Hamas says US must push Israel to open borders
- A Hamas spokesperson says the US plan to build a temporary port off Gaza’s coast to deliver humanitarian aid “is a step in the right direction”, but Israel needs to be pressured to open all Gaza borders.
- Israeli attacks have killed 82 Palestinians and wounded 122 in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
- US President Joe Biden says it was “looking tough” for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza by the start of Ramadan. He also said he was concerned about violence in East Jerusalem without a ceasefire.
- Three more children have died of malnutrition and dehydration at Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital, Palestinian officials said, bringing the confirmed toll from starvation to 23.
- At least 30,960 Palestinians have been killed and 72,524 injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from Hamas’s October 7 attacks stands at 1,139, and dozens continue to be held captive.
13 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks; death toll likely to rise
There has been a wide scale of destruction in the past few hours because of unrelenting bombardment carried out by the Israeli military.
In the Nuseirat refugee camp, at least 13 Palestinians were killed after a home was destroyed with civil defence crews now working to recover all the victims from under the rubble. The death toll and number of wounded is expected to rise.
Nuseirat, in Deir el-Balah, has previously been attacked by Israeli artillery stationed on the outskirts of the city.
Rare glimpse inside China’s halls of power as Beijing hosts major political event amid high security
‘Two Sessions’, the country’s most high-profile political forum, is open to the world, but protests in Beijing will meet with a tough response
Across Beijing, security guards stand shivering. Residents of the heavily monitored capital city are used to encountering security guards, members of an urban management force called chengguan, and police officers every few blocks. But this week, as China hosts its biggest political meetings of the year, even more muscle has turned up in Beijing.
Since Monday, Beijing has been hosting the Two Sessions, concurrent meetings of China’s top political consultative body and its rubber-stamp parliament, the National People’s Congress (NPC). The meetings, which are expected to finish on Monday, are China’s most high-profile annual political event, in which thousands of delegates gather inside the Great Hall of the People, an enormous Communist-era building that looms over the western edge of Tiananmen Square.
Poland won’t rule out NATO force in Ukraine
Poland’s foreign minister says the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is “not unthinkable.” Meanwhile, nearly 50 Ukrainian combat drones have been shot down in Russia, according to Russian officials. DW has more.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded positively to French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent comments about the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine.
“The presence of NATO forces in Ukraine is not unthinkable,” Sikorski wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
On the contrary, British Foreign Minister David Cameron has stated that he opposes the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine, even for training purposes.
Senegal kicks off shortened election campaign after vote postponement crisis
Senegalese presidential candidates launched their shortened campaigns on Saturday, two days after a court confirmed the election would be held on March 24, ending weeks of uncertainty and kick-starting a competition that remains wide open.
Tensions have gripped the country since early February, when a bid by President Macky Sall to postpone by 10 months a vote that had been due to take place on Feb. 25 provoked widespread protests and warnings by critics of democratic backsliding.
Senegal, a country of 18 million, is normally one of West Africa‘s most stable democracies.
The worst of the crisis appears to be over after the Constitutional Council ruled that the vote must be held before Sall’s mandate expires on April 2.
TOWARDS EQUALITY: Fog harvesting liberates the women of Sidi Ifni in Morocco
By Khadija Skalli/ L’Économiste du Maroc (Morocco)
March 9, 2024 at 07:30 JST
At an altitude of 1,225 meters, at the top of Mount Boutmezguida in Morocco, an innovative technology captures water droplets from the fog.
This ambitious project, the largest park of water harvesters in the world, has already changed the lives of 300 women and girls, who are freed from the burden of having to collect water.
Today, they dedicate their free time to education, reading, writing and developing new skills, all the while conserving their role as “water guardians.”
Legal row could finally force mystery artist Banksy to reveal his real name
Two art collectors are taking legal action against artist over his ‘refusal’ to confirm the authenticity of one of his famous images
His identity has long been a matter of speculation and investigation, but Banksy may be forced to reveal his real name if a dispute over a print of the late Queen Elizabeth depicted as a bejewelled primate ends up in court.
Two art collectors are taking legal action against the graffiti artist’s company, Pest Control, following its apparent refusal to confirm the authenticity of Monkey Queen. After three years of trying to get an answer, Nicky Katz and Ray Howse have lost patience and are suing Pest Control for breach of contract.
They point to Pest Control’s website, which states that it will issue a certificate of authenticity for “paintings, prints, sculptures and other attempts at creativity”. It likens the certificate to “an MOT for the art world”: “[It] means you can buy, sell or insure a piece of art knowing it’s legitimate and the wheels won’t fall off.”
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