Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20210830

A30 world news
Dialuna 30 augustus 2021

Expedition discovers island believed world’s northernmost

until then was registered as ing pack ice, is about 30 by
the world’s northernmost is- 60 meters (about 100 by 200
land,” said expedition leader feet) in size and rises to about
Morten Rasch of the univer- three to four meters (10 to
sity’s department of geosci- 13 feet) above sea level, the
ences and natural resource university said. The research
management. team reportedly doesn’t
consider the discovery to be
“But when I posted photos of a result of climate change
the island and its coordinates and has allegedly proposed
on social media, a number naming the island Qeqertaq
of American island hunters Avannarleq, which means
went crazy and said that it “the northernmost island” in
couldn’t be true,” he said in a Greenlandic.
statement on Friday.
The island consists primarily
“Island hunters” are known of small mounds of silt and
as adventurers whose hobby gravel, according to Rasch.
it is to search for unknown He said it may be the result
islands. of a major storm that, with
the help of the sea, gradu-
The yet-to-be-named island ally pushed material from the
is 780 meters (about 850 seabed together until an is-
yards) north of Oodaaq, an land formed. The island isn’t
(AP) — A team of Arctic The scientists from the Uni- island off Cape Morris Je- expected to exist a long time,
researchers from Den- versity of Copenhagen ini- They instead wound up on sup, the northernmost point Danish researchers believe.
mark say they accidentally tially thought they had ar- an undiscovered island fur- of Greenland and one of the
discovered what they be- rived at Oodaaq, an island ther north. most northerly points of land “No one knows how long it
lieve is the world’s north- discovered by a Danish sur- on Earth. will remain. In principle, it
ernmost island located off vey team in 1978, to collect “We were convinced that could disappear as soon as a
Greenland’s coast. samples during an expedition the island we were stand- The tiny island, apparently powerful new storm hits,”
that was conducted in July. ing on was Oodaaq, which discovered as a result of shift- Rasch said.

Gaza protesters clash with Israeli troops near the border

(AP) — Hundreds of two Israeli civilians believed cendiary balloons from Gaza rael suspended aid payments At least 260 Palestinians were
Hamas-backed activists to be in Hamas captivity. Saturday afternoon, sparking in May, saying the move was killed during May’s Gaza-
on Saturday launched two fires in southern Israel, necessary to ensure Hamas Israel war, including 67 chil-
what they said was the Amateur footage and photos according to the Israeli fire did not benefit from cash in- dren and 39 women, accord-
first in a series of night- from inside Gaza showed service. jections. ing to the Gaza health minis-
time protests along the hundreds of Palestinians pro- try. Hamas has acknowledged
Israeli border, throwing testers engaged in Saturday’s Israel and Hamas are bit- But Saturday night’s pro- the deaths of 80 militants.
explosives toward Israeli gathering. Some appeared to ter enemies that have fought test indicated violence could Twelve civilians, including
forces who responded be throwing explosives and four wars and numerous soon escalate again. two children, were killed in
with live fire. chanting in celebrations as skirmishes since 2007. Israel Israel, along with one soldier.
blasts sounded. says the closure is necessary
Organizers said the gather- to prevent Hamas from gath-
ings, which are to continue The Israeli military said ering arms while critics say
throughout the week, were troops responded to the ex- the blockade amounts to col-
meant to step up pressure on plosives by firing live rounds lective punishment.
Israel to ease a crippling eco- toward the protesters. It said
nomic blockade on the Gaza there were no injuries on the Egypt has been trying to me-
Strip. Israeli side. diate a longer-term cease-fire
that would ease the blockade
“The occupation will not en- Gaza health officials said and appeared to be making
joy calm unless the siege on three protesters were wound- progress last week when it
our beloved land is lifted,” ed by Israeli fire. pressured Hamas to restrain a
said Abu Omar, a spokesman border protest on Wednesday.
for the protesters. Earlier Saturday, Gaza health
officials said a 12-year-old The following day, Israel
Israel and Egypt have main- Palestinian boy died from said it was easing some of
tained the blockade since head wounds after being shot the commercial restrictions
Hamas, a group sworn to during a similar demonstra- on Gaza, allowing vehicles,
Israel’s destruction, seized tion a week earlier. goods and equipment for
control of Gaza in 2007, a rebuilding projects to enter
year after it won Palestinian Another Palestinian man, the Palestinian enclave. Israel
elections. identified as a member of said the easing could expand
Hamas’ military wing, was further if things remain qui-
The blockade, which restricts also killed in that protest, et.
the movement of goods and while an Israeli soldier was
people in and out of Gaza, shot in the head from point- The Israeli government
has ravaged the territory’s blank range by a protester. reached an agreement with
economy. Israel has tightened The soldier remains in criti- Qatar on Aug. 19 allowing
the closure since an 11-day cal condition. the Gulf country to resume
war in May, demanding the aid payments to families in
return of the remains of two Hamas-linked operatives also Gaza, a move aimed at reduc-
dead soldiers and freedom for launched a number of in- ing tensions with Hamas. Is-