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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s President William Ruto sought $1 billion more in loans from China Monday, despite rising public debt that has now reached $70 billion in the Eastern African country, according to National Treasury figures for 2022/2023. President Ruto was was one of a number of global leaders in Beijing to attend the tenth anniversary meeting of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, the ambitious plan that aims to connect Africa, Asia and Europe through massive infrastructure and energy projects. Kenya has been struggling with ballooning public debt, with $6 billion owed to Chinese creditors, according to national data. However, it’s not clear if President Ruto and his delegation will be granted a restructuring or extension of the interest payments. Last week, legislators tabled a motion asking the government to reveal details of all the loans it had accumulated since President Ruto came into power in September 2022.

Persons: — Kenya’s, William Ruto, Ruto, Hussein Mohammed, “, ”, SGR, Rigathi Gachagua, Kenya SGR, Aly Khan Satchu, it’s, ” Satchu Organizations: National Treasury, Initiative, Kampala, Kenyan Locations: NAIROBI, Kenya, China, Beijing, Africa, Asia, Europe, Mombasa, Nairobi, Uganda, Central Africa, Turkish, Congo, Satchu

☆ Blinken says meeting with Saudi Crown Prince was "very productive"
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returns to his hotel after meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 15, 2023. A U.S. official said the meeting lasted for just under an hour and took place at the Crown Prince's private farm residence. He made a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates and returned to Riyadh to meet the Crown Prince late on Saturday, although the meeting only materialized on Sunday morning. Blinken on Saturday met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan in Riyadh. Before their meeting, Blinken said protecting civilians on both sides of the conflict was vital.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Jacquelyn Martin, Israel, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Miller, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Crown Prince, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Humeyra Pamuk, Muralikumar Anantharaman, William Mallard, David Evans Organizations: Saudi Crown, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, U.S, Crown, State Department, Hamas, Hezbollah, United Arab Emirates, Saturday, Saudi Foreign, Thomson Locations: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Rights RIYADH, Gaza, Washington, United States, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, East, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Blinken

☆ Egypt delivered drones to Sudan's military - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Oct 14 (Reuters) - Egypt has delivered drones to the Sudanese military, a potential escalation of a conflict that is drawing in more regional players, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday, citing security officials. The Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones were delivered to Sudan's military last month, the Journal reported. Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a power struggle that erupted into conflict on April 15, killing hundreds of people. Spokesmen for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry and the Sudanese military didn't return requests for comment to the Journal. Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maria Ponnezhath, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Wall Street, Rapid Support Forces, Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Sudanese, Journal, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Bengaluru

☆ US advises its citizens in Gaza to move closer to Egypt's Rafah crossing
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Washington has been working with Egypt, Israel and Qatar to open the Rafah crossing on Saturday afternoon to allow Palestinian-Americans to leave, a senior State Department official said earlier. "We have informed U.S. citizens in Gaza with whom we are in contact that if they assess it to be safe, they may wish to move closer to the Rafah border crossing," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. "There may be very little notice if the crossing opens and it may only open for a limited time." [1/6]Palestinians with dual citizenship gather outside Rafah border crossing with Egypt in the hope of getting permission to leave Gaza, amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 14, 2023. "And we're working together to do exactly that, in particular working on establishing safe areas in Gaza, working on establishing corridors so that humanitarian assistance can reach people who need it.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Abu Mustafa, Wang Yi, Matthew Miller, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Humeyra Pamuk, Matt Spetalnick, James Mackenzie, Helen Popper, Sharon Singleton, Mark Potter, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S, Saturday, State Department, Hamas, U.S . State Department, Palestinian, Saudi Foreign, REUTERS, United Arab, Saudi Crown, Thomson Locations: ABU DHABI, Gaza, Rafah, Egypt, Israel, Washington, Qatar, Palestinian, Antony Blinken . Washington, U.S, Riyadh, American, Beijing, it's, Saudi, United Arab Emirates

No decision on a ground offensive has been announced, although Israel has been massing troops along the Gaza border 3. Israeli military spokesman Read Adm. Daniel Hagari said Saturday Israel had so far identified 126 captives. GERMANY TO START EVACUATING CITIZENS FROM ISRAELBERLIN — The German army will start evacuating its citizens from Israel with military airplanes. Hezbollah said its fighters struck several Israeli military positions in the disputed Chebaa Farms and Kfar Chouba hills in the afternoon. ISRAELI MILITARY ANNOUNCES IT IS PREPARED FOR ‘COORDINATED’ OFFENSIVEJERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it has prepared a “coordinated” offensive in the Gaza Strip involving air, ground and naval forces.

Persons: Israel, Lloyd Austin, “, Israel —, ”, Yifat Zailer, Zailer, Read, Daniel Hagari, Hezbollah’s, Ali Youssef Alaaeddine, Alaaeddine, ERDOGAN'S, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Bilal Erdogan, Suleyman Soylu, Mustafa Sentop, ” Erdogan, Sentop, Khalil Hachem, Rabad Akoum, ” Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, ” Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Mohammad Abu Selim, Medhat Abbas, Hakan Fidan, Sameh Shoukry, IT'S, ROME —, “ We’ve, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, —, ” Tajani, TT, Tobias Billström, Elina Valtonen, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Saleh Arouri, Ziad Nakhaleh, Amirabdollahian Organizations: United Nations, Gaza, United States Defense, TEL, ISRAEL BERLIN —, Hamas, Lufthansa, BEIRUT —, Associated Press, AP, Ministry, Sunday, South, MEDIA, BEIRUT, National News Agency, OFFICIAL, EGYPT BEIRUT —, OF, Gaza —, Shifa, Health Ministry, FROM, Romania — Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel, NORDIC, FROM ISRAEL HELSINKI, Nordic, Helsinki Airport, Iran’s, Manar, Islamic, Hezbollah Locations: Gaza City, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Israeli, Lebanon, ISRAEL, SYRIA, TEL AVIV, Syria, Golan, GERMANY, Germany, Jordan, BEIRUT, Palestinian, ISTANBUL ISTANBUL, Istanbul, United States, Tel Aviv, Dubai, South, Lebanese, Chebaa, Kfar Chouba, JERUSALEM, EGYPT BEIRUT, GAZA, Shifa, FROM ISRAEL, TURKEY, ISTANBUL, Turkish, Embassy, Turkey, BUCHAREST, Romania, Romanian Embassy, ITALY, ROME, Italian, Rome, FINNS, Finland, Sweden, Helsinki, Stockholm, Swedish, Stockholm’s Arlanda, Beirut, Hezbollah’s, Amirabdollahian, Iran, Iraq, Jihad

☆ Important to Avoid Hezbollah's Intervention in Israel-Hamas Conflict - German Chancellor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in a phone call on Saturday with Israel's prime minister that it was important to avoid a wider Middle East war as well as Hezbollah's intervention in the Israel-Hamas conflict, a spokesperson for the Chancellery said. "Chancellor Scholz renewed Germany's full solidarity with the people of Israel in these difficult times and emphasized that Germany stands unwaveringly at Israel's side," the spokesperson added in a statement. Baerbock, who arrived on Saturday morning in Cairo for discussion with her Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, said Israel's fight against Hamas must be carried out with consideration for the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "The fight against Hamas must be carried out with the greatest possible consideration for the humanitarian situation ... (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Alexander Ratz; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter)

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Chancellor Scholz, Annalena Baerbock, Berlin, Baerbock, Israel's, Riham Alkousaa, Alexander Ratz, Emelia Sithole, Mark Potter Organizations: BERLIN, German, United Nations Locations: Israel, Germany, Gaza, Egypt, Berlin, Cairo

☆ Israel's military has tools to take down Hamas' new drone arsenal, but actually using them may not be easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementIsrael has been a pioneer in drone warfare, producing an array of reconnaissance and strike drones. The assault began with a Hamas drone that dropped a bomb on an Israeli Merkava 4 tank, one of the most advanced in the world. Hamas members display a drone in a parade for the anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City in December 2014. NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThe full breadth of Hamas' drone arsenal will not become evident until Israel attacks. AdvertisementAdvertisementKnocking out a Merkava tank indicates greater skill and boldness in Hamas' drone use, though it enjoyed the advantage of surprise against IDF troops.

Persons: Israel, —, Gaza City's, Mustafa Hassona, John Spencer, Spencer, Jack Watling, JACK GUEZ, Watling, it's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, Hamas, Getty, IDF, Anadolu Agency, Modern, Institute, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Wilson Center, Washington DC, Palestinian, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ukraine, Gaza City, Gaza City's Abu Nasr, West, Turkish, Russian, Iraq, Washington, Israeli, AFP, jammers, Forbes

[1/5] A new building for earthquake survivors is under construction in Diyarbakir, Turkey August 26, 2023. With work underway on a fraction of the planned new buildings in the devastated city of Adiyaman, Kaplan fears a long wait together with his disabled wife and other survivors. One senior government official with direct knowledge of the reconstruction plan said the target could be missed, citing insufficient fresh funding to hold new tenders amid rising costs. They both said the effort had taken a blow when fewer companies bid for the reconstruction tenders after a post-election economic policy U-turn in June sent the currency plunging. "Our budget resources have been prepared for this huge, comprehensive project and can be updated when necessary," Erdogan's office said.

Persons: Stringer, Ismet Kaplan, Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Kaplan, Bayir, Adiyaman, Turkey's, Mehmet Ozhaseki, Arvid Tuerkner, Mert Arslanalp, Erdogan's, Arslanalp, Mehmet Simsek, Simsek, Tahir Tellioglu, Tellioglu, Umit, Ezgi Erkoyun, Nevzat Devranoglu, Jonathan Spicer, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects, Coordination Council, European Bank for Reconstruction, Erdogan's AK, Istanbul's Bogazici University, TAG, Construction, Thomson Locations: Diyarbakir, Turkey, Rights ISTANBUL, Adiyaman, Netherlands, Belgium, Syria, Hatay, Malatya, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Ankara

☆ Elon Musk’s X illegally fired employee who publicly challenged return-to-work plans, NLRB alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The NLRB alleged that X fired Yu after she attempted to organize other Twitter workers who were upset about Musk's sudden change to the company's work requirements. Five days later, Yue was fired and told that she was violating an unspecified company policy, the legal document said. The NLRB alleges that X has "been interfering with, restraining, and coercing employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed" under national labor law. "After 12 amazing years and 3 weeks of chaos, I'm officially fired by Twitter," Yue said in a tweet on Nov. 15. WATCH: Elon Musk has "cut off the good guys, empowered the bad guys" on X

Persons: Elon Musk, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fatih Aktas, Elon Musk's X, management's, Yao Yue, Musk, X, Yu, Yue, Slack, Yue's, Twitter, X didn't, I'm Organizations: United Nations, UN, Anadolu Agency, Getty Images, National Labor Relations Board, Twitter, San, National Labor Relations, NLRB, CNBC Locations: New York, United States, San Francisco

☆ Turkey Says Israel's Call for Gazans to Move South 'Inhumane'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Huseyin Hayatsever and Tuvan GumrukcuANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said on Friday that Israel's call for Gazans to move south in 24 hours ahead of its planned ground offensive was inhumane and a violation of international law. Speaking at an event in Istanbul, he also urged Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through Egypt's Rafah crossing. Two A400M Turkish military aircraft with humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza have arrived in Egypt's Al Arish airport, Turkey's defence ministry said on Friday. Footage shared by the defence ministry showed boxes covered with the logo of Turkey's AFAD disaster management authority. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday that humanitarian organisations would not be able to assist more than a million people in Gaza.

Persons: Huseyin Hayatsever, Israel, Tayyip Erdogan, Cross, Jonathan Spicer, Emelia Organizations: Hamas, Turkish, International Committee Locations: ANKARA, Turkey, Gaza, Palestinian, Israel, Istanbul, Rafah, Egypt's Al Arish

☆ US Secretary of State Blinken meets Jordanian king in Amman
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

AMMAN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday met with Jordanian King Abdullah in Amman, the second stop of his most extensive Middle East tour yet as Israel prepares for a sweeping ground offensive in Gaza, and he urged people in Gaza city to evacuate to the south. His demand, which the United Nations said would be impossible to carry out "without devastating humanitarian consequences”, comes a day after Blinken visited Israel and held talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the conflict. Before departing for Doha, he is set to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman. U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Steve Gillen traveled with Blinken to Israel and will stay to support efforts to free them, Blinken said. Israel said there would be no humanitarian break until all hostages were freed.

Persons: Antony Blinken, King Abdullah, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Jordan, Mahmoud Abbas, we’ll, ” Blinken, “ We’ll, ” Washington, Steve Gillen, Humeyra Pamuk, Hugh Lawson Organizations: United Nations, Doha, Palestinian, Hostage, Thomson Locations: AMMAN, Amman, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Egypt, American, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, “, Tel Aviv, Gaza . U.S, Blinken

☆ Israel and Hamas at war: Latest news
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The United Nations World Food Programme said crucial supplies were running dangerously low in Gaza after Israel imposed a total blockade. * When Israel called up its reservists and declared war this week, the response was swift and overwhelming. [1/6]Israeli soldiers patrol following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, in southern Israel, October 11, 2023. * What are global firms with a presence in Israel doing after the Hamas attack? * Israel has raised $200 million in diaspora bonds since the war with Hamas began, Israel Bonds said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Kan, East Jerusalem's, Israel, Mahmoud Abbas, Violeta Santos Moura, Donald Trump, Netanyahu, Tayyip Erdogan, Wang Yi, Mohammed Deif, upends, Kazuo Ueda, Israel Bonds, Kristalina Georgieva, Stephen Farrell, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Hamas, United Nations, Food Programme, West Bank, Rights Watch, Britain, Royal Navy, REUTERS, White, Republican, Bank of Japan, * Airlines, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Washington, Israel, East, East Jerusalem's Al, Aqsa, Lebanon, Egypt, Sinai, Sderot, Palestinian, Paris, Israeli, Jerusalem, Saudi, Lincoln

BRUSSELS, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Defence ministers at NATO's Brussels headquarters watched stunned as their Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Thursday showed them "shocking" and "horrific" video from the Hamas attack on Israeli civilians, diplomats said. Gallant, who remotely attended the one-hour NATO session, briefed ministers on the attack and showed them what the Times of Israel, which was the first to report on it, called an "uncensored video of Hamas atrocities". In a statement after the session with Gallant, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared: "Israel does not stand alone." On Wednesday, Stoltenberg said Israel had the right to defend itself and NATO expected its response to the Hamas attack to be proportionate. There was no immediate comment from the Turkish delegation to NATO or the Turkish foreign ministry.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Israel, Gallant, Germany's Boris Pistorius, Jens Stoltenberg, Stoltenberg, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Ingrid Melander, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: NATO's Brussels, NATO, Israel, Turkish, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Gaza, of Israel, Germany, Israel, Turkey

☆ Israel, Hamas at war: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

* The International Committee of the Red Cross said it was in touch with both Hamas and Israel about the hostages. * "There are no wreaths left in Israel anymore," said one of the many volunteers working to prepare funeral flowers for more than 1,200 Israelis killed since Hamas gunmen burst into Israel. [1/6]Israeli soldiers patrol following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, in southern Israel, October 11, 2023. INTERNATIONAL REACTION* Initial U.S. intelligence reports show that key Iranian leaders were surprised by the unprecedented attacks on Israel by Hamas, according to a source. INSIGHTS/EXPLAINERS* How a secretive Hamas commander masterminded the attack on Israel.

Persons: Israel, Fabrizio Carboni, I'd, Mohammaalal, gravediggers, Violeta Santos Moura, Pope Francis, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Jordan, Mahmoud Abbas, Tayyip Erdogan, Ursula von der Leyen, Mohammed Deif Deifly, Amir YaronYaron, Janet Yellen, I'm, Stephen Farrell, Gerry Doyle, Andrew Cawthorne, Lisa Shumaker, Michael Perry Organizations: Red, Hamas, Israel, Committee, ICRC, REUTERS, Saudi, Big, West Bank, Palestinian, Airlines, Norwegian Air, Dutch KLM, Air, Bank of Israel, . Treasury, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Egypt, huddling, U.N, Palestinian, Tel Aviv, Beeri, Sderot, EU, Jerusalem, Air France, Saudi Arabia

[1/4] A girl holds a ballon at the Jewish synagogue in Larnaca, which is coordinating aid to hundreds of Israelis on the island fleeing violence, Cyprus October 12, 2023. Larnaca, hosting Cyprus's biggest airport, has seen a swell of expatriate Israelis, including reservists, using it as a transit point to get on the next available flight to Tel Aviv. It has also seen an influx from Israel of people who lost their homes, Chief Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin said. Raskin, who has been in Cyprus for more than 20 years, said there were about 2,500 Israelis in the Larnaca area at present, including traumatised children. An informal network of Israelis were working in every Cypriot city to offer first response aid and accommodation, he said.

Persons: Yiannis, Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin, Raskin, Michele Kambas, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Larnaca, Cyprus, Israel LARNACA, Israel, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Auschwitz, East, Cypriot

☆ Israel and Hamas at war: Latest News
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Scores of Israeli and foreign hostages were taken back to Gaza; Israel says it has identified 97 of them. [1/6]Israeli soldiers patrol following a mass-infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot, in southern Israel, October 11, 2023. * The war falls under a complex international system of justice that has emerged since World War Two. * International airlines have suspended hundreds of flights to and from Tel Aviv following the attack by Hamas militants on Israel. * Israel has raised $200 million in diaspora bonds since the war with Hamas began, Israel Bonds said.

Persons: Israel, Antony Blinken, Kan, Mahmoud Abbas, Wafa, Donald Trump, Netanyahu, Tayyip Erdogan, Violeta Santos Moura, Wang Yi, Mohammed Deif, upends, Kazuo Ueda, Frida, Israel Bonds, Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Stephen Farrell Organizations: United Nations, Food, Palestinian, El Al Airlines, Britain, Royal Navy, U.S, REUTERS, Bank of Japan, * Airlines, Carriers, Dutch KLM, Air France, U.S . State Department, Cyprus Airways, Hamas, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Washington, Israel, Egypt, Sinai, United States, Asia, Israeli, Palestinian, Sderot, Paris, Jerusalem, Saudi, Europe, Larnaca, Tel Aviv

☆ Europe is investigating Elon Musk's X about Israel-Hamas misinformation, violence on the app
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, said on X that the European Union's executive arm, the European Commission, is investigating whether X is complying with the Digital Services Act. The act went into effect in late August, requiring platforms that have over 45 million monthly active users in the EU to scan for and remove illegal content from their services and to detail their methodologies. Breton sent a letter to X owner Elon Musk expressing concern about the spread of disinformation and "violent and terrorist" content on the service and urging Musk to respond within 24 hours time. "We continue to respond promptly to law enforcement requests from around the world, including EU member states," X said in the letter. "At the time of receipt of your letter, we had not received any notices from Europol relating to illegal content on the service."

Persons: Elon Musk, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fatih Aktas, Thierry Breton, Breton, Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Linda Yaccarino, X Organizations: Turkish, United Nations, UN, Anadolu Agency, Getty, European, European Commission, Digital Services, DSA, EC Locations: New York, United States, European, Israel

☆ Blinken says Israeli government shared images of Hamas atrocities
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a press conference, in Tel Aviv, Israel October 12, 2023. It almost defies comprehension," Blinken told a news briefing in Tel Aviv, where he traveled after hundreds of Hamas gunmen poured across the barrier fence and rampaged through Israeli towns on Saturday. He carefully described the disturbing contents of the images he was shown in meetings with Israeli officials earlier on Thursday. The atrocities depicted in the images he had seen "harkens back to ISIS," Blinken said. Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Tel Aviv; Writing by Doina Chiacu, Simon Lewis and Daphne Psaledakis in Washington; Editing by Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jacquelyn Martin, Blinken, Humeyra Pamuk, Doina Chiacu, Simon Lewis, Daphne Psaledakis, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, ISIS, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV, Washington

Summary LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:"Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety...and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," Israeli military says. The Israeli military said it would operate "significantly" in Gaza City in coming days and civilians should only return when advised. "Civilians of Gaza City, evacuate south for your own safety and the safety of your families and distance yourself from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields," the military said. "Hamas terrorists are hiding in Gaza City inside tunnels underneath houses and inside buildings populated with innocent Gazan civilians." [1/16]Palestinians flee their homes amid Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Gaza City, October 13, 2023.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Gilad Erdan, Israel, Cross, Fabrizio Carboni, Antony Blinken, Mohammed Salem, Blinken, Jordan's King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Hassan Nassrallah, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mount Herzl, Khan Younis, Ibrahim Hamdan, Henriette Chacar, Dedi, Maayan Lubell, Emily Rose, Michelle Nichols, Emma Farge, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Gorman, Dan Whitcomb, Michael Martina, Michael Perry, Michael Georgy, Philippa Fletcher, Howard Goller, Diane Craft, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hamas, United Nations, Shifa, International Committee, Food Programme, ICRC, U.S, NATO, REUTERS, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, United Arab, U.S . Defense, Washington, United, Police, FBI, Mount, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, JERUSALEM, TEL AVIV, Israel, Japan, United States, Palestinian, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, UAE, Turkish, U.S, Paris, Amsterdam, London, New York, Los Angeles, Jerusalem, Gazans, Geneva, Washington, Tel Aviv

☆ Fact Check: Video of Erdogan warning US over Israel-Hamas war is altered
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

False subtitles have been added to a video of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan expressing his support for the occupied Palestinian territories in July 2023 to claim that he is warning the U.S. against intervening in the October Israel-Hamas war. The subtitles say: “I am warning America don’t In israel palestine war... We are with our innocent Palestenien brother’s... We are ready to defend Palestine at any price.”The social media video carries a watermark for news outlet Middle East Eye. It uploaded the original video showing Erdogan voicing support for a two-state solution during a televised conference before talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in July 2023. The clip on social media starts 8 seconds into the Middle East Eye video. Incorrectly translated subtitles warning the U.S. against intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been added to a video of Erdogan from July 2023.

Persons: Tayyip Erdogan, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Erdogan, Mahmoud Abbas, Read Organizations: Palestinian, Palestine, Twitter, Facebook, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, israel palestine, Palestine, Turkey

☆ Elon Musk has custody of son X despite mother Grimes' objections, court doc says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Jack Newsham | Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

She told a Texas court that son X "is only absent from California over [her] objection." Grimes, the musician who has three children with Elon Musk , told a Texas court last week that their eldest son X Æ A-XII Musk isn't with her in California "over [her] objection." The artist, whose real name is Claire Boucher, asked a Texas court on October 6 to throw out Musk's child-custody case. Their oldest child, three-year-old son X, is "only absent from California over [Boucher's] objection," according to the document, obtained by Insider. In his biography on Musk, Walter Isaacson wrote that with X Musk had a "free-range" parenting style that was far from "doting."

Persons: Grimes, Elon Musk's, X, —, Elon Musk, Claire Boucher, Musk, Tesla, Tesla's, Walter Isaacson, X Musk, Walter Isaacson’s, Isaacson, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, We're, Grimes —, Shivon Zilis Organizations: Tesla, Service, Variety, SpaceX Locations: California, Texas, Hungary, Tesla's gigafactory, Turkey, New York

☆ Blinken tells Netanyahu in Israel: U.S. not going anywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu make statements to the media inside The Kirya, which houses the Israeli Ministry of Defense, after their meeting in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday Oct. 12, 2023. Blinken's trip also aims to send a deterrence message to Iran, which backs Hamas, to not get involved in the conflict. An hour after landing in Tel Aviv, Blinken shook hands with Netanyahu and told the prime minister: "We're here, we're not going anywhere," footage from Netanyahu's office showed. After Israel, Blinken will head to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Israel said on Thursday there would be no humanitarian break to its siege of the Gaza Strip until all hostages taken by Hamas were freed.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jacquelyn Martin, Benyamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Washington's, Netanyahu, we're, Israel, King Abdullah, Mahmoud Abbas, Washington, Joe Biden, Biden Organizations: Israel’s, Ministry of Defense, REUTERS Acquire, Israeli, Palestinian, State Department, Washington, Thomson Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, TEL AVIV, Palestinian, Gaza, Iran, Jordan, Tehran, Washington, U.S

Chief among those is getting munitions for Israel's Iron Dome air defense system sped along. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that resupplying Iron Dome munitions and air defense systems was an immediate priority. “We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome,” Biden said. Raytheon produces most of the missile components for Iron Dome in the U.S., and the Army has two Iron Dome systems in its stockpile. Neither the Air Force nor Central Command would comment on what additional missions U.S. airpower might take on in response to the conflict.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, ” Biden, “ We’re, Gerald R, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Biden, John Kirby, Frank Kendall, Kendall, hadn't, Colleen Long Organizations: WASHINGTON, Hamas, Israel . Defense, Raytheon, Israel Defense Forces, Iron Dome, Army, Pentagon, Ford, Italian Navy, Hawkeye, Eisenhower, AIR FORCE, Air Force, Atlantic Council, U.S . Air Force, Central Command, Associated Press Locations: U.S, Norfolk , Virginia, Israel, Iran, Iron, Syria

☆ Fact Check: 2020 clip shared as Hamas firing salvo in Israel in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A clip purportedly showing a discharge of artillery by Hamas on Israel predates the clashes between Israel and Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group, in October 2023. A post on social media said: “Hamas fires a salvo at Israel.” The accompanying clip, taken in the dark, shows flashing lights that appear to be a discharge of firearms. A similar clip was shared on YouTube on Feb. 28, 2020, described in Russian as showing one night in northern Syria. The shift in the camera angle around the 0:11 timestamp of the YouTube video matches that of the video on social media around the 0:13 timestamp. Footage that matches the clip on social media has circulated since at least 2020 and does not depict the October 2023 conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Persons: ”, Read Organizations: Hamas, YouTube, ” Reuters, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Syria, Turkish, Aleppo, ”

☆ Blinken to Israel on Middle East mission to prevent a wider war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | Thomson Reuters | Humeyra Pamuk Is A Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent Based In Washington Dc. She Covers The U.S. State Department | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed to Israel on Wednesday on a Middle East mission to prevent a wider war from erupting after an attack and hostage-taking by Palestinian Hamas militants and an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. In a show of solidarity with Washington's closest Middle East ally, Blinken was due to meet senior Israeli officials, possibly including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss further boosting military support. At least 22 Americans were killed during the attack, Blinken said. Biden has stopped short of an overt plea to Israel to show restraint to avoid Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza. It was unclear whether Blinken might make such an appeal when he meets Israeli officials behind closed doors.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Frantz, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Washington, Alex Vatanka, Biden, Mahmoud Abbas, Humeyra Pamuk, Matt Spetalnick, Simon Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Howard Goller Organizations: Hamas, White, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . State Department, Health Ministry, BANK, United, United Arab Emirates, United Arab Emirates . U.S, Middle East Institute, Wednesday, Israel, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Thomson Locations: Israel, Washington , U.S, Gaza, East, United States, U.S, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, United Arab, United Arab Emirates .

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