Summary:

• A 12-story residential building has collapsed north in Surfside, Florida killing 1 person, injuring 11, and leaving 99 unaccounted for.
• 102 people have been located, 35 of whom were pulled from the rubble by rescuers. 
• The cause of the 41 year old building’s collapse, which destroyed half of its 130 units, is unclear.
• Several Latin American migrants have been reported missing following the collapse.
• During the search for survivors a small fire erupted in the wreckage, however it was quickly doused.
• Miami-Dade fire chief Raide Jadallah said that the search for missing people in the remains was aided by sonar and search cameras as well as specially trained dogs, however the process is “slow and methodical” due to the risk of shifting rubble.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that “The TV doesn’t do [the building] justice. It is really, really traumatic to see the collapse of a massive structure like that”.
• President Joe Biden comforted Floridians with the following words, “I say to the people of Florida, whatever help you want, what the federal government can provide, we’re waiting, just ask us. We’ll be there”.
• Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) have already reached Surfside and are aiding the situation.
• Sources:

BBC

CNN

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Palestine Monetary Authority Considers Creating its own Digital Currency

• Palestine’s central bank, the Palestine Monetary Authority, has announced that it is considering creating its own digital currency. As of now, Israeli shekels are mainly used in Palestine, along with the Jordanian dinar and US dollar.
• Palestine made an agreement with Israel in the 1990s agreeing to not create their own currency. Some experts have doubts whether the Palestinian economy is strong enough to sustain its own currency.
• Palestinian banks currently follow Israeli regulations that have recently been hurting their economy, such as the prevention of large cash transactions, and the restricted amount of shekels allowed to transfer back to Israel. Palestinian banks are left with an excess of shekels. 

Russia Warns of Future Attack After British Ship Passes Through Black Sea

• Russia has announced that it is prepared to fire at and drop bombs on targets that are intruding in Russian territory. This comes after a British ship was passing through the Black Sea, which is allegedly Russian territory.
• Russia claimed that it sent warning shots and dropped bombs in the path of the British ship, but the UK says that neither of those things occurred. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said those waters are Ukrainian, not Russian, and therefore completely appropriate to use.
• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Russian waters will be protected “by all means, diplomatic, political and military…” and that the government is prepared to “…drop bombs and not just in the path but right on target, if colleagues don’t get it otherwise.”
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Modi Meets Kashmiri Leaders for First Time After Revoked Autonomy

• India’s prime minister Narenda Modi met with top pro-India Kashmiri politicians of various parties for the first time since the region was deprived of its semi-autonomous status and faced a widespread crackdown nearly two years ago.
• The Muslim-majority region of Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, who both claim authority of the region in its entirety – the region has been semi-autonomous with its own statehood prior to the New Delhi crackdown.
• Kashmiri politicians state Kashmiris have felt “humiliated” by the changes initiated in 2019 leading to a loss of civil rights for many, including limited to none internet and phone access, lockdowns, and strict curbs on movement and other services.
• Regional leaders have called for a complete reversal of the New Dehli laws with restoration of statehood and autonomy in Kashmir.

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More Than 700 Unmarked Graves of Indigenous Children Discovered in Canada

• Approximately 751 unmarked graves of Indigenous children at the site of a former boarding school in Canada have been discovered, in a second chilling unraveling of the nation’s troubled history with Indigenous people and state-run Christian schools.
• The burial site at Saskatchewan draws attention to the harrowing treatment of Indigenous children at state-run boarding schools, where they were often forcibly separated from families, abused, and prohibited from speaking their languages.
• Oral traditions of Indigenous people have mentioned the disappearance of thousands of such children, but have been met with skepticism – the latest discoveries have provided evidence for the “cultural genocide” some experts say Indigenous people suffered.
• Canada currently has an Indigenous population of 1.7 million citizens (around 4.9% of the population) – for many, the discovery of the graves brings to light centuries of discrimination and impacts of colonialism on families and generation.
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