Friday briefing

A brief ceasefire in Gaza

Shortly after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was due to begin today, there were signs that some fighting continued. Ceasefires in the region often take time to hold, and it was unclear whether the fighting threatened a fragile four-day lull in fighting. Read the latest updates.

Each day of the break, Israel and Hamas will receive daily lists of the hostages and prisoners to be released, with Qatar passing these between the two sides, said Majed al-Ansari, a spokesman for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Everyone who was about to be released was still alive, he said, adding that hostages from the same family “will be released together.”

The deal also included an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza, and Hamas said four fuel trucks and 200 trucks carrying aid would enter the area every day during the ceasefire.

In Gaza: Palestinians greeted the prospect of even a temporary ceasefire with a mix of relief and caution after seven weeks of bombardment. Health officials in Gaza say more than 12,700 people have been killed by Israel’s retaliatory strikes since the October 7 Hamas attacks, which Israeli authorities say killed 1,200 people.

Other news from the war:

An escalating standoff between Finland and Russia

Finland is closing all but one of its eight land border crossings with Russia due to tensions related to the influx of migrants, which Finnish officials blame on Moscow. Last week, Finland closed four of the entry points.

“For years, Russia has tried to stir up discord, shake unity in Europe and weaken the Western alliance and the order based on international rules,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo told parliament. He had previously said the border situation was deteriorating due to signs that Russian authorities were helping asylum seekers travel to Finland.

Finland, concerned that it could one day become a target of Russian aggression, joined NATO earlier this year, becoming the military alliance’s 31st member and angering Moscow.

Background: The border dispute is the latest sign of erosion in relations between Finland and Russia, which share an 800-mile border. Their ties have deteriorated since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

An immigration record in Britain

Legal immigration to Britain rose to a record 745,000 arrivals in 2022, despite the ruling Conservative Party’s pledge to curb that number. The figures were a fresh setback for the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, as he struggles to prevent asylum seekers in small boats from reaching British shores, trying to revive the economy and deal with dismal voting figures.

The statistics refer to people who have been allowed to enter the country, mainly to work or study. A majority now come from countries outside Europe, and the trend is politically difficult for Brexit supporters. During the 2016 referendum campaign, those in favor of leaving promised to “take back control” of the country’s borders.

In the southern U.S., the Gullah Geechee, members of an ethnic group whose enslaved ancestors were abducted from West and Central Africa, are fighting to preserve small houses of praise, a cradle of the Black Church, before they are erased due to sprawl and climate change. and fading memories.

“Houses of worship are the spiritual foundation of who we are in America as slaves and as free people,” said one supporter. “They have helped us stay attached to our African heritage as a form of resistance, resilience and strength.”

Lives lived

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, a French historian who spearheaded a scholarly movement that explored the thoughts of anonymous farmers and priests, died at the age of 94.

SPORTS NEWS

Football entourages: They actually do that too benefit the player or the club?

The Premier League title battle: The battle for English football biggest prize is closer than it has been in years.

The dilution debate in Formula 1: The tricky finances and competing motives of expanding the grid.

ARTS AND IDEAS

The $55 Million Show You’ll Never See

A project between Netflix and filmmaker Carl Erik Rinsch has turned into a costly fiasco, in a microcosm of the era of profligate spending that Hollywood studios are now trying to end.

Netflix burned more than $55 million on the show, a sci-fi series about artificial humans, and gave Rinsch virtually all the budgetary and creative leeway — but, in a strange and drawn-out story, never received a single completed episode.