Top Hamas Commander Killed In Strike On Gaza Camp, Claims Israel: Report

The Israel Defence Forces on Tuesday claimed that it killed the commander of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion, Ibrahim Biari, in a strike on the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, CNN reported.

However, Hamas denied the presence of one of its leaders in the camp, spokesperson Hazem Qassem said in a statement.

IDF noted that Biari was one of the leaders responsible for sending 'Nukbha' terrorist operatives to Israel to conduct a terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, according to a CNN report.

Earlier, the IDF spokesperson Lt Colonel Richard Hecht said that the IDF was targeting "a very senior Hamas commander" in the area around the camp.

In a statement, the IDF said, "A short while ago, IDF fighter jets, acting on ISA intelligence, killed Ibrahim Biari, the Commander of Hamas' Central Jabaliya Battalion. Biari was one of the leaders responsible for sending 'Nukbha' terrorist operatives to Israel to carry out the murderous terror attack on October 7th. Numerous Hamas terrorists were hit in the strike."

The IDF said Ibrahim Biari oversaw all military operations in the northern Gaza Strip since it started its ground operation. He was also involved in multiple attacks on Israel going back decades. The IDF said it had carried out a wide-scale strike on terrorists and terror infrastructure belonging to the Central Jabalya Battalion, according to CNN report.

IDF in its strike damaged Hamas' command and control and its ability to direct military activity against IDF soldiers in Gaza. It said that a "large number of terrorists" were killed in the strike, which resulted in the collapse of the underground infrastructure that was being used by Hamas.

Taking to X, the IDF said, "Over the past day, IDF troops operated in a Hamas terrorist stronghold in Jabaliya, northern Gaza. The stronghold was used for training and execution of terrorism activities. During the ground activity, the troops eliminated approximately 50 terrorists, as well as destroyed entrances to terrorist tunnels and weapons."

At least 50 people were killed in the strike and subsequent collapse, The Times of Israel reported, citing Palestinian reports. The IDF reiterated its call on the residents of the area to move south for their safety, according to the report.

On Tuesday, Israel Defence Forces in a statement on X said another barrage of rockets just launched at Tel Aviv and central Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel Defence Forces spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the fighting in the Gaza Strip is becoming "more complex" as soldiers operate deeper into the region, The Times of Israel reported.

He said, "This is complex hand-to-hand combat. In the fierce battles that took place today, we lost troops." Hagari said two Israeli soldiers were killed on Tuesday as troops worked to capture a Hamas stronghold in Jabaliya, according to The Times of Israel report.

Speaking on an intercepted missile and several drones launched from Yemen towards Israel on Tuesday, he said, "There are many elements in the region that are under Iranian orders such as the Houthis." He noted that they try to challenge Israel and divert their attention away from the war in Gaza.

Hagari further said, "We remain focused on the fighting in Gaza." He said that the IDF "will know how to respond, at the time and place of our choosing."

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Jailed Iran Activist Smuggles Out Letter Of Thanks For Nobel Peace Prize

Jailed Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi has smuggled out a letter of thanks for her Nobel Peace Prize awarded earlier this month, saying it marked a turning point in "empowering protest and social movements worldwide".

The imprisoned women's rights advocate won the 2023 peace prize on Oct. 6 in a rebuke to Tehran's theocratic leaders and boost for anti-government protesters, while also drawing the Islamic Republic's swift condemnation.

Mohammadi is serving multiple sentences in Tehran's Evin Prison amounting to about 12 years imprisonment, one of the many periods she has been detained behind bars, according to the Front Line Defenders rights organisation.

Charges include spreading propaganda against the state.

In the letter smuggled out of prison and read by her daughter Kiana in a video posted on the Nobel website, Mohammadi said the news of her Nobel prize had been met with cries from her cellmates of "Woman, Life, Freedom", the slogan of the movement of which she is part.

"I am grateful to all of you and urge you to support the people of Iran until the final victory," she said in the letter read by her daughter, the first official reaction from Mohammadi to her winning the prestigious award.

"Victory is not easy, but it is certain."

Tehran, which has called the protest movement in Iran a Western-led subversion, accused the Nobel committee of meddling and politicising the issue of human rights in the wake of the decision to award Mohammadi the peace prize.

Mohammadi said she was sending greetings and gratitude to the Nobel Committee on behalf of what she said were 46 women prisoners of conscience and political prisoners held at Evin.

Arrested more than a dozen times in her life, and held three times in Evin since 2012, Mohammadi has been unable to see her husband for 15 years and her children for seven.

"The strength of this movement lies in the agency of Iranian women. We assuredly know what we want far better than what we do not want," she said in the letter, the text of which was also published on the Nobel website.

"We believe in it, commit to it, and are certain of victory!"

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Tesla Wins 1st US Suit That Blamed Its Autopilot Feature For Fatal Crash

Tesla on Tuesday won the first US trial over allegations that its Autopilot driver assistant feature led to a death, a major victory for the automaker as it faces several other similar lawsuits across the country.

The case, in a California state court, was filed by two passengers in a 2019 crash who accused the company of knowing Autopilot was defective when it sold the car. Tesla argued human error caused the crash.

The 12-member jury on Tuesday announced they found the vehicle did not have a manufacturing defect. The verdict came on the fourth day of deliberations, and the vote was 9-3.

Representatives for Tesla and the plaintiffs did not immediately comment on the verdict.

The civil lawsuit alleged the Autopilot system caused owner Micah Lee's Model 3 to suddenly veer off a highway east of Los Angeles at 65 miles per hour (105 km per hour), strike a palm tree and burst into flames, all in the span of seconds.

The 2019 crash killed Lee and seriously injured his two passengers, including a then-8-year-old boy who was disemboweled, court documents show. The lawsuit, filed against Tesla by the passengers, accuses the company of knowing that Autopilot and other safety systems were defective when it sold the car.

Tesla denied liability, saying Lee consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel. The electric-vehicle maker also claims it was unclear whether Autopilot was engaged at the time of the crash.

Tesla has been testing and rolling out its Autopilot and more advanced Full Self-Driving (FSD) system, which Chief Executive Elon Musk has touted as crucial to his company's future but which has drawn regulatory and legal scrutiny.

Tesla won an earlier trial in Los Angeles in April with a strategy of saying that it tells drivers that its technology requires human monitoring, despite the "Autopilot" and "Full Self-Driving" names.

That case was about an accident where a Model S swerved into the curb and injured its driver, and jurors told Reuters after the verdict that they believed Tesla warned drivers about its system and driver distraction was to blame.

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12 Dead After Drinking Illegal Bootleg Liquor In Indonesia

A dozen Indonesians died and four were in critical condition after drinking illegal bootleg liquor, authorities said today, the latest deaths caused by home-made alcohol in the Muslim-majority country.

Most Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam and alcohol is available in big cities, but high taxes make it expensive and some people can turn to potentially dangerous home-made liquor.

The government-run Subang district general hospital in West Java province admitted 18 victims for "alcohol intoxication" on Saturday, said hospital spokesperson Wawan Gunawan.

"There are five people under observation and 11 people died (at the hospital)," Gunawan told AFP Monday, adding that the victims were aged between 16 and 45 years old.

Another victim was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, Gunawan added.

The victims died after buying the bootleg booze to be consumed at a wedding party on Saturday, according to a local police report.

Four of the victims were in critical condition and one was recovering, said Gunawan.

Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the incident, said Subang police chief Ariek Indra Sentanu.

Local media reported a thirteenth victim had died after their family requested an early discharge from the hospital, but Gunawan could not confirm their status.

In 2018 more than 60 Indonesians died from drinking cheap home-made alcohol with police conducting raids across the country to arrest more than half a dozen vendors, including one who mixed mosquito repellent into his concoction.

In 2016, 36 people died in Central Java after drinking locally-brewed alcohol.

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Meta To Offer Ad-Free Subscription Plans For Facebook, Instagram In Europe

Meta Platforms said today it will offer users in Europe a subscription plan to use Facebook and Instagram without advertisements to comply with the European Union regulations.

The monthly subscription plans will cost 9.99 euros ($10.58) for web users, while iOS and Android users will have to shell out 12.99 euros a month.

The EU regulations threaten to curb Meta's ability to personalize ads for users without their consent and hurt its major revenue source.

Offering a choice between a free, ad-supported plan and an ad-free paid subscription might lead to users opting for the former, helping Meta comply with the regulations without affecting its ad business.

Meta was fined 390 million euros earlier this year by Ireland's Data Privacy Commissioner, and was told it cannot use the so-called "contract" as a legal basis to send users ads based on their online activity.

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Why London Mayor Wants Bollywood To Redo 'Amar Akbar Anthony'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, gunning for a term term, has a request for Bollywood: he wants them to redo the superhit 'Amar Akbar Anthony'.

Mr Khan, born in London in 1970 to parents who had arrived from Pakistan, explains why he believes that this is the right moment for such a request.  

"I have a Proposal to Bollywood. Please redo Amar Akbar Anthony in the UK because we have a Christian king (Ling Charles III), a Muslim mayor (he himself) and a Hindu Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak)," said Mr Khan, who grew up in public housing with his six brothers and sister in Tooting, an ethnically diverse residential area in the south of the city.

The movie featured Vinod Khanna (a Hindu police officer), Rishi Kapoor (a Muslim qawwali singer) and Amitabh Bachchan (Christian liquor seller). 

"London is the number one place for Bollywood films to be filmed and for people to come and invest in. I'm looking forward to Indians coming here as students, as tourists, as investors, and for locations for Bollywood movies," said Mr Khan, who joined Labour Party aged 15.

Mr Khan regularly recalls how his father drove London's famous red buses, his mother was a seamstress and one of his brothers is a motor mechanic.

"One of the reasons why London is the greatest city in the world is because Indians have chosen to make it their home. These are Londoners who have gone on to become doctors, business people, politicians, chemists, pharmacists, scientists, journalists and so forth. Our diversity is a strength. London is a place where you can fulfil your potential. I call it the London Promise," said Mr Khan, who made a name for himself as a vocal critic of Brexit. 

In 2005 he gave up his legal career on becoming the member of parliament for Tooting, where he still lives with his lawyer wife Saadiya and their two daughters.

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"We Are Heartbroken": Matthew Perry's Family After Actor's Tragic Death

Actor Matthew Perry was found dead at his home in Los Angeles on Saturday. He was 54. First responders found Perry unconscious in a hot tub at his house and were unable to revive him. 

His family in an exclusive interview with People spoke about the star's death. "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother," the family says. "Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend."

They add, "You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."

Mr Perry was best known for his portrayal of the wise-cracking Chandler Bing on the wildly popular "Friends," which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. "Friends" followed the lives of six New Yorkers navigating adult life, dating and careers. It was a mainstay of NBC's much-vaunted 1990s and early 2000s television lineup and drew a massive global following. 

During the height of his success, Perry battled for years with addiction to painkillers and alcohol, and attended rehabilitation clinics on multiple occasions, AFP reported.

Perry experienced health problems including a burst colon in 2018 due to his drug usage, which required multiple surgeries and the use of a colostomy bag for months after.

In his memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," published last year, Perry described going through detox dozens of times and spending millions of dollars in repeated attempts to get sober.

In the book, which he dedicated to "all of the sufferers out there", the 'Friends' star talked about drug abuse and alcoholism and described going through detox dozens of times and spending millions of dollars in repeated attempts to get sober.

The prologue talks about his time living in a sober living house in Southern California.

 

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12 People Including An Infant Killed In Plane Crash In Brazil

Twelve people including a baby died Sunday in a small plane crash in the Brazilian Amazon, officials said.

The plane, a single engine Cessna Caravan, came down near the airport of Rio Branco shortly after takeoff, the government of the northwestern state of Acre said in a statement.

Ten passengers -- nine adults and an infant -- as well as the pilot and co-pilot all died at the scene, it said.

According to local press reports, the plane erupted in flames on impact, causing a forest fire in a remote area near Brazil's border with Peru and Bolivia.

Many of the passengers were returning to the neighboring Amazonas state after receiving medical care, media said.

Fourteen people were killed in September when a plane crashed while trying to land during a storm in the Amazonas town of Barcelos.

And in June, four Indigenous children survived a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon, then managed to stay alive for 40 days in the jungle before being rescued in a massive search.

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Former US Vice President Mike Pence Drops Out Of 2024 Presidential Race

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Saturday that he is withdrawing from the US presidential race, saying, "This is not my time."

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition in Las Vegas, Pence -- the first major 2024 candidate to suspend his campaign, said: "It's become clear to me: this is not my time."

"After much prayer and consideration, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president."

Pence, along with most of his rivals seeking to be the Republican Party's nominee for next year's White House race, never gained momentum in a contest overwhelmingly dominated by former president Donald Trump.

The New York billionaire has overcome scandals and two impeachments and is currently battling multiple criminal prosecutions, yet retains fervent support from the party faithful.

Pence's surprise exit marks a key moment in the campaign, underscoring the difficulty for even Trump's loyal lieutenant in overcoming his former boss in the race to see who challenges Democratic President Joe Biden.

Pence, an establishment figure, ultimately refused to play along when tasked with overturning the results of the 2020 election that Trump falsely claimed to have won -- immediately becoming an object of scorn for Trump's followers.

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Tourist Dies After 30-Foot High Glass Bridge Shatters In Indonesia

A tourist in Indonesia has died and three others have been injured after a glass-bottomed bridge shattered beneath them. According to Metro, the incident took place on Wednesday morning on Geong Bridge - a 30-foot-high popular tourist attraction in a forest in Central Java. Two of the victims were able to cling to the bridge's frame while two others plunged to the ground, one of whom was declared dead shortly after the collapse. 

The Banyumas City Police confirmed the incident and said that they have launched an investigation, the outlet reported. The cops said two of the victims fell to the ground while two others clung to the bridge's frame. One of the people who fell to the ground was pronounced dead shortly after the fall, while the other suffered minor injuries, they added.

The Indonesian police have also set up a crime scene over claims the attraction's management overlooked complaints about the bridge's safety. According to Daily Beast, Ekop Purnomo, chairman of the Limpakuwus Pine Forest Cooperative where the bridge is located is said to have contacted The Geong's manager in April when the bridge opened, seeking a safety evaluation. He approached the manager after receiving complaints on social media, raising concerns about how safe the bridge would be.

Also Read | US Model Found Dead Inside Fridge Had Cocaine, Alcohol In Blood: Autopsy

Mr Purnomo claimed 5% of visitors expressed concerns online about the bridge's safety standards. The manager, however, allegedly did not show up to a requested meeting about the bridge's safety standards. Instead, he sent a representative. "There was no discussion. We only left a message," he said, as per Metro. 

For now, Me Purnomo has agreed to close the forest at the request of local police while the investigation continues. Banyumas City Police, on the other hand, confirmed the casualties on Wednesday. 

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Cash-Strapped Pakistan Airlines Forced To Ground Boeing 777 Aircraft

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is grappling with a dire financial crisis, resulting to grounding of several Boeing 777 aircraft due to insufficient funds for maintenance, as reported by ARY News on Friday.

According to sources, the national flag carrier has grounded four Boeing 777 planes, with an estimated maintenance cost of PKR 31 to PKR 40 million per aircraft.

"PKR 31 to 40 million is required for the maintenance of grounded Boeing 777 aircraft," ARY News reported, citing sources.

PIA has been grappling with a critical situation, as it had to cancel over 500 flights in the past 11 days due to fuel unavailability. The crisis escalated when Pakistan State Oil (PSO) reduced fuel supply to the airline due to unpaid dues, which has led to the cancellation of 537 flights since October 13.

The national flag carrier is facing arguably its worst crisis in history as Pakistan State Oil (PSO) has cut the fuel supply over unpaid dues.

The situation became even worst on Thursday as 49 domestic and international flights were cancelled from cities like Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Multan, and Peshawar after PSO slashed its fuel supply to PIA, ARY News reported, citing sources.

Meanwhile, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amir Hayat has written a 'motivation letter' to the employees ahead of the privatisation.

Amidst these challenges, PIA's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Amir Hayat, penned an open letter to motivate the employees during this financial crisis, flight operation closures, and the ongoing privatisation process, ARY News reported.

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Pak Police Gets Permit To Interrogate Imran Khan In Jail: Report

A special court has given the green light to Rawalpindi police to interrogate Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who are lodged in Adiala Jail in connection with the May 9 riots case, ARY News reported on Friday.

A Rawalpindi police officer appeared before the special court overseeing the cypher case and requested permission from the court to interrogate PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Qureshi in jail.

Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain inquired whether Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi were previously included in the interrogation. The police officer responded that both accused had not been part of the probe.

The police officer informed the court that the accused would be included in the investigation based on testimonies provided by the co-accused. He also mentioned that the police investigators possess a report concerning the May 9 riots in Rawalpindi.

The judge examined the case records against the PTI chief and vice chairman. Subsequently, the judge granted permission for the police to interrogate Imran Khan and Qureshi in Adiala Jail.

Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain noted that he allowed the police to question Qureshi in accordance with the law.

Earlier this month, a special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, formally charged PTI Chairman Imran Khan and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cypher case.

The hearing commenced in Adiala Jail on Monday, with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's legal team submitting a fresh petition challenging a potential indictment.

However, the court indicted the PTI chairman and foreign minister. Both politicians pleaded not guilty and refused to accept the charge sheet, ARY News reported.

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Pak's Nawaz Sharif Criticised For 'Sexist' Remarks At Homecoming Rally

Pakistan's former premier Nawaz Sharif on Friday came under fire in the Senate for allegedly using sexist remarks at his homecoming rally over the weekend.

Nawaz Sharif returned to Pakistan on October 21 after about four years of self-imposed exile in London and addressed a big rally of supporters in Lahore, his hometown.

Sharif attacked the women of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for dancing at the party's rallies.

"Where are our sisters? Look how respectfully our sisters are listening to this rally. There is no one dancing to music here. Do you understand what I am saying or not," he said, pointing towards his women supporters present in the rally.

Though uttered without openly using any derogatory words, his opponents objected to his tone.

The matter echoed in the Senate where PTI's Senator Walid Iqbal criticised the former premier by saying that Sharif should be taught by someone how to "respect women".

"Altaf Hussain (former chief of Muttahida Qaumi Movement) also talked against women and had to apologise later," Iqbal said.

When Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani intervened and asked Iqbal to avoid making a political statement, the latter responded by saying: "I am not making a political statement." Earlier, former PTI woman lawmaker Maleeka Bokhari took to social media to object to the reference towards the PTI women supporters.

"A convicted former premier openly passing sexist and misogynistic remarks about the political participation of women. Of course, he believes that only his daughter, Maryam has the entitlement and right to do politics and should be treated with respect," she said on X.

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Russia Launches "Special Operation" In Ukraine, Says Suspected Spy Killed

Russia said Friday that it killed a suspected Ukrainian spy and shut down two pro-Kyiv online outlets during an operation in the occupied part of Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region.

Since seizing control of large swathes of Ukraine last year, Russia has claimed to have foiled repeated acts of alleged sabotage as it tries to crack down on pro-Ukrainian resistance among the local population.

"As a result of a special operation in the territory of Zaporizhzhia region, the Federal Security Service suppressed the activities of three large agent groups coordinated by Ukrainian intelligence," the Federal Security Service said in a statement.

One man it suspected of working for Ukrainian intelligence was killed in a gunfight during the operation, the FSB said, without providing further details.

The administrators of a pro-Ukrainian chat room and a media outlet in the Russian-controlled city of Melitopol were detained, it added.

It said the administrators persuaded residents to gather information on the "locations and movements of Russian military personnel" and had been fomenting "an anti-Russian agenda in the region".

"The functioning of the information resources was discontinued," the FSB said.

AFP was not able to immediately verify the Federal Security Service's account of events.

The agency regularly detains people it suspects of collaborating with Ukrainian secret services, often claiming to have foiled acts of attempted sabotage or terrorism.

In a separate incident, the FSB said Thursday that it had killed a Ukrainian-born man on Russian soil who was plotting to blow up a military recruitment office.

Moscow-installed authorities also reported Friday an assassination attempt on a former pro-Russian Ukrainian lawmaker.

Oleg Tsaryov, an ex-MP and Moscow-backed anti-Kyiv separatist, was in serious condition Friday after being shot twice at around midnight in the resort where he lives, according to a post on Tsaryov's Telegram channel.

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"Why Do People Do This?": 10-Year-Old US Shooting Witness

Riley Dumont flung herself on top of her daughter when a gunman opened fire in a bowling alley in a shooting spree in Maine that left 18 people dead.

"It felt like it lasted a lifetime," Dumont told ABC News of Wednesday evening's attack at the bowling alley in the town of Lewiston.

Dumont said her father, a retired police officer, erected a barricade when the shooting began using "tables and a big bench."

"I was laying on top of my daughter," she told ABC. "My mother was laying on top of me. I just remember people sobbing and crying."

Law enforcement were searching on Thursday for the gunman who opened fire in the bowling venue and then a bar about a 10-minute drive away in the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year.

Robert Card, 40, a certified firearms instructor and US Army reservist, should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Zoey Levesque, 10, told ABC News that she was at the alley with her mother, Meghan Hutchinson, for youth night when the shooting began.

Levesque was grazed in the leg by a bullet.

"I was scared, but it didn't hurt, and I didn't know what happened until I started bleeding," she said.

"I just never thought someone would walk in and then just start shooting and taking people's lives away," Levesque said. "People shouldn't be coming in and doing that. That's not OK."

"Like why? Like why do people do this?" she asked.

Hutchinson told ABC she barricaded herself and her daughter in a back room until police arrived.

"While we were in the back room, another child came in whose arm had a massive bullet in it and he was bleeding profusely," Hutchinson said.

She said they initially did not want to open the door for the police.

"They were banging on the door," she said. "We weren't sure who it was."

- 'No words to fix this' -

Another survivor of the attack told CNN he was 15 feet (five meters) from the gunman when he opened fire. He thought at first it was a balloon popping.

"And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon and he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up into the machine and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes until the cops got there," the man told CNN.

In a statement on their Facebook page, the Just-In-Time bowling alley said "none of this seems real, but unfortunately it is.

"We are devastated for our community and our staff. We lost some amazing and whole hearted people from our bowling family and community last night.

"There are no words to fix this or make it better."

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4.5 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes China's Xinjiang

An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 on the Richter Scale jolted China's Xinjiang region on Wednesday, the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) reported.

The depth of the quake that occurred at 21:22:18 IST today was found to be 10 km.

"Earthquake of Magnitude:4.5, Occurred on 25-10-2023, 21:22:18 IST, Lat: 36.55 & Long: 84.29, Depth: 10 Km, Region: Xinjiang," the NCS posted on X.

No casualties are reported.

Further details are awaited.

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Donald Trump, His Former Lawyer Set For Showdown In New York Trial

Donald Trump is expected to attend his New York civil fraud trial on Tuesday to face off with his former lawyer and confidant Michael Cohen.

Cohen, who has become one of the former president's most vocal critics, had planned to testify at the trial last week but had to delay his appearance for health reasons.

Trump is not required to attend the proceedings, but he has showed up sporadically and used his appearances to portray himself as the victim of a Democratic Party plot to interfere with his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump and his two eldest sons are accused of vastly inflating the value of the Trump Organization's real estate assets to receive more favorable bank loans and insurance terms.

The former president does not risk going to jail in the fraud trial, but New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is seeking $250 million in penalties and the removal of him and his sons from management of the family empire.

Cohen, who served as Trump's personal lawyer and fixer for years, earning him the nickname "The Pitbull," has been taunting the former president on X, formerly Twitter, ahead of his testimony.

"It appears that I will be reunited with my old client @realDonaldTrump when I testify," he said. "See you there!"

"I will continue to speak truth to power... no matter Donald's continued smear and harassment campaign against me," he added.

It was Cohen's testimony before Congress in 2019 that sparked the investigation by the New York authorities into whether Trump artificially inflated his net worth.

Hush money case 

Cohen is also expected to be a star witness in a criminal case facing the former president in New York for allegedly paying election-eve hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with the payment. He has pleaded not guilty.

Cohen says he arranged the $130,000 payment in exchange for Daniels' silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Cohen was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison for crimes including the hush-money case and tax evasion, but was released after a little over a year and served the remainder of his sentence in home confinement.

Trump's defense lawyers are expected to attack Cohen's credibility during his testimony in the civil fraud trial by bringing up his criminal record.

Earlier this month, Trump withdrew a lawsuit he filed against Cohen in April seeking $500 million for alleged breach of attorney-client privilege and a confidentiality agreement.

No reason was given for Trump dropping the suit, but Cohen, 57, noted that it came just days before the former president was scheduled to sit for a deposition.

The civil fraud and hush money cases are just two of several legal battles facing Trump as he seeks to recapture the White House in 2024.

He is to go on trial in Washington in March for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and in Florida in May on charges of mishandling top secret government documents.

The 77-year-old Trump also faces racketeering charges in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to upend the election results in the southern state.

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Top Chinese Beer Maker Starts Probe After Man Caught Urinating Into Tank

A top beer producer in China is investigating a viral video that appears to show a factory employee urinating into an ingredient container. According to AFP, the clip, shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, showed a man wearing a helmet and uniform climbing over a high wall and into the container before urinating inside it. The incident took place at a Tsingtao Brewery warehouse. The footage garnered millions of views online, and also came to the company's attention, following which it alerted the police immediately and sealed the said batch of ingredients. 

Tsingtao is one of China's top beer producers and its biggest exporter. According to the news agency, the company on Friday said that it contacted the police over the incident and an investigation was ongoing. 

"Our company attaches high importance to the relevant video that emerged from Tsingtao Brewery No. 3 on October 19," the beer maker said in a statement. "We reported the incident to the police at the earliest opportunity, and public security organs are involved in the investigation," it added. 

"At present, the batch of malt in question has been completely sealed. The company continues to strengthen its management procedures and ensure product quality," the statement continued. 

Separately, citing the Business outlet National Business Daily, the BBC reported that both the person who took the video and the person appearing in it were not direct employees of the company. The Bureau of Market Supervision and Administration of Pingdu City, where the factory is located, also said that they immediately set up a team and conducted an on-site investigation after spotting the video, and sealed the whole batch of ingredients that appeared in the clip.

Also Read | Two Planes Narrowly Avoid Mid-Air Collision Amid Storm Above Portland Airport

Meanwhile, several Chinese social media users reacted to the video with anger and voiced support for one of China's best-known beverage brands. "A piss that will ruin a lot of money, this worker has done some real damage here," one user wrote, as per the outlet. 

"Good thing I don't drink beer - but it's unimaginable if this brand is finished because of this," said another. "Is this the first time though?" commented a third. 

The BBC reported that the incident also led to Tsingtao's share price fall on Monday. The company's shares fell sharply when the Shanghai Stock Exchange opened on Monday morning but were trading broadly flat by the afternoon, the outlet reported. 

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Hamas Likely To Release 50 Hostages With Dual Citizenship: Reports

Hamas might release 50 of more than 200 hostages they kidnapped in brutal October 7 attacks in Israel, several reports claimed. Red Cross representatives are allegedly on their way to Gaza to take out the hostages with dual nationalities, they alleged.

The development came against the backdrop of a report by the New York Times earlier today that said Hamas was exploring the possibility of releasing hostages who hold foreign passports.

On Friday, Hamas, while releasing two Americans Judith Tai Raanan and her daughter Natalie Shoshana Raanan, had said it was working with Qatar and Egypt to free its "civilian" hostages, in a sign that more releases could follow.

The American mother and daughter were seized from the Nahal Oz kibbutz near the Israel-Gaza border on October 7. They were reportedly on holiday in Israel at the time.

Israel says the Hamas operatives seized 222 hostages in the worst attack in the nation's 75-year history.

With the Israel military saying it had conducted more than 300 new strikes within 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said the death count had surged over 5,000, including more than 2,000 children.

Israeli raids came after the deadly Hamas attack which Israeli officials say killed more than 1,400 people who were shot, stabbed or burnt by the operatives.

It also said it thwarted a cross-border Hamas drone attack on Monday, shooting down two UAVs that were crossing at the Nir Oz and Ein HaBesor communities near southern Gaza.

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5,000 Killed In Israeli Strikes On Gaza, 40% Of Them Children, Says Hamas

1. In a televised briefing, Israel military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the country's ground forces carried out some raids inside Gaza. He said that the raids had been conducted by the "armoured and infantry" battalions.
2. Elaborating on the incursions that went "deep" into Gaza, Hagari said, "During the night there were raids by tank and infantry forces. These raids are raids that kill squads of terrorists who are preparing for the our next stage in the war."
3. He also said the Israeli forces were trying to find information on missing hostages. Over 200 people were taken hostage by Hamas operatives when they infiltrated and attacked cities in southern Israel on October 7.  
4. In retaliation, Israel has pummelled the Hamas-controlled Palestinian territory with air strikes for over two weeks and is also mobilising troops along the Gaza border for a ground offensive.
5. The Israeli military said it had hit "over 320 military targets in the Gaza Strip" over the past 24 hours.
6. "The terror targets struck included tunnels containing Hamas terrorists, dozens of operational command centres... and Islamic Jihad terrorists, military compounds, and observation posts," the army said in a statement.
7. Hamas released a statement too on the attacks and claimed that they destroyed the equipment of the Israeli raid party and forced them to retreat.
8. “Fighters engaged with the infiltrating force, destroying two bulldozers and a tank and forced the force to withdraw, before they returned safely to base,” the Hamas statement said.
9. Israel has warned more than one million residents in northern Gaza to move south for their safety, and the United Nations says more than half of the territory's 2.4-million population is now displaced.
10. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to remain in and around Gaza City in the north, unwilling or unable to leave.

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US Teacher Grabs, Slams Kindergarten Student For Throwing Paper On Ground

In a shocking incident, a teacher from Florida, United States, was arrested after she grabbed and slammed a kindergarten student for throwing a piece of paper, as per a report in the New York Post. Khadijah Tynnettta Muhammad, aged 54, grabbed the child by his neck and threw him to the ground, the police said.

On October 10, Ms Muhammad assaulted the kid at Margate Elementary School in Broward County in front of other students and staff. It is to be noted that she did not teach the student. According to the school's surveillance footage, the student was sitting on the floor in the hallway with other students before a class. He then threw a piece of paper in the direction of some of his classmates, as per police. The teacher walked to him and grabbed the boy by his left wrist "in an aggressive manner," police added.

As per the arrest report, "She continued to lift him off the ground by his arms, twist his arms and grabbed him by the back of his shirt while shoving him across the hallway."

The police added that the incident lasted for two minutes. "She ripped the jacket off his back and continuously grabbed the student by his arms, wrists, shirt and jacket until the altercation ended. Towards the end of the video, which was partially blocked from the camera view, she appeared to grab him around his neck and slam him to the ground," they added.

The 54-year-old was later arrested from her home on the grounds of child abuse. She is still employed by the school, as per officials. 

Nikki Glasco, the parent of the child added that disciplining should be left to the parents. "I know our kids may act out at times, but if there's a problem, leave the disciplining to the parents," she said. 

The district said that Ms Muhammad was reassigned from the students and an investigation is underway. "The school is working closely with law enforcement regarding this situation, and the teacher involved has been reassigned away from students and the school pending the outcome of the case," they said in a statement.

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"Bill Clinton Offered $5 Billion To Stop Nuclear Tests": Nawaz Sharif

Hours after his homecoming, Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif highlighted the achievements of his tenure and recalled how he gave a "befitting reply" to India's atomic explosion by conducting nuclear tests in 1998 despite being offered USD 5 billion by then US president Bill Clinton not to do so.

Sharif, 73, returned home on a special flight from Dubai, ending a four-year self-imposed exile in the UK, to head his party and try to secure a record fourth term in the general elections expected to be held in January.

Wearing a light blue kurta pyjama, a maroon muffler and a black coat, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo flew in from Dubai to Islamabad on the 'Umeed-e-Pakistan' chartered plane at around 1:30 pm local time.

He reached Lahore, considered a stronghold of his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, to address a massive rally, "I am meeting you today after several years, but my relationship of love with you is the same. There is no difference in this relationship," he told the cheering crowd. "The love I am seeing in your eyes, I am proud of it." Sharif recalled the huge pressure he faced from foreign governments in 1998 when Pakistan wanted to respond to India's nuclear test.

"There will be record present in the Foreign Office that Clinton offered me USD 5 billion [...] this happened in 1999...I could have been offered USD 1 billion too, but I was born from the land of Pakistan and it did not give me permission to accept what is against Pakistan's favour.

"Tell me, if someone else would have been in my place, you know who, could he have said this in front of the American president," he said, taking a dig at his main rival Imran Khan.

"We conducted the atomic test and gave India a befitting reply for conducting nuclear tests," he said in his nearly 60-minute speech at the PML-N rally at the Minar-e-Pakistan.

"So, do we get punished for this? Are verdicts announced against us for this reason?" he said.

Nawaz Sharif said he never betrayed his supporters nor did he shy from any kind of sacrifice. He recalled how fake cases were framed against him, his daughter and his party leaders. "But no one abandoned the PML-N flag." "Tell me, who are they who separated Nawaz Sharif from his nation? We are those who built Pakistan.

We made Pakistan an atomic power. We brought an end to load-shedding." He compared how roti costs way higher today than when he was in power. "Was I ousted for this reason? What is this decision? You are the public, you tell, do you agree with this decision?" The PML-N supremo lamented how the country was in a dire state today but at the same time vowed to redirect Pakistan to the path of growth.

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Pak Joins China's Project To Build Research Station On Moon's South Pole

Pakistan has joined China's expanding club of partners in an ambitious project to build a research station on the moon's south pole.

Jointly with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar witnessed the signing of an initial cooperation agreement in Beijing on Wednesday.

The China National Space Administration said on Friday cooperation would cover areas including the engineering and operational aspects of the Chinese lunar base programme.

China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has already secured cooperation from Russia, Venezuela and South Africa.

It has fixed a target to land its astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade.

The timeline to build an outpost on the south pole coincides with NASA's more ambitious Artemis programme, which aims to put U.S. astronauts back on the lunar surface in December 2025, barring delays.

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Chinese Citizens Told To "Find A Way On Their Own" To Leave Israel: Report

China is facing criticism for its handling of the evacuation of its citizens in Israel, as they are asked to purchase their own tickets for commercial flights, in contrast to other governments that are actively assisting their citizens in leaving the region amidst ongoing conflicts, Voice of America (VOA) reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, during a regular press briefing, advised local Chinese nationals in Israel to arrange their own travel back to China via commercial flights, which are still operational. "Commercial flights between China and Israel are still in operation. We advise local Chinese nationals to fly back to China on commercial flights as soon as possible."

While various governments, including Argentina, Taiwan, and the United States, are taking significant steps to evacuate their citizens through chartered flights and other means, the Chinese government's approach has garnered disapproval. For instance, the United States arranged for a cruise ship to transport its citizens to Cyprus, where they could continue their journey, according to VOA.

Taiwan announced that it successfully evacuated 156 Taiwanese citizens from Israel, while 147 chose to remain in the country.

Chinese citizens in Israel have expressed their frustration on social media, with some sharing their experiences of cancelled flight tickets and a lack of assistance from the Chinese Embassy.

On the Chinese social media platform, Xiaohongshu, a user called "Deep No Blue" posted, "Are there any Chinese living in Tel Aviv on the 9th? She said that Hainan Airlines tickets she and a friend purchased were cancelled. When they called the Chinese Embassy to ask how to leave, they were told to find a way on their own, as reported by VOA.

"You are the one who slandered the embassy," wrote one. Another posted, "Why did you bother the embassy if you could buy your own tickets? Your last post deserved to be deleted."

The cancellation of Hainan Airlines flights between Tel Aviv and Shanghai on October 9 due to the conflict added to the challenges faced by Chinese nationals.

China's state media outlet, Global Times, reported the flight cancellations but did not address the citizens' plight in the same detail. Some Chinese expatriates in Israel criticised the lack of concrete action by the Chinese government, and there have been repeated inquiries in WeChat groups about evacuation plans, with seemingly unsatisfactory responses from embassy staff.

Despite pleas for assistance, the Chinese Embassy in Israel has advised its citizens to take necessary security precautions and make their own arrangements for departure.

The situation has led to dissatisfaction among Chinese expatriates in Israel, with some feeling let down by their government's response and its failure to act swiftly in evacuating them from the conflict-stricken area.

VOA Mandarin reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Washington for comment and details about China's evacuation plan but received a response that reiterated the advice for citizens to use commercial flights for their return. The embassy spokesperson mentioned closely monitoring the situation and ensuring the safety of Chinese nationals.

In an email, embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu, replied, "Relevant Chinese diplomatic institutions are taking every effective step to keep Chinese nationals and institutions safe. Commercial flights between China and Israel are still in operation. We advise local Chinese nationals to fly back to China on commercial flights as soon as possible.

"We will continue to carefully assess the security situation in Palestine and Israel, closely track air and ground accessibility and safety conditions, and exert every effort to provide assistance to Chinese nationals," he added..

As of the search date, VOA Mandarin found limited direct flight options from Tel Aviv to major Chinese cities, with ticket prices exceeding USD 1,000 for most routes, potentially placing a financial burden on Chinese citizens looking to leave Israel amidst the conflict, Voice of America reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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US Giving Missiles To Ukraine A "Mistake, Will Prolong Agony": Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday it was a "mistake" for Washington to give Ukraine long-range ATACMS missiles, warning they would not affect the frontline and would prolong Ukraine's "agony".

Ukraine asked its Western allies for longer-range weapons to strike deep inside Russian-held territory, as its counteroffensive to recapture occupied land progressed slower than expected.

"War is war, and, of course ... they pose a threat, that goes without saying," said Putin, when asked about the weapons at a Beijing news conference.

"But most importantly, this will not change the situation on the line of contact dramatically at all," he added.

The decision to supply the missiles had been "another mistake on the part of the United States," he said. "It just prolongs the agony."

The White House confirmed on Tuesday that it had provided Ukraine with the missiles, which according to US media outlets have a maximum range of around 160 kilometres (100 miles).

Russian officials had already accused Ukraine on Tuesday of using the US-supplied missiles to attack Berdyansk, a Russian-controlled port city in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Ukraine had used the missiles after the attacks, but did not give details about how or when they were deployed.

"They have performed very accurately. ATACMS have proven themselves," he said in an evening address Tuesday.

Non-stop shelling

Putin's comments came as Kyiv warned Russian forces were likely to escalate their assault on the frontline town of Avdiivka, as Moscow continued shelling nearby Ukrainian positions.

Ukraine has in recent weeks reported intense Russian attacks on Avdiivka, which lies just north of the Moscow-controlled city of Donetsk, seized by pro-Russian separatist forces in 2014.

"I can say for sure that this is the largest offensive that has ever taken place in Avdiivka since the war began in 2014," the head of the town's administration Vitaliy Barabash said on television.

While attacks on the town itself had quietened down, Russia had continued to shell Ukrainian positions. "Most likely, in the next few days we expect this escalation to continue," he added.

The town has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance against Moscow, with Kyiv clinging on there despite relentless Russian attacks during the Kremlin's almost 20-month long offensive.

Russian forces now control territory to the east, north and south of Avdiivka, gradually tightening the noose in a bid to push Ukrainian forces further from Donetsk.

Avdiivka itself has been devastated by the conflict and most of its pre-war population of around 30,000 has fled.

Overnight attacks

Russia continued to attack other parts of Ukraine overnight, as officials said strikes on Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions killed at least three people.

Two were killed in a missile strike that hit a residential building in the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, the local governor said.

A 31-year-old woman was killed in a strike on a town just outside the city of Dnipro, Ukraine's internal affairs minister Igor Klymenko said.

Zaporizhzhia governor Yuriy Malashko said Russia "launched six missile attacks on Zaporizhzhia city" between 1:33 am and 1:48 am (2233 and 2248 GMT Tuesday).

"I am at the scene where the S-300 missile hit a residential building," Malashko said in an interview with a Ukrainian TV station.

So far there were two confirmed dead, three wounded being treated at medical facilities and three people unaccounted for, he added.

Emergency services said the Zaporizhzhia strike had destroyed the building's third to fifth floors. Photos showed a crater in the upper floors and a collapsed facade.

"The apartment was badly damaged. The part facing the street is not there at all. There are two rooms on the other side and there is nothing left at all," one resident, 41-year-old Tetyana, told AFP.

Residents said they were worried for the fate of at least one more couple who lived on the fifth floor.

Governor Malashko said three people were still missing.

In Dnipropetrovsk region, interior minister Klymenko said an attack that destroyed eight buildings had killed a 31-year-old woman and wounded four others.

"Russia once again struck the civilian population," he posted on Telegram.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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US, Israeli Embassies In Argentina Evacuated After Bomb Threats: Report

The US and Israeli embassies in Argentina were evacuated on Wednesday following two bomb threats received via email, local media sites Clarin and La Nacion reported.

Anti-bomb squads were reported on the scene.

Around 11:00 local time, authorities said a first search of one of the embassies turned up negative, La Nation reported.

The threats came amid an escalating war between Israel and Hamas, and as U.S President Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday pledging solidarity in the country's fight against the Palestinian group.

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1 Million People Fled, Life-Saving Essentials Run Out In Gaza: UN

The United Nations warned on Tuesday that Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip are being "packed into an ever-smaller area" and life-saving essentials have essentially run out, appealing for a humanitarian truce to allow aid access.

"It is now estimated that as many as 1 million people have fled their homes to other parts of Gaza," senior U.N. aid official Joyce Msuya told a meeting convened by Arab envoys on the enclave, which is controlled by Hamas militants.

Israel last week ordered some 1.1 million people in Gaza - almost half the population - to move to south as it prepares for a ground offensive in retaliation for the worst Hamas attack on civilians in Israel's 75-year-old history.

"In reality, civilians have nowhere to go — nowhere to escape the bombs and missiles, and nowhere to find water or food, or to escape the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe," Msuya said, urging a "humanitarian suspension of hostilities."

Israel has put Gaza under a total siege and subjected it the most intense bombardment ever. It has vowed to annihilate Hamas after it killed 1,300 people and seized hostages in an Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Some 3,000 Palestinians have been killed.

International diplomacy has been focused on trying to broker a humanitarian pause in the conflict near the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow the delivery of aid. Egypt says Rafah has not been officially closed but has become inoperable due to the Israeli air strikes on the Gaza side.

"We can't move humanitarian trucks and convoys while active bombardment is ongoing," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday. "There are intense discussions going on, in which we're involved, with a number of parties in order to try to get the most basic humanitarian aid in as quickly as possible."

After nine hours of negotiations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said early on Tuesday he had agreed with Israel "to develop a plan" to get aid into Gaza. He gave no details. U.S. President Joe Biden is due to visit Israel on Wednesday.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths is traveling to Egypt on Tuesday and plans to visit Israel, while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is due to arrive in Cairo on Thursday.

Ted Chaiban, a deputy executive director at the U.N. children's agency UNICEF, told the meeting on Tuesday that there was a risk of an infectious disease outbreak in Gaza as water supplies run out.

"We have a population of 2.3 million in Gaza, essentially without drinking water. We're down to three liters per person, when the normal average should be 15 litres," he said.

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Total Death Count In Gaza Rises To 3,000 As Israeli Airstrikes Continue

The Palestinian death count from Israel's bombardment of Gaza climbed to about 3,000 on Tuesday, health authorities said, and at least six people were killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a school run by the U.N.'s Palestinian refugee agency.

The violence raged as Washington announced that U.S. President Joe Biden would visit Israel on Wednesday to show support for its war on Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.

Israel has vowed to annihilate the Islamist group after Hamas gunmen crossed the border and killed 1,300 people, mainly civilians, during a rampage through southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7, the deadliest single day in Israel's 75-year history.

Since then Israel has flattened parts of densely urbanised Gaza with air strikes, driven around half of its 2.3 million population from their homes, and imposed a total blockade on the enclave, halting food, fuel and medical supplies.

An Israeli air strike killed senior Hamas military commander Ayman Nofal, who was in charge of central Gaza, according to Hamas' armed wing, the Izz el-Deen Al-Qassam Brigades.

The Palestinian health ministry said on Tuesday that around 3,000 people - many of them women and children - had now been killed and 12,500 wounded in Gaza since Oct. 7.

It added that 61 Palestinians have also been killed and 1,250 wounded in clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said at least six people were killed in an Israeli air strike that hit a school it ran in Gaza's Al-Maghazi refugee camp.

"This is outrageous and again it shows a flagrant disregard for the lives of civilians," UNRWA said in a social media post. "No place is safe in Gaza anymore, not even U.N. facilities."

Amid the death and destruction, the humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave deepened as Israeli troops and tanks massed on the border for an expected ground invasion.

Scores of trucks carrying vital supplies for Gaza headed towards the Rafah crossing in Egypt on Tuesday, the only access point to the coastal enclave outside Israeli control, but there was no clear indication that they would be able to enter.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Biden's planned visit at the end of hours of talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he said the Israeli leader had agreed to develop a plan to get humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians. He gave no details.

Blinken said Biden will "hear from Israel what it needs to defend its people".

He will also hear how Israel will carry out operations in a way that minimises civilian casualties and lets humanitarian aid into Gaza to help civilians "in a way that does not benefit Hamas", Biden said.

Israel's national security adviser predicted on Tuesday that the United States would get "involved" if the war escalated to the point where Iran and the heavily armed Lebanese group Hezbollah joined in on behalf of Hamas.

In a briefing, Tzachi Hanegbi noted expressions of support by Biden which included U.S. naval deployments in the Mediterranean and a warning to Hezbollah and Tehran to stay out of the fighting.

"He is making clear to our enemies that if they even imagine taking part in the offensive against the citizens of Israel, there will be American involvement here," Hanegbi said.

"Israel will not be alone ... A U.S. force is here and it is ready," he added, without elaborating.

Washington is also trying to rally Arab states to help head off a wider regional war, after Iran pledged "pre-emptive action" from its allies.

After Israel, Biden is expected to travel to Jordan to meet King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

He will also see Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, which exerts limited self-rule in the West Bank but lost control of Gaza to Hamas in 2007. The PA on Tuesday accused Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza.

Lifting Rubble With Bare Hands

In Jabalia, in the northern half of Gaza that Israel has ordered evacuated, frantic residents used their bare hands to lift chunks of concrete and metal, crying out when they located bodies from under rubble in a smoking bombing crater. Others ran with stretchers carrying the wounded.

A man emerged from a ruined building holding the limp body of a small boy in his arms.

Residents fleeing the north have crammed into southern areas such as Khan Younis but have found no respite from bombing there.

Amin Hneideq awoke to an explosion in Khan Younis that sent the window crashing down, lacerating his daughter's head. The bomb had missed his house but destroyed a home nearby, killing a family from the north that had sought shelter there.

"They brought them from the north just to strike them in the south," said Hneideq, weeping.

UNRWA, said only around 14 percent of Gazans had access to water through a single pipe to Khan Younis that Israel allowed to open for three hours on Monday. Concerns about dehydration and disease were high as water and sanitation services had collapsed. "People will start dying without water," UNRWA said.

Even if the Rafah crossing opens to allow aid in, most Gazans will not be let out. Egypt rejects any mass exodus, saying it would amount to an expulsion of Palestinians from their land.

'Vile Video'

Hamas released a video of a French-Israeli hostage, Maya Schem, one of 199 captives seized during the militants' Oct. 7 raid and taken to Gaza.

France called the video "vile". Schem's mother told a press conference she was "begging the world to bring my baby back home".

Fighting has also intensified across Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had killed four people who had tried to cross the border to plant explosives. Security sources in Lebanon said four people had been killed by Israeli shelling near the village of Alma Al-Shaab on the Lebanese side of the frontier.

Iran, which sponsors both Hamas and Hezbollah, has celebrated the Hamas attacks on Israel but denies being behind them. Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state TV: "We cannot be indifferent to the war crimes committed against the people of Gaza."

Clashes have also worsened in the West Bank, which was already engulfed in its worst unrest for years before the Hamas attacks from Gaza.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Qatar Strikes Deal To Return 4 Ukrainian Children Taken To Russia

Four Ukrainian children who were taken to Russia after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine are to be reunited with relatives following the mediation of Qatar, officials said on Monday.

Moscow has been accused of bringing thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia from Moscow-occupied territories.

The children, aged between two and 17, have been staying at the Qatari embassy in Moscow while Doha mediated between Russian and Ukrainian authorities, a diplomat briefed on the process said.

They include one child whose mother has been detained in Russia, and another who lost contact with his mother as he was in a Russian hospital when the war broke out.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin and his children's rights commissioner Maria-Lvova Belova over the alleged illegal deportations.

"Both Ukrainian and Russian officials have been cooperative in ensuring the safety and security of the children and their departure to Ukraine," said the diplomat on condition of anonymity.

"The minors, during their period of separation from their families in Russia, were provided with the relevant care and treatment by the Russian government."

All four are travelling to Ukraine via third countries including Qatar, Estonia, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.

Qatar called the return of the children a "positive step and a gesture of goodwill between the Ukrainian and Russian governments".

"We understand that today's breakthrough is only a first step, but we are encouraged by the commitment and openness showed by both sides throughout the process," Lolwah Al Khater, minister of state for international cooperation, said in a statement.

She added that "we sincerely hope will lead to more initiatives aimed at de-escalating tensions and building trust between the two parties".

Moscow welcomes Qatar role 

Qatar, a gas-rich Gulf monarchy, has acted as a broker in several international disputes, including last month's Iran-US prisoner exchange.

At a press conference in Moscow on Monday, Russia's children's rights commissioner did not confirm the deal.

But she welcomed Qatar's "mediatory" role in talks with Ukraine, including on the "process of reuniting children".

"They came out as a third party, they are trying to figure (things) out," she said.

"We hope for a continuation of cooperation."

Lvova-Belova again denied that children are being forcibly brought to Russia from Ukraine as a "lie" and refused to give a number of the minors from occupied Ukrainian territories in Russia.

"We don't lead the statistics," she said, adding that government ministries will publish statistics of regional social institutions.

Ukraine has said that "thousands" of its children are currently held by Russia.

Lvova-Belova said Moscow currently has 17 requests from Ukrainian families to return children, and that authorities were "working on this".

The official said she has made nine trips to occupied Ukrainian territories and that her office had opened "five humanitarian headquarters" there, including in Mariupol -- which was flattened and then captured by Russia early in its invasion.

Lvova-Belova has presented Russia's taking of the children as protecting them from the conflict.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"We're At War With Hamas, Not With Palestinians": Israel PM's Office

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Tal Heinrich, Spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister's Office (PMO) outlined that Israel's battle is against Hamas and not against the people of Palestine.

Heinrich emphasised the resilience of Israeli families and the importance of taking action against Hamas, saying, "Their resilience is our strength. The ones who are aching the most are the ones giving us the most strength."

"Today it is important to highlight what the families told the PM of Israel and what they told the entire nation of Israel, to hold our heads high and to do what must be done against Hamas," she said addressing a virtual press conference on Monday.

Heinrich also revealed that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has discovered evidence of a Hamas-produced kidnapper's guide. "The IDF found evidence of Hamas-produced kidnapper's guide. Now the guide explains in gruesome detail how Hamas terrorists should capture and torture kidnapped civilians," added Heinrich.

Further speaking about the guide, she said unveiled "gruesome methods" that Hamas terrorists would employ to capture and torture kidnapped civilians. She further said that more than 1,500 Israelis have been killed and 3,900 injured in the war against Hamas.

Highlighting the critical distinction, Heinrich said, "Israel is at war with Hamas and not with the people of Palestine."

And I urge you to ask your sources in Gaza why Hamas is exploiting innocent Palestinians and is using them as human shields.

She also expressed concerns about Hamas preventing Palestinians in Gaza from moving to safer areas while "using them as human shields with zero regard for their safety".

Heinrich also addressed the situation in northern Gaza, where she noted that while patients and staffers from six hospitals evacuated the premises, 14 did not.

"I was asked yesterday specifically about the state of hospitals in northern Gaza. You see, there are 20 hospitals in that area. The IDF says that six hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip had decided to independently evacuate. However, 14 did not," said Heinrich.

In addition, Heinrich cited a report by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency indicating that fuel and medical equipment had been removed or stolen by a group claiming to be from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

Heinrich called upon the international community to encourage Palestinians to temporarily relocate to safer zones, underlining that this action "will save lives". She highlighted Israel's own evacuation efforts, with 28 communities in northern Israel and more than 80,000 Israeli civilians evacuated to protect their lives.

Speaking about the recent military actions, Heinrich said that the IDF had conducted numerous airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas headquarters, mortar launch positions, and terrorists at a military compound. Notably, the command center of Ali Qadhi, a commander in the Hamas commando forces, was also struck.

"The targets included Hamas headquarters, mortar launching positions, and a number of terrorists at a military compound," said Heinrich.

Heinrich expressed Israel's appreciation for the unwavering support of its allies and mentioned Prime Minister Netanyahu's invitation to US President Joe Biden to visit Israel soon.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu invited US President Joe Biden to Israel, and we hope to host the president soon." She conveyed gratitude for the united front against the ongoing conflict.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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'We Failed To Protect Citizens': PM Netanyahu's Minister On Hamas Attack

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Sunday the government was taking responsibility for the devastating attack that allowed Hamas to enter Israel and kill hundreds of Israeli civilians.

"We have to admit honestly, painfully, and with a bowed head - we, the state leadership and the security establishment, have failed in maintaining the security of our citizens," Smotrich, a key partner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, told a news conference.

"We failed to implement the unwritten contract, the first of its kind between a state and its citizens. A contract that was written in blood and is now stained with blood."

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"Wash Babies' Blood Off Hands": Israel Envoy To UN Official Over Iran Meet

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan today blasted some of its officials on X, formerly Twitter, and "severed ties" with one who shook hands with a minister of Iran. He accused the United Nations of "living under a rock" and having "blood on its hands". "The UN's support for and legitimization of genocidal terrorists is a threat to civilization!" he wrote in one of his posts.

What set the Ambassador off was apparently a post by Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. "The specter of death is hanging over #Gaza.With no water, no power, no food and no medicine, thousands will die. Plain and simple," Mr Griffiths had posted.

The comment reflected the UN stance on Israel's warning to people in North Gaza to move south ahead of a widely expected ground attack by the Israeli forces.

"Have you been living under a rock? Your double standards truly know no bounds," Ambassador Erdan wrote in a blistering post.

"Where was your outcry when Hamas funneled all UN funds to dig terror tunnels and manufacture rockets targeting Israeli civilians?

"When Hamas diverted every resource -- water, energy, civilian infrastructure -- from the Gazan population, to their terror capabilities? Why have you never condemned this publicly?!" he added.

"Your voluntary blindness to the facts played a pivotal role in the creation of the terror machine that Gaza is today. UN officials have zero credibility or legitimacy to reprimand the country at the forefront of the war on terror! While we try to rescue the hostages. Shame on you!" he added.

Thousands of Israelis were murdered and maimed in the Hamas Nazi's barbaric terror attack. And tens of thousands more will be massacred in the future if this savage terror group is not obliterated.

Have you been living under a rock? Your double standards truly know no bounds…… https://t.co/JQWQ34qv1I

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 15, 2023

Then came his response to a photo of Tor Wennesland, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, who was photographed shaking hands with Iran's finance minister.

Ambassador Erdan posted a withering comment, saying Mr Wennesland should not "forget to wash the blood of Israeli babies off your hands after that handshake".

"Today (!!!), senior UN official, Tor Wennesland not only met with the Iranian regime's FM, but didn't even bother condemning Iran for its role in the massacre of Israeli women and children," Ambassador Erdan posted.

"It's no secret that Hamas terrorists are openly praising Iran for funding, arming, and training them.At the VERY SAME TIME, Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, openly called on the Muslim world to expand the attack on Israel," he added.

@Twennesland, don't forget to wash the blood of Israeli babies off your hands after that handshake.

Today (!!!), senior UN official, Tor Wennesland not only met with the Iranian regime's FM, but didn't even bother condemning Iran for its role in the massacre of Israeli women and… pic.twitter.com/EiFRcEZuLJ

— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 14, 2023

The UN officials are yet to respond.

Israel, or its ally, the US, are yet to officially accuse Iran of backing Hamas, though various Israeli leaders and defence officials have been reiterating it.

After Israel asked the residents in northern Gaza to evacuate to the south, the UN said it "considers it impossible for such a movement to take place without devastating humanitarian consequences".

Around 1.1 million people - nearly half the population of 2.4 million - live in the north of Gaza and on Sunday thousands were seen using the designated safe routes to evacuate.

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Israel Army Says Bodies Of Some Hostages Found In Gaza

The Israeli military said Saturday that the bodies of some hostages kidnapped by Hamas group had been found during operations inside Gaza this week.

"We have found and located some bodies in the perimeter in the Gaza Strip of Israelis that were abducted," a military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, told a briefing.

Israel says that at least 120 people were abducted when Hamas fighters launched attacks inside Israel on October 7 that left at least 1,300 dead.

The Israeli military has since staged "localised" raids inside Gaza to back an air onslaught on the territory that the Hamas government says has left at least 2,215 dead.

Peter Lerner said the bodies of hostages were found on these "small, close-perimeter raids into the Gaza Strip".

The Israeli military has carried out air raids on thousands of Hamas targets in Gaza, the spokesman said.

"They include quality targets such as drone facilities, they include naval facilities, they include command and control facilities, they include all of the rocket facilities," Peter Lerner said.

"Our assessment suggests that at this time Hamas are in a state of disarray, they have no idea what the situation is above ground, they have escaped into the tunnels."

Government officials also indicated that more time would be given for civilians to leave the north of the territory ahead of an expected full-scale ground offensive.

Lerner did not say there is a deadline to leave north Gaza, but told the briefing: "We have extended once again because we realised that there is a huge amount of people that need to get out. We are continuing to encourage the population in the north of the Gaza Strip and Gaza City to go south and get out of harm's way."

Foreign ministry spokesman Lior Haiat told the briefing that Israel is not demanding that Palestinians leave Gaza but just to get out of the north.

"We gave them (civilians) the time to do so and we will continue to give civilians time to leave the places that we think Hamas is using for its terrorist infrastructure," Haiat said.

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"My Mistake": Israel's Top Security Advisor On Not Predicting Hamas Attack

A senior Israeli official on Saturday admitted "mistakes" in intelligence assessments ahead of a brutal Hamas attack last weekend that took the country by surprise.

Palestine's Hamas group on October 7 launched a multi-pronged assault, breaching the Gaza border barrier and targeting southern Israeli communities and army bases.

"It's my mistake, and it reflects the mistakes of all those making (intelligence) assessments," National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told a press briefing when asked about his recent remarks predicting no Hamas aggression.

"We really believed that Hamas learned the lesson from" its last major war with Israel in 2021," Tzachi Hanegbi said.

More than 1,300 civilians and security forces have been killed since the attack began, according to Israeli officials, and at least 120 have been seized by militants and believed to be held captive in Gaza.

Tzachi Hanegbi rejected negotiations towards any prisoner swap deal with Hamas.

"There's no way to negotiate with an enemy we have sworn to obliterate," he said.

Relentless Israeli air strikes on the blockaded Palestinian enclave over the past week have killed upwards of 2,200 including at least 600 children, Hamas officials said.

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Israel Families Demand Urgent Help To Get Medicines To Gaza Hostages

Israeli families with members held captive by Hamas for a week in Gaza demanded that the International Committee of the Red Cross facilitate an arrangement Saturday enabling the transfer of medicines to their loved ones.

"We expect that tonight, by midnight (2100 GMT), there will be an agreement to transfer medicine to the missing people and hostages," said Ronen Tzur, who heads the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

"We expect answers from the International Committee of the Red Cross tonight," Ronen Tzur said.

Palestine's Hamas group launched a multi-pronged assault early on October 7, breaching the Gaza border barrier and targeting southern Israeli communities and army bases.

More than 1,300 civilians and soldiers have been killed since the attack began, according to Israeli officials, and at least 120 have been seized and are believed to be held captive in Gaza.

Speaking alongside Ronen Tzur at a briefing in Tel Aviv, Hagai Levine, chairman of the Israel Association of Public Health Physicians who was working with the families, said there were 150 captives with various medical conditions who needed "life-saving medicines immediately".

Ronen Tzur said that if the hostages did not receive the care they needed, Israel should withhold medical care from Hamas prisoners it held.

"There are Hamas prisoners being held in Israeli prisons receiving the best medical care available," he said.

"If there's no choice, we need to change the rules of the game with this enemy."

 

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AI May Lead To Flattening Of Pay Structure: IMF's Gita Gopinath

As the lingering effects of the Covid pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war continue to be felt, it's been a challenging few years for the global economy, but there are rays of hope as well. In an exclusive interview with NDTV in Marrakech, the International Monetary Fund's Gita Gopinath spoke about the macroeconomic stability in India, the headwinds in China, artificial intelligence, extreme weather events and how all of these will impact the trajectory of the world economy in the coming years.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 World Bank Group - IMF Annual Meetings, the First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF also spoke about the impact of the conflicts between Israel and Gaza and Russia and Ukraine on oil prices and food security. 

Boundless Potential, Some Concerns

Emphasising that it is early days to assess the true potential of artificial intelligence, Ms Gopinath said the promise of generative AI could raise productivity and help boost slowing global growth. 

"But it is far from certain at this point whether we are going to get all that productivity gain. Obviously, the innovation is important but it is going to require regulation. This is not business as usual, this is a very different animal that we have to deal with in terms of regulation. We have to make sure AI is used so that it actually benefits humanity," she said. 

Ms Gopinath said governments will need plans and account for the possibility of a lot of workers being affected directly by AI, and some losing their jobs. 

"What we have seen traditionally with technology is this concern that it will cause a lot of layoffs and doesn't really help create jobs. And what history has taught us is that, on net, a lot more jobs are created. They are in different sectors and demand different skills and so there are people who get affected and lose jobs but that's where policy plays a role in making sure that they get the right support they need," she said.

The senior IMF official also said that AI will have an impact on the general pay structure. "It is very interesting, the early studies that are coming up. In the past, as a new entrant to a particular industry, you didn't have the experience, you had to wait to learn and therefore the pay you got was not as much. With AI you get to use the experience that others had and you get that information really quickly. So we could see somewhat more of a flattening of the pay structure. "

India Third-Largest Economy?

Asked about India's economic growth and whether the country is on course to becoming the third-largest economy in the world by 2030, Ms Gopinath said, "India has strong growth. At 6.3%, it is one of the largest growth numbers that we have among major economies. We have 6.3% for this year and 6.3% for next year. We did the upgrade because the first quarter data came in somewhat stronger than we had expected."

"If there is this continuing amount of public investment that happens, that seems to be catalsying private investment and consumption is holding up better than we expected, so I think those are good signs. In terms of the trillion-dollar number that India gets to, I am always a bit cautious because in the last three years we had the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. I wouldn't want to venture into talking about particular dates," she added.

Mr Gopinath pointed out that the important thing is that India's economy is strong, there is macro stability and inflation is coming into the RBI's target band. "The financial sector is the strongest it has been in a long time. If you combine that with structural reforms, a lot of which is still needed, that could generate a lot of growth in India," she said.

China Concerns

Ms Gopinath said the IMF had downgraded China's growth projection slightly, from 5.2% to 5% for this year, and the organisation sees growth slowing down in China in the coming years. She emphasised that the property sector is an important concern and so are its ageing population and weaker productivity growth.

"In terms of spillovers to Asia as a whole, the estimate we have is that when China's growth goes down by 1 percentage point, it shaves off about 0.3 percentage points out of growth over a five-year period for Asian regions. If I look at India specifically, I don't see strong direct spillovers. We don't expect to have a big effect of India slowing down. But if there is a more general slowdown in the global economy that comes from Asia slowing down, of course that would feed into growth for India," she said. 

World Growth, Food Insecurity

Asked about the reasons behind the global growth outlook for 2023 being 3%, well below the pre-pandemic levels, Ms Gopinath pointed to ageing demographics and weakening productivity. She said China plays an important role in this. 

On food insecurity stemming from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, she said it affects low-income countries the most because they spend a big percentage of their consumption basket on food. She asserted that while food prices have come down, they are still quite high and that remains a concern. 

Ms Gopinath said that among the measures taken by the IMF to address this was the creation of the Food Shock Window to help countries in need. 

Climate And The Future

Ms Gopinath said that while there is an increase in extreme climate-related disasters and the economic cost of that is adding up, the implications for global growth are small for now because the larger economies are doing relatively okay.

"For individual countries, small island nations, this can be very, very big. Even in India, temperatures are going up at twice the rate that it's happening, on average, in the world. So it is quite vulnerable," she said.

The IMF official pointed out that India played a big role in pushing for the reforms of Multilateral Development Banks through its G20 leadership and she sees momentum on that front. She also said the inclusion of the African Union into the G20 is very important because most of the working-age population will be on the African continent over the next many years. 

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Israeli Fire Kills 9 In West Bank As Palestinians Rally For Gaza

At least nine Palestinians were killed Friday by Israeli fire across the occupied West Bank during rallies in solidarity with war-battered Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said.

AFP correspondents and a security official reported clashes in Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarm, Hebron and other cities and towns across the West Bank, nearly a week after a massive Hamas attack on Israel's south spiralled into an all-out war.

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas group from the blockaded Gaza Strip launched the onslaught early Saturday. In Gaza, over 1,500 people have died in Israeli reprisal strikes over the same period.

At least 44 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank in violence related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since Saturday, according to the health ministry.

By Friday afternoon, the ministry reported "nine martyrs by occupation (Israeli) bullets in the West Bank" and some 130 wounded across multiple locations, some critically.

At least three of the deaths were in Tulkarm.

In Beit Furik, near Nablus, a 14-year-old boy was killed, medical sources told AFP.

Deaths were also recorded in Beit Ula, Tammun, Bethelem and Hebron, the health ministry said in separate statements.

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EU To Investigate Elon Musk's X For Potential Hamas-Israel War Disinfo

The European Commission said Thursday it is opening an investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to determine if it has allowed the spread of disinformation about the conflict in the Middle East.

The Commission said it had sent a formal request for information to X in what is a first procedure launched under Brussels' new European Digital Services Act (DSA). It comes two days after it fired off a warning letter from internal market Commissioner Thierry Breton.

In a statement, the Commission said it was responding to "indications received concerning the presumed transmission of illicit content."

Its demand for clarification comprises a 40-page document with a raft of specific questions.

Twitter has until October 18 to respond, with a deadline of October 31 for less urgent aspects of the demand for information.

Breton, the Commission's self-styled "digital enforcer," told AFP that Thursday's move is about "protecting our citizens and democracies in offering users a safe environment and reliable sources of information -- including in times of crisis."

X has defended itself against earlier claims from the European Union that it is failing to tackle disinformation around the Gaza-Israel conflict as Brussels investigates.

The firm's CEO Linda Yaccarino wrote that the platform, formerly Twitter, had "taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content" and removed hundreds of accounts linked to Gaza militant organisation Hamas, which attacked Israel on Saturday.

She addressed the letter, dated Wednesday, to Breton, who traded barbs with Musk on social media after accusing the platform of allowing "violent and terrorist content" to circulate.

Breton has sent similar letters of alarm to Mark Zuckerberg, boss of Facebook parent Meta, and on Thursday to TikTok and its CEO Shou Zi Chew.

In each case, Breton gave the platforms 24 hours to get back to him with details of what they are doing to crack down on "illegal content and disinformation" reportedly circulating in posts.

Breton stressed that the large online platforms are now subject to the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), legislation that came in two months ago that requires them to crack down on content deemed illegal under EU law or laws of individual EU countries.

Violations of the DSA can be met with mandatory remedial measures to halt such content, or fines that could go up to six percent of a company's global turnover, or potentially even steps to ban offending platforms from Europe.

Breton posted copies of each of his letters to his accounts on X and on an X rival called Bluesky.

X is especially fixed in Brussels' crosshairs because Musk, who bought Twitter for $44 billion last year, has gutted its staff, including content moderators, in a bid to save money.

- Young TikTok users at risk -

Yaccarino's response letter to Breton, reposted by the CEO on her X account, said the firm had taken down posts that involved "violent speech, manipulated media and graphic media".

She said that more than 700 notes were added to posts in the first four days after the violence erupted in Israel, and they were seen tens of millions of times.

In his letter to TikTok, Breton stressed that its users, who are mainly young, were especially vulnerable to fake and manipulated information.

"Given that your platform is extensively used by children and teenagers, you have a particular obligation to protect them from violent content depicting hostage taking and other graphic videos which are reportedly widely circulating on your platform, without appropriate safeguards," Breton said.

To Zuckerberg, Breton noted that Meta had made some efforts at content moderation but urged it to be "vigilant" about meeting DSA requirements in light of the current Israel-Hamas conflict.

A Meta spokesperson said in reply the company had quickly set up monitoring teams with experts speaking Hebrew and Arabic, who were working with fact checkers to curb disinformation, and that "we'll continue this work as this conflict unfolds".

AFP fact-checkers have found several posts on X, Facebook and TikTok promoting a fake White House document allocating $8 billion in military assistance to Israel.

And several platforms have had users passing off material from other conflicts, or even from video games, as footage from Israel or Gaza.

The EU recently rated X as the worst of any major platform for illegal online content based on a pilot analysis, and Musk has pulled out of a voluntary EU code of practice on battling disinformation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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