GAZA – Israel has agreed to a series of pauses in fighting in Gaza in September to allow young children in the enclave to be vaccinated for polio, according to United Nations and Israeli officials.

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative for the West Bank and Gaza, told a press briefing from a video link Thursday that the pause would start September 1 and will be split into three 3-day phases.  “We have a preliminary commitment for area-specific humanitarian pauses during the campaign,” he said, adding that the pauses will roll out first in “central Gaza for three days, followed by south Gaza and then followed by north Gaza.”

An Israeli official confirmed to CNN that polio vaccinations will begin in Gaza on September 1. Each phase of the vaccination campaign is expected to take around seven hours, and during those hours, the vaccines will be able enter the area on “pause” and be distributed. COGAT, the Israeli agency responsible for approving aid into Gaza, did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for more information about how the distribution would be structured.

Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said the militant group welcomed the push for a pause in Gaza to implement the vaccination drive. “We are ready to cooperate with international organizations to secure this campaign,” he added.

Since the war, Gaza’s near-universal polio vaccine coverage has dropped to just over 80%. Peeperkorn told the UN press briefing that more than 90% coverage was needed to stop the outbreak in the besieged Palestinian territory. He warned that the three-day periods “might not be enough to achieve adequate vaccination,” adding that it “has been agreed, when needed, the campaign will be extended by one day per zone, or even more when necessary.”  He added that it would be a two-round vaccination campaign with a four-week interval between the first and second doses. (CNN)…[+]

PARIS  –  Telegram boss and founder Pavel Durov has been placed under formal investigation in France as part of a probe into organised crime on the messaging app, Paris prosecutors say.

Mr Durov, 39, has not been remanded in custody, but placed under judicial supervision, and has to pay a €5m (£4.2m; $5.6m) deposit. The Russian-born billionaire, who is also a French national, also has to show up at a French police station twice a week and is not allowed to leave French territory. Mr Durov was first detained upon arrival at Le Bourget airport north of Paris last Saturday under a warrant for offences related to the app.

In Wednesday’s statement, the Paris prosecutors said Mr Durov was put under formal investigation over alleged offences that included: Complicity in the administration of an online platform to enable illicit transactions by an organised gang. Refusal to communicate with authorities. Complicity in organised criminal distribution of sexual images of children.

In France, being put under formal investigation does not imply guilt or necessarily result in a trial – but it indicates that judges consider there is enough of a case to proceed with an investigation. Mr Durov has so far made no public comments on the latest developments. His lawyer, David-Olivier Kaminski, said Telegram complied in every respect with European digital regulations and was moderated to the same standards as other social networks.

It was “absurd” to suggest his client could be involved “in criminal acts that don’t concern him either directly or indirectly”, he added. It is unprecedented for the owner of a social media platform to be arrested because of the way in which that platform is being used, and it has fuelled a fierce debate online about freedom of speech and accountability. We have previously seen tech bosses hauled in front of lawmakers for confrontational grillings about their practices and failings, but not met by law enforcement at airports.

Elon Musk, the owner of X, has defended Mr Durov, arguing that moderation is a “propaganda word” for censorship. He has called for Mr Durov’s release. Chris Pavlovski, the founder of a controversial video-sharing app called Rumble, said he had fled Europe following Mr Durov’s detention. While most of the world’s largest social networks do engage with national and international bodies when it comes to serious criminal offences such as the sharing of child sexual abuse images, Telegram is accused of ignoring them.

The firm, which is now headquartered in Dubai, insists that its moderation tools meet industry standards. French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that France was deeply committed to freedom of expression, and that the decision to hold Mr Durov was “in no way… political”. (BBC)…[+]

CARACAS  –  Opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have taken to the streets in an attempt to revive protests against him as he tightens his grip on power following last month’s disputed election.

The demonstration in the capital, Caracas, came one month after the fraught July 28 vote in which Maduro was declared the winner despite the protests of opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez and international condemnation that the vote lacked transparency.

This protest was smaller than previous demonstrations. Groups of Venezuelans also gathered in other Latin American capitals.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who along with Gonzalez went into hiding following the election, re-emerged to attend Wednesday’s rally, waving a Venezuelan flag and hugging small children from the back of a truck as supporters shouted “Freedom.”

Banned from running against Maduro, the conservative politician crisscrossed the nation for weeks to help elect Gonzalez, a previously little-known former diplomat.

Acknowledging the steep challenge of forcing Maduro from power, Machado said the movement she leads will be strategic about calling for additional demonstrations. But she said the international pressure on Maduro is unlikely to cease any time soon.

“Those who say the passage of time favours Maduro are wrong,” Machado said to throngs of supporters who filled an avenue in Caracas. “Every day. he’s more isolated, more toxic.”

Opposition figure Biaggio Pilieri was arrested after the protest, the Reuters news agency reported.

In weeks of demonstrations, the opposition’s rallying cry has been constant but so far ineffective in removing Maduro from power. Opponents have demanded that officials publish results from each polling station that they say would expose Maduro’s attempts to steal the election.

“Voting records kill sentence,” is how the opposition billed the latest protest, referring to the thousands of tally sheets it collected and posted online that contradict a recent sentence written by the loyalist Supreme Court certifying Maduro’s purported victory.

Maduro’s supporters also planned to hold their own rallies, pledging to “defend” his victory against what they claim is an attempt to sow unrest throughout the South American country.

Reporting from neighbouring Colombia, Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti said it has become “increasingly difficult” for the Venezuelan opposition to organise huge rallies due to the crackdown and campaign of arrests against activists by the government.

“The feeling is that the hope of a major popular mobilisation against the Maduro regime might be slowly fading away,” Rampietti said.

According to the human rights group Foro Penal, approximately 1,780 people are being detained as political prisoners in Venezuela.

Madura has defied international calls – including by left-leaning leaders in South America – to release the voting tallies or hold a new election.

Instead, he reshuffled his cabinet earlier this week, promoting close loyalists to key positions in the government.

Maduro rose to power after the death of left-wing leader Hugo Chavez in 2013. His tenure has been marred by economic and political crises, as well as accusations of authoritarianism.

(Al Jazeera)

Photo: Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado speaks in Caracas during a protest against the election results announced by President Nicolas Maduro’s government. (Reuters)…[+]