Israel-Gaza ceasefire holds

Gaza's sole power plant to resume operations after nearly three days of violence. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Israel-Gaza ceasefire holds, allowing Gaza's power plant to reopen [An Israeli soldier secures tanks in an area near the border with Gaza Strip,, Aug. 5, 2022.] Credit: Fatima Shbair/AP Israel, Gaza With an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants holding after nearly [three days of violence](, Gaza’s sole power plant resumed operations Monday. Since Friday, Israeli aircraft had pummeled targets in Gaza while the Iran-backed Palestinian [Islamic Jihad militant group]( fired hundreds of rockets at Israel. Over three days of fighting, 44 Palestinians were killed, including 15 children and four women, and 311 were wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Islamic Jihad said 12 of those killed were militants. No Israelis were killed. South Africa US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in South Africa as part of a three-nation tour of Africa including Congo and Rwanda. [South Africa’s stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine]( is expected to feature in a meeting between Blinken and South Africa’s Minister of International Relations Naledi Pandor on Monday. South Africa is among many African countries that have taken a neutral stance on the Ukraine war. Ukraine, Russia Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Monday that each side is shelling Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Russia claimed that Ukrainian [shelling caused a power surge and fire]( and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there. Zaporizhzhia was captured by Russia early in the war and experts warn that more shelling is fraught with danger of a [Chernobyl-style catastrophe](. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Hindu claims to Varanasi mosque stoke religious tensions in India]( [An Aerial view shows Gyanvapi mosque, left, and Kashiviswanath temple on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India, Dec. 12, 2021.] Credit: Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Temple-mosque disputes have been flooding Indian courts in recent years. The current [Gyanvapi mosque dispute]( stokes fear that violence could once again erupt between Hindus and Muslims over claims to the contested site. [WNBA star Brittney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in prison in Russia. How likely is a prisoner swap?]( [WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner stands in a cage in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Khimki just outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 4, 2022.] Credit: Evgenia Novozhenina/AP/Pool In Moscow, 31-year-old WNBA star Brittney Griner was sentenced by a Russian court to nine years of prison time. Last month, Griner pleaded guilty to possessing the drugs but said she packed them by mistake. The US government called Griner’s sentence on Thursday “a miscarriage of justice.” Now, Griner’s release will likely come down to a [potential prisoner swap]( with the Russian government. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot "Tujiangalie." That's Swahili for "We should take a look into ourselves," and it's a song being promoted by Kenya's top Afro pop band, [Sauti Sol](, ahead of Kenya's elections on Tuesday. Amid concerns about youth participation in the election, Sauti Sol has launched #Tujiangalie to try to encourage young Kenyans to vote. [Listen to the story by The World's Halima Gikandi.]( 🎧 [Sauti Sol/YouTube]( In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.