Middle East Monitor1

Palestinian families sheltering in the eastern regions of Rafah begin to flee following evacuation orders by Israeli forces ahead of an expected ground assault on May 6.

🇵🇸🇮🇱Israeli police raid Al Jazeera office after decision to close broadcaster 🇵🇸🇮🇱Israeli army tells Palestinians to evacuate eastern Rafah 🇺🇸US police arrest nearly 2,500 students at pro-Palestine rallies 🇺🇦🇷🇺Russian strikes on Kharkiv kill one, injures dozens — Ukrainian officials 🇪🇺🇮🇱Hundreds protest Israel's participation in Eurovision Song Contest And that's your daily news brief from TRT World. For more, head to trtworld.com

BREAKING: Cambridge and Oxford students set up pro-Palestinian camps https://news.sky.com/story/middle-east-latest-un-nuclear-watchdog-concerned-israel-could-target-iranian-nuclear-facilities-in-revenge-attack-12978800?postid=7634311#liveblog-body

When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad in 2010, he said it would usher in a post-PC era. But despite years of tweaking the device, Apple still hasn't managed to convince consumers to ditch laptops, or phones, as their primary computer. Could a new iPad reveal finally make Jobs' vision a reality? Read more in Mark Gurman's free Power On newsletter: https://trib.al/9eMV01h 📷: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg

Elections: Chadians began voting Monday in an election that military leader Mahamat Déby is widely expected to win, an outcome that would help legitimize his power grab after his father’s death three years ago. https://bloom.bg/3JKUzkW Currency slumps: Zimbabwe’s gold-backed ZiG has weakened to its lowest level against the US dollar since it was launched a month ago. https://bloom.bg/3y1F710 Political succession: Mozambique’s ruling party chooses Daniel Chapo as its new leader, making the little-known provincial governor the clear frontrunner to succeed President Filipe Nyusi after Oct. 9 elections. https://bloom.bg/3UNwrVa Sign up for our twice-weekly newsletter on where sub-Saharan Africa stands now — and where it’s headed at https://bloom.bg/3OsOf3y. Next Africa publishes every Tuesday and Friday

Under Putin, a militarized new Russia rises to challenge U.S. and the West MOSCOW — As Vladimir Putin persists in his bloody campaign to conquer Ukraine, the Russian leader is directing an equally momentous transformation at home — re-engineering his country into a regressive, militarized society that views the West as its mortal enemy. Putin’s inauguration on Tuesday for a fifth term will not only mark his 25-year-long grip on power but also showcase Russia’s shift into what pro-Kremlin commentators call a “revolutionary power,” set on upending the global order, making its own rules, and demanding that totalitarian autocracy be respected as a legitimate alternative to democracy in a world redivided by big powers into spheres of influence. Read the full story here.

Israeli cabinet votes to shut down Al Jazeera's local operations Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet decided on Sunday to shut down Al Jazeera's operations in Israel for as long as the war in Gaza continues, on the grounds the Qatari television network threatens national security. Al Jazeera rejected accusations that it harmed Israel's security as a "dangerous and ridiculous lie" that puts its journalists at risk and said that it reserved the right to "pursue every legal step”. read more

Paris City Hall Announces Transvestite to Solemnly Carry Olympic Torch The City Hall of Paris has announced from its official social media page that a transvestite named Minima will be the torchbearer in the Olympic torch relay. "In 10-inch heels, drag queen Minima is prepared to carry the Olympic torch for the entire two-hour relay," assured the French city's representatives to their readers.

"Good that Russia isn't participating in this crap,"

responded Russian readers to the tweet. 📱 InfoDefenseENGLISH 📱 InfoDefense

5️⃣ May. Special military operation updates: ▪️ There is an exodus of foreign mercenaries in the ranks of the AFU, among the reasons - high losses and senseless orders, Senator of the Kherson Oblast told RIA Novosti; ▪️ Russian forces have hit an ammunition depot and an AFU position in the Novaya Bavaria district of Kharkov ▪️ NATO, amid Western concern over the AFU's failures on the front, has "in a very confidential manner" set itself two "red lines" beyond which direct intervention in the conflict could follow, including further successes by Russian troops and an alleged possible "provocation" by the Russian Federation, writes the Italian Repubblica; ▪️ Russian troops have completely liberated the DNR settlement of Ocheretino, the defence ministry said; ▪️ The Russian Defence Ministry reports that the AFU has lost another Abrams tank in the zone of responsibility of the Central Group of Forces; ▪️ French Foreign Legion soldiers are already deployed in Sloviansk, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Stephen Brien claims in the Asia Times. He says the advance party consists of about 100 men from the 3rd Infantry Regiment. They include artillerymen and scouts. In total, according to the article, 1,500 French military personnel may arrive to support the AFU; ▪️ The AFU lost about 1,150 servicemen in all directions in the SMO zone during the day, the Defence Ministry said. Russian units destroyed six armoured vehicles and 27 enemy field artillery pieces. t.me/ukraine_watch