Microsoft has fired software engineer Joe Lopez after he publicly protested the company’s Azure technology being used by Israel in attacks on Gaza.

Lopez interrupted CEO Satya Nadella’s speech at a company conference in Seattle on May 19, accusing Microsoft of supporting Israeli war crimes. He was later dismissed via email, according to activist group “No Azure for Apartheid.”

The group also claimed Microsoft banned terms like “Palestine”, “Gaza”, and “genocide” from internal emails. Lopez had worked on Azure’s AI services team and previously warned colleagues about the technology’s alleged use in targeting civilians.

Microsoft has not publicly responded to the incident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian military is working to establish a “buffer zone” along the Ukrainian border to protect civilians in border regions from ongoing attacks.

Speaking at a video conference with officials, Putin cited increasing shelling and drone strikes on Russia’s Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions, claiming Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries are targeting civilian infrastructure and vehicles. He said the buffer zone is aimed at preventing such attacks and ensuring the safety of border communities.

Putin also emphasized the need to clear mines and provide housing and support for displaced residents.

The death toll from severe flooding in New South Wales, Australia, has risen to four, with one person still missing. Authorities reported that two people died after their vehicles were swept away by floodwaters in rural and Mid North Coast areas.

Around 50,000 people remain stranded, and 177 rescue operations were conducted in the past 24 hours. The region received four months’ worth of rain in just three days, though rainfall is expected to ease by evening.

Air and rail services were disrupted, and Sydney’s Warragamba Dam is nearing overflow at 96% capacity.

At least 15 people, including six aid workers, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.

In Jibaliya, four civilians were killed when a four-story house was bombed. One person died and several others were injured in Khan Younis when tents sheltering displaced families were hit. Another four were killed in a strike on a residential area in Deir al-Balah.

Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that six aid workers protecting humanitarian supplies were also killed in Deir al-Balah, accusing Israel of deliberately targeting them.

During a meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump showed South African President Cyril Ramaphosa screenshots of a video he claimed depicted violence against white farmers in South Africa. However, it has emerged that the footage was actually filmed in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, during a mass funeral for victims of clashes with the M23 rebel group, and not related to South Africa.

The footage, originally published by Reuters journalist Djaffar Al Katanty on February 3, shows humanitarian workers carrying body bags. Trump described the images as “white farmers being buried” and referred to the violence as “genocide,” adding, “If this is genocide, we need to take these people into our country.” He also cited Elon Musk, saying, “Elon is from South Africa. He knows what’s going on very well.”

President Ramaphosa responded, “I would have liked to have known where these videos were shot before they were shown to me,” and rejected the genocide claim, saying, “What is happening in South Africa is not a racial genocide, it is a widespread criminal problem. The victims are not just whites, they are mostly blacks.”

Israel conducted an airstrike on the village of Toul in southern Lebanon, violating the ceasefire agreement reached with Lebanon on November 27, 2023. Although casualties and property damage have not yet been confirmed, Israeli forces issued an evacuation warning prior to the strike. Tensions between the two countries remain high despite ongoing truce efforts.