Plus: Gaza refugees on survivors' guilt, and award-winning underwater photography
| | | | | | | Hello. Alexei Navalny's widow Yulia Navalnaya has released a combative video message in which she accuses Russian President Vladimir Putin of killing her husband. Sarah Rainsford explains the statement's significance. As Israel named 10 March as a possible date for the start of the Rafah offensive, refugees who have recently left the southern Gaza city tell Fergal Keane of their agony for those who remain in danger. Scroll further down to dive into the winners of an underwater photography award. |
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| | | | | | Questions Answered | | Yulia Navalnaya's fighting words | | | | Yulia Navalnaya had led a relatively private life until her husband's poisoning in 2020. Credit: EPA |
| | Ahead of her meeting with EU foreign ministers in Brussels to discuss the death of her husband, Alexei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya released a video message signalling to supporters that she will carry on the fight for a "wonderful Russia". | | | | Sarah Rainsford, Eastern Europe correspondent |
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| | What was Ms Navalnaya's message? | | Navalny’s widow accuses Vladimir Putin of killing him in prison, and she claims authorities are hiding his body - to cover their traces. She calls on Russians not to give in, to unite, beside her, to continue her husband’s political fight for change in Russia - so what she calls his "unthinkable sacrifice" will not have been for nothing. | | What's the video's significance? | | Ms Navalnaya has taken a deliberate and dramatic step into the political spotlight occupied for years by her husband. Her video has the stark look of those made by Alexei Navalny, with the same passion and power. | | What has Mr Putin said about Mr Navalny's death? | | He still hasn’t commented. Mr Putin has never uttered the name of his biggest political rival. The Kremlin was asked on Monday about Mr Navalny's death and said an investigation was under way. | | | | | | |
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| AT THE SCENE | Cairo, Egypt | | Guilt grips Gaza refugees | | | | An estimated 21% of households in Gaza have at least one member living with a disability. Credit: BBC | | After repeated attempts to cross the Rafah border into Egypt, Tala Abu Nahla was finally allowed to leave Gaza last week along with her mother, her little sister and 17-year-old brother Yazeed, who is disabled and has epileptic seizures. Their newfound safety is tainted by survivors' guilt. | | | The air strikes could not be explained to Yazeed. They were something he experienced as a malign, elemental force. Tala explains: "He would have a seizure every time he heard bombing. And it got really scary like his body and his mind is not able to understand everything that's going on, and then having to deal with the seizures without even medication. I think it was really heart-breaking for all of us."
Now she lives in a bustling city where food and medicine are close at hand. But Tala cannot stop thinking of the people left behind in Gaza. "I think this is one of the hardest feelings to talk about. I think every time I see a plane or hear a plane, and I know I'm going to be safe after hearing it, I feel guilty," she says. In the sitting room of their rented apartment in Cairo, the rest of her family is watching the news from Gaza on television. But Yazeed looks like a different young man. The acute strain is gone from his face. |
| | | | • | Healthcare in Gaza: Doctors at the hospitals that remain operational have talked to Alice Cuddy about operating on patients without anaesthetic and treating rotting wounds with limited medical supplies. | | • | Unemployment in the West Bank: From Ramallah, BBC Arabic's Alaa Daraghme and Eman Eriqat speak to Palestinians whose Israeli work permits were cancelled following Hamas's 7 October attack. |
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| | The big picture | | Snapshots from under the sea | | | | A photo taken at an underwater military museum off the coast of Jordan won the Wrecks category. Credit: Martin Broen/UPY2024 |
| | The Underwater Photographer of the Year 2024 contest has picked winners across its 13 categories. From whale carcasses to synchronised swimmers, the competition displayed an array of subjects and activities linked to the submerged world. | | | | |
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| | | For your downtime | | The sound of horror | | In The Zone of Interest, the crimes of Nazism are heard more than they are seen. | | |
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| | And finally... in South Africa | | Cape Town residents have been complaining of a foul smell engulfing the South African city. The source of the stench is a cargo ship docked in the harbour that's carrying 19,000 cows from Brazil to Iraq and has raised concerns about animal welfare. |
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| | | | | | | | US Election Unspun newsletter | | Cut through the noise in the race for the White House, every Wednesday to your inbox. | | |
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