Israel-Palestine, Afghanistan, Nigeria.

Today's three stories you should know.

Apr 05, 2023

Israel-Palestine

The Arab League is set to hold an emergency meeting after Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem several times, beating worshippers, firing tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, and arresting about 400 people. The violent raids, which come during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and as Jews prepare to celebrate passover, have been condemned by Palestinian authorities and several foreign governments. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “shocked and appalled” by images of the violence. Israeli attacks on Palestinian worshippers at the compound - the third holiest site in Islam and the most sacred site in Judaism, which refers to it as the Temple Mount - are not unusual during Ramadan.

Afghanistan

The United Nations today hit out at a Taliban decision to ban Afghan women from working at the organization. The move is “an unparalleled violation of women’s rights, a flagrant breach of humanitarian principles, and a breach of international rules,” it said in a statement, adding it has told all of its staff in Afghanistan - both men and women - not to report to the office until further notice. Since coming to power in August 2021, the Taliban has steadily stripped women and girls of their rights. The Taliban has yet to comment publicly on the move.

Nigeria

Gunmen in northern Nigeria have kidnapped eight children as they made their way home from secondary school, according to local authorities. The incident is the latest in a string of abductions in Kaduna state, which has been gripped by a kidnapping crisis in recent years. Officials said they didn’t know where the children had been taken but armed gangs - known locally as bandits - often bring their kidnap victims to forest hideouts, only releasing them when ransoms have been paid.