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Hopes for ceasefire in Gaza falter ahead of Ramadan

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The UN has warned of famine in Gaza after nearly six months of war (BBC)

Hopes had been high over the past week following talks in Paris that there could be a new Gaza ceasefire deal in place for the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan next week.

However, while Hamas has now sent a delegation to Cairo for further negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, Israel has not. This looks like a serious new block.

Israeli officials – quoted in local media – demand clear answers from Hamas on key issues as well as a list of the surviving Israeli hostages who could be released with an agreement.

Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official, Dr Basem Naim, told the BBC on Sunday that “practically, it is impossible to know who is still alive” because of continuing Israeli bombing. “They are in different areas with different groups. We have asked for a ceasefire to collect that data,” he added.

Dr Naim went on to say that such “valuable information” about the hostages could not be given “for free”. He, and other senior Hamas figures, have also been continuing to demand a full ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, rather than a temporary truce.

The US and regional players with leverage will now be putting pressure on both Israel and Hamas trying to shore up recent progress on the potential deal.

This would reportedly see some 40 Israeli hostages released in exchange for about 10 times as many Palestinian prisoners being freed from Israeli jails. More than 130 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas. Israeli officials have said that at least 30 of them are dead.

Over the course of a proposed 40-day truce, there would be a surge in desperately needed aid entering into Gaza.

Without a deal, there is a higher threat of a further spread of tensions during Ramadan, which this year is due to begin on 10 or 11 March, depending on the lunar calendar.

Israel is expected to impose restrictions on access for Palestinians to the holiest Muslim site in occupied East Jerusalem, the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, citing its security concerns.

The site – which is also the holiest place in Judaism, known as Temple Mount – has often been a flashpoint for violence in the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Hamas is well aware of international fears about a new conflagration and has previously used al-Aqsa to raise the stakes.

Last week, in a televised address, the leader of the Islamist group, Ismail Haniyeh, claimed Hamas was showing flexibility in negotiations, but also called on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem to march to the mosque to pray on the first day of Ramadan.

International pressure for a ceasefire deal has ratcheted up with the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza where, according to the UN, hundreds of thousands of people are facing famine following nearly six months of war.

“Given the immense scale of suffering, there must be an immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks, which is what is currently on the table,” the US Vice-President Kamala Harris told an event in Alabama. “This will get the hostages out and get a significant amount of aid in. People in Gaza are starving. The conditions are inhumane and our common humanity compels us to act,” Ms Harris went on.

A limited amount of food aid is dropped by airplanes to the city as the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, Gaza on March 4, 2024

,The United States has begun making aid drops into Gaza (BBC)

Her comments were some of the strongest language used yet to describe the situation by a senior US government official and reflect the growing frustration within Washington – the closest ally of Israel – about developments in the war.

Increasingly what is happening on the ground in Gaza is hurting President Biden’s presidential re-election campaign.

In Israel, there is also intense domestic pressure on the war cabinet to agree a new deal from the families of the hostages.

Thousands of Israelis joined them for the last leg of a four-day solidarity march, which began close to the Gaza border at one of the sites that was a focus of the deadly 7 October Hamas attacks, and ended in Jerusalem on Saturday night.

They held up Israeli flags and posters of the hostages.

Speaking at the rally, Sharon Sharabi whose brother, Eli, is still believed to be held in Hamas captivity, said: “We’ve lost four members of our family, the Sharabi family – my family, your family. We do not intend – listen carefully, leaders of Israel – we do not intend to bring a fifth coffin here.”

(BBC)



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Foreign News

British man killed by president’s convoy in Kenya hit-and-run

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Edgar Charles Frederick was hit on Nairobi's busy Ngong Road [BBC]

A British man has been killed in a hit-and-run incident involving a vehicle in the motorcade of Kenyan President William Ruto.

The man, who has been named as 79-year-old Edgar Charles Frederick, died on Thursday after being struck in the accident on a main road in the capital, Nairobi.

Police detained a driver, who has since been released on bail.

They say he was driving a support vehicle that was travelling as part of President Ruto’s official convoy of cars.

Police spokesman Michael Muchiri told the BBC that Mr Frederick had been visiting Kenya to see his sister and nephew who are residents of the country.

The victim’s next-of-kin have been informed, and a post-mortem is likely to be conducted later on Friday.

The police said the driver, who failed to stop after the incident, would appear in court following an investigation.

A spokesperson for the UK High Commission said officials were aware of the reports and were seeking more information.

Videos posted on social media show a man in blue jeans and a light-coloured shirt lying bleeding on the road outside a busy shopping area.

Other pictures show the victim covered in a checked shawl, known locally as a Maasai Shuka.

Mr Muchiri told the BBC the vehicle belonged to the regional administration and was providing support to the presidential detail.

President Ruto held events in the vicinity of the scene on Thursday as part of ongoing political engagements with the public in the capital.

[BBC]

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Hotpot chain compensates diners after teenagers urinate in soup

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Haidilaon is the world's best-known Chinese hotpot chain [BBC]

China’s biggest hotpot chain Haidilao has offered to compensate more than 4,000 diners who visited one of its Shanghai branches, where two teens urinated into their hotpot broth.

A video of the boys peeing into their broth pot while dining in a private room was widely shared online last month. It is not clear who might have filmed the incident.

Police said the 17-year-olds, who were drunk at the time, were detained soon after the incident.

There is no suggestion anyone consumed the affected broth. Haidilao has apologised to customers, saying it has replaced all hotpot equipment and dining utensils, as well as disinfecting other crockery and utensils.

The incident happened late in February, though the company’s management only found out about it days later, after videos circulated on social media.

Haidilao said the staff on duty at the time had failed to stop the teens.

It took another week to find out which outlet it was, the company said, as it has dozens of outlets in the city.

Diners in Haidilao use their own personal hotpot equipment to cook their food, and broths are not re-used again for other customers. However, it is unclear in this case if the hotpot in question was thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before it was used by the next customer.

“We fully understand that the distress caused to our customers by this incident cannot be fully compensated for by any means, but we will do our utmost to take responsibility,” the company said in a statement.

Haidilao said customers who dined at the outlet between 24 February and 8 March will receive a full refund, followed by cash compensation that is 10 times the amount they were billed.

The company has expanded quickly since it opened its first restaurant in Jianyang in Sichuan province. It now operates more than 1,000 restaurants across the world.

Haidilao is known for its customer service and family-friendly atmosphere, where ladies can receive manicures and kids are treated to candy floss while waiting for a table.

[BBC]

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Thousands celebrate a chief who will only rule for eight years

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[pic BBC]

Thousands of people have been gathering in southern Ethiopia for one of the country’s biggest cultural events.

The week-long Gada ceremony, which ended on Sunday, sees the official transfer of power from one customary ruler to his successor – something that happens every eight years.

The tradition of regularly appointing a new Abbaa Gadaa has been practised by the Borana community for centuries – and sees them gather at the rural site of Arda Jila Badhasa, near the Ethiopian town of Arero.

It is a time to celebrate their special form of democracy as well as their cultural heritage, with each age group taking the opportunity to wear their different traditional outfits.

These are paraded the day before the official handover during a procession when married women march with wooden batons, called “siinqee”.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC Women carry carved wooden sticks and march in matching red clothes.
[BBC]

The batons have symbolic values of protection for women, who use them during conflict.

If a siinqee stick is placed on the ground by a married woman between two quarrelling parties, it means the conflict must stop immediately out of respect.

During the procession, younger women lead at the front, distinguished from the married women by the different colour of their clothing.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC Young women lead the other women. They are dressed in purples and blacks. They do not carry sticks, unlike the married women.
[BBC]

In this pastoralist society women are excluded from holding the top power of Abbaa Gadaa, sitting on the council of elders or being initiated into the system as a child.

But their important role can be seen during the festival as they build all the accommodation for those staying for the week – and prepare all the food.

And the unique Gada system of governance, which was added to the UN’s cultural heritage list in 2016, allows for them to attend regular community meetings and to voice their opinions to the Abbaa Gadaa.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC Borana women in southern Ethiopia building huts from wood, mud and straw
[BBC]

Gada membership is only open to boys whose fathers are already members – young initiates have their heads shaven at the crown to make their rank clear.

The smaller the circle, the older he is.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC A circle is shaved into the back of a young man's hair.
[BBC]

As the global cultural body UNESCO reports, oral historians teach young initiates about “history, laws, rituals, time reckoning, cosmology, myths, rules of conduct, and the function of the Gada system”.

Training for boys begins as young as eight years old.  Later, they will be assessed for their potential as future leaders.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC An elder wears a headdress and carries items that indicate his status.
[BBC]

As they grow up, tests include walking long distances barefoot, slaughtering cattle efficiently and showing kindness to fellow initiates.

Headpieces made from cowrie shells are traditionally worn by young trainees. The only other people allowed to wear them are elderly women.

Both groups are revered by Borana community members.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC A mother puts a cowrie-shell headpiece on her son for the festivities.
[BBC]

Men aged between 28 and 32 are identified by the ostrich feathers they wear, which are known in the Afaan Oromo language as “baalli”.

Their attendance at the Gada ceremony is an opportunity to learn, prepare and bond as it is already known who the Abbaa Gadaa from this age group will be taking power in 2033.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC Young men wear feathers in their hair to show their status as initiates.
[BBC]

The main event at the recent Gada ceremony was the handover of power, from the outgoing 48-year-old Abbaa Gadaa to his younger successor.

Well-wishers crossed the border from Kenya and others travelled from as far as Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to witness the spectacle. The governor of Kenya’s Marsabit county was among the honoured guests.

Thirty-seven-year-old Guyo Boru Guyo, seen here holding a spear, was chosen to lead because he impressed the council of elders during his teenage years.

Amensisa Ifa / BBC A man in a white robe carries a spear.
[BBC]

He becomes the 72nd Abbaa Gadaa and will now oversee the Borana community across borders – in southern Ethiopia and north-western Kenya.

As their top diplomat, he will also be responsible for solving feuds that rear their heads for pastoralists. These often involve cattle raiding and disputes over access to water in this drought-prone region.

During his eight years at the helm, his successor will finish his training to take on the job in continuation of this generations-old tradition.

[BBC]

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