EGN NEWS DESK
Israel appears poised to invade Rafah
Israel’s allies have pressed the nation to not invade Rafah, the town in southern Gaza the place 1,000,000 displaced Palestinians live. But this week, Israel appeared to trace that an assault there was all however inevitable.
On Monday, an Israeli army official mentioned that if an invasion had been to start, civilians could be relocated to a secure zone alongside the coast. Israel has additionally bombed Rafah, main some civilians to worry {that a} floor assault would comply with.
Israel says {that a} push into Rafah is important to get rid of the militants sheltering in a community of tunnels beneath the town, to seize or kill Hamas leaders presumed to be there and to make sure the discharge of the remaining hostages kidnapped throughout the Hamas-led Oct. 7 assaults.
But the invasion could be devastating for civilians. The designated humanitarian zone recognized as a attainable place for them to go is already overflowing with displaced folks.
UNRWA: Germany mentioned it might restore its funding for the U.N. company for Palestinians after a report undermined Israel’s claims that terrorists had been within the group’s ranks. Germany is the company’s second largest donor after the U.S.
Hostages: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli American who misplaced a part of his arm within the Oct. 7 assaults, appeared in a Hamas video. He criticized Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and mentioned he had been held hostage for about 200 days.
U.S. weapons are coming to Ukraine
President Biden signed a international help bundle yesterday that included almost $61 billion in help for Ukraine. He mentioned the weapons shipments would start “inside hours.”
The help contains munitions that might assist Ukraine hit deep into territory held by Russia.
Last week, the U.S. secretly shipped a brand new long-range missile system to Ukraine, often called ATACMS. Ukraine used the weapons to assault a Russian army airfield in Crimea and Russian troops within the port metropolis of Berdiansk on the Sea of Azov, in line with a senior U.S. official. Additional longer-range missiles had been included within the new help bundle.
The Pentagon mentioned it might rush a primary batch of weapons, together with Stinger surface-to-air missiles and different air protection munitions, 155-millimeter shells, Javelin anti-tank guided missiles, cluster munitions and battlefield autos.
NATO: About 90,000 troops from nations within the alliance have been coaching in Europe this spring. The present of power is supposed to ship a pointy message to Russia to not go previous Ukraine.
Kharkiv: Since March, Russia has been bombarding Ukraine’s second-largest metropolis with one of many deadliest weapons in its arsenal: highly effective guided bombs often called glide bombs.
Myanmar’s junta regained floor
The army junta has recaptured the city of Myawaddy, a key buying and selling middle on the Thai border, weeks after rebels had captured it. The seizure of the city had been the rebels’ most vital victory for the reason that 2021 army coup.
Recent context: In the previous few months, resistance forces have seized dozens of cities and army outposts in Myanmar’s border areas. Myawaddy was an particularly large prize.
MORE TOP NEWS
Mark Zuckerberg was as soon as recognized for carrying a grey T-shirt day by day. He has just lately had a makeover, donning shearling coats and silver chains. His new look has someway reworked him right into a kinder, gentler face of expertise at a time when it has been solid in a darker, extra suspicious mild.
Our chief vogue critic, Vanessa Friedman, wrote about Zuckerberg’s new look.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
-
A misplaced Klimt: “Portrait of Fräulein Lieser,” an enigmatic, long-lost portray from 1917, bought for 35 million euros at public sale.
-
No, officer, he wasn’t consuming: A person was acquitted of drunken driving after medical doctors confirmed he had a uncommon situation during which his physique brews beer.
ARTS AND IDEAS
Dissecting Taylor Swift’s new album
“The Tortured Poets Department,” is a 31-song excavation of Taylor Swift’s latest relationships. Despite the hype, it has proved to be much less universally beloved than a few of her earlier work.
Our music writers mentioned the album, which is seemingly tailored for her most obsessive followers, and the way her narrative continues to alter.
“I’ve educated myself to view Taylor Swift’s work by the eyes of her followers,” my colleague Ben Sisario mentioned. “That’s essential for understanding Swift, whose connection together with her listeners is on the root of her success, and it’s additionally turn out to be a part of the artwork itself. The query is not only what’s Swift saying, however what’s she telling her followers, and the way will they reply to it?”
