Reuters: World

Palestinian president presses US to secure Gaza ceasefire as refugee camp struck Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas demanded an immediate Israeli ceasefire at a meeting with top U.S diplomat Antony Blinken on Sunday, as Gaza's health ministry said dozens died in a strike on a refugee camp overnight. Blinken, who has repeatedly dismissed the idea of a ceasefire by Israel for fear it would benefit Hamas, was making an unannounced visit to the occupied West Bank, as part of effort to try and ensure the Israel-Hamas war does not spread in the region. His visit to Ramallah took place as people sifted through rubble for victims or survivors at the Maghazi refugee camp refugee camp in Gaza. read more

Palestinians say Israeli strike hits U.N.-run school; Blinken meets Arab leaders Palestinians reported a deadly Israeli strike on a U.N.-run school in northern Gaza serving as a shelter on Saturday ahead of talks in Jordan at which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken heard Arab demands for a ceasefire in the enclave. Witnesses said the strike hit Al-Fakhoura school in Jabalia, where thousands of evacuees were living. At least 15 people died and dozens more were wounded, said Gaza health ministry official Mohammad Abu Selmeyah. Reuters pictures of the aftermath showed broken furniture and other belongings lying on the ground, patches of blood spilled on the ground and over food and people crying. read more

How Hamas aims to trap Israel in Gaza quagmire Hamas has prepared for a long, drawn-out war in the Gaza Strip and believes it can hold up Israel's advance long enough to force its arch enemy to agree to a ceasefire, two sources close to the organization's leadership said. Hamas, which rules Gaza, has stockpiled weapons, missiles, food and medical supplies, according to the people, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation. The group is confident its thousands of fighters can survive for months in a city of tunnels carved deep beneath the Palestinian enclave and frustrate Israeli forces with urban guerrilla tactics, the people told Reuters. read more

Sam Bankman-Fried convicted of multi-billion dollar FTX fraud FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty on Thursday of stealing from customers of his now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange in one of the biggest financial frauds on record, a verdict that cemented the 31-year-old former billionaire's fall from grace. A 12-member jury in Manhattan federal court convicted Bankman-Fried on all seven counts he faced after a monthlong trial in which prosecutors made the case that he looted $8 billion from the exchange's users out of sheer greed. The verdict came just shy of one year after FTX filed for bankruptcy in a swift corporate meltdown that shocked financial markets and erased his estimated $26 billion personal fortune. read more

Hamas says Israel's strikes on refugee camp kill more than 195 people More foreigners prepared to leave the besieged Gaza Strip on Thursday as its Hamas-run government said at least 195 Palestinians died in Israeli attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp, strikes that Israel said had killed Hamas commanders. At least 320 foreign citizens on an initial list of 500, as well as dozens of severely injured Gazans, crossed into Egypt on Wednesday under a deal between Israel, Egypt and Hamas. Passport holders from Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the United Kingdom and the United States were evacuated. read more

First evacuees leave Gaza after another night of Israeli bombardments A first group of civilian evacuees from Gaza crossed into Egypt under a Qatari-mediated deal on Wednesday while Israeli forces bombed the Palestinian enclave from land, sea and air as they pressed their offensive against Hamas militants. The evacuees, who had been trapped in Gaza since the start of the war more than three weeks ago, were driven in ambulances through the Rafah border crossing. A source at the border said they were undergoing security checks on the Egyptian side. Under the deal reached between Egypt, Israel and Hamas, a number of foreign nationals and critically wounded people will be allowed to leave the besieged territory. read more

Bolivia severs ties with Israel, others recall envoys over Gaza Bolivia said on Tuesday it had broken diplomatic ties with Israel because of its attacks on the Gaza Strip, while neighbors Colombia and Chile recalled their ambassadors to the Middle Eastern country for consultations. The three South American nations lambasted Israel's attacks on Gaza and condemned the deaths of Palestinian citizens. Bolivia "decided to break diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza Strip," Deputy Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani said at a press conference. read more

Matthew Perry's 'Friends' co-stars pay tribute to fallen cast mate The five surviving co-stars of the hit 1990s television sitcom "Friends" paid tribute on Monday to their fallen cast mate, Matthew Perry, in a joint message lamenting his death two days earlier as an "unfathomable loss." In a brief statement published by People magazine, actors Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer spoke out publicly for the first time since news broke that Perry was found lifeless in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home on Saturday. He was 54. "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," the statement said. "There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss." read more

Exclusive: US military bulk buys Japanese seafood to counter China ban The United States has started bulk buying Japanese seafood to supply its military there in response to China's ban on such products imposed after Tokyo released treated water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea. Unveiling the initiative in a Reuters interview on Monday, U.S. ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said Washington should also look more broadly into how it could help offset China's ban that he said was part of its "economic wars". China, which had been the biggest buyer of Japanese seafood, says its ban is due to food safety fears. read more

Fierce clashes in Gaza as Israeli forces expand ground offensive Palestinians in Gaza reported fierce air and artillery strikes early on Monday as Israeli troops backed by tanks pressed into the enclave with a ground assault that prompted more international calls for civilians to be protected. Israel's military said it had struck over 600 militant targets over the past few days as it continued to expand ground operations in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian civilians are in dire need of fuel, food and clean water as the conflict enters its fourth week. "IDF troops killed dozens of terrorists who barricaded themselves in buildings and tunnels, and attempted to attack the troops," the military said in a statement. read more

Russian security forces remove pro-Palestinian protesters from Dagestan airport Hundreds of anti-Israel protesters stormed an airport in Russia's predominantly Muslim Dagestan region on Sunday, where a plane from Israel had just arrived, forcing security forces to close the airport and remove the demonstrators. Twenty people were injured before forces contained the protest at Makhachkala airport, local authorities said. The passengers on the plane were safe, security forces told Reuters. The unrest followed several other anti-Israel incidents in North Caucasus sparked by Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza. The Dagestani government said early on Monday that it was strengthening security measures across the republic, which is home to about 3 million people. read more

'Friends' star Matthew Perry dies of possible drowning at 54 Actor Matthew Perry, beloved star of the top-rated 1990s U.S. television sitcom "Friends" as the wise-cracking Chandler Bing, died on Saturday after apparently drowning in a hot tub. He was 54. The Los Angeles Times and TMZ.com, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the American-Canadian performer was found dead in a jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. NBC, which broadcast "Friends" for 10 years, confirmed his demise in a statement on social media platform X. The news brought an outpouring of grief from fellow celebrities and other high-profile personalities. read more