Russia, China veto US bid on Gaza ceasefire at Security Council - CNA

"The American product is exceedingly politicised, with the sole purpose being to play to voters and throw them a bone in the form of some kind of a mention of a ceasefire in Gaza," he said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia and China "cynically vetoed" a US-led draft resolution at the UN Security Council on a ceasefire in Gaza. 

"On the resolution, which got very strong support, but then was cynically vetoed by Russia and China, I think we were trying to show the international community a sense of urgency about getting a ceasefire," Blinken told reporters in Israel.

The resolution will "ensure the impunity of Israel, whose crimes are not even assessed in the draft".

The draft had stopped short of explicitly demanding that Israel immediately end its campaign in Gaza. In the delicate language of Security Council resolutions, the draft "determines" the "imperative" of an "immediate and sustained" ceasefire.

The draft linked a ceasefire to ongoing talks, led by Qatar with support from the United States and Egypt, to halt the war in return for Hamas releasing hostages.

China's representative, Zhang Jun, said the draft "dodged the most central issue, that of a ceasefire" through its "ambiguous" language.

"Nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term," he said.

PUSH ON ALTERNATIVE RESOLUTION

 French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Brussels immediately after the vetoes, said France would keep pushing an alternative resolution for a ceasefire.

The Security Council may later Friday consider another resolution with a more explicit call for an immediate ceasefire.

The US ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, indicated opposition, saying it would jeopardize the ongoing talks for the release of hostages.

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2024-03-22 14:00:00Z
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Blinken heads to Israel to press for 'immediate' truce in Gaza ahead of UN vote - CNA

"IMMEDIATE, DURABLE CEASEFIRE" 

The United States will submit its draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Friday, a spokesman for the US representative to the world body said.

The US resolution "will unequivocally support ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at securing an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as part of a hostage deal ... we will be bringing this Resolution for a vote on Friday morning," Nate Evans, spokesman for US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said in a statement.

The United Kingdom and Australia, both allies of Israel and the United States, issued a statement after talks on Friday between their defence and foreign ministers that stressed the "urgency of an immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released".

After blocking an Algerian draft resolution calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza at the end of February, US officials have been negotiating an alternative text focusing on support for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of hostages.

However, Russia's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy told reporters his country was "not satisfied with anything which doesn't call for an immediate ceasefire", raising the question of whether Security Council permanent member Moscow might veto the vote.

Israel's relentless bombardment of Gaza has continued despite renewed diplomatic efforts, with the death toll in Gaza close to 32,000, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

Israel's military said it had killed more than 140 Hamas fighters and arrested more than 350 since the start of its operation in and around Al-Shifa hospital on Monday.

It said militants were hiding out at the vast hospital complex and civilians had not been harmed. Hamas said the attack on an area crowded with patients and people seeking refuge was a crime.

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2024-03-22 06:28:06Z
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UN adopts first global artificial intelligence resolution - CNA

The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday (Mar 21) unanimously adopted the first global resolution on artificial intelligence to encourage countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI for risks.

The nonbinding resolution, proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by China and 122 other nations, took three months to negotiate and also advocates for strengthening privacy policies, senior US administration officials said, briefing reporters before the resolution's approval.

"Today, all 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly have spoken in one voice, and together, chosen to govern artificial intelligence rather than let it govern us," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

The resolution is the latest in a series of initiatives - few of which carry teeth - by governments around the world to shape AI's development, amid fears it could be used to disrupt democratic processes, turbocharge fraud or lead to dramatic job losses, among other harms.

"The improper or malicious design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems ... pose risks that could ... undercut the protection, promotion and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms," the measure says.

In November, the US, Britain and more than a dozen other countries unveiled the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are "secure by design".

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2024-03-22 02:23:49Z
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Singapore falls 5 spots to 30th in world happiness ranking but still tops Asia for 2nd straight year - CNA

SINGAPORE YOUTH LESS HAPPY

The 2024 report noted that country rankings for the young and the old “are quite different”.

"Countries ranking highest for the old are generally countries with high overall rankings, but include several where the young have recently fared very poorly,” it added.

This year’s report zoomed in on two age groups - the “young” aged 30 and below, and the “old” aged 60 and up.

Among the young, Lithuania, Israel and Serbia took the first, second and third spots respectively. Singapore ranked 54th, a spot below Greece and just ahead of Spain.

Conversely, the elderly in Singapore ranked much higher at 26th, just behind France and ahead of Saudi Arabia. Denmark, Finland and Norway rank number one, two and three.

Previous years’ reports did not give happiness ranking breakdown by age groups.

BENEVOLENCE AMONG THE YOUNG

The Gallup World Poll, which the happiness report draws on, also tracks three types of benevolent behaviour: Giving donations, volunteering and helping strangers.

The report found that there was an increase in such acts in the post-pandemic years.

“For all three acts, the increases in benevolence, whether measured as shares of the population, or percentage increases from pre-pandemic levels, are greatest for millennials and Gen Z,” the report found.

“(This suggests) that millennials are even more likely than their predecessors to increase their benevolent acts when a new need like COVID arises.”

The report does not give a breakdown of benevolent actions by countries.

This article was originally published in TODAY.

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2024-03-21 15:24:22Z
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President Tharman, PM Lee congratulate Prabowo on Indonesia election victory - CNA

SINGAPORE: Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have written to Mr Prabowo Subianto to congratulate him on his victory in last month's Indonesian presidential election, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday (Mar 21).

Mr Prabowo, who is Indonesia's defence minister, won the Feb 14 contest with nearly 60 per cent of the vote, according to the Indonesian election body's official tally released on Wednesday night. His rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo received about 25 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.

The official results largely confirmed unofficial results released by independent pollsters last month.

"On behalf of the people of Singapore, I would like to convey my heartfelt congratulations on your election as the eighth president of the Republic of Indonesia," said Mr Tharman in a letter to Mr Prabowo on Wednesday.

"The strong mandate you received demonstrates the confidence and trust that the Indonesian people have in your ability to lead Indonesia towards greater progress."

Mr Tharman noted that Singapore and Indonesia have a "robust relationship underpinned by abiding ties of kinship and friendship".

"I am confident that under your leadership, Indonesia and Singapore will continue to be close friends and partners, as we work together to strengthen bilateral relations for the benefit of our people," he said.

Mr Tharman added that he was happy to have met Mr Prabowo in Singapore in November 2023 when he was conferred the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Distinguished Service Order) in recognition of his "significant contributions towards strengthening the close and long-standing defence relations between Indonesia and Singapore".

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2024-03-21 09:55:00Z
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US submits draft UN resolution calling for 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza: Blinken - CNA

Since blocking an Algerian draft resolution calling for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in Gaza at the end of February, US officials have been negotiating an alternative text focusing on support for diplomatic efforts on the ground for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of hostages.

According to diplomatic sources, this text had little chance of gaining the Council's approval and a new version was circulated to Security Council members on Wednesday.

The amended draft, seen by AFP, stresses "the need for an immediate and durable ceasefire to protect civilians on all sides, enable the delivery of essential humanitarian aid, and alleviate suffering ... in conjunction with the release of hostages still held".

No vote has yet been scheduled on this text.

Blinken's tour runs parallel with talks in Qatar, where mediators met for a third day on Wednesday in a renewed effort to secure a ceasefire but with little indication of an imminent agreement.

The plan being discussed in Qatar would temporarily halt the fighting as hostages are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of relief supplies is stepped up.

"It's getting closer. I think the gaps are narrowing, and I think an agreement is very much possible," Blinken said of the mediation in Doha.

"We worked very hard with Qatar, with Egypt, and with Israel to put a strong proposal on the table ... Hamas wouldn't accept it," he said.

"They came back with other requests, other demands. The negotiators are working on that right now."

The bloodiest-ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas's Oct 7 attack resulted in about 1,160 deaths in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Militants also seized about 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 who are presumed dead.

Israel's military has waged a retaliatory offensive against Hamas that has killed almost 32,000 people, most of them women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry.

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2024-03-21 06:11:27Z
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Blinken begins Middle East tour with strains growing in US-Israel ties amid war in Gaza - CNA

GAZA STRIP: US top diplomat Antony Blinken touched down on Wednesday (Mar 20) in the Middle East to bolster efforts for a truce in the war in Gaza, as Israeli forces pushed on with a raid on the territory's largest hospital.

Global concern has mounted over the military conflict now in its sixth month, in which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy Hamas in response to a deadly attack by its fighters on Oct 7.

The latest fighting included an Israeli assault on Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital, a vast complex crowded with patients and people seeking refuge, where Israel says Palestinian militants are holed up.

The Israeli army said "over 300 suspects were apprehended" in the hospital raid that began early Monday, including "dozens of senior terrorists and those with key positions".

Hamas meanwhile condemned Israeli "crimes" at Al-Shifa "for the third day in a row, the executions of dozens of displaced persons, patients and staff".

UN agencies have warned that Gaza's 2.4 million people are on the brink of famine, and UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel may be using "starvation as a method of war".

The dire plight of Palestinians and the fate of Israeli hostages held in Gaza have pushed negotiators back to the table in Qatar to try to thrash out a truce deal, but officials have so far reported little progress.

The United States, long Israel's top ally, has also ratcheted up its diplomatic efforts and increasingly voiced concern over humanitarian issues.

US Secretary of State Blinken, who began his regional tour with meetings in regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia, has warned that Gaza's "entire population" is suffering "severe levels of acute food insecurity".

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2024-03-20 21:34:00Z
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