| | | | | | | Hello. There's plenty to catch up on after a busy weekend of news. There are many developments in Gaza, as some officials express optimism at the likelihood of an hostage deal. In Argentina, Javier Milei, a libertarian who promised to "blow up" the country's central bank and make the US dollar its official currency, has won the presidential election. And in San Francisco, Silicon Valley drama is still unfolding as Sam Altman, the ousted CEO of OpenAI, joins Microsoft. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | Blast at another hospital, after 'terror tunnel' claims | | | | Heavy rain across the Gaza Strip has been making shelters "unliveable", according to one UN agency. Credit: EPA |
| | Israeli tanksare moving in on another hospital, as the military continues its advance in Gaza. After what UN human rights chief Volker Turk called a "horrendous" 48 hours in the territory, the Hamas-run health ministry said 12 people had been killed by an airstrike on the Indonesian hospital, north-east of Gaza City. It said 700 people were staying there. The hospital’s director told the BBC its post-operative care department had been hit. Israel has not commented on the incident but says it is attacking “terrorist infrastructure” in the territory. On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces released footage it said showed a "55m-long terror tunnel" underneath Al-Shifa hospital. Israel says it "clearly proves that numerous buildings in the hospital's complex are used by Hamas as cover for terrorist activities" - allegations Hamas and hospital staff have repeatedly denied. | | • | Another Israeli video: The IDF has released footage it says shows hostages being taken into Al-Shifa hospital after the deadly Hamas attacks of 7 October. | | • | Hostage deal 'closer' than before: US and Qatar officials say they are inching closer to a deal on the release of some of the Hamas hostages, although Israel denied reports of an imminent agreement. Read this piece to learn more about the captives. | | • | The latest: In the south of Gaza, heavy rains on Sunday are worsening conditions for hundred of thousands of displaces people. Follow our updates live. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | Election shock: Libertarian Javier Milei has won Argentina's presidential election, after pledging to "blow up" the inflation-hit nation's central bank, provisional results suggest. Read our South America correspondent Katy Watson's analysis. | | • | Tech bosses: Days after being ousted as boss of OpenAI, Sam Altman is to join one of its key shareholders, Microsoft, to lead its "new advanced AI research team". Meanwhile, co-founder of streaming service Twitch, Emmett Shear, will become OpenAI interim chief executive. | | • | Shakira: The Colombian pop star has reached a deal with Spanish prosecutors to settle a case accusing her of tax fraud to the tune of €14.5m (£12.9m, $15.8m). Entertainment reporter Helen Bushby explains the background. | | • | 'Dignity and strength': There have been tributes to Rosalynn Carter, the wife of ex-President Jimmy Carter, who has died at the age of 96. Look back on her time as First Lady. | | • | Toddler mystery: Police in Australia have contacted a potential new witness to the suspected abduction of three-year-old Cheryl Grimmer, in 1970. The man had told the BBC he saw a teenage boy carrying away a child from a beach on the day she vanished. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Hebron, West Bank | | A West Bank district under Israeli lockdown | | The H2 neighbourhood, in the West Bank, is home to 39,000 Palestinians and roughly 900 Israeli settlers. They are separated in some places here by just a few feet, and surrounded by cameras, cages, checkpoints, concrete blast walls and rolls of razor wire. | | | | "This is the closed place inside the closed place," said Muhammad Mohtaseb, a 30-year-old hospital security guard, sitting on the roof of his house opposite the mosque. "We are completely surrounded by checkpoints," he said. "Even on a good day, I cannot drive a car, no car can come in with Palestinian number plates. If I want to bring something to my house, I have to carry it half a kilometre from the checkpoint. When I got married, I bought all new furniture for my bedroom, but I had to take it all apart into pieces on the other side of the checkpoint to get it through the turnstiles, then rebuild it on this side." That was a good day. Since 7 October, the freedom even to move around in the street was gone. When we arrived at Mohtaseb's home, just like at the home of Fawaz Qafisha, a soldier sprang towards the door and ordered Mohtaseb back inside. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | America's elder statesmen | | | | Maxwell Frost, here shaking hands with Joe Biden, is the youngest member of Congress, aged 26. Credit: EPA |
| | Joe Biden, who turns 81 today, is the oldest president in US history. His predecessor and likely contender, Donald Trump, is 77. The Senate is the oldest it has ever been. As a majority of American voters believe their leaders are too old, my colleagues Nomia Iqbal and Alex Lederman examine why it seems so hard for younger generations to find their place in the highest ranks of politics. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | Wo ist das Schwimmbad? | | The hidden beauty of Berlin's indoor pools. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | A Boeing 787 landed in Antarctica for the first time last week, completing a smooth icy landing in Norwegian-claimed Queen Maud land. The plane was carrying 45 researchers and 12 tonnes of equipment, and it's the largest passenger plane to have ever touched ground - or rather ice - on the continent. Take a look at the video. |
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| | | | | | Future Earth Newsletter | | Essential climate news and hopeful developments, in your inbox every Tuesday. | | |
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– Jules |
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