September 9, 2024

*) Israel storms Palestinian refugee camps The Israeli army has raided the city of Tulkarem and the Balata refugee camp in overnight attacks in the northern occupied West Bank. Several occupation military vehicles accompanied by heavy bulldozers entered the city from its western side, where they began demolishing infrastructure in the al-Alemi area. *) Two NATO members say Russian drones violated their airspace Two NATO members have said Russian drones violated their airspace, as one reportedly flew into Romania, while another crashed in eastern Latvia. Romania's Ministry of National Defence has said a drone entered Romanian territory as Moscow reportedly struck civilian targets and port infrastructure in Ukraine. Bucharest reportedly deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace. Latvia’s Defence Minister also said a Russian drone fell near the town of Rezekne, and had likely strayed into Latvia from neighbouring Belarus. *) Imran Khan's supporters rally in Pakistan, defy roadblocks Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan gathered in Islamabad despite authorities blocking the main routes into the capital. The demonstration, led by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, is the largest in Islamabad since he was jailed last year on several charges, some of them still before the courts. In jail since August 2023, Khan insists along with his party that the charges against him are designed to prevent him from returning to office. *) Sudan's cholera and flood death toll reaches 390 The death toll from floods and rains in Sudan has gone up to 205, with deaths from cholera reaching 185. Sudan’s Health Ministry has said that some 268 new cholera cases have been recorded, including 6 deaths in the states of Kassala, Nile River, and Gedarif. This brings the total number of cholera cases in the seven affected states to 5,692. More than 26,000 homes have been completely damaged, while 33,000 homes have been partially damaged due to floods and rains since June. *) China to evaluate simulated lunar soil Chinese scientists plan to send bricks made from simulated lunar soil into space to evaluate if they can be used to build a research base on the moon. The sample bricks will be sent to see how they hold up in extreme conditions. Beijing intends to build a research base known as the International Lunar Research Station near the moon’s south pole by 2035 for scientific exploration.