Nigeria, Gaza, North Korea
Today's three stories you should know
Nigeria
The Nigerian army says it has freed 360 people kidnapped by the Boko Haram armed group in the northeast. The rescue, the military said, was carried out in the Mandara Mountains, which is a stronghold of the militia. Nigeria faces several intersecting security crises, particularly in the north, including organized criminals abducting large groups of people, often schoolchildren, and holding them for ransom. Despite local fury and pervasive fear, analysts say the government of President Bola Tinubu has failed to adequately combat the groups.
More from Africa News here.
Delighted to say that after just two episodes, The Proximities Podcast has entered the Top 50 for news and politics in the UK, at one point charting as high as 16, beating out podcasts from the BBC, Politico, LBC, the Telegraph and more!
This is all down to you guys — thank you very, very much for listening.
If you haven’t already listened and, crucially, liked, subscribed, commented and rated (depending on your platform), I would be so grateful if you could. We need independent media like never before and more people need to hear from incredible journalists like Hiba Morgan and Negar Mortazavi.
The latest episode is on Apple Podcasts here, Spotify here and YouTube here.
Gaza
At least four Palestinians, one a child, were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza today, according to health officials. Medics said two people were killed in an attack near a tent encampment and two others, including an 8-year-old boy, were killed in a separate strike that landed near a group of people digging a well. Residents also told Reuters that the Israeli military had begun expanding the area under its control after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the army to extend the territory it occupies in the Palestinian enclave to 70 percent. At least 950 people have been killed by Israel in Gaza since an ostensible ceasefire was agreed last October. Four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the same period.
More from Reuters here.
North Korea
Chinese leader Xi Jinping said he “feels a special sense of closeness” with North Korea on a rare visit to the North’s capital Pyongyang. The visit is being closely watched as Beijing tries to cement its influence over its nuclear-armed neighbor, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un seeing recent success with building closer ties with Russia while overseeing a growing economy. China’s state broadcaster said Xi had expressed his desire to strengthen ties in areas including trade, security and technology. Xi has come under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. But Kim’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong yesterday called that an “anachronistic dream.”
More from AP here.