Scottish First Minister’s Mother-in-law Appeals for Help in Gaza

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf. (dpa)
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf. (dpa)
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Scottish First Minister’s Mother-in-law Appeals for Help in Gaza

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf. (dpa)
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf. (dpa)

Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf posted a video online Friday showing his mother-in-law in Gaza tearfully deploring Israel's order for residents in northern Gaza to evacuate their houses.

“This is Elizabeth El-Nakla. She is my mother-in-law... She, like the vast majority of people in Gaza, has nothing to do with Hamas. She has been told to leave Gaza but, like the rest of the population, is trapped with nowhere to go,” Yousaf posted on X platform.

"This will be my last video", al-Nakla said in a video that was published at the beginning of the Hamas-Israel war that started upon an attack by the Palestinian movement and other factions in Israel.

The retired nurse added "One million people -- no food, no water, and still, they are bombing them as they leave. Where are we going to put them? Where's humanity?"

The Israeli military called on Friday morning on all the residents of Gaza to evacuate their houses and head south in order to protect themselves.

The UN condemned this move and “Hamas” rejected it, on the seventh day of the war.

During an emotional interview with Sky News, Yousaf cried when discussing how "powerless and helpless" he felt about the situation.

He also accused the UK government of failing to help, saying he wrote to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and was "angry" and "disappointed" to receive no reply. "He was in Israel and could have picked up the phone for me," said Yousaf.

Since announcing that his wife’s family was besieged in Gaza, no communication was made with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak

In a separate interview with the BBC, the Scottish leader said that Israel was "going too far" with its response to the “Hamas” attack.

"Collective punishment cannot be justified," said Yousaf, adding that innocent people were "paying an extraordinary price for those atrocious attacks that they have nothing to do with".



Russia Begins Mass Production of Radiation-Resistant Mobile Bomb Shelters

People wait at a bus stop with electronic screen showing an advertisement image depicting Russian soldier and the slogan "Be strong, faithful, courageous" in front of towers of business center Moscow-City in Moscow, Russia, 14 November 2024. (EPA)
People wait at a bus stop with electronic screen showing an advertisement image depicting Russian soldier and the slogan "Be strong, faithful, courageous" in front of towers of business center Moscow-City in Moscow, Russia, 14 November 2024. (EPA)
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Russia Begins Mass Production of Radiation-Resistant Mobile Bomb Shelters

People wait at a bus stop with electronic screen showing an advertisement image depicting Russian soldier and the slogan "Be strong, faithful, courageous" in front of towers of business center Moscow-City in Moscow, Russia, 14 November 2024. (EPA)
People wait at a bus stop with electronic screen showing an advertisement image depicting Russian soldier and the slogan "Be strong, faithful, courageous" in front of towers of business center Moscow-City in Moscow, Russia, 14 November 2024. (EPA)

Russia has begun mass production of mobile bomb shelters that can protect against a variety of man-made threats and natural disasters including radiation and shockwaves, the emergency ministry's research institute said.

The "KUB-M" shelter looks like a reinforced shipping container. It can give some protection against radiation, shrapnel, debris and fires and can be deployed in Russia's vast northern permafrost, according to the state institute.

The standard unit accommodates 54 people but additional modules can be added, the institute said.

The war in Ukraine is entering what some officials say could be its final - most dangerous - phase as Moscow's forces advance at their fastest pace since the early weeks of the conflict in 2022 and the West seeks to shore up Ukraine.

The institute did not link the move to any current crisis, though the announcement came just as the administration of US President Joe Biden agreed to allow Ukraine to fire American long-range missiles deep into Russia.

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia would respond to what it called a reckless decision by Biden's administration and cautioned that the move would draw the United States directly into the conflict.