International
Mahmud Abbas says that “the whole world is responsible” for Gaza for selling weapons to Israel
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said that “the whole world is responsible for what happens to our people in Gaza and the West Bank,” and demanded that the sale of weapons to Israel stop.
“Stond the genocide. Stop selling weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue,” Abbas said before the UN General Assembly when it is almost one year after the war in Gaza, which has already left more than 41,000 dead, most of them civilians.
Received with applause
Abbas, who was received with a long salvo of applause when entering the room – something rare – took advantage of the speech to criticize the United States, “the greatest democracy in the world,” for having vetoed on three occasions resolutions of the Security Council that called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The US was left alone and said: ‘No, let the fighting continue’. He used his veto, and even worse, he provided Israel with deadly weapons that killed thousands of civilians,” he exclaimed, in a criticism also infrequent for his forcefulness towards the Washington Government, Israel’s main ally in the world.
Israel’s expulsion from the General Assembly
Abbas also announced that they will ask the General Assembly to take action to expel Israel from the United Nations, arguing that it has been in breach of United Nations resolutions itself since 1949.
On the other hand, Abbas presented a twelve-point plan for the post-war period in Gaza, which includes the request for “international protection for the Palestinians”, the holding of elections soon (but did not give a date) and the extension of the Palestinian Authority to the two territories of the West Bank and Gaza (where Hamas governs).
He also called for an international conference sponsored by the UN to implement the solution of the two States, Israeli and Palestinian – he did not cite Spain’s proposal to host that conference – and ended up announcing an upcoming visit to his to the Gaza territory, for which he asked for international help and the UN itself in order to “impress the occupying government and not prevent this initiative.”
At the end of his speech, two Palestinians who were in the audience began shouting “Free Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea”.
International
India Approves New Dengue Vaccine as Global Cases Continue to Rise
India has approved a new dengue vaccine as health authorities seek to strengthen prevention efforts against a mosquito-borne viral disease that affects millions of people worldwide every year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the global population is currently at risk of contracting dengue, which causes between 100 million and 400 million infections annually.
Since 2021, India has recorded more than one million dengue cases, including at least 1,500 deaths.
The virus can cause high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, nausea, skin rashes and, in rare cases, internal bleeding and death.
The vaccine, authorized by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), was developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda. The Indian Health Ministry said the vaccine is recommended in two doses for people between 4 and 60 years old.
The treatment has already been approved by health authorities in around 40 countries worldwide.
Meanwhile, Indian pharmaceutical company Panacea Biotec has begun the final phase of clinical trials for a single-dose dengue vaccine, aiming to provide another prevention option against the disease.
Brazil recently announced the suspension of the use of another single-dose dengue vaccine developed in the country after two suspected deaths were reported.
International
U.S. Sends First Humanitarian Aid Flight to Cuba Amid Ongoing Tensions Between Both Governments
The United States announced Tuesday the dispatch of a humanitarian aid flight to Cuba as part of a $100 million assistance package proposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May.
The flight departed from Miami with the support of Catholic Relief Services, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.
The administration of President Donald Trump, which has maintained restrictions on oil supplies to the island and tightened sanctions against the Cuban government, had initially announced humanitarian assistance in November following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa.
In February, amid rising tensions between Washington and Havana, Rubio announced an increase in aid while continuing to criticize the Cuban government.
The U.S. secretary of state accused Cuba’s communist authorities of obstructing the distribution of assistance. Washington has insisted that the aid be delivered through the Catholic Church to ensure it reaches Cuban citizens directly.
The Cuban government, meanwhile, has blamed the U.S. oil blockade for making the distribution of humanitarian assistance significantly more difficult.
The aid shipment comes as relations between the two countries remain strained, with disagreements continuing over sanctions, energy supplies and the management of humanitarian support.
International
Controversial Pesticide Law Passes in France, Sparking Ecological Concerns and Ministerial Fallout
The French Parliament on Tuesday approved a highly controversial agricultural law that allows certain farmers to use two pesticides considered harmful to bees, substances that had been banned in France but remain authorized in the European Union.
After the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, approved the agricultural bill in the early hours of Tuesday, the Senate gave its final approval with a vote of 214 in favor and 111 against, officially adopting the measure.
Following the decision to reintroduce the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, the office of Environment Minister Monique Barbut announced that she would soon submit her resignation.
Supporters of the measure argue that French producers of sugar beets, apples and hazelnuts need access to these insecticides — banned in France since 2018 and 2019, respectively — to remain competitive with European farmers in other countries where the products are still allowed.
Opponents, including environmental groups, argue that the substances pose serious risks to bees and could also threaten human health.
“Let us be proud of the work that has been done,” said Senator Laurent Duplomb of the conservative Republicans party, one of the main supporters of the measure.
The vote came after France’s Constitutional Council, the country’s highest court, struck down a previous attempt last year to bring back acetamiprid, ruling that the measure could pose risks to human health. That decision followed a petition signed by more than two million people opposing the pesticide’s reintroduction.
The previous bill had also been promoted by Duplomb, who argued that French agriculture needed additional tools to compete in international markets.
India Approves New Dengue Vaccine as Global Cases Continue to Rise
U.S. Sends First Humanitarian Aid Flight to Cuba Amid Ongoing Tensions Between Both Governments
Controversial Pesticide Law Passes in France, Sparking Ecological Concerns and Ministerial Fallout
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