GAZA – Mohammed Tahir, a surgeon on his third medical mission to Gaza at Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, spoke to Al Jazeera about the situation at the hospital after today’s attacks. He said he was in the operating room, dealing with a nerve injury, when he heard the blasts on a nearby school-turned-shelter.

He said the whole hospital was “inundated” with casualties, with women, children and men “dying in front of our eyes”. While in the operating room, he said another bombing happened within the grounds of the hospital. He said it is “beyond any rationale that a hospital can be attacked in such a grave manner”.

“People are traumatised. People have got to the point where they feel there is no hope … no one is coming to save them,” he said. He pleaded to the rest of the world “to do more” as the actions of the Israeli military are “not acceptable”. “If you walk through the wards, you have children covered in bandages from head to toe, and those are the ones that have survived, it’s really a terrible situation,” he said.

Photo: The grandmother of Palestinian boy Yaman al-Zaanin, who was killed in an Israeli attack on a school-turned-shelter, Deir el-Balah. (Reuters)…[+]

USA – The election was initially a rematch of 2020 but it was upended in July when President Joe Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris. The big question now is – will America get its first woman president or a second Donald Trump term? As election day approaches, we’ll be keeping track of the polls and seeing what effect the campaign has on the race for the White House.

Harris has had a small lead over Trump in the national polling averages, since she entered the race at the end of July and she remains ahead with the latest figures rounded to the nearest whole number.

Harris saw a bounce in her polling numbers in the first few weeks of her campaign, building a lead of nearly four percentage points towards the end of August. But the numbers have been relatively stable since early September, even after the only debate between the two candidates on 10 September, which was watched by nearly 70 million people.

You can see how little the race has changed nationally in the last few weeks in the poll tracker, with the trend lines showing the averages and the dots showing the individual poll results for each candidate. While these national polls are a useful guide as to how popular a candidate is across the country as a whole, they’re not necessarily an accurate way to predict the result of the election.

That’s because the US uses an electoral college system, in which each state is given a number of votes roughly in line with the size of its population. A total of 538 electoral college votes are up for grabs, so a candidate needs to hit 270 to win.

There are 50 states in the US but because most of them nearly always vote for the same party, in reality there are just a handful where both candidates stand a chance of winning. These are the places where the election will be won and lost and are known as battleground states or swing states. (BBC)…[+]

FLORIDA – A mission to study one of the solar system’s most promising environments that may be suitable for life has lifted off. NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft — designed to explore its namesake, Jupiter’s moon Europa — launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket Monday at 12:06 p.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event streamed live on NASA’s website. The long-anticipated liftoff, initially scheduled for October 10, was delayed by Hurricane Milton. But crews onsite at the center evaluated launch facilities after the storm and cleared the spacecraft to return to the launchpad.

Now, the spacecraft has successfully entered orbit and NASA confirmed they received a signal from Europa Clipper about an hour and 10 minutes after launch, which means that mission control is communicating with the spacecraft and receiving data.

Europa Clipper will serve as NASA’s first spacecraft dedicated to studying an ice-covered ocean world in our solar system, and it aims to determine whether the moon could be habitable for life as we know it.

Clipper will carry nine instruments and a gravity experiment to investigate the ocean beneath Europa’s thick ice shell. The moon’s ocean is estimated to contain twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans.

“The instruments work together hand in hand to answer our most pressing questions about Europa,” said Robert Pappalardo, the mission’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, in a statement. “We will learn what makes Europa tick, from its core and rocky interior to its ocean and ice shell to its very thin atmosphere and the surrounding space environment.” The spacecraft also carries more than 2.6 million names, submitted by people from countries around the world and a poem by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón. The $5.2 billion mission began as a concept in 2013, but the road to launch hasn’t been without challenges.

In May, engineers discovered that components of the spacecraft may not be able to withstand Jupiter’s harsh radiation environment. However, the team was able to complete necessary testing in time and get approval in September to proceed toward launch, preventing a 13-month delay of the launch with no changes to the mission plan, goals or trajectory. (CNN)…[+]

WASHINGTON DC – The World Bank’s Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), William Maloney, has underscored the need for Guyana to ensure that its Natural Resource Fund (NRF) is well-managed and independent. Monies earned from oil sales and royalties from ExxonMobil Guyana Limited operation in the Stabroek Block is deposited into Guyana’s NRF (oil fund).

During a press conference, Maloney highlighted the country’s promising future due to its petroleum sector, but cautioned that managing these resources will present significant challenges.

Maloney pointed out that the primary concern will be to prevent overvaluation of the local currency and inflation, issues that could arise if oil revenues are not properly utilized. “Guyana clearly have a bright future in terms of revenues coming from petroleum and I think the challenge is going to be to use those revenues correctly in such a way that (they) don’t drive overvaluation of the currency and drive inflation in the country,” Maloney said.

He emphasized the importance of ensuring that these funds are used in ways that promote long-term economic stability. The World Bank official added: “That’s going to mean having a very well-run and independent sovereign wealth fund. I think that’s going to be a big challenge going forward.” Moreover, he also noted that the World Bank is working with Guyana to ensure that the country’s oil investments are environmentally sustainable. Recently, the Government of Guyana withdrew $62.3 billion from the oil fund, bringing its total withdrawal to date for the year to $239.176 billion.

 Kaieteur News had reported that concerns have been raised about the management of the NRF. Recently the Chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee, Jermaine Figueira called for transparency when using Guyana’s oil money. He even cited the need for possible amendments to the Act.  Section 16.2 of the Act states that: “All withdrawals from the Fund shall be deposited into the Consolidated Fund and shall be used only to finance: (a) national development priorities including any initiative aimed at realizing an inclusive green economy, and (b) essential projects that are directly related to ameliorating the effect of a major natural disaster.” (Kaieteur News)

Photo: Chief Economist of Latin America and Caribbean, William Maloney.

GUYANA – As Guyanese and independent global organizations continue to call on government to implement a ring-fencing provision, to allow the country to enjoy the early proceeds from the petroleum sector, the former President and Prime Minister of Guyana, Samuel Hinds has said that the lack of this key clause works in favor of the nation. Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States in a letter to the editor Kaieteur News continued the conversation on an article that was published by the newspaper indicating that Guyana should have received US$10B (Guyanese Dollars) to date but has only received US$4.4B.

Hinds said he believes that the additional money Guyana should have received was affected by taxes and ring-fencing. After explaining that governments usually accept royalty and profit payments in the place of taxes, he shifted his attention to ring-fencing. Ring-fencing in the petroleum sector would simply require each project to pay its own development costs. Guyana did not implement such a provision, leaving Exxon to use the revenues from projects producing oil to invest in other developments. In this manner, the proceeds available as profits are significantly reduced.

Hinds is adamant that this current arrangement not only works in favor of the oil companies, but the government of Guyana as well. The former President wrote: “One should also note that the lack of ring fencing (if ring fencing was unilaterally enforceable) facilitates further rapid exploration and development of the field. Yes, it may be argued that it is like us financing further and faster exploration and development of the Stabroek block.  That benefits Exxon and benefits us too.” With oil prices likely to drop in the future as the world transitions to cleaner energy sources, Guyanese have been relentless in urging government to ring-fence the projects for Guyana to see the flow of greater deposits into the Natural Resource Fund or the oil account.

Ambassador Hinds however explained that: “As long as there is a certain level of continuing discovery and development, today’s foregone payments would in time be received by us. True, there is the issue of “delayed” payments and the time value of money. Certainly, these considerations quickly become complex and complicated – where lawyers and accountants make their money; but after all of that, a judgement has to be made on what would turn out better for us.” (Kaieteur News)

Photo: Former President, Prime Minister and Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Samuel Hinds. (Kaieteur News)  

MEXICO CITY – The decapitated bodies of five men have been found on a road in central Mexico, in an area controlled by the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Police were called to a road near the town of Ojuelos, in Jalisco state, on Sunday morning, after plastic bags containing the remains were spotted by drivers.

Forensic experts have been trying to identify the victims, officials said. The brutality of the murders and the disposal of the bodies in a public place are clear indications of drug cartel involvement.

National guard troops also attended the scene and found the remains wrapped in black plastic bags, the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office said in a statement. None of the victims’ ages could be determined yet and an investigation has been launched, it added.

In Jalisco this year, official figures show that 1,415 people were murdered between January and September. More than 30,000 people are killed every year in Mexico, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates. Last week, the mayor of a Mexican city plagued by drug violence was murdered less than a week after taking office.

Alejandro Arcos was killed in Chilpancingo, a city of around 280,000 people in the southwestern state of Guerrero. President Claudia Sheinbaum, who was sworn in last week, has ruled out a return to the war on drugs of previous administrations. She said her security plan would focus on gathering intelligence on cartels and addressing the social causes of violence – a strategy referred to as “hugs not bullets” by her predecessor in office, Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

But the opposition is calling for tougher action against the gangs.

Since the government first began to use the Mexican military against the cartels in 2006, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands more gone missing. (BBC)

Photo: Mexican army soldiers stand guard in Jalisco. (Getty Images) …[+]

GAZA  –  An Israeli attack on a school used to shelter displaced Palestinians has killed at least 22 people, including 15 children, in central Gaza, officials say.

Gaza’s Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency said the site in Nuseirat camp was struck by a volley of artillery on Sunday, killing entire families and wounding dozens more. The Israel Defence Forces said it was looking into the reports.

Earlier, five children were reportedly killed by a drone strike while playing on a street corner in northern Gaza. A civil defence spokesman said the attack on al-Mufti school, where hundreds of displaced people from around Gaza were sheltering, had injured at least 80 people and more than a dozen were killed.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa, said the school-turned-shelter was meant to be used to administer polio vaccines. Monday’s rollout is the second stage in the UN’s polio campaign in central Gaza, which is where most residents are now living and where the first case of polio in two decades was recently discovered in an unvaccinated baby.

In a separate Israeli strike, four people were killed and dozens more injured at the al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza. Israel said it carried out a “precise strike on terrorists who were operating inside a command and control centre” inside a site previously used as a hospital.

The main areas of conflict in Gaza in recent days have been in the north, where Israeli forces have been intensifying attacks for over a week as part of a major ground operation. Hundreds have since been killed, Gazan authorities have reported.

Residents of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and Beit Lahiya have reported being cut off from nearby Gaza City, while Israeli tanks have been seen on the outskirts of the territory’s largest city. Hospitals in the area are running out of supplies, although the World Health Organization said a joint operation with the Red Cross had resupplied two of them -after nine days of attempts.

The five children in northern Gaza were reportedly killed in an Israeli air strike while playing on a street corner in al-Shati camp. Graphic images from the scene in the aftermath show the bloodied bodies of what appeared to be young teenage boys. One of them looked to be clutching several glass marbles in his hand.

According to a report from the scene, told to a BBC correspondent, a drone strike hit a person walking down the street, which killed the children and injured seven other people. Later images showed the bodies of the five boys wrapped in white shrouds and laid out on the floor side-by-side. (BBC)

Photo: An injured Palestinian. (Getty Images) …[+]

“They are putting more pressure on teachers”

PARAMARIBO – “Teachers who work for Stichting Onderwijs der Evangelische Broedergemeente in Suriname (SOEBGS) and Stichting Rooms Katholiek Bijzonder Onderwijs (RKBO) can no longer get a loan and they also can’t opt for hire purchase,” said a state employee who is stationed at the Subsidy Department of the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

An employee from the SOEBGS told Times of Suriname that she has received this instruction from the Ministry of Education and that she has already informed the teachers of the fact that no green light will be given for loans and hire purchases. She pointed out that the Subsidy Department could not explain why such deductions can no longer be processed. Teachers expressed shock over the new policy and made it clear that they are facing obstacles on all fronts. A teacher who is stationed at a primary school explained that she receives a meagre salary and that she can’t make ends meet which is why she and many other colleagues opt for loans and hire purchases to survive. “So many measures are taken to make life unbearable for teachers. Instead of creating opportunities to help teachers out, they are putting more pressure on teachers,” said the female teacher…[+]

PARAMARIBO – The laboratory of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP) had to cease all of its activities for a second time time in the same week because of the same problem. It was flooded for a second time after a heavy rainfall. The roof has multiple leaks which is why desks, chairs, computers and equipment sustain water damage whenever it rains.

 The people who work in the lab co plained about the floodings and the fact that the problem still has not been addressed. As long as the roof is not repaired,the lab will be flooded each time it rains. Meanwhile the work that must be done at the lab is piling up. If the lab can’t screen the samples that it receives, the patients of the AZP also can’t receive the proper medical treatment as their doctors have to wait for the lab results. The people who are stationed at the laboratory made it clear that it will be extremely difficult to replace the equipment once it gets damaged by the water. The AZP lacks the funds to purchase new equipment and new computers. The people who work in the lab hope that management will have the roof fixed as soon as possible so that they can get back to work as soon as possible…[+]

PARAMARIBO – Parliament still has not lowered the deposit that political parties must pay in order to participate in the general elections of May 2025. MP Ronnie Asabina (BEP) recently expressed his concern regarding this delay and fears that the deposit issue is deliberately not being addressed in order to keep certain political parties out of the election race.

 The Constitutional Court had rejected the deposit hike of one thousand percent and had placed the ball in parliament’s court which means that it is up to parliament to lower the deposit to a reasonable figure. “The deposit hike has been rejected by the Constitutional Court but no attempts have been made to amend the law,” said MP Asabina who made it clear that people must not resort to political schemes to delay the process until it is too late for the Constitutional Court to intervene. MP Asabina urges parliament to pass a bill that is on the same page as the ruling of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court ruled that the deposit hike was unconstitutional because it has created a financial barrier that keeps political parties out and because it is in violation of the principles of inclusion and equality…[+]

SPAIN – The 15th-century explorer Christopher Columbus was a Sephardic Jew from Western Europe, Spanish scientists said on Saturday, after using DNA analysis to tackle a centuries-old mystery. Several countries have argued over the origins and the final burial place of the divisive figure who led Spanish-funded expeditions from the 1490s onward, opening the way for the European conquest of the Americas.

Many historians have questioned the traditional theory that Columbus came from Genoa, Italy. Other theories range from him being a Spanish Jew or a Greek, to Basque, Portuguese or British. To solve the mystery researchers conducted a 22-year investigation, led by forensic expert Miguel Lorente, by testing tiny samples of remains buried in Seville Cathedral, long marked by authorities there as the last resting place of Columbus, though there had been rival claims.

They compared them with those of known relatives and descendants and their findings were announced in a documentary titled “Columbus DNA: The true origin” on Spain’s national broadcaster TVE on Saturday. “We have DNA from Christopher Columbus, very partial, but sufficient. We have DNA from Hernando Colón, his son,” Lorente said in the program. “And both in the Y chromosome (male) and in the mitochondrial DNA (transmitted by the mother) of Hernando there are traits compatible with Jewish origin.”

Around 300,000 Jews lived in Spain before the “Reyes Catolicos,” Catholic monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand, ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to the Catholic faith or leave the country. Many settled around the world. The word ‘’Sephardic’’ comes from Sefarad, or Spain in Hebrew.

After analyzing 25 possible places, Lorente said it was only possible to say Columbus was born in Western Europe. On Thursday, Lorente said they had confirmed previous theories that the remains in Seville Cathedral belonged to Columbus. Research on Columbus’ nationality was complicated by a number of factors including the large amount of data. But “the outcome is almost absolutely reliable,” Lorente said.

Columbus died in Valladolid, Spain, in 1506, but wished to be buried on the island of Hispaniola that is today shared by the Dominican Republic and Haïti. His remains were taken there in 1542, then moved to Cuba in 1795 and then, it had been long thought in Spain, to Seville in 1898. (NU.nl)

The tomb of Christopher Columbus in Seville Cathedral. Pic: Reuters

GUYANA – The Guyana International Fashion Showcase (GFS), a celebrated event for local fashion, concluded at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel. This year’s showcase was particularly noteworthy, taking place amid the festivities of Cricket Carnival 2024, and succeeded in captivating its audience with its array of stunning local designs and cultural presentations.

Despite some minor setbacks, the showcase emerged as a significant highlight of the season. Organized by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GFS Philbert Giddings and Michelle Wagner, Guyanese designer and co-founder of CoLabs, the event aimed to put Caribbean fashion on a global stage.

Giddings had promised a night of extravagance, and he certainly delivered. “Tonight was about saving the brand; it was a great turnout.”

“Next year, we will be bigger and better,” he remarked immediately after the show.

American actress and model Cynthia Bailey hosted the event, skillfully entertaining the audience while introducing each designer and their unique collections. Her charisma and professionalism set the tone for the evening, engaging attendees and celebrating the creativity of the designers.

The showcase featured eight local designers, each bringing their own distinctive style to the runway.

Models like British- born Sharminah Leah, who is of Guyanese descent and Miss Guyana Culture Queen 2024, Shequana Holder took to the runway with all the style and charisma needed to make the event a success. This year the GFS models came of various sizes, skin tones, and cultural backgrounds, emphasizing the event’s commitment to inclusivity.

The showcase kicked off with Pixie Hollow Makes by Felicity Sonaram, a promising 20-year-old fiber artist and crocheter who made her debut with a collection that she describes as whimsical and provocative. “I can’t wait to continue building my brand and nurturing this caterpillar into a flamboyant butterfly! I can’t wait to see what’s in store next,” she exclaimed.

Sonaram’s journey into fashion began as a hobby, inspired by her love for fantasy and femininity.

She expressed her pride in her accomplishments to The Waterfalls, “It’s crazy I’m here; I can’t even fathom it right now… my family and friends helped me spread and push my business over social media. I would not be as known if it wasn’t for them, and this show definitely putting my work out there and I am thankful.”

According to the Guyana International Fashion Showcase team: “As we move forward, our vision is to empower Guyanese designers and models to showcase their talents globally, promoting cultural diversity and creativity.” This commitment not only enhances the local fashion scene but also strengthens Guyana’s position in the international arena, fostering a rich tapestry of cultural expression through fashion. (Kaieteur News)

Photo: Scenes from Guyana Int’l Fashion Showcase. (NCN Guyana)

A fireman was recently arrested at his house, located in the vicinity of the Esperanceweg by members of the Cold Case Unit of the Police Force Suriname (KPS). M.M.D. was arrested on a drug trafficking charge. He was also charged with being part of a criminal organization. The investigators are reportedly trying to track down four other suspects namely Alcantra Karel alias Caatje, Sardjoe Rene and two people from Curaçao,S.R. and D.R. M.M.D. has already been arraigned and is currently in jail awaiting trial. The investigation is ongoing. The other four suspects are still at large. …[+]