Thousands of people have taken to the streets across France to protest against sexual violence.

The protests on Saturday come two days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

In the capital, Paris, large crowds of women and men marched waving purple placards that denounced gender-based violence and defended women’s reproductive rights.

Demonstrators voiced concerns about a possible rollback on women’s rights in the United States when President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House in January. Vice President-elect JD Vance said he would like a national abortion ban in a podcast interview in 2022, but has since emphasised that individual states should determine their policies.

The French newspaper Le Monde reported that roughly 80,000 protesters took to the streets in Paris, with 400 different organisations taking part in demonstrations. It said thousands of people also took to the streets in smaller cities across the nation, including 1,500 in Renne outside Lyon in the southeastern part of France.

France enshrined abortion rights in the constitution in March — a move largely seen as a response to the US move to roll back key reproductive rights protections in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned decades-old laws protecting abortion rights nationally. While abortion has been legal since 1975 in France, the constitutional change explicitly guaranteed abortion access. France was the first country in the world to do so.

Protesters also voiced solidarity with Gisele Pelicot, whose ex-husband Dominique Pelicot and 50 other co-defendants are on trial over allegations that the men drugged and raped her while she was unconscious over a decade. In September, Dominique accepted the charges.

“Unfortunately, anybody can be a perpetrator of violence. It can be our brothers. It can be our fathers. It can be our colleagues. It can be our bosses. I think that’s the big shock for people,” said Maelle Noir, representing the feminist collective Nous Toutes, which translates as All of Us, told The Associated Press news agency at the Paris protest.

At least 120 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza in two days, Palestinian health officials said, as Israel intensified its bombardment across the besieged territory.

At least seven people were killed when a residential home was hit overnight in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, health officials said on Saturday. The other deaths were recorded in central and southern Gaza.

Israeli air raids caused significant damage to al-Faruq Mosque in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to a social media video verified by Al Jazeera.

Israeli forces also deepened their ground offensive and bombardment of northern Gaza, where one of the last partially operating hospitals was hit, wounding several workers.

Hussam Abu Safia, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, said in a statement on Saturday that Israeli forces “directly targeted the entrance to the emergency and reception area several times, as well as the hospital courtyards, electrical generators, and hospital gates”.

The bombardment “resulted in 12 injuries among doctors, nurses, and administrative staff within the emergency and reception areas”, he said.

The Israeli military rejected the allegations and said it was “not aware of a strike in the area of the Kamal Adwan Hospital” following an initial review of the situation.

On Friday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said hospitals have fuel left for only about two days before it needs to start restricting services.

Israel’s military imposed a siege and launched a renewed ground offensive in northern Gaza last month, saying it aimed to stop Hamas fighters from waging more attacks and regrouping in the area.

The United Nations warned earlier this week that almost no aid had been delivered to northern Gaza since Israel’s renewed offensive as aid groups and food security experts warn of a famine in the area.

In a call with Defence Minister Israel Katz on Saturday, United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pressed Israel to “take steps to improve the dire humanitarian condition in Gaza”, the Pentagon said.

Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed more than 44,000 people and wounded more than 104,000 since October 2023, according to Palestinian health officials.

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, in which at least 1,139 people were killed and about 250 others seized as captives.

A spokesperson for the armed wing of Hamas, Abu Ubaida, said later on Saturday that a female Israeli captive in the group’s custody had been killed in northern Gaza in an area under attack by Israel’s forces.

“The life of another female prisoner who used to be with her remains in imminent danger,” he added, accusing the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being responsible and of undermining efforts to end the war.

[Aljazeera]

Weather forecast issued at 05.30 a.m. on 24 November 2024 by the Department of Meteorology

A low-pressure area has formed over southeast Bay of Bengal and is likely to move west north-westwards and intensify into a depression over southwest Bay of Bengal on 25th November. The system may intensify further and move towards the Northern coast of Sri Lanka.

Cloudy skies are expected over most parts of the island due to the influence of the aforementioned system.

Showers or thundershowers will occur at times in the Northern, North-central, Eastern, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. Showers or thundershowers will occur at several places elsewhere of the island during the evening or night. Very heavy showers above 150 mm are likely at some places in Eastern and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. Heavy showers above 100mm are likely at some places in North-central province.

Fairly strong winds of about (30-40) kmph can be expected at times over Northern, North-central and Eastern provinces and in Hambantota district.

Winds will be north-easterly in direction in the sea areas around the island. Wind speed will be (30-40) kmph in the sea areas around the island. Wind speed can increase up to (60-70) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coasts extending from Mannar to Hambantota via Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Pottuvil.

The sea areas extending from Mannar to Hambantota via Kankasanthurai, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Pottuvil will be very rough to high at times. The other sea areas around the island will be moderate. Strong gusty winds and very rough seas can be expected during thundershowers.

The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.