Reports

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), bound for the Gaza Strip, says a drone struck its main ship in the Tunisian port of Sidi Bou Said, causing a fire, but that all its passengers and crew were safe.

A spokesman for the GSF blamed Israel for the incident, which occurred late on Monday, but the Tunisian National Guard said reports of a drone attack were “completely unfounded”.

The agency instead suggested that the fire was caused by a cigarette butt or a lighter setting a life jacket ablaze.

The GSF, however, insisted the incident was a drone attack and said it would provide more details on Tuesday morning.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

The GSF comprises more than 50 boats, heading for Gaza to break the Israeli siege on the war-battered and famine-stricken Palestinian territory.

According to the GSF, the incident on the Family Boat, which is sailing under a Portuguese flag and carrying the group’s steering committee members, took place at 11:45pm on Monday. There were six people on the boat at the time of the drone attack, and some of the passengers quickly extinguished the fire.

All crew members are safe, it said in a statement.

The fire caused damage to the ship’s main deck and below-deck storage, it said.

‘Huge explosion’

The GSF posted multiple videos on social media that it said showed the moment the attack took place.

One video, taken from another vessel near the Family Boat, showed an incendiary device falling on the boat, causing an explosion. Another video, captured on the Family Boat’s security cameras, shows crew members looking up and jumping back before an explosion.

Miguel Duarte, who was on board the Family Boat and witnessed the attack, told the Middle East Eye that he saw a drone hovering over the vessel before it dropped an explosive device.

“I was standing in the back part of the ship, the aft deck, and I heard a drone,” Duarte said in the video posted online by MEE.

“I saw a drone clearly about 4 metres [13 feet] above my head. I called someone. We were looking at the drone, just above our heads, really,” he recounted.

The drone stopped close to the two crew members, then moved slowly to the forward deck of the ship, and dropped what was “obviously a bomb”, he said.

“There was a huge explosion, lots of fire, big, big flames … We could have been killed,” Duarte added.

Members of the GSF held Israel responsible for the attack, noting the Israeli military’s past assaults on ships bound for Gaza.

“There is no other authority that would do such an attack, such a crime, except the Israeli authorities,” spokesperson Saif Abukeshek said in a video posted on the GSF’s official Instagram page.

“They have been committing genocide for the past 22 months, and they are willing to attack a peaceful, non-violent flotilla,” he added.

Tunisia’s National Guard, however, denied reports of a drone attack, saying on its Facebook page that initial investigations show the fire broke out in one of the life jackets on the ship “as a result of a lighter or cigarette butt”.

It added, “There was no evidence of any hostile act or external targeting.”

The GSF later announced it would hold a news conference at 10am local time on Tuesday (09:00 GMT) to update the media and the public about the attack.

The United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, Francesca Albanese, who is taking part in the flotilla, said while details of the attack have to be verified, Israel has a long history of attacking Gaza-bound ships.

“If it’s confirmed that this is a drone attack, it will be an assault and aggression against Tunisia and against Tunisian sovereignty,” Albanese said.

“Again, we cannot keep on tolerating this and normalising the illegal.”

GSF says its mission will continue

Several flotillas have attempted to break the blockade of Gaza in the past.

In 2008, two boats from the Free Gaza Movement, founded in 2006 by activists during Israel’s war on Lebanon, successfully reached Gaza, marking the first breach of Israel’s naval blockade.

Since 2010, however, Israeli forces have intercepted or attacked all such flotillas in international waters, sometimes using deadly force. This includes Israel’s raid on the Mavi Marmara in 2010, during which its commandos killed 10 activists and wounded dozens of others.

There have been three attempts to break the Israeli siege of Gaza this year. The first one, organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), was aborted in May after drones struck the Conscience ship off the coast of Malta. The FFC blamed the attack on Israel.

The other bids, on the Madleen and Handala, were intercepted by Israeli forces off the coast of Gaza in international waters, and activists were detained and deported.

The GSF organisers say the latest attempt is the largest maritime mission to Gaza, bringing together more than 50 ships and delegations from at least 44 countries. Its participants include Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela and French actress Adele Haenel.

The first convoy of the flotilla departed from Spanish ports on August 31 and arrived in Tunisia last week. The group was due to depart from Tunis on Wednesday.

Abukeshek, the GSF spokesman, said the flotilla is determined to continue the mission despite the attack.

“We will continue our preparation as soon as we make sure the ships are safe and the crew and the participants are safe,” he said.

“We will continue to break the siege on Gaza.”

MARCUS RASHFORD will NOT be heading back to Manchester United in January, according to sources close to the player.

The forward made a loan switch to the LaLiga champions in the summer window.

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Rashford, 27, was thrilled to seal his dream move but sensational reports in Spain over the weekend suggested it could turn into a nightmare.

Spanish outlet El Nacional incredibly claimed that Barcelona were already considering ending his loan deal early.

A bombshell report suggested that Nou Camp bosses were unimpressed by his start in LaLiga, after just three games.

However, this has been vehemently denied by sources close to Rashford.

It is understood that Barcelona and manager Hansi Flick are still giving the England international their full support.

Barcelona have the option to make Rashford’s move permanent for £30million.

He has made three appearances this season and is yet to score or assist.

But his minutes on the pitch have mostly been limited to substitute appearances.

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Rashford’s one start came against Levante at the Estadio Ciutat de Valencia.

Flick subbed the loanee off at half-time after Barcelona had fallen to a shock 2-0 deficit.

They came back to win the match with a stunning second-half display as Pedri and Ferran Torres scored before a late own-goal from Unai Elgezabal.

Rashford was still able to do enough to convince England manager Thomas Tuchel to call him up for the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.

He started in the 2-0 win against Andorra and had some impressive moments in the first half.

Tuchel insisted after the match that Rashford is putting in the effort to succeed.

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He said: “For me, he’s clearly a left winger.

“That’s where we played him today. He had the freedom to go a bit more inside to play not only against the fifth defender in the back five, but to play maybe more inside against the third.

“I think the right side was a bit more active and found the positions a bit better. So I think he suffered from that today.

“He had an excellent training week, and it was obvious that we want him to start because he trained so well on the left side.

“I can see that he tries. This is, for me, the most important, that he stays positive and he trains at the moment with the right attitude with a smile.

“He struggles a bit with numbers and with ‘wow’ performance in an England shirt.”

Aug. 28 (UPI) — The Trump administration is winding down operations at its Florida Everglades detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” per a court order, with all detainees to be removed within days, according to reports.

Florida Division of Emergency Management head Kevin Guthrie wrote in a Friday email obtained by both The New York Times and ABC News, but reported on Wednesday, that the South Florida Detention Facility in the Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee will probably “be down to 0 individuals within a few days.”

The news organizations reported that the email was sent in response to interfaith leaders who had asked to minister to the facility’s detainees.

It’s unclear exactly how many detainees are held — and were held — at the detention facility rapidly constructed at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport compound.

President Donald Trump has been channeling funds to expanded immigration detention capabilities nationwide as part of his pledge to mass deport immigrants, with several Republican-led states entering partnerships with the federal government to construct them.

Alligator Alcatraz opened July 1 and was met with Democratic opposition and lawsuits.

On Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration and the state of Florida to essentially wind down operations at the facility within 60 days. No new detainees were allowed to be transferred to the site and much of it was ordered to be dismantled.

In her ruling, Judge Kathleen Williams sided with environmental groups who accused the state and federal governments of violating environmental protection laws, as no environmental review was performed before they started erecting the facility.

“There weren’t ‘deficiencies’ in the agency’s process. There was no process. The defendants consulted no stakeholders or experts and did no evaluation of the environmental risks and alternatives from which the court may glean the likelihood that the agency would choose the same course if it had done a NEPA-compliant evaluation,” she wrote in her order, referring to the National Environmental Policy Act.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appealed the ruling.

Earlier this month, DeSantis, a Republican and a Trump ally, announced plans to open another detention facility, this one called “Deportation Depot.” It is to be housed in a shuttered state prison in North Florida.

Agilent Technologies (A 0.33%), a global leader in laboratory instruments and scientific solutions for life sciences and diagnostics, released its Q3 fiscal 2025 results on Aug. 27, 2025. The company delivered revenue of $1.74 billion, coming in over its own projected revenue guidance and achieving a 10.1% increase over the prior year period. Non-GAAP earnings per share were $1.37, which was at the high end of management’s forecast and matched analyst expectations. Profitability also improved compared to last year.

However, operating margins narrowed in all business units due to increased costs, including tariffs and higher operating expenses. Overall, the quarter demonstrated broad-based growth across the company, with management responding by raising both annual revenue and profit forecasts for fiscal 2025.

What does Agilent Technologies do?

Agilent Technologies provides analytical instruments, software, and consumables for laboratories worldwide. Its customers work primarily in life sciences, pharmaceutical research, diagnostics, food testing, and chemical analysis. The company’s products help scientists analyze everything from new medicines to food safety and environmental samples. Its technology range includes mass spectrometry systems, which identify molecular structures; liquid chromatography platforms, which separate chemical mixtures; and automated pathology diagnostics used in hospitals.

It operates through three main segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. It has strengthened its position through sustained investment in new technologies, a broad portfolio of instruments and software, and a global footprint. Key drivers of success include technological leadership, regulatory compliance, access to emerging markets, and the flexibility to reorganize segments in line with growth opportunities.

Quarter in review: Growth, margins, and market trends

During the quarter, Agilent achieved notable top-line gains, with revenue growing 10.1% year over year, well above its own guidance. All three major business units and every geographic region posted year-over-year increases in sales, underscoring both resilient demand and the effectiveness of its execution initiatives.

The Life Sciences and Diagnostics segment, which includes laboratory instruments and automated diagnostic tools, posted the fastest growth at 14%. This reflects demand for technologies used in scientific research, biopharmaceuticals, and hospital labs. The Applied Markets unit, which provides testing systems for food, environmental, and chemical analysis, and Agilent CrossLab, which offers services and consumables that support overall laboratory workflow, also saw revenue increases.

The broad-based growth was coupled with a sequential and year-over-year decline in operating margins across segments. In the Life Sciences and Diagnostics group, higher sales were accompanied by a decrease in both gross and operating margins, with gross margin down to 50.5% from 54.4% a year ago.

The CrossLab segment’s operating margin slipped to 33.3%, down from 35.9% a year earlier, while Applied Markets diminished as well. Tariffs and higher costs, including an increase in the cost of goods sold and operational expenses, were cited as factors affecting profitability. Even though overall operating income improved in dollar terms, the reduced operating margin as a percentage of revenue points to elevated cost pressures that management is committed to addressing.

The company reported both strong cash and a solid balance sheet, with operating cash flow for the first nine months of fiscal 2025 totaling $1,014 million, down 20% compared to the same period a year earlier. The company noted that the cash flow decrease was mainly due to inventory building as a strategy to manage ongoing supply chain and tariff risks, as well as higher capital spending. Cash and cash equivalents rose to $1.54 billion as of the end of the quarter. Research and development spending decreased 12.6% compared to the same period last year.

The company continued its regular share repurchase and dividend programs.

What’s new and what stands out this quarter?

The most significant theme was continued strong demand from biopharma firms and hospitals in both developed and emerging markets. The Life Sciences and Diagnostics segment in particular, linked to testing tools and systems for analyzing biological samples and automating clinical workflows, delivered both the fastest growth rate and the largest sales increase. Applied Markets, supplying instruments for food safety, environmental, and forensics labs, and CrossLab, focused on laboratory consumables and support, both contributed to broad revenue gains.

While the quarter was marked by revenue growth, each segment also experienced some profit margin compression. This was attributed to ongoing tariff exposure and increases in operating expenses, including supply chain investment. To hedge against these risks, Agilent continued its Ignite Transformation initiative, aimed at driving operational efficiencies, expanding its innovation pipeline, and mitigating cost increases. While Ignite has helped offset some headwinds, cost inflation and tariffs have outpaced some efficiency benefits, as reflected in lower segment gross and operating margins. Management indicated it would continue focusing on price realization, localized manufacturing, and supply chain adjustments in future quarters.

Management reaffirmed continued investment in new technologies, including advanced mass spectrometry products, which are devices for analyzing molecules. Prior quarters emphasized portfolio expansion in life sciences instrumentation and informatics, and the company reiterated its commitment to innovation. All global regions contributed to growth.

There were no new sustainability or environmental disclosures in the quarter. The company’s public goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 remains in place, though no new progress updates were provided. Agilent reported no regulatory compliance issues or fines; compliance remains a critical factor because its diagnostic and analytical tools must meet health and safety regulations in all relevant markets.

Looking ahead: Guidance and key areas for investors

Management raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2025, now expecting revenue of $6.91–$6.93 billion and non-GAAP earnings per share of $5.56–$5.59, both meaningfully higher than previous projections. For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, Agilent projects revenue between $1.822 billion and $1.842 billion, with non-GAAP earnings between $1.57 and $1.60 per share. This stronger guidance points to continued broad demand across end markets and signals confidence in ongoing portfolio and geographic expansion.

Investors should keep an eye on margin trends, as inflation, tariffs, and supply chain dynamics continue to present risks to profitability. The company is prioritizing operational resilience through supply chain strategy, efficiency programs like Ignite, and targeted price increases. Emerging markets, new product launches, and ongoing regulatory compliance will remain important watchpoints.

Agilent Technologies pays a regular dividend and continued its dividend program during the quarter.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

Ooma (OOMA 2.17%) reported second quarter 2026 earnings on August 26, 2025, reporting revenue of $66.4 million, up 3.5% year over year, a record non-GAAP net income of $6.5 million, up 59% year over year, and an adjusted EBITDA margin rising to 11%. Management highlighted strengthening business user metrics, Airdial’s accelerated bookings, expanded partner ecosystem, and updated full-year non-GAAP net income guidance to $24.5 million to $25 million for FY2026, raising previous expectations.

Airdial bookings drive Ooma business revenue and partner expansion

Product and other revenue grew 15% year over year in Q2 FY2026, attributed largely to increased Airdial installations, while the company now partners with nearly 35 Airdial resellers, up sequentially. Airdial landed its largest customer to date, a national U.S. retailer deploying to over 3,000 locations.

“I’m pleased to report that Airdial ramped well in Q2. We more than doubled new bookings year over year and secured our largest customer win to date with a large national retailer. Started the rollout with this retailer and anticipate serving over 3,000 locations. We also closed several other significantly sized customers who placed initial orders. As is our goal every quarter, we expanded the number of partners who will resell Airdial, and signed three new partner resellers in the quarter. We believe two of these new partners have experience selling competitive solutions and will be able to ramp relatively quickly with Airdial. In total, we are now approaching 35 Airdial partner resellers.”
— Eric Stang, CEO

With bookings more than doubling year over year and rapid channel expansion in Q2 FY2026, Airdial is contributing to the growth of Ooma’s annual recurring revenue and business user additions.

Ooma reaches record profitability through operational leverage

Adjusted EBITDA rose 27% year over year to $7.2 million, with non-GAAP net income driven by improving operating leverage, R&D efficiency, and a disciplined cost structure. The company’s gross margin remained stable year over year at 62%, Sales and marketing expenses were $18 million or 27% of total revenue, up 2% year over year, while research and development expenses were $11.5 million or 17% of total revenue, down 6% year over year.

“Q2 non-GAAP net income was $6.5 million, above our guidance range of $5.6 million to $5.9 million, and grew 59% year over year, primarily driven by our improving operating leverage. Q2 non-GAAP net income this year also included a small amount of tax benefit due to the recent changes in U.S. tax law.”
— Shig Hamamatsu, CFO

This margin expansion and stronger bottom-line output indicate Ooma’s ability to balance growth investments with profitable scalability, underpinning an attractive long-term financial profile for investors.

Business solutions segment outpaces residential as key revenue driver

Business subscription and services revenue represented 62% of total subscription revenue, up from 60% in the previous quarter, and grew 66% year over year, while residential subscription revenue declined by 2% year over year. Blended average revenue per user (ARPU) climbed 4% year over year to $15.68, propelled by the increased mix of business users and higher-tier Ooma Office Pro and Pro Plus services adoption, with 61% of new Office users opting for premium tiers.

“Business subscription and services revenue grew 66% year over year in Q2 driven by user growth and ARPU growth. On the residential side, subscription and services revenue was down 2% year over year. For the second quarter, total subscription and services revenue was $61.1 million or 92% of total revenue as compared to $59.6 million or 93% of total revenue in the prior year quarter.”
— Shig Hamamatsu, CFO

The business segment grew rapidly, driven by higher customer value and increased premium service adoption, reflecting a shift toward business customers.

Looking Ahead

Management guided non-GAAP revenue for Q3 FY2026 to $67.2 million to $67.9 million and full-year non-GAAP revenue to $267 million to $270 million for FY2026, with non-GAAP net income for FY2026 now expected at $24.5 million to $25 million, raising prior guidance. Adjusted EBITDA for FY2026 is forecast at $28.5 million to $29 million, and non-GAAP diluted EPS at $0.87 to $0.89 for FY2026, with business subscription and services revenue projected to grow 5% to 6% for FY2026 on a non-GAAP basis, while residential declines 1% to 2%. Management’s strategic priorities remain capitalizing on Airdial expansion, enhancing Ooma Office for higher ARPU, and scaling wholesale platform 2,600 Hertz, and further cost efficiency gains anticipated through the second half of FY2026.

Napco Security Technologies (NSSC 4.26%), a leader in commercial and residential electronic security solutions, reported mixed results in its earnings release on August 25, 2025. Recurring Service Revenue (RSR) was a standout, but equipment sales and gross margins both declined year-over-year. Net income (GAAP) and diluted earnings per share (GAAP) also dropped. This quarter marked stabilizing trends in some areas but ongoing pressure in others.

Business Overview and Key Focus Areas

Napco Security Technologies designs and manufactures security hardware and software for commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. Its products include intrusion alarms, access control hardware, electronic locks, and monitoring platforms that support safety and communication needs.

The company’s most important focus lately has been on building up recurring service revenue, which delivers predictable, high-margin income. This service is tied to cellular connectivity subscriptions for things like security alarms and remote management. Innovation and R&D spending continue to support this shift, while cost efficiency from Dominican Republic-based manufacturing helps protect margins. Increasing sales to the school safety market and providing complete, integrated security solutions remain top priorities for the business.

Fourth Quarter Developments: Revenue Trends, Product Mix, and Margins

GAAP revenue edged up just under 1% from the prior year, reaching $50.7 million. Recurring Service Revenue stood out with a 10% increase to $22.4 million. This revenue comes from monthly or annual charges for services like StarLink radios, which provide cellular communication and alarm connection, as well as the newly launched MVP Access platform for cloud-based entry control. RSR now makes up nearly half of total sales and enjoys a gross margin of 91%—by far the most profitable segment in the portfolio.

In contrast, equipment sales—revenue from physical security products such as alarms and electronic door locks—declined 5% year over year to $28.3 million. The company did manage a 27% sequential gain in equipment sales versus the previous quarter, suggesting distributors may be starting to rebuild inventory. However, the full-year picture shows a notable 16% decline in equipment sales for FY2025. Management cited ongoing distributor “destocking”—meaning dealers bought less to use up old inventory—as a reason for weak hardware revenues in Q3 FY2025. This hurt overall gross profits, even as RSR improved.

Gross profit margin dropped to 52.8% from 55.3% compared to the prior year. The company maintained its industry-leading RSR margin at 91%. Selling, general, and administrative expenses grew, including higher R&D and legal costs. Net income fell 14 % to $11.6 million, while adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization—a measure of core operating performance) shrank 7.6 %.

Despite these profit headwinds, Napco made significant improvements in operating cash flow, which reached $53.5 million (GAAP) for FY2025, thanks to reductions in inventory. The balance sheet remains solid, with $83.1 million in cash and no debt as of June 30, 2025. The company also highlighted its use of cash for shareholder returns: during FY2025, it paid $18.6 million in dividends and spent $36.8 million on stock buybacks.

The quarter included the public launch of the MVP Access platform, a cloud-based system enabling remote and recurring management of building and door security. This product launch is important because it expands the recurring service base, which management hopes will soon surpass the 50% threshold of total revenue, compared to 48% for FY2025. Investments in R&D also increased, reaching $12.6 million for FY2025, or almost 7% of net sales—supporting a pipeline of new products and features.

Looking Ahead: Guidance and Investor Watchpoints

Management maintained its dividend at $0.14 per share, with no increase or decrease for the coming period. It did not provide specific sales or earnings guidance for fiscal 2026, only indicating optimism about improving hardware demand and ongoing strength in recurring services. Continued pressure on EPS and margins means recovery in hardware and cost control will be key areas to monitor.

Investors should watch for any major change in equipment order trends, progress in recurring service mix, and signs of margin stabilization in the coming quarters. With no formal forward guidance offered, visibility on the timing of a broader rebound in hardware sales remains limited. NSSC does pay a dividend, which was unchanged at $0.14 per share.

Revenue and net income presented using U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) unless otherwise noted.

Ross Ulbricht built an empire in the shadows—a sprawling digital bazaar called The Silk Road, hidden on the dark web. There, drugs, weapons, and stolen secrets flowed freely, all paid for in untraceable cryptocurrency. To his global clientele, he was a legend: the Dread Pirate Roberts.

But after a dramatic arrest and a staggering double life sentence, Ulbricht’s fate took another twist. Just days into his second term, President Trump pardoned him, sparking outrage and debate. So, did he deserve his punishment? Did justice prevail—or was power at play? And how did a digital outlaw become the ultimate wild card in America’s justice system?

In this episode:
– Nicholas Cristin, Online Crime Professor at Carnegie Mellon University
– David Yaffe-Bellany, Technology Reporter for the New York Times

In a statement issued at full-time, the Football Association said: “We are very concerned about the allegation of discrimination from an area of the crowd, which was reported to the match officials during the Premier League fixture between Liverpool and Bournemouth.

“Incidents of this nature have no place in our game, and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure the appropriate action is taken.”

Liverpool, external also issued a statement after the game: “Liverpool Football Club is aware of an allegation of racist abuse made during our Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth.

“We condemn racism and discrimination in all forms, it has no place in society or football.

“The club is unable to comment further as tonight’s alleged incident is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, which we will support fully.”

Reds head coach Arne Slot told Sky Sports: “The club made a clear statement. We don’t want this in football, we don’t want this happening in stadiums, especially not at Anfield.

“We should talk about this for a long time because we do not want this at Anfield. It takes the shine off it (game) a bit because our fans were amazing, especially with the tributes to Diogo.”

Premier League Match Centre, external during the match: “Tonight’s match between Liverpool Football Club and AFC Bournemouth was temporarily paused during the first half after a report of discriminatory abuse from the crowd, directed at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.

“This is in line with the Premier League’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol. The incident at Anfield will now be fully investigated. We offer our full support to the player and both clubs.

“Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.”

Kick It Out said they “stand in solidarity” with Semenyo and added: “Thirty minutes into the first Premier League game of the season, and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is racially abused by someone in the crowd.

“Two nights ago, Tottenham’s Mathys Tel was racially abused online. This is a stark reminder of an ugly reality: black players are facing this every week.

“We stand in solidarity with Antoine and can’t praise him enough for his courage in calling this out after such a distressing episode before going on to score twice.

“Anthony Taylor and his refereeing team also deserve credit for acting swiftly and decisively. We will keep pushing to kick this disgusting behaviour out of the game through punishments, accountability and education, but football still has a long way to go.”

The incident came after Tottenham forward Mathys Tel was the subject of racist abuse on social media after being one of two Spurs players to miss in their Super Cup penalty shootout defeat by Paris St-Germain on Wednesday.

England defender Jess Carter was also the target of racist abuse during Euro 2025 last month.

England internationals Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were subjected to racism too in the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final, held in July 2021, after all three missed penalties in the shootout loss to Italy.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres puts both countries ‘on notice’ over documented pattern of sexual violence.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has put Israel and Russia “on notice” that their armed forces and security personnel could be listed among parties “credibly suspected” of committing sexual violence in conflict zones.

The warning on Tuesday resulted from “significant concerns regarding patterns of certain forms of sexual violence that have been consistently documented by the United Nations”, Guterres wrote in a report seen by the Reuters news agency.

In his annual report to the UN Security Council on conflict-related sexual violence, Guterres said that Israel and Russia could be listed next year among the parties “credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for patterns of rape or other forms of sexual violence”.

In his warning to Israel, Guterres said he was “gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Israeli armed and security forces” against Palestinians in several prisons, a detention centre and a military base.

“Cases documented by the United Nations indicate patterns of sexual violence such as genital violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches conducted in an abusive and degrading manner,” Guterres wrote.

Because Israel has denied access to UN monitors, it has been “challenging to make a definitive determination” about patterns, trends and the systematic use of sexual violence by its forces, he said, urging Israel’s government “to take the necessary measures to ensure immediate cessation of all acts of sexual violence, and make and implement specific time-bound commitments.”

The UN chief said these should include investigations of credible allegations, clear orders and codes of conduct for military and security forces that prohibit sexual violence, and unimpeded access for UN monitors.

In March, UN-backed human rights experts accused Israel of “the systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other gender-based violence”.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said it documented a range of violations perpetrated against Palestinian women, men, girls and boys, and accused Israeli forces of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian detainees.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, dismissed the Secretary-General’s concerns as “baseless accusations” on Tuesday.

Danon, who circulated a letter he received from Guterres and his response to the UN chief, said the allegations “are steeped in biased publications”.

“The UN must focus on the shocking war crimes and sexual violence of Hamas and the release of all hostages,” the Israeli ambassador said.

Danon stressed that “Israel will not shy away from protecting its citizens and will continue to act in accordance with international law”.

In July 2024, the Israeli military said it had detained and was questioning nine soldiers over the alleged sexual abuse of a Palestinian detainee at the infamous Sde Teiman prison facility, which was set up to detain people arrested in Gaza.

Israeli media reported at the time that a Palestinian prisoner was taken to hospital after suffering severe injuries from what was an alleged gang rape by military guards at the prison.

In the case of Russia, Guterres wrote that he was “gravely concerned about credible information of violations by Russian armed and security forces and affiliated armed groups”, primarily against Ukrainian prisoners of war, in 50 official and 22 unofficial detention facilities in Ukraine and Russia.

“These cases comprised a significant number of documented incidents of genital violence, including electrocution, beatings and burns to the genitals, and forced stripping and prolonged nudity, used to humiliate and elicit confessions or information,” he said.

Russia’s mission to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.

Guterres said that Russian authorities have not engaged with his special envoy on the matter.

Aug. 12 (UPI) — Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner nominee E.J. Antoni has suggested suspending monthly jobs reports in favor of more accurate quarterly reports.

The economist criticized the current methods used by the BLS to gauge employment numbers in the United States in an Aug. 4 interview with Fox News Digital that was reported on Tuesday.

“How on Earth are businesses supposed to plan, or how is the [Federal Reserve] supposed to conduct monetary policy, when they don’t know how many jobs are being added or lost in our economy?” Antoni said.

“It’s a serious problem that needs to be fixed immediately,” he added.

Instead of continuing to publish what he called flawed monthly jobs reports that undergo significant adjustments months later, Antoni favors publishing more accurate quarterly reports.

That would continue until the BLS can correct data-gathering methods and ensure more accurate monthly reports, he said.

“Major decision-makers from Wall Street to D.C. rely on these numbers,” Antoni said. “A lack of confidence in the data has far-reaching consequences.”

Antoni is the lead economist for the Heritage Foundation, and President Donald Trump said he will ensure accuracy in the BLS jobs reports.

“Our economy is booming,” Trump said Monday evening in a Truth Social post. “E.J. will ensure the numbers released are honest and accurate.”

Trump on Aug. 1 fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the BLS reported 73,000 new jobs in July, which was less than half of the 147,000 jobs reported in June.

The BLS on Aug. 1 revised down the June report to 14,000 jobs created, which is 133,000 and 90.5% fewer than initially reported.

The BLS also revised downward its prior employment report for May, which initially was reported as 144,000 new jobs, to 19,000.

The revised May jobs report is 125,000 fewer than initially reported, which is a change of 87%.

Trump accused McEntarfer of knowingly producing false jobs reports shortly before the Nov. 5 election that reflected well upon the Biden administration but later were revised to remove 818,000 jobs.

President Joe Biden nominated McEntarfer to lead the BLS in July 2023, which the Senate confirmed in January 2024.

Trade experts express concern about reported deal linking exports controls to monetary payments.

Nvidia and AMD have agreed to give the United States government a share of revenues from chip sales in China as part of a deal to secure export licences for their products, US media have reported.

Under the agreement reached with US President Donald Trump’s administration, Nvidia will share 15 percent of revenues from sales of its H20 AI chip, while AMD will pay the same percentage of MI308 chip revenues, multiple outlets reported on Sunday.

The unorthodox agreement, which has no known precedent, comes after the Trump administration last month agreed to reverse a ban on the sale of Nvidia’s H20 chips to China.

The Financial Times, which first reported the news, said the Trump administration had yet to decide how it would use the collected revenues.

AMD did not respond to a request for comment.

Nvidia neither confirmed nor denied the deal, but said it follows US government rules for doing business in overseas markets.

“While we haven’t shipped H20 to China for months, we hope export control rules will let America compete in China and worldwide,” a company spokesperson said.

“America cannot repeat 5G and lose telecommunication leadership. America’s AI tech stack can be the world’s standard if we race.”

Following reports of the deal, which was confirmed by The New York Times, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC, trade experts expressed concern about the implications of linking controls on sensitive technology to monetary payments.

Christopher Padilla, the former head of the US Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration, called the agreement “astonishing”.

“If the Trump administration is allowing companies to buy their way past export controls imposed to protect US national security, we are in very dangerous waters,” Padilla said in a post on LinkedIn.

“A mix of bribery and blackmail that is certainly unprecedented and possibly illegal.”

Peter Harrell, a nonresident fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the deal set a worrying precedent.

“The Chinese would pay a lot for F35s and advanced US military technology, too,” Harrell said in a post on X.

“Regardless of whether you think Nvidia should be able to sell H20s in China, charging a fee in exchange for relaxing national security export controls is a terrible precedent.”

Al Jazeera correspondent Hani Mahmoud, speaking over the phone, gives more details on the Israeli attack that killed five of his colleagues, including Anas al-Sharif, in a strike on a journalists’ tent in Gaza City.

Aug. 9 (UPI) — President Donald Trump reportedly wants the U.S. government to sell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stock in a quest to move the mortgage finance companies from full federal control.

The initial public offering, which would be possible the largest in history, was first reported by The Wall Street Journal and later confirmed by CNN and The New York Times.

The outlets reported that the plans have not been finalized for Fannie Mae, which is short for Federal National Mortgage Association, and was created in 1938 as part of President Frank Roosevelt’s New Deal. Freddie Mac, which stands for Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., began in 1970 to further expand the secondary mortgage market.

An IPO of up to 15% of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could raise $30 billion, according to the media outlets.

The New York Times reported that Trump met with executives from the nation’s largest banks — Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan, David Solomon of Goldman Sachs, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America and Jane Fraser of Citigroup. He asked them to come up with a way to sell shares on the stock market. The companies represent a big portion of the $12 trillion mortgage market.

Wall Street investors also met with Treasury officials, the New York Times reported.

Trump has wanted to privatize the companies since his first term in the White House.

“I am giving very serious consideration to bringing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public. …. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are doing very well, throwing off a lot of CASH, and the time would seem to be right,” he posted on Truth Social on May 22.

Federal Housing Finance Agency, which currently controls the two companies, has been headed since March by Bill Pulte, the grandson of the founder of PulteGroup, a residential and home construction company. He, too, has favored selling stock in the companies, but has said they should remain under the federal conservatorship.

With interest rates relatively high, CNN reported that some analysts fear the privatization would hurt the mortgage market. This could make it even more expensive to borrow money to buy a new home with high sale prices.

In 2024, Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, estimated privatization would boost the average mortgage by an extra $1,800 to $2,800 each year.

Before the 2008 Great Recession, the companies were private and only backed by the U.S. Treasury, but were placed under what was planned as a temporary government conservatorship.

The market crash was caused as relaxed lending standards fueled banks giving subprime loans to people with poor credit who should not have qualified, and required a $187 billion government bailout to prevent lenders from filing for bankruptcy and a potential crash of the economy.

Fannie and Freddie buy mortgages from lenders and repackage them for investors in a way to keep mortgages more affordable, in addition to guaranteeing bond investors that they will help out if too many borrowers default.

The role has kept mortgage rates relatively low and stabilized the 30-year fixed mortgage, the national rate for which currently stands at around 6.58%.

Jaret Seiberg, a financial services and housing policy analyst at TD Cowen Financial, told CNN in May that the spinoff might not happen until late 2026 or early 2027.

The Treasury Department holds about 80% of the common stock and also has senior preferred shares. Investors Bill Ackman and John Paulson, who endorsed Trump for president, bought shares several years ago with the hope the government would sell stock, according to the Journal and the Times.

The mosquito-borne virus has crossed the Taiwan Strait from southern China, where confirmed cases of chikungunya top 8,000.

Taiwan has reported its first confirmed case of chikungunya fever, imported from China, where a historic outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus is under way.

Chikungunya has swept through southern China in recent weeks, primarily in the manufacturing hub of Foshan on the Pearl River Delta, with cases rising to more than 8,000. The outbreak is the largest on record, according to Roger Hewson, virus surveillance lead at the United Kingdom’s Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Friday that the chikungunya virus was detected in a Taiwanese woman who had travelled to Foshan and returned to Taiwan on July 30.

It was the first case of its kind detected so far in 2025, though more than a dozen cases have been previously detected and originated in Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

The CDC has raised its travel advisory for China’s Guangdong province, the epicentre of the outbreak, to level 2 out of 3, urging travellers to use “enhanced precautions”.

The virus can lead to high fever, rash, headache, nausea and fatigue lasting up to seven days, and muscle and joint pain that can last for several weeks.

“The outbreak in Foshan and surrounding areas of Guangdong province has unfolded rapidly and at a scale unprecedented for China,” Hewson said in a statement.

The surge is due to limited immunity in China and “environmental suitability” for the virus-carrying Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water, he said.

Chinese health authorities have responded with containment strategies ranging from household-level inspections and enforced bed nets, to drone-based fogging and even quarantines, reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hewson said.

The Associated Press news agency reported that residents of Foshan can be fined as much as up to 10,000 RMB ($1,400) for keeping water in outdoor containers – a popular breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The outbreak follows more than a month of typhoons and heavier-than-usual monsoon rains in China.

Last week, Hong Kong – located some 180km (110 miles) from Foshan – was hit by its worst August rainstorm since records began in 1884.

Chinese state media said despite the historic number of chikungunya cases, the outbreak appears to have finally peaked.

Foshan reported 2,892 local infections from July 27 to August 2, but no severe or fatal cases, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

“The recent surge has been initially contained, with a downward trend in newly reported cases across the province,” Kang Min, director of the infectious disease control institute at the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told Xinhua.

The findings come as Robert F Kennedy Jr advances plans to ‘Make America Healthy Again’ under President Donald Trump.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has released the summary of a new survey confirming that ultra-processed foods make up a majority of Americans’ caloric intake.

The study, published on Thursday, involved tracking the meals and snacks of Americans from August 2021 to August 2023.

During that period, 55 percent of the calories consumed by Americans came from ultra-processed foods, according to a mean calculated by the survey authors.

That number was even higher for younger people involved in the study. Youths ranging from age one to 18 reported that nearly 62 percent of their diet was highly processed. That number dipped to 53 percent among adults over age 19.

Ultra-processed foods are common and can take a variety of forms, from pre-packaged snacks, frozen foods and bottled soda drinks.

But Thursday’s findings are likely to add fuel to a campaign under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to reform the US diet, as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign (MAHA).

Just one day before the latest CDC numbers were published, Kennedy used his social media account to once again blame high-calorie, processed foods for a variety of ailments.

“Genes don’t cause epidemics. They may provide a vulnerability, but you need an environmental toxin — and we know what it is. It’s sugar and ultra-processed foods,” Kennedy wrote on the platform X on Wednesday.

Studies have repeatedly shown links between highly processed foods and detrimental health conditions like obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Kennedy, however, has been criticised for seeking “environmental toxins” to explain conditions like autism, which researchers largely believe to result from a variety of factors, including genetic ones.

Thursday’s survey results are part of a long-running study tracking what American adults and children eat and drink on a daily basis through interviews, body measurements and laboratory testing.

Known as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the study has its limitations: Interviews rely on self-reported food consumption, for instance.

But its origins stretch back to the 1960s, and since 1999, the study has continued without interruption, according to the CDC. About 5,000 people take part each year.

In the latest edition of the survey, researchers found that income played a significant role in how much ultra-processed foods were consumed per household. High-income groups corresponded with lower mean percentages of highly processed foods consumed.

This was particularly pronounced among adults. For those whose salaries were equivalent to 3.5 times the federal poverty level or more, a mean of 50.4 percent of their diet was comprised of processed foods.

That number rose to 54.7 percent for those whose incomes were slightly above, at or below the federal poverty level.

The survey also identified the primary culinary culprits behind Americans’ consumption of highly processed foods.

Sandwiches, including burgers, were the highest source of ultra-processed foods, comprising 7.6 percent of the calories consumed by youth and 8.6 percent for adults. Sweet bakery foods were the next highest category, at 6.3 percent for minors and 5.2 percent for adults.

Sweetened beverages and savoury snacks were also prominent sources of calories.

But the study did contain some positive news, showing that the mean consumption of ultra-processed foods had decreased.

In the survey period from 2013 to 2014, adults consumed a mean of 55.8 percent of their calories from highly processed items. But by the current period, that number slid to 53 percent.

Anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out says it received record-high reports of discrimination during the 2024-25 season with a rise in sexism, transphobia and faith-based abuse.

Across all levels of English football last season, there were 1,398 incidents reported – up from the 1,332 published in last season’s figures – and the most ever received by the organisation.

Reports of sexism and misogyny rose by 67%, with reports increasing from 115 in the 2023-24 season to 192.

Faith-based abuse climbed from 117 to 132, while reports of transphobia doubled from 22 to 44.

Reports involving girls’ football doubled to 31, including two at under-9s level, while overall youth reports rose from 144 to a record high of 186.

Overall reports of racism fell across all levels of football, but the number of racist incidents in the professional game increased from 223 to 245.

Kick It Out also noted in its end-of-season reporting statistics for last season:

Kick It Out chief executive Samuel Okafor said “discrimination remains deeply embedded across the game”, and the rise in abuse in youth football “should be a wake-up call”.

Okafor acknowledged there had been a “clear shift” in people “calling out sexist behaviour”, but he wants to see greater action to tackle online abuse.

“It’s clear that online platforms are still falling short. The volume of abuse remains high, and too often those responsible face no consequences,” said Okafor.

“Fans are doing their part by speaking up. It’s now up to football authorities, tech companies and government to show they’re listening, and to act.”

Netanyahu’s war cabinet set to approve military operations across entire enclave, according to Israeli media.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to announce plans to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, Israeli media have reported.

Netanyahu’s decision will see the Israeli military expand its operations across the entire enclave, including areas where Hamas’s captives are being held, i24NEWS, The Jerusalem Post, Channel 12 and Ynet reported on Monday.

“The decision has been made,” Amit Sega, chief political analyst with Channel 12, quoted an unnamed senior official in Netanyahu’s office as saying.

“Hamas won’t release more hostages without total surrender, and we won’t surrender. If we don’t act now, the hostages will starve to death and Gaza will remain under Hamas’s control.”

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the reported plans and called on the international community to “intervene urgently to prevent their implementation, whether they are a form of pressure, trial balloons to gauge international reactions, or genuinely serious”.

Netanyahu’s office did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

The reports come as Netanyahu is set to convene his war cabinet on Tuesday to discuss the next steps for Israel’s military in Gaza as its war in the besieged enclave nears the two-year mark.

Netanyahu is facing growing international pressure to allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza and halt the war amid mounting Palestinian deaths due to malnutrition and Israeli attacks.

At least 74 Palestinians, including 36 aid seekers, were killed in Israeli attacks on Monday, according to medical sources in Gaza.

The Israeli leader is also facing mounting domestic pressure to secure the release of Hamas’s remaining captives in Gaza, following the release of footage of detainees Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David appearing emaciated.

Netanyahu on Monday doubled down on his war goals, including eliminating Hamas and securing the release of the remaining captives.

“We must continue to stand together and fight together to achieve all our war objectives: the defeat of the enemy, the release of our hostages, and the assurance that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu said at the start of a regular cabinet meeting on Monday.

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan on Monday accused the United States and other Western countries of turning a blind eye to Israeli atrocities, and said that Netanyahu’s government bore “full responsibility” for the lives of the captives “due to its stubbornness, arrogance, and evasion of reaching a ceasefire agreement, and the escalation of the war of extermination and starvation against our people”.

More than 60,930 Palestinians, including at least 18,430 children, have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.

Forty-nine captives, including 27 who are believed to be dead, are still being held by Hamas, according to Israeli authorities.

Aug. 2 (UPI) — Berkshire Hathaway on Saturday reported a 3.79% decline in second-quarter earnings as CEO Warren Buffett‘s company warned about troubling times because of President Donald Trump‘s tariffs on imported goods.

Buffett, who has been involved with the company for 60 years, owns about 15.1% of its economic interest and 31.2% of its voting interest as its largest shareholder.

The public company reported an operating profit of $11.16 billion, with a lower number from a decline in its assets, which include insurance underwriting for Geico. The first-half decline was 8.8% at $20.8 billion.

Net income in the second quarter dropped to $12.37 billion, which is a 59% slump from the second quarter last year.

Trump in April imposed a baseline tariff of 10% on most trading partners with high duties in place or coming on Friday.

“Considerable uncertainty remains as to the ultimate outcome of these events,” the company said in its filing. “We are currently unable to reliably predict the ultimate impact on our businesses, whether through changes in the availability of products, supply chain costs and efficiency, and customer demand for our products and services. It is reasonably possible there could be adverse consequences on most, if not all, of our operating businesses, as well as on our investments in equity securities, which could significantly affect our future results.”

The company said its financials already were impacted.

“The pace of changes in these events, including tensions from developing international trade policies and tariffs, accelerated through the first six months of 2025,” Berkshire said.

Pre-tax underwriting losses before foreign currency effects were $276 million in the first six months this year, compared with $299 million in 2024, the company reported.

Berkshire encountered a $1.1 billion payout from the Southern California wildfires in January. There were no significant catastrophic events in the first six months of 2024.

But higher profits did roll in for the company’s railroad, manufacturing, service and retail holdings, CNBC reported. Also, its energy company, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, had an 18% rise in net income.

The company reported revenue of $182.24 billion for the first six months compared with $183.52 the previous year. Second-quarter revenue was 92.15 billion, with 93.7 billion in 2024.

Berkshire Hathaway wrote down a loss of $3.8 billion from a stake in Kraft Heinz and is considering a spinoff for the food giant, of which it owns owns 27.4% in stock.

Berkshire Hathaway has $344.09 billion in cash, equivalents and short-term securities.

“Despite what some commentators currently view as an extraordinary cash position at Berkshire, the great majority of your money remains in equities. That preference won’t change,” Buffett wrote in his annual 15-page letter in February.

The company did not re-purchase any stock during the first half of this year.

“Berkshire’s common stock repurchase program permits Berkshire to repurchase its shares any time that Warren Buffett … believes that the repurchase price is below Berkshire’s intrinsic value, conservatively determined,” the company said in the filing.

Berkshire Hathaway filed its first earnings report since the 94-year-old Buffett announced he will depart as CEO at the end of the year, but will remain as chairman of the board. Greg Abel, who is the company’s vice president of non-insurance operations, will become the new CEO.

Buffett is the ninth richest person in the world with a net worth $141.7 billion through Saturday, according to Forbes, and is known as the Oracle of Omaha, which refers to the Nebraska city where Berkshire is headquartered and he has lived his entire life.

Berkshire Hathaway traces its roots to 1839 as Valley Falls Company, a textile manufacturer in New England, before mergers with Hathaway Manufacturing Company in 1888 and Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates in 1929.

The company was “mired in a terrible business,” according to Buffett, and he purchased his first shares of Berkshire in December 1962.

The company’s market capitalization is now $1.01 trillion.

Shares ended trading Friday at $472.84. This year, the all-time high has been $539.80 on May 4, while the 2025 low was $442.66 on Jan. 10. The company began trading in 1996 at $22.20. Class A shares have never undergone a stock split.

In a message, Buffett wrote: “You probably know that I don’t make stock recommendations. However, I have two thoughts regarding your personal expenditures that can save you real money. I’m suggesting that you call on the services of two subsidiaries of Berkshire: GEICO and Borsheim’s.”

He noted savings on Geico for auto insurance and Borsheim fine jewelry, watches and giftware “almost certainly will cost you less.”

July 26 (UPI) — Israel Defense Forces are taking new steps to improve the delivery of aid to Gazans, who the IDF says are not subject to famine despite contrary reports.

Aerial aid drops will resume and include seven pallets of flour, sugar and canned food, while pauses in fighting will enable the safe movement of U.N. convoys that contain food and medical supplies, the IDF announced Saturday in a post on X.

Israel also reconnected a power line from Israel to a desalination plant in Gaza that will increase daily water output to nearly 22,000 cubic yards.

“The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in Gaza,” the IDF post says. “This is a false campaign promoted by Hamas.”

The U.N. and international aid organizations are responsible for food distribution in Gaza and for ensuring Hamas does not receive any, which the IDF says commonly steals humanitarian aid for personal use and profit.

Hamas accused of attacking aid distribution sites

Hamas has targeted GHF aid distribution sites with deadly violence, including a July 16 incident that killed 19 Gazans at a Khan Younis site and a July 5 grenade attack that injured two U.S. aid workers, according to the non-partisan Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Such attacks occurred as Hamas struggles to raise funds and is incapable of rebuilding its collapsed tunnels or paying its fighters, former Israel Defense Forces intelligence officer Oded Ailam told The Washington Post on Monday.

Hamas did not prepare for more than a year of war when it attacked Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023, and is struggling to provide basic services for Gazans, Gazan analyst Ibrahim Madhoun said.

Hamas previously depended on revenues from taxing commercial shipments and seizing humanitarian goods for funding by deploying plainclothes Hamas personnel to take inventory at crossings into Gaza and warehouses and markets, The Washington Post reported.

U.N. and European Commission officials and others from international organizations say there is no evidence of Hamas stealing aid.

Officials with the U.S. Agency for International Development said they found no evidence of Hamas stealing aid for Gazans, ABC News reported on Saturday.

USAID investigated 150 reported incidents of stolen aid from October 2024 until May and said the perpetrators could not be identified in most cases in which aid was seized.

An unnamed Gazan contractor, though, told The Washington Post that over the past two years he witnessed Hamas charge local merchants about $6,000 each to receive aid or lose their trucks and threatened to kill or condemn those who did not cooperate.

The contractor claims he knew at least two aid truck drivers who Hamas killed for refusing to pay the designated foreign terrorist organization to deliver aid intended for Gazans.

U.N. aid trucks halted inside Gaza

While claims of Hamas intercepting aid deliveries to raise funds are disputed, the United Nations says it has thousands of tons of aid sitting idle.

The United Nations recently halted 950 trucks inside Gaza that holding a combined total of 2,500 tons of food near the Kerem Shalom crossing, Johnnie More, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation executive chairman, opined in The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

“Since we began our operations in May, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has repeatedly called for the U.N. and its affiliate agencies to combine efforts with us to feed the people of Gaza,” Moore said.

“As of Friday morning, hundreds of trucks loaded with food from the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations were sitting idle inside Gaza,” he wrote.

“The food is there, the people are starving, and yet it isn’t moving to them fast enough to meet the need.”

Moore said video footage shows many of the trucks have been looted or abandoned, and their drivers are walking away.

Officials with the U.N. Relief and Works Agency blame the GHF for what UNRWA calls a “constructed and deliberate mass starvation.”

The GHF is incapable of addressing the “humanitarian crisis” in Gaza and called air drops the “most expensive and inefficient way to deliver aid” to Gazans, according to UNRWA.

The agency says it has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks of food and medical supplies “Stuck” in Egypt and Jordan.