Australia resumes funding for UNRWA and pledges more Gaza aidWong also pledged an additional 4 million Australian dollars ($2.6 million) to UNICEF to provide urgent services in Gaza, and a C17 Globemaster plane will also deliver defense force parachutes to help with the U.S. led airdropping of humanitarian supplies into the enclave, which is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
https://apnews.com/article/australia-unrwa-hamas-israel-gaza-funding-1b4bcb81251cf7eeed0904da9fe4144bNarendra Modi’s BJP given £570m under scheme allowing anonymous donationsAccording to the data that was released, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) received more than 60bn rupees (£570m) in donations through a scheme known as electoral bonds, which the Modi government introduced in 2017.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/narendra-modi-bjp-given-570m-under-scheme-allowing-anonymous-donationsIsraeli forces block thousands from Friday prayer at Al-Aqsa MosqueThousands of worshippers were sent back after being denied entry through the checkpoints. While Israel initially said elders would be allowed to cross, some speaking to Middle East Eye said they were denied entry. Many were sent away under the pretext of not having "prayer permits".
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-al-aqsa-mosque-friday-prayer-block-thousands-Israeli forces kill 20 Palestinians waiting for aid, Gaza health ministry saysThe latest incident came hours after eight people were killed in an airstrike on an aid distribution centre at al-Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, health officials said. In a statement, Israel’s military denied attacking aid distribution points and described the reports as “false”, though it was not immediately clear which incident it was referring to.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/15/palestinians-killed-wounded-idf-israel-forces-aid-gazaSweden conducted its first reconnaissance flights near the Russian border since joining NATOThe two flights on Saturday were aimed at collecting intelligence information about the deployment and activities of Russian troops and weapons in the region, Open Source Intelligence experts said. One flight was made by a Swedish Gulfstream S102B Korpen GIV-SP Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), which flew over Poland near the borders of Russia's Kaliningrad enclave and Belarus.
https://www.businessinsider.com/sweden-first-nato-reconnaissance-mission-near-russia-border-ukraine-2024-3Croatian parliament dissolves to pave way for parliamentary election later this yearThe upcoming vote in Croatia will pit ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union against a group of center and left-leaning parties who have announced they will run in a coalition.
https://apnews.com/article/croatia-parliament-dissolves-election-may-ca80e6e72bcf2f8cf38a4d8e82e6a72dGermany: Airport security staff strike at smaller hubsAirport security staff continued a strike called by trade union Verdi at several smaller German hubs on Friday, with authorities predicting considerably fewer cancellations and disruptions than on the previous day but still saying thousands of travelers are liable to be impacted.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-airport-security-staff-strike-at-smaller-hubs/a-68534523 Peru Congress commission advances bill protecting alleged perpetrators of crimes against humanity The Constitutional Commission of the Peruvian Congress approved Tuesday the report of Bill No. 6951/2023-CR, which establishes that no one can be prosecuted, sentenced or punished for crimes against humanity or war crimes committed before July 1, 2002. As a result, emblematic cases from the period of internal violence in Peru between 1980 and 2000, which were still awaiting a definitive judicial response, could be closed.
https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/03/peru-congress-advances-bill-protecting-alleged-perpetrators-of-crimes-against-humanity/https://archive.is/zvuHYMexican lake is being sucked dry by development, drought and lawlessnessResidents said Thursday that Valle — as the reservoir has been known since the 1940s — is being drained by Mexico City’s refusal to fix broken pipes that waste much of its water, as well as the unrestrained construction of private dams and holding ponds by suspiciously wealthy and powerful newcomers. In a country where the government appears not to listen and gang violence is common, residents and activists can only watch as their beloved lake disappears. The National Water Commission, known by its Spanish initials as Conagua, has done little to remedy the problem.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mexico-glittering-lake-sucked-dry-development-drought-lawlessness-108132553Petro urges UN narcotics commission to focus on healthcareIn a video message, Petro reiterated that his government considered the so-called War on Drugs a failure that justified human rights violations against Latin American rural communities that were associated with the cultivation of coca, the base ingredient of cocaine. “We turned our peasant, indigenous and Afro communities into enemies. We massively and systematically violated rights,” the president told the UNCND in a video message.
https://colombiareports.com/petro-urges-un-narcotics-commission-to-focus-on-healthcare/