Tuesday briefing: After the hostage release, five questions that will shape Gaza’s future

In today’s newsletter: Wild celebrations on both sides – but prospects for an enduring peace rest on compromises that appear difficult to reach

Good morning. The last 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza were freed yesterday, after more than two years in captivity. Meanwhile, huge crowds in Ramallah greeted some of the 2,000 Palestinians – 1,700 of them held without charge – released by Israel in exchange.

Even against the backdrop of the horrors of the 7 October attack, and the Israeli assault that killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left Gaza a wasteland, the scenes of reunion were overwhelming to watch. This picture gallery of Israeli hostages being reunited with their families captures something of an extraordinary day of catharsis and relief.

Environment | Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found.

UK news | Tommy Robinson claimed Elon Musk was paying his legal costs as he went on trial for refusing to comply with a request made by counter-terrorism police as he tried to leave Britain last year.

Espionage | The government made “every effort” to support the trial of two men accused of spying for China, security minister Dan Jarvis has said, as he accused the Tories of claiming the case was deliberately abandoned “without a shred of evidence”.

UK politics | The families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox have voiced concern about a recent surge in violent political rhetoric in Britain.

Nobel prize | Three experts in the power of technology to drive economic growth have been awarded this year’s Nobel prize in economics.

Peace in Gaza represents an opportunity to forget; to erase from the collective consciousness an era in which some western countries took a bludgeon to international norms and institutions, and indeed their own domestic politics, in order to force through the destruction of Gaza.”

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Guaranteed Māori seats on New Zealand councils to be slashed by more than half

Controversial law change that forced councils to put the fate of Māori wards to a public vote saw 25 vote to disestablish the guaranteed seats

The number of guaranteed seats for Māori representatives on New Zealand councils will be slashed by more than half, following a controversial law change that forced local governments to put the fate of hard-won Māori seats to a public vote.

Māori wards, which may have one or more councillors depending on local population numbers, were established in 2001 to give Indigenous voters the option to vote for a guaranteed Māori representative in local and regional authorities. Initially, councils could only establish a Māori ward by first putting it to a public vote in their area. Communities often spent years generating local support and pushing their councils to create Māori wards.

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Death toll from torrential rains in Mexico rises to 64 as search expands – NPR

  1. Death toll from torrential rains in Mexico rises to 64 as search expands  NPR
  2. Dozens Are Dead and Dozens More Missing as Catastrophic Rains Devastate Mexico  The New York Times
  3. Death toll from devastating Mexico flooding rises  Al Jazeera
  4. Heavy rains flood Mexico towns, leave nearly 130 dead or missing  Reuters
  5. Mexico looks for missing people and rushes to help after torrential rains killed at least 47  AP News
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‘Your basis to live is checked at each and every step’: India’s ID system divides opinion

Keir Starmer is considering Aadhaar as model for UK, but detractors warn of ‘digital coercion’ and security breaches

It is often difficult for people in India to remember life before Aadhaar. The digital biometric ID, allegedly available for every Indian citizen, was only introduced 15 years ago but its presence in daily life is ubiquitous.

Indians now need an Aadhaar number to buy a house, get a job, open a bank account, pay their tax, receive benefits, buy a car, get a sim card, book priority train tickets and admit children into school. Babies can be given Aadhaar numbers almost immediately after they are born. While it is not mandatory, not having Aadhaar de facto means the state does not recognise you exist, digital rights activists say.

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US Congress committee investigating Musk-owned Starlink over Myanmar scam centres

Provision of internet access to scam centres being investigated as Starlink swiftly becomes Myanmar’s biggest internet service provider

A powerful bipartisan committee in the US Congress says it has begun an investigation into the involvement of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite business in providing internet access to Myanmar scam centres, blamed for swindling billions from victims across the world.

The move comes as it was revealed that large numbers of Starlink dishes began appearing on scam-centre roofs in Myanmar around the time of a crackdown in February that was supposed to eradicate the centres, according to a investigation by Agence France-Presse

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Madagascar president flees country following military rebellion – Euronews.com

  1. Madagascar president flees country following military rebellion  Euronews.com
  2. Andry Rajoelina: Madagascar president hiding in 'safe place' as he warns of coup attempt  BBC
  3. Madagascar president dissolves lower house of parliament in midst of apparent coup attempt  AP News
  4. Madagascar’s president has left the country after Gen Z protests, officials say  CNN
  5. President of Madagascar flees to ‘safe location’ amid deadly protests  Al Jazeera
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Student’s alleged torture death by Cambodia scammers sparks turmoil in South Korea

South Korean president urges ‘all-out’ efforts to protect citizens after number of kidnappings in Cambodia soars in recent months

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung has called for “all-out” diplomatic efforts to protect citizens in Cambodia after a university student was lured there by a scam ring and allegedly tortured to death.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Lee said “protecting the lives and safety of citizens is the government’s greatest responsibility” and called for all those caught up in the scams to be “swiftly repatriated”.

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Trump plan to invite Netanyahu to Gaza summit aborted after Erdoğan warning – The Guardian

  1. Trump plan to invite Netanyahu to Gaza summit aborted after Erdoğan warning  The Guardian
  2. The Peace Summit in Egypt, and Shutdown Lessons From U.S.A.I.D.  The New York Times
  3. Celebrating a hard-won ceasefire, Trump pushes for 'lasting harmony' in the Middle East  NBC News
  4. Five key takeaways from Donald Trump’s Gaza remarks in Middle East  Al Jazeera
  5. At Sharm el-Sheikh, nations back Trump's plan for Gaza's future  Le Monde.fr
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