Kenya, Gaza, Japan
Today's three stories you should know
Kenya
Two people have been shot dead during protests in Kenya against a U.S. plan to set up an Ebola isolation center for Americans at a military base, according to sources who spoke to Reuters and the BBC. A police spokesperson told Reuters he was not aware of the deaths. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is currently dealing with a major Ebola outbreak, which has spread to neighboring Uganda on a much smaller scale. Kenya, though, has reported no cases and the facility is intended to treat Americans who may get infected in DRC or Uganda, prompting fury from Kenyans who believe it is a risk to public health. President William Ruto today defended the plan as "neither unique nor exceptional but part of a broader national preparedness system," claiming that it "will be there to serve the people of Kenya and to serve our friends, including the Americans.”
More from BBC here.
Proximities now has a podcast! Cut very much from the cloth of the newsletter, I will be talking to the journalists who doggedly cover the news stories that deserve more attention from the international media. Honoured to say that the first episode features Hiba Morgan, the Al Jazeera English correspondent in Sudan.
You can listen on Apple Podcasts here, on Spotify here, or watch on YouTube here.
And, please, do me a favor and like and subscribe to gratify the sacred algorithm.
Here’s a short clip.
Gaza
With Gaza now out of the top headlines, Israel has pressed ahead with attacks on the Palestinian enclave despite an ostensible ceasefire. Three people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire today, officials in Gaza said – Israeli authorities did not immediately comment. The Israeli army has killed at least 930 people in Gaza, including many children, since it agreed a truce with Hamas in October. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the same period. The ceasefire arrangement left Israel occupying more than half of Gaza, with Hamas in charge of a sliver of coastal territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week ordered Israeli forces to increase their control to 70 percent.
More from Reuters here.
Japan
Four people were wounded in a bear attack in Japan as the country grapples with the animals increasingly encroaching into human territory in recent years. A record 13 people were killed in more than 230 attacks by bears last year, according to environment ministry figures. Schools in the Sasakino district of Fukushima, where the attack took place, were closed and residents warned to be cautious. The incident has reignited a wave of panic, which last year led to the army being sent to the northern prefecture of Akita after more than 60 people were attacked, with four killed. The government has estimated the national bear population at around 57,800, and officials are considering systematic culling.
More from AP here.