| | | | | | | Hello. As diplomatic efforts to open the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remain unsuccessful, we’re looking into why this border gate is key for humanitarian aid to reach Palestinians. Our correspondent Stephen McDonell reports from another border, between Russia and China, as Vladimir Putin prepares to visit Beijing. Read to the end for a heart-warming story from Somalia. |
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| | | | Get up to speed | | • | Two people have been shot dead in Brussels on Monday evening, Belgian prosecutors have said. The alleged attacker is still at large, according to prosecutors. They say they are treating the shooting as terrorism. | | • | | A federal judge has barred Donald Trump from criticising prosecutors, the court and possible witnesses ahead of his trial on election subversion charges. Mr Trump had described prosecutors as “a team of thugs” and called a witness “a gutless pig”. |
| | • | Russia has returned four Ukrainian children to their families, as part of a deal brokered by Qatar. The repatriation is part of a pilot scheme to return more of the thousands of children taken by Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year. |
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| | Questions Answered | | Gaza's lifeline border crossing explained |  | | Palestinians with dual nationalities are waiting to cross the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Credit: Reuters |
| | An airstrike has hit the area around the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, our correspondent in Gaza, Rushdi Abu Alouf, has confirmed. The hoped-for humanitarian truce has failed to materialise. Here’s what you need to know on the focal point of diplomatic efforts today. | | | | What is the Rafah crossing? | | It's the southernmost post of exit from Gaza and borders Egypt's Sinai peninsula. There are only two other border crossings from and into the Gaza Strip - Erez, a crossing for people with Israel in northern Gaza, and Kerem Shalom, a solely commercial goods junction with Israel in southern Gaza. Both were shut by Israel after the unprecedented assault from Hamas on southern Israel which killed more than 1,300 people. | | How is it normally used? | | It is not easy for Palestinians to leave Gaza via Rafah. They must register with the local Palestinian authorities two to four weeks in advance and passage may be rejected by either the Palestinian or Egyptian authorities with little warning or explanation. According to the UN, in August 2023, the Egyptian authorities allowed 19,608 exits from Gaza and denied entry to 314 people. | | Why doesn't Egypt open the crossing? | | Egypt's current reluctance to open the crossing without clear conditions and guarantees may be about trying to avoid a mass exodus of Palestinians from Gaza. Egypt does not want to play any role in what could amount to a permanent resettlement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza. It is likely, though, to allow foreigners and Palestinians with dual nationality to leave, but it wants this to be dependent on allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza. | | | | • | The latest: Hamas said it fired a "barrage of missiles" on Tel Aviv and Jerusalem ; The health system in Gaza is "collapsing before our very eyes”, a top UN official says. Follow our live coverage. | | • | In the north: Israel's military is evacuating 28 communities near the northern border with Lebanon because of escalating hostilities with Hezbollah militants. | | • | Your questions: What was Hamas's initial goal? How did Israel not know about Hamas's attack? BBC correspondents answered questions from readers earlier today. |
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AT THE SCENE |  Heihe, China | | An unfruitful border |  | | ‘Business isn't good,’ stallholders in the border city say. Credit: BBC | | Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping tomorrow in Beijing. At the Winter Olympics last year, the two leaders touted a new “no limits” partnership between their countries. But in the small city of Heihe, sitting across the river from Russia, business activity does not appear to live up to the political rhetoric. |  | | Stephen McDonell, China correspondent |
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| A newly-built bridge into Blagoveshchensk from Heihe was celebrated as the symbol of a new era in cross-border trade between Russia and China. Yet you can observe it for an hour and not see a single vehicle driving in either direction. In the heart of Heihe, two large multi-storey shopping centres have been closed due to a lack of patronage. One shut just months ago, and we're told the other has been empty for seven years.
Some of the former stallholders are parked in front of the first building selling Russian gifts and gadgets out of the backs of their cars. "Business isn't good. There aren't enough tourists," one woman says. "After Covid, the borders haven't been open for long. There aren't enough Russians coming across. They're poor and they're at war." Others selling goods nod along as she says this. |
| | | | • | Another border: Mr Putin is visiting to celebrate the 10th anniversary of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure investment plan from China. The program has been accused of putting a country like Laos in a “debt trap” crisis. |
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| | The big picture | | What happens next for Poland |  | | Donald Tusk was greeted as if at a victory rally in Warsaw on Sunday night - but there is still a lot to do to form a government. Credit: EPA-EFE |
| | The exit polls from Poland's election, suggesting a centrist opposition coalition could be able to form a new government, are welcome news to many Eurocrats in Brussels. The outgoing right-wing Law and Justice party is extremely unlikely to secure a third term in office, after eight years of antagonism and vitriol between the Polish government and the EU. But there are still a few hurdles to cross for the winning opposition, writes our correspondent in Warsaw Adam Easton. | | | | |
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| | | | For your downtime | | Images that shook the world | | Explore our unique audio and video archive, with BBC Culture's new In History series. | | |
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| | | | And finally... in Somalia | | My colleague Soraya Ali reports an uplifting story from Mogadishu. She met Maryan Ali Mohamed, a 33-year-old mother who took up violin just a few years ago - and practices using YouTube videos - who is now part of Somalia’s first TV orchestra. The East African country does not have an official national orchestra and has grappled with political instability and conflict since Ms Ali Mohamed was born. Read her story. |
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| | | | | | Future Planet | | Explore the wonders of our amazing planet. | | |
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| | | Thanks, as ever, for reading. Send us your suggestions, feedback, or any thought you have on this newsletter. And feel free to send it to your friends and family who can subscribe by clicking this link.
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