UN humanitarians repeated dire concerns for civilians caught up in the war in Gaza on Tuesday, amid reports of continued Israeli bombardment of the southern towns of Deir al Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah, direct clashes on the ground and the firing of rockets overnight by Palestinian armed groups into Israel.
Gaza war: ‘Intense ground battles’ reported, hospital hit kills five
Continuing airstrikes were reported across Gaza on Wednesday and “intense ground battles” between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters in refugee camps in central areas that have reportedly left many dead.
Airstrikes and missiles struck dwellings and public buildings on Tuesday including Al-Amal hospital in Khan Younis killing five, among them a five-day-old baby, reports indicate.
Gaza crisis deepens as UN aid convoys face delays and obstacles
Amid reports of continued Israeli airstrikes overnight in southern and central Gaza and more rocket fire into Israel from the enclave, UN teams said on Thursday they have been unable to deliver urgently needed aid to civilians beyond central areas and further north for the past three days.… Read the rest
‘Our minds are blank’: how ‘earthquake resilient’ Japan fails its ageing rural communities
Older people living in isolated places and outdated homes face enormous danger when disaster strikes
here was an unfamiliar feel to the scenes that greeted residents and rescue workers in central Japan after sunrise on Tuesday. The previous afternoon, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake had jolted the region with violent shaking that went on for more than a minute, but must have felt like a lifetime to families relaxing in front of the TV on New Year’s Day.
Transatlantic slavery continued for years after 1867, historian finds
Exclusive: Evidence found by Hannah Durkin includes ships landing in Cuba in 1872, and people held in Benin in 1873
Historians have generally assumed that the transatlantic slave trade ended in 1867, but it actually continued into the following decade, according to new research.