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☆ German Government, Opposition Agree Constitutional Changes to Protect Top Court, Newspaper Reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's centre-left ruling coalition and the main conservative opposition have agreed a draft law to protect its highest court, the Rheinische Post newspaper reported on Thursday, at a time of growing concern about the strength of the far-right AfD party. The anti-establishment, nationalist party is already under state surveillance on suspicion of being extremist and anti-constitution. The AfD rejects allegations it is undemocratic and has said the Constitutional Court, which is appointed by parliament, is biased and closely linked with the government. The 12-page draft law will incorporate the mandate of the Federal Constitutional Court into the constitution, the Rheinische Post reported, with the aim of enshrining its independence with the following passage:"The decisions of the Federal Constitutional Court bind the constitutional bodies of the federal and state governments as well as all courts and authorities." Photos You Should See View All 60 Images"All of these regulations are therefore exempt from change with a simple majority in the future," the Rheinische Post added, quoting the draft legislation.

Persons: Riham, Mark Heinrich Organizations: BERLIN, Rheinische Post, Constitutional, Federal Constitutional Court, Federal, Court

☆ Pro-Palestinian Groups File Legal Action Against German Politician Over Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Riham AlkousaaBERLIN (Reuters) - Pro-Palestinian activists have filed criminal charges against a German politician for suspected incitement of hate and denial of war crimes in Israel's war in Gaza, they said on Friday. War in Israel and Gaza View All 209 ImagesThe charges against Volker Beck, a former member of parliament and the head of the German-Israeli Society, were brought by Palestinian solidarity groups Palestine Speaks and Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East. "This is the first step in holding public figures who publicly make genocidal statements legally accountable," the group wrote on its Instagram. "There is no genocide in Gaza and I do not advocate genocide," he told Reuters, adding that he had filed complaints against the groups for defamation. "These people have a disturbed relationship with the rule of law if they believe that many complaints lead to more investigations."

Persons: Alkousaa, Volker Beck, Beck, Riham Alkousaa, Rachel More, Nick Macfie Organizations: Israeli Society, Palestine, Jewish, Reuters, Court Locations: Alkousaa BERLIN, German, Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Germany, Berlin, South Africa

☆ Israeli Offensive on Rafah Would Be a Humanitarian Catastrophe, Says Germany
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - An Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah where 1.3 million people have sought refuge would be a humanitarian catastrophe, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Wednesday. Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem, Baerbock said: "1.3 million people are waiting there in a very small space. If the Israeli army were to launch an offensive on Rafah under these conditions, it would be a humanitarian catastrophe." War in Israel and Gaza View All 206 Images"Let's agree on sanctions together in Europe. Photos You Should See View All 22 Images(Reporting by Riham Alkousaa in Berlin; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Annalena Baerbock, Baerbock, Riham Alkousaa, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, German, European Union, West Bank Locations: Gaza, Rafah, Jerusalem, Germany, France, Washington, Britain, Israel, Europe, Berlin

☆ UK Offers Cruise-Missile Swap to Germany to Aid Ukraine -Handelsblatt
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - Britain has offered Germany a swap of cruise missiles that could allow the German government a way to overcome concerns over a suggested delivery of missiles to Ukraine, Germen newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Wednesday. The paper cited government and diplomatic sources as saying that the British government has proposed to Berlin several weeks ago that it could export Storm Shadow cruise missiles to Ukraine and, in turn, receive the German Taurus missiles. The office of German chancellor Olaf Scholz has been analysing this proposal, the report added. A person familiar with the negotiations said that the proposed swap could potentially find support in Berlin. The German government has repeatedly said it will only act in concert with Washington on arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Persons: Handelsblatt, Olaf Scholz, Riham Alkousaa, Gareth Jones, Bill Berkrot Organizations: BERLIN, Taurus Locations: Britain, Germany, Ukraine, Germen, Berlin, Washington

☆ Defying Pope's calls for climate action, US Catholic bishops cling to fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Richard Valdmanis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The ongoing investments in the U.S. reflect a long-running rift between U.S. Catholic bishops and the pope on how to address global warming. The pope's Laudato Si encyclical urged immediate action against climate change, declaring that "highly polluting fossil fuels need to be progressively replaced without delay." The Vatican bank, which is separate from APSA, also does not invest in fossil fuels, a bank official said. Notably absent are any dioceses in the U.S.Reuters reviewed the financial reports published by two dozen of the nation's more than 170 Catholic dioceses, including several of its largest, and found that few provide details on specific investments. He called the enormous financial gains by oil companies "immoral profits."

Persons: Pope Francis, Remo Casilli, Dan DiLeo, Peter Marlow, Anne, Marie Welsh, William Lori, Joshtrom Kureethadam, Chieko Noguchi, Noguchi, USCCB, Sabrina Danielsen, Danielson, Richard Valdmanis, Philip Pullella, John Mair, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Catholic, drillers, U.S . Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Church, Reuters, Justice, Peace, Creighton University in, Vatican, Opportunity Fund, Collective Investment, Archdiocese, Development, American Petroleum Institute, Christian Brothers Investment Service, Investment, BP, Shell, Creighton University, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, Dubai, Creighton University in Nebraska, U.S, APSA, Vatican, Ireland, Germany, Archdiocese, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Erie , Pennsylvania, Texas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth . Erie, Erie, Baltimore, Paris, Saudi Aramco, PetroChina, India, Vatican City, Berlin, Sydney

☆ Insight: Defying Pope's calls for climate action, US Catholic bishops cling to fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Richard Valdmanis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

The ongoing investments in the U.S. reflect a long-running rift between U.S. Catholic bishops and the pope on how to address global warming. The pope's Laudato Si encyclical urged immediate action against climate change, declaring that "highly polluting fossil fuels need to be progressively replaced without delay." The Vatican bank, which is separate from APSA, also does not invest in fossil fuels, a bank official said. A CCF official said energy and fossil fuels stocks make up between 3.5% and 6% of archdiocese investment funds, and that CCF uses its shareholder status to press for corporate environmental improvements. He called the enormous financial gains by oil companies "immoral profits."

Persons: Pope Francis, Dan DiLeo, Peter Marlow, Remo Casilli, Anne, Marie Welsh, William Lori, Bernard Hebda, Saint, Joshtrom Kureethadam, Chieko Noguchi, Noguchi, USCCB, Sabrina Danielsen, Danielson, Richard Valdmanis, Philip Pullella, John Mair, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Catholic, drillers, U.S . Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Church, Reuters, Justice, Peace, Creighton University in, Vatican, Opportunity Fund, Collective Investment, Archdiocese, Minneapolis, Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota, CCF, Development, American Petroleum Institute, Christian Brothers Investment Service, Investment, BP, Shell, Creighton University, U.S, Thomson Locations: United States, Dubai, Creighton University in Nebraska, U.S, APSA, Vatican, Ireland, Germany, Archdiocese, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Erie , Pennsylvania, Texas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth . Erie, Erie, Baltimore, Saint Paul, Paris, Saudi Aramco, PetroChina, India, Vatican City, Berlin, Sydney

☆ German government unveils budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The government said the spillover effects from the energy crisis that hit in 2022 after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and caused rocketing prices had created an emergency situation that justified suspending the debt brake. The leader of Scholz's SPD urged the government to consider suspending the debt brake next year, a move rejected in particular by the fiscally hawkish Free Democrats (FDP). "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, which have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Scholz's, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham Alkousaa, Amir Orusov, Rachel More, Matthias Williams, Thomas Escritt, Alison Williams, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, BERLIN, Ukraine, Sarai, East Germany

☆ German government to agree budget fixes as way out of crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Christian Kraemer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks next to Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck during a hearing at Germany’s lower house of parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, November 15, 2023. The budget would see Germany suspend its constitutionally enshrined debt brake for a fourth year in a row as Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government fights its way out of a crisis that has triggered warnings about growth and an industry exodus. "The debt brake must remain." The debt brake, introduced after the global financial crisis of 2008-09, was first suspended in 2020 to help the government support firms and health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday he stressed the need to give companies, who have been worried by the uncertainty caused by the budget crisis, clarity as quickly as possible.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, Annegret, Olaf Scholz's, finalising, Christian Duerr, Bijan Djir, Christian Kraemer, Riham, Matthias Williams, Alison Williams Organizations: Finance, Climate, REUTERS, Rights, Free Democrats, ZDF, Greens, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Sarai, East Germany

☆ German budget crisis tests limits of its 'debt brake'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ruling has sent budget talks into disarray and sparked calls within Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition to suspend a constitutionally enshrined "debt brake" that sets legal limits on borrowing. WHAT IS THE DEBT BRAKE AND WHY WAS IT INTRODUCED? HAS GERMANY SUSPENDED ITS DEBT BRAKE BEFORE? Some analysts say the debt brake is ripe for reform and a more flexible fiscal policy would let governments take on more debt to fund much-needed investments. The government is still weighing options, including suspending the debt brake or curtailing spending.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Angela Merkel's, Christian Lindner, Carsten Brzeski, Philippa Sigl, Robert Habeck, Riham Alkousaa, Holger Hansen, Matthias Williams, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, GERMANY, Ukraine

"The Compact with Africa conference aims to send this signal: You can count on Germany as a partner". The 4 billion euros would be channelled into the common EU-Africa Initiative for Green Energy. The European Union had already announced it would deliver it 3.4 billion euros in grants. German trade with Africa was 60 billion euros ($65.4 billion) last year, which is a fraction of its trade with Asia but up 21.7% on 2021. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara said the number of German companies had tripled in five years while Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said German investment had increased sixfold since 2015.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, Liesa, Scholz, Christian Lindner, Alassane Ouattara, Aziz Akhannouch, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Riham Alkousaa, David Gregorio Our Organizations: French, REUTERS, Rights, Africa, Africa Initiative for Green Energy, European Union, " Finance, Ivory, Morocco's, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Africa, Berlin, Germany, Europe, China, West, Russia, Asia, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia

And while the local government says Berlin has sufficient space to build over 100,000 apartments, there is no sign the housing crisis gripping the city will ease. But as Europe's largest economy teeters near recession, economists warn that high rents will feed inflation and reduce household consumption. In Berlin, local opposition has frustrated plans to build, while regulation creates a two-tier rental market that is cheap for some long-term tenants and expensive for new renters. Rising property demand saw private companies develop luxury apartments that offered a higher yield - in part, Buch said, because government permissioning for more affordable housing projects was so slow. OPPOSITIONSome building projects have since faced local opposition while a recent attempt to curb rent increases backfired.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Rolf Buch, Buch, you've, Konstantin Kholodilin, Marwa, Monika Neugebauer, Goldman Sachs, Neugebauer, Gesa Crockford, Martin Pallgen, Anna Hohnrath, Hohnrath, Matthias Inverardi, Matthias Williams, Catherine Evans Organizations: Berlin, REUTERS, Rights, Vonovia, Reuters, DIVISION, International Union of Tenants, European, West, Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, San Francisco, California, City, Tempelhof, Valencia, Spain

Smoke rises over Gaza as seen from Southern Israel, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas, November 10, 2023. UNRWA is mourning, Palestinians mourning, Israelis mourning," Philippe Lazzarini said on social media platform X. Besides Gaza, the next most deadly conflicts for U.N. aid workers was Nigeria in 2011 when a suicide bomber attacked its Abuja office during an Islamist insurgency, killing 46. In addition, seven other non-U.N. Palestinian aid workers have been killed in Gaza, the database showed. Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, UNRWA provides public services including schools, healthcare and aid.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Philippe Lazzarini, Juliette Touma, Israel, Emma Farge, Gabrielle Tétrault, Farber, Riham Alkousaa, Stephanie van den, Miranda Murray, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, GENEVA, United Nations, Reuters, UN, Communications, UNRWA, Aid Worker Security, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Southern Israel, Israel, Palestinian, Nigeria, Abuja, Sudan, Afghanistan, U.S

☆ Siemens Energy sees electrolyser sales topping 1 billion euros mid-term
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Miniatures of windmill, solar panel and electric pole are seen in front of Siemens Energy logo in this illustration taken January 17, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Siemens Energy (ENR1n.DE) expects more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in revenues over the medium-term from its hydrogen electrolyser manufacturing business, one of the company's board members said on Wednesday. Anne-Laure de Chammard spoke to journalists on the sidelines of the opening of Siemens Energy's first electrolyser factory in Berlin, a joint venture with France's Air Liquide (AIRP.PA). Asked about the progress of those talks, de Chammard said: "We will provide more information in a later moment." For the electrolyser project that aims to produce electrolyser capacity of up to 3 gigawatts per year, Siemens Energy has received 15 million euros ($16 million) in government funding for research and development, de Chammard said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Anne, Laure de Chammard, De Chammard, de Chammard, Riham Alkousaa, Christina Amann, Christoph Steitz, Mark Potter Organizations: Siemens Energy, REUTERS, Rights, Siemens, France's, Thomson Locations: Berlin

Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza," Nasrallah said. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces at the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since Oct. 8, with more than 55 of its fighters killed. The group, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is the spearhead of a Tehran-backed alliance hostile to Israel and the United States. The White House said Hezbollah must not exploit the Hamas-Israel conflict, and the United States did not want to see the conflict expand into Lebanon. The United States holds Hezbollah responsible for the attacks.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mohamed Azakir, Nasrallah, Lebanon's, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Riham al, Nadine Awadalla, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan, Tomasz Janowski, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, United, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, House, Pentagon, . Marine, U.S ., group's, Gaza, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Israel, Beirut's, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, BEIRUT, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Beirut, Hamas, Riham al Koussa, Maayan, Jerusalem

☆ Lebanon Says Fires Destroy 40,000 Olive Trees, Blames Israeli Shelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Riham AlkousaaBEIRUT (Reuters) - Fires caused by Israeli shelling in south Lebanon have burned some 40,000 olive trees and torched hundreds of square km (miles) of land, dealing a serious blow to a major Lebanese crop, the agriculture minister said. The Israeli army denied the accusation and said the types of smoke-screen shell it uses do not contain white phosphorus. "These olives have not been harvested yet, meaning we lost the trees and the season," Hajj Hassan said. (But) we have olives trees that are 200 years old." Mohammad el Husseini of the south Lebanon farmers syndicate said the Lebanese government would not be able to compensate farmers for the losses, with the country four years into a devastating financial meltdown.

Persons: Israel, Abbas Hajj Hassan, Hajj Hassan, Dory Farah, Alma Alashaab, Mohammad el Husseini, Riham Alkousaa, Emily Rose, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Reuters, Agriculture, Agriculture Organization, FAO Locations: Riham, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanese, Israel, Palestinian, Alma, Food, Olive, Beirut, Jerusalem

[1/6] Rmeich's sign is seen amidst tension between Israel and Hezbollah, in the Christian village of Rmeich, Lebanon, October 31, 2023. Rmeich is one of around a dozen or more Christian villages near the border with Israel in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim south Lebanon. There is no work or money," said Charbel Al Alam, 58, who makes his living from farming tobacco, historically an important industry for south Lebanon. "In the 2006 war, tobacco plants dried out in the fields and no one was able to harvest it. We don't want war, we're a peaceful village ... so the village remains safe if others flee to it."

Persons: Zohra, Israel, Toni Elias, We're, Elias, Rmeich, Georges Madi, Al Alam, Milad Al Alam, Hezbollah's, Riham, Tom Perry, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hezbollah, REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Christian, Rmeich, Lebanon, Lebanese, Iran, Muslim

☆ 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

☆ 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

As well as the Israeli military's pictures of tanks, some images online appeared to show Israeli soldiers waving an Israeli flag deep inside Gaza. Hamas said it was firing mortars against Israeli forces in north Gaza and had hit Israeli tanks with missiles, belittling reports of deep advances by its enemy. Medical authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2.3 million people, said on Sunday 8,005 people - including 3,324 minors - had been killed. They later said their fighters had clashed with Israeli forces northwest of Gaza and had also set fire to two Israeli tanks. Israel has accused Hamas of locating command centres and other military infrastructure in Gaza hospitals, something the group denies.

Persons: Biden, Netanyahu, Shaban Ahmed, Ahmed, Daniel Hagari, Karim Khan, Elad Goren, Cogat, Khan Younis, Mohammed Salem, Israel, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Crescent, Gaza’s Khan Younis, Rami Al, James Mackenzie, Nidal, Dan Williams, Emily Rose, Riham Alkousaa, Omar Abdel, Razek, Ari Rabinovitch, Adam Makary, Ali Swafta, John Davison, Michelle Nichols, Gareth Jones, Andrew Cawthorne, Alison Williams, Susan Fenton, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reuters, Israeli Defence Force, Criminal, Israeli Defence Ministry, Hamas, REUTERS, United Nations, UNIFIL, Lebanese, Sunday, United Nations Palestinian, Palestinian, Brigades, Tel, Crescent, Gaza Shifa, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza Gaza, JERUSALEM, GAZA, Gaza's, Palestinian, Iranian, Gaza, Gaza City, Israel's, Rafah, Lebanon, Houla, Israeli, Gaza’s, Al, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dagestan, Russia, al, Quds

[1/5] Fisherman Toufik Khouri, 63, filters newly caught sardines in his boat in the port city of Tyre, Lebanon October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Acquire Licensing RightsTYRE, Lebanon, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Fishermen in the Lebanese city of Tyre are among those counting the costs of war in the Middle East. "The (Lebanese) army has warned us against going to southern areas like Al Bayyada or Naqoura because it's dangerous. A Lebanese security source said the fishermen were allowed to fish normally in the Tyre area but not to approach floating barriers separating Lebanese and Israeli waters. At the port near the old city, small fishing boats painted bright white were tied up as fishermen loaded fish into buckets and repaired nets.

Persons: Zohra, Imad Azuzu, Al Bayyada, Adel Abde, Ibrahim Suwdan, Riham Alkousaa, Tom Perry, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tyre, Lebanon, TYRE, Lebanese, Israel, United

☆ Hezbollah says it downs Israeli drone in south Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Sunday it shot down an Israeli drone over southern Lebanon with a surface-to-air missile, the first time it has announced such an incident, as clashes on the Lebanese border escalate. The drone was hit near Khiam, about 5 km (3 miles) from the border with Israel, and was seen falling in Israeli territory, Hezbollah added. Two security sources in Lebanon said it was the first time Hezbollah had announced downing an Israeli drone. The Israeli army and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon have been exchanging fire on a daily basis since the start of the Gaza conflict three weeks ago. "UNIFIL expresses serious concern over these two attacks on our troops who are tirelessly working 24/7 to restore stability in southern Lebanon and de-escalate this perilous situation, " the force wrote on social media platform X.

Persons: Mohanad Hage Ali, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Nayera Abdallah, Younes el, Riham Alkousaa, Alexander Smith, Hugh Lawson, Giles Elgood Organizations: Carnegie Middle East Center, Israeli Defence Ministry, United Nations, UNIFIL, Lebanese, Younes el Audi, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Lebanese, Khiam, Israel, Houla, Gaza, Naqoura

☆ Israel presses ground campaign against Hamas in 'second stage' of Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Emily Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"This is the second stage of the war whose goals are clear - to destroy Hamas' governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home," Netanyahu told reporters. Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza for three weeks since the Islamist group Hamas' devastating Oct. 7 attack. [1/8]Smoke rises over Gaza, as seen from Israel's border with Gaza, in southern Israel October 28, 2023. TARGETING MAZE OF HAMAS TUNNELSIsrael sent troops and tanks into Gaza on Friday night, focusing on infrastructure including the extensive tunnel network built by Hamas, the Israeli military said. Qatar-mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued but at a much slower pace than before Friday's escalation in Gaza, a source briefed on the talks said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Gaza's, Netanyahu, Joe Biden's, Mahmoud Abbas, “, Amir Cohen, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Elon Musk, Al, Yoav Gallant, James Mackenzie, Nidal, Emily Rose, Riham Alkousaa, Omar Abdel, Razek, Ari Rabinovitch, Adam Makary, Ali Swafta, John Davison, Michelle Nichols, Matt Spetalnick, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Israeli, Saturday, U.S, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, REUTERS, . Security, Billionaire, Brigades, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Iran, Qatar, Hamas, United States, Europe, East, Asia

☆ Israel Presses Ground Campaign Against Hamas in 'Second Stage' of Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

By Emily RoseJERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces waged ground operations against Hamas in Gaza on Sunday in what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the second phase of a three-week-old war aimed at crushing the Palestinian militant group. "This is the second stage of the war whose goals are clear - to destroy Hamas' governing and military capabilities and to bring the hostages home," Netanyahu told reporters. Israel has tightened its blockade and bombarded Gaza for three weeks since the Islamist group Hamas' devastating Oct. 7 attack. TARGETING MAZE OF HAMAS TUNNELSIsrael sent troops and tanks into Gaza on Friday night, focusing on infrastructure including the extensive tunnel network built by Hamas, the Israeli military said. Qatar-mediated negotiations between Israel and Hamas continued but at a much slower pace than before Friday's escalation in Gaza, a source briefed on the talks said.

Persons: Emily Rose JERUSALEM, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gaza's, Netanyahu, Joe Biden's, Mahmoud Abbas, “, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Elon Musk, Al, Yoav Gallant, James Mackenzie, Nidal, Emily Rose, Riham Alkousaa, Omar Abdel, Razek, Ari Rabinovitch, Adam Makary, Ali Swafta, John Davison, Michelle Nichols, Matt Spetalnick, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Israeli, Saturday, U.S, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, . Security, Billionaire, Brigades Locations: Gaza, Tel Aviv, Israel, Iran, Qatar, Hamas, United States, Europe, East, Asia

☆ Israel stops missile from Lebanon, Beirut takes airport precautions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

With tension climbing again, the Lebanese authorities issued precautionary guidance for evacuating the airport and surrounding installations in case of emergency. Israel's military said on Saturday it had "thwarted a surface-to-air missile that was fired from Lebanon" towards an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It also said one its drones had hit a "terrorist cell" in Lebanon which had tried to launch an anti-tank missile at Israel. Sources have previously said Hezbollah's attacks on Israel were designed to keep Israel's army occupied without provoking a major war. Israel has said it has no interest in waging war and that if Hezbollah is restrained it will maintain the status quo.

Persons: Lebanon's, Riham, Edmund Blair, Giles Elgood Organizations: Lebanese, Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Hamas, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Lebanon, Beirut, Gaza, Beirut Rafic, Israel, Naqoura, Dhayra, Jerusalem

[1/7] Khadjeh Chehadeh Abu Stateh, 84, left, a Palestinian refugee who fled the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and her daughter, Zahra Ahmed Abu Stateh, 51, sit at their residence in Bourj al-Barajneh Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon, October 25, 2023. 'BATTLE OF THE WHOLE NATION'Many of the Palestinians who arrived in Lebanon and their descendants still live in 12 refugee camps around the country, which now hosts about 174,000 Palestinian refugees. The walls in Burj al-Barajneh, like other camps, are covered in graffiti backing Palestinian factions, which are effectively in control. Security and governance is in the hands of Popular Committees and Palestinian factions, the United Nations Palestinian refugees agency UNRWA says. Meanwhile, many in Gaza, a narrow strip of land just 40 km (25 miles) long where 2.3 million people live, most of them also Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel, have been displaced again.

Persons: Abu Stateh, Zahra Ahmed Abu Stateh, Amr Alfiky, Gazans, Bidur Al Habet, Kayyal, Zahra Steitiyeh, Khadijeh Astateh, Riham Alkousaa, Edmund Blair, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Popular Committees, United Nations Palestinian, UNRWA, Israel, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Bourj, Beirut, Lebanon, Burj, BURJ, Gaza, British, Palestine, Israel, Acre, Palestinian, Asylos, Burj al, Lebanese, Al Aqsa, Jordan, Egypt, Safed

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