Iran, Israel-Palestine, Bangladesh.

Today's three stories you should know.

Mar 01, 2024

Iran

Iranians went to the polls today in a parliamentary election widely seen as an opinion poll on the clerical establishment. It is the first vote since anti-government protests swept the country in 2022 after the death of a young woman in the custody of the so-called morality police. With politicians opposed to the government staying away, the election will be contested by candidates generally loyal to Islamic revolutionary ideals. All eyes, though, will be on turnout with some projections saying it could be as low as 41 percent. "I am not voting for a regime that has restricted my social freedoms. Voting is meaningless," a teacher Reza, 35, told the Reuters news agency in the northern city of Sari.

Israel-Palestine

The UN, France, Italy, Germany and others have called for an independent investigation after more than 100 Palestinians were killed as they waited to receive food aid in Gaza. Israeli officials said their troops opened fire on some of the crowd believing they “posed a threat” but they blamed a stampede for most of the deaths. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that the stampede only happened after the hundreds of people who had gathered around aid trucks were shot at. French President Emmanuel Macron said the Palestinian aid seekers were “targeted by Israeli soldiers,” Qatar’s foreign ministry called it “a heinous massacre,” and the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said it was “carnage.”

Bangladesh

At least 46 people have been killed and dozens hurt after a massive fire broke out in a multi-story building in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka. Officials said the blaze started in a restaurant on the seventh floor and that cooking gas cylinders were kept in stairwells and restaurant kitchens. Fires in multi-story commercial and residential buildings are common in Bangladesh, where poor enforcement of building regulations and little safety awareness are most often blamed.