25/07/2025 News

25/07/2025 News

Hello everyone. This blog is about news that I find out that happen today, that I find myself pretty interesting, and I will report every so often on the blogs I create. I get news off Google and Bing news when I through my usual daily news check. Keep in mind that most information I may gather may not be true and that I'm just summarizing what I find online off Google and Bing.

Starmer's Palestine Action ban could be breaking international law, says UN:

The United Nations has said that Sir Keir Starmer's decision to proscribe Palestine Action could be a breach of international law. Volker Turk, the body's human rights chief, has accused the Government of a " disproportionate and unnecessary " ban after the group spray painted an RAF aircraft red last month.

He said banning a group that does not threaten death or serious injury " misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism " and that it could breach the right to freedom of expression for the protesters. Sir Kier's decision to proscribe Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act makes it a criminal offence to be a member of the group, express support or wear clothing that would create " reasonable suspicion " that a person was a member part of the group. Breaking the law carries a potential sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

More than 200 people have been since arrested in connection with the Palestine Action since the ban came into play on the 5th of July, most at the protests against the Government's policy change on Palestine; But not a single person has been charged with any terror offence.

Police forces have arrested a dozen of people over just he past three weeks at many protests across the whole country, many of them who were just holding signs saying " We support Palestine Action. "

The row comes as Sir Keir faces a rebellion from at least four Cabinet ministers, who have either publicly or privately called for the Government to recognize Palestine as a state immediately.

The Prime Minister has said that he will issue a formal recognition of Palestine at a time " most conducive to peace ", but many ministers disagree about whether that moment has already been reached. Almost 60 MPs have written to Downing Street with the same demand of the Palestine territory now.

Mr Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has said that definition of terrorist acts " should be confined to criminal acts intended to cause death or serious injury or to the taking of hostages. "

He said: " It misuses the gravity and impact of terrorism to expand it beyond those clear boundaries, to encompass further conduct that is already criminal under the law. " , " The decision appears to disproportionate and unnecessary. It limits the rights of many people involved with and supportive of Palestine Action who have not themselves engaged in any underlying criminal activity but rather exercised their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, " he said.

" As such, it appears to constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with UL's obligations under international human rights law. " , " The UN's statement is constitute an impermissible restriction on those rights that is at odds with the UK's obligations under international human rights law. "

The UN's statement is inconvenient for Sir Keir, who has repeatedly said he will go to great lengths to prevent the UK from breaching the international law.

Lord Hermer, the Attorney General said last month that the international law "goes absolutely to the heart " of Sir Keir's Government. He has issued legal guidance suggesting that UK should not support strikes on Iran by the US because they may not be legal...

Both men have been criticized for their decision to abide by an advisory UN ruling on the Chagos Islands, which resulted in the territory being signed away to Mauritius earlier this year. Lord Walney, the a former government adviser on political violence and disruption, said: " Mr Turk demeans himself and the United Nations with this absurd criticism. "

" If he takes the trouble to read the UK's longstanding terrorism legislation, he will see that Palestine Action's five year long campaign of criminal sabotage clearly makes proscription appropriate. "

British surgeon claims IDF shooting Gazans in specific areas - 'almost like a game of target practice':

The IDF said it "categorically rejected" claims of "intentional harm to civilians, particularly in the manner described" - after Dr Maynard made the allegations in a Sky News interview with Yalda Hakim.

A British Surgeon who had recently returned from Gaza has reported to Sky News that there is " profound malnutrition " among the population - claims that the IDF soldiers are shooting civilians at aid points " almost like a game of target practice. "

Dr Nick Maynard had spent only just four weeks working inside the Nasser Hospital, where he realised there was a lack of food, which had left medics struggling to treat children and toddlers. The conditions inside the hospital, in the south of the Strip, have been documented in a Sky News report.

Dr Maynard told The World with Yalda Hakim: " I met several doctors who had cartons of formula feed in their luggage - and they were all confiscated by the Israeli border guards. Nothing else would get confiscated, just the formula feed. "

" There were four premature babies who died during the first two weeks when I was in Nasser Hospital - and there will be many, many more deaths unless the Israelis allow proper food to get in there. "

Others developments that are also happening are:

• Israel and the US have recalled their teams from Gaza ceasefire talks.

• US envoy Steve Witkoff has accused Hamas "of failing to act in good faith.

• France has announced that it will recognise the state of Palestine.

• An influential group of MPs is calling on the UK to "immediately" do the same.

Dr Nick Maynard has been going to Gaza for the past 15 years - and this is his third visit to the territory since the war began. The British surgeon added that virtually all of the kids in the pediatric unit of the Nasser Hospital are being fed with sugar water.

" They've got a small amount of formula feed for very small babies, but not enough, " he warned. Dr Maynard said that the lack of aid has also had a huge impact on his colleagues.

" I saw people I'd known for years and I didn't recognise some of them, " he added. " Two colleagues had lost 20 kg and 30 kg respectively. They were shells, they're all hungry. " , "They're going to work every day, then going home to their tents where they have no food. "

IDF 'shooting Gazans at aid points'

During the interview with Dr Maynard, Dr Maynard has claimed that the Israeli soldiers were shooting at civilians at aid points, adding onto it, " almost like a game of target practice. " The IDF said it " categorically rejected " claims of the " intentional harm to civilians, particularly in the manner described. "

Dr Maynard claimed he has operated on boys as young as 11 who had been " short at food distribution points " run by the US and Israel - back Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. " They had gone to get food for their starving families and they were shot, " he said. " I operated on one 12 year old boy who died on the operating table because his injuries were so severe... "

Dr Maynard continued: " What was even more distressing was the pattern of injuries that we saw, the clustering of injuries to particular body parts on certain days. "

" One day they'd be coming in predominately with gunshot wounds to the head or the neck, another day to the chest, another day to the abdomen. " , " Twelve days ago, four young teenage boys came in, all of whom had been shot in the testicles and deliberately so. This is not coincidental. " , " The clustering was far too obvious to be coincidental, and it seemed to us like this was almost like a game of target practice. " , "I  would never have believed this possible unless I'd witnessed this with my own eyes..."

The Israel Defense Forces told Sky News: "The IDF categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians, particularly in the manner described. For the sake of clarity, the army's binding orders prohibit forces operating in the area from intentionally firing at civilians.

"We are aware of reports of casualties among those who arrived at the aid distribution sites. These incidents are under examination by the relevant IDF authorities. Any allegation of a violation of the law or regulations will be thoroughly investigated, including taking appropriate action if necessary.

"The IDF is working to facilitate and ease the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ( GHF ) at the designated distribution centres, as well as through other international actors. These efforts are being conducted under difficult and complex operational conditions. As part of its operational conduct, the IDF draws lessons and conducts systematic learning processes in order to improve its operational response."

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been managing the supply of aid to Gaza since Israel lifting its 11 week blockade in May. It has four aid distribution sites, all of which are located in the Israeli military zones, with journalists prohibited from entering.

More than 1,000 people have been reported killed while trying just to receive some food aid since the GHF took over, according to the UN. UNRWA, its relief agency for Gaza, has heavily criticised the scheme.

Commissioner general Philippe Lazzarini said: " The so called ' GHF ' distribution scheme is a sadistic death trap. Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a license to kill. "

Just a fraction of the aid trucks needed are making it into the enclave, the UN has said, " While multiple aid groups and the World Health Organisation have warned Gazans are facing " mass starvation ".

Mr Lazzarini quoted a colleague on Thursday and said that malnourished Palestinians in Gaza "are neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses."

Money blog: Pound sinks against euro in blow for British holidaymakers:

There's bad news for anyone heading on holiday to a euro-using country. 

One pound now buys fewer euro than at any point in more than a year and a half.

Sterling's value has been tumbling against the euro, with a pound equalling €1.14 for the first time since November 2023.

While the pound has generally had a good year, and is buying more dollars than at most points in the last three years, the euro has had an even better few months. 

It was the decision of the European Central Bank ( ECB ) yesterday to hold interest rates that gave the latest boost to the euro. 

Higher interest rates tend to boost domestic currencies as they can attract inward investment. 

As President Trump launched a global trade war in April with his country-specific tariffs, investors moved away from the dollar and into the euro. 

As fighting enters day two, neither Cambodia or Thailand seem willing to back down just yet:

Close to the border in Si Sa Ket province, Sky News heard the loud rumble and rattle of Thailand's clashes with Cambodia, the thump of artillery strikes, and the fairly constant exchange of gunfire.

The roads in northeastern Thailand are deserted. The only vehicles that seem to pass through are military trucks. More than 130,000 people have now been evacuated, and soon we can hear why.

Close to the border in the Si Sa Ket province, there can be loud rumble and rattle of clashes with Cambodia heard; the thump of artillery strikes, the fairly constant exchange of gunfire.

It's only just the second day of fighting between these two neighbors and neither of them seem willing enough to just back down yet. About an hour from the border, near the Baan Nong Sanom Temple, more than 500 people have spent the night sleeping on the floor. They rushed from their homes in the early hours, most of them with only just the clothes they were wearing.

Ruehtairat Bula has lived through out the skirmishes with Cambodia before, but this time, something feels different, she says. " This time is more violent. The Cambodian side is using strong weapons. They're dropping rockets into residential areas where civilians live. It's killing people, including students. "

She, like many here, was very surprised at the number of civilians killed - at least 15 people have died, while Cambodia only reports one civilian killed.

" I'm afraid that this moment will set a precedent, " she says full of worry. " Cambodia and Thailand will be more divided and will feel the need to fight every time, and that's scary. "

The youngest evacuee here is just only one month old. While others are in their eighties, frail and in need of medicine they were in too much of a rush to grab when they fled.

Ampan Kongkaew, another evacuee, looks blindsided. " It all happened too fast. I knew there would be fighting, but I didn't know it would be this quick. " , " I couldn't pack my things in time. Everyone here only has the clothes they're wearing. There's elderly and sick people. "

In the border provinces, it's almost like a mirror image. People are huddled together at makeshift sites, looking dazed and uncertain. The Cambodian government has accused Thailand of using banned cluster munitions, and officials say seven sites have been hit.

 Allies on both side are called for peace, but neither Thailand nor Cambodia are willing to back down any time just yet. The fighting follows two month of tensions over contested territory.

But the true heart of this war and story is a feud between two political titans, two strongmen that are trying to fight for influence this moment from the sidelines - with Cambodia's former leader, Hun Sen, and Thailand's former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra. The test for this region is whether the road to diplomacy will trump the long shadow of political dynasties.

Those are some news that I found interesting today throughout Bing and Google. I hope over time I should be able to adapt and learn to make these more shorter, summarized and hopefully, more informative. Thank you for reading.