World Tour: The crisis in Gaza

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LINDSAY MAST, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: WORLD Tour. Onize Oduah is on maternity leave, so WORLD’s Paul Butler has this week’s international news run-down.

SOUND: [Arab League]

PAUL BUTLER: We begin today with an emergency meeting in Cairo. Members of the Arab League gathered yesterday to discuss Israel's ongoing war with the terror group Hamas in Gaza, and a continuing humanitarian crisis there.

HOLI: (Arabic) Gaza is dying of hunger, Gaza is planned to be displaced, a so-called humanitarian city is being prepared for Gaza, a new city of death and prison under humanitarian labels.

Speaking here, Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Ahmad Abu Holi says residents of Gaza are dying of hunger. He goes on to say plans to evacuate Gazan civilians to a so-called humanitarian city will only result in their ultimate imprisonment and death.

The Israeli military says it has called on Gazan civilians to evacuate areas of central Gaza including Deir al-Balah. It remains the only Gaza city that has not seen major ground operations or suffered widespread destruction since the war began.

Israel now believes Hamas is holding large numbers of Israeli hostages there. The Israeli military is in the process of splitting Gaza into military corridors to pressure Hamas to release more captives.

Next to Iran where officials are gearing up for nuclear talks with France, Germany, and Britain.

The three European nations threatened to implement the “snapback” mechanism from the 2015 nuclear deal. That means they would reimplement their earlier sanctions at the end of August if Iran doesn’t limit its nuclear actions.

BAGHAEI: (Farsi) The agenda is clear: removal of the sanctions and issues related to Iran's peaceful nuclear program.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman calls the country’s nuclear program “peaceful” and says they’ll do whatever it takes to remove sanctions.

Iran’s Foreign Minister told Fox News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier that the U.S. and Israel’s bombing of their nuclear facilities set them back, but:

ARAGHCHI: We cannot give up our enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride.

Iranian officials say the country has no plans to resume talks with the U.S.

Next, to Bangladesh.

SOUND: [Protesters]

On Tuesday, students gathered to protest against the Bangladesh government, after an airforce fighter jet crashed into Milestone School in Dhaka, the nation’s capital.

Shafiur Shafi is a student at Milestone.

SHAFI: At around 12 to 12:30pm, the plane crashed here. There were two fighter planes and one of them crashed here. It crashed onto the section where the pupils of English class 1-8 were.

He says here that the plane crashed into several classrooms as instructors were teaching English to teenagers and young children. At least 31 people have died, and many more are injured.

The interim government says the fighter jet was on a training mission when it suffered a mechanical failure. But protesters are demanding more answers.

SOUND: [Protesters]

In Dhaka, students broke into a government building demanding the resignation of an education official. Police dispersed them with tear gas grenades and batons.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, declared Tuesday a national day of mourning.

Saiful Islam is a Milestone teacher.

ISLAM: I am deeply shocked and stunned. It is unbearable that such a thing could happen suddenly. The little children were waiting for their parents to come and take them home, and now they are no longer with us. I have seen many parents mourning their children.

He says here that children were waiting for their parents to come and take them home at the time of the crash. And now, many parents are in mourning.

Next, to Chile, where Latin American officials and the Spanish Prime Minister are meeting for the “Democracy Always” forum.

SANCHEZ: (Spanish) Our societies face a real threat led by a coalition of interests between oligarchs and the far-right.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says here that societies face a real threat from a coalition of in his words— “oligarchs and the far-right.”

SANCHEZ: (Spanish) What we could call an international network of hatred and lies.

He calls it an “international network of hatred and lies.”

Chilean President Gabriel Boric says the threat includes forms of extremism, misinformation, and inequality.

And finally today, saying goodbye to the so-called “Turbaned Tornado…”

SOUND: [Last rites]

Friends and family members gathered this week to honor Fauja Singh in Jalandhar, India. He’s the centenarian marathon runner who was struck and killed by a vehicle near his village last week.

His grandson spoke at the funeral:

HARLEEN SINGH: [TRANSLATOR] When he started participating in marathons, he never kept a single penny in his pocket... he donated his earnings.

Singh began running in his youth. But he didn’t start running competitively until age 89. He completed the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2011 at age 100. It would have made him the oldest competitor to complete the race, but Guinness Book of World Records refused to officially recognize the feat as Singh had no documentation to prove his birthdate.

That’s this week’s World Tour, I’m Paul Butler for Onize Oduah.

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