Russian military plane carrying 74 people crashes in Belgorod region - state media
CNN — A Russian military plane carrying 74 people has crashed in the Belgorod region, officials said according to media reports.
Russian news agencies citing the Defense Ministry said 65 of those on board were Ukrainian servicemen who were being flown to Belgorod ahead of a prisoner swap. CNN cannot independently verify this claim.
In addition, there were six crew members and three “accompanying personnel” on board the IL-76.
The cause of the crash is not yet known.
The Kremlin declined to comment on the reported crash. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “This is quite new information, we will now deal with it. I can’t say anything yet.”
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said “an investigative team and Emergency Situations Ministry employees are currently working at the scene. I changed my work schedule and went to the area. All details later.”
Gladkov said the “incident” took place in the Korochansky district of the Belgorod region, northeast of Belgorod City.
Rødt politician Jorunn Folkvord interrupted NRK's MGP broadcast: - But I didn't want to spoil it for MGP fans
Low-cost giant Wizz Air announced the resumption of flights to Israel in March
Foreign companies that fly to Israel
Creators pay tribute to TikTok chef Lynn Yamada Davis, host of 'Cooking With Lynja' who died at 67
The creator of fast-paced, fun cooking tutorials died from esophageal cancer.
Tributes from content creators have poured in on social media after news rocked the tight-knit digital culinary community that TikTok star Lynn "Lynja" Yamada Davis died.
The late social media star who was best known for her quirky and fun cooking tutorials, died from esophageal cancer on New Year's Day at Riverview Medical Center in New Jersey, as first reported by the LA Times following confirmation from her eldest daughter Hannah Shofet.
From a YouTube channel with nearly 10 million subscribers to a TikTok with over 17 million followers and Instagram with 2.2 million, "Cooking With Lynja" was a warm and well-loved addition to the sea of content in the ever-changing algorithms.
Her son Tim Davis shared a tribute video on her social media channels Friday, confirming the news as well as showing memorable family photos that highlight "how amazing and cool she really, really was."
"When I think of my mom, this is who I think of," he said. "The Internet's grandma. She was the best. So glad you guys got to experience how wonderful of a person she was and that you guys treated her so well."
The video, as of the time of publication, has racked up over 9 million views on TikTok with over 63,000 comments.
One of the photos Tim showed gave followers a glimpse into their family's old kitchen from 1995, where she was helping him roll out the dough while standing on a step stool. "Way different than the 'Cooking with Lynja' kitchen," he said in the video.
Culinary creators regularly collaborate with one another through in-person pop-ups and events, so it comes as no surprise that Davis' lasting impact is being celebrated in the form of social media tributes.
Commenters on Davis' video included record producer and actor Benny Blanco, who wrote: "heaven just got an angel. I can still hear her infectious laugh in my head now... prayers for u and ur family."
Chef and food personality Nick DiGiovanni, known for his viral cooking videos like setting the Guinness World Record with Davis for creating the largest donut in September, created an original tribute to his close friend, recapping behind-the-scenes moments.
"You might remember her as the fun-loving cooking grandma. But I'll always remember her as the woman who fought off her cancer diagnosis for as long as she could, humbly and quietly without ever complaining," he said in the video before cutting to clips of the pair cooking, high-fiving, and setting world records and traveling to Japan and Italy together.
Davis, a third generation Japanese American, first started her YouTube channel in 2020 with her son Tim and went on to share delicious recipes, helpful bites of cooking knowledge in a signature style filled with funky edits and cheesy jokes.
In addition to her collaborations with food creators, Davis was named in Forbes' Top 50 Creators list in 2022, earned three consecutive Streamy Awards nominations, winning her first in 2022.
Davis is survived by her daughter Shofet, husband Keith Davis, daughter Becky Steinberg, sons Tim Davis and Sean Davis and siblings Jay Yamada and Karen Yamada Dolce.
Her funeral has already been held, but the family told fans they can donate to the Monmouth County SPCA or the Monmouth & Ocean chapter of food charity FulFill in Davis' honor
Ready for more? Another winter storm warning for Friday night
Snowfall floor forecast at 10-15 cm under warnings, ceiling at 20-30
Fewer than 72 hours after the midweek snowstorm that hit the Ottawa-Gatineau area comes another late-week storm after sunset Friday.
Environment Canada has winter storm warnings for almost the entire region except for communities along the water west of Brockville.
All forecast double-digit snowfall totals and strong winds. None mention the rain and ice that made up the back half of the earlier storm.
Most say the snow should end by morning, with exceptions detailed below.
Blinken in Israel: Can the US dictate a less intense war in Gaza?
American rabbis disrupt UN meeting, demand Biden stops blocking peace in Gaza
Meeting of General Assembly follows recent US veto of resolution amendment calling for ceasefire in Gaza Palestinian envoy asks world to end ‘schizophrenia’ of opposing war atrocities while at same time vetoing peace
NEW YORK: Dozens of American rabbis disrupted a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday to demand that Washington stops preventing the UN Security Council from taking urgent action in support of an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
During their protest — led by the organization Rabbis 4 Ceasefire and co-organized by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow — the 36 rabbis, who came from several states, sang, prayed, recited excerpts from the UN Declaration of Human Rights and staged a memorial service. They carried banners that read “Biden: The World Says Ceasefire” and called on the US president to “stop vetoing peace.”
After they were escorted from the premises by security staff, they held a press conference outside the UN. Rabbi Alissa Wise, the founder of Rabbis 4 Ceasefire, said they have been watching in horror as the US government has “single-handedly blocked efforts to stop Israel’s bombing and starvation of Gaza.”
She added: “We know there is no military solution to this violence. We’re praying here because the UN is where meaningful, diplomatic action to stop the violence can take place, and because prayer is how we, as rabbis, know how to express our fears, dreams, hopes and despair.”
Rabbi Abby Stein, a member of Jews For Racial and Economic Justice, said the UN was created in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Nazi Holocaust that targeted Jewish people, with the intention of ensuring that such an atrocity would never happen again.
“I am here as a Jew, as an ordained rabbi, as the granddaughter of three Holocaust survivors, to urge the UN to follow through on this noble mission,” she said. “‘Never again’ means never again for anyone.”
Rabbi Elliot Kukla said: “The US is defending the indefensible at a General Assembly, using its veto power to single-handedly block the UN from taking meaningful action for a ceasefire.
“I am here as a rabbi because Jewish tradition demands that we do everything in our power to save lives, which means getting humanitarian assistance to Palestinians who are being displaced, are starving and have nowhere safe to shelter as bombs rain down.
“Our government refuses to represent this overwhelmingly popular demand; we came here directly to represent ourselves and our Jewish values.”
Tuesday’s meeting came after the US vetoed a proposal by Russia to amend a Security Council resolution to include a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Dec. 22, the council adopted a resolution, drafted by the UAE, calling for increased aid to the Gaza Strip, including urgent steps including safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access to the territory. The US abstained from the vote among the 15-member council but did not use its power of veto and so the resolution was adopted.
Russia had proposed an amendment to the resolution calling for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities.” The US vetoed this proposed change.
A General Assembly resolution dictates that whenever a member of the Security Council uses its power of veto, it triggers a meeting and debate in the assembly to scrutinize and discuss the move.
Robert Wood, the US deputy permanent representative to the UN, said that although the US had abstained from voting, it had nonetheless worked “in good faith” to help forge a strong resolution.
“This work supports the direct diplomacy the US is engaged in to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to help get hostages out of Gaza,” he added.
Alluding to the Russian amendment, Wood accused Moscow of putting forward ideas that were “disconnected from the situation on the ground.”
He said it was “deeply troubling that so many member states seem to have stopped talking about the plight of the more than 100 hostages being held by Hamas and other groups. The United States remains committed to bringing all of the hostages home. Every single one.”
He added: “It is also striking that even as we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all like to see, we hear very few demands of the initiator of this conflict — Hamas — to stop hiding behind civilians, lay down its arms and surrender.
“This would have been over if Hamas’s leaders had done that. It would be good if there was a strong international voice pressing Hamas’s leaders to do what is necessary to end the conflict that they set in motion on Oct. 7.”
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, said he stood before the General Assembly “representing a people being slaughtered, with families killed in their entirety, men and women shot in the streets, thousands abducted, tortured and humiliated, children killed, amputated, orphaned — scarred for life.”
It is incomprehensible, he added, that the Security Council is still being prevented from calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire even though 153 member states in the General Assembly, and the UN’s secretary-general, had called for exactly that.
Israel’s “war of atrocities” is without precedent in modern history, Mansour said. “This is not about Israeli security, this is about Palestine’s destruction,” he continued. “The interests and objectives of this extremist Israeli government are clear, and incompatible with the interests and objectives of any country that supports international law and peace”
He asked: “How can you reconcile opposing the atrocities and vetoing a call to end the war that is leading to their commission?”
Called for “this schizophrenia” to stop, he added: “Don’t call for peace and spread fire. If you want peace, start with a ceasefire. Now.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, denounced the calls for a ceasefire while Israeli hostages are still held captive.
“How morally bankrupt has this body become?” ha asked. He said that “despite the UN’s moral rot,” the citizens of Israel are resilient, with the faith, hope and unbreakable resolve to defend themselves.
He accused the UN of ignoring the Israeli victims of the conflict, caring only about Gazans, and becoming “an accomplice to terrorists,” and said the organization had lost the justification for its existence.
The UN “has been obsessed only with the well-being of people in Gaza,” those who put Hamas in power and supported the group’s atrocities, Erdan said, adding: “You ignore all Israeli victims.”
Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, said that when Washington it used its veto in the Security Council on Dec. 22, it was guilty of playing an “unscrupulous game” in its attempts to protect Israel over its actions in Gaza.
She said that through the use of blackmail and arm-twisting, the US had given Israel a license to carry on killing Palestinians and its blessing to “the ongoing extermination of the Gazans,” which was why Moscow had proposed its amendment.
NEW YORK: Dozens of American rabbis disrupted a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday to demand that Washington stops preventing the UN Security Council from taking urgent action in support of an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
During their protest — led by the organization Rabbis 4 Ceasefire and co-organized by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, Jewish Voice for Peace, and IfNotNow — the 36 rabbis, who came from several states, sang, prayed, recited excerpts from the UN Declaration of Human Rights and staged a memorial service. They carried banners that read “Biden: The World Says Ceasefire” and called on the US president to “stop vetoing peace.”
After they were escorted from the premises by security staff, they held a press conference outside the UN. Rabbi Alissa Wise, the founder of Rabbis 4 Ceasefire, said they have been watching in horror as the US government has “single-handedly blocked efforts to stop Israel’s bombing and starvation of Gaza.”
She added: “We know there is no military solution to this violence. We’re praying here because the UN is where meaningful, diplomatic action to stop the violence can take place, and because prayer is how we, as rabbis, know how to express our fears, dreams, hopes and despair.”
Rabbi Abby Stein, a member of Jews For Racial and Economic Justice, said the UN was created in the aftermath of the Second World War and the Nazi Holocaust that targeted Jewish people, with the intention of ensuring that such an atrocity would never happen again.
“I am here as a Jew, as an ordained rabbi, as the granddaughter of three Holocaust survivors, to urge the UN to follow through on this noble mission,” she said. “‘Never again’ means never again for anyone.”
Rabbi Elliot Kukla said: “The US is defending the indefensible at a General Assembly, using its veto power to single-handedly block the UN from taking meaningful action for a ceasefire.
“I am here as a rabbi because Jewish tradition demands that we do everything in our power to save lives, which means getting humanitarian assistance to Palestinians who are being displaced, are starving and have nowhere safe to shelter as bombs rain down.
“Our government refuses to represent this overwhelmingly popular demand; we came here directly to represent ourselves and our Jewish values.”
Tuesday’s meeting came after the US vetoed a proposal by Russia to amend a Security Council resolution to include a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Dec. 22, the council adopted a resolution, drafted by the UAE, calling for increased aid to the Gaza Strip, including urgent steps including safe, unhindered and expanded humanitarian access to the territory. The US abstained from the vote among the 15-member council but did not use its power of veto and so the resolution was adopted.
Russia had proposed an amendment to the resolution calling for “an urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities.” The US vetoed this proposed change.
A General Assembly resolution dictates that whenever a member of the Security Council uses its power of veto, it triggers a meeting and debate in the assembly to scrutinize and discuss the move.
Robert Wood, the US deputy permanent representative to the UN, said that although the US had abstained from voting, it had nonetheless worked “in good faith” to help forge a strong resolution.
“This work supports the direct diplomacy the US is engaged in to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza and to help get hostages out of Gaza,” he added.
Alluding to the Russian amendment, Wood accused Moscow of putting forward ideas that were “disconnected from the situation on the ground.”
He said it was “deeply troubling that so many member states seem to have stopped talking about the plight of the more than 100 hostages being held by Hamas and other groups. The United States remains committed to bringing all of the hostages home. Every single one.”
He added: “It is also striking that even as we hear many countries urging the end to this conflict, which we would all like to see, we hear very few demands of the initiator of this conflict — Hamas — to stop hiding behind civilians, lay down its arms and surrender.
“This would have been over if Hamas’s leaders had done that. It would be good if there was a strong international voice pressing Hamas’s leaders to do what is necessary to end the conflict that they set in motion on Oct. 7.”
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, said he stood before the General Assembly “representing a people being slaughtered, with families killed in their entirety, men and women shot in the streets, thousands abducted, tortured and humiliated, children killed, amputated, orphaned — scarred for life.”
It is incomprehensible, he added, that the Security Council is still being prevented from calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire even though 153 member states in the General Assembly, and the UN’s secretary-general, had called for exactly that.
Israel’s “war of atrocities” is without precedent in modern history, Mansour said. “This is not about Israeli security, this is about Palestine’s destruction,” he continued. “The interests and objectives of this extremist Israeli government are clear, and incompatible with the interests and objectives of any country that supports international law and peace”
He asked: “How can you reconcile opposing the atrocities and vetoing a call to end the war that is leading to their commission?”
Called for “this schizophrenia” to stop, he added: “Don’t call for peace and spread fire. If you want peace, start with a ceasefire. Now.”
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, denounced the calls for a ceasefire while Israeli hostages are still held captive.
“How morally bankrupt has this body become?” ha asked. He said that “despite the UN’s moral rot,” the citizens of Israel are resilient, with the faith, hope and unbreakable resolve to defend themselves.
He accused the UN of ignoring the Israeli victims of the conflict, caring only about Gazans, and becoming “an accomplice to terrorists,” and said the organization had lost the justification for its existence.
The UN “has been obsessed only with the well-being of people in Gaza,” those who put Hamas in power and supported the group’s atrocities, Erdan said, adding: “You ignore all Israeli victims.”
Russia’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, said that when Washington it used its veto in the Security Council on Dec. 22, it was guilty of playing an “unscrupulous game” in its attempts to protect Israel over its actions in Gaza.
She said that through the use of blackmail and arm-twisting, the US had given Israel a license to carry on killing Palestinians and its blessing to “the ongoing extermination of the Gazans,” which was why Moscow had proposed its amendment.
Calls for Gaza ceasefire interrupt speech by US President Biden
Protesters interrupted US President Joe Biden’s campaign speech in South Carolina on Monday, demanding a ceasefire and accusing him of complicity in the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. ‘20,000 Palestinians. Their blood is on your hands,’ the protesters said as they called for a ceasefire, disrupting Biden’s speech. After the protesters were escorted out, Biden addressed the crowd, saying he understands ‘their passion’. ‘I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza,’ he said. Israel has killed over 23,210 people in Gaza, including more than 9,000 children, and injured over 59,000 people since the start of its war on the besieged strip.
A speech by President Joe Biden at a church on Monday was interrupted by calls for a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports
“If you really care about the lives lost here, then you should honour the lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Palestine,” one protestor shouted while Biden was giving remarks at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in the US South.
Several shouted “ceasefire now” before being escorted from the church hall. After they exited, shouts of “four more years” came from the remaining audience, in apparent solidarity with Biden.
“I understand their passion, and I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza,” said Biden.
White House insiders have said Biden, while largely supporting Israel’s government in public, has urged it behind the scenes to curb its devastating attacks, but with little result so far.
Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the enclave since 7 October, killing at least 23,084 Palestinians and injuring 58,926 others, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine
A speech by President Joe Biden at a church on Monday was interrupted by calls for a ceasefire in the besieged Gaza Strip, Anadolu Agency reports
“If you really care about the lives lost here, then you should honour the lives lost and call for a ceasefire in Palestine,” one protestor shouted while Biden was giving remarks at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in the US South.
Several shouted “ceasefire now” before being escorted from the church hall. After they exited, shouts of “four more years” came from the remaining audience, in apparent solidarity with Biden.
“I understand their passion, and I’ve been quietly working with the Israeli government to get them to reduce and significantly get out of Gaza,” said Biden.
White House insiders have said Biden, while largely supporting Israel’s government in public, has urged it behind the scenes to curb its devastating attacks, but with little result so far.
Israel has launched air and ground attacks on the enclave since 7 October, killing at least 23,084 Palestinians and injuring 58,926 others, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine
100 lawyers in Chile call on ICC to probe Netanyahu for war crimes in Gaza
January 9, 2024 at 10:27 am
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) chairs a Cabinet meeting at the Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defence, in Tel Aviv on December 17, 2023 [MENAHEMSome 100 Chilean lawyers filed a complaint before the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing him of committing crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in Gaza.
The complaint, presented on 22 December in The Hague, was led by former Ambassador Nelson Hadad, Quds Press reported.
The complainants, most of Palestinian descent, are calling for an arrest warrant to be issued against Netanyahu and other individuals responsible for these alleged crimes. They highlighted the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza since 7 October and the destruction of entire residential neighbourhoods without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.Hadad said: “All countries must denounce war criminals, ensuring they are held accountable, assume their responsibilities, face punishment according to the penalties of the Rome Statute, and provide reparations for victims.”
The objective of the submission is to prove that genocide, forced displacement, war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law are taking place in Gaza.
January 9, 2024 at 10:27 am
Hadad said: “All countries must denounce war criminals, ensuring they are held accountable, assume their responsibilities, face punishment according to the penalties of the Rome Statute, and provide reparations for victims.”
The objective of the submission is to prove that genocide, forced displacement, war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law are taking place in Gaza.
Israel-Hamas war live updates: Up to 9,000 Hamas fighters killed or captured, IDF says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has shown up in Istanbul, Turkey — the main stop of an outing on which he will wrestle with developing strain for Israel to facilitate the attack in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military appraisals it has killed or caught 8,000 to 9,000 Hamas warriors since Oct. 7, its central representative, Back Adm. Daniel Hagari, told NBC News today. That figure — which has not recently been accounted for — would address simply under 33% of Hamas' assessed prewar strength of 30,000.
In excess of 22,500 individuals have been killed in Gaza since the conflict started, as per the Palestinian Wellbeing Service. More than 57,000 have been harmed, and thousands more are missing and assumed dead.
Israeli military authorities say somewhere around 170 troopers have been killed during the nation's ground intrusion of Gaza, which came after 1,200 individuals were killed and around 240 prisoners were held onto after Hamas sent off multipronged assaults on Israel on Oct. 7.
NBC News' Keir Simmons, Matt Bradley, Raf Sanchez, Ali Arouzi and Josh Lederman are announcing from the locale.
Israeli officer” killed in north Gaza battles
Published: 2024-01-03
09:22
Last Updated:
2024-01-03 09:22
The
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) announced Wednesday morning the death of an
officer within its ranks during the ongoing battles in the northern Gaza Strip.
The
IOF stated that Major Meiron Mosheh Gersh (21 years old), a fighter in the
Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps, was killed in north Gaza battles.
Thus,
the number of IOF casualties has risen to 509 since the launch of the”Operation
Aqsa Typhoon” on October 7.
Assassination of
Arouri exposes occupation's brutality, says Hamas leader
Updated: 2024-01-03 09:34
Ismail Haniyeh, the
leader of the Hamas political bureau, responded to the assassination of his
deputy, Saleh Al-Arouri, in Beirut on Tuesday evening.
Haniyeh stated that
the cowardly assassination of Al-Arouri, along with Qassam Commanders Samir,
Azzam Al-Aqra’, Mahmoud Zaki Shaheen, Muhammad Al-Rayes, Muhammad Bashasha, and
Ahmed Hammoud, was carried out by the Israeli Occupation in Beirut.
Haniyeh added that
the killing of Al-Arouri and his comrades is an outright act of terrorism for
which the Zionist occupation is accountable.
Key points from
Haniyeh’s statement:
- The
killing of Arouri exposes the brutality of the occupation inflicted on our
people globally.
- The
bloodshed of Arouri and his comrades merges with the blood of our people
in the struggle for Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.
- The
consequences of this terrorist act lie at the door of the Nazi-Zionist
occupation.
- Israeli
Occupation will not triumph in undermining the determination for
resilience and resistance within our people.
Israeli army”
declares state of high alert along Lebanese border
The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
declared Wednesday morning a “state of high alert” along the border with
Lebanon, following the assassination of the Deputy Head of the Political Bureau
of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Saleh Al-Arouri, by a drone strike
in the southern suburb (Dahieh) of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
In a statement, the IOF announced the
reinforcement of the Iron Dome air defense system along the border with
Lebanon, north of the occupied Palestinian territories.
The decision regarding the situation
on the border with Lebanon came after a meeting that included the Prime
Minister of the Israeli occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu; the Minister of
Defense, Yoav Galant; and War Cabinet member and Minister, Benny Gantz.
Hezbollah had pledged to retaliate
for the assassination of Al-Arouri, while officials in Tel Aviv are reportedly
anticipating a significant retaliatory response to the assassination
Protests
held in Palestine, Lebanon after killing of Hamas deputy chief
Hamas
deputy leader Saleh Arouri assassinated in Israeli drone attack in Lebanese
capital Beirut Diyar Guldogan | 03.01.2024 - Update : 03.01.2024
Protests were held in Palestine and Lebanon following the
assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh Arouri on Tuesday in an Israeli
drone strike in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
Palestinians took the streets in the West Bank.
Carrying Hamas flags, protesters in the city of Ramallah, near
Arouri’s hometown of Aroura, chanted slogans such as "We will follow your footsteps"
and "Revenge, revenge, Qassam!"
Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone attack in the southern
Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
Hamas confirmed that Arouri and two commanders of its military
wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, were killed in the attack, which left at least
six people dead.
Separately, protests were held at refugee camps, including the
Beddawi camp in northern Lebanon, according to the National News Agency.
Carrying Palestinian flags and banners, groups chanted slogans
condemning the crimes of the Israeli army and calling for support for the
resistance in the fight against the "enemy."
The National and Islamic Forces, a coalition of major
Palestinian factions, also condemned the killing of Arouri and called on Arab
countries to take a "determined stance."
Arouri was the most senior Hamas leader to have been killed by
Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on Oct. 7.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the
Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct.
7.
At least 22,185 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,035
others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200
Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The Israeli onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the
enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents
displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicines.
Footage of wounded Israeli soldiers
Footage shows 16 soldiers trapped inside house in Beit
Hanoun, with some saying they don't want to die after being exposed to heavy
fire from Hamas
The Israeli public
broadcaster KAN has published a video showing Israeli soldiers wounded in
clashes with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip.
The footage shows 16 soldiers trapped inside a house in Beit
Hanoun, with some of them saying they don't want to die after being exposed to
heavy fire from Hamas fighters.
One wounded soldier is heard screaming: "I am going to die
brother! I don't want to die! I can't! My leg is cut off!"
Another soldier says: "My hand is cut off! I have no
hand!"
The solider says he realizes there is no one to help him and
that while coming under rocket fire, he felt that he and everyone else would
die.
While the soldiers are evacuating the apartment, one of them
asks: "Are there any more injured?" while another soldier says:
"There is one wounded."
According to KAN, the video footage was taken from bodycams worn
by the soldiers.
Bangladesh
cricket star Shakib Al Hasan’s election run divides hometown
The country’s biggest sporting icon
is fighting for the ruling party in the January 7 vote, boycotted by the
opposition.
Bangladesh – In
Magura, a sleepy town in southwest Bangladesh, about 168km (104 miles) from
capital Dhaka, more than a thousand people are gathered outside a
circular-shaped auditorium.
The crisp winter air barely cut short their enthusiasm as they
waited for Shakib Al Hasan – their “boy from the hometown” and arguably the
biggest sporting icon in the South Asian nation of some 170 million people.
Hasan arrived in a swanky SUV, waved his hand like a seasoned
politician, and quickly went inside the auditorium where again a couple of
hundred people were waiting for him as he appeared for an interview with a
popular YouTuber and talk show host, Rafsan Sabab.
The event was part of a PR campaign ahead of the national election
in Bangladesh, to be held on January 7, in which Hasan, still an active player
in the national cricket team, is contesting from his hometown constituency for
the incumbent Awami League (AL) party.
As the interview began, Sabab asked, with a smile: “Every district
of Bangladesh has its own speciality, be it food, garment or a monument. Here
in Magura, when I ask anyone about its speciality, they unanimously say: Shakib
Al Hasan.”
“Yes, I would have said the same,” Hasan wryly replied. Sabab
laughed, so did the audience.
But that cheeky reply perhaps best portrays the 36-year-old
cricketer, known for his aggressive
style both on and off the ground. That he is often called the best
ever athlete Bangladesh has produced also helps.
Israel
promises to fight South Africa genocide accusation at ICJ
South Africa
launched case against Israel, saying the magnitude of death and destruction in
Gaza meets the threshold of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Israel will
appear at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to contest
allegations by South Africa that it is committing genocide against Palestinians
in its war with Hamas, an Israeli government spokesman said.South Africa
launched a lawsuit against Israel on Friday, saying the level of death,
destruction andhumanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip meets the threshold of the
1948 Genocide Convention under international law.
South Africa also asked the court to order Israel to stop its
attacks in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
Tuesday accused South Africa of “giving political and legal cover” to the
October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which triggered the three-month-long war.
“The state of Israel will appear before the International Court of
Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel,” Eylon Levy
said.
“We assure South Africa’s leaders, history will judge you, and it
will judge you without mercy,” Levy added.
California woman brings gun and 'down payment' to meet 'hitman',
kills husband in bitter divorce
Tatyana Remley of San Diego will serve less than 4 years for conspiracy to kill husband Mark
A California cowboy whose bitter divorce threatened
to end her lavish West Coast lifestyle has pleaded guilty to a botched
murder-for-hire plot targeting her wealthy, estranged husband, according to
local media.
San Diego police arrested Tatiana Remley, 42, in
August after she brought three guns and a wad of cash to meet a man as a
"down payment" she thought she could hire to kill her husband, Mark,
58. , prosecutors filed criminal charges in the summer. He
pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of solicitation to commit murder and
carrying an unregistered gun in exchange for a sentence of less than four years
in prison, a spokesman for the San Diego County District Attorney's Office told
Fox News Digital on Tuesday.
Another gun-related charge was dismissed as part of
the deal, and the judge immediately sentenced Remley to three years and eight
months in state prison.
Tatiana Remley has been held without bail at the
Las Colinas Detention Facility since August 2.
The couple maintained a glamorous online presence -
Remley's Facebook profile featured pictures of her posing on horseback, wearing
designer shoes and swimwear by a pool, and beaming next to high-end sports
cars. Some
photos show a tattoo of her estranged husband's name and a heart on her hip
But the couple filed for divorce on July 11.
Her husband previously claimed to local media that
Cavaliere offered his own friend $2 million to kill her - and separately set
fire to their home.
And local paper The Coast News, citing court
documents in the divorce case, said he wanted to reduce his spousal alimony
from $50,000 to $15,000 a month to cover $12,000 in expenses. The
divorce filing also alleges that Mark Remley once held a gun to his wife's head
and on another occasion chased her around their $5 million California home with
a knife. Before the couple's marriage soured, they were
involved in a pair of expensive business ventures that failed.
The first was "Valiner," a $10 million
series of horse shows at the Del Mar Fairgrounds that flopped after its first
four performances in 2013, according to FOX 5 . The second was a luxury Solana
Beach cycling studio that closed suddenly in 2016, surprising its members.
The man was a secret agent.
Harvard
president Claudine Gay resigns amid antisemitism, plagiarism controversies
Claudine Gay steps down as
Harvard's president, returns to faculty despite plagiarism allegations
In a letter to members of
the Harvard community, Gay said she was stepping down as president but will
return to the Harvard faculty despite widespread plagiarism allegations against
her.
"This
is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words
because I have looked forward to working with so many of you to advance the
commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university
across centuries. But, after consultation with members of the Corporation, it
has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign
so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with
a focus on the institution rather than any individual," Gay wrote.
The letter continued: "It is a singular honor to be a member of this
university, which has been my home and my inspiration for most of my
professional career. My deep sense of connection to Harvard and its people has
made it all the more painful to witness the tensions and divisions that have
riven our community in recent months, weakening the bonds of trust and
reciprocity that should be our sources of strength and support in times of
crisis. Amidst all of this, it has been distressing to have doubt cast on my
commitments to confronting hate and to upholding scholarly rigor—two bedrock
values that are fundamental to who I am—and frightening to be subjected to
personal attacks and threats fueled by racial animus."
"I
believe in the people of Harvard because I see in you the possibility and the
promise of a better future. These last weeks have helped make clear the work we
need to do to build that future—to combat bias and hate in all its forms, to
create a learning environment in which we respect each other’s dignity and
treat one another with compassion, and to affirm our enduring commitment to
open inquiry and free expression in the pursuit of truth," Gay wrote.
"I believe we have within us all that we need to heal from this period of
tension and division and to emerge stronger. I had hoped with all my heart to
lead us on that journey, in partnership with all of you. As I now return to the
faculty, and to the scholarship and teaching that are the lifeblood of what we
do, I pledge to continue working alongside you to build the community we all
deserve."
In
a statement first obtained by Fox News Digital, House Republican Conference
Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., reacted to Gay's resignation.
Stefanik had challenged Gay, as well as the presidents of MIT
and UPenn, during a line of questioning at a House Education and the Workforce
hearing last month about whether calls for intifada or the genocide of Jews on
campus violated their institutions' codes of conduct or policies against
bullying and harassment. All three faced harsh backlash for failing to clarify and insisted more
context was needed.
"I
will always deliver results. The resignation of Harvard’s antisemitic
plagiarist president is long overdue," Stefanik said. "Claudine Gay’s
morally bankrupt answers to my questions made history as the most viewed
Congressional testimony in the history of the U.S. Congress. Her answers were
absolutely pathetic and devoid of the moral leadership and academic integrity
required of the President of Harvard. This is just the beginning of what will
be the greatest scandal of any college or university in history. Our
robust Congressional investigation will continue to move forward to expose the
rot in our most ‘prestigious’ higher education institutions and deliver
accountability to the American people."
According
to the Ivy League school's newspaper, the Harvard Crimson, Gay's resignation
will bring an end to the shortest Harvard presidency in the university's
history.
The
Boston Globe reported that, according to their sources, Harvard’s provost, Dr.
Alan Garber, will become interim president.
Israel prepares
for a long war in Gaza
As 2023 draws to a close, Israel’s forces in the Gaza Strip are deployed
across the territory to their farthest extent. An armoured division of the
Israel Defence Forces (idf) is operating in the quarter of Gaza city where Israeli
intelligence believes the last intact battalion of Hamas’s armed force is
holding out. Farther south, seven brigade combat teams have converged on
Khan Younis, Gaza’s second city, where Hamas’s leadership and most of nearly
130 Israeli hostages are assumed to be. Other brigades are attacking Hamas
strongholds in towns across central and southern Gaza. Israeli commanders
acknowledge behind the scenes that these may be the last wide-scale offensives
of the war.
In recent weeks the idf has been taking
journalists (including your correspondent) into tunnels dug by Hamas beneath
Gaza. The main purpose of these organised trips is to reinforce the message
that the Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza for over 16 years has built its
military infrastructure under Gaza’s civilian population, including hospitals
and schools. The idf has sought to show that Hamas has wasted precious resources on a
subterranean kingdom while the civilian population languishes in poverty. Israel
is fighting a war for global public opinion alongside its military campaign.
Its central claim is that the main reason for the high death toll of
Palestinians is the way Hamas shields its fighters by placing them among
civilians. The Hamas-run health authorities reckon that over 21,500
Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed by Israeli bombardments
since the war began on October 7th. Israel estimates that between 8,000 and
9,000 of those killed are Hamas fighters.
The idf is also trying to convey
a more straightforward military message. It must destroy the entire tunnel
network reckoned to stretch hundreds of kilometres under the territory. That
will take many more months of a military occupation and a gruelling series of bloody
skirmishes with the remaining Hamas fighters hiding there. So the idf is preparing the Israeli
people and their allies abroad for a long haul.
This
will be difficult. For one thing, the war is already hurting Israel’s economy
and causing deep disruption. Within hours of Hamas’s attack on October 7th,
the idf began a massive call-up of reservists. They were needed not only
to launch a counter-offensive in Gaza but also to reinforce Israel’s northern
border in case of an attack by Lebanon’s Iranian-supported Hizbullah militia.
Around 360,000 were mobilised. Along with Israel’s standing army, this meant
that over half a million in a population of just under 10m were in uniform. As
2023 draws to
a close, Israel’s forces in the Gaza Strip are deployed across the territory to
their farthest extent. An armoured division of the Israel Defence Forces (idf) is operating in the
quarter of Gaza city where Israeli intelligence believes the last intact
battalion of Hamas’s armed force is holding out. Farther south, seven
brigade combat teams have converged on Khan Younis, Gaza’s second city, where
Hamas’s leadership and most of nearly 130 Israeli hostages are assumed to be.
Other brigades are attacking Hamas strongholds in towns across central and
southern Gaza. Israeli commanders acknowledge behind the scenes that these may
be the last wide-scale offensives of the war.
In recent weeks the idf has been taking
journalists (including your correspondent) into tunnels dug by Hamas beneath
Gaza. The main purpose of these organised trips is to reinforce the message
that the Islamist movement that has ruled Gaza for over 16 years has built its
military infrastructure under Gaza’s civilian population, including hospitals
and schools. The idf has sought to show that Hamas has wasted precious resources on a
subterranean kingdom while the civilian population languishes in poverty.
Read all our coverage of the war between
Israel and Hamas
Israel is fighting a war for global public
opinion alongside its military campaign. Its central claim is that the main
reason for the high death toll of Palestinians is the way Hamas shields its
fighters by placing them among civilians. The Hamas-run health authorities
reckon that over 21,500 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed
by Israeli bombardments since the war began on October 7th. Israel estimates
that between 8,000 and 9,000 of those killed are Hamas fighters.
The idf is also trying to convey
a more straightforward military message. It must destroy the entire tunnel
network reckoned to stretch hundreds of kilometres under the territory. That
will take many more months of a military occupation and a gruelling series of
bloody skirmishes with the remaining Hamas fighters hiding there. So the idf is preparing the Israeli
people and their allies abroad for a long haul.
This will be difficult. For one thing, the
war is already hurting Israel’s economy and causing deep disruption. Within
hours of Hamas’s attack on October 7th, the idf began a massive call-up
of reservists. They were needed not only to launch a counter-offensive in Gaza
but also to reinforce Israel’s northern border in case of an attack by
Lebanon’s Iranian-supported Hizbullah militia. Around 360,000 were mobilised.
Along with Israel’s standing army, this meant that over half a million in a
population of just under 10m were in uniform.
In recent weeks tens of thousands of
reservists, mainly in combat-support units, have been discharged. Many more
have been given tentative dates for demobilisation in late January. They have
also been warned that they will be recalled at some point in 2024. The idf general staff has
defined 2024 as “a year of warfare” while special forces conduct raids on
remaining Hamas forces and engineering units destroy the tunnels and caches of
weapons.
The other main source of pressure on Israel
is the American administration. It wants the government of Binyamin Netanyahu
to scale down offensive operations, begin focusing on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis
and start creating a new local government in Gaza that would be based on the
Palestinian Authority now administering parts of the West Bank under Israel’s
eye. At least 1.6m Palestinian civilians in Gaza have been displaced from their
homes and are now concentrated in the south.
Mission incomplete
Two
months after Israel’s ground offensive began on October 27th the idf has achieved mixed
results. Of Hamas’s 24 battalions, 12 were based in and around Gaza city.
The idf reckons most of these have in effect been
“dismantled”—meaning that most of Hamas’s commanders and fighters have been
killed, badly wounded or captured. The idf is battling against
another nine of Hamas’s battalions (a further three have not yet been involved
in the fighting).
“By now Hamas is no longer operating as a
military organisation,” says an Israeli intelligence officer. “Most of its
command structure is gone. But it still has a large number of fighters who have
reverted to guerrilla mode. They emerge from the tunnels in small numbers,
trying to ambush our forces.” The idf has succeeded in ending
most of Hamas’s rocket-launches at Israeli cities.
Hamas’s political leadership, which is
based outside Gaza, is in neighbouring Egypt negotiating a second agreement to
free the Israeli hostages. This may require a truce lasting several weeks and
provide some vital respite for Gaza’s civilians. The movement’s overall leader
in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who ordered the October 7th massacre, is said to be
vetoing some proposals his colleagues in Cairo have been prepared to discuss.
He is insisting on stiffer terms for freeing the remaining Israeli hostages,
who include women, elderly men and a small number of soldiers, than under the
previous truce at the end of November. This time it would include freeing
more Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, most of whom hail from the West
Bank. But Hamas’s embattled leadership in Gaza may not be in sync with its
counterpart there. Meanwhile Hamas’s iron grip over Gaza’s people may be
weakening, as hungry civilians have begun to mob the supply convoys entering
the strip.
However, the idf has yet to achieve its
two key aims: to kill or capture Hamas’s top leaders and to rescue the
remaining Israeli hostages. And while a large majority of Israelis still
support the war, signs of frustration are starting to creep in. “It was
clear from the start that it would take a campaign of many months to achieve
the war aims,” says Tamir Hayman, an influential former idf general and
military-intelligence commander who now heads Tel Aviv University’s Institute
of National Security Studies. “But unrealistic expectations mean there’s now a
feeling of disappointment.”
Mr Netanyahu, who has plummeted in the
opinion polls since the war started, has been making bombastic statements intended
to shore up his rattled nationalist base. On December 26th on a visit to a
military-intelligence base he declared: “We are continuing the war and are
intensifying the fighting in the southern Gaza Strip and other places. We will
fight to the end.”
Yet his generals are quietly planning to
scale down the campaign, while Mr Netanyahu’s emissaries have been in
Washington and Cairo to discuss details of a possible truce and how to hand
Gaza over to a new authority. Last week his national security adviser, writing
in a Saudi-owned website based in London, called for “a moderate Palestinian
governing body that enjoys broad support and legitimacy” to take control of
Gaza.
America is worried that the war in Gaza is
unsettling the wider Middle East. Hizbullah’s rocket-attacks on Israel’s
northern border have increased. American forces in Iraq have been under fire
from Iranian-backed militias. On December 24th an Iranian general was killed in
Syria, probably in an Israeli air raid. The Houthi militia is still threatening international
shipping from
its bases in Yemen. President Joe Biden is said to be losing patience with Mr
Netanyahu’s contradictory statements.
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