Author: yreape

According to a report, 5 people died on an overcrowded inflatable boat carrying 112 migrants. Reportedly, though police tried to stop them, the boat set off from Wimereux near Boulogne and landed on a sand bank hundreds of metres from the beach, two people fell out. According to the report, a french patrol boat went to help and found six people unconscious, they were brought back to shore but despite resuscitation attempts five died, including a 7 year old girl. Reportedly, about half the passengers remained on the boat which continued its journey to the uk.

According to the report, on Monday night the uk government passed the Rwanda asylum plan which sends asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, asylum and resettlement.

According to a report, Germany has arrested 3 men accused of spying for China. Reportedly, the main suspect operated a company as a front, got to know german research organisations and collected sensitive information involving the military, science and research in order to pass on to the chinese ministry of state security.

According to the report, at the time of their arrest they were working on projects that could be of use to the chinese navy, they had already completed a prior project on the operation of marine engines for use on combat ships

According to a report, an election is being held in India from 19 April to 1 May. Reportedly, the opposition party, Congress has a manifesto that promises to redistribute people’s wealth. According to the report, at an election rally on Sunday the indian prime minister said that Congress will distribute people’s wealth to infiltrators and to those who have more children.

Reportedly, the comment has been criticised, the leader of the congress party saying the manifesto refers to equality and justice for all. Results will be in on 4 June.

According to a report, Israel has carried out near daily airstrikes in Rafah. Reportedly, overnight strikes killed 22 people, the first strike killed a man, his wife and their 3 year old child, the woman was pregnant. According to the report, doctors performed a caesarean and saved the baby girl, her uncle said he would look after her.

Reportedly, bakeries have reopened in Gaza following the delivery of food and flour. According to the report, the union of bakery owners in the enclave said 140 bakeries had reopened.

There were hostilities in Samaria. Reportedly, 2 palestinian men attacked a checkpoint armed with a gun and a knife and were shot dead, a palestinian woman who tried to stab a soldier was also killed. Reportedly, an israeli man was injured when he kicked a palestinian flag that was placed in a field which appeared to set off an explosive device. According to the report, an israeli raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp killed 14 militants, 8 suspects were arrested.

According to a report, a claim that the u.s. are expected to impose sanctions on the israeli defence unit, yetzah yahuda for their treatment of palestinians in Samaria has been criticised by the israeli government. Reportedly, the purpose of the yetzah yahuda battalion was to encourage orthodox jews to serve in the army by creating an atmosphere conductive to their religious convictions. According to the report, the battalion was the only idf unit to be stationed continuously in Samaria as a support to jewish settlers, they were withdrawn in December 2022.

Reportedly, 18 people have been killed in idf airstrikes in Rafah.

According to a report, in 2023 the u.n. estimated that more than 120,000 people had been forced to work in scam centres in Myanmar and elsewhere in south east Asia. Reportedly, they are computer experts mostly from Asia who are lured by the promise of excellent salaries. According to the report, one such man arrived in Bangkok, was immediately sent to another city in western Thailand and handed over to two gunmen who took him to Myanmar. Reportedly, the man ended up in Myawaddy, a town at the centre of fighting between the military and anti coup forces and he was taken to a camp surrounded by walls and barbed wire.

According to the report, around 40 people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were detained in the camp and were forced to work long hours trying to trick wealthy men, mostly from western countries by pretending to be female in so called romance scams, or with promises of investment opportunities. Reportedly, lonely men or those looking for sex sometimes replied and if they did, younger women were forced to send explicit pictures as an enticement.

According to the report, the enforced workers were not allowed to go home unless they or their families paid a ransom.

According to a report, a kremlin spokesman has criticised a provision allowing Washington to confiscate russian assets and transfer them to Ukraine for reconstruction. It may be a good idea to use money brought by russian sanctions though individuals are not responsible.

Reportedly, a $6.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine was approved by the u.s. house of representatives on Saturday. According to reports, ukrainians have been running low on weapons of all types, even small arms ammunition. Reportedly, representatives also approved bills to send aid to Israel, provide humanitarian relief for palestinians in Gaza and give security assistance to Taiwan.

According to a report, the irish government has committed that 80% of Ireland’s energy will be renewable by 2030, with an estimated 50% being generated by wind. Reportedly, wind speeds along the Atlantic coast make it suitable for wind farming. According to the report, a €1.5 billion offshore wind farm planned for Connemara, County Galway is estimated to power 350,000 homes but opponents are concerned about the impact on tourism and fishing.

According to reports, wind turbines usually produce so called broadband noise described as a swishing sound, some can also produce a tonal hum and studies show contamination can build up.

According to a report, the Netherlands have stopped drilling in Europe’s largest natural gas field in Groningen due to seismic activity. Reportedly, gas was discovered in 1959 which provided an annual revenue of €15 billion and became important in the post war development of the dutch welfare state, but earthquakes began from the 1980’s and in 2012 a huge quake resulted in 3000 homes being demolished. According to the report, from 2011 there was a gradual shutdown and drilling stopped in 2023, though it is not clear whether it will be enough to prevent further earthquakes as empty cavities remain underground.

Reportedly, several wells remain open in case of severe winter weather and due to the uncertain situation caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the report, Shell and ExxonMobil who ran the gas field are seeking compensation from the dutch government for the large quantities of gas left unextracted.

According to a report, 2 russian strikes in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region killed 7 people including 2 children. Reportedly, the president of Ukraine said the attack showed that all ukrainian cities needed more advanced air defence systems. According to the report, Ukraine has been saying for months that they are running low on weapons capable of bringing down russian drones and missiles. Reportedly, the u.s. congress are to vote on whether to approve a $60.8 billion military aid package for Ukraine.

According to the report, an attack in the city of Synel’nykove in Ukraine killed 5 people including a child and a teenage girl, and atleast 2 people were killed following strikes in the city of Dnipro.

Reportedly, the ukrainian air force struck a russian military plane via a russian air defence system following a strike on Ukraine. According to the report, one crew member died, a second is missing and 2 pilots survived.