Major Israeli rights groups brand Gaza campaign ‘genocide’

Rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel said on Monday that they had concluded the war in Gaza amounts to a “genocide” against Palestinians, a first for Israeli NGOs.Both organisations are frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language in their reports issued on Monday was their most stark yet.”Nothing prepares you for the realisation that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us,” B’Tselem executive director Yuli Novak told a news conference unveiling the two reports.”As Israelis and Palestinians who live here and witness the reality every day, we have a duty to speak the truth as clearly as possible,” she said.”Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.”A spokesman from the Israeli prime minister’s office, David Mencer, denounced the allegation.”We have free speech here in Israel but we strongly reject the accusation,” he said. “Our defence forces target terrorists and never civilians. Hamas is responsible for the suffering in Gaza.”Israel’s war in Gaza for the past 21 months began in response to an unprecedented attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas on October 7, 2023.The Israeli assault has left much of the Gaza Strip, home to more than two million Palestinians, in ruins, and according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry has killed at least 59,921 people, most of them civilians.All Gazans have been driven from their homes at least once since the start of the war, and UN agencies warn that residents face a growing threat of famine and malnutrition.The International Court of Justice, in an interim ruling in early 2024 in a case lodged by South Africa, found it “plausible” that the Israeli offensive had violated the UN Genocide Convention.The Israeli government, backed by the United States, fiercely denies the charge and says it is fighting to defeat Hamas and to bring back Israeli hostages still held in Gaza.The reports from B’Tselem — one of Israel’s best-known rights groups — and Physicians for Human Rights Israel argue that the war’s objectives go further.B’Tselem’s report cites statements from senior politicians to illustrate that Israel “is taking coordinated action to intentionally destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip”.Physicians for Human Rights Israel’s report documents what the group says is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system”.

China hopes for ‘reciprocity’ at trade talks with US in Stockholm

Chinese and US economic officials met for talks in Stockholm on Monday, with Beijing saying it wanted to see “reciprocity” in its trade with the United States.The Swedish prime minister’s office confirmed the talks, which are expected to last two days, were under way.The talks came a day after US President Donald Trump reached a deal that will see imports from the European Union taxed at 15 percent and the clock ticking down for many countries to reach deals or face high US tariffs.Beijing said on Monday it hoped the two sides could hold talks in the spirit of “mutual respect and reciprocity”.Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing sought to “enhance consensus through dialogue and communication, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations”.For dozens of trading partners, failing to strike an agreement in the coming days means they could face significant tariff hikes on exports to the United States come Friday, August 1.The steeper rates, threatened against partners like Brazil and India, would raise the duties their products face from a “baseline” of 10 percent now to levels up to 50 percent.Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have already effectively raised duties on US imports to levels not seen since the 1930s, according to data from The Budget Lab research centre at Yale University.For now, all eyes are on discussions between Washington and Beijing as a delegation including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets a Chinese team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng in Sweden.In Stockholm, Chinese and US flags were raised in front of Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government.While both countries in April imposed tariffs on each other’s products that reached triple-digit levels, US duties this year have temporarily been lowered to 30 percent and China’s countermeasures slashed to 10 percent.But the 90-day truce, instituted after talks in Geneva in May, is set to expire on August 12.Since the Geneva meeting, the two sides have convened in London to iron out disagreements.- China progress? -“There seems to have been a fairly significant shift in (US) administration thinking on China since particularly the London talks,” said Emily Benson, head of strategy at Minerva Technology Futures.”The mood now is much more focused on what’s possible to achieve, on warming relations where possible and restraining any factors that could increase tensions,” she told AFP.Talks with China have not produced a deal but Benson said both countries have made progress, with certain rare earth and semiconductor flows restarting.”Secretary Bessent has also signalled that he thinks a concrete outcome will be to delay the 90-day tariff pause,” she said. “That’s also promising, because it indicates that something potentially more substantive is on the horizon.”The South China Morning Post, citing sources on both sides, reported Sunday that Washington and Beijing are expected to extend their tariff pause by another 90 days.Trump has announced pacts so far with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, although details have been sparse.An extension of the US-China deal to keep tariffs at reduced levels “would show that both sides see value in continuing talks”, said Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.US-China Business Council president Sean Stein said the market was not anticipating a detailed readout from Stockholm: “What’s more important is the atmosphere coming out.””The business community is optimistic that the two presidents will meet later this year, hopefully in Beijing,” he told AFP.”It’s clear that on both sides, the final decision-maker is going to be the president.”For others, the prospect of higher US tariffs and few details from fresh trade deals mark “a far cry from the ideal scenario”, said Denamiel.But they show some progress, particularly with partners Washington has signalled are on its priority list like the EU, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.The EU unveiled a pact with Washington on Sunday while Seoul is rushing to strike an agreement, after Japan and the Philippines already reached the outlines of deals.Breakthroughs have been patchy since Washington promised a flurry of agreements after unveiling, and then swiftly postponing, tariff hikes targeting dozens of economies in April.burs-rl/cw

China hopes for ‘reciprocity’ at trade talks with US in Stockholm

Chinese and US economic officials met for talks in Stockholm on Monday, with Beijing saying it wanted to see “reciprocity” in its trade with the United States.The Swedish prime minister’s office confirmed the talks, which are expected to last two days, were under way.The talks came a day after US President Donald Trump reached a deal that will see imports from the European Union taxed at 15 percent and the clock ticking down for many countries to reach deals or face high US tariffs.Beijing said on Monday it hoped the two sides could hold talks in the spirit of “mutual respect and reciprocity”.Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing sought to “enhance consensus through dialogue and communication, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations”.For dozens of trading partners, failing to strike an agreement in the coming days means they could face significant tariff hikes on exports to the United States come Friday, August 1.The steeper rates, threatened against partners like Brazil and India, would raise the duties their products face from a “baseline” of 10 percent now to levels up to 50 percent.Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have already effectively raised duties on US imports to levels not seen since the 1930s, according to data from The Budget Lab research centre at Yale University.For now, all eyes are on discussions between Washington and Beijing as a delegation including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets a Chinese team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng in Sweden.In Stockholm, Chinese and US flags were raised in front of Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government.While both countries in April imposed tariffs on each other’s products that reached triple-digit levels, US duties this year have temporarily been lowered to 30 percent and China’s countermeasures slashed to 10 percent.But the 90-day truce, instituted after talks in Geneva in May, is set to expire on August 12.Since the Geneva meeting, the two sides have convened in London to iron out disagreements.- China progress? -“There seems to have been a fairly significant shift in (US) administration thinking on China since particularly the London talks,” said Emily Benson, head of strategy at Minerva Technology Futures.”The mood now is much more focused on what’s possible to achieve, on warming relations where possible and restraining any factors that could increase tensions,” she told AFP.Talks with China have not produced a deal but Benson said both countries have made progress, with certain rare earth and semiconductor flows restarting.”Secretary Bessent has also signalled that he thinks a concrete outcome will be to delay the 90-day tariff pause,” she said. “That’s also promising, because it indicates that something potentially more substantive is on the horizon.”The South China Morning Post, citing sources on both sides, reported Sunday that Washington and Beijing are expected to extend their tariff pause by another 90 days.Trump has announced pacts so far with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, although details have been sparse.An extension of the US-China deal to keep tariffs at reduced levels “would show that both sides see value in continuing talks”, said Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.US-China Business Council president Sean Stein said the market was not anticipating a detailed readout from Stockholm: “What’s more important is the atmosphere coming out.””The business community is optimistic that the two presidents will meet later this year, hopefully in Beijing,” he told AFP.”It’s clear that on both sides, the final decision-maker is going to be the president.”For others, the prospect of higher US tariffs and few details from fresh trade deals mark “a far cry from the ideal scenario”, said Denamiel.But they show some progress, particularly with partners Washington has signalled are on its priority list like the EU, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea.The EU unveiled a pact with Washington on Sunday while Seoul is rushing to strike an agreement, after Japan and the Philippines already reached the outlines of deals.Breakthroughs have been patchy since Washington promised a flurry of agreements after unveiling, and then swiftly postponing, tariff hikes targeting dozens of economies in April.burs-rl/cw

Italie: Chivu veut maintenir l’Inter Milan “au sommet”

Le nouvel entraîneur de l’Inter Milan Cristian Chivu veut “maintenir le club au sommet”, tout en reconnaissant lors de sa sa présentation officielle lundi qu'”un nouveau cycle s’ouvrait” après le départ de Simone Inzaghi.”On ne regarde pas le passé, on n’a pas de revanche à prendre, j’ai simplement hérité d’une équipe et d’une obligation: la maintenir au sommet”, a déclaré Chivu.”Nous allons tout faire pour atteindre cet objectif, ce groupe a démontré qu’il était uni et qu’il avait envie de rester au sommet du football italien et européen”, a-t-il estimé.”Un nouveau cycle s’ouvre avec un nouvel entraîneur, notre style de jeu aura plus de verticalité, mais nous avons un groupe de valeur et d’expérience”, a insisté l’ancien joueur de l’Inter, qui a pris les commandes de l’équipe juste avant le Mondial des clubs conclu dès les 8e de finale.Sacré champion d’Italie en 2024 pour la 20e fois de son histoire, l’Inter a échoué à un point de Naples dans la course au scudetto fin mai, avant d’être humilié par le Paris SG en finale de la Ligue des champions (5-0).Dans la foulée, Simone Inzaghi, son entraîneur depuis 2021, a décidé de quitter son poste pour rejoindre le club saoudien d’Al-Hilal.La nomination de Chivu, seulement 13 matches de Serie A comme entraîneur de Parme à son actif, avait surpris nombre d’observateurs.”Contrairement à ce que j’ai pu lire ou entendre, Cristian n’était pas notre plan B. C’est l’entraîneur qu’on voulait, le leader qui va nous permettre d’ouvrir un nouveau cycle”, l’a défendu son président Beppe Marotta.”Il a un avantage par rapport à d’autres: il connait le club, ses valeurs, pour y avoir joué et entraîné”, a insisté le dirigeant.Chivu, ancien international roumain de 44 ans, a porté le maillot nerazzurro de 2007 à 2014, puis a fait ses premiers pas d’entraîneur à l’Inter, d’abord avec les équipes de jeunes de 2018 à 2021, puis à la tête de la réserve, de 2021 à 2024.”Nous repartons avec les même ambitions qu’avant (….) Nous voulons gagner, c’est l’objectif des propriétaires, des dirigeants, de l’entraîneur”, a ajouté Marotta.Le président de l’Inter a par ailleurs confirmé que des négociations étaient en cours avec l’Atalanta Bergame pour le recrutement de l’attaquant nigérian Ademola Lookman.

Trump says Gaza ceasefire ‘possible’ amid Starmer talks

Donald Trump said a ceasefire in Gaza was “possible”, and stepped up warnings to Russia, as he met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at one of the US president’s Scottish golf resorts on Monday.Trump made the comments as he greeted Starmer and his wife Victoria at Turnberry, south of Glasgow, where he has spent two days playing golf.The US leader said he would “reduce” a 50-day ultimatum that he has set Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine, as he took questions from reporters before his talks with the British leader.”I’m disappointed in President Putin, very disappointed in him. So we’re going to have to look and I’m going to reduce that 50 days that I gave him to a lesser number,” Trump said.Downing Street said Starmer would press Trump on ending “the unspeakable suffering” in Gaza and urge a revival of stalled ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as a hunger crisis deepens in the besieged Palestinian territory.Asked whether he agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was no starvation in Gaza, Trump said: “I don’t know. I mean, based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry.”The meeting on Trump’s third full day in Scotland came after the United States and the European Union reached a landmark deal to avert a full-blown trade war over tariffs.Starmer and Trump were to discuss implementing a recent UK-US trade deal.But Gaza was expected to be the focus as European countries express growing alarm over events. Starmer also faces domestic pressure to follow France’s lead and recognise a Palestinian state.- ‘Reject hunger’ -Trump said Sunday the United States would give more aid to Gaza but he wanted other countries to step up.”It’s not a US problem. It’s an international problem,” he said, before embarking on trade talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.He accused Hamas of intercepting aid, saying “they’re stealing the food, they’re stealing a lot of things. You ship it in and they steal it, then they sell it.”Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on Monday after Israel promised to open secure aid routes and declared a “tactical pause” in fighting in parts of the territory.But humanitarian agencies warned vast amounts more were needed to counter starvation.United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged international action against hunger. “Hunger fuels instability and undermines peace. We must never accept hunger as a weapon of war,” he told a UN conference.- Tariffs -Last week, the United States and Israel withdrew from Gaza truce talks, with US envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of blocking a deal — a claim rejected by the Palestinian militant group.Starmer held talks with French and German counterparts on Saturday, after which the UK government said they agreed “it would be vital to ensure robust plans are in place to turn an urgently-needed ceasefire into lasting peace”.But the Downing Street statement made no mention of Palestinian statehood, which French President Emmanuel Macron has announced his country will recognise in September.More than 220 MPs in Britain’s 650-seat parliament, including dozens from Starmer’s own Labour party, have demanded that he too recognise Palestinian statehood.Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds told ITV on Monday that “every Labour MP, was elected on a manifesto of recognition of a Palestinian state” and that it was “a case of when, not if.”The UK-US trade deal was signed on May 8 and lowered tariffs for certain UK exports but has yet to come into force.Trump said Sunday the agreement was “great” for both sides but Reynolds told the BBC that “it wasn’t job done” and cautioned not to expect any announcement of a resolution on issues such as steel and aluminium tariffs.After their meeting the two leaders will travel to Aberdeen in Scotland’s northeast, where the US president is to open a new golf course at his resort on Tuesday.Trump played golf at Turnberry on Saturday and Sunday on a five-day visit that has mixed leisure with diplomacy, and also further blurred the lines between the presidency and his business interests.