Gaza violence escalates as it enters second week
Hostilities between Israel and Hamas showed no signs of abating as they entered their second week on Monday. In the early hours Israeli fighter jets bombed what it called “terror targets” in the strip, while rockets from Gaza were fired at the Israeli cities of Beersheba and Ashkelon. Sunday had witnessed the heaviest shelling of Gaza since the second intifada in 2000, according to Palestinian security sources, with reports of up to 40 killed by some 150 Israeli air strikes. The BBC, The Times of Israel and Al Jazeera report.
Calls for hostilities to end
US secretary of state Antony Blinken called for “all parties” to deescalate tensions. “The violence must end immediately,” Blinken wrote on Twitter following talks with his counterparts in Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. UN secretary general António Guterres told a specially convened session of the UN security council that the escalating violence “has the potential to unleash an uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis”. The Guardian and Reuters report and AP has a diary entry from a reporter who fled the news agency’s building in Gaza minutes before it was destroyed by Israeli forces.
Blurred images of Gaza
The BBC has an explainer of why Google Earth images of Gaza are blurred. Much of the imagery dates back to before 2020, when restriction dating from 1997 on the quality of satellite images of Israel and the Palestinian territories was lifted.
Luxembourg restaurants open indoor dining
Restaurants and cafes in Luxembourg enjoyed healthy business following the return of indoor dining on Sunday. The move results from a vote in favour of the new covid laws in parliament on Friday, as reported in Delano’s rolling coverage. Guests who want to eat or drink indoors have to undergo a rapid self-test at the venue, which will supply the kit. RTL reports that although many clients still preferred to dine on terraces, which does not require a test, those that did decide to sit inside thought the testing was efficient and easy.
Unicef calls for COVAX donations
Unicef executive director Henrietta Fore has appealed for G7 nations to donate supplies to the COVAX vaccine-sharing scheme. The move follows the decision by India to halt its vaccine exports as the country struggles to contain a surge in coronavirus cases. Unicef estimates it could have a shortfall in the COVAX scheme of 140 million doses by the end of May. “Sharing immediately available excess doses is a minimum, essential and emergency stop-gap measure,” Fore said. Reuters, the FT and the BBC report.
Musk comments spark Bitcoin dip
The value of Bitcoin fell around 8% on Sunday following a Tweet from Elon Musk suggesting that Tesla has sold or may sell the rest of its holdings in the cryptocurrency. Musk’s public flip-flopping on cryptocurrencies has left market analysts less than impressed. On Friday a founding partner of Union Square Ventures tweeted: “He’s [Musk] playing games. It is hard to take anyone who does that seriously.” CNBC, Forbes and Bloomberg have more.
Cyberattacks on Irish health system
Irish health minister Stephen Donnelly has warned of hospital cancellations following a cyberattack on the Health Service Executive (HSE) on Friday. In what he called a “very serious attack”, foreign minister Simon Coveney said malware had been inserted across the HSE network. The Irish Times, RTE and the Irish Independent have details.
Sports roundup
Football: Barcelona won the women’s Champions League by thrashing Chelsea 4-0 in the final in Gothenburg on Sunday--the BBC has a report. Tennis: Iga Swiatek won the women’s tournament and Rafael Nadal claimed the men’s title at the Italian Open in Rome. The BBC and The Guardian have reports. Cycling: Egan Bernal won the ninth stage of the Giro d’Italia and has taken the overall lead in the race. Eurosport reports.
Beer making monks win in court
A court of appeal in Liège has sided with Trappist monk beer makers in Rochefort in their battle with international minerals producer Lhoist over plans to deepen a chalk quarry. The monks argued that the extension of the quarry would impact the quality of the groundwater used to make their beer. Lhoist has not yet decided whether to appeal the decision. The Guardian and The Brussels Times report.
The incredile life of Jordan Banks
Sit back and reflect on the legacy of Jordan Banks, a nine-year old boy who died last week after being struck by lightning at football training in Blackpool, England. Jordan saved the lives of three other children by donating his organs and in January he had raised over £2,300 by running 30 miles for a local counselling service, inspired by the fact that his uncle took his own life in 2018. The Guardian and Manchester Evening News have more.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts