Israel-Palestine
Israeli troops today shot and killed a 13-year-old Palestinian boy at a protest against the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Mohammed Daada was shot in the stomach, the Palestinian health ministry said. The Israeli military has yet to comment. Protests against settlement expansion are taking place weekly and today’s incident came just days after Israel announced plans for 3,000 more illegal settler homes in the West Bank, ignoring international criticism.
More from the New Arab here.
Costa Rica
Costa Rica has made COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all children, becoming the first country in the world to do so. San José has signed a deal to buy the doses from Pfizer and will start vaccinating under-12s from March next year. While children who contract the virus do not usually get seriously ill, they may still be infectious, even when displaying no symptoms. Several countries are now offering jabs to children, primarily to reduce the likelihood they could become spreaders.
More from BBC here.
China
Zhang Zhan, a 38-year-old journalist jailed in China for her coverage of the early days of the pandemic, is reported to be close to death after going on hunger strike. Zhang went to Wuhun in February 2020 to cover events in what was then the coronavirus epicenter. Her coverage was regularly critical of the official response and she was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison on a charge ordinarily used to quash dissent. Rights group Amnesty International today urged the Chinese government to release her immediately so that she can receive urgent medical treatment.
More from AFP via France 24 here.