Global National: June 1

Israel has proposed a draft ceasefire plan, calling for an immediate six-week halt to the hostilities. The first phase involves a “partial” withdrawal of Israeli forces from areas of Gaza and the release of some hostages, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and humanitarian aid. There is, however, one big sticking point: Israel refuses to make any deals so long as Hamas is in power. Also, Boeing’s latest attempt to launch its Starliner spacecraft was scrubbed in the final minutes before liftoff on Saturday. It was not immediately clear why, but the spacecraft has never flown with astronauts on board, so the stakes are high. In South Africa, reaction is pouring into what’s already been a historic election. For the first time since the end of apartheid, the nation’s leading party will be forced to form a coalition government. The African National Congress (ANC) has held a majority in every election going back to 1994, but now the party of Nelson Mandela will be forced to work with a rival to stay in power. In other news, the parent company of Temu dethroned Alibaba as China’s most valuable e-commerce firm. The widely-popular online shopping app is under scrutiny for the way it allegedly collects data from people who download it. And, in April 2020, a lone gunman went on a deadly rampage in Nova Scotia, killing 22 people over the span of 13 hours. The carnage changed the lives of countless people – trauma that is still felt to this day. But now, the small community where the killer’s violence began is trying to redefine itself beyond the tragedy.