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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fund to support homeless families announced $117 million in new grants on Tuesday to organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which is a part of a $2 billion commitment Bezos made in 2018 to support homeless families and to run free preschools. That brings the amount granted by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to benefit homeless families to almost $640 million. The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte received a second grant this year after first being awarded $5 million by the fund in 2018. The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund did not give a timeframe for when the pledged $2 billion would be distributed or what portion would go to homeless families. Last year, Bezos gave away $122.2 million and has pledged around $12.8 billion in charitable donations, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bezos, Lauren Sánchez, Deronda Metz, ” Metz, Amanda Andere, “, can’t, Andere, Sánchez, Jacklyn Bezos, Miguel, Fred, Dolly Parton, José Andrés, Van Jones Organizations: Fund, Salvation Army, Greater Charlotte, Girls, Urban Institute, National Coalition for, Homeless, Housing, Urban Development, Amazon, CNN, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Puerto Rico, Seattle, Maui

☆ A Russian general who was critical of the army's operation was found dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A decorated Russian general and his wife were found dead at his home. The general, Vladimir Sviridov, was critical of soldier training in the Russian military. Lieutenant General Vladimir Sviridov, 68, and his wife Tatyana, 72, were found dead Wednesday in their bedroom, per the Kyiv Post. During Sviridov's time as a commander in the 2000s, he complained about the Russian army, saying Russian pilots were not trained well enough. However, this is not yet the case," he said in one interview, per the Kyiv Post.

Persons: Vladimir Sviridov, —, Tatyana, Sviridov, Vladimir, Tatyana Sviridov, Ivan Pechorin, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Vladimir Popov Organizations: Service, Kyiv Post, Army of, Air Force, Air Defense, Russian Telegram, Kremlin Locations: Russian, Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ The US Army is having a hard time recruiting. Now it's asking soldiers dismissed for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine to come back.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The United States Army is telling soldiers kicked out over the COVID-19 vaccine they can come back. AdvertisementThe United States army is having such a difficult time recruiting that it's sending instructions on how to rejoin to soldiers kicked out for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The Army sent the letters to approximately 1,900 active duty soldiers who were separated for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, according to military blog Task and Purpose. In 2022, the US Army fell short by about 15,000 soldiers, or 25%, according to Army Times. "When you look at Generation Z, you see a lot of the declining trust in institutions," Wormuth told NPR.

Persons: —, Christine Wormuth, Wormuth Organizations: United States Army, Army, An Army, Service, United, of Defense, United States, US Army, Army Times, The Army, NPR Locations: United States

☆ With mapping robots and blast gel, Israel wages war on Hamas tunnels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/4] Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari shows what the Israeli military says is a tunnel at a location given as Gaza, in this still image taken from video released November 13, 2023. In Beit Hanoun, where his forces were operating, some gunmen had stormed the Israeli military from tunnel shafts and had been killed, he said. The Israeli military said last week that 130 shafts had been destroyed so far, but gave no figure for demolished tunnels. It has dismissed assertions by Israel that it has a command centre under Gaza's biggest hospital, Al Shifa, which Israeli forces entered on Wednesday. But they know their own village, they know pretty well the tunnel system," the officer said.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Al Shifa, Beit Hanoun, Timothy Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS, Forces Base, Hamas, New, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza Israel, Israel, Beit, Beit Hanoun, Hanoun, Hamas, Gaza's, New York City

☆ Synopsys, Microsoft team up for a chip-design assistant
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Stephen Nellis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

But Synopsys (SNPS.O) on Wednesday said it has worked with Microsoft to create its own Copilot to help with designing computer chips. Synopsys trained the system on huge troves of data it has accumulated over decades in business to help with that. "But if you're not generating (chip design work) that is over 99.9% accurate, you're introducing a bug in your chip, which is worth hundreds of millions of dollars." Fixing bugs is one of the lengthiest and costliest parts of the chip design process. Microsoft said it has already started to test the Synopsys system with its own chip design teams, which on Wednesday unveiled the company's first in-house data center chips.

Persons: Steve Marcus, Synopsys, Shankar Krishnamoorthy, Krishnamoorthy, Erik Berg, Stephen Nellis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: REUTERS, Microsoft, Wednesday, San, Thomson Locations: Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, San Francisco

☆ Americans are getting ‘ripped off’ by big banks, Robinhood CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Robinhood is trying hard to lure customers fed up with traditional banks that pay little to no interest on savings. To attract deposits, the stock trading app made famous by the GameStop craze is offering fatter and fatter interest rates. That’s far higher than traditional banks and among the highest in the industry. We see an opportunity to correct that,”Tenev argued this has long been part of the “playbook” of traditional banks. The Robinhood rate of 5% applies to new and existing customers of Robinhood Gold, a subscription service that costs $5 a month.

Persons: New York CNN — Robinhood, ”, Vlad Tenev, ” Tenev, Robinhood, Roth, “, Tenev, We’re Organizations: New, New York CNN, GameStop, CNN, Federal Reserve, American Bankers Association, Bank, AMC, of America, ” Bank of America Locations: New York

The Army convictions arose out of the Houston Riots of Aug. 23, 1917, an outbreak of violence that followed months of racist taunts against Black soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment. On that day Black soldiers guarding a military property were subjected to racist slurs and physical attacks, the Army said. About 100 fellow Black soldiers came to their aid and marched into the city, where ensuing violence killed 19 people, the Army said. Army courts-martial eventually convicted 110 Black soldiers, including 19 who received the death penalty, in a process that historians determined contained "numerous irregularities," the Army said. The mass execution of 19 soldiers was the largest carried out by the Army of American soldiers in history, the Army said.

Persons: Andreas Gebert, Christine Wormuth, Black, Daniel Trotta, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, 56th Artillery Command, NATO, REUTERS, U.S . Army, The Army, for, Military Records, Army, Supreme, Houston, 3rd Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, Buffalo Soldiers, South Texas College of Law, Thomson Locations: Grafenwoehr, Germany, America

☆ Is that $35 Apple Watch real? How misleading TikTok influencer videos could be the next big headache in e-commerce
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Tyler linked his post to a $34.88 smartwatch available on TikTok Shop from a merchant called MoonMates, which did not represent the item as Apple-made. Because the video featured a TikTok Shop tag, Tyler was likely eligible for a commission on any watch sales his video generated. Others may do it unintentionally because they're not entirely sure whether a steeply discounted TikTok Shop product is authentic. If false video reviews proliferate across TikTok Shop, it could pose an existential risk for the nascent e-commerce platform. TikTok user Vincent Patritto went viral in September after promoting a pair of Crocs that were available on TikTok Shop.

Persons: Austin Tyler, Tyler, TikTok, they're, Brett Hollenbeck, Hollenbeck, it's, Vincent Patritto, they've, Patritto, Lululemon Athletica, Influencers, aren't Organizations: Apple, Apple Watch, Shop, UCLA's Anderson School of Management, New, Prime, YouTube, Expedia, UCLA

Authorities have detained nearly 20,000 people for anti-war activity and opened over 800 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents, according to the OVD-Info rights group. Skochilenko replaced price tags in a supermarket in her native St Petersburg on March 31 2022 with five small pieces of paper urging an end to the war. "Even you, your honour (the judge), even you, the state prosecutor, you also don’t want people to die prematurely, for young soldiers to lie in the fields, for civilians to die." Copies of the imitation price tags produced by Skochilenko are on display on a website maintained by her supporters. Another alleges Russia was sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has also denied.

Persons: Alexandra, Sasha, Skochilenko, Alexandra Skochilenko, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin, Alexander Gladyshev, Putin, Andrew Osborn, Mark Trevelyan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Authorities, Moscow, Wednesday, Amnesty, NATO, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Saint Petersburg, Russia, Russian, St Petersburg, Mariupol, Moscow

☆ Lawyers Seek Release of Russian Artist Who Staged Anti-War Price Tag Protest
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Critics say it is part of a crackdown on anyone who speaks out against Moscow's "special military operation". Authorities have detained nearly 20,000 people for anti-war activity and opened over 800 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents, according to the OVD-Info rights group. The justice ministry has designated the rights group a "foreign agent" and its website is blocked in Russia. Copies of the imitation price tags produced by Skochilenko are on display on a website maintained by her supporters. Another alleges Russia was sending conscripts to fight in Ukraine, which Russia has also denied.

Persons: Andrew Osborn, Alexandra Skochilenko, Sasha, Moscow's, Vladimir Putin, Skochilenko, Alexander Gladyshev, Putin, Mark Trevelyan, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Authorities, Moscow, Wednesday, Amnesty, NATO, Reuters Locations: Russian, Ukraine, St Petersburg, Russia, Mariupol, Moscow

'X' logo is seen on the top of the headquarters of the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, in downtown San Francisco, California, U.S., July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS/STOCKHOLM, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's X social media platform has just 2,294 content moderators to ensure users comply with EU online content rules, significantly fewer than Google (GOOGL.O) and TikTok, a senior European Commission official said on Friday. X has triggered concerns after Musk laid off many employees responsible for monitoring and regulating content amid the spread of disinformation on the platform. According to reports the companies submitted to the EU in September, X's 2,294 EU content moderators compared with 16,974 at Google's YouTube, 7,319 at Google Play and 6,125 at TikTok, the senior Commission official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Regulators are hoping that X will feel the pressure to boost its number of content moderators to catch up with its rivals, the official said.

Persons: Carlos Barria, Elon Musk's, Musk, Foo Yun Chee, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Google, European Commission, EU's Digital Services, Apple, Microsoft, EU, YouTube, DSA, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, BRUSSELS, STOCKHOLM, X's, TikTok, EU

☆ Far-right hosts are blaming the GOP's big election losses on Taylor Swift
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Some far-right commentators are blaming Taylor Swift for the GOP's Tuesday election losses. The pop star encouraged her fans to vote, but a GOP strategist warned election losses weren't her fault. AdvertisementAdvertisementFar-right commentators are putting the blame for the GOP's major election losses during Tuesday's races on one celeb: Taylor Swift. He fumed in another all-caps post that "THE CHILDLESS, UNMARRIED ABORTION ARMY MOBILIZED BY BARBIE, TAYLOR SWIFT, AND TIKTOK" was "CRUSHING REPUBLICANS AT THE BALLOT BOX." Kirk continued: "All the Swifties want is swift abortion.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Charlie Kirk, Jack Posobiec, —, Swift, Barbie, Posobiec, TAYLOR SWIFT, Kirk, Mother Mary, Mary, Joe Biden, Andy Beshear's, Donald Trump, Doug Heye, Heye, Swifties, Olivia Julianna Organizations: Service, BARBIE, Republican Party, Democratic Gov, Republican White, Washington Examiner Locations: Colorado , Kentucky, Maine , Mississippi , New Jersey , New York , Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia's, Ohio, America

☆ ‘Mean Girls’ Adaptation Trailer Inspires Mixed Reactions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Lola Fadulu | More About Lola Fadulu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Paramount Pictures on Wednesday released a trailer for the film adaptation of the Broadway musical “Mean Girls,” which was itself an adaptation of the beloved 2004 movie about a girl trying to fit in with the popular crowd at her high school. The new film is due to hit theaters on Jan. 12. The reactions to Wednesday’s trailer, which was posted across social media platforms, were mixed. !”There was some confusion about the lack of musical performances in the trailer, given that the film is being positioned as an adaptation of a musical. One user on TikTok wrote in a comment: “Wait so it’s based on the musical and there’s no music???

Persons: Regina George, Rachel McAdams, ”, TikTok Organizations: Paramount Pictures, North Shore High School Locations: Regina

That was the vision of Joan Kroc, billionaire philanthropist and heiress to the McDonald’s fortune of her husband, Ray. And today, 20 years later, 26 grand, state-of-the-art Kroc centers have opened in places as varied as Ashland, Ohio; Guayama, Puerto Rico; and Quincy, Illinois. Half was to be earmarked for the construction of recreation centers, with the other half deposited into endowments to support them. In the two decades since Kroc’s bequest, quantifying the precise impact on all of the communities served by the Kroc centers is difficult. She explained that Joan Kroc meant for the place to be accessible to all — that beauty was part of her plan.

Persons: Joan Kroc, Ray, Army didn’t, Joan Kroc’s, MacKenzie Scott, Kroc, revved, she’d, Ronald McDonald, MacKenzie, Phil Buchanan, Scott, ”, “, that’s, Angelia Grandberry, Grandberry, Lisa Napoli, Joan Organizations: Salvation Army, Phoenix Kroc, Army, baseball’s San Diego Padres, San, National Hockey League, Catholic, Notre Dame, University of San, Ronald McDonald House Charities, National Public Radio, Center, Coast Kroc, Associated Press Locations: Ashland , Ohio, Puerto Rico, Quincy , Illinois, Boston, Augusta , Georgia, San Francisco, U.S, Southern California, baseball’s, St, Paul , Minnesota, San Diego, University of San Diego, Biloxi , Mississippi

☆ How to Hijack a Quarter of a Million Dollars in Rare Japanese Kit Kats
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Amelia Nierenberg | More About Amelia Nierenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The precious sweets landed safely enough in California, and were trucked about 30 miles across Los Angeles County to a temporary storage facility in South El Monte, run by a company called Japan Crate Acquisition. Mr. Black, who runs a freight brokering company called Freight Rate Central in Sarasota, Fla., is part of an invisible army of professionals who coordinate and marshal the fleets of trucks that crisscross the country carrying everything from chickens to smartphones. He posted the job on a trucking board that is something like a Craigslist for freight. Someone named Tristan with HCH Trucking accepted the job (though he was using a Gmail account), and said he would have the shipment picked up shortly. On Aug. 9, Tristan wrote in an email, “Hey man, The first one is loaded and rolling, the second one we’ll pick it up tomorrow first thing in the morning.”

Persons: Shane Black, . Black, Bokksu, Black, Tristan, HCH Trucking, ” Organizations: South El Monte, Japan Locations: California, Los Angeles County, South El, Pacific, Carlstadt, N.J, Sarasota , Fla

☆ Ukraine says it killed Kremlin-backed politician in car bombing in occupied Luhansk
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Christian Edwards | Gul Tuysuz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Kyiv CNN —Ukraine said it was responsible for the assassination of a Russia-backed official with a car bomb in the occupied eastern city of Luhansk on Wednesday. Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities reported Filiponenko had been killed in a car bombing early Wednesday morning. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence posted Filiponenko’s address and warned others: “All addresses of traitors and places of their service to terrorist Russia in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine are known! Defense Intelligence of Ukraine states that all war criminals and collaborators will receive a fair retribution!”There have been several assassination attempts against Russian-backed officials in occupied Ukraine. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in the south of Ukraine, have been occupied by Russian forces since shortly after the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Persons: Mikhail Filiponenko, Filiponenko, Russia ”, ”, Russian Liberal Democratic Party Filiponenko Mikhail Yuryevich, ” Filiponenko, “ Filiponenko, Stanislav Krasilnikov, LPR, Igor Kornet, Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Putin’s Organizations: CNN —, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russia’s, Russian Liberal Democratic Party, Defense Intelligence, Russian, CNN Locations: CNN — Ukraine, Russia, Luhansk, Luhansk People’s Republic, Russian, Kherson, Ukraine, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Moscow, Vladimir Putin’s United Russia

☆ Ukraine says its 'army of drones' struck a record 335 Russian positions in one week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mykhailo Fedorov said drones hit an "absolute record" of 335 Russian positions from Oct 30 to Nov 6. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine's "army of drones" is pounding Russian forces at an unprecedented rate, hitting an "absolute record" number of Russian targets last week, a Ukrainian official said. Between October 30 and November 6, Ukrainian airborne drones claimed a record 335 Russian targets. The unverified figures said that in the record week Ukraine also destroyed 36 tanks, 83 armored combat vehicles, 18 self-propelled artillery systems, and 72 trucks. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has extensively developed and used drones to target Russian soldiers , destroy Russian tanks worth millions, and damage ships .

Persons: Mykhailo Fedorov, —, Fedorov, Melissa Haring, They're Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Digital Transformation, Atlantic Council, Associated Press Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, China

☆ US Army says it needs $3 billion for 155 mm artillery rounds and production
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Leonhard Simon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Army needs Congress to approve $3.1 billion to buy 155 millimeter artillery rounds and expand production to quickly replace stocks depleted by shipments to Ukraine and now Israel, an Army official said on Tuesday. Of the $3.1 billion specific to 155 artillery, about half would go to boosting industrial capacity with the remainder going to buying rounds, Bush said. Demand for 155 mm artillery rounds has soared in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The U.S. plans to increase its monthly production rate for 155 millimeter artillery shells to 100,000 in 2025. In its most recent earnings report General Dynamics (GD.N) said it benefited from Pentagon spending to replace equipment sent to Ukraine, including 155 millimeter artillery.

Persons: Leonhard Simon, Doug Bush, Joe Biden's, Bush, Mike Stone, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . Army, REUTERS, Rights, Army, Dynamics, Pentagon, Thomson Locations: Grafenwoehr, Germany, Ukraine, Israel, U.S, Texas , Tennessee, Virginia, California, Biden's, Kyiv, Washington

☆ Ukraine sends 'army of drones' to fight Russian troops
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Lilian Manansala | Tamara Lindstrom | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Ukraine says its drones hit over 300 Russian targets in a week. Ukrainian missiles struck and damaged a new Russian cruise missile carrier purported to join the Black Sea Fleet later this year.

Organizations: Sea Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ How the Nigerian military fatally shot a young captive
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +19 min

The Nigerian government and military – including the presidency, Ministry of Defence, defence headquarters and army leaders – did not respond to detailed questions for this story. Various entities have accused Nigerian security forces of other abuses in connection with killings of civilians and captives. Two security force members told Reuters they saw multiple prisoners brought out of the barracks and shot after the fighting ceased. Tweets from Nigerian defence headquarters in Abuja show the military declared the hostilities over shortly after 11 a.m. Nine shots fired A uniformed security force member shot nine rounds at the young captive, pulling the trigger at least seven times, according to forensic audio experts who listened to the recording at Reuters’ request.

Persons: Melanie O’Brien, –, Ocampo, Christopher Musa, Musa, ” Musa, “, extrajudicially, Michael Oluoha Agi, ’ ”, ”, Boko, ‘ Allahu akbar ’, Yahaya, Haram, Biu, Bellingcat, Belllingcat, Chris Olukolade, Emmanuel Emeka, Emeka, Reade Levinson, David Lewis, Tim Cocks, Carlos Gonzales, Paul Carsten, Daphne Psaledakis, Stephanie van den Berg, Youri van, Adolfo Arranz, Sam Hart, Feilding, Julie Marquis, Alexandra Zavis Organizations: Reuters, International Association of, Nigerian, Ministry of Defence, ICC, Islamic, Human Rights Commission, United Nations, Twitter, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, U.S . State Department, U.S, Boko, Civilian, Task Force, Defence, Facebook, 231, Battalion, 331 Artillery Regiment Locations: Geneva, Nigeria, Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, Nigerian, United States, Britain, U.S, Biu, Boko Haram, Abuja, Largema

☆ Atlanta’s Dining Scene Feels ‘the Keith Lee Effect’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Emmett Lindner | More About Emmett Lindner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a food critic comes to a city that is proud of its dining scene, restaurants and their devotees take notice. But rarely does a traditional reviewer cause as much excitement as Atlanta has seen with the recent visit of Keith Lee, a food obsessive with a vast army of 14 million followers on TikTok. At a breakfast place?” he asked in a video on his first day in Atlanta, eating takeout in his car. Mr. Lee, who is based in Las Vegas, mostly reviews independent, mom-and-pop restaurants, many of them Black-owned. Mr. Lee has made videos from Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles, but the response in Atlanta has been notable.

Persons: Keith Lee, Lee, ”, takeout Locations: Atlanta, Las Vegas, Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles

☆ Wildfires Erupt in Southern Lebanon, Civil Defence Blames Israeli Shells
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defence, told Reuters. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the Israeli military said an accusation by Human Rights Watch that it had used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza was "unequivocally false." White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.

Persons: Mousawae, Israel, Abdallah Bou Habib, Aya Majzoub, Riham Alkousaa, Henriette Chacar, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Firefighters, Tyre Regional Center of, Reuters, Hamas, United Nations, UN Security, National News Agency, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Tyre, Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Labbouneh, East, North Africa, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Wildfires erupt in southern Lebanon, civil defense blames Israeli shells
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defense, told Reuters. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the Israeli military said an accusation by Human Rights Watch that it had used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza was "unequivocally false." White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Mousawae, Israel, Abdallah Bou Habib, Aya Majzoub, Riham Alkousaa, Henriette Chacar, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Firefighters, Tyre Regional Center of, Reuters, Hamas, United Nations, UN Security, National News Agency, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Nahariya, Rights BEIRUT, Tyre, Iran, Lebanese, Labbouneh, East, North Africa, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Nipah virus outbreak in India renews calls to protect bat roosts
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Sreekanth Sivadasan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +15 min

Because spillover risk is concentrated in lower income countries in the tropical south, the cost of preventing another pandemic falls squarely on nations that can least afford it. To that end, federal and state officials say they are talking about ways to protect bat habitats in areas where spillover risk is high. Investigators still don’t know precisely how the virus jumped from bats to people in each of the four Kerala outbreaks dating back to 2018. BAT MAGNETS: Bananas and areca nuts grow on land that was home to the first patient who died in a recent Nipah outbreak in Kerala, India. The state would need to act to protect trees and bat roosts, they said.

Persons: Subrat Mohapatra, ” Mohapatra, coronaviruses, Bhupender Yadav, Veena George, ”, Nigel Sizer, Biden, Sizer, Pamela Hamamoto, Muhammad Ali, Pinarayi Vijayan, Sreehari Raman, “ I've, ” Raman, Kerala Agricultural University Dean P.O, Nameer, Sajith Kizhakkayil, “, ” Vijayan, Unni Vengeri, Francisco Pérez, Sreekanth Sivadasan, Rupam Jain, Deborah J, Nelson, Ryan McNeill, Allison Martell, Sam Hart, Simon Newman, Janet Roberts, Feilding Organizations: World Health Organization, Reuters, WHO, Bank, Fund, European, European Union, BAT, Kerala Agricultural University, Research, United, Coalition, European Commission Locations: INDIA, India’s Kerala, India’s, Asia, Kerala, Kozhikode, Geneva, U.S, European, Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, United Nations, Maruthonkara, Changaroth, Kerala’s midland, Berlin

☆ Chinese fighter jet got within 10 feet of US bomber over South China Sea, US military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A Chinese fighter jet came within 10 feet of a US Air Force B-52 bomber flying over the South China Sea on Tuesday, according to the US military. Beijing cut off the communications after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year, infuriating Chinese leaders. China uses its military might to assert its claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea and beyond, including Taiwan. In 2022, the Chinese military increased its aggressive actions towards the independent island territory, including ballistic missile overflights, military aircraft flying into Taiwan’s aerial identification zone and major exercises near Taiwan. Though Xi has said he is seeking the peaceful unification of Taiwan with China, he has not renounced the use of military force to achieve his goal.

Persons: “, Joe Biden, Wang Yi, Wang, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Xi Jinping, Ely Ratner, ” Ratner, Nancy Pelosi, “ I’ve, ”, Adm, John Aquilin, Xi Organizations: CNN, US Air Force, Pacific Command, ”, Foreign, APEC, US, East, South China, National Defense Strategy, America Locations: South, US, San Francisco, Beijing, Taiwan, China

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