التصنيف: estaql

Novak Djokovic told GB supporters to “shut up and show some respect” after steering Serbia into the Davis Cup semi-finals.

The 36-year-old world number one lashed out at members of the crowd who watched him ease to a 6-4 6-4 win over Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Thursday evening.

Djokovic, who claimed the GB fans were trying to distract him throughout the match, cupped his ear and blew a kiss towards a loud section of fans behind the GB bench as he won the first set.

During his on-court interview, he responded to spectators who were drumming as he tried to speak.

The 24-time grand slam winner said: “We’re going to have a good sleep tonight; keep going, keep going.

“Learn how to respect players.”

He could be heard telling the supporters to “shut up”, “be quiet” and “go home” as they continued to jeer him.

Djokovic appeared calmer in a post-match press conference, saying: “It’s normal that sometimes fans step over the line.

“In the heat of the moment sometimes you react too, and you… show that you don’t allow this kind of behaviour.

“They can do whatever they want, but I’m going to respond to that.

“I was trying to talk, and they were purposely starting to play the drums so that I don’t talk and they were trying to annoy me the entire match.

“So yeah. We had a little bit of a chat in the end.”

Read more:
Djokovic leads crowd in karaoke singalong
Djokovic reveals ‘biggest secret’ to his success

Djokovic’s performance amid the noise kept his nation in the hunt for their second Davis Cup.

“It’s always a great emotion to play for your country even if after a long season you are feeling it in the legs,” he added.

Serbia will face Italy after Jannik Sinner inspired his team to a comeback win over the Netherlands, the world number four winning his singles and a decisive doubles.

Cameron Norrie had to defeat Djokovic for the first time in his career to keep GB in the competition, after teammate Jack Draper narrowly lost the opening singles against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(2) 7-6(6).

A single break of serve was enough for Djokovic in the opening set, and the Serb saw the match out in style with a series of aces at the end of the second set.

The mother of the longest-serving female Palestinian prisoner in Israeli jails is gripped with anxiety, but for once, optimism too.

The mother of another prisoner arrested just months after he turned 18, is baking chocolate cake and other pastries in anticipation of his release.

In Israel, a grandfather wonders whether his three-year-old granddaughter will be released, the toddler among six other family members held captive by Hamas.

A Tel Aviv developmental psychologist, meanwhile, worries about the post-trauma signs in children when they return from Gaza.

On Friday morning at 7am local time (05:00 GMT), the truce between Israel and Hamas came into force, marking the first break in Israel’s continuous seven-week bombardment of the Gaza Strip following Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.

The four-day pause is expected to see the exchange of 150 Palestinian women and children imprisoned in Israeli jails for 50 women and children hostages held by Hamas. It also offers an opportunity for aid to filter into the battered enclave where nearly 15,000 people have been killed in the bombing, including more than 6,000 children.

Israeli officials, while adamant that the truce is not an end to the war, have also agreed to pause fighting for an additional day for every further 10 captives freed by Hamas.

With the truce the first breakthrough in coaxing a cessation of hostilities after weeks of fighting, several scenarios are possible now that it has come into effect.

Here is a look at some of them:

The truce holds

First, the truce may very well hold, the agreement respected by both parties.

While the prisoners and captives are exchanged, humanitarian aid may enter not just southern Gaza as it has in the past few weeks, but could also enter northern Gaza, where Israeli forces are staging a ground assault, said Aboud Hamayel, a lecturer at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank.

But while humanitarian aid there will be welcomed, the truce will also prompt the question of what should be done with northern Gaza, as it has largely been emptied of Palestinians, said Sami Hamdi, the managing director at International Interest, a political risk firm focusing on the Middle East.

“There will be increasingly loud voices demanding that these Palestinian families be allowed to return to northern Gaza in order to reverse the Israeli attempt at ethnic cleansing,” Hamdi told Al Jazeera.

Despite this, the pause in fighting would be a lifeline for many Palestinians, an opportunity for them to recuperate and “take out people from under rubble”, Hamayel told Al Jazeera.

In Israel, the return of captives may deliver a small public relations victory for embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been facing mounting pressure from their families since their capture, the analyst said.

But it was international pressure in addition to the families’ pressure which obliged the Israeli leader to accept the truce after weeks of refusing similar deals, said Hamdi.

International pressure will therefore be critical to ensuring that both sides uphold the truce, agreed Hamayel, with Western actors particularly interested in maintaining regional stability so that the oil economy doesn’t become too volatile.

The truce is extended

If international pressure succeeds, or if Hamas agrees to free more of the 237 currently held captives, there may be the possibility that the truce not only sticks, but holds beyond the initial four days, for up to about three weeks.

Both sides could use this longer lull in fighting to convalesce, rearrange their troops and gather intelligence for the next phase of the war, said Hamayel.

Israel may also use the pause to scope out Hamas tunnels, which it hasn’t yet done, but has hinted at doing.

Israel, while signalling it has no intention of ending the war, may also prefer a longer pause as the war is draining its economy and affecting its tourism, said Hamayel.

Meanwhile, it may ramp up its raids in the occupied West Bank as the Gaza front cools, the analyst said. More than 226 people have been killed and more than 2,750 injured in the West Bank since October 7.

The truce breaks

The scenario opposite the two previous ones is of the truce breaking, with Israel having more incentives to break it than Hamas, the analysts said.

Hamas doesn’t want to lose credibility with its mediators, while the situation for Palestinian civilians is too dire for the group to risk not giving them a respite from fighting, said Hamayel.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has failed to achieve any of the strategic objectives that he claimed to be seeking when he began military operations, and which compel him to continue the fighting, said Hamdi.

“He hasn’t been able to kill any high-profile Hamas officials. He hasn’t been able to wipe out Hamas in Gaza,’ Hamdi said.

But Hamas and its regional allies would not take Israel’s breaking of the truce lightly, with the Palestinian armed group expected to fire missiles on Israel in response, and the possibility of a gradual escalation in tensions on multiple fronts of the war, said Hamayel.

It is also possible that Hamas may break the truce, with such a response not only prompting Western ire at the group, but it would likely ramp up Israeli aggression from both the air and ground, he added.

Its regional allies would still err on the side of caution, and would work towards pursuing a de-escalation of the conflict, said Hamdi.

A path to ending the war?

Meanwhile, there is a concern among Israeli officials, including Netanyahu’s allies, that “this hostage exchange is essentially a bid to lure Israel into a permanent ceasefire”, said Hamdi.

The prime minister has, as a result, been making assurances that military operations will continue, he added. On Thursday, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the war would continue for at least another two months after the end of the truce.

But international pressure for a ceasefire is mounting. That was the majority view at a summit of the BRICS grouping earlier this week, the world’s most powerful bloc of emerging economies. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for a humanitarian ceasefire.

The truce has opened up a possibility for more diplomatic engagements and solutions to the possible end of a bloody, bitter conflict that has gripped the world, said Hamayel.

Violent clashes broke out in central Dublin on Thursday evening, with vehicles torched and riot police attacked by a far-right mob following a knife attack at a school in the Irish city.

A five-year-old girl was seriously injured in the attack earlier in the day. A woman and two other young children were also hospitalised.

Superintendent Liam Geraghty said at a media briefing that preliminary indications are that a man attacked a number of people on Parnell Square East.

He said that police believe that it was “a standalone incident, not necessarily connected to any wider issues that are ongoing in the country or in the city, and we need to identify the exact reasons for that happening”.

Irish police said the girl was receiving emergency medical treatment in a Dublin hospital. Soon after that announcement, at least 100 people took to the streets, some armed with metal bars and covering their faces.

Police said more than 400 officers were deployed in Dublin city centre to contain the unrest. A police cordon was also set up around the Irish parliament building, Leinster House, and officers from the Mounted Support Unit were in nearby Grafton Street.

There were clashes with riot police as some demonstrators let off flares and fireworks, while others grabbed chairs and stools from outside bars and restaurants.

A number of police vehicles and a tram were damaged during the disorder, while a bus and car were also set on fire on the city’s O’Connell Bridge.

Police and politicians called for calm and warned against misinformation over the attack earlier in the day.

The police said far-right agitators had started the violence after a small group of anti-immigrant protesters arrived at the scene of the stabbing attack and clashed with police.

A truce is in motion and pro-Palestine protests are making headlines – here are major updates.

Here is what to know about the situation on Friday, November 24, 2023:

Truce

• The pause in fighting under the deal between Israel and Hamas began at 7am local time (05:00 GMT) on Friday. It followed intense Israeli air attacks on areas in Gaza, including Nuseirat refugee camp, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.
• At 4pm (14:00 GMT) 13 women and children being held captive in Gaza will be released, while 39 Palestinian prisoners are also going to be freed from Israeli prisons on the same day.
• Aid trucks are also expected to enter Gaza from Egypt. A Hamas official has said that 200 trucks carrying aid and fuel will enter every day.

The latest developments

• An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Sanad News Verification Agency on Thursday reveals the presence of American mercenaries fighting in Israel’s military ranks during operations in Gaza.
• Israeli news outlet, Haaretz, is facing a government threat over its critical coverage of Israel’s military operation in Gaza. Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi proposed penalties on Thursday, including banning Haaretz from publishing government notices and cutting off advertisements from any state entity.
• On Thursday, Israeli forces arrested Muhammad Abu Salmiya, head of Gaza’s largest hospital, al-Shifa.
• The BBC has been accused of censorship after ceasefire calls from public figures during the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards were reportedly edited out of the final show.
• Pro-Palestine demonstrators temporarily halted the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Thursday.

Human impact and fighting

• An overnight attack by Israeli tanks on the Indonesian Hospital has destroyed all of its first floor, according to Dr Sarbini Abdul Murad, head of the Indonesian charity Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MER-C).
• An infant in an incubator at Kamal Adwan Hospital died on Wednesday due to a lack of electricity, according to the latest situation update from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
• After taking in 150 people, mostly cancer patients, from Gaza for medical treatment, Turkey is expecting to evacuate about 50 more people from the enclave today. Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said the group will mostly consist of children and young people.
• Palestinian photojournalist Mohammad Ayyash was killed by an Israeli bombardment on Thursday while another journalist, Amal Zuhd, and her family were killed by air attacks on their home early on Friday morning.
• A US military official told Reuters two bases in Syria and two bases in Iraq housing American personnel were attacked in quick succession with rockets and armed drones.

Diplomacy

• The United Kingdom’s newly appointed Foreign Secretary David Cameron pledged an additional £30m ($37.38m) of humanitarian aid to Gaza on Friday. Cameron, who is visiting the region, met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and is now travelling to the occupied West Bank for meetings with Palestinian leaders.
• Doctors Without Borders official Joseph Belliveau said on Thursday that the organisation is taking “the unusual stance of calling for a ceasefire”, due to the “brutal annihilation of an entire population’s health system” being more than what just humanitarian aid can fix. In an address to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in Canada, Belliveau said the country should push for a ceasefire as well.
• Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday to discuss efforts to end Israel’s war on Gaza. On Wednesday, Amirabdollahian warned that the Israel-Gaza war could spill over in the region if the truce does not hold.
• Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel led a march of thousands of demonstrators in solidarity with Palestine in Havana on Thursday, according to Reuters.

China has seen an uptick in respiratory illness and clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked China for more detailed information about the increase in respiratory disease.

Look back to 5 January, 2020, and you’ll find a statement from the WHO titled “Pneumonia of unknown cause – China”.

It is therefore unsurprising that news of another mystery outbreak has set alarm bells ringing – but a WHO doctor has warned against jumping to conclusions and says getting more information is key.

Here is what we know so far about the illness, what China has said, and what the WHO wants to find out.

What do we know about the mystery illness?

Northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October, compared with the same period in the previous three years, according to the WHO.

Clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China have also been reported by groups including the Programme for Monitoring Emerging Diseases.

The WHO said it was unclear if the clusters were associated with an overall increase in respiratory infections – or separate events.

On 21 November, public disease surveillance system ProMed issued a notification about reports of “undiagnosed pneumonia”.

The alert, based on a report by Taiwanese outlet FTV News, said children’s hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning, 500 miles apart, were “overwhelmed with sick children”.

“Many, many are hospitalised,” Mr Wei, a Beijing citizen, told FTV News. “They don’t cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules.”

In an editor’s note, ProMed said: “This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness … It is not at all clear when this outbreak started as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly.

“The report does not say that any adults were affected, suggesting some exposure at the schools.”

What has China said about the outbreaks?

Chinese authorities said the rise in respiratory illness was partly due to COVID-19 restrictions being lifted.

In the winters after pandemic measures lifted in the UK, there was a surge in illnesses including flu, RSV and strep A, as people mingled more after winter seasons where illnesses had been suppressed by people staying home and wearing masks.

China dropped its COVID restrictions much later than many other countries, scrapping testing and isolation rules last December.

Authorities also said the spike was due to known illnesses circulating, including flu, RSV, COVID-19 and mycoplasma pneumonia, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children.

The cold weather has also played a part, according to Chinese authorities.

As temperatures plummeted in Beijing, in northern China, the capital “entered a high incidence season of respiratory infectious diseases”, Wang Quanyi, deputy director and chief epidemiological expert at the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state media on Wednesday.

Read more from Sky News:
What is RSV? Symptoms, complications and treatment
Should you get the flu jab? Why it’s not just a ‘bad cold’

What has the WHO said?

The WHO has made an official request to China for additional epidemiologic and clinical information as well as laboratory results from the reported outbreaks among children.

It has also requested further information about trends in the circulation of known pathogens referenced by Chinese authorities.

The WHO said it was in contact with clinicians and scientists through its existing technical partnerships and networks in China.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Dr Krutika Kuppalli, who is part of the WHO’s emergency programme, said the outbreaks “really could be anything”.

She warned against jumping to conclusions, saying: “The point is we need information.”

The WHO said that while it was seeking additional information, it recommended people in China follow measures
to reduce the risk of respiratory illness.

These measures included vaccination, keeping distance from sick people, staying at home when ill, getting tested and
medical care as needed, wearing masks as appropriate, ensuring good ventilation, and regular hand-washing.