Israel plans ground attack on Rafah, ‘last refuge’ for Gaza’s displaced
Israel’s defence minister says army will next target Rafah, the southern area it designated as a ‘safe zone’ for Palestinian civilians.
The Israeli military plans to expand its ground assault into Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where most Palestinians in the besieged enclave have been forced to seek shelter amid heavy bombardment of the rest of the enclave.
This has spread fear among the displaced and concerns from global aid organisations as the last place designated as a “safe zone” by the Israeli army in Gaza comes under threat while Israel continues to hamper the flow of aid.
“The Khan Younis Brigade of the Hamas organisation is disbanded, we will complete the mission there and continue to Rafah,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a post on the social media platform X late on Thursday. “We will continue until the end, there is no other way.”
Indigenous reporter fears more journalists will be targeted after arrest as police cleared Canada camp
Brandi Morin was charged while reporting at encampment authorities arrived at to dismantle and could face two years in jail
A journalist in Canada who was arrested and charged while reporting on a police operation to clear an encampment for unhoused Indigenous people says she fears the charges will chill further reporting of marginalized groups.
Brandi Morin, an Indigenous journalist, was arrested on 10 January while documenting police efforts to dismantle the camp in the city of Edmonton.
Morin, an award-winning journalist who has written for a range of outlets including the Guardian, was interviewing the camp’s leader when police created a perimeter of yellow tape around the camp. As a scuffle broke out, an officer ordered her to join other reporters outside the perimeter.
Ukraine updates: ICJ rules case against Russia can proceed
What you need to know
The United Nations’ top court said Friday that it has jurisdiction to rule on a case brought by Ukraine over Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
Kyiv accuses Moscow of violating international law by accusing Ukraine of genocide in Luhansk and Donetsk as a pretext for invading.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the European Union’s approval of a major aid deal for Ukraine was a “clear signal” both to Russia and the United States, where an assistance package has been held up in Congress.
Here’s a look at the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine on Friday, February 2:
‘I’d rather die than stay here’: Unfit housing on the rise in Paris suburb hosting Olympic village
With broken windows and walls covered with mould, 49-year-old security guard Belkheir is desperate to move out of the tiny studio apartment he has lived in for the past 17 years. However, he is unable to afford anything more expensive on the private market and his requests for social housing have been repeatedly turned down. His apartment is just one of an estimated 4,500 unfit or substandard homes in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis – home of the Olympic village for the 2024 Paris Games – and the problem is only getting worse.
SOCCER/ Junya Ito leaves Samurai Blue after claims of sex misconduct
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 2, 2024 at 19:02 JST
The Japan Football Association said on Feb. 2 that Junya Ito will leave the national team, which is currently competing in the AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, following sexual misconduct allegations that arose from an incident in Osaka in June.
The online news site Daily Shincho reported that Ito, 30, who belongs to French club Stade de Reims, has been accused of sexual misconduct against two women.
The JFA announced on Feb. 1 that Ito would withdraw from the national team, citing, “consideration for his mental and physical conditions.”
Ukraine war: How Russia’s war is changing childhood in Ukraine
By Sarah Rainsford
BBC Eastern Europe correspondent, Kharkiv
Russia’s war has transformed everything in Kharkiv, including childhood.
Missiles are fired on Ukraine’s second city from across the Russian border which is so close by that there are only seconds to stop them.
If they’re aimed at Kharkiv there’s every chance they’ll hit – and little chance of reaching shelter.
School and kindergarten buildings have been closed for almost two years for safety, and playgrounds stand empty.
Now, as the full-scale war heads towards its third year, parts of life in Kharkiv are moving underground.
Deep down in the metro, specially built classrooms run parallel to the platform at five stations.
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