Gazans returning through the Rafah crossing reported being subjected to checks by a Palestinian militia linked to Israel, while hundreds of Google employees are demanding the company cut ties with ICE due to concerns over its technology being used in immigration enforcement. Meanwhile, Storm Leonardo continues to batter Europe and northern Africa, causing severe weather alerts in Spain and Portugal. Additionally, reports indicate that many smart motorways in England are failing to deliver the expected value for money.
Two Gazan women who passed through the newly reopened Rafah crossing with Egypt on Monday told the BBC that a local Palestinian militia, known as the Abu Shabab militia or Popular Forces, carried out checks at an Israeli military checkpoint inside the Gaza Strip (Source 1). Lamia Rabia, traveling with her children, stated they were escorted by Israeli forces from the border to the checkpoint, where they and their belongings were searched (Source 1). Delays and security restrictions meant only 12 Palestinians were able to return to Gaza on Monday (Source 1).
At Google, nearly 900 full-time employees signed an open letter published on Friday, demanding more transparency regarding the company's technology use within the US government (Sources 2, 4). The employees expressed concerns over Google's ties to federal immigration enforcement, which they said had become violent and deadly in recent months (Sources 2, 4). Google has contracts to provide federal agencies with cloud services and is linked to work on federal immigration enforcement (Sources 2, 4). A Google employee of seven years found it "mind-boggling" that the company was maintaining its ties with immigration enforcement, according to a call after the letter was published (Sources 2, 4).
In Europe, Storm Leonardo continued to bring torrential rain and strong winds to the Iberian peninsula (Source 5). Spain's state meteorological agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for heavy rainfall in Cádiz and parts of Málaga (Source 5). Flash floods in Morocco forced over 100,000 people to evacuate (Source 5).
Finally, newly released reports from National Highways revealed that many smart motorways in England are not delivering the value for money originally planned (Source 3). Two schemes, including sections of the M25 and the M6, were found to offer "very poor" value (Source 3). Only three out of sixteen projects were on track to deliver the expected financial benefits, although most were delivering safety benefits as initially forecast (Source 3). The AA, representing motorists, said the schemes had turned out to be a "catastrophic waste of time, money and effort" (Source 3).
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