Israel-Palestine, Iran, Ghana.
Today's three stories you should know.
Israel-Palestine
Ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel have been extended ahead of a Ramadan deadline with both sides saying the ball is in the other’s court. Hamas negotiators will stay in the Egyptian capital Cairo for a third day to try to hammer out a deal that would involve a pause in fighting, the release of some hostages and the delivery of desperately needed aid to Gaza. Famine now stalks the Palestinian enclave and children have begun starving to death in its hospitals.
More from Reuters here.
Iran
Iran hanged at least 834 people last year, according to a report from two rights groups, who described the number as “staggering.” The figure would be the second highest in two decades for one of the world’s most prolific users of the death penalty. The report, from the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group and the Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty, said much of the 43 percent increase on the previous year was down to executions linked to anti-government protests that swept the country in 2022 after the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of the country’s so-called morality police.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Ghana
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo is holding fire on signing off on an anti-gay bill until the Supreme Court rules on a challenge to its constitutionality. Though gay sex is already illegal in Ghana, the tough new bill could see people imprisoned for more than 10 years for publicly identifying as LGBTQ+ or for “promoting” homosexuality. It has been widely criticised by rights groups and Western governments and Ghana’s own finance ministry has warned the country could lose billions of dollars in World Bank funding if it becomes law.
More from BBC here.