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Gaza's Rafah Crossing Reopens, Iranian Protester Released, and Other Global Developments
Gaza's key Rafah border crossing, linking the Palestinian enclave with Egypt, reopened for limited traffic on Monday, after being closed for almost two years, according to officials. The reopening, stipulated under the United States-brokered ceasefire that halted the war between Israel and Hamas in October, will allow for the passage of humanitarian supplies and people awaiting medical evacuation. However, Israel and Egypt are expected to impose caps on the number of people allowed to cross.
In other international news, Iranian protester Erfan Soltani, 26, who had been detained during protests on January 8 and whose family was told he faced the death penalty, has been released on bail, according to Kurdish and Iranian human rights organization Hengaw and Iranian state media, ISNA. A relative of Soltani also confirmed his release to Sky News. US President Donald Trump had previously warned he would take "strong action" if any protesters were executed.
Meanwhile, a year after the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, over 64,000 Lebanese remain displaced. Before the war, Ali (full name withheld for safety reasons) lived in Haddatha, a village in the Bint Jbeil district in southern Lebanon, about 12km from the border with Israel, where agriculture was intrinsic to life, according to Al Jazeera.
In the United States, President Trump announced plans to close the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. for two years, sparking controversy. Trump stated the building is "dilapidated," but critics claim the closure is to deflect from cancellations that followed his decision to rename the memorial to JFK, according to Sky News. The national cultural center opened in 1971 and was named after President John F. Kennedy by Congress as a "living memorial" to the assassinated president.
In Australia, New South Wales police announced they would examine the alleged domestic violence history of the Lake Cargelligo triple murder suspect, according to The Guardian. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) released its 2024-25 annual financial disclosure return information, which revealed the source of more than 138m in donations to Australian political parties remains unknown.
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