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☆ Middle East Crisis Israel Observes a Solemn Memorial Day
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

Israel is observing Memorial Day, a somber annual commemoration that has taken on added significance this year in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack and the war it ignited. Roughly 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, according to the Israeli authorities. “Memorial Day is always special in Israel, but this year will be even more intense.”For Israelis whose loved ones are still in Gaza, the day is particularly painful. On Monday evening, the Memorial Day observances will end and Israel will shift to celebrating the country’s 76th Independence Day. Her two children, Yagil and Or, were taken hostage on Oct. 7 and held in Gaza for weeks.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s, Mount, Herzi Halevi, ”, Eyal Brandeis, Brandeis, “, Goren’s, Avner, Nir Oz, Goren, Renana Gome, Gome’s, Yair, ” Ms, Gome, ” Johnatan Reiss Organizations: Monday, Palestinian Locations: Mount Herzl, Jerusalem, Israel, Gaza, Sufa, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv

☆ A longevity researcher is facing backlash for claiming to 'reverse aging.' Scientists say there's no consensus on what it means.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewHarvard researcher Dr. David Sinclair has found himself at the center of controversy within the longevity community. He's also earned his share of critics who say his research isn't always backed up by sufficient evidence. Animal Biosciences reissued a press release walking back the "reverse aging" claim. But scientists in the field say the issue is even more fundamental: There's no way to reverse aging, much less measure it. That means debates about the semantics of aging will only become more relevant to our daily lives.

Persons: —, David Sinclair, Sinclair, He's, Dr, Nir Barzilai, Matt Kaeberlein —, Matt Kaeberlein, Barzilai, it's, it'll, Andrea Maier, Jeff Bezos, Peter Thiel Organizations: Service, Business, Street Journal, Animal Biosciences, Newsweek, The Academy for Health, Academy for Health, Academy, National Institute, Aging, MIT Technology, National University of Singapore, Longevity

☆ Opinion | Netanyahu Must Go
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israel must destroy Hamas as a military and political force in the territory while minimizing harm to civilians. And for all of that to happen effectively, Benjamin Netanyahu must go. Why — to paraphrase Scarborough and his co-hosts — was Netanyahu asking Qatar to fund Hamas to the tune of hundreds of millions just weeks before the massacre? Why was the bulk of the Israeli military nowhere near Gaza in the first hours of the attack? When an Israeli minister is forced to humiliate himself on American TV because he can muster neither the sophistry nor the servility that a smoother answer would require, it’s a sign he’s in the wrong government.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Nir Barkat, Joe, ”, Joe Scarborough, Scarborough, —, Netanyahu, Barkat Locations: Gaza, Israel, Lebanon’s, Damascus, Hamas’s, Syria, Qatar, Iran, Jerusalem

But the rattling shook buildings in New York City and drove startled residents into the streets. Image The command room of New York City Emergency Management. Today’s earthquake Magnitude 4.8 Conn. Pa. 1964 4.5 1994 4.6 250-mile radius from New York City Md. 250-mile radius from New York City Del. While earthquakes in New York City are surprises to most, seismologists say the ground is not as stable as New Yorkers might believe.

Persons: “, Kathy Hochul, ” Gov, Philip D, Murphy, Con Edison, Eric Adams, ”, Adams, Zach Iscol, Dave Sanders, Ron Hamburger, Valorie Brennan, Ada Carrasco, The New York Times “ I’ve, Kristina Feeley, Feeley, Folarin, “ There’s, Kolawole, Lazaro Gamio, Riyad H, Mansour, Janti, Hamburger, Michael Kemper, Clara Dossetter, David Dossetter, Dossetter, ’ ”, Lola Fadulu, Gaya Gupta, Hurubie Meko, Michael Wilson, William J . Broad, Kenneth Chang, Emma Fitzsimmons, Sarah Maslin Nir, Erin Nolan, Mihir Zaveri, Maria Cramer, Grace Ashford, Camille Baker, Liset Cruz, Michael Paulson, Patrick McGeehan, Troy Closson Organizations: ”, United States Geological Survey, Police Department, Fire Department, Con, Gracie Mansion, The New York Times, Whitehouse, New York City Emergency Management, Credit, Lamont, Columbia University, Maine CANADA, New York City Del, Lincoln Center, New York Philharmonic, United Nations, Children U.S, Security, New York Police, United Airlines, Newark Liberty International Airport Locations: Newark, New Jersey, Manhattan, Philadelphia, Boston, New York City, New York, Rockland County, Murphy of New Jersey, Whitehouse, N.J, California, Japan, Zach Iscol , New York, New, Northridge, Los Angeles, Califon, Marble, Ramapo, New York , New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Palisades, N.Y, N.H, Pa, New York City Md, Del, Va, Maine, R.I, Md, Palestinian, Gaza, East Coast, “, York, San Francisco, Gaya

☆ The allure of fasting diets for successful people — and where it falls short
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Intermittent fasting diet plans, meal kits, fitness trackers, and biological age tests can all offer something to busy people who want to feel in control. More than one in 10 Americans (12%) tried intermittent fasting in 2023, according to one food and beverage industry-backed survey. The business of intermittent fasting phone apps is blossoming and is on track for more growth in the next five to 10 years. There are many ways to do intermittent fasting — from skipping breakfast to whole days without foodPeople have been fasting for as long as people have been people. AdvertisementThe case against fasting to lose weight and live longerFirefighters in San Diego tried intermittent fasting out during the pandemic, with good results.

Persons: —, Chris Hemsworth, Podcaster Andrew Huberman, Hugh Jackman, Dwayne, Johnson, Terry Crews, It's, Sam Altman, biohacking, Dave Asprey, Gary Vaynerchuk, Bryan Johnson, Jack Dorsey, it's, Hippocrates, Daniel Belsky, There's, Satchidananda Panda, I've, Krista Varady, Dr, Peter Attia, you've, Satchidananda, He's, Randy Shropshire, nix, Valter Longo, Longo, Belsky, Stephen Kritchevsky, Mark Cucuzzella, Nir Barzilai, Nir Barzilai Nir Barzilai, Barzilai, Panda, That's, Cucuzzella Organizations: Service, Business, Columbia University, 16ers, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, University of Illinois, Getty, Cancer, gerontology, USC, Firefighters, Wake Forest University, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Locations: Greece, Chicago, San Diego, New York

Listen and follow The DailyApple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicWarning: this episode contains descriptions of violence. It’s been nearly six months since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel, when militants took more than 200 hostages into Gaza. In a village called Nir Oz, near the border, one quarter of residents were either killed or taken hostage. Yocheved Lifshitz and her husband, Oded Lifshitz, were among those taken. Today, Yocheved and her daughter Sharone tell their story.

Persons: It’s, Nir Oz, Yocheved Lifshitz, Oded Lifshitz, Yocheved, Sharone Organizations: Spotify Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Are Glue Traps Too Cruel to Use in the Fight Against Mice and Rats?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Sarah Maslin Nir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When New Yorkers concern themselves with rodents, they typically focus on how to kill them. The bill would ban the sale and use of what are known as glue boards — cheap, sticky traps that can be strewed around construction sites or tossed under kitchen cabinets and forgotten. If the legislation is successful, New York would join a growing list of places that passed bans recently, like Scotland and Ojai, a city in California with a population of about 7,500, which made glue traps illegal this month. In January, Representative Ted W. Lieu, a Democrat who represents Los Angeles, introduced the Glue Trap Prohibition Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. “We don’t need to lose our humanity just because we don’t like having as many rodents in our midst as we currently do.”

Persons: Ted W, ”, Harvey Epstein Organizations: Democrat, U.S . House, Representatives, State Assembly Locations: Albany, New York, Scotland, Ojai, California, Los Angeles, U.S, Manhattan’s, State

☆ A Dark Day Is Coming for Buffalo. It Can’t Wait.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Sarah Maslin Nir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After that, it’s up to Buffalo to make the most of its moment in the sun (or should that be: out of the sun? ), when it will be met with an estimated one million eclipse tourists. “For a couple of minutes the whole world will be thinking about Buffalo,” said Dave Horesh, the co-founder of Oxford Pennant, a local felt flag factory. “I was thinking: All this city has ever been known for is bad sports teams, snow and chicken wings,” he said. “This is an opportunity.”Buffalo’s Erie County and nearby Niagara County lie in what astronomers call “the zone of totality,” a band stretching from Dallas to Montreal in which the moon will fully block out the sun.

Persons: snowstorms, ”, Dave Horesh, Oxford Pennant, Horesh, Patrick Kaler Organizations: Buffalo, Oxford, Visit Locations: Buffalo, Erie, Erie County, Niagara County, Dallas, Montreal, Pennsylvania, Visit Buffalo Niagara

☆ A Brooklyn Sex Club Promised Freedom. Some Called It Rape.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Sarah Maslin Nir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The landlord, a group called Hacienda, had a unique vision: creating a community of sexually adventurous people whose house rules preached consent above all else, particularly during the orgies they threw in the basement every week. Over the years that followed, Hacienda flourished, and sex positivity, a movement to destigmatize different types of sexual expression, became more mainstream. Ms. Fisher felt a measure of pride at being part of a community that had pushed for greater acceptance of her lifestyle. Ms. Fisher was in her kitchen at Hacienda in spring 2012 when she was approached and badgered into sex by a guest of the sex party she had left downstairs, she said. She awoke feeling that she had not given her consent to what had occurred — that she had been raped.

Persons: Jennifer Fisher, Fisher Locations: Bushwick , Brooklyn, Hacienda

☆ 5 ways to help your kids be more successful than most—including one 'many parents fail to teach,' expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But some strategies are proven to be more effective than others, when it comes to raising successful children. Here are five ways parents can help set their kids up for future success, according to psychologists and other parenting experts. But when it comes to raising a successful child, one is more important than the other, educational psychologist Michele Borba wrote for CNBC Make It in 2022. Give them autonomyThe ability to self-motivate is one of the two important traits that can help kids grow into successful adults, child psychologist Dr. Tovah Klein told Make It last year. Don't stress over perfectionWojcicki raised three successful children — a doctor and two high-profile CEOs — but she never demanded perfection from them.

Persons: Michele Borba, Borba, they'll, Nir Eyal, Eyal, Tovah Klein, Esther Wojcicki, Wojcicki, —, Perfectionism, you've, Allison Butler Organizations: CNBC, New Zealand's University of Otago, Bryant University

☆ The 4 most promising anti-aging drugs investors are sleeping on, according to a leading longevity researcher
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Hilary Brueck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Existing drugs could potentially be repurposed for longevity, a leading researcher says. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . But for now, he says, there are some cheap old drugs available that may help make people feel new again. AdvertisementResearching potential anti-aging drugs that are already approved to treat other conditions has some clear benefits over other interventions. Researchers suspect that the same blood sugar-regulating benefits of these drugs can also help stave off many age-related diseases.

Persons: —, Nir Barzilai, Barzilai, Metformin Francis Dean, Corbis Organizations: Service, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, US Food and Drug Administration, Getty Locations: Singapore, South

☆ Opinion: Why ‘My Way’ won’t go away
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. “That is the way he spoke,” Anka told Ed Masley of the Arizona Republic. It may not go his way, but the failure of Congress to approve more aid to Ukraine likely is giving Putin hope. Whether Congress chooses to provide the continued financial support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan desperately need will go a long way toward answering this question. “If Biden wants to improve his standing with voters,” wrote Jon Gabriel, “a Brownsville photo won’t cut it.

Persons: CNN — “, ”, Frank Sinatra, “, Alexey Navalny, Paul Anka, Sinatra, …, Anka, ” Anka, Ed Masley, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Odessa Rae, Trump, Joe Biden, Jack Smith, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Julian Zelizer, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Mark T, Esper, Russia resurges, ” Esper, Nick Anderson, Dahlia Lithwick, Steve Vladeck, Walt Handlesman, Biden, Nikki Haley, “ Biden, specter, ” David Axelrod, Haley, ” Dana Summers, Joe Biden John Halpin, Sophia Nelson, Catherine Russell, Russell, Ofri Bibas Levy, Yarden, Kibbutz Nir, Shiri Bibas, Ariel, ” Levy, Shiri, Kfir, Frida Ghitis, Drew Sheneman, Roe, ” Cupp, Katie Britt, Elena Sheppard, I’d, Betsy Ross, ” Sheppard, Dorothea Dix, Lucy Delaney, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sheppard, Kristen Kelly, Serene Williams, Clay Jones, Jon Gabriel, Gabriel, Eric Adams, Laken Riley, Raul A, Reyes, ” Don’t, David Horsey, Agency Van Jones, Ariel Dorfman, Dean Obeidallah, Shane Gillis, Noah Berlatsky, —, Kellie Carter Jackson, Lev Golinkin, Josephine Apraku, Germany Jill Filipovic, Jodie Turner, Smith, Michael Bociurkiw, Anna Arutunyan, Kirk Tanner, Jeff Yang, ” Wendy’s, ” Yang Organizations: CNN, FBI, Liberty Ball, Russia ”, Twitter, Capitol, Republicans, Senate, GOP, Trump, Republican Party, West, Tribune Content Agency Trump, Michigan Trump, Democratic, Agency, Tribune Content Agency, UNICEF, Hamas, CNN Republicans, Union, Biden, New York City, Immigration, Customs Enforcement, University of Georgia, Congressional, Stanford Locations: Moscow, Miami, Arizona Republic, Russian, Russia, Odessa, Ukraine, Michigan, “, United States, Israel, Taiwan, Washington ,, Gaza, Tribune Content Agency Gaza, Rafah, ”, Alabama, Biden’s State, Brownsville, New York, Venezuela, Germany

☆ Opinion: Why have the mothers and fathers of the world forgotten about the child hostages?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Opinion Ofri Bibas Levy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

As the months go by, I wonder: Have the mothers and fathers of the world forgotten them? It should never be acceptable to hold children hostage — no matter the context. Why are world leaders signaling to terrorists everywhere that it is okay to take children hostage? I fear that he will be born into a world where taking children hostage is accepted. It shouldn’t need to be said that this is not the world our children should grow up in.

Persons: Ofri Bibas Levy, Yarden Bibas, Kibbutz Nir, Shiri Bibas, Ariel, Read, CNN —, Kfir, Yarden, Shiri, Israel, Maurice Shnaider, I’m, Ariel Bibas Organizations: CNN, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, Shiri, Qatar

☆ Israeli Military Releases Videos It Says Shows Bibas Family Members in Captivity on Oct. 7
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Adam Sella | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Israeli military distributed videos Monday evening that it said showed members of the Bibas family in the area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Oct. 7. The fate of the Bibas family has been murky. Israeli officials have not confirmed the claim. The Bibas family was taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a town along Israel’s border with Gaza where more than 70 of the roughly 240 hostages were seized. Israeli officials estimate that about 130 hostages remain in captivity, although at least 30 of those are thought to be dead.

Persons: Khan Younis, Ofri Bibas, Levy, Yarden Bibas, Shiri, Ariel, Kfir, ” Ms, Bibas, Kibbutz Nir Oz Organizations: New York Times, Hamas Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Israel’s

☆ Rafah airstrikes: Israeli attacks kill more than 100 in Rafah as international alarm mounts over anticipated ground offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment over Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 12, 2024. In a statement Monday, Hamas condemned what it said was a “horrific massacre” by Israel against civilians in Rafah. ‘The dead are better than us’For the more than one million Palestinians in the southern city, the expected push into Rafah is causing alarm and fear. Rafah is the last major population center in Gaza not occupied by the Israeli military. Olfat Hamdan said she had witnessed dead bodies on the streets of Gaza City, noting that “nobody was able to drag them or move them.”“What have I seen?

Persons: Abu Yousef Al, Rafah’s, Fernando Simon Marman, Louis Har, Nir Yitzhak, Smoke, Said Khatib, Danial Hagari, …, Jens Laerke, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Stéphane Dujarric, Israel’s, Netanyahu, Joe Biden “, Israel, ” Netanyahu, We’re, ”, ‘, ” Mohammad Jamal Abu, Khan Younis, El, ” Mahmoud Khalil Amer, Al, Tal, ” Abdul Kareem Al, Qaseer, Olfat Hamdan Organizations: CNN, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Najjar Hospital, Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency Shin Bet, Police, Getty, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Human Rights, United Nations, UN, United Kingdom, Sunday, UN’s Security, Maxar Technologies, ABC News, IDF, “, Hamas, of Health Locations: Palestine, Gazan, Rafah, Shaboura, Gaza, AFP, Sheba Tel Hashomer, Israel, Israeli, Hamas’s, ”, Aqsa, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United, Saudi, Gaza City, Al Shati, “, People, Tal El Hawa, Khan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, brushing aside a chorus of international condemnation, said Sunday that an invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah would move forward as soon as Israel completed plans for the more than a million people sheltering there to be allowed to move to safety. “Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are basically saying: ‘Lose the war,’” Mr. Netanyahu said on “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.”But given the complexity of an operation in Rafah, a ground invasion does not appear likely to happen any time soon, analysts said. More than half of Gaza’s 2.2 million residents fled there to avoid fighting farther north, packing the city with refugees with nowhere else to go. One Hamas official, Basem Naim, said Mr. Netanyahu was “deluding himself” if he thought that threatening to invade Rafah would increase the pressure on Palestinian negotiators to agree to Israel’s terms for a cease-fire. More than 28,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, have already been killed since the war began in October, Gazan health officials say.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ’, Mr, Netanyahu, George Stephanopoulos, Basem Naim, “ deluding Organizations: Hamas Locations: Gazan, Rafah, Israel, Gaza

☆ Israel Says It Rescued 2 Hostages From Rafah
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Mike Ives | More About Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli security forces said early Monday that they had rescued two hostages who were being held in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, in one of the few examples of a successful hostage rescue in Gaza since the start of the war. Mr. Marman and Mr. Har were among more than 240 people captured during the surprise Oct. 7 raid on southern Israel by Hamas and other militant groups, which later prompted Israel to retaliate with massive airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza. Israel has been discussing plans to send troops into Rafah, even as aid groups, the United Nations and the United States have warned that the people sheltering there have nowhere to go. About 100 of the hostages taken in October were released during a weeklong cease-fire last year. Hostages’ families have been pressing Israel to prioritize negotiations for their release.

Persons: Fernando Simon Marman, Louis Har, Shin Bet, Israel, Marman, Har, Nir Yitzhak, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu Organizations: United Nations, New York Times, ABC News Locations: Gazan, Rafah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Egypt, Israel, United States

☆ Israel’s repudiation of a deal with Hamas draws fury from hostages’ families
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Survivors of the October 7 terror attack and the families of hostages were furious at the uncompromising repudiation of a deal that – ultimately – could have resulted in the return of all the remaining hostages in Gaza. Moshe’s words carried power – she was kidnapped by Hamas from Kibbutz Nir Oz and held hostage in Gaza for seven weeks. The families of the hostages held in Gaza have emerged as a leading voice and they attract huge support among Israelis. Protesters demand a hostage deal amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, Israel, on February 1, 2024. These anti-government protests are still strictly separate from the hostage families’ events, which tend to take place just down the road at what has become known as the Hostage Plaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Netanyahu, –, Adina Moshe, Netanyahu, Sahar Kalderon, Aviva Siegel, Nili Margalit, Sharon Aloni Cunio, Susana Vera, I’m, ” Moshe, Nir Oz, David, Sa’id, Moshe, Lital Shochat, Shochat, ‘, Shochat Chertow, Shiva, ”, Doron Shabtai, Shabtai, Ivana Kottasova, Yair Lapid, ” “, Bibi ”, Evyatar Cohen, … Organizations: Tel, Tel Aviv CNN, State, Wednesday, Reuters, Protesters, Israel Democracy HQ, Hamas, CNN, Israeli, Yesh Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Sderot, Jerusalem, Israel’s, Lebanon

☆ What is a typical degree of cognitive ability for a person in their 80s?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Mira Cheng | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

How we change as we ageA decline in cognitive abilities is a normal part of healthy aging, said Dr. Emily Rogalski, Rosalind Franklin Professor of Neurology at the University of Chicago. A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment is made clinically when cognitive difficulties become frequent and fall outside what is considered normal aging. “There’s not a whole lot of good evidence that there’s anything special about age 80 that leads to a drop-off” in cognitive abilities, Mather said. And they use cognitive tests, such as the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) or Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), to assess performance in different cognitive areas. Although population-level data associates aging with cognitive decline, the actual manifestation of aging is very diverse on an individual level, Rogalski said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Biden, Trump, Nikki Haley, Nancy Pelosi, Emily Rogalski, Rosalind Franklin, ”, Molly Mather, “, Angela Roberts, Roberts, “ There’s, Mather, MMSE, We’re, ” Mather, Nir Barzilai, Rogalski, “ We’ve, superagers, Barzilai, “ It’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Roberts Organizations: CNN, House, Republican, NBC, Neurology, University of Chicago, UCSF, Aging, Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, National Institute, Western University, Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, American Federation for Aging Research, Trump, Biden, Get CNN, CNN Health, ” Locations: Mexico, Egypt, Montreal

☆ Khan Younis: Inside the underground compound where Israel says hostages were held
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Khan Younis CNN —The stale, damp air inside the tunnel smells of sewage. Inside this maze of tunnels under Khan Younis, there is a narrow room with an arched ceiling, divided in half by a barred metal gate. Any hostages held here would have had limited sense of time or place. The southern city of Khan Younis, which Israel considers one of the “main strongholds” of the group, is the current epicenter of fighting. Israel believes 132 hostages are still being held in Gaza in compounds like the one CNN was escorted to under Khan Younis.

Persons: Khan Younis, CNN Israel, Dan Goldfuss, Goldfuss, “, ”, Israel, Ivana Kottasová, – Sahar Calderon, Yaakov, Sapir Cohen, Nir Oz, ’, Yahya Sinwar, ” Goldfuss Organizations: Khan Younis CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Gaza, of Health, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Khan, Israel, Israeli, Israel’s, ”

A former executive at a prominent New York City development firm that collapsed amid an avalanche of investor lawsuits and foreclosures was arrested this week and is expected to be charged in connection with a multimillion-dollar fraud scheme, according to several people with knowledge of the case. The developer, Nir Meir, was taken into custody on Monday at the 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami and was expected to be extradited to New York City on the charges, which were brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, the people said. Several other people and businesses were expected to be charged in a series of indictments brought by the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, as part of a sprawling web of suspected criminal conduct involving Mr. Meir’s former company, HFZ Capital Group. Those expected to be charged include people involved with the construction firm Omnibuild, which worked on at least one major HFZ project, including a principal at the company, some of the people with knowledge of the matter said.

Persons: Nir Meir, Alvin L, Bragg, Meir’s Organizations: HFZ Capital Group Locations: New York City, Beach, Miami, Manhattan

☆ Israeli Hostage Families Gain Clout as Political Landscape Shifts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Some respondents did not mention names but wrote variants of "hostage families", reflecting the impact of the Forum itself and its "Bring them home now" campaign. Political scientist Tamar Hermann of the IDI said solidarity with the hostage families was blending with broader anti-government sentiment, partly rooted in a huge pre-war protest movement against Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary. New or existing left-wing parties could be a natural fit for any hostage relatives who did decide to go into politics. Conversely, the hostage families are seen as opponents by some on the right, and especially on the ultra-nationalist far right, which has sway over Netanyahu because it is part of his fragile coalition. Some of Netanyahu's hard-right supporters in politics and media portray the hostage families as leftists abusing public sympathy to further their anti-government agenda, said political scientist Gideon Rahat of the Hebrew University.

Persons: Emily Rose, Estelle Shirbon, pollsters, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Nimrod Nir, Gil Dickmann, Carmel Gat, Jonathan Shamriz, Alon, Israel, Dror, Yonat, Netanyahu, irked Netanyahu, Sunday Israel, Tamar Hermann of, IDI, Tomer Reznik, implacably, Gideon Rahat, Eliyahu Libman, Elyakim, Libman, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Truman Research Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Families Forum, Israel, Hamas, Sunday, Truman Institute, Israel Democracy Institute, IDI, Hebrew University, West Bank Locations: Estelle Shirbon JERUSALEM, LONDON, Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Kiryat Arba

☆ Israeli soldiers struggle to square political views with the realities of war
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Netanyahu’s government is the most right-wing in Israel’s history, rejecting the idea of a Palestinian state and supporting Jewish settlements inside the West Bank. His political views are sometimes difficult to square with the realities of being a soldier, fighting on behalf of a government he doesn’t support. We enter Ramallah, we neutralize the threat.”Some of Netanyahu’s coalition partners are going a step further, proposing to build Jewish settlements in Gaza. The issue of Jewish settlements in the West Bank is already a major fault line within Israeli society and in the country’s diplomatic relationships. The idea of building settlements in Gaza has alarmed Israel’s allies, with the United States’ top diplomat rebuking the plans.

Persons: CNN — Amos Shani Atzmon, Israel, …, ”, Atzmon, “, Benjamin Netanyahu, he’s, “ I’m, Nir Oz, Kfar, Netanyahu, Amos Shani Atzmon, Ivana Kottasová, Emmanuel, Netanyuahu, ” Emmanuel, Israel’s, rebuking, –, Mendel, we’re, Churchill, Roosevelt, There’s, ” Mendel Organizations: CNN, Israel Defence Forces, Hamas, Health Ministry, UN, Court of Justice, West Bank, United, United Nations, Israel, IDF Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Be’eri, Kfar Azza, Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Ramallah, United States, South Africa, An, Long, Europe

☆ IMF expects new housing demand in China to drop by around 50% in the next decade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesBEIJING — Demand for new housing in China is set to drop by around 50% over the next decade, making it harder for Beijing to quickly bolster the country's overall growth. China's real estate sector and related industries have accounted for about a quarter of the country's gross domestic product. Zhang said China's housing demand would remain large, and policy support would gradually kick in. "Therefore, a significant decline in housing demand is very unlikely to happen," he said. The IMF report compared housing demand and new starts from the 2012 to 2021 period with estimates for 2024 to 2033.

Persons: Zhengxin Zhang, Zhang, Evergrande, Sonali Jain, Chandra, Nir Klein Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, International Monetary Fund's, IMF, U.S ., People's Bank of China Locations: Huai'an, China, BEIJING, Beijing, Evergrande, Hong Kong, Asia, Pacific

☆ An Israeli Charity for Palestinians Grapples With Oct. 7 Attacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Gal Koplewitz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nearly every week for a decade, Iri Kassel picked up sick Palestinian children at Israel’s Erez border crossing with Gaza and drove them with their guardians to Israeli hospitals for treatment. But on Oct. 7, the crossing was raided by Palestinian militants who blasted the passport control booths and magnetic scanners as they stormed into southern Israel. The deadly attacks plunged Israel into all-out war in Gaza and disrupted the work of Road to Recovery, the Israeli nonprofit organization that Mr. Kassel volunteers for, which has ferried more than 1,500 Palestinian patients a year to Israeli hospitals. Several of the group’s volunteers died in the Hamas-led attack, including Vivian Silver, a prominent peace activist who was killed in her home at Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel. The group helps Palestinians from Gaza and the West Bank access medical treatment in Israel, where health services are among the most advanced in the region.

Persons: Vivian Silver, Yocheved, Nir Oz, Mr, Yuval Roth Organizations: Iri Kassel, Palestinian, Mr, Kibbutz, Hamas, West Bank Locations: Israel’s Erez, Gaza, Israel, Kassel, Kibbutz Be’eri

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