
Middle East latest: Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital wound 3, Netanyahu vows 'iron fist' in Lebanon
PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Buys 15,477 Shares of Baker Hughes (NASDAQ:BKR)Kozhikode (Kerala), Nov 24 (PTI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday said, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) performed remarkably well in the bypolls held in the state, despite the Congress-led UDF unleashing a false campaign against the government and joining hands with communal outfits to ensure their victory. He said the LDF achieved a significant victory in the Chelakkara assembly constituency and could increase its vote share in Palakkad segment in the bypolls, the results of which were announced on Saturday. Taking a dig at the opposition front, the CM asked what had happened even after the Congress-led UDF vigorously campaigned that the bypoll would be an evaluation of the state government. Addressing a party programme here, Vijayan said that the UDF made all attempts to wrest the Chelakkara constituency and gave utmost prominence for the constituency during the campaigning. He said the Congress tried to achieve a huge political victory by winning Chelakkara. "Then, what had happened when the results were announced?" Vijayan asked. He also accused the opposition front of joining hands with outfits like SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami to defeat the LDF in the bypolls held to Palakkad and Chelakkara assembly seats and Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency. If the bypoll result was examined overall, it could be seen that people of the state had stood with the Left government strongly, he said. The UDF candidate could not retain her vote share in Chelakkara, when compared to the performance of the party in the segment in the last Lok Sabha polls. But the LDF candidate could ensure his victory by achieving a remarkable margin, the CM added. Both the LDF and the UDF retained the Chelakkara and Palakkad Assembly seats respectively with a comfortable margin in the bypolls. The Congress won the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat with a thumping margin. (This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (AP) — In the year since the war in Gaza broke out, Israel's government has been cracking down on dissent among its Palestinian citizens. Authorities have charged Palestinians with “supporting terrorism” because of posts online or for demonstrating against the war. Activists and rights watchdogs say Palestinians have also lost jobs, been suspended from schools and faced police interrogations. Palestinians make up about 20% of Israel's population. Many feel forced to self-censor out of fear of being jailed and further marginalized in society. Others still find ways to dissent, but carefully. Israel's National Security Ministry counters that, “Freedom of speech is not the freedom to incite.” Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says the body of of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found, citing Emirati authorities. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said Zvi Kogan was murdered, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.” It said: “The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death." Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped. His disappearance comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October. Israeli strikes in central Beirut kill at least 20 as diplomats push for a cease-fire BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 20 people and injured dozens in central Beirut, as the once-rare attacks on the heart of Lebanon’s capital continue without warning. Diplomats are scrambling to broker a cease-fire but say obstacles still remain. The current proposal calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon in the months of fighting that have turned into all-out war. After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles WASHINGTON (AP) — During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump had hailed what would become Project 2025 as a conservative roadmap for “exactly what our movement will do." Trump pulled an about-face when Project 2025 became a political liability. He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans, even though some were written by his former aides and many allies. Now, after winning the 2024 election, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the effort he temporarily shunned. Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy. Trump's Republican Party is increasingly winning union voters. It's a shift seen in his labor pick WASHINGTON (AP) — Working-class voters helped Republicans make steady election gains this year and expanded a coalition that increasingly includes rank-and-file union members. It's a political shift spotlighting one of President-elect Donald Trump’s latest Cabinet picks: a GOP congresswoman, who has drawn labor support, to be his labor secretary. Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her bid for a second term this month, despite strong backing from union members. They're a key part of the Democratic base but are gravitating in the Trump era toward a Republican Party traditionally allied with business interests. Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across US during Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters in the U.S. have warned of another round of winter weather that could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving. California is bracing for more snow and rain this weekend while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Thousands remained without power in the Seattle area on Saturday after a “bomb cyclone” storm system hit the West Coast earlier in the week, killing two people. Parts of the Northeast and Appalachia also began the weekend with heavy precipitation. Pakistan partially stops mobile and internet services ahead of pro-Imran Khan protest ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan says it is suspending mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns” as supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan gear up for a protest in the capital. The government and Interior Ministry made the announcement on X, which is banned in Pakistan. Sunday's protest is to demand Khan's release. He has been in prison for more than a year but remains popular. His supporters rely heavily on social media and messaging apps to coordinate with each other. Pakistan has already sealed off Islamabad and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with Khan's power bases. Here's what to know about the new funding deal that countries agreed to at UN climate talks BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. But it’s a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still unsatisfied but hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. Japan holds Sado mines memorial despite South Korean boycott amid lingering historical tensions SADO, Japan (AP) — Japan has held a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines despite a last-minute boycott of the event by South Korea that highlighted tensions between the neighbors over the issue of Korean forced laborers at the site before and during World War II. South Korea’s absence at Sunday’s memorial, to which Seoul government officials and Korean victims’ families were invited, is a major setback in the rapidly improving ties between the two countries, which since last year have set aside their historical disputes to prioritize U.S.-led security cooperation. Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83 NEW YORK (AP) — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. He teamed up with Young for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and became a full supporter Donald Trump.
Nobel prize winner Jimmy Carter’s push for peace ‘set a powerful model’ for ex-presidents despite brutal political blowsThe Albanese government has shut the door on negotiations with the Greens over housing reform bills and will push them to a vote in parliament without support. Housing Minister Clare O’Neil announced Monday the government was “moving forward” on the Help to Buy and Build to Rent schemes without the Greens. “This is a continuation of the political parlour games that the Greens have been playing for the past two and a half years on housing,” Ms O’Neil said. “The time for negotiation on this is over. It was six months ago when these bills were first delayed by the Australian Greens.” She called on the Greens to stop blocking progress and “come into the parliament and vote them into law”. Ms O’Neil also revealed she had “no plan B” if the bills failed to pass. The government has repeatedly argued the bills are crucial to addressing the housing crisis. Labor has sought to address the housing crisis through Help to Buy, providing funds to homebuyers; and Build to Rent , giving tax incentives to investors building rental homes. Both pieces of legislation have faced resistance from the Greens, who have demanded stronger protections for renters and increased funding for public housing. The Housing Minister has previously accused the Greens of “rank hypocrisy” and claimed the bills were aligned with the minor party’s housing policy position. Greens leader Adam Bandt responded to the Housing Minister at a press conference later on Monday and accused her of failing to address the housing and rental crisis. “It is crystal clear that Labor will do nothing for the millions of renters who are struggling through unlimited rent rises,” Mr Bandt said. “For over two years now, the Greens have been pushing Labor to take the housing and rental crisis seriously — to do more than come up with band-aid answers. “We put forward some good faith proposals and it seems the government has rejected them out of hand. “(Labor) is now saying, apparently, they think it’s illegal to build more social housing – what rot.” Changes to legislation put forward by the Greens were “unworkable” and “unlawful” according to Ms O’Neil. “At the eleventh hour, the government has decided they don’t want to talk anymore. Well, that’s Labor’s choice,” Mr Bandt said. The Greens leader said he would “have a look at what to do about the legislation” when it comes up in parliament on Tuesday. Ms O’Neil has faced mounting criticism over her handling of the housing portfolio and her two bills will fail without support from the Greens or Coalition. The Help to Buy scheme would contribute 30 to 40 per cent of the cost of a home for eligible buyers, making it easier for low-income Australians to enter the housing market. The Build to Rent bill seeks to encourage the construction of new rental properties by offering tax breaks to developers. The Greens have argued these measures fail to tackle the root causes of the housing crisis and criticised Build to Rent as a “developer giveaway”. Labor has also faced opposition from the Coalition as shadow housing minister Michael Sukkar has dismissed the housing policies as ineffective. The Coalition has called for alternative approaches, including allowing Australians to access their superannuation funds for home purchases. As negotiations have reached an impasse, Labor has more than 70 bills to work through during the final parliamentary sitting week of the year. The Albanese government has already given up on its misinformation and disinformation bill , and delayed efforts on gambling ad restrictions to 2025 .
Israeli drone strikes hit Kamal Adwan Hospital on Tuesday, wounding three medical staff at one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of Gaza , the facility’s director said. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said the drones were dropping bombs, spraying shrapnel at the hospital. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. In Lebanon, a tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has held despite Israeli forces carrying out several new drone and artillery strikes on Tuesday, killing a shepherd in the country's south. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed keep striking “with an iron fist” against perceived Hezbollah violations of the ceasefire. Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel last year in solidarity with Hamas militants who are fighting in the Gaza Strip. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 people hostage . Israel’s blistering retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,500 Palestinians , more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war in Gaza has destroyed vast areas of the coastal enclave and displaced 90% of the population of 2.3 million, often multiple times . Here's the Latest: WASHINGTON — U.S. forces conducted a self-defense strike Tuesday in the vicinity of Mission Support Site Euphrates, a U.S. base in eastern Syria, against three truck-mounted multiple rocket launchers, a T-64 tank and mortars that Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said presented “a clear and imminent threat” to U.S. troops. The self-defense strike occurred after rockets and mortars were fired that landed in the vicinity of the base, Ryder said. The Pentagon is still assessing who was responsible for the attacks — that there are both Iranian-backed militias and Syrian military forces that operate in the area. Ryder said the attack was not connected to the offensive that is ongoing in Aleppo, where Syrian jihadi-led rebels taken over the country’s largest city. The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria to conduct missions to counter the Islamic Stage group. CAIRO — Israeli drone strikes hit the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on Tuesday, wounding three medical personnel, the facility’s director said. Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya said the drones were dropping bombs, spraying shrapnel at the hospital, located in the town of Beit Lahiya. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. In comments released by Gaza’s Health Ministry, Abu Safiya said one of the injured was in critical condition and was undergoing a complex surgery. “The situation has become extremely dangerous,” he said. “We are exhausted by the ongoing violence and atrocities.” Kamal Adwan Hospital has been struck multiple times over the past two months as Israeli forces have waged a fierce offensive in the area, saying they are rooting out Hamas militants who regrouped there. In October, Israeli forces raided the hospital, saying that militants were sheltering inside and arrested a number of people, including some staff. Hospital officials denied the claim. Abu Safiya was wounded in his thigh and back by an Israeli drone strike on the hospital last month. TEL AVIV, Israel — An Israeli court has ordered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the stand next week in his long-running corruption trial, ending a long series of delays. Netanyahu’s lawyers had filed multiple requests to put off the testimony, arguing first that the war in Gaza prevented him from properly preparing for his testimony, and later that his security could not be guaranteed in the court chamber. In Tuesday’s decision, judges in the Jerusalem district court said that following a security assessment, his testimony will be moved to the Tel Aviv district court. Israeli media said the session would take place in an underground chamber. His testimony in the trial, which began in 2020, is expected to begin on Dec. 10 and to last at least several weeks. Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three separate scandals involving powerful media moguls and wealthy associates. He denies wrongdoing. NABATIYEH, Lebanon — In destroyed areas of southern Lebanon, residents clearing away rubble on Tuesday said they didn’t trust Israel to abide by the week-old ceasefire with Hezbollah. “The Israelis are breaching the ceasefire whenever they can because they are not committed,” said Hussein Badreddin, a vegetable seller in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, which was pummeled by Israeli airstrikes over several weeks. “This means that they (can) breach any resolution at any time.” Since it began last Wednesday, the U.S.- and French-brokered 60-day ceasefire has been rattled by near daily Israeli strikes, although Israel has been vague about the purported Hezbollah violations that prompted them. Imad Yassin, a trader who owns a clothing shop in Nabatiyeh, said Israel was constantly breaching the ceasefire because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the displacement of residents of southern Lebanon. “The Israeli enemy was defeated and the truth is that he is trying to get revenge. Netanyahu is trying to displace us as citizens of southern Lebanon,” Yassin said. They spoke as bulldozers cleared streets strewn with rubble and debris from destroyed buildings. Electricians worked to fix power lines in an effort to restore electricity to the city. Both men were displaced by the war and returned to Nabatiyeh on Wednesday, the day the ceasefire went into effect. Yassin found his clothing shop had been destroyed. He said he would wait to see if the state will dispense compensation funds so that he can repair and reopen his business. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Two separate Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people in Gaza City on Tuesday, Palestinian medical authorities said. Six people, including two children, who were killed when an Israeli strike hit a school sheltering displaced people Tuesday afternoon in the Zaytoun neighborhood, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency services. A second strike hit a residential building in the Sabra neighborhood, killing at least three people, the services said. Israeli forces have almost completely isolated northernmost Gaza since early October, saying they’re fighting regrouped Hamas militants there. That has pushed some families south to Gaza City, while hundreds of thousands more live in the territory's center and south in squalid tent camps, where they rely on international aid. JERUSALEM — Israel's military confirmed it killed a senior member of Hezbollah responsible for coordinating with Syria's army on rearming and resupplying the Lebanese militant group. Syrian state media said a drone strike on Tuesday hit a car in a suburb of the capital Damascus, killing one person, without saying who was killed. Israel's military said he was Salman Nemer Jomaa, describing him as “Hezbollah’s representative to the Syrian military,” and that killing him “degrades both Hezbollah’s presence in Syria and Hezbollah’s ongoing force-building efforts.” Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years. Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups. Iran supports both Hezbollah and the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad, which is currently fighting to push back jihadi-led insurgents who seized the country’s largest city of Aleppo . TUBAS, West Bank — Israeli soldiers opened fire inside a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday during a raid to seize the bodies of alleged militants targeted in earlier airstrikes, a Palestinian doctor working at the hospital told The Associated Press. Soldiers entered the Turkish Hospital complex in Tubas after the bodies of two Palestinians killed and one wounded in airstrikes in the northern West Bank on Tuesday were brought there, said Dr. Mahmoud Ghanam, who works in the hospital’s emergency department. The troops briefly handcuffed and arrested Ghanam and another doctor. “The army entered in a brutal way, and they were shooting inside the emergency department,” said Ghanam. “They handcuffed us and took me and my colleague.” The military confirmed that its troops were operating around the hospital searching for those targeted in the airstrikes, which they said had hit a militant cell near the Palestinian town of Al-Aqaba in the Jordan Valley. It denied that troops had entered the hospital building or fired gunshots inside. The soldiers left after learning that the wounded man had been transferred to another hospital, Ghanam said. The soldiers wanted to take the bodies of the two men killed in the strike, but the hospital’s manager refused to hand over the bodies, Ghanam said. Israeli raids on hospitals in the West Bank are rare but have grown more common since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In Gaza, Israeli troops have systematically besieged, raided and damaged many hospitals. About 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the West Bank that it says are aimed at preventing attacks on Israelis — attacks which have also been on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three territories for an independent state. CAIRO — Palestinian officials say Fatah and Hamas are closing in on an agreement to appoint a committee of politically independent technocrats to administer the Gaza Strip after the war . It would effectively end Hamas’ rule and could help advance ceasefire talks with Israel. The rival factions have made several failed attempts to reconcile since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. Israel has meanwhile ruled out any postwar role in Gaza for either Hamas or Fatah, which dominates the Western-backed Palestinian Authority . A Palestinian Authority official on Tuesday confirmed that a preliminary agreement had been reached following weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The official said the committee would have 12-15 members, most of them from Gaza. It would report to the Palestinian Authority, which is headquartered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and work with local and international parties to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. A Hamas official said that Hamas and Fatah had agreed on the general terms but were still negotiating over some details and the individuals who would serve on the committee. The official said an agreement would be announced after a meeting of all Palestinian factions in Cairo, without providing a timeline. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media on the talks. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the war until Hamas is dismantled and scores of hostages are returned. He says Israel will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza , with civilian affairs administered by local Palestinians unaffiliated with the Palestinian Authority or Hamas. No Palestinians have publicly volunteered for such a role, and Hamas has threatened anyone who cooperates with the Israeli military. The United States has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern both the West Bank and Gaza ahead of eventual statehood. The Israeli government is opposed to Palestinian statehood. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed. NUSEIRAT REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza Strip — Palestinians lined up for bags of flour distributed by the U.N. in central Gaza on Tuesday morning, some of them for the first time in months amid a drop in food aid entering the territory. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, gave out one 25-kilogram flour bag (55 pounds) to each family of 10 at a warehouse in the Nuseirat refugee camp, as well as further south in the city of Khan Younis. Jalal al-Shaer, among the dozens receiving flour at the Nuseirat warehouse, said the bag would last his family of 12 for only two or three days. “The situation for us is very difficult,” said another man in line, Hammad Moawad. “There is no flour, there is no food, prices are high ... We eat bread crumbs.” He said his family hadn’t received a flour allotment in five or six months. COGAT, the Israeli army body in charge of humanitarian affairs, said it facilitated entry of a shipment of 600 tons of flour on Sunday for the World Food Program. Still, the amount of aid Israel has allowed into Gaza since the beginning of October has been at nearly the lowest levels of the 15-month-old war. UNRWA’s senior emergency officer Louise Wateridge told The Associated Press that the flour bags being distributed Tuesday were not enough. “People are getting one bag of flour between an entire family and there is no certainty when they’ll receive the next food,” she said. Wateridge added that UNRWA has been struggling like other humanitarian agencies to provide much needed supplies across the Gaza Strip. The agency this week announced it was stopping delivering aid entering through the main crossing from Israel, Kerem Shalom, because its convoys were being robbed by gangs. UNRWA has blamed Israel in large part for the spread of lawlessness in Gaza. The International Criminal Court is seeking to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over accusations of using “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations and says it has been working hard to improve entry of aid. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war isn't over against Hezbollah and vowed to use "an iron fist" against the Lebanese militant group for any perceived violations of a week-old ceasefire. “At the moment we are in a ceasefire, I note — a ceasefire, not the end of the war," Netanyahu said at the start of the government meeting Tuesday. He said the military would retaliate for “any violation — minor or major.” Netanyahu also thanked U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for his recent demands for Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza. Trump posted on social media Monday that if the hostages are not freed before he takes office in January there would be “HELL TO PAY.” Netanyahu convened Tuesday's meeting in northern Israel, where around 45,000 Israelis had been displaced by the war as of last week, according to the prime minister’s office. Netanyahu said the government was focused on getting them back in their homes and rehabilitating the area. BERLIN — German authorities have arrested a Lebanese man accused of being a member of Hezbollah and working for groups controlled by the militant organization in Germany. Federal prosecutors said the suspect, identified only as Fadel R. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in the Hannover region on Tuesday. The man is suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organization and is not accused of direct involvement in any violence. Prosecutors said he joined Hezbollah in the summer of 2008 or earlier and took part in leadership training courses in Lebanon. From 2009, he allegedly had leadership duties in two groups controlled by Hezbollah in the Hannover area, organizing appearances by preachers close to the militants. According to prosecutors, he was briefly a correspondent for a Hezbollah media outlet in 2017 and was tasked with coordinating building work at a mosque. Germany is a staunch ally of Israel. It is also home to a Lebanese immigrant community of more than 100,000. BEIRUT — The Lebanese army is looking for more recruits as it beefs up its presence in southern Lebanon after the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. Lebanon’s army is a respected national institution that kept to the sidelines during the nearly 14-month conflict. During an initial 60-day truce, thousands of Lebanese troops are supposed to deploy in southern Lebanon, where U.N. peacekeepers also have a presence. Hezbollah militants are to pull back from areas near the border as Israel withdraws its ground forces. The army said those interested in joining up have a one-month period to apply, starting Tuesday. The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops, with around 5,000 of them deployed in the south. DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s state news agency says a drone strike hit a car in a suburb of the capital, Damascus, killing one person. The agency did not give further details or say who was killed. It said the attack occurred Tuesday on the road leading to the Damascus International Airport south of the city. The area is known to be home to members of Iran-backed militant groups. Israel is believed to have carried out a number of strikes in the area in recent months as it has battled Iran-backed Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon. Israeli officials rarely acknowledge such strikes. JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister warned that if the shaky ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses, Israel will widen its strikes and target the Lebanese state itself. He spoke the day after Israel carried out a wave of airstrikes that killed nearly a dozen people. Those strikes came after the Lebanese militant group fired a volley of projectiles as a warning over what it said were previous Israeli violations. Speaking to troops on the northern border Tuesday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said any violations of the agreement would be met with “a maximum response and zero tolerance.” He said if the war resumes, Israel will widen its strikes beyond the areas where Hezbollah’s activities are concentrated, and “there will no longer be an exemption for the state of Lebanon.” During the 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which came to an end last week with a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France, Israel largely refrained from striking critical infrastructure or the Lebanese armed forces, who kept to the sidelines . When Israeli strikes killed or wounded Lebanese soldiers, the Israeli military said it was accidental . The ceasefire agreement that took effect last week gives 60 days for Israel to withdraw its forces from Lebanon and for Hezbollah militants to relocate north of the Litani River. The buffer zone is to be patrolled by Lebanese armed forces and U.N. peacekeepers. Israel has carried out multiple strikes in recent days in response to what it says are violations by Hezbollah. Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, accused Israel of violating the truce more than 50 times in recent days by launching airstrikes, demolishing homes near the border and violating Lebanon’s airspace. Berri, a Hezbollah ally, had helped mediate the ceasefire. JERUSALEM — Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike in the northern West Bank has killed two Palestinians. Israel’s military said it struck a militant cell near the town of Al-Aqaba, in the Jordan Valley. It did not immediately give more details. The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the two deaths and said a third person was moderately wounded. About 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza ignited the war there. Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the West Bank that it says are aimed at preventing attacks on Israelis, which have also been on the rise. Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want all three territories for an independent state. BEIRUT — Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon made his first public appearance in Beirut since he was wounded in an attack involving exploding pagers in mid-September. Mojtaba Amani, who returned to Lebanon over the weekend after undergoing treatment in Iran, visited on Tuesday the scene south of Beirut where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27. Speaking about the airstrike that destroyed six buildings and killed Nasrallah and others, Amani said Israel should get for its act “the highest medal for sabotage, terrorism, blood and killing civilians.” Amani suffered serious injuries in his face and hands when a pager he was holding exploded in mid-September. The device was one of about 3,000 pagers that exploded simultaneously, killing and wounding many Hezbollah members. A day after the pager attack, a similar attack struck walkie-talkies. In total, the explosions killed at least 37 people and wounded more than 3,000, many of them civilians. Last month, a spokesperson for the office of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the pager attack was approved by Netanyahu.
Candace Rondeaux Simply sign up to the Aerospace & Defence myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox. The writer is a professor at Arizona State University and author of the forthcoming book ‘Putin’s Sledgehammer: The Wagner Group and Russia’s Collapse into Mercenary Chaos’ The Biden administration’s decision to let Ukraine conduct Atacms strikes inside Russia illustrates a reality of modern warfare: industrial capacity now shapes deterrence as powerfully as political will. As Washington creates a narrow window for Ukraine to employ American precision strike capabilities before January’s transition to a Trump presidency, European powers are racing to rebuild their defence industrial base for a more uncertain future. Last month’s UK-German Trinity House Agreement underscores the trend. Their commitment to “rapidly develop brand-new extended deep strike weapons” represents more than military co-operation. It’s an acknowledgment that peacetime production models cannot meet the demands of sustained high-intensity conflict. When German defence minister Boris Pistorius speaks of “what these times require”, he’s articulating a new industrial imperative that could reshape Europe’s defence sector. The timing is crucial. At roughly $1.3mn a pop, every American Atacms missile fired at North Korean positions in Kursk or Russian logistics nodes is a costly loss of capability irreplaceable until production lines adapt. As the US moves from Atacms to the Precision Strike Missile system, manufacturers must maintain legacy systems while ramping up next-generation capacity. Such constraints force hard choices about immediate battlefield impact versus long-term deterrence requirements. Joe Biden’s protracted hesitation over Ukraine’s strike capabilities reflected this reality. In particular, Pentagon officials focused on how Nato’s decade of defence austerity had created vulnerabilities to Kremlin pressure. Washington’s scepticism about European strategic autonomy has been well founded, given the EU’s fractured defence priorities amid rising far-right influence. Yet Brussels’ rollout of an unprecedented unified defence industrial strategy signals an emerging appetite for change. Europe is starting to grasp that defence industrial capacity has become as crucial to diplomatic leverage as military heft. The Trinity House pact paves the way for a new artillery gun barrel factory in the UK, supporting 400 jobs and promising nearly £500mn in economic benefits. More significantly, it could reduce British and German reliance on US precision strike systems. This industrial realignment comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz conducted his first conversation with Vladimir Putin in nearly two years. The timing — just weeks after the defence accord with Britain — shows how industrial capacity undergirds diplomatic engagement. European leaders are increasingly framing support for Ukraine in terms of sustainable production capability rather than immediate military aid. In contrast to Washington, which is racing against a political calendar that could see sharp policy shifts under Donald Trump, European powers are building industrial capacity that can survive political transitions. A Franco-British-German alignment on precision strike capabilities is a hedge against potential changes in US strategic priorities. For defence manufacturers, this creates opportunity and urgency. Storm Shadow missiles’ effectiveness against high-value targets in Crimea has confirmed the value of precision strike capabilities. Yet current production rates cannot sustain high-intensity operations while maintaining deterrent stockpiles. European defence firms must scale up production capacity at a pace not seen since the cold war. The industrial shift goes beyond missiles. The Trinity House pact — with its extra focus on unmanned systems, underwater defence and integrated air capabilities — signals a deeper transformation of European defence manufacturing. Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger’s pledge to bolster UK defence technology leadership with German knowhow reflects the new approach. The next six months will test whether this industrial mobilisation can meaningfully affect battlefield dynamics in Ukraine. As Putin and Kim Jong Un calculate their responses to expanded western strike capabilities, they’re betting against industrial capacity rather than military capability. For investors and policymakers, the message is that European security will depend on industrial policy as much as military strategy. Along with Storm Shadow strikes in Ukraine, innovations in defence industrial co-operation suggest that European powers understand this. The question is whether their defence industrial base can adapt quickly enough to matter.Segall Bryant & Hamill LLC Makes New $1.21 Million Investment in International Game Technology PLC (NYSE:IGT)AP News Summary at 11:42 a.m. EST
The much-anticipated second season of Squid Game is currently streaming on Netflix. The new season picks up three years after Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) leaves the airport with a mission to end the deadly games for good, even as they continue to lure unsuspecting players with promises of a massive cash prize. 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 However, before the highly anticipated second season premiered, Netflix had to address a significant issue from the first season—a mistake that nearly turned one woman’s life upside down. The Blunder That Sparked Chaos In the very first episode of Squid Game, protagonist Gi-hun receives a mysterious business card with an eight-digit phone number. While it was intended to enhance the plot’s suspense, it turned out to be a real, active phone number when paired with South Korea’s mobile prefix, 010. This mistake led to a nightmare for Kim Gil-young, a resident of Seongju, South Korea, who had been using the number for over a decade. When the show became a global sensation in 2021—topping charts in 90 countries—curious fans began dialing the number to see if it was real. Gil-young told Money Today thatshe was bombarded with thousands of calls and messages around the clock. 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View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program “Since Squid Game aired, I’ve been receiving texts and calls 24 hours a day, to the point where it’s difficult to live my daily life,” she shared. “This is a number I’ve used for more than 10 years. I’ve had to delete over 4,000 numbers from my phone.” Her phone’s battery would drain within hours due to the constant influx of calls, and she initially had no idea what was happening until friends informed her that her number appeared in the show. Netflix Takes Action Unable to change her number because she used it for business, Gil-young reached out to Netflix and the production company, Siren Pictures , for help. Fortunately, the streaming giant acted quickly, editing out her phone number just weeks after the show’s release. The real digits were replaced with an unusable set: 010-034. Netflix and Siren Pictures also issued statements urging fans to stop making prank calls and sending messages. In Squid Game Season 2, the infamous business card makes a return, but this time, Netflix and the creators have taken extra precautions to avoid a repeat of the mistake. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )Buchanan scores 28 off the bench, Boise State downs South Dakota State 83-82By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) -The U.N. atomic watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution on Thursday again ordering Iran to urgently improve cooperation with the agency and requesting a "comprehensive" report aimed at pressuring Iran into fresh nuclear talks. Britain, France, Germany and the United States, which proposed the resolution, dismissed as insufficient and insincere a last-minute Iranian move to cap its stock of uranium that is close to weapons-grade. Diplomats said Iran's move was conditional on scrapping the resolution. Iran tends to bristle at such resolutions and has said it would respond in kind to this one. After previous criticism at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board, it has stepped up its nuclear activities and reduced IAEA oversight. China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against the text, diplomats in the meeting said. Nineteen countries voted in favour and 12 abstained. The IAEA and Iran have long been locked in standoffs on a range of issues including Tehran's failure to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites, its barring last year of most of the agency's top uranium-enrichment experts on the Iran inspection team, and its refusal to expand IAEA monitoring. The resolution seen by Reuters repeated wording from a November 2022 resolution that it was "essential and urgent" for Iran to explain the uranium traces and let the IAEA take samples as necessary. The resolution in June of this year did the same. The new text asked the IAEA to issue "a comprehensive and updated assessment on the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran's nuclear programme, including a full account of Iran's cooperation with the IAEA on these issues". Western powers hope that report, due by spring 2025, will pressure Iran into negotiations on fresh restrictions on its nuclear activities, albeit less far-reaching ones than in a 2015 deal with major powers that unravelled after then-President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from it in 2018. With Trump due to return to office in January and Iran having taken its uranium enrichment far beyond the deal's limits, it is far from clear whether Trump would back negotiations aimed at setting new limits before the 2015 deal's ones are lifted on "termination day" in October of next year. If no new limits are agreed before then, the report could be used to strengthen the case for so-called "snapback", a process under the 2015 deal where the issue is sent to the U.N. Security Council and sanctions lifted under the deal can be re-imposed. Last week IAEA chief Rafael Grossi visited Tehran, hoping to convince new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who is seen as relatively moderate, to improve Iran's cooperation with the agency. IRANIAN REACTION Grossi formally reported to member states on Tuesday that "the possibility of Iran not further expanding its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 was discussed" in his meetings with Iranian officials, and that the IAEA had verified Iran had "begun implementation of preparatory measures". Iran already has enough material enriched to that level, close to the roughly 90% purity that is weapons grade, for four nuclear weapons if enriched further, according to an IAEA yardstick. It has enough material enriched to lower levels for more bombs, but Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons. Grossi said on Wednesday he had asked Iran to cap that stock of 60% material and Iran had accepted his request. He told a news conference that day that it was "a concrete step in the right direction", suggesting that he felt a resolution could undermine that progress. With the resolution passed, Iran is likely to respond. Moments after the vote, Iranian state media cited a joint statement by the foreign ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran saying Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami has issued orders for measures like activating various new and advanced centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium. "If there is a resolution, it (Iran) will either increase its activities or reduce the agency's access," a senior diplomat said before the vote. (Writing by Francois Murphy; additional reporting by John Irish in Paris and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)
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