August 18, 2024

Daily News Brief

*) Hamas backs UN-proposed humanitarian pause in Gaza for polio vaccination Palestinian resistance group Hamas has supported a call from the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide concrete assurances from all parties guaranteeing humanitarian pauses in order for a polio vaccine campaign to be conducted. The group supports the request announced by the United Nations for a 7-day truce in order to vaccinate thousands of children. Hamas also demanded the delivery of medicine and food to more than two million Palestinians trapped in Gaza. *) Twin explosions in Somalia's capital leave multiple dead At least eight people have been killed and several others wounded in twin explosions in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Officials say that the attack targeted a busy tea shop in the Daynile district and bomb was planted inside the tea shop, frequently visited by security forces in the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet. *) Israel kills 18 members of same family in Gaza An Israel air strike in besieged Gaza has killed at least 18 people, all from the same family, hours after mediators expressed optimism for an imminent ceasefire. According to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah the air strike hit a house and adjacent warehouse sheltering displaced people in the Zawaida township. *) Safety 'deteriorating' at Ukraine nuclear plant amidst war: UN watchdog The UN's nuclear watchdog has warned that the safety situation at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was "deteriorating" following a nearby drone strike. Earlier, Russia accused Ukraine of dropping an explosive charge on a road near the occupied plant in southern Ukraine. International Atomic Energy Agency experts on site were informed of the detonation near essential plant facilities and immediately visited the area. *) X to cease operations in Brazil amid ongoing legal dispute Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter has said it was closing operations in Brazil, citing threats from Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The decision comes after X reported a "secret order" from Moraes, who allegedly threatened to arrest the company's legal representative in Brazil if the platform did not comply with demands related to content moderation.