Search Results

A Palestinian casualty is brought to the Indonesian hospital following Israeli strikes in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip March 20, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa At least 70 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Thursday after Israel resumed its bombing campaign and ground operations in the enclave, a Gaza health official said. Medics said Israeli strikes targeted several houses in northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip. Asked for comment, the Israeli military said it was looking into the reports. The military has resumed its air assaults on Gaza since Tuesday and launched ground operations on Wednesday, effectively abandoning a ceasefire that had held since January. It said on Thursday that its forces had been engaged for the past 24 hours in what it described as a targeted ground operation to expand a buffer zone separating the northern and southern halves of Gaza, known as the Netzarim corridor. It ordered residents to stay away from the Salahuddin Road, the main north-south route and said they should travel along the coast instead. Tuesday's first day of resumed airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians, one of the deadliest days of the war. At least 510 Palestinians have been killed in the past three days, more than half of them women and children, Khalil Al-Deqran, the spokesperson of the territory's health ministry told Reuters. The Palestinian militant group Hamas said the Israeli ground operation and the incursion into the Netzarim Corridor were a "new and dangerous violation" of the two-month-old ceasefire agreement. In a statement, the group reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire deal and called on mediators to "assume their responsibilities". A temporary first phase of the ceasefire ended at the start of this month. Hamas wants to move to an agreed second phase, under which Israel would be required to negotiate an end to the war and withdraw its troops, and Israeli hostages held in Gaza would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Israel has offered only a temporary extension of the truce, cut off all supplies to Gaza and says it is restarting its military campaign to force Hamas to free remaining hostages. BULLDOZERS AND TANKS The resumption of air strikes has sent Palestinian residents again fleeing for their lives from homes they had begun to reinhabit among the ruins of the devastated enclave. Some Palestinians who tried to use the Salahuddin road said they saw cars come under fire from Israeli troops advancing towards Netzarim. The fate of the passengers in the vehicles was unknown. "Bulldozers protected by some tanks were heading to the west coming from the areas where they are stationed near the fence east of the Salahuddin road," one taxi driver told Reuters, asking not to be identified for fear of reprisals. He said it had become clear the Israelis were advancing on Netzarim when Egyptian and foreign inspectors stationed there under the ceasefire abruptly withdrew. Some residents turned to social media to report the disappearance of some relatives, while others reported cases to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Speaking to Reuters on Thursday, a Hamas official said mediators had stepped up their efforts with the two warring sides but added that "no breakthrough has yet been made". Hamas has yet to make clear threats to retaliate in response to the Israeli escalation. Asked why the group had not yet responded, the Hamas official said it was "giving a chance for things to be contained". Some residents said there were no signs yet of preparations by Hamas on the ground to resume fighting. But an official from one militant group allied to Hamas told Reuters on Thursday that fighters, including from Hamas, had been put on high alert awaiting further instructions. "Fighters and leaders of the resistance were also advised to avoid the use of cellular phones as a means of precaution," said the official, who asked not to be identified. The war started after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, by Israeli tallies. More than 49,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing conflict, according to Gaza's health authorities, with the enclave reduced to rubble. Source: Reuters

According to the Hong Kong Observatory, a dry northeast monsoon is currently bringing fine weather across Guangdong. Locally, the afternoon has been particularly dry, with relative humidity levels dropping below 40% in several areas. The forecast for Hong Kong indicates clear skies tonight and tomorrow. Tomorrow morning is expected to be cool, with minimum temperatures around 16°C in urban areas, dipping slightly lower in the New Territories. Daytime temperatures are projected to reach about 24°C, accompanied by moderate east to northeasterly winds. Looking ahead, fine and dry conditions are expected to continue, with cool mornings on Friday. Over the weekend, temperatures will rise further, resulting in hotter days early to midweek next week. Starting Monday, temperatures are predicted to gradually climb, reaching a high of 28°C on the 24th, with some areas potentially hitting 30°C. This rising warmth will create an ideal setting for outdoor activities. Source: Hong Kong Observatory

Dr Martin Lee and Cathy Chui shine beside Ballon Swan(Red). Photo: Chui's Instagram Property tycoon Lee Shau Kee, Hong Kong’s second-richest billionaire, lavished his daughter-in-law Cathy Chui—wife of his son Martin Lee—with gifts worth more than HK$2 billion (US$257.4 million) throughout his life. According to the local news outlet The Standard , Lee’s gifts to Chui included a HK$50 million education fund, land valued at HK$1.82 billion, and a HK$110 million luxury yacht. He also gifted her and her family a mansion. It was reported as well by Citing Oriental Daily News and the South China Morning Post that Lee also gave Chui red packets with lucky money for every child she gave birth to. Additionally, Yahoo! Life noted that when Chui gave birth to her fourth child in 2015, Lee celebrated the occasion by gifting each of his 5,000 employees at Henderson Land Development 10,000 yuan (US$1,384) as a token of appreciation. These lavish gifts led local media to nickname Chui the " Hundred Billion daughter-in-law." Now 43, Chui is best known for her roles in the 2000 films "Time and Tide" and "When a Man Loves a Woman," as well as the 2001 film "The Saving Hands." She married Lee’s son Martin, now 54, in 2006. According to AFP , Lee passed away at the age of 97 on Monday evening, as announced in a press release by his company Henderson Land Development. As of February, Forbes ranked him as Hong Kong’s second-richest man, with a net worth of US$29.2 billion. Source: VN Express International