World Tour: Tension between Israel and Lebanon

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour. Now, ordinarily I would introduce our reporter in Africa, Onize Ohikere. Not to worry, Onize is still on the job, but this week she is in Asheville, North Carolina with the rest of our editorial staff for a company retreat.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: We are a distributed workforce spread all over the world, so we don’t often see each other in person. And here’s the thing: it’s your support that makes possible our work, as well as this time of coming together. Appreciate that! So, thank you!

EICHER: All right. Here now literally is Onize Ohikere.

AUDIO: [Border guards]

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Israel-Palestine conflict — We start today with heightened tensions at Israel’s shared border with Lebanon as the weekend attacks from the Hamas terror group sparked global reactions.

Israel and Lebanon beefed up security along the border after Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group struck Israeli positions along a disputed part of the border.

AUDIO: [Airstrike aftermath]

Israel formally declared war against Hamas on Sunday after the militants fired some 3,500 rockets into Israeli cities. The attacks have killed more than 1,000 people and injured thousands of others on both sides.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

In the Australian city of Sydney, protesters chanted and marched in support of Palestinians. And in South Africa’s port city of Cape Town, several hundred members of the Muslim community gathered in support of Palestine.

Over in Ukraine, Israeli flags hung on several buildings in a show of support.

AUDIO: [Protesters singing]

Several hundred people also rallied outside the town hall of the French town of Nice waving Israeli flags.

DARMANIN: [Speaking French]

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says authorities have recorded more than 20 antisemitic incidents since Saturday.

UK court appeal — Next, today is the final day of hearings at Britain’s Supreme court over a controversial migration plan.

The British government filed an appeal against an earlier court ruling in June that blocked its plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

The Court of Appeal concluded at the time that Rwanda does not count as a safe third country. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to quote- “stop the boats” - as a government priority.

James Eadie is the British government’s lawyer.

EADIE: There is a serious and pressing need to take effective steps that will act as a deterrent to those undertaking the perilous and sometimes life-threatening journey, typically across the channel from a safe country, normally France, very often facilitated by people smugglers and criminal gangs for money.

AUDIO: [Migrant rescue]

More than 25,000 people have entered the UK by boat this year.

The court is not expected to announce its ruling immediately after the three-day hearing.

AUDIO: [Rescued tourists]

India flooding — In India, rescue teams are still working this week to help civilians after deadly flooding hit the northeastern state of Sikkim.

Air Force helicopters on Monday rescued some of the thousands of tourists stranded in the worst-hit Mangan district.

Flooding there began last week after waters from a glacial lake overflowed, bursting the largest hydroelectric dam in the state.

Authorities said more than 70 people have died and at least 100 others remain missing.

Muhammad Karim—a local resident—said the floodwaters swept many homes away.

RESIDENT: [Speaking Hindu]

He says here his father, younger brother, and sister-in-law are still missing.

The flooding also struck pipelines and destroyed multiple bridges, complicating rescue efforts.

AUDIO: [Protest chants]

Kenya LGBT ruling — Over in Kenya, hundreds of Muslims and Christians marched and chanted against an LGBTQ ruling on Friday.

The protest outside the Supreme Court in Nairobi followed the court’s decision last month to uphold an earlier ruling. The ruling affirmed the right of LGBTQ organizations to register with the country’s board of non-governmental organizations.

Mohamed Suleiman joined other protesters in Nairobi.

SULEIMAN: We as a country, we do not want any donations from any other countries to force us with the LGBTQ laws.

The World Bank cut off funding to Kenya’s neighbor, Uganda, after it approved a law that prescribes a maximum death penalty for some homosexual acts.

That’s it for today’s WORLD Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Asheville, North Carolina.

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