressure is formed. As the air cools down again, it is pushed aside by more warm air rising below it. This cycle causes strong winds and rain.

When this cycle gains momentum and strengthens, it creates a tropical storm. As the storm system rotates ever faster, an eye forms in the centre. The eye of the storm is very calm and clear and has very low air pressure.

When winds reach speeds of 63km/h (39mph) the storm is called a tropical storm. When the wind speeds reach 119km/h (74mph) the storm becomes a tropical cyclone, typhoon or hurricane.

Pirating, as evidenced by centuries of stories and one of the greatest theme park rides, has long fascinated. Seafaring and sword fighting imply adventure. Dice games? Bluffing and strategy. And if you’re really lucky, maybe you’ll find a mermaid.

Audience members seen during a production of “Pirates Wanted,” an interactive production from Last Call Theatre.

(Gabriella Angotti-Jones/The Los Angeles Times)

Last Call Theatre, a local interactive-focused performance group, has found a way to give us a taste of buccaneering — without the pesky consequences of being captured by the Royal Navy or succumbing to a rum-induced liver disease.

For one more weekend in Long Beach, theatergoers can live out a mini marauding fantasy on an actual ship at “Pirates Wanted,” a limited-run revival of the troupe’s 2024 show. It’s theater, but it’s also a choose-your-own-adventure-style game, one with branching narratives, multiple endings and even life lessons.

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The show is set on board the American Pride tall ship docked at Long Beach’s Pine Avenue Pier, a 130-foot schooner that today is primarily used as an education-focused vessel. Stand still and feel the lean and long boat gently rock on the waves. But you’ll rarely be stationary on the wood-heavy craft. With a cast of 14 and an audience capacity of 55, “Pirates Wanted” explores the full top deck of the ship, which is accessible via a small portable stairway.

The setup: As audience members, we are to be trained as pirates in 17th century England, with much of the cast performing in exaggerated accents. The drama: Our captain’s previous ship was marooned under suspicious circumstances. To complicate matters, a long-lost sibling, also a pirate with his own troubling history, is here to judge the crew’s seaworthiness. The show begins with a speech from Capt. Souvanna (Bonnie-Lynn Montaño), who sternly demands a vocal “aye” from the audience as the ground rules are laid out. Follow them, Souvanna warns, or risk being thrown into the harbor.

Captain Souvanna (Bonnie-Lynn Montaño) and Captain Draken (Shelby Ryan Lee) share a moment during immersive theater production “Pirates Wanted.”

In moments, we are free to wander and link up with various crew members for our pirating lessons. The so-called “treasures of the seas” aren’t going to be pillaged without our help, and I soon find myself improvising sea shanties and engaging in a game of liar’s dice. I stumble over relearning how to construct a knot — important, I am told, in case I’m tossed overboard and need to quickly lasso myself to a raft — but have better luck mimicking a figure 8 with my sword. We have tasks to complete — or games to play, rather — which are ultimately an excuse for conversation.

Ask a roaming bard about the previous ship’s fate and a host of stories start to unravel and reveal themselves — love affairs, hidden secrets, lost maps and the requisite discontentment among the ship’s keep. What would a pirate narrative be without talk, for instance, of mutiny?

Oats Weetle (Mads Durbin) climbs a mast during a dramatic scene in “Pirates Wanted.”

“Pirates Wanted” is heavily active, and one won’t discover all of the show’s narrative paths. Wander, for instance, to a compartment at the ship’s bow, and you may hear conspiratorial whispers. Hang in the aft, and there might be talk of a siren on board. I saw others with treasure maps, and only caught murmurs of the romantic soap operas unfolding among the crew. Love letters were lost and recovered, and at one point I was pulled aside, a pirate whispering to me to ask if there was an illicit affair on board between a member of the crew and the British Navy.

Audience members take in “Pirates Wanted.”

Like all of Last Call’s shows, there are multiple ways to watch — or play. One can opt to be a relatively passive observer trying to overhear conversations and uncover the various storylines. But it’s advised to lean in, to hop from character to character armed with questions and the willingness to go on assigned quests. Here, the latter rely heavily on gossip. Early on I was tasked, for instance, with asking the various pirates about their feelings over losing their last ship, only I was told not to use the word “feel” in my line of questioning (after all, one must trick a pirate into vulnerability).

Throughout, “Pirates Wanted” explores how to navigate complicated family drama and romantic relationships when value systems — you know, looting and pillaging versus not — don’t align. There are metaphors if you go looking for them, specifically on having to live much of one’s life in the closet, but “Pirates Wanted” places a heavy emphasis on silliness too.

Last Call over the last three years has established itself as one of the more prolific companies on the city’s immersive theater scene, regularly hosting two or three shows per year. The troupe has already announced a winter time traveling production, “The Butterfly Effect,” set to debut Nov. 8 at Stella Coffee near Beverly Hills. “Pirates Wanted” last year became one of Last Call’s best reviewed productions.

Throughout “Pirates Wanted” audience members will be tasked with quests, sometimes seeking hidden items.

“It definitely was our most critically and financially successful show we put on,” says Ashley Busenlener, Last Call’s executive director. “Who doesn’t like pirates on an actual ship?”

“Pirates Wanted” leans campy, a vision of the lifestyle more informed by Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean than any historical fiction. It also tackles subject matter not often seen in pirate tales, such as feelings of being misunderstood and the struggle to be one’s true self.

“One of the things that I often notice about pirate media is a lot of the time you see pirates and the majority of time they are white men,” Busenlener says. “That’s not who I think I pirates are. We were very intentional … in creating a cast that we felt represented what piracy should be.”

In turn, many of the actors are female, queer and hail from diverse backgrounds. The goal, says Busenlener, was to show that anyone can be a pirate.

“Pirates are the people who were outside of society,” Busenlener says. “They were breaking rules and laws and taking power into their own hands. That’s something we wanted to reflect.”

There are multiple story tracks in one “Pirates Wanted.” In one, captain Souvanna (Bonnie-Lynn Montaño) may face a mutiny.

And it’s represented in one of the show’s most affecting narrative branches, one in which a half-mermaid spent their life presenting only as human out of fear. It’s intimate drama laced with mysticism, an adult theme ultimately handled with a hint of levity for this family-friendly show.

It also gets to the heart of Last Call’s ambitious with “Pirates Wanted.” Come for the swashbuckling — and the chance to learn some sword-fighting moves — but stay for the emotional adventure. Just don’t be surprised if you leave the pier suddenly talking in a fake British accent.

Tall ship the American Pride in Long Beach, home for one more weekend to immersive theater show “Pirates Wanted.”

Rizik ran on. Next to him was a young man who spoke to Al Jazeera later, requesting anonymity for his safety.

He said Rizik fell while jumping over a stone wall, hurting his legs, but that when they saw two boys who needed help, Rizik joined the young man in carrying them to safety.

But then Rizik and his friend found themselves surrounded by settlers.

They ran, but just as he dove for cover in the bushes, the friend saw a settler shoot Rizik in the chest.

“The settlers started shouting: ‘Yes! I got you!’” he recalled, describing how several settlers gathered around Rizik as he lay on the ground.

At about the time of the shooting, Rizik had called his family, but the family told others the call lasted only seconds, with no response from Rizik, although they heard shouts in Hebrew in the background.

Rizik’s friend ran for his life down the side of the mountain, heading east.

At 3:18pm, he sent a panicked voice message to local WhatsApp groups, begging for help: “Someone’s been martyred!” he beseeched.

[Audio]: Witness to Muhammad Rizik al-Shalabi’s shooting, believing he’s been killed and sending a voice message calling for help.

Later reconstructions estimated that Rizik may have still been alive at the time, but he was dead by the time search parties were able to access the area to look for him.

Meanwhile, Saif and others were running for their lives further south, headed towards Ain al-Sarara.

As family members confirmed to Al Jazeera, one of those young men was caught along the way and tied up by a gang of about nine settlers.

Witnesses say the settlers repeatedly smashed the young man in the knee with their weapons, then dragged him, tied up, into a car and shot bullets all around him.

Then they threw him to the ground over and over, until the young man was begging them to kill him.

“They said: ‘I’m not going to kill you,’” a friend recalled on TikTok. “‘I’m going to chop off your arms and your legs and throw you on the side of the road like a dog.’”

According to Sinjil activist Ayed Ghafari, among the settlers was Yahariv Mangory, reportedly the leader of the outpost builders in al-Baten, who was carrying an M16 rifle.

Mangory later identified himself in an interview with Israel’s Channel 14 as the “owner” of the al-Baten outposts.

Saif and the others had managed to go up a hill, but at about 3:30pm, they were met by a group of settlers coming downhill and attacked them from above, according to Ghafari, who spoke with the young men.

The settlers were pelting the young men with rocks, with occasional bullets zooming past them as they made their way down the hill.

A settler hit Saif square in the back with a rock, toppling him. He was instantly surrounded by a group of settlers who beat him with clubs and sticks all over, according to witnesses.

Dazed, Saif staggered to his feet after the settlers stopped beating him, heading south down the hill until he came across a big oak tree where a young Palestinian man was hiding.

Battered, he sank to the ground there for the next two and a half hours as the young man tried to reach out to people from Mazraa, asking for help.

Saif was vomiting and struggling to breathe, his condition worsening by the minute.

That was when Muhammad caught word that his big brother was in trouble.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Donald Trump will meet on Friday in Alaska to discuss ending Moscow’s three-year-long war in Ukraine.

The leaders are expected to discuss “land swapping”, suggesting that Trump may support an agreement where Russia will maintain control of some of the Ukrainian territory it currently occupies, but not all.

In a news conference at the White House on Tuesday, Trump said, “Russia’s occupied a big portion of Ukraine. They occupied prime territory. We’re going to try to get some of that territory back for Ukraine.”

But the idea of a swap also suggests that Ukraine might need to give up some land that it currently controls.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that any deal involving the ceding of Ukrainian land to Russia would be unsuccessful.

What does Putin want?

Last month, Trump warned that tougher sanctions would be put in place unless Russia halted fighting with Ukraine within 50 days. That deadline has now passed, and no new measures have hit Moscow, but the US has imposed 50 percent tariffs on India to punish it for its continued purchase of Russian oil.

Trump has demanded that Putin agree to a ceasefire on Friday to avoid the US imposing further tariffs on other countries buying Russian energy assets.

Putin has stated that he wants full control of Ukraine’s eastern regions, including Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, parts of which Russia annexed in 2022, along with Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

If Kyiv were to agree, it would mean withdrawing troops from parts of Luhansk and Donetsk, where much of the recent fighting has been concentrated.

Bloomberg reported on August 8 that US and Russian officials were working towards an agreement that would “freeze the war”, and allow Moscow to keep the territory it has taken.

In addition, Putin has consistently demanded that Ukraine remain a neutral state, abandoning its ambitions to join NATO.

Can Ukraine even cede territory?

Ukraine giving up land it has lost during this war and previously, in 2014, is not a welcome option.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said that he would not “gift” land to Russia, and that Ukrainians would not give up their land to Russian occupiers.

More than this, ceding any territory would be illegal under the Ukrainian constitution.

How much of Ukraine does Russia control?

Russia occupies about one-fifth – 114,500 square km (44,600 square miles) – of Ukraine’s land.

The active front line stretches some 1,000km (620 miles) through the regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson.

Russia controls about three-quarters of the Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.

Additionally, small parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine are under Russian occupation. Across the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Russia controls about 400 sq km (154 sq miles) of territory. In Dnipropetrovsk, Russia has taken a tiny area near the border.

Russia controls about 46,570 sq km (17,981 sq miles), or 88 percent, of the territory known as Donbas, made up of the Luhansk and Donbas regions. Russia occupies almost all of Luhansk and three-quarters of Donetsk.

Ukraine still holds about 6,600 sq km (2,550 sq miles) of Donbas, although Russia has been focusing most of its energy along the front in Donetsk, pushing towards the last remaining major cities not in its control.

This has been part of its efforts to secure what is known as the “fortress belt”.

What is the fortress belt?

The “fortress belt” stretches some 50km (31 miles) along a strategic highway between the towns of Kostiantynivka and Sloviansk.

The fortress belt includes key towns — Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, Oleksiyevo-Druzhkivka and Kostiantynivka – which have remained under the control of Ukrainian troops since 2014 and are of significant strategic importance as logistical and administrative centre.

Attempts by Russian troops to capture Sloviansk and the cities of the fortress belt in 2022-2023 were unsuccessful, and Ukrainian counteroffensives drove the Russian forces far from key positions.

“Ukraine’s fortress belt has served as a major obstacle to the Kremlin’s territorial ambitions in Ukraine over the last 11 years,” the Washington, DC-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on August 8.

Russian advances: What’s the situation on the ground now?

In August, Russian forces made significant gains, advancing about 10km (6 miles) beyond the front lines as they intensified efforts to seize the fortress belt from the southwest, concentrating forces in the Toretsk and eastern Pokrovsk directions.

Al Jazeera military expert Alex Gatapoulous said, “I’m not sure what Ukraine has to offer in terms of territory. Russia has it all and is slowly winning this conflict, albeit at a great cost.

“There is already movement around Pokrovsk in the east, and Konstantinivka is also in danger of encirclement. If Ukraine hasn’t built defensive positions in-depth, Russian forces will have the ability to break out into open country. This is a really dangerous time for Ukraine. They’ve lost all the Russian territory they had taken in Kursk and have little to trade with.”

How has the war progressed over the past three years?

In the war’s early weeks, Russia advanced from the north, east and south, rapidly seizing vast areas of Ukrainian territory, with fierce battles in Irpin, Bucha and Mariupol – the latter of which fell to Russian forces in May 2022. The siege of Mariupol was one of the deadliest and most destructive battles of the war. Ukrainian officials estimated tens of thousands of civilian deaths.

By March 2022, Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, and by April of that year, Russia controlled 27 percent of Ukraine.

By late 2022, Ukraine had turned the tide with major counteroffensives in Kharkiv and Kherson, with Kyiv reclaiming 54 percent of the land Russia had captured since the beginning of the war, according to ISW data, reducing Russian-occupied land to just 18 percent of the country.

In August 2024, Ukraine launched a significant incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, marking a notable escalation in the conflict. This offensive saw Ukrainian forces advancing approximately 10km (6 miles) into Russian territory, seizing control over an estimated 250 sq km (96.5 sq miles), all of which has since been retaken by Russia.

By late 2024 and into 2025, the war had settled into a grinding impasse, with both sides suffering heavy losses. However, Russia’s recent incursions, pushing towards Sloviansk, allude to the potential for another offensive to take land it has historically struggled to capture.

What was the pre-war situation?

Prior to Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia had held Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Moscow also supported separatists in the Donbas region, leading to the creation of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Russia officially recognised these entities on February 21, 2022, and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine three days later.

The war in Ukraine has resulted in one of the largest and fastest-growing displacement crises in Europe since World War II. According to the UN, approximately 10 million Ukrainians have been displaced, which is about 21 percent of the country’s pre-war population.

Of these, 3.7 million remain internally displaced within Ukraine, while 6.9 million have fled abroad as refugees.

More than 100 people are missing after floods swept through a village in Uttarakhand.

More than 100 people are missing and at least four people have died after flash floods swept through the village of Dharali, in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand.

Teams from the army and disaster response forces are operating in the area to rescue people trapped under debris, local authorities have said.

“A massive mudslide struck Dharali village in the Kheer Gad area near Harsil, triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through the settlement,” the Central Command of the Indian Army said in a post on X.

Flash floods in Uttarkashi, where Dharali is situated, were triggered by intense rainfall known as a “cloudburst”, which caused the Kheerganga river to swell, at around 1:30pm local time (08:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that heavy rainfall will continue for the next few days.

What is a cloudburst?

A cloudburst is an intense downpour that delivers a large volume of rain in a short time. It is often accompanied by thunder and hail and can cause flash floods.

At any given time, clouds blanket about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface. Cloudbursts are often associated with cumulonimbus clouds, which contain large amounts of water.

The IMD said that over the past 24 hours, extreme rainfall of 21cm (8.3 inches) or more had been recorded in parts of northwest India, including Uttarakhand, where the flash floods happened – more than the 10cm (3.9 inches) of rain per hour required to be classed as a cloudburst, according to the IMD.

Cloudbursts tend to occur over a small geographical region of 20 to 30 square kilometres (7.7 to 11.6 square miles)

Is this caused by climate change?

Uttarakhand, which has a large amount of mountainous and often unstable terrain, is prone to monsoon-related flooding. Dharali village is nestled in the Himalayas between the villages of Harsil and Gangotri.

Uttarakhand is particularly vulnerable to climate change given the fragility of the Himalayan region. In particular, it is exposed to excessive precipitation, cloudbursts, flood events and periods of very cold weather (cold waves), according to a study published in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.

That study found that districts in higher regions are more exposed to these effects because of their inability to adjust to weather-related and climate changes and because the ecosystems in these areas are more sensitive to such changes.

Experts say global warming will cause mountain temperatures to rise faster than the global average.

Catastrophic flooding that has historically affected Uttarakhand will become more common as rising temperatures lead to hastening glacier melting, such as the Gangotri, the glacier that is closest to Dharali.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, rising temperatures in the Himalayas will ultimately reduce the size of glaciers, resulting in a reduction in the long-term availability of water for agriculture, people and power systems. It will also cause more solar energy absorption – accelerating the effects of global warming – because areas of glacial melting will be replaced by water or land, and the amount of light currently reflected by existing glaciers will decrease.

United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs are set to come into effect on August 1. They mark a significant escalation in US trade policy, leading to higher prices for consumers and bigger financial hits for companies.

Trump had initially postponed “reciprocal tariffs”, which he had announced on April 2, giving countries time to reach trade deals with the US.

On Sunday, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the August 1 tariffs were a “hard deadline”.

What are the August 1 tariffs?

Several countries are facing a slew of tariffs on August 1. While the situation remains dynamic, different levies are going to hit countries ranging from 15 percent on Japan and the European Union to 50 percent on Brazil.

Who has struck last-minute deals?

Trump has struck a series of bilateral trade deals in the last few days.

With the EU, the US secured $750bn in energy purchases and reduced tariffs on steel via a quota system. In exchange, it lowered auto tariffs from 30 percent to 15 percent, applying the same rate to pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.

Japan committed $550bn in investments targeting US industries such as semiconductors, AI and energy, while increasing rice imports under a 100,000-tonne duty-free quota. It will also purchase US commodities like ethanol, aircraft and defence goods.

Indonesia reportedly agreed to duty-free access for many US products and increased energy and agricultural imports, although Jakarta has only confirmed tariff cuts and key commodity purchases so far.

The United Kingdom gained aerospace and auto export benefits, while granting the US duty-free beef quotas and a 1.4 billion litre ethanol quota.

China saw its reciprocal tariffs slashed from 145 percent to the baseline 10 percent that was imposed on all countries. In addition, there’s a 20 percent punitive tariff for fentanyl trafficking. A temporary pause for the final tariff rate has been extended until August 12 while the two hammer out a deal. China matched the cut and eased non-tariff measures, resuming rare earth exports and accepting Boeing deliveries.

Deals with the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam also include tariff adjustments and market access, though not all terms have been confirmed by those governments.

Which sectors are expected to be hit worst?

According to a Reuters news agency tracker, which looks at how companies are responding to Trump’s tariff threats, the first-quarter earnings season saw automakers, airlines and consumer goods importers take the worst hit by tariff threats.

Levies on aluminium and electronics, such as semiconductors, led to increased costs.

“When you start to see tariffs at 20 or more, you reach a point where firms may stop importing altogether,” Joseph Foudy, an economics professor at the New York University Stern School of Business, told Al Jazeera.

“Firms simply postpone major decisions, delay hiring, and economic activity declines,” Foudy added.

Economists widely agree that the impact of tariffs implemented so far has not been fully felt, as many businesses built up their stockpiles of inventories in advance to mitigate rising costs.

In an analysis published last month, BBVA Research estimated that even the current level of US tariffs – including a baseline 10 percent duty on nearly all countries, and higher levies on cars and steel – could slow economic growth and reduce global gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.5 of a percentage point in the short term, and by more than 2 percentage points over the medium term.

Have prices increased?

According to HBS Pricing Lab reports, prices of US-made and imported goods saw modest seasonal declines through early March, with imports falling slightly more. The first 10 percent US tariff on Chinese goods (February 4) had little effect, but prices rose after broader tariffs were imposed on March 4, including a 25 percent tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports and another 10 percent tariff on China. Imported goods prices jumped by 1.2 points, while prices of domestic goods rose by half as much.

After a 10 percent global tariff was announced on April 2, “Liberation Day”, and 145 percent on China on April 10, import prices rose more sharply. A brief price dip followed the May 12 tariff rollback on Chinese goods, but trends resumed by June. Overall, import prices rose about 3 percent since March – small compared to headline tariff rates.

Have tariffs brought in money?

Trump’s tariffs have brought in revenue from higher duties paid by importers. Between January 2 to July 25, the US Treasury Department data shows that the US generated $124bn this year from tariffs. This is 131 percent more than the same time last year.

In early July, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this could grow to $300bn by the end of 2025 as collections accelerate from Trump’s trade campaign.

Heatwaves in Europe have arrived unexpectedly early this year with two major spikes in temperatures already affecting millions of people and a third gripping parts of the continent.

From late June to mid-July, temperatures soared as high as 46 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) with some locations in Western Europe experiencing record-breaking heat.

Wildfires in Greece have triggered evacuations while in France, emergency measures have closed schools and even the Eiffel Tower. In Italy, bans on outdoor labour have affected many workers.

Spain’s environment ministry said high temperatures have caused 1,180 deaths in the past two months, a sharp increase from the same period last year.

According to a study, about 2,300 heat-related deaths were recorded in 12 European cities from June 23 to July 2. About 1,500 of those deaths were linked to climate change, according to the researchers at Imperial College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Climate change has made it significantly hotter than it would have been, which in turn makes it a lot more dangerous,” Dr Ben Clarke, a researcher at Imperial College London, said.

Where have heatwaves occurred?

The first heatwave Europe experienced peaked between June 17 and 22 and affected Western and Southern Europe.

During the second heatwave, peaking between June 30 and July 2, temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in several countries with some cities in Spain and Portugal reaching 46C (118F).

What is causing the heatwaves?

The persistent heat is being driven by a high-pressure system over Western Europe known as a heat dome.

It acts like a lid that traps hot air under it. The pressure from the weather system pushes air down into a hot, dome-shaped mass and prevents milder weather systems from moving through.

As a result, it creates prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures.

The heat in turn prevents clouds from building up, reducing the chances of rain.

This June was the warmest on record for Western Europe

Due to the weather phenomenon, Western Europe saw its warmest June on record with an average temperature of 20.49C (68.88F), surpassing the previous record for the month from 2003 by 0.06C (0.11F), according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

On June 30, temperatures averaged 24.9C (76.8F) over Western Europe, setting a new daily temperature record for June. The same average temperature was recorded on July 1.

That was one of the highest daily temperatures ever observed in Europe during this time of year. It was exceeded only during the heatwaves of 2003, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023.

Europe is the fastest warming continent and has warmed by 0.53C (0.95F) per decade since the mid-1990s, according to the ERA5 dataset from the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Several factors are causing this effect in Europe, including shifts in atmospheric circulation, leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves. Additionally, reduced air pollution means that more solar radiation is reaching the Earth’s surface and reducing cloud cover. Certain areas of Europe also extend into the Arctic, which is the fastest warming region on the planet.

Countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Portugal saw the hottest temperatures recorded since 1979 from the start of the first heatwave to the end of the second heatwave – June 17 to July 2.

Heatwaves have been deadly for Europe.

A report by Imperial’s Grantham Institute published last week studied 12 European cities to measure changes in the intensity of heatwaves.

From June 23 to July 2 it estimated there were 2,300 heat-related deaths, including 1,500 linked to climate change, which made the heatwaves more severe.

Climate change was behind:

• 317 of the estimated excess heat deaths in Milan
• 286 in Barcelona
• 235 in Paris
• 171 in London
• 164 in Rome
• 108 in Madrid
• 96 in Athens
• 47 in Budapest
• 31 in Zagreb
• 21 in Frankfurt
• 21 in Lisbon
• six in Sassari, Italy

The study found that the heatwaves were more deadly due to the early arrival of higher temperatures, which usually occur in late July and in August.

People in Europe are not acclimatised to such high temperatures, especially the older population. More than 80 percent of the estimated excess deaths are expected in people older than 65.

The world is getting hotter

Last month was the third warmest June globally since 1850, according to average temperatures. June’s average surface air temperature was 16.46C (61.62F) to 0.47C (0.84F) and higher than the 1991-2020 average for June, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Global temperatures remain unusually high, closely tracking 2024 – the hottest year on record, having averaged a surface air temperature of 15.1C (59.18F), which was more than 1.5C (2.7F) higher than pre-industrial levels, a threshold seen as crucial to avoid dangerous global warming.

An article published last month in the Earth System Science Data journal also noted that human-induced warming has been increasing at a rate of 0.27C per decade from 2015 to 2024, which is the highest rate observed in the instrumental record.

The global economy is on edge as United States President Donald Trump’s July 9 deadline looms for the imposition of double-digit tariffs on most trading partners.

On Monday, Trump announced tariffs on 14 countries, ranging from 25 to 40 percent. The targeted countries include close US allies like Japan and South Korea, as well as Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Tunisia, South Africa, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Indonesia, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

And with only a few trade deals in place, his administration is expected to announce the imposition of new levies on many more countries. Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said those new tariffs would come into effect on August 1.

Trump’s initial April 2 “Liberation Day” announcement of across-the-board tariffs on countries around the world sent markets into a tailspin. Trump relented – temporarily – announcing a 90-day cessation on higher tariffs, while imposing a 10 percent baseline levy on all trading partners.

Now, some experts fear that higher tariffs, if imposed after July 9, could push the global economy into a recession.

Along with reducing the trade deficit, Trump’s argument for tariffs is that they will boost US manufacturing and protect jobs. He says tariffs will encourage US consumers to buy more US-made goods, increase the taxes raised and enhance investment in the US.

But what is the current state of manufacturing in the US, and how has it fared in recent months amid the economic churn stirred by Trump’s policies?

Where are we now?

In a bid to revitalise US industry, Trump announced a $14bn investment on May 30, brokering a partnership between US Steel and Nippon Steel tipped to create 70,000 jobs, according to the White House.

The Trump administration has also highlighted investments announced by automakers, tech firms and chocolate companies, among others, as evidence of the return of manufacturing to US soil.

According to the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, manufacturing contributed $2.9 trillion to the economy in the first quarter of 2025, a 0.6 percent increase from the corresponding period in 2024. That places it behind only finance, professional and business services, and government as the largest sectors contributing to the US economy.

However, building that manufacturing base back to the heydays of the sector, when it dominated the US economy, will not be easy, caution many experts. They point out that the US is today missing many of the essential elements of a robust manufacturing framework, including skilled labour, government support and technology.

Manufacturing accounted for more than 25 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the 1970s, but that came down to 13 percent by 2005. Its share has since dropped further, to about 9.7 percent in 2024.

Finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing value added as a percentage of GDP was 21 percent in 2024, followed by professional and business services (13 percent) and government (11 percent).

US manufacturing falls for a fourth month

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index, also known as the purchasing managers’ index (PMI), is a monthly indicator of economic activity based on a survey of purchasing managers at manufacturing firms nationwide. It serves as a primary indicator of the condition of the US economy.

The PMI measures the change in production levels across the economy from month to month. A PMI above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

In June, it registered 49 percent, marking a fourth consecutive month of contraction, though the rate of decline has slowed.

At the start of 2025, the PMI was in expansion territory – 50.9 percent in January and 50.3 percent in February, before slipping below 50 in March.

Nine manufacturing industries reported growth in June, while six industries reported contraction.

According to the Reuters news agency, economists say the lack of clarity on what happens after July 9 has left businesses unable to make long-term plans.

How many people does manufacturing employ?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in June 2025 there were some 12.75 million people employed in the manufacturing sector in the US.

Employment in manufacturing has increased from five years ago – in June 2020, some 11.95 million people were employed.

However, current employment levels are still far below the peak of nearly 20 million people hired in manufacturing jobs in the late 1970s, reflecting the long-term decline in the sector’s contribution to employment in the US.

US manufacturing job openings increased in May – 414,000, up from 392,000 in April – but actual hiring declined, hinting at uncertainties in the labour market over the Trump administration’s tariff policies.

US manufacturing compared to the rest of the world

The US has seen a decline in its share of global manufacturing, while China has taken over as the largest manufacturing country by value-added.

China contributed $4.8 trillion to the global GDP through manufacturing in 2022, followed by the US at $2.7 trillion that year.

Still, the US remains a major player and adds more manufacturing value than the third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-largest countries combined. And it does so with far fewer workers than its competitors.

The pound has strengthened against most currencies in the last year, giving families more spending power if they’re heading overseas. Make sure you’re heading to one that offers good deals

The world’s biggest rip-off destinations and those bucketlist spots perfect for a bargain break have been revealed.

When it comes to holidays, nothing sours the poolside mojito quicker than the feeling that your cash is disappearing too quickly.

Thankfully, the Post Office has looked into where in the world the British pound delivers the most value for money this year. We’ve put the biggest bargain cities and outrageous rip-offs resorts on an interactive map, so you can book armed with all of the facts.

If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck, then head to the Algarve.

The Portugese coastal resort is a huge favourite with Brits, who take advantage of cheap, regular flights from across the UK to flock to the southern region en-masse each summer.

It’s basket of holiday goodies cost £58.95, 1.6 per cent less than in 2024. This is due to the rock-bottom cost of meals and drinks. The average cost of a three-course meal for two with wine in Albufeira weighed in at £40.33 – the lowest recorded across the 47 destinations surveyed (figure 9) and one third the cost in New York (£128.27).

The Algarve is one of 19 resorts or cities that got cheaper this year than last, according to Post Office research. Others to do so include Delhi, India; Phuket, Thailand; Spain’s Costa del Sol and Prague in the Czech Republic.

If you’re keen to stay in Europe, then Prague is a good bet. Far more than just stag-dos and strip clubs, the former Soviet city is enriched by a huge amount of history, art, and music.

The Czech capital’s basket of holiday goods cost £75.92 this year, a significant price fall of over 20 per cent compared to 2024.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest deals can be found a little further away from the UK, although bargain-hungry holidaymakers will have to factor in the cost of getting to these destinations when choosing where to go.

Cape Town in South Africa is the second cheapest destination looked at this year, with a basket of essentials costing £59.84. This is a great destination for Southern Hemisphere wine buffs as a glass of grape costs just £2.07; a fifth of the price it’ll set you back in New York.

Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, has been massively popular with Brits over the past year, thanks to the very favourable exchange rate.

A glass of wine and a bottle of beer can be purchased there for the equivalent of just over a fiver.

One destination to keep an eye on is Delhi. At £69.52, prices in the Indian city have dropped 10.7 per cent. Although alcohol prices there are a little on the steep side, soft drinks, water and food won’t lighten your wallet too much.

At the other end of the scale, New York is the most expensive of 47 destinations surveyed, with a barometer total of £167.85 – a rise of 15.6 per cent year-on-year. Not only will you have to spend upwards of £7 for a beer in the Big Apple, you’ll be expected to tip generously on top of that.

The eye-watering continues in Hawaii, the second most expensive destination on the list and the home of £9.18 insect repellent, and in Nice, France. Head to the French city, and you’ll find yourself being stingy with the suncream, as a bottle costs close to £17.

While the world has been in turmoil since Donald Trump returned to the White House (and perhaps was before), sterling remains strong against many other currencies.

Over three-quarters of Post Office’s top 30 currencies – including the euro and most other European currencies – have

weakened since last March. This could provide holidaymakers with a big incentive to choose destinations where sterling will provide more ‘bang for their buck.

Appetite for traveling remains high and is growing. Three-in-five (60 per cent) of Brits surveyed about their holiday plans for the coming year told Post Office Travel Money that they will be travelling abroad – up from 51 per cent who were asked the same question a year ago.

Almost three-quarters (73 per cent) of them will holiday in Europe and most (95 per cent) will be making a repeat journey to a European destination.

Although a big majority are planning to get away this year, most share a desire to keep things as cheap and cheerful as possible.

Travelling away from busy periods is regarded as the best way to make travelling abroad more affordable, with two-in-five holidaymakers prepared to swap peak season travel for cheaper times of the year.

More than a quarter of those questioned say they will book cheaper accommodation (27 per cent), take fewer holidays (27 per cent) or go to a destination that costs less (26 per cent).

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