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With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Mr Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on January 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Mr Milanovic thanked his supporters but warned that “this was just a first run”. “Let’s not be triumphant, let’s be realistic, firmly on the ground,” he said. “We must fight all over again. It’s not over till it’s over.” Mr Milanovic, the most popular politician in Croatia, has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, the 58-year-old has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and continuous sparring between the two has been a recent hallmark of Croatia’s political scene. Mr Plenkovic has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and Nato. He has labelled Mr Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him (Mr Primorac) and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military. Mr Milanovic has criticised the Nato and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, thought it is a member of both Nato and the EU. Mr Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a Nato-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war”. His main rival in the election, Mr Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East”. However, his bid for the presidency has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates. Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.
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New Delhi : The Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are set to start trials in some high-profile cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for Although the federal investigative agencies had filed several charge sheets against the accused - most of whom are out on bail - the trials had not been initiated. Most of these cases are at the stage of Section 207 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrpC), which requires that the accused be provided with certain documents used by the prosecution to buttress its case against the accused. In one of the high profile cases, CBI has concluded its arguments on framing of charges against former Union railway minister Lalu Prasad and co-accused. The need to kick-start trials also stems from the recent orders of the Supreme Court which, while granting bail to the accused, has repeatedly underscored the need to commence trials without delay. Besides completing investigations and starting trials, ED is also focusing on restitution of assets to victims. ET takes a deep dive into the high-profile cases in which agencies will try to commence the trial in 2025. 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In September 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had accorded sanction to prosecute Prasad. A month later, the sanction to prosecute 30 co-accused was also received from the authorities. CBI had previously received sanction to prosecute Prasad for his alleged involvement in the alleged scam. The agency had filed two charge sheets, elaborating his alleged role in illegal recruitment of employees in two railway zones - central and western. But CBI filed its final and composite charge sheet in the case, including all the remaining railway zones. Prasad and other public servants were also charged in the final charge sheet. It is for this final charge sheet that the agency had sought sanction from the authorities in June. CBI is awaiting sanction to prosecute a former government servant, RK Mahajan, private secretary to Prasad, following which the agency will argue on framing of charges against Prasad, his kin and co-accused. After CBI, the accused will be given an opportunity to counter the agency's contentions. The counsel of accused will demand discharge, following which the court will take a decision whether to start trial or discharge accused. ED has attached properties of Prasad's family worth ₹6 crore in connection with the case. The properties attached by the agency include Delhi and Patna properties, including a house in New Friends Colony. CBI, in its charge sheet, has described Prasad, his wife and son (Tejashwi) as "ultimate beneficiaries". All three have denied the allegations against them. IRCTC case This is another alleged scandal in which CBI has filed charge sheets against Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav and Rabri Devi. The agency has already concluded its arguments on framing of charges. The special CBI court has already made it clear that hearing needs to be "expedited" and "adjournments are to be avoided". The defence is yet to present its counter arguments, following which the court will pronounce its verdict on whether or not to frame charges against the accused. If the court decides to frame charges, it will mean commencement of trial. The trial hasn't commenced because a co-accused - former government official Vinod Kumar Asthana - had last year obtained a stay from the Supreme Court on framing of charges against him. Asthana has demanded quashing of cognisance of CBI's charge sheet taken by the special court. He had moved SC after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea in October 2022, ruling "it would not be feasible to quash the proceedings at such an initial stage". CBI has moved an application for early hearing of its plea seeking to vacate the stay granted in favour of Asthana. The plea is yet to come up for hearing in SC. The CBI court in July 2018 took cognisance of a charge sheet against Prasad and the other co-accused registered a year earlier for allegedly making illegal gains by tweaking the terms of a tender for IRCTC hotel contracts. CBI had booked Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and others in July 2017 for allegedly making ill-gotten gains by tweaking the terms of tender of IRCTC hotels. As per CBI, Prasad had colluded with the owners of Chanakya and Sujata Hotel in Patna through IRCTC officials and owners of a front company belonging to Prasad and his wife. Delhi excise policy case All the accused in the erstwhile excise policy case of Delhi have been released on bail. The case includes senior AAP leaders - former CM Arvind Kejriwal , former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and others. The case is at the stage of Section 207 of CrPC. After furnishing of documents sought by the accused, CBI will argue on framing of charges. In a first, in May 2024, the ED filed a charge sheet against AAP as an accused under PMLA. AAP became the first political party to have been accused under anti-money laundering laws. ED invoked Section 70 (1) of PMLA to implead AAP as an accused. It will be significant to observe whether the court decides to charge AAP as an accused and start a trial against it. SC, while ordering release of the accused in the case, had recorded that the trial had not commenced. Granting bail to Kejriwal on September 13, the top court had slammed CBI. "It is imperative that CBI dispel the notion of it being a caged parrot," justice Ujjal Bhuyan, as part of a bench, had said in his judgment. "In a functional democracy governed by the rule of law, perception matters. Like Caesar's wife, an investigating agency must be above board," he had said. CBI's perception should rather be "that of an uncaged parrot", he said. VVIP chopper case CBI is likely to press for deciding its application seeking to segregate the trial. In December 2022, the agency had moved a special court, urging it to segregate the trial of the accused who have been served summons and joined investigation from those (accused) who have till date either not been served upon or have evaded the investigation. In its application, CBI argued that the accused who joined the probe cannot be denied their "right to speedy trial". The trial has yet to begin nearly 12 years after a probe was launched into alleged irregularities in an air force deal to purchase helicopters for transporting VVIPs. So far, CBI and ED have filed more than a dozen chargesheets in the case. However, the trial court could not make a decision on CBI's application seeking segregation of trial because CBI moved the Delhi High Court challenging orders passed by the special CBI court permitting a co-accused to inspect documents not relied upon by the agency. The appeal stated that the agency was required to produce only before the court all material collected by it during investigation which it proposes to rely upon. In July 2024, the CBI had informed the Delhi High Court that it had no difficulty if the accused inspected unrelied documents and statements of witnesses. The agency's stand had contrasted with its earlier position. The high court disposed of CBI's petition after the agency told it that "only for the purpose of expedience and without going into the merits, the present petition may be disposed of" and the accused "may be allowed to inspect unrelied documents and unrelied statements of witnesses". This meant the decks were cleared for the CBI to seek commencement of trial. The accused are being supplied documents, following which CBI will press its application for segregation of trial, said people in the know. Cash-for-jobs case (Bengal) SC in December directed the trial court to decide on framing of charges before the commencement of winter vacations or before December 31, 2024, whichever is earlier. The alleged cash-for-jobs scandal involves former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee. SC ordered expediting the trial on a bail plea of Chatterjee. A bench headed by justice Surya Kant ordered that Chatterjee can be released on bail on or before February 1, 2025, in the money laundering case registered against him by ED. The bench directed the trial court to record the statements of prosecution witnesses who are most material and vulnerable in the second or third week of January 2025. Subject to the completion of these steps, Chatterjee can be released on bail. ED had also arrested Chatterjee's alleged associate, Arpita Mukherjee, in the case. Restitution of assets by ED After taking charge as the new ED director in August 2024, Rahul Navin had made it clear to sleuths that the focus must be on concluding investigations in key cases and initiating trials. The agency has also made significant progress in restitution of assets to victims. The agency has restored properties worth ₹22,280 crore to the victims or rightful claimants and the fight against economic offenders will continue unabated, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had informed the Lok Sabha in the winter session. ED has recovered assets worth ₹17,750 crore in connection with various cases involving fugitives Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi. Sitharaman had also informed that ₹14,131.6 crore worth of properties belonging to Mallya have been restored to public sector banks. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )(CNN) — Former President Bill Clinton was admitted Monday afternoon to Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC, where he is undergoing testing and observation, his spokesman told CNN. “The president is fine,” Angel Urena, deputy chief of staff to Clinton, told CNN in an interview, adding the former president is hopeful to be home by Christmas. “He remains in good spirits and deeply appreciates the excellent care he is receiving.” This story is breaking and will be updated. The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.iPhone 16 Pro to Vivo X200 Pro: 5 best smartphones for amazing New Year's eve photos
ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief" and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America's dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise" speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter's diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter.ARTHEx-01 by ARTHEx Biotech for Myotonic Dystrophy: Likelihood of Approval
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to build nine furnaces in non-conventional CNG and electric green crematoriums next year as green cremations now comprise 9% of the total cremations in the Capital every year, officials said on Sunday. According to public health department data, cremations at non-conventional sites have almost doubled in Delhi since the Covid-19 outbreak — from 3-5% of total cremations before the pandemic to 9% now. “There are 21 CNG/electric furnaces operational across Delhi. The number has grown manifold since the Covid-19 pandemic. We are further planning to increase capacity by adding nine furnaces in the next year,” a senior MCD official said. Of the 132,391 people who died in Delhi in 2024 so far, 111,364 were cremated. Of these cremations, 9% (around 10,000) were carried out using non-conventional funeral mechanisms — CNG and electric furnace. MCD said that a traditional cremation uses 400-500kg of wood, and all such cremations in Delhi use up 45,600 tonnes of wood per year. “Each green cremation saves 400-500kg of wood. In 2024 this meant the saving up of 4,500 tonnes of wood,” the official cited above said. A second MCD official said that the number of green furnaces will also increase as part of an ongoing revamp of funeral sites. “The Lodhi Road crematorium is currently being upgraded. It has one electric furnace, and a second non-functional unit will be replaced and made operational. More CNG furnaces will be added to sites such as the Rohini crematorium and Sarai Kale Khan crematorium, which are being redeveloped,” the official said. Of the 21 green furnaces operated by MCD, three are electric — one at Lodhi Road and two at Sarai Kale Khan — and the rest are CNG sites such as the Nigambodh Ghat, Punjabi Bagh, Green Park, Ghazipur, and Karkardooma, among others. “The pandemic has catalysed growth of alternative cremation methods in Delhi with a trend thrust towards more CNG-based crematoria furnaces. Instead of having just two available CNG crematoria at Nigambodh Ghat and Punjabi Bagh Shamshan Bhumi, Delhi has developed new units in Green Park, Karkardooma, Subhash Nagar, and Ghazipur, while the number of furnaces has also been doubled in the Nigambodh and Punjabi Bagh facilities. New units are being added to Rohini, Keshopur, Dakshinpuri and Mangolpuri,” the second official added. A 2016 source apportionment study by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur assessed 53 cremation sites and found that they are adding 4% of toxic carbon monoxide emissions in Delhi’s environment. The study concluded that cremations were daily releasing more than 2,129kg carbon monoxide, 33kg of sulphur dioxide, 346kg of PM10 and 312kg of PM2.5 dust particles into the air. While hearing a 2016 case, the National Green Tribunal had directed the environment ministry and the Delhi government to provide alternative modes of cremation, saying that the “traditional method of wooden pyres emitted hazardous pollutants into the environment.”
Elected in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, the former governor of Georgia, ran as a Washington outsider and rose to the White House with a strong sense of morality, an engineer's mind and a progressive, moderate approach to governing. Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100 , after going into hospice care in February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia, served only a single term in office but devoted the decades that followed to bettering the lives of countless people across the U.S. and around the world. He faced massive crises during his presidency — sky-high oil prices, double-digit interest rates and inflation, and the Iran hostage crisis — and his failure to effectively address them resulted in his failure to win reelection in 1980. He also had some major accomplishments, including the negotiation of a peace deal between Egypt and Israel. But it is his widely lauded post-presidency, characterized by tireless peace and humanitarian efforts, that is likely to be his most enduring legacy. After leaving office in 1981, Carter became an important diplomatic figure, securing the release of political prisoners in Nicaragua in 1986 and of American Aijalon Gomes from North Korea in 2010. He served as a negotiator with North Korea during the Clinton administration, and even offered his services to then-President Trump in talks with North Korea. Along with his wife, Rosalynn Carter — who died at age 96 on Nov. 19, 2023 — he founded the Carter Center in 1982, a nonprofit human rights organization that took on as its broad mission the alleviation of human suffering. Through the work of the Carter Center, he devoted himself to preventing and resolving global conflicts, promoting freedom and democracy, and improving the health of millions of people around the world. Among other initiatives, the Carter Center oversaw efforts to conduct free and fair elections in dozens of countries in the developing world, and helped lead global efforts to eliminate Guinea worm disease , which spread through unfiltered drinking water and once sickened millions across Africa. Carter was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work in advancing democracy and human rights through the Carter Center. "We have transformed the lives of, I would say, millions of people, primarily in the poorest and most destitute and forgotten communities in the world," he told CBS News ' Rita Braver in a 2006 interview. The Carters also worked for decades with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for those in need. Carter first became involved in 1984 and remained active building homes with the organization for decades. The day after he fell in his Plains, Georgia, home in October 2019 , leaving him with a black eye and stitches at the age of 95 , Carter still traveled to Tennessee to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. He and Rosalynn sponsored the Carter Work Project at Habitat for Humanity for over 30 years. According to the organization , the Carters have worked "alongside 104,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair 4,390 homes." A devout Christian, the former president also made an impact in his local community as a teacher. He taught Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains until nearly the end of his life. He also taught at Emory University in Atlanta for nearly 40 years. Carter acknowledged that his post-presidential activities had earned him higher regard than he'd experienced in office. "Certainly my reputation has been better in the post-presidential years than maybe in the White House," he said in that 2006 interview . "But I think that when people look at back on what we did in the White House, I think there's a lot there of justifiable pride." Throughout his post-presidency, he was never afraid to speak out when troubled by policies of those who succeeded him in the White House. He was an early and vocal critic of the war in Iraq begun under President George W. Bush, and he opposed the Obama administration's use of drone strikes to target suspected terrorists. He criticized Trump for " exacerbating " racial tensions and being " careless with the truth ," telling CBS News' John Dickerson in 2018, "I think I went through my campaign and my presidency without ever lying to the people or making a deliberately false statement, and I think that would be a very worthwhile thing to reinsert into politics these days." He added that he wished Trump well "and I pray for him." Carter joined fellow past presidents in condemning the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and he marked the date one year later by writing : "I now fear that what we have fought so hard to achieve globally — the right to free, fair elections, unhindered by strongman politicians who seek nothing more than to grow their own power — has become dangerously fragile at home. ... For American democracy to endure, we must demand that our leaders and candidates uphold the ideals of freedom and adhere to high standards of conduct." Carter wrote 33 books, including memoirs about his life and career, as well as books on other topics like faith and aging. He and Rosalynn Carter were married for 77 years, and were known for their devotion to one another. They are survived by their four children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Mr Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on January 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Mr Milanovic thanked his supporters but warned that “this was just a first run”. “Let’s not be triumphant, let’s be realistic, firmly on the ground,” he said. “We must fight all over again. It’s not over till it’s over.” Mr Milanovic, the most popular politician in Croatia, has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, the 58-year-old has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and continuous sparring between the two has been a recent hallmark of Croatia’s political scene. Mr Plenkovic has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and Nato. He has labelled Mr Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him (Mr Primorac) and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military. Mr Milanovic has criticised the Nato and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, thought it is a member of both Nato and the EU. Mr Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a Nato-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war”. His main rival in the election, Mr Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East”. However, his bid for the presidency has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates. Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.Israel's defence minister has for the first time acknowledged that Israel killed Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July. Israel Katz made the comments in a speech vowing to target the heads of the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen, which has been firing missiles and drones at Israel. Haniyeh was killed in a building where he was staying in the Iranian capital in an attack widely attributed to Israel. Separately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said some progress had been made towards agreeing a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas, but he could not give a timeline for when a deal would be reached. It comes after a senior Palestinian official told the BBC that talks between Hamas and Israel were 90% complete , but key issues remained. In his speech, Katz said Israel would "strike hard" at the Houthis and "decapitate" its leadership. "Just as we did with Haniyeh, [Yahya] Sinwar, and [Hassan] Nasrallah in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon, we will do so in Hodeida and Sanaa," he said, referring to Hezbollah and Hamas leaders who have all been killed this year. Haniyeh, 62, was widely considered Hamas's overall leader and played a key role in negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. After his assassination, Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, its leader in Gaza and one of the chief architects of the 7 October attacks, as the group's overall leader. Sinwar was killed by the Israeli military in a chance encounter in Gaza in October and the group is still in the process of choosing a new leader. Hassan Nasrallah meanwhile was the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah - he was assassinated in Beirut in September as Israel dramatically escalated its military campaign against Hezbollah, with which it had been trading near daily cross-border fire since the day after the 7 October attacks. The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group that controls north-western Yemen, began attacking Israeli and international ships in the Red Sea shortly after Israel began targeting Hamas in Gaza last October. The group has vowed to continue until the war in Gaza ends. On Saturday, Israel's military said its attempts to shoot down a projectile launched from Yemen were unsuccessful and the missile struck a park in Tel Aviv. A Houthi spokesman said the group hit a military target using a hypersonic ballistic missile. Last week Israel launched strikes against what it said were Houthi military targets, hitting ports as well as energy infrastructure in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The US and UK have also attacked Houthi targets as part of an operation to protect international shipping. Hamas attacked Israel in October last year, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage. In response, Israel launched a military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza which has continued for more than a year and has killed 45,317 people according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip. That figure includes 58 people killed by Israeli attacks over the past 24 hours, Hamas officials said. Local medical officials said that at least 11 people were killed in three separate strikes on the al-Mawasi area, which had been designated a "safe zone" by the Israeli military. Israel said it was targeting a Hamas fighter. On Monday Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in the northern Gaza Strip. Humanitarian and rights groups have warned of a catastrophic situation for civilians in Gaza. On Sunday Oxfam said just 12 trucks had distributed food and water in northern Gaza over the past two-and-a-half months and blamed the Israeli military for "deliberate delays and systematic obstructions". "For three of these, once the food and water had been delivered to the school where people were sheltering, it was then cleared and shelled within hours," Oxfam added. The Israeli authorities said the report was "deliberately and inaccurately" ignoring the "extensive humanitarian efforts made by Israel in the northern Gaza Strip". Israel insisted that specific shipments "including food, water, and medical supplies" had been sent to northern areas of Gaza, including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Jabalia, where the Israeli military has for several months been carrying out a military operation that it says is targeting Hamas fighters who had regrouped there. The Oxfam report comes after rights groups Amnesty accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza and Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israel of committing "acts of genocide" by deliberately depriving Palestinian civilians in Gaza of adequate access to water. Israel's foreign ministry described the Amnesty report as "entirely false and based on lies" while the Israeli foreign ministry's spokesman said Human Rights Watch was "once more spreading its blood libels... The truth is the complete opposite of HRW's lies".