| | | | | | | Hello. Your newsletter is covering Khan Younis today, in the south of Gaza, where the UN says 12 people were killed in a shelter by strikes. We also have updates on ceasefire talks between Israel and Gaza. In India, Soutik Biswas speaks to workers trying to find construction work in Israel. Finally, I have stories on alcohol in Saudi Arabia, salt in tea, and a lion in a Bentley. |
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| | | | Top of the agenda | | UN says 12 killed at Gaza shelter as fighting rages | | | | Clashes and bombardment around hospitals in Khan Younis have left thousands of patients, staff and others unable to leave. Credit: Getty Images |
| | The UN's Palestinian refugee agency said one of its shelters was struck during fighting in Khan Younis on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 75 in the south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops have been battling Hamas fighters in the area, a day after the military said it had completely encircled the city. Israeli officials said they had ruled out that the incident was the result of an air or artillery strike by the country's forces, adding they were examining the possibility that it was a "Hamas fire". Thomas White, the Gaza director for the UNRWA agency, said the situation in Khan Younis indicated a "consistent failure to uphold the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law". Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to reach a new ceasefire and hostage deal are underway in Qatar and Egypt, although weeks of negotiations have yet to bring any breakthrough. Even as some reports are indicating "serious" progress in the talks, unnamed Israeli officials quoted by the Israeli media are cautioning that there is a "very large" gap on fundamental issues, writes Yolande Knell. | | • | The state of talks: The main block between Hamas and Israel appears to boil down to major differences over how to bring a complete end to the war, reports Yolande in her latest piece. | | • | Later today: The UK's foreign secretary David Cameron is in Qatar after a visit in Israel. Follow the BBC's coverage on our page dedicated to the Israel-Gaza war. | | • | Elsewhere in the Middle East: The Iraqi government has strongly condemned US strikes which targeted sites used by Iranian-backed groups in Iraq on Wednesday. |
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| | | | | | World headlines | | • | War in Ukraine: The unanswered questions around the downing of a Russian plane are highlighting the importance of the information battle between Moscow and Kyiv, writes our Eastern Europe correspondent Sarah Rainsford. | | • | Milei's first challenge: Tens of thousands of Argentines have joined protests against President Javier Milei's plans to slash workers' rights. His "shock treatment" reforms to deregulate Argentina's economy are already being challenged in courts. | | • | Artefacts controversy: The UK is loaning some of Ghana's "crown jewels" back to the west African country, 150 years after looting them from the court of the Asante king. Take a look at the objects returning temporarily to Ghana. | | • | In Japan: A man has been sentenced to death for an arson attack at a Kyoto animation studio in 2019 which killed 36 people and injured dozens more. | | • | Unrelated luxury news: South Korea's first lady Kim Keon Hee is under fire for allegedly accepting a Christian Dior handbag from a pastor. And in Pattaya, a Thai woman was arrested after her pet lion was pictured enjoying a ride in the backseat of an open-top Bentley. |
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| | AT THE SCENE | Rothak, India | | The jobs crisis driving Indians to Israel | | Israel plans to bring in 70,000 workers from China and India and other countries to boost its construction sector, according to reports. Many college-educated Indians struggling to find a stable job are hoping to find better paid employment in Israel. | | | | Soutik Biswas, India correspondent |
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| | For Ranjeet Kumar - a university educated, qualified teacher who has only ever managed to find work casually as a painter, steel fixer, labourer, automobile workshop technician, and a surveyor for a non-profit - a construction job in Israel is a chance too good to pass up. The 31-year-old has never managed to earn more than 700 rupees per day, despite having two degrees. In contrast, the jobs in Israel are paying around 137,000 rupees ($1,648; £1,296) a month, along with accommodation and medical benefits. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Mr Kumar, who got a passport last year, is eager to secure a job as a steel fixer in Israel to support his seven-member family. |
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| | | | Beyond the headlines | | Saudi Arabia gets first alcohol shop in 70 years | | | | Bars in Saudi Arabia serve exclusively non-alcoholic drinks. Credit: Getty Images |
| | Saudi Arabia is getting its first alcohol store, set in Riyadh's diplomatic quarter. But it won't be your typical bottle shop. However, it will only be open to diplomats. Prohibition has been law since 1952, after one of King Abdulaziz's sons drunkenly shot dead a British diplomat. | | | | |
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| | | | Something different | | What went wrong | | Getting feedback after a job interview is the exception rather than the rule. | | |
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| | | | And finally... | | As a Frenchman freshly arrived in London, I've found that a pillar of workplace cordiality was getting tea for people sat next to you. I've also noticed my British colleagues are often troubled by my tea order - no milk, no sugar, bitter as a moonless night. But it could be worse. An American professor of chemistry is recommending tea lovers to add a pinch of salt to their brew. The bold sugggestion has caused quite the storm in a teacup, reports James Gregory. |
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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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– Jules |
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