Mohammed Abu Ziada, a 30-year-old Palestinian farmer living in the blockaded Gaza Strip, has achieved his first successful harvest of red corn, using imported seeds from China. 

He cultivated the red corn on his farm in the northern town of Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip, harvesting the first crop from the imported seeds.

Red corn, known for its distinct taste compared to white and yellow varieties, is recognized for its smaller kernels.

Speaking to Anadolu, Abu Ziada said he decided to plant the imported seeds to pioneer agricultural practices in Gaza.

He said that red corn is typically grown from summer to autumn, influenced by the region's climate conditions.

The Palestinian entrepreneur farmer discovered red corn about two years ago during a business trip to China, where he aimed to engage in trade and import products.

Due to the 16-year Israeli blockade on Gaza, Abu Ziada has faced considerable hardships. He expressed his desire to share this experience with the people of Gaza, who have been facing worsening economic conditions.

He made an agreement with another Palestinian farmer in April to tend to the corn's cultivation and care. He said he would distribute the first harvest to anyone interested in trying it, free of charge, and expressed his intention to import more seeds in the future to trade red corn in Gaza.

Noting that he imported only a small quantity of seeds for the trial, he said 3-4 kilograms (6.6-8.8 pounds) of seeds are required per acre.

"We are traders who search for goods. When we come across a new product, we bring in small quantities for testing purposes to avoid significant losses in case of failure," he added.

Regarding the public interest in red corn, he said it has garnered attention in Gaza and become popular on social media. He said he has received numerous messages from people expressing an interest in purchasing the corn after the harvest.

Abu Ziada also pointed out that red corn requires less water and fewer agricultural chemicals compared to other corn varieties.

According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, due to Israel's blockade and restrictions imposed since 2007, around 61.6% of Gaza's population, which has reached 2.3 million, is living in poverty, with an unemployment rate of approximately 47%.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that the country is entering a civil war after the Knesset approved a controversial bill limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to challenge government decisions.

''There is a threat. It is a serious threat. It’s never happened before, and we are going into a civil war now,” Olmert told the British media.

''The government has decided to threaten the foundations of Israeli democracy, and this is not something that we can accept or that we can tolerate,'' he said.

Earlier on Monday, the Knesset, or Israeli parliament, approved a bill sought by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to restrict the Supreme Court's power to overrule government actions.

The contentious judicial overhaul plan has triggered 29 weeks of mass protests, some of the biggest in Israel's history.

The government says the package is meant to restore power to elected officials, but critics argue it is a power grab by Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption./AA

The European Union has concrete plans to combat Islamophobia, Marion Lalisse, the new EU coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred, said Thursday, Anadolu Agency reports.

Lisse, who was appointed to the position on 2 February, held a press conference in Brussels and answered questions from journalists.

She highlighted that the Muslim community in Europe is the largest religious minority, with diverse numbers, percentages and origins among member countries of the Union.

"However, the key point is that the Muslim community in the EU is an integral part of our society," said Lisse. "We proposed the preparation of a document by mapping the phenomenon of hatred against Muslims."

Asked about concrete plans to combat Islamophobia, referring to the Quran burning incidents in Sweden, she said that "firstly, we will mainstream policies to combat anti-Muslim hatred in various sectors such as education, security, migration and many employment areas."

"We will maintain dialogue with various institutions, civil society, actors, citizens and international organisations. We will implement evidence-based policies and raise awareness among citizens and institutions about the phenomenon of Islamophobia," she added./MEM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized the need for collective action Saturday to address escalating Islamophobia and xenophobia in Western nations.

“The vile attack on our sacred book, the Quran, in Sweden on the first day of Eid al-Adha reveals the terrifying dimensions of Islamophobia,” he said in a video sent to the Gala Dinner of the 46th Annual Convention of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA).

Erdogan emphasized the responsibility of all Muslims to prevent a recurrence.

“All of us, all Muslims, have a great responsibility to ensure that such acts, to which we react very strongly in Türkiye, do not recur. If we act as one heart and one wrist, no one in the world dare to attack the sanctities of Muslims,” he said,

Erdogan also acknowledged the strong bond between Türkiye and Pakistan as two brotherly nations, highlighting exceptional relations between the two countries./aa

UN Security Council will hold its first-ever discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) later this month, the UK envoy announced on Monday.  

Permanent Representative to the UN Barbara Woodward, whose country assumed the presidency for the month of July, said the UK is "very excited about the first ever Security Council discussion of AI". 

At a press briefing, she said UK Foreign Secretary James cleverly will chair a meeting of the Security Council on July 18 with briefings from international AI experts and from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Woodward said the UK aims to examine the potential threats posed by AI to international peace and security, as well as its potential benefits and utility. 

Noting that AI is not itself an actor, she said that humans are the ones who can deploy it, direct it, and can see its risk.  

"So that's why we need to have a debate in the Security Council," she said.

The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued 84 irregular migrants pushed back by Greek authorities off the northwestern province of Çanakkale.

The teams initiated an operation after receiving information that a group of irregular migrants was drifting off Çanakkale’s Ayvacık district.

A total of 84 migrants were pulled from life rafts and inflatable boats after being pushed back by Greek forces into Turkish territorial waters.

Greece has long been under fire for its illegal, often inhumane and sometimes deadly practice of pushbacks – summary deportations of migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum.

The Greek government denies all allegations, despite claims to the contrary from alleged victims, rights groups, Turkish drones and even the U.N.’s special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants.

Recently, at least 81 people lost their lives as a result of a shipwreck off southern Greece.

The suspect who allegedly shot and killed four people in Kellogg, Idaho, on Father’s Day is a neighbor of the victims, according to police.

Idaho State Police said Monday the 31-year-old man accused of carrying out the quadruple homicide was detained at the scene Sunday evening and has since been booked into the Shoshone County Jail on probable cause for murder.

“This is a tragic situation that will affect the Kellogg community. Detectives continue working to establish a timeline and what led to the shooting,” Idaho State Police Lieutenant Paul Berger, who is investigating the case, said in the news release.

Sunday’s shooting in Kellogg happened about 70 miles from a quadruple homicide in Moscow, where suspect Bryan Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing four undergraduates at the University of Idaho in November.

The Shoshone County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the identities of the victims or the manner of their deaths.

On Monday, Idaho State Police released a statement updating the public on the shooting.

“Investigators are releasing that the suspect is the neighbour of the victims,” state police said. “However, neither the relationships between the parties nor the suspect’s motive will be confirmed by law enforcement until after the initial court appearance when records become available through the courts. Detectives are confident all parties in this homicide have been identified and do not believe there is an ongoing danger to the community.”

On Father’s Day, the Shoshone County dispatch center received a 911 call at about 7:20 p.m. saying multiple people had been killed inside a residence on West Brown Ave in Kellogg, police said.

Law enforcement personnel responded to the scene, where they found four victims dead, each with gunshot wounds. A 31-year-old male suspect was swiftly arrested./Fox