Six In The Morning Thursday 20 May 2021

 

Airstrikes turned Gaza's schools into shelters. Officials fear Covid-19 may turn them into super-spreader centers

By Ibrahim Dahman, Abeer Salman and Angela Dewan, CNN

Updated 1339 GMT (2139 HKT) May 20, 2021

Rasha Abu Askar tested positive for Covid-19 less than two weeks ago. So too did her husband, Musa Abu Askar, leaving the couple unable to look after their four young children, a situation that many parents around the world have dreaded during the pandemic.

But this couple live in Gaza and their problems are bigger than childcare arrangements. Two days after they sent their children to their grandparents' apartment -- which is conveniently in the same building as theirs -- the worst violence in years erupted on their doorstep between Israel's powerful military and Palestinian militant group Hamas, armed with rockets and mortars.

Musa Abu Askar says that he and his wife have no access to health services, despite their worrying symptoms, and they are struggling with the separation from their children -- aged ten, eight and two four-year-old twins -- as Israeli airstrikes pound nearby.

Boko Haram leader tried to kill himself during clash with rivals, officials claim

Abubakar Shekau dead or seriously wounded after clashes in forest, Nigerian authorities say

Jason Burke in Johannesburg and Emmanuel Akinwotu in Lagos

Thu 20 May 2021 15.28 BST

Intelligence officials in Nigeria have claimed the leader of Boko Haram is dead or seriously wounded after trying to kill himself to avoid capture during clashes with a rival extremist faction.

There is no confirmation of the claims, and Nigeria’s intelligence services and military have reported Abubakar Shekau’s death many times before.

But this is the first time that reports have described Shekau – who won global infamy with the kidnapping of nearly 300 female students from a college in 2014 – as dying in fighting with other militants.

Spain's migrant drama highlights EU outsourcing policy flaws

The images of migrants from Africa swimming for the Spanish enclave of Ceuta this week are a stark reminder of just how dependent the European Union can be on the countries it pays to enforce its migration policy

Via AP news wire

The sight of hundreds of migrants swimming or climbing fences separating the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from the rest of Africa this week is a stark reminder of just how dependent the European Union can be on the whims of countries it chooses to pay to enforce its migration policy.

Since well over 1 million migrants entered the EU in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing conflict in Syria, the world’s biggest trading bloc has spent vast sums trying to ensure that migrants no longer set out for Europe on arduous overland treks or dangerous sea journeys.

The EU granted billions of euros and other incentives to Turkey for instance, to stop people leaving for Europe. Yet, just over a year ago, the government in Ankara waved thousands of people through the land border to Greece, sparking violence that almost erupted into open conflict.

World's largest iceberg spotted in Antarctica

A newly calved iceberg in Antarctica is larger than the size of the Spanish island of Majorca, making it the biggest berg currently afloat in the world.

A mammoth slab of ice has separated from the frozen edge of Antarctica in the Weddell Sea, giving birth to the world's largest iceberg, the European Space Agency (ESA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The iceberg, named A-76, has a surface area of around 4,320 square km (1,668 square miles) and measures 175 km (106 miles) long by 25 km (15 miles) wide — making it slightly larger than the Spanish Island of Majorca.

A-76 split from the Ronne Ice Shelf and was first spotted by the British Antarctic Survey.

Trans candidates fight for rights in Mexico election

Fighting discrimination, challenging stereotypes and striving for greater rights for the LGBT community, dozens of Mexican transgender candidates are seeking political empowerment in midterm elections next month.

Lady Tacos de Canasta, an indigenous street food vendor who identifies as a muxe, the third gender of the Zapotec ethnic group, is among those running for office.

She gained recognition after standing up to the police who tried to stop her selling her tacos in the streets of Mexico City, and featured in the Netflix documentary Taco Chronicles.

Concerns grow over China nuclear reactors shrouded in mystery

No one outside China knows if two new nuclear reactors that are under construction and that will produce plutonium serve a dual civilian-military use.

By Al Jazeera Staff

Like many of the over 5,000 small islands dotting China’s coastline, the islet of Changbiao is unremarkable in its history and geography. Jutting out from the shoreline of Fujian province like a small right-footed footprint, it has only gained recognition recently – and even then among a small handful of experts – for being home to China’s first two CFR-600 sodium-cooled fast-neutron nuclear reactors.

Currently under construction, the first of the two reactors is expected to connect to the grid in 2023; the second one around 2026. Together they will produce non-fossil-fuel-based renewable energy that could help China secure its energy needs while at the same time moving the country towards its 2060 carbon-neutral goal.