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☆ Three UN military observers, a Lebanese interpreter wounded in blast while patrolling southern border
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Three United Nations military observers and a Lebanese interpreter were wounded Saturday while patrolling the southern Lebanese border after a shell exploded near them, the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said. The military observers are part of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, which supports the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL. The three military observers, from Chile, Australia, and Norway, were unarmed, he said. The blast came as clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants escalated in recent weeks. Local Lebanese media, citing security officials, said an Israeli drone strike targeted the observers in the southern village of Wadi Katmoun near the border town of Rmeich.

Persons: Andrea Tenenti, Tenenti, Najib Mikat Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, Security, Three United Nations, United Nations Truce, Organization, UN, Associated Press, UNIFIL, Local, IDF Locations: Israel, Gaza, New York, U.S, Lebanese, Lebanon, UNIFIL, Chile, Australia, Norway, Local Lebanese, Israeli, Wadi Katmoun, Rmeich

Israel’s military launched new attacks on targets in Lebanon on Thursday, a day after its strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 10 civilians, the most in months of cross-border fighting. On Thursday, Lebanon’s state media reported that 10 civilians had been killed in the Israeli strikes, including seven members of one family in the city of Nabatieh. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, on Thursday condemned the Israeli military “aggression” and requested that an urgent complaint against Israel be brought before the U.N. Security Council, according to a statement from his office. Soon after, Israel’s military said that its fighter jets had carried out more strikes inside Lebanon against Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah, a key ally of Hamas, has vowed to respond to the Israeli strikes — and Israeli leaders signaled that they, too, were prepared to fight.

Persons: Najib Mikati, ”, Israel, Yoav Gallant, Lloyd J, Austin III, Gallant, Herzi Halevi Organizations: Lebanese, . Security, Hamas Locations: Lebanon, Nabatieh, Gaza, United States, Israel

☆ Malaysia cuts prison sentence of disgraced former Prime Minister Najib Razak
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Malaysia has cut former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s 12-year prison sentence for corruption in half, according to authorities in the Southeast Asian country. Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was found guilty of money laundering, abuse of power and other charges in 2020 related to the 1MDB scandal, which saw billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money embezzled out of Malaysia. In a statement Friday, the country’s Federal Territories Pardon Board said the former leader’s application to shorten his prison sentence to six years had been approved. The 1MDB fund was created soon after Najib took office in 2009. Goldman Sachs, which underwrote much of the 1MDB fund and was facing a host of criminal and regulatory proceedings in Malaysia, agreed to a $3.9 billion settlement with the country’s government in 2020.

Persons: Najib Razak’s, Najib, 1MDB, Goldman Sachs Organizations: CNN, United Locations: Malaysia, Territories, United States

☆ Malaysia halves jail sentence of ex-prime minister Najib
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Najib Razak, Malaysia's former prime minister, gestures as he leaves the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Malaysia, on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. The board, chaired by Malaysia's king, did not give a reason for halving Najib's sentence. It said if Najib failed to pay the fine given, an additional year would be imposed on his jail term. Malaysia's king plays a largely ceremonial role but can pardon convicted people among discretionary powers granted by the federal constitution. The pardons board, which advises the king, includes the attorney-general and government officials.

Persons: Najib Razak, Anwar Ibrahim's, Anwar, Najib, Malaysia's, Jho Low, Al, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, Sultan Abdullah, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar Organizations: United National Malays Organisation, 1Malaysia Development, Saudi Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Johor .

☆ Malaysia Pardons Board Halves Jail Sentence of Jailed Ex-Pm Najib
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian pardons board on Friday said it has decided to halve the jail sentence of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was convicted of graft and money laundering related to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. Najib, who is serving a 12-year jail term, will be released in August 2028 and fines imposed on him reduced to 50 million ringgit ($10.59 million) from 210 million ringgit, the board's secretariat said in a statement. Najib was jailed for graft linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), from which U.S. and Malaysian investigators estimate $4.5 billion was stolen and more than $1 billion channeled to accounts linked to the former premier. ($1 = 4.7220 ringgit)(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Martin Petty)

Persons: Najib Razak, Najib, Rozanna Latiff, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, Malaysian, 1Malaysia Development Locations: KUALA LUMPUR

☆ Malaysia Cabinet Discusses Najib Pardon Bid, but Won't Announce Outcome - Minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

It will be at the discretion of the Pardons Board to announce its decision, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said at a press conference on immigration and labour issues, which was packed with media seeking news on Najib's clemency bid. Najib requested a royal pardon shortly after beginning his sentence in 2022 and after exhausting all other appeals. Najib's lawyer and representatives, as well as Malaysia's attorney-general, a member of the pardons board, did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment. "Let us not jump the gun, let us wait for an official statement to be made," Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said at a separate press briefing. U.S. and Malaysian investigators estimate around $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, with more than $1 billion channeled to accounts linked to Najib.

Persons: Danial Azhar, Najib Razak, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Najib, Prime Minister's Department Zaliha Mustafa, Najib's, Fahmi Fadzil, Jho Low, Nooryana Najwa Najib, pensively, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, 1Malaysia Development, Prime Minister's Department, Communications, Saudi Locations: KUALA LUMPUR

☆ Hezbollah Rejected US Overtures, Still Open to Diplomacy to Avoid Wider War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has been leading a diplomatic outreach to restore security at the Israel-Lebanon frontier as the wider region teeters dangerously towards a major escalation of the conflict ignited by the Gaza war. Israel has also said it wants to avoid war, but both sides say they are ready to fight if necessary. Branded a terrorist organisation by Washington, Hezbollah has not been directly involved in talks, three Lebanese officials and a European diplomat said. Hezbollah has dismissed both ideas as unrealistic, the Lebanese officials and the diplomat said. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday said attacks against Israel and its interests by the "Axis of Resistance" will stop if the Gaza war ends.

Persons: Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Israel, Spokespeople, Eylon Levy, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Hamas, Mohanad Hage Ali, Hage Ali, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Gebeily, Dan Williams, Tom Perry, Steve Holland, Edtiing, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: U.S, Yemen's, Reuters, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Maya, Maya Gebeily BEIRUT, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen's Iran, Red Sea, U.S, Lebanese, Beirut, Jan, Washington, European, Hochstein, United States, IRAN, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, France, Jerusalem

A general view of a wind turbine at Westmill Wind Farm & Solar Park, which is owned by the community and supports local renewable energy, at Watchfield, near Swindon, Britain, September 24, 2021. "More than 110 countries have joined already," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the COP28 summit on Thursday of the renewables pledge. A draft of the renewable energy pledge, seen by Reuters, called for "the phase down of unabated coal power" and ending the financing of new coal-fired power plants. Africa receives just 2% of global investments in renewable energy. Somalia has the highest onshore wind power potential of any African country, yet one of the lowest electrification rates in the continent, according to the International Energy Agency.

Persons: Andrew Boyers, Ursula von der Leyen, Najib Ahmed, Kate Abnett, Richard Valdmanis, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, European Union, United Arab, BP, Reuters, International Energy Agency, ___, Thomson Locations: Watchfield, Swindon, Britain, United States, United Arab Emirates, China, India, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Canada, Chile, Barbados, COP28, Africa, Somalia

Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are the biggest cause of climate change. "We have a world which has more fossil fuels than ever," said Ani Dasgupta, president of the World Resources Institute, a climate NGO. U.S. officials and others are hopeful a recent climate deal between the U.S. and China may also set a positive tone for the talks. Another test is whether wealthy nations announce money for the fund at COP28 - to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. "Speaking from previous experience, unfortunately most of the global agreements, most of the global climate related pledges went uncompleted," said Najib Ahmed, National Consultant at Somalia's Climate Ministry.

Persons: Sultan al, Jaber, ADNOC, Ani Dasgupta, Narendra Modi, Britain's King Charles, Joe Biden, Gayane, Najib Ahmed, Valerie Volcovici, Josie Kao Organizations: OPEC, United Nations, International Energy Agency, BBC, World Resources Institute, Indian, European Union, Reuters, U.S, FINANCE, EU, Climate Ministry, “, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, WASHINGTON, BRUSSELS, Dubai, UAE, U.S, China, India

☆ Lebanon mourns two journalists killed in Israeli air strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The crowds gathered around the two coffins of correspondent Farah Omar and camera operator Rabih al-Maamari, both draped in Lebanese flags and topped with wreaths of flowers, outside the Al Mayadeen headquarters in Beirut. The Committee to Protect Journalists said deaths added to a toll of over 50 journalists killed covering the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and its spillover to other regions including the Lebanon-Israel border area, where Israeli and Lebanese Hezbollah forces have been exchanging fire since Oct. 7. Al Mayadeen said the Israeli strike occurred near the town of Tayr Harfa, about a mile from the Israeli frontier. A third person, who was not working with the channel but was accompanying them as they filmed, was also killed. The Israeli military has previously said it cannot guarantee journalists' safety in areas of military activity.

Persons: Al Mayadeen, Farah Omar, Al, Israel, Najib Mikati, Nabih Berri, Jazeera, Maya Gebeily Organizations: Protect Journalists, Caretaker, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, BEIRUT, Israel, Gaza, Lebanese, Tayr, France, Yaroun

☆ Israeli strike kills two reporters, third person in south Lebanon - state media, PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Nov 21 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike killed two journalists working for a Lebanese TV channel and a third person near the border with Israel on Tuesday, Lebanese state media and the channel, Al Mayadeen, said. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati also blamed Israel, saying in a statement that the strike was an Israeli attempt to silence the media. A second Israeli strike on a car about seven miles from the border and near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre killed four people later in the day, the state news agency reported. Al Mayadeen named its killed journalists as Farah Omar, a correspondent, and Rabie al-Memari, a camera operator. The third person killed in the strike was Hussein Aqil, who was at the site where the crew was filming.

Persons: Al Mayadeen, Najib Mikati, Israel, Farah Omar, Rabie, Hussein Aqil, John Davison, Jana Choukeir, Andrew Heavens, Alex Richardson, Nick Macfie Organizations: Lebanese, Hezbollah, Hamas, Reuters, Protect Journalists, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Israeli, Lebanese, Israel, Tir, Tyre, Iran, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanon, United States

Israeli troops on Wednesday entered Gaza's largest hospital, searching for traces of Hamas inside and beneath the facility. Officials from Israel and Gaza presented different accounts of what was happening at Al Shifa Hospital. Hamas and Gaza health officials deny militants operate in Al Shifa — a hospital that employs some 1,500 people and has more than 500 beds, according to the Palestinian news agency. Throughout days of fighting in the surrounding streets, there has been no report of militants firing from inside Al Shifa. The AP could not independently verify the Israeli claims that the weapons were found inside the hospital.

Persons: Joe Biden, —, KHAN YOUNIS, Al Shifa —, Israel tightens, Munir al, Boursh, Al Shifa, Jonathan Conricus, Jordan, Biden, Xi Jinping Organizations: Wednesday, Al Shifa Hospital, Service, Al Shifa, Hamas, Palestinian Health Ministry, Gaza's Health Ministry, Associated Press, Troops, UN, West, West Bank's Palestinian Authority, UN Security, Pacific Economic Cooperative, Health Ministry Locations: Gaza's, Israel, Gaza, Gaza City, Al Shifa, Hamas, Al, Ramallah, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, West Bank's, Asia, California, United States

Hadri and Umar on Thursday began their defence after being accused of murdering Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. Sirul was arrested on an Interpol notice and has been held in an Australian immigration detention centre since January 2015, after fleeing Malaysia shortly before the verdict was handed down. His release comes just days after a landmark ruling by Australia's High Court that outlawed indefinite immigration detention, leading to the release of dozens of asylum seekers. Malaysia's top police official Razarudin Husain confirmed news of Sirul's release from Australian detention and said police would discuss with the Attorney-General and the courts the possibility of seeking extradition. Sirul was serving as a member of Najib’s personal security detail at the time of the murder.

Persons: Azilah Hadri, Sirul Azhar Umar, Hadri, Umar, Bazuki Muhammad, Najib Razak, Sirul, Razarudin Husain, Sirul’s, Najib, Praveen Menon, Rozanna, Lincoln Organizations: Thursday, Mongolian, REUTERS, Rights, Australia's, Attorney, Thomson Locations: Shah Alam, Kuala Lumpur, KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian, Australia, Malaysia, Canberra, Malaysia’s, Sydney

☆ Lebanon front with Israel heats up, stoking fears of wider war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli strikes killed two people in south Lebanon on Monday, according to a first-responder organisation affiliated to the Hezbollah-allied Amal Movement. Hezbollah has been trading fire with Israeli forces since its Palestinian ally Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7. The exchanges mark the deadliest violence at the border since Israel and Hezbollah fought a month-long war in 2006. So far, more than 70 Hezbollah fighters and 10 civilians have been killed in Lebanon, and 10 people including seven troops have been killed in Israel. The 2006 war killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Persons: Israel, Hamas, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Nasrallah, Najib Mikati, Al, Lloyd Austin, Mohanad Hage Ali, Phil Stewart, Crispian Balmer, Dan Williams, Edmund Blair Organizations: Amal, Israel Electric Company, Hezbollah, United, Israeli, U.S . Defense, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Israel, BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Lebanese, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, Beirut, Al Jazeera, Israel's, Seoul, U.S, Jerusalem

☆ Jordan open to 'all options' as Gaza conflict intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jordan also announced last week that Israel's ambassador, who left Amman shortly after Hamas' attack, would not be allowed to come back, effectively declaring him persona non grata. "All options are on the table for Jordan in our dealing with the Israeli aggression on Gaza and its repercussions," Khasawneh, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, told state media. Khasawneh said Israel's siege of the densely populated Gaza was not self-defence as it maintains. Jordan is reviewing its economic, security and political ties with Israel and may freeze or revoke parts of its peace treaty if the Gaza conflict worsens, diplomats familiar with Jordanian thinking said. The Israel-Hamas war has reawakened long-standing fears in Jordan, home to a large population of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

Persons: Bisher, Najib Mikati, Mohamed Azakir, Jordan, Bisher al Khasawneh, Khasawneh, Israel, King Abdullah, Jens Stoltenberg, Ayman Safadi, Safadi, Jordan's, Antony Blinken, William Burns, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Mark Heinrich, Lisa Shumaker, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Jordanian, Lebanese, REUTERS, Rights, Jordan, West Bank, NATO, U.S, CIA, Thomson Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Rights AMMAN, Gaza, Israel, Amman, Jordan, Palestine, Brussels, Jerusalem, Jordanian, U.S

☆ Jailed Malaysia ex-PM Najib discharged from hospital after testing negative for COVID-19 - spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks to journalists outside the Federal Court during a court break, in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been discharged from hospital and returned to prison after testing negative for COVID-19, a spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. Najib, 70, is serving a 12-year prison sentence after being found guilty of graft and money laundering in a case related to a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal. He was admitted to hospital last week after testing positive for COVID-19. Reporting by Rozanna LatiffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Najib Razak, Lai Seng, Najib, Rozanna Organizations: Malaysian, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Putrajaya, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops early Monday had surrounded Gaza City and cut off the northern part of the besieged territory as communications lost for several hours across Gaza overnight were gradually being restored. Some 800,000 people have heeded Israeli military orders to flee to southern Gaza, even though Israel had continued airstrikes in the area. Strikes in central and southern Gaza — the purported safe zone — killed at least 53 people on Sunday. The Israeli military said late Sunday that it had severed northern Gaza from the south, calling it a “significant stage” in the war. The Israeli military said it had attacked Hezbollah targets in response to anti-tank fire that killed an Israeli civilian.

Persons: King Abdullah II, Israel, ”, Paltel, ___ Magdy, Najib Jobain, Khan Younis, Amy Teibel, Kareem Chehayeb Organizations: Troops, Health Ministry, Hamas, Communications, Palestinian, Paltel, Grad, Associated Press Locations: DEIR, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel, U.S, Jordan, Egypt, Jordanian, Lebanon, Northern Gaza, Cairo, Jerusalem, Beirut, israel

☆ Jordan says 'all options' open as Gaza conflict intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsAMMAN, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Jordan said on Monday it was leaving "all options" open in its response to what it called Israel's failure to discriminate between military and civilian targets in its intensifying bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip. "All options are on the table for Jordan in our dealing with the Israeli aggression on Gaza and its repercussions," Khasawneh, whose country signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 - told state media. Khasawneh said Israel's siege of the densely populated Gaza was not self-defence as it maintains. Such worries have increased since Israel's religious-nationalist ruling coalition, its most right-wing government ever, took office last year, with some hardliners espousing the "Jordan is Palestine option". "Any attempt to expel Palestinians in an attempt by Israel to change geography and demography we will confront," Safadi said last week.

Persons: Bisher, Najib Mikati, Mohamed Azakir, Jordan, Bisher al Khasawneh, Khasawneh, Israel, Ayman Safadi, Safadi, Jordan's, Antony Blinken, William Burns, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Jordanian, Lebanese, REUTERS, Rights, Gaza, Jordan, West Bank, U.S, CIA, Thomson Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Rights AMMAN, Gaza, Israel, Amman, Jordan, Palestine, Jordanian

BINT JBEIL, Lebanon (AP) — An Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon on Sunday evening killed four civilians, including a woman and three children, raising the likelihood of a dangerous new escalation in the conflict on the Lebanon-Israel border. One woman and three girls, ages 10, 12 and 14 were killed, and others were wounded, it said. Shortly after the Israeli strike, Hezbollah said its fighters had fired Grad rockets from southern Lebanon into Israel in response. Local media reported that the rockets landed in the Israeli border towns of Metula and Kiryat Shmona. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee tweeted that one Israeli was also killed Sunday in a strike launched by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Persons: BINT, —, Samir Ayoub, ”, ‘, Mohammad Suleiman, Salah Ghandour, Bint Jbeil, Daniel Hagari, “, Najib Mikati, Avichay Adraee, hadn't, Israel, Abby Sewell, Kareem Chehayeb, Julia Frankel Organizations: Sunday, National News Agency, Grad, Local, Associated Press, . Security Locations: BINT JBEIL, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon’s, Ainata, Metula, Shmona, Lebanese, Bint, Israeli, Blida, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ Hezbollah says Israel to 'pay price' after strike kills 3 children in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Footage from Al-Mayadeen Tv shows emergency teams working next to a burnt vehicle at the scene where Hezbollah says an Israeli strike killed three children, in southern Lebanon, November 5, 2023. AL-MAYADEEN TV/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Nov 5 (Reuters) - An Israeli strike on a car in south Lebanon killed three children and their grandmother on Sunday, Lebanese authorities said, as the Israeli army said a Hezbollah attack from Lebanon killed an Israeli citizen in northern Israel. "The enemy will pay the price for its crimes against civilians," Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told Reuters. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the frontier since the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel went to war on Oct. 7. It has marked the worst violence across the border since Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006.

Persons: Hassan Fadlallah, Najib Mikati, Abdallah Bou Habib, Israel, Mikati, Antony Blinken, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Maytaal Angel, Emily Rose, Conor Humphries, Giles Elgood, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Tv, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, United Nations, Hamas, Hezbollah, U.S, National News Agency, Lebanon's Amal, Risala Scout Association, Thomson Locations: Al, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Israeli, Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Kiryat Shmona, Aynata, Palestinian, Amman, Gaza, Lebanon's, Zebdine, Tayr, Beirut, Jerusalem

RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Arab foreign ministers Saturday to find ways to ease Gaza’s growing humanitarian crisis. GAZA CITY FIGHTINGIsraeli troops have been tightening their encirclement of Gaza City, the main focus of the military's campaign to crush Hamas. The Israeli military said its aircraft hit an ambulance Friday that Hamas fighters were using to carry weapons. Al-Qidra said a convoy of ambulances left Shifa carrying wounded people to Rafah when a strike hit a vehicle on the edges of Gaza City. The overall toll is likely to rise dramatically as the assault on densely built-up Gaza City continues.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Antonio Guterres, Mattar, Khan Younis, ”, Blinken, Joe Biden’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan, Israel, Najib Mikati, King Abdullah II, Adly Abu Taha, Ashraf al, Qidra, Wael Abou Omar, ___ Magdy, Matthew Lee, ___ Organizations: —, Hamas, United Nations, United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority, GAZA CITY, Shifa, Health, Gaza's, Hospital, Shifa Hospital, Gaza Health Ministry Locations: RAFAH, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Tel Aviv, Amman, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, U.S, GAZA, Al, Quds, ”, Gaza's, Rafah, Cairo, Bangkok, israel

REUTERS/Jonathan... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreAMMAN, Nov 4 (Reuters) - U.S.-allied Arab states will press Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at a meeting of foreign ministers in Amman on Saturday, as Washington tries to persuade Israel to agree to temporary pauses to allow in aid. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since then. Blinken is in Amman for meetings with Arab officials after visiting Tel Aviv on Friday. After meeting Blinken on Friday, Netanyahu said Israel refused a temporary ceasefire that did not include the release of hostages. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with Blinken in Jordan on Saturday, Mikati's office said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Philippe Lazzarini, Jonathan, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Netanyahu, Blinken's, David Satterfield, Satterfield, King Abdullah of Jordan, Olaf Scholz, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Miller, Tom Perry, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, REUTERS, Washington, United, Israeli, Health, Tel, NATO, Saudi, State Department, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: East, Israel, Palestinian, Amman, Jordan, AMMAN, Gaza, United States, Food, Tel Aviv, Turkey, Jordanian, U.S, Middle East, Rafah, Iraqi, Iran, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon

Blinken met first with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose economically and politically ravaged country is home to Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed force hostile to Israel. Blinken also discussed U.S. efforts to secure humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza, Miller said.. Neither Blinken nor Mikati spoke to reporters at the top of their meeting in an Amman hotel. Blinken was then to meet with the head of the United Nations agency in charge of assisting Palestinian refugees. All parties have denounced Israel’s tactics against Hamas, which they say constitutes unlawful collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Najib Mikati, Hassan Nasrallah, Mikati, ”, Matthew Miller, Miller, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Ayman al, Israel Organizations: —, Hamas, Department, United Nations, UNRWA, United Arab, PLO, Jordanian, Palestinian Authority Locations: AMMAN, Jordan, Gaza, Israel, Amman, Jordanian, Iranian, The U.S, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, U.S, Palestinian

☆ Reporting on live TV about the death of his colleague, a correspondent threw his protective vest to the ground and wept, 'We are going to be killed. One by one.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Isabel Debre | Najib Jobain | Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Veteran Palestine TV correspondent Mohammed Abu Hatab, 49, was killed with 10 of his family members. His colleague Salman al-Bashir delivered an emotional report on live TV scared he could be next. One of the victims, loaded into the hospital morgue with 10 of his family members, was his own colleague, veteran Palestine TV correspondent Mohammed Abu Hatab, 49. 'I don't know when I will be killed,'" Abu Bakr recalled. Before hanging up, he said, Abu Hatab had one last request: "Please, please, pray that God protects us."

Persons: Mohammed Abu Hatab, Salman al, Bashir, —, KHAN YOUNIS, Abu Hatab, Abu Hatab's, al, Khan Younis, Rafat, Tidra, Abed Khaled, Abu, Richard Hecht, Nasser Abu Bakr, Abu Bakr, DeBre Organizations: Palestine, Service, Nasser Hospital, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Palestine TV, Health Ministry, Protect Journalists, Palestinian Journalists Syndicate Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ramallah, New York, Nasser, Jerusalem

☆ Jailed former Malaysian PM Najib in hospital with COVID-19
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak attends a news conference at the Federal Court in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain Acquire Licensing RightsKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Malaysia's jailed former prime minister Najib Razak has been admitted to a hospital after testing positive for COVID-19, his spokesperson said on Thursday. Najib, 70, is in stable condition and is undergoing quarantine and treatment at the hospital, his aide, Muhamad Mukhlis Maghribi, said. U.S. and Malaysian investigators estimate some $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB - co-founded by Najib during his first year as prime minister in 2009 - and that more than $1 billion went to accounts linked to Najib. Since then, Najib has been in and out of hospital for several issues, including stomach ulcers and high blood pressure.

Persons: Najib Razak, Hasnoor Hussain, Malaysia's, Najib, Muhamad Mukhlis Maghribi, Rozanna Latiff, Robert Birsel Organizations: Malaysian, Federal, REUTERS, 1Malaysia Development, Thomson Locations: Putrajaya, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR

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