Israel-Palestine
Israel releases footage inside Al-Shifa hospital following a raid

Here are the facts:

• Israel’s IDF troops enter Al-shifa hospital

• Israel releases footage of ammunition and guns in the hospital which Israel says belongs to Hamas militants

• So far, no information has been released to the public by the Israeli military in regards to the alleged hidden tunnel, but promises to release proof once access is gained to Al-Shifa
 
• Hamas rejects the allegations

What Israel is saying

Israel recently conducted a raid of Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, after claims of Hamas militants operating from inside the hospital. Israel says the raid comes after a 12-hour warning, calling for a stop of Hamas operations from the hospital, which Israel says did not stop, leading to the raid of the hospital.

Israel says that there are a vast intricate tunnels under Al-Shifa hospital which Hamas are using. The US says it has intelligence that supports Israel claims, however, evidence of the tunnels are yet to be revealed to the public.

The IDF recently released footage from inside Al-Shifa Hospital, showing ammunition and weapons across various rooms inside the hospital, including behind an MRI machine, which IDF spokesperson, Jonathan Conricus, says belongs to Hamas.

What Palestine is saying

Hamas and Hospital staff deny allegations that the Hospital is being used as a Hamas Headquarters. Urging the US and UN to act.

Hamas says US President Joe Biden is “wholly responsible” for the Israeli assault on Gaza’s largest hospital after releasing a statement supporting israel’s claims about Hamas operations from inside the Hospital.

Dr Ahmed El Mohallalati, a surgeon at Al-Shifa, told Reuters by phone that Al Shifa staff had hidden as fighting unfolded around the hospital overnight. As he spoke, the sound of what he described as "continuous shooting from the tanks" could be heard in the background. 

However, US National Security spokesperson, John Kirby denies accusation of the United State’s involvement in planning the raid, saying that it was Israel’s decision.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, told reporters the Israeli incursion into Al Shifa Hospital was "totally unacceptable".

TECH
You can now delete Threads without deleting Instagram

Instagram users who signed up for Threads but did not become regular users will soon be able to delete their account without losing their Instagram account.

This update comes after mass outrage of the twitter rival when realizing they could only delete threads if they deleted their instagram profile as well.

Threads is losing popularity…like… really fast

When it was released, it became the most rapidly downloaded app in history, ready to compete with X ( formerly known as Twitter) but quickly lost momentum due to complaints of lack of features.

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has faced privacy concerns and was fined $1.3 billion for data collection. Despite users searching for an alternative to Twitter, no clear challenger has emerged.

Mr. Mosseri, CEO of Threads, also unveiled an update that will show Threads posts directly on Facebook and Instagram but confirmed that direct messaging will not be added.

POLITICS
Biden meets China’s president, Xi Jinping

In hopes to ease tensions between the two global superpowers - US president, Joe Biden and China’s President, Xi Jinping meet in California.

Here are the key developments:

-The two countries promised to co-operate to slow methane emissions and support global efforts to triple renewable energy by 2030.

-They also agreed to crack down on chemical companies in order to stem the tide of illegal fentanyl into the US.

-Additionally, military-to-military communication will resume after being cut by China last year.

-The two presidents also had substantial discussions about Taiwan, with Mr Xi telling his American counterpart that he should "stop arming Taiwan" and that China's reunification with the island was "unstoppable".

The US is getting more pandas?

Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted that China could send new pandas to the United States during a speech in San Francisco.

This comes after three pandas were recently repatriated to China from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington. Xi acknowledged the difficulty that Americans, especially children, faced in saying goodbye to the pandas.

Xi described pandas as "envoys of friendship" and expressed China's willingness to continue cooperating with the United States on panda conservation. The San Diego Zoo president expressed excitement over Xi's commitment to panda conservation efforts.