Journalists In Gaza Are Documenting Their Own Starvation

Journalists In Gaza Are Documenting Their Own Starvation

Last month, unable to carry the weight of two cameras, a work laptop, and his body armor, Gazan photojournalist Bashar Taleb made the decision to prioritize his health over his work. The 35-year-old, who has worked with Agence France-Presse since 2010, had lost 35 pounds, he says, and began to calculate the distances he needs to cover. "Can I make it back home, or not? Will I be able to find a means of transportation, or not?" He describes feeling weak and dizzy every day. The starvationforecastfrom over a year ago has now taken hold in Gaza. The U.N. World Food Programme this weeksaid100,000 women and children suffer from acute severe malnutrition, and a third of the territory's 2.1 million residents have missed meals for more than multiple consecutive days. On Wednesday, at least 10 Palestinians died of starvation, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, raising the total number of hunger-related deaths to 113, including at least 80 children. Journalists like Khalil Alkahlut, who lives in Al-Karama, North Gaza, are facing starvation along with the community they cover. "Today we ate one meal, that's enough for us to live another day," says Alkahlut, who works for the Anadolu Agency, a state-run Turkish news agency headquartered in Ankara. The 22-year-old photojournalist estimates that he has lost 60 pounds, speaking to TIME on Tuesday. Alkahlut was, like his three younger brothers, getting by on one serving of lentils a day, no breakfast, and no dinner. "Tomorrow, I don't know what we will eat." With international journalists barred by Israel from working independently in Gaza, local reporters are providing first-person accounts of hunger—provided they still have the strength to work. On Monday, the Société des Journalistes de l'Agence France-Presse, the union of Agence France-Presse,warnedthat AFP's remaining freelance staff in Gaza were at risk of death from malnutrition. Taleb posted on Facebook that his "body is thin" and he can "no longer work." "Hunger is the hardest thing I've ever experienced," Taleb tells TIME from Jabaliya, a city about two miles north of Gaza City. "We [must choose] between death by starvation or death by killing in an attempt to get food from aid trucks." Since barring international aid agencies and taking over food relief operations, Israeli forces have killedmore than 1,000Palestinians gathering to seek food, the UN reports. The distribution system—managed by the newly-established U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—has been widelycriticizedby the UN as an opaque mechanism that concentrates aid in a handful of guarded areas andviolatescore humanitarian principles. AFP currently maintains ten freelance journalists in Gaza—one writer, three photographers, and six video freelancers within the territory. Many international news organizations withdrew their foreign staff from Gaza in 2024 under Israel's bombardment, leaving local Palestinian journalists as the primary source of information for global audiences. More than 173 of them have beenkilled."Journalists endure many deprivations and hardships in warzones. We are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of them," read astatementissued Thursday by the BBC, Reuters, AP and AFP. While declining to provide TIME with contacts for the local journalists working in Gaza, a Reuters spokesperson noted that "We are providing our contributors with additional financial support to help them and, should they wish to leave the territory, we will provide any assistance possible to help them get out." According to the union's statement, AFP's Gaza-based journalists receive monthly salaries but face the reality that "there is nothing to buy, or only at completely exorbitant prices." When journalists withdraw their funds from the few remaining cash points to purchase whatever food is left, they're also met with exorbitant withdrawal fees. "When I go to withdraw $1000 from my bank account, I only receive $550 in cash," Taleb says. "This is also a big problem." Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news channel that Israel has made movesto ban, released astatementWednesday calling for global action to protect their journalists in the region. "I haven't stopped covering for a moment in 21 months," Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif wrote online. "I am drowning in hunger, trembling in exhaustion, and resisting the fainting that follows me every moment … Gaza is dying. And we die with it." Famine has not been officially declared in Gaza primarily because, with international aid groups largely barred, the collective Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system lacks sufficient verifiable on-the-grounddatato meet the technical thresholds for a formal declaration. The hunger crisis has intensified since March, when what humanitarian organizations describe as anaid blockadebegan, pushing Gazans into what the World Health Organization has described as a "dangerous cycle" following thereductionof aid distribution points from 400, during the spring ceasefire, to just the four military-controlled sites currently operating. That system was put in place at the end of May. Under it, Israel restricts the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) to delivering only 1,600 calories per persondaily—significantly below the standard humanitarian requirement of 2,100 calories. Distribution, besides being lethal, is uneven, withreportsof aid being diverted or stolen before reaching intended recipients. Israeli Government Spokesman David Mencer was asked Wednesday about mass starvation in Gaza. Speaking from Jerusalem, hesaidhe wanted to talk about "facts, not fiction." On Wednesday, more than 100 NGOs released a joint statement pleading with the Israeli government to allow food, water, medical supplies and other life saving aid into the Strip. The statement quoted an aid worker providing psychosocial support to children in Gaza: "Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food." The statement of the AFP's union observed: "None of us can recall seeing a colleague die of hunger." Contact usatletters@time.com.

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July 25, 2025

Journalists In Gaza Are Documenting Their Own Starvation

Journalists In Gaza Are Documenting Their Own Starvation Last month, unable to carry the weight of two cameras, a work laptop, and his body ...

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A science journal pulled a controversial study about a bizarre life form against the authors' wishes

A science journal pulled a controversial study about a bizarre life form against the authors' wishes

NEW YORK (AP) — A microscopic discovery in aCalifornia lakesparked buzz and controversy more than a decade ago when it was first revealed. Scientists said they'd discovered bacteria that used the element arsenic — poisonous to life as we know it — to grow. If true, it expanded the possibilities for where life could exist on Earth —or on other worlds. Several research groups failed to replicate the results, and argue it's not possible for a living thing to use something so toxic to make DNA and proteins. Some scientists have suggested the results of the original experiments may have been skewed by undetected contaminants. On Thursday, the journal Science, which first published the research, retracted it, though not because of misconduct on the researchers' part. "If the editors determine that a paper's reported experiments do not support its key conclusions, even if no fraud or manipulation occurred, a retraction is considered appropriate," the journal's editor-in-chief Holden Thorp wrote in the statement announcing the retraction. The researchers disagree with the journal's decision and stand by their data. It's reasonable to pull a paper for major errors or suspected misconduct — but debates and disagreements over the findings are part of the scientific process, said study co-author Ariel Anbar of Arizona State University. "One doesn't retract a paper because the interpretation is controversial, or even because most disagree with the interpretation," wrote Anbar in an email. "At least, that hasn't been the case until now." Science has more frequently retracted papers for reasons beside fraud in recent years, wrote Thorp and Vada Vinson, Science's executive editor,in a blog post. NASA helped fund the original work. The space agency's science mission chief Nicky Fox said in a statement that NASA does not support the retraction and encourages Science to reconsider. —- The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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July 25, 2025

A science journal pulled a controversial study about a bizarre life form against the authors' wishes

A science journal pulled a controversial study about a bizarre life form against the authors' wishes NEW YORK (AP) — A microscopic disco...

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Can Volodymyr Zelenskyy recover from his self-made crisis?

Can Volodymyr Zelenskyy recover from his self-made crisis?

KYIV, Ukraine — The reversal was almost as swift as the outpouring of public fury. But the question is how muchthis week's sudden crisisinUkrainehas nonetheless tarnished the talismanic image of its leader, a man crucial in rallying support at home and abroad for the fight against Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday appeared to reversehis attempt to seize sweeping powersover the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. Saying he heardthe concerns of his people and Western backers, he has now introduced a law that he said would guarantee their independence — and the agencies themselves said they were satisfied. Many Ukrainians are eager to point out that this open-eared approach — taking immediate action to remedy the problem — is a drastic change from past administrations that dismissed or even silenced such concerns. But some fear the damage may already be done. "For Zelenskyy, this is a serious crisis of legitimacy," Oleksandra Keudel, an assistant professor of public policy and governance at the Kyiv School of Economics, told NBC News in an email. "I'm not sure it's reversible." Now known as a camo-clad wartime leader, Zelenskyy was a comedianelected in 2019promising to root outthe corruption that has plagued Ukrainesince it gained modern independence in 1991. He was widely lauded for his anti-corruption fight — adding fuel to the dismay over his quixotic power grab. Ukrainians took to the streets in their thousands, some shouting "shame!" outside the legislature in Kyiv. With his legislative about-face Thursday, Zelenskyy has at least undone the immediate machinery that so worried observers, domestic and foreign. "It is important that Ukrainians are responding with such dignity to everything thatʼs happening," he said. He conceded in a conversation with journalists that "probably, there should have been a dialogue" before going ahead with the law. "I am focused on the issue of the war," he added. "For me, it was very important that we listened and responded adequately. People asked for changes. We responded." When asked for comment on the criticisms, Zelenskyy's office referred NBC News to the comments made Thursday. What hurts Ukrainians is the perception that the government could so easily undo the hard-fought progress won duringthe Maidan uprising of 2014that ousted the Kremlin-backed leaderViktor Yanukovych. Mykhailo Sobaliev, an 18-year-old student, says that back then, his father was the head of the parliament's anti-graft committee and was directly involved in establishing the two bodies whose power Zelenskyy's law sought to curb. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, his father immediately signed up with the territorial defense units protecting the capital, and nowhe is fighting in Zaporizhzhia. Sobaliev describes Zelenskyy's law as "ugly" and "outrageous," and knows criticizing the government during wartime is a gift to Ukraine's enemies. But he sees the public outrage as "a manifestation that democracy still exists and is alive." Indeed, many here are eager to point out that the protests, during a period of martial law when such large gatherings can be restricted, would not be possible in Russia,which has brutally crushedfar meeker displays of dissent. Many Ukrainians see this civic surge as intrinsically linked with the attritional violence on the front lines; if these values are not protected at home, then what are the troops fighting for? The war has become "hard — very hard," said Aristarkh, 50, a Ukrainian special forces officer, who like most Ukrainian soldiers uses only one name for security reasons. "It's very difficult to stay motivated," he said. However "when I saw this number of people" protesting and "also fighting for their country," he felt "incredible pride," he added. "It just raises your level of motivation an order of magnitude." Jessica Berlin, a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington think tank, is a vocal supporter of Ukraine. The initial law was one of Zelenskyy's "worst political mistakes since the full scale invasion began," she said, breaking "the unspoken contract between the Ukrainian government and people that has held through over three traumatic, exhausting years." The public has "refrained from mass protests" in "the good faith belief that the government is doing everything to win the war and restore security while not overstepping their wartime powers or threatening the democratic progress," she said. But "for many Ukrainians, this bill crosses a red line." The opprobrium was far from just domestic, with leaders across Europe voicing their disquiet and urging Zelenskyy to rethink. Others fear his standing has been undermined for the longer term. "Until now, Zelenskyy and his team have been recognized as 'good guys,'" said Drago Kos, former chairman of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions. But this week has posed uncomfortable questions: "Why are the 'good guys' afraid of anti-corruption efforts within their own country?" he said. Daryna Mayer reported from Kyiv, and Alexander Smith from London.

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July 25, 2025

Can Volodymyr Zelenskyy recover from his self-made crisis?

Can Volodymyr Zelenskyy recover from his self-made crisis? KYIV, Ukraine — The reversal was almost as swift as the outpouring of public fury...

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Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claims

Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claims

Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claimsoriginally appeared onParade. Lisa Vanderpumpis breaking her silence followingScheana Shay's emotional claims that the restaurateur and reality TV matriarch used her real-life heartbreak as fuel for her now-iconic Bravo franchise. Vanderpump was approached byTMZcameras while out in Los Angeles Tuesday, July 22, where she was asked about Shay's recent comments. "Guess what? I don't care what she says. How about that?" theVanderpump Rulesstar, 64, said in response. "I'm more concerned about Ozzy Osbourne dying today. That's the saddest thing. Important things are what matter to me—not her bulls--t." The comments come after Shay, 40, opened up in a July 15Us Weeklycover story, revisiting a now-infamous moment fromThe Real Housewives of Beverly HillsSeason 3. At the time, Shay was working a party hosted by Vanderpump and found herself face-to-face withBrandi Glanville—Eddie Cibrian's ex-wife. Shay, who had previously been involved with Cibrian, was unaware of the connection until that very moment. "We all saw it play out on the show when I went up to her and she acts shocked that I was working her party with this guy's ex-wife who I used to date because I didn't know he was married," Shay recalled. "Up until about six months ago, that was the truth that I knew because that's what she told me." But Shay says she now feels differently about how it all played out. "I feel like she low-key used my real-life pain to launch her TV empire—and what an empire she has," she said. Shay also claimed that a producer recently revealed Vanderpump had concerns about her joiningVanderpump Rulesin 2012, saying Vanderpump "was worried the Disney girl with a connection to Eddie wouldn't join." "In that moment, my jaw wanted to drop to the floor," Shay toldUs Weekly. The former SURver didn't stop there. She reflected on her decade-long relationship with Vanderpump, hinting at emotional manipulation behind the scenes. "She gaslit me about it for a decade instead of just coming to me in the beginning," Shay said. "And that's the thing with Lisa: She doesn't make mistakes. She makes moves and then calls them coincidences." Despite having once looked up to her longtime boss and friend, Shay admitted she's reevaluating their dynamic. "I've always looked up to Lisa. I've always admired her. Now I'm like, 'Did I admire her out of fear?' I guess I would've just liked to have agency in my own story," she said. While Vanderpump has yet to make a longer-form statement, it seems Shay has gotten backup from Glanville herself,who took to X (formerly Twitter)to second Shay's claims. Now y'all know I didn't lie-LVP & Bravo production set this up like I said. sadly, by who I thought were my two best friends, Lisa and Alex, but that's OK. Live & learn — Brandi Glanville (@BrandiGlanville)July 24, 2025 "Now y'all know I didn't lie-LVP & Bravo production set this up like I said. sadly, by who I thought were my two best friends, Lisa and Alex, but that's OK. Live & learn," Glanville, 52, wrote. The tension between the twoVPRoriginals comes amid a transitional time for the cast, following the announcement of a major shakeup in the Bravo universe, as the OG cast will be replaced by fresh faces. Vandperpump, meanwhile, will remain on the long-running series. Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claimsfirst appeared on Parade on Jul 24, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.

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July 25, 2025

Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claims

Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claims Lisa Vanderpump Fires Back After Scheana Shay Exploitation Claimsoriginall...

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Ben Affleck Thinks J.Lo's New Songs Are "Childish" and He Seems Very Annoyed

Ben Affleck Thinks J.Lo's New Songs Are "Childish" and He Seems Very Annoyed

Jennifer Lopez has a fleet of new songs that she's been playing on tour, and at least afewof them appear to be about Ben Affleck—perhaps most tellingly, one called "Wreckage of You" that has the lyrics "now watch me climb out of the wreckage of you." So...how does Ben feel about being an inspiration for J.Lo's music? Apparently he thinks she's being "childish." "If this song or any others bash him, what can he do? It's childish and not something he wants to entertain," a source tellsThe Daily Mail. "It is something he can't control, so he isn't going to let it hurt him and he's definitely not going to give it life by reacting." That said, Ben isn't surprised that J.Lo wrote songs inspired by their divorce. "He's known her long enough and been given a nod on plenty of her music before so he is more than aware that this was coming," the insider says. "He knows that this is something she has to do for herself and for her artistry." Check out the full lyrics of "Wreckage of You" viaGenius:All it takes to make a diamond is pressure, pressureIt's only now I'm realizing, I'm better, betterAt knowing there's a difference when I see it from a distanceThe love I want, the love I need, it starts in me, now I have found my way inI'm gonna stay thereThank you for the scars you left on my heartFor showing me that stars shine brighter in the darkI won't fall apart because of who you areAnd all your broken partsBecause of you, I am stronger, wiserBetter than I've ever beenI won't let you no longer, longerHave the sacred part of meIt was perfect the while when you made me believeReally got only greater for meAnd it made me stronger, stronger, bulletproofNow watch me climb out of the wreckage of youI find comfort in a silence, go missing, missingI won't ignore all of the sirens, I'm listening, listeningIf I just have to break to know how it feelsIf I just have to wait to find something realHowever long it takes for my soul to healI will make that dealBecause of you, I am stronger, wiserBetter than I've ever beenI won't let you no longer, longerHave the sacred part of meIt was perfect the while when you made me believeReally got only greater for meAnd it made me stronger, stronger, bulletproofNow watch me climb out of the wreckage of youThank you for it, the pain that you caused'Cause nothing's gonna stop me, you gon' have to watch meThank you for it, the pain that you causedYou gon' have to watch me climb out of the wreckage of youBecause of you, I am stronger, wiserBetter than I've ever beenI won't let you no longer, longerBe part of my historyIt was perfect the while when you made me believeReally got only greater for meAnd it made me stronger, stronger, bulletproofNow watch me climb out of the wreckage of you You Might Also Like Here's What NOT to Wear to a Wedding Meet the Laziest, Easiest Acne Routine You'll Ever Try

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July 25, 2025

Ben Affleck Thinks J.Lo's New Songs Are "Childish" and He Seems Very Annoyed

Ben Affleck Thinks J.Lo's New Songs Are "Childish" and He Seems Very Annoyed Jennifer Lopez has a fleet of new songs that she...

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Cardi B sued by fan for assault, battery after viral 2023 microphone-throwing incident

Cardi B sued by fan for assault, battery after viral 2023 microphone-throwing incident

Two years afterCardi Bwas accused ofassaulting a fan with a microphoneduring a live performance, the rapper is facing legal repercussions for the viral incident. The concertgoer, a woman from Cleveland, Ohio, filed a lawsuit July 21, alleging assault, battery and negligence against the Grammy-winning rapper. In the lawsuit, reviewed by USA TODAY the woman, who opted to remain anonymous, alleges the rapper participated in "an unreasonable escalation" that resulted in "reputational and emotional harm." "It is quite the feat to take on someone that is known and loved like Cardi B," the woman's attorney, Cierra N. Norris, said during aJuly 24 press conference."Thank God we are not in a court of public opinion, but we are in a court of law." In anInstagram post, also announcing the lawsuit, Norris wrote: "No one should be afraid to hold someone accountable just because they are famous," adding that the woman is going by the pseudonym Jane Doe because she is "suffering from mental health issues as a result of the incident" and wants to avoid "potential backlash." Drai's Management Group, LLC, the owner of the Las Vegas venue where Cardi's performance took place, is also being sued for its alleged failure "to intervene or de-escalate the incident," Billboard reported. USA TODAY has reached out to Norris and representatives for Cardi B and Drai's Management Group for comment. In July 2023, Cardi Bmade social media headlinesafter footage from her performance at Drai's Beachclub showed her throwing her microphone at an attendee. In the video, whichracked up over 100 million views to date, Cardi retaliated when a concertgoer standing at the edge of the stage tossed the contents of a large white cup, splashing her face and soaking her orange swimsuit cover-up as she performed her breakthrough hit"Bodak Yellow." Norris, however, offered a different version of events, saying during the press conference that Cardi had asked fans to slosh their drinks, and that simply because she had reached her limit does not excuse the "assault" and "battery" the fan endured. Cardi B fan reports batteryafter rapper threw microphone at her in Vegas In videos, the rapper is seen subsequently berating the individual as security retrieved her microphone and appeared to remove the fan. Cardi later repostedanother video of the incidentshared by a fan account. After the jarring encounter, the unidentified fan filed a police report for battery. No arrests or citations were issued, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Norris, noting that the lawsuit is being filed years after the incident, said a friend of the fan had contacted her while she was still in Las Vegas, and that she had been the woman's lawyer since then. They wanted to do the litigation right, rather than capitalize on a "15 minutes" of fame, Norris argued. Doe claims Cardi B encouraged "light splashing from drinks" during her performance at Drai's Beachclub, according to the lawsuit. Additional social media footageshared at the time of Cardi's performance showed the rapper seemingly welcoming getting splashed by fans. "Give me water," Cardi said in one clip, after which fans splashed her backside. It's unclear whether the footage was taken before or after the face-splashing incident. The woman, "acting in accordance with the environment created by Cardi B's express words and conduct, and in a manner consistent with other attendees, splashed a small portion of her drink in Cardi B's direction," the lawsuit stated. "In apparent anger and without warning, Cardi B suddenly and forcefully threw her microphone directly at (Doe)." Cardi B's microphone from viral videoplaced in auction for $100K The aggrieved concertgoer said the incident caused her "severe emotional distress, shock, humiliation and physical injury," in the filing. Additionally, Doe said thesale of Cardi B's microphone in an auctionfornearly $100K"further publicized the incident and exacerbated (her) emotional distress." "Fame is not a license to harm," Norris said. "Just because Cardi B is one of the most loved entertainers in the world does not mean that she is free from accountability." In a statement to Billboard addressing the lawsuit, Cardi B's attorney Drew Findling slammed the woman's complaint as a "transparent and pitiful attempted financial shakedown." "The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Clark County District Attorney's Office closed this matter for insufficient evidence a long time ago," Findling told the news outlet. "But apparently the opportunity to try to make money off of a celebrity was too much for some willing law firm to pass up." Contributing: Kim Willis and Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Cardi B lawsuit: Rapper sued for viral microphone-throwing incident

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July 25, 2025

Cardi B sued by fan for assault, battery after viral 2023 microphone-throwing incident

Cardi B sued by fan for assault, battery after viral 2023 microphone-throwing incident Two years afterCardi Bwas accused ofassaulting a fan ...

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