Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
A journalist was forcibly removed from a press conference in Washington on Thursday as he berated outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the country's policy on Gaza.
It was the second interruption during Mr Blinken's final briefing before he leaves office next week.
"Criminal - why aren't you in The Hague?" Sam Husseini, a long-time critic of Washington's foreign policy, shouted as he was escorted from the room. The International Criminal Court is in The Hague.
The independent journalist accused security personnel of hurting him as he was removed. He said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller refused to answer his questions.
A Gaza ceasefire deal was announced on Wednesday by Qatari mediators, but a day later Israel accused Hamas of orchestrating a "last-minute crisis" by reneging on some "understandings". Hamas said it was committed to the agreement.
Mr Miller told The National in a separate briefing on Wednesday that Israel had not been the "intransigent party" responsible for holding up the ceasefire deal and accused Hamas of being unco-operative.
"It has been Hamas, fundamentally, that has been unwilling to agree to a deal, and at times was even unwilling to negotiate," Mr Miller added.
Israel's security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to vote on whether to approve the deal.
Israel's war on Gaza is likely to define the foreign policy legacy of the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden, despite Washington helping to mediate the ceasefire deal, which will include an exchange of hostages and Palestinian detainees.
Mr Blinken has faced criticism over the US giving weapons and diplomatic support to Israel during the conflict. More than 46,700 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave, health authorities said, while Israel has also faced accusations of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The country denies the allegations.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
