Month: June 2024

The United Nations Security Council has endorsed President Biden’s step-by-step plan to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. NPR reports that fourteen members of the council voted in favor of the measure and only one — Russia — elected to abstain. Russia is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto power over resolutions. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said: “Today, we voted for peace.”

Nate Evans, spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said in a statement ahead of the vote that the plan would enable a pause in fighting, freeing of a number of hostages and an immediate surge in humanitarian assistance: “Israel has accepted this proposal and the Security Council has an opportunity to speak with one voice and call on Hamas to do the same. Doing so would help save lives and the suffering of civilians in Gaza as well as the hostages and their families. Council Members should not let this opportunity to pass by and must speak with one voice in support of this deal.”

President Biden announced on May 31 that Israel had proposed a three-part plan that would ultimately lead to a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages who have been held there since Oct. 7.  The plan sets out three phases starting with a six-week cease-fire, in which Hamas releases some hostages and Israel releases Palestinian prisoners. Hamas and Israel would then negotiate phase two — a permanent end to the war and Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas wants a guarantee of a permanent cease-fire now. The third phase is rebuilding Gaza after eight months of war that have left much of the territory in ruins.

Hamas released a statement following the vote saying they “welcome” what was included in the draft resolution “regarding a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.”

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Apple introduced Apple Intelligence on Monday for its devices, including iPhone, Mac, and iPads, along with a much smarter digital assistant app Siri that also utilizes AI by using OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Apple said at the Worldwide Developers Conference hosted at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California that the latest version of Apple’s operating system will deliver customizable tools using generative AI for its devices.  . Language tools will be able to improve or summarize text, and image generators will supplement photos with extra adornment.

CEO Tim Cook said on Monday that Apple Intelligence is the “next big step for Apple,” the advance results from an agreement between Apple and OpenAI, the firm behind popular text bot ChatGPT.  Besides being operational on Apple’s mobile operating system iOS 18, Apple Intelligence will be used on the iPadOS 18 used by iPads, and it will be available in the newest planned release of Apple’s operating system, macOS Sequoia.

AApple released developer versions Monday, and the new operating systems and features will be available for public preview next month. Final versions will launch for everyone once fully finished in the fall. A revamped Siri will carry out extended conversations and aid in intricate tasks, drawing on generative chat technology to improve its language comprehension and retain context from previous requests, the company said. Other AI features include Siri recalling a picture taken years ago on the device or answering detailed questions about the weather, the news or trivia. Over time, Siri could learn the user’ preferences and respond accordingly.

Cook said during the keynote: “As we look to build in these incredible new capabilities, we want to ensure that the outcome reflects the principles at the core of our products, it has to be powerful enough to help with the things that matter most to you. It has to be intuitive and easy to use. It has to be deeply integrated into your product experiences. Most importantly, it has to understand you and be grounded in your personal context, like your routine, your relationships, your communications, and more. And, of course, it has to be built with privacy, from the ground up.”

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Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz announced his resignation on Sunday over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war in Gaza. Gantz had threatened to depart the government by June 8 if it didn’t adopt a new plan, giving them a three-week deadline.

Gantz announced his resignation in a televised news conference on Sunday, stating that Netanyahu stood in Israel’s way to “a real victory… that is why we are leaving the emergency government today with a heavy heart, but with a whole heart.” Gantz is a popular former centrist military chief, and one of the prime minister’s most prominent critics. He joined Netanyahu’s government shortly after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in a show of unity. However, he said at the news conference that Netanyahu is making “total victory impossible” and that the government needs to put the return of the hostages seized Oct. 7 by Hamas “above political survival .. that is why we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence.”

Gantz also called for new elections this fall that will “ultimately lead to the formation of a government that has won the trust of the people and be able to face the challenges” and encouraged the third member of the war Cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, to “do the right thing” and resign from the government as well. Gallant has previously said he would resign if Israel chose to reoccupy Gaza, and encouraged the government to make plans for a Palestinian administration.

During his resignation address, Gantz said there should be elections this fall “that will eventually establish a government that will win the trust of the people and be able to face challenges. I call on Netanyahu: set an agreed election date. Don’t let our people be torn apart.”

Netanyahu had urged Gantz not to leave the emergency wartime government, saying: “this is the time for unity, not for division. This is not the time to abandon the campaign — this is the time to join forces.” Netanyahu still controls a majority coalition in parliament, but will now need to more heavily rely on his far-right allies.

Netanyahu addressed Gantz in an X post following his resignation: “Citizens of Israel, we will continue until victory and the achievement of all the goals of the war, primarily the release of all our hostages and the elimination of Hamas.”

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According to officials in Greece, the body of missing British TV presenter Dr. Michael Mosley has been found. Mosley, a TV doctor in the U.K., was reported missing on Wednesday, June 5, after he did not return home from a hike on the Greek island of Symi. His body was discovered days later on Sunday, June 9, on a beach in Agia Marina, a Greek island, spotted among rocks on a rugged stretch of coast by a party on a boat that included the local mayor and journalists.

Mosley’s wife Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley said that Michael, 67, had gone missing on Wednesday after going on a walk from the Agios Nikolaos beach. It is not known what happened, but Clare reported Michael missing within hours. According to CCTV footage, a man presumed to be Michael was spotted walking on the other side of the coast amid intense heat and rocky terrain.

Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley said in statement (per BBC.com) that her husband took the wrong route on a hike and collapsed just short of reaching a marina in a place where his body couldn’t easily be seen: “We’re taking comfort in the fact that he so very nearly made it. He did an incredible climb, took the wrong route and collapsed where he couldn’t be easily seen by the extensive search team. Michael was an adventurous man, it’s part of what made him so special. It’s devastating to have lost Michael, my wonderful, funny, kind and brilliant husband. We had an incredibly lucky life together. We loved each other very much and were so happy together. We are so grateful to the extraordinary people on Symi who have worked tirelessly to help find him. Some of these people on the island, who hadn’t even heard of Michael, worked from dawn till dusk unasked.”  Michael and Clare shared four children, who joined the couple on the Grecian holiday: “I am incredibly proud of our children, their resilience and support over the past days. My family and I have been hugely comforted by the outpouring of love from people from around the world. It’s clear that Michael meant a huge amount to so many of you. … I feel so lucky to have our children and my amazing friends. Most of all, I feel so lucky to have had this life with Michael. ”

Per ABC News, Mosley was well known in Britain for his many programs on the BBC, regular appearances on television and radio and his column in the ‘ Daily Mail’ newspaper.  Michael was also a pioneer of the 5:2 Diet, which he started amid a diabetes battle and promised to help people lose weight quickly by minimizing their calorie intake two days a week while eating healthily on the other five. His 2013 book “The Fast Diet,” was co-authored with journalist Mimi Spencer. Spencer told BBC Radio 4: “In person he was very much the sort of figure that you would see on television: immediately likeable, genuinely funny, enthusiastic, he had this innate enthusiasm about life and he was always very generous with his time. He never blew his trumpet, he was quite a humble person.”

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