Daily News Brief TRT World

*) Bodies found in Gaza mass graves suggest 'organ theft' by Israel

Paramedics and rescue teams involved in retrieving civilian bodies from the mass graves discovered at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis have reported organ theft by Israeli military and claimed some Gaza victims were buried alive in the recently discovered graves.

At least 392 bodies, including 165 unidentified individuals, were unearthed from three mass graves following the withdrawal of Israeli military from Khan Younis.

Rights groups expressed concerns over the discoveries around Nasser Hospital where a mutilated body of a young girl in a surgical gown was found, suggesting she may have been buried alive, alongside another victim similarly attired.

*) China warns US of 'downward spiral' in ties during Blinken visit

China has urged US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to address rising disagreements or risk a "downward spiral" between the two powers as talks opened in Beijing.

Blinken, paying his second visit to the rival country in less than a year, voiced hope for progress but said he would directly raise areas of difference, which are expected to include Russia, Taiwan and trade.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, receiving Blinken said relations between the world's two largest economies were "beginning to stabilise" after leaders Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met at a November summit.

*) WCK founder voices frustration over Israel's explanation for killing staff

The seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli air strikes represented the "best of humanity" who risked everything "to feed people they did not know and will never meet," Jose Andres, the celebrity chef who founded the organisation, told mourners who gathered in the US capital to honour the dead.

Speaking at Washington National Cathedral, Andres said the official [Israeli] explanation of their killing is not good enough, and there was no excuse for it.

"I know we all have many unanswered questions about what happened and why," Andres told mourners, demanding an investigation.

*) Students in France join pro-Palestine rally, mirroring US campus protests

Students in Paris have protested again after police broke up a pro-Palestine solidarity demonstration the night before at one of France's most prestigious universities.

Students at Sciences Po [Paris Institute of Political Studies] accused management of calling in police to break up a pro-Palestinian protest by dozens of students gathered on a central Paris campus on Wednesday night.

"The director has crossed a red line by deciding to send in the police," Ines Fontenelle, a member of the Student Union at Sciences Po, said as 150 students gathered again.

*) Philippines blocks 'genetically modified rice' production over safety fears

A Philippine court has blocked the commercial propagation of genetically modified golden rice after it was found unsafe for health and the environment.

Philippines was the first country to approve golden rice, enriched with Vitamin A to combat childhood blindness.

However, the Court in Manila revoked a biosafety permit for commercial rice production after opponents filed a challenge.

*) Ben-Gvir evacuated from building besieged by Israeli protesters

Israeli police evacuated extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from a building in the occupied West Jerusalem that was surrounded by protesters, including families of hostages in besieged Gaza.

Local media reported that hundreds of Israeli protesters gathered in the area near the building with Ben-Gvir inside.

The police evacuated the notorious minister from the scene after its officers secured him.

*) American-Israeli hostage says Israel killed 70 captives in Gaza strikes

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has released a video of an Israeli-American man who was among the soldiers and civilians captured by the fighters on October 7.

The video shows Hersh Goldberg-Polin calling on PM Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government to do more to secure the captives' release.

In the video, he also accused the Netanyahu government of abandoning the people who are being held in Gaza by Hamas..

*) Tense stand-offs continue as Gaza war protests spread at US campuses

Columbia University has said it was making "important progress" with pro-Palestinian student protesters who set up a tent encampment and was extending a deadline to clear out.

Student anti war protests spread across US universities as demonstrators demanded that their institutions condemn Israel’s war on the besieged Gaza and divest from Israeli firms in response.

*) US military aid for Taiwan increases conflict risk — China

China has warned that US military support for Taiwan only increased the "risk of conflict" along the strait after the US Congress allocated $8 billion in military support for the island.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has said that the United States and Taiwan strengthening military ties will not bring about security for Taiwan but will only increase tensions and the risk of conflict across the Taiwan Strait.

*) Fury as Malala teams up with pro-war Hillary Clinton

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai is facing a backlash after the premier of a Broadway musical she co-produced with former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The musical, titled "Suffs" and playing in New York since last week, depicts the American women's suffrage campaign for the right to vote in the 20th century.

Yousafzai, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, has been condemned by various quarters for partnering with Clinton, an outspoken supporter of Israel's invasion of Gaza.

*) UN raises 'war crime' alert as 300+ bodies are found in Gaza mass graves

Reports of mass graves found in Gaza over the weekend at Nasser Hospital and Al Shifa Hospital have prompted renewed concerns about possible war crimes by Israel.

Some of the Palestinian victims were found stripped naked with their hands tied, according to the UN.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said "the intentional killing of civilians, detainees, and others who are hors de combat is a war crime.”

*) US Senate overwhelmingly passes $26.6B military aid for Israel

Meanwhile, the US Senate has passed a $26.6 billion military package for Israel, the American ally accused of carrying out genocide in Gaza using US weapons.

US President Joe Biden pledged to quickly sign the $61 billion bill — which also includes aid packages for Ukraine and Taiwan — after Congress gave its final approval.

Israel's war on Gaza, now in its 201st day, has killed at least 34,183 Palestinians — 70 percent of them children and women.

*) Malaysian navy helicopters collide, killing all crew aboard

Two Malaysian navy helicopters have collided in mid-air during a rehearsal for a naval parade, killing all 10 crew members aboard.

The incident occurred at the Lumut naval base in the western state of Perak on Tuesday morning, the navy said.

All victims were confirmed dead at the scene and sent to the military hospital for identification, the navy said.

*) North Korea officials embark on rare public visit to Iran

A North Korean delegation is visiting Iran, the North's official media has said in a rare public report of an exchange between the two countries believed to have secret military ties.

The minister for external economic relations, Yun Jong-ho, left Pyongyang on Tuesday by air leading a ministry delegation to visit Iran, the North's KCNA news agency said. It gave no other detail.

*) Human rights groups slam UK Rwanda plan after Parliament approves bill

The UK’s plans to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda has been swiftly condemned by international humanitarian organisations.

This comes after Parliament approved legislation allowing the deportation flights to begin later this year.

Both the UN refugee agency and the Council of Europe called for the UK to rethink its plans because of concerns that the legislation undermines human rights protections.

*) Israel's claims against UNRWA lack evidence: UN review

Israel has yet to provide any proof of its allegation that some UN agency staff are members of Palestine's resistance groups.

This is according to an independent review of the neutrality of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The review was led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna to respond to Israeli allegations that some UNRWA staff took part in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

*) Pro-Palestine protests spread across US universities

Meanwhile, classes at Columbia University have been shifted online as protests over Israel’s carnage in besieged Gaza heightened tensions across US campuses.

A large group of demonstrators had established a "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" on lawns at Columbia.

Protests also spread to other campuses, including MIT, New York University and Yale, where at least 47 people had been arrested after refusing requests to disperse.

*) Outrage as India's Modi, in quest for votes, calls Muslims 'infiltrators'

India's main opposition party has filed a complaint against Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "blatantly targeting" minority Muslims in a campaign speech calling them “infiltrators”.

The complaint, filed to the country's Election Commission, said Modi’s comments were "divisive,” “malicious" and targeted Muslims in India.

The comments were "far worse than any ever made by a sitting Prime Minister in the history of India", it said.

*) UK Parliament passes Rwanda deportation plan for asylum-seekers

The UK government’s plan to deport migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda has been cleared by Parliament after a marathon tussle.

Members of the upper house repeatedly sent back the plans with amendments to MPs in the lower chamber but eventually agreed to make no further changes, ensuring the bill would now become law.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed to begin sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks.

*) Militants take 110 civilians hostage in central Mali

Suspected militants in central Mali are holding more than 110 civilians they abducted six days ago.

Three buses carrying the civilians were stopped by "militants", who forced the vehicles and the passengers to head towards a forest.
Mali has since 2012 been ravaged by different factions affiliated with Al Qaeda and Daesh, as well as by self-declared, self-defence forces and bandits.

*) Scores of bodies found in two mass graves at hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis

Palestinians have exhumed scores of bodies from two mass graves at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city in southern Gaza, according to officials.

The director-general of Gaza’s government media office said “some 150 bodies have been found in the two graves.”

He said around 700 people are still unaccounted for since the Israeli withdrawal from Khan Younis on April 7th following a four-month ground offensive.

*) Baby in Gaza saved from womb of mother killed in Israeli strike

A baby girl has been delivered from the womb of a Palestinian killed along with her husband and daughter by an Israeli attack in the Gaza city of Rafah.

The baby was delivered in an emergency C-section. Her mother, Sabreen Al Sakani, had been 30 weeks pregnant.

At least 19 people were killed in the overnight Israeli strikes, including 13 children from one family, Palestinian health officials said.

*) US House passes aid to Ukraine, Israel and other allies

The US House of Representatives has passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other US allies overseas.

House Speaker Mike Johnson had unveiled a plan to hold votes on four separate foreign aid bills and later combine them into a package, a move that angered some far-right House Republicans.

In addition, the House voted in favour of a bill to effectively ban TikTok in the US – if it is not bought by a US company – with a vote of 360-58.

*) Pro-China leader's party wins Maldives vote

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's party has won control of parliament in an election landslide, results showed.

Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) secured more than two thirds in the 93-member parliament, according to provisional results from election officials.

The win indicates voters backed his tilt towards China and away from regional powerhouse and traditional benefactor India.

*) Ecuadorians vote in favour of referendum to extradite mafia bosses

A solid majority of Ecuadorian voters have approved a referendum paving the way for the extradition of organised crime bosses.

Some 65 percent of valid votes were marked "yes" on the matter of extradition, and 35 percent marked "no," according to electoral authorities.

President Daniel Noboa hailed the result as Ecuador continues to grapple with a shocking rise in violence, flaring up due to a rise in narcotics trafficking.

*) Iran fires air defence batteries as Israel reportedly strikes Isfahan

Iran has activated its air defence system over several cities after its semi-official Fars news agency reported explosions at the central Isfahan airport.

Spokesman for Iran's civilian space programme Hossein Dalirian said that several small "quadcopter" drones had been shot down following what a senior US official told ABC News were Israeli missile strikes.

*) NY police arrest Columbia University students protesting Israel's Gaza war

NYC police said they arrested several students from Columbia University for protesting Israel’s war on Gaza as they rallied in support of Palestine.

Students had been protesting on campus since last Wednesday, demanding the school divest from companies they claim "profit from Israeli apartheid" and Israeli military actions in besieged Gaza.

Following the arrests, students from Columbia and Barnard College have been suspended from school, including US Representative Ilhan Omar’s daughter.

*) Türkiye urges decisive international action against Israel's war on Gaza

Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister and UN representative Ahmet Yildiz has called for decisive international action to address the ongoing crisis in Gaza.

After condemning Israel's actions in Palestine's Gaza, Yildiz said, “the UN Charter, the bedrock of international law, is still routinely breached.”

He said that no country is immune from its obligations to international law and questioned the lack of action by the UNSC in response to Israel's "brazen violations.”

*) Pakistan police thwart suicide bombing targeting Japanese nationals

Pakistan police shot down a suicide bomber and a militant during an attempted attack on a vehicle carrying five Japanese nationals.

The police spokesperson, Abrar Hussain Baloch, said the Japanese survivors have been moved to a safe place in police custody.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attempted attack from any militant group.

*) India begins voting in the world's largest election as Modi seeks third term

Over 970 million voters head to the polls in India to elect 543 members for the lower house of Parliament for a five-year term.

The six-week election period began today and will run until June 1, with votes being counted on June 4.

India’s Hindu-nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi will test the limits of his political dominance as he seeks a third term as the country's leader.