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☆ Israeli commandos raid Lebanon — the latest sign Netanyahu is ignoring Biden's warnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rapidly escalating Israel's campaign against its regional foes and trampling on US diplomatic efforts in the process. In the latest sign he's ignoring US warnings, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli special-operations forces were carrying out raids into southern Lebanon as the possibility of a ground incursion this week loomed. Getty Images"We are shocked," one US official told CNN after Netanyahu rejected the cease-fire proposal before Israel launched its attacks. It's the latest instance of the Israeli leader ignoring or rejecting Biden's attempts to restrain Israeli military action in Gaza and, more recently, Lebanon.

Persons: Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Avivi, Avivi, Fateh Sherif Abu el, Amin, Hezbollah's, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel's, Joe Biden, Gilbert Achcar, Jasmine El, Obama, He's, Netanyahu, Israel, Nasrallah, he's, Richard Dannatt, hadn't, Dannatt, It's, Sarah Leah Whitson, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Blinken Organizations: Service, Street Journal, IDF, Hamas, SOAS University of London, US Marine Corps, Getty, CNN, Israel, British, East, Sky News, Foreign Relations, Political, Military Affairs, United Nations, White Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Beirut, Iran, Gaza, France

☆ Netanyahu rides wave of euphoria in Israel over Hezbollah assassinations as his political fortunes turn around
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“It’s clear enemies of Israel,” she said, referring to those whom Israel says it is targeting. The next day, an explosion in a Tehran government guest house killed Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh. But that scheme drew withering criticism from national security veterans and was finally quashed when Israel escalated the war in Lebanon. Jalaa Marey/AFP/Getty ImagesBroader political supportNadav Shtrauchler, a political strategist who has worked closely with Netanyahu, told CNN that bringing Sa’ar into government was intended to have three effects. Finally, he told CNN, broader political support is important as the war with Hezbollah escalates, and the possibility of a ground invasion looms.

Persons: Israel CNN —, Minister’s Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ”, Netanyahu, pollster, Dahlia Scheindlin, “, Amir Cohen, Israel, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad, Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, Gideon Sa’ar, Sa’ar, ” Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Gideon Sa'ar, Jalaa Marey, Nadav, Sa’ar –, –, Itamar Ben, Gvir, ” Shtrauchler, Netanyahu “, Gallant, ” Scheindlin, Benny Gantz, ” Gantz, toasting Organizations: Israel CNN, Hamas, Likud, Israel’s, CNN, Reuters, Revolutionary Guards, Getty, National, Israel Defense Forces ’ Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Beirut, Tehran, Yemen, AFP, Sa’ar

☆ Jimmy Carter is setting a new record for American presidents. It’s important for everyone
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +25 min

Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images Carter works at a construction site sponsored by the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Asan, South Korea, in 2001. Alex Wong/Getty Images Carter meets with Obama and other former presidents at the White House in January 2009. Richard Lewis/The Elders/Getty Images Carter was interviewed for "The Presidents' Gatekeepers" project at the Carter Center in Atlanta in September 2011. Chris McKay/Getty Images Carter talks about his cancer diagnosis during a news conference at the Carter Center in Atlanta in August 2015. The 1983 tweaks to Social Security included, for instance, the counting of some Social Security benefits as taxable income and a gradual increase of the retirement age from 65 to 67.

Persons: Jimmy Carter, Carter, John Quincy Adams, It’s, CNN’s Stephen Collinson, ” Carter, “, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Rosalynn, Lillian, Gloria, . Bradley, Jimmy, Horace Cort, —, John Storey, Stan Wayman, Amy, Walter Mondale, Gerald Ford, Ford, Warren Burger, Rosalynn Carter, Billy, Simons, Barry Thumma, Harvey Georges, Helmut Schmidt, Schmidt, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Camp David, Carter's, Carter jogs, Karl Schumacher, Dirck Halstead, Leonid Brezhnev, Chuck McManis, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, Robert Burgess, Joe Holloway Jr, AP Carter, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Paul J, Richards, Clinton, Chung Sung, Fidel Castro, Adalberto Roque, Arne Knudsen, Hugo Chavez's, Juan Barreto, Howard Dean, Erik S, Scott Olson, Marco Longari, Michael Williamson, Barack Obama's, Alex Wong, Obama, George W, Bush, J, Scott Applewhite, Mark Wilson, Ismail Haniya, Mahmud Hams, Jung Yeon, Nelson Mandela, Jeff Moore, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, Gomes, Darren McCollester, Sheikh Jarrah, Mary Robinson, Bernat, George, Kris Connor, Raul Castro, Javier Galeano, Richard Lewis, David Hume Kennerly, Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King Jr, Jewel Samad, Brian Kersey, Chris McKay, Phil Skinner, Donald Trump, Saul Loeb, Jim Chapin, Drew Angerer, Matt McClain, Dan Quinn, Scott Cunningham, Chip Somodevilla, Mark Humphrey, John Amis, Joe Biden, Jill Biden, Adam Schultz, John Bazemore, Michael S, Williamson, Jason Carter, Evelyn Hockstein, Jimmy Carter's, there’s, aren’t, – Carter, Ronald Reagan –, CNN’s Eva Rothenberg, ” Regan, dismissively, gaslighting, “ Governor Reagan, Reagan empaneled, Alan Greenspan, Donald Trump’s, Kamala Harris Organizations: CNN, Social Security, Medicare, Carter, ”, Habitat, Humanity, Bettmann, Jimmy, AP, US Naval Academy, Democratic, Atlanta, Hulton, Democratic National Convention, Walnut, Theater, Ford, Getty Images, Department of Energy, West, Airlift, Camp, AFP, Getty, Democratic National Committee, White House, Ronald Reagan Library, Andrews Air Force Base, United Nations, Trinity Church, Summit, America's, Getty Images Cuban, University of Havana, Venezuelan, Department of Defense, Washington Post, White, Foreign, Korea University, North, South, Boston's Logan International Airport, Irish, Pyongyang University of Foreign Studies, Carter Center, Lincoln Memorial, Sunday School, Maranatha Baptist Church, Hurricane Relief, College, College Station ,, Secret Service, Atlanta Falcons, NFL, Former, The New York Times, Pew Research Center, Congressional Research Service, Security Locations: Cuba, Guinea, Iraq, Winnipeg, Canada, George H.W ., United States, Elk City , Oklahoma, Plains , Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Georgia's St, Florida, Panama, Vietnam, Berlin, Maryland, Egypt, Israel, Pennsylvania, Vienna, Austria, Los Angeles, Arab, Wiesbaden, West Germany, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, AFP, New, Asan , South Korea, Havana, Oslo, Norway, Caracas, Venezuela, American, Connecticut, Boston, Maputo, Mozambique, DC, Ghana, Gaza, Seoul, South Korea, North Korea, Johannesburg, Jerusalem, Sheikh, Pyongyang, Chicago, College Station, College Station , Texas, Nashville , Tennessee, Plains

☆ I moved to Germany from the US with 4 kids. Here, I have a lot more time for myself.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Erin Liam | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Celia Robbins relocated with her family to Berlin after her husband got a job in Germany. Last year, the kids and I moved to Berlin so they could attend international school. AdvertisementBack in the US, I had been helicopter-parenting my kids, having a lot of control over every aspect of their lives. I was beholden to my kids' schedule in the USI spent about two hours every day in the car, driving my kids to school or to a long list of extracurriculars. But here in Berlin, kids are expected to manage their own things and get themselves to places.

Persons: Celia Robbins, Robbins, she's, —, would've, he'd, Let's, I've, it's Organizations: Service, Embassy of, Cornell University, Rostock —, UN Locations: Berlin, Germany, American, United States, America, Ithaca , New York, Rostock, I'm, New York

Tom Carpenter“I saw an uptick in people traveling with their pets early in 2024,” said Heather Eisenstadt, founder of Top Dog Pet Travel, a central Florida agency specializing in pet-friendly bookings. While analysts don’t track pet travel outlays specifically, some airlines and hotels appear eager to welcome more furry guests — aware that many visitors will pay a premium for it. Some pet owners say they wouldn’t make use of it anyway. Hosts on both platforms set their own pet fees. But the 41-year-old warehouse supervisor from Allentown, Pennsylvania, sees hotel pet fees of up to $200 as reasonable.

Persons: Tom Carpenter, “, Mori, Tom Carpenter’s, Tom Carpenter “, ”, Heather Eisenstadt, Taylor, Eisenstadt, Morgan Stanley, Simeon Gutman, they’re, “ There’s, Patrick O’Brien, “ You’re, ” “, Annette Sacks, Annette Sacks ’, ” Carpenter, Airbnb, techs, Conrad Washington, Avery Price doesn’t Organizations: “, Carpenters, American Pet Products Association, American Airlines, Airlines, U.S . Department of Transportation, United, Delta Air Lines, Bark Air, Westchester County Airport, Hotels, Embassy, Conrad, Conrad Washington D.C, Tiffany, Humane Society Locations: Washington, Florida, Europe, Paris, U.S, Blairstown , New Jersey, Chihuahua, New, Westchester, Los Angeles, London, Blairstown, NJ, Hampton, Atlanta, Virginia, Allentown , Pennsylvania

☆ Israel aims to upset the regional balance of power. History has a warning
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Beirut CNN —Killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was a step toward changing “the balance of power in the region for years to come,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Saturday. In June 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon with the goal of crushing the Palestinian Liberation Organisation. This new group, with Iran’s help, proved to be far more lethal and effective than the Palestinian militants Israel had successfully driven out. People gather near the site of the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. Beyond Lebanon and Israel, there is the example of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, a lesson in the wages of unfettered hubris.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ibrahim Aqil, Nasrallah, —, Dominique Faget, Bashir Al, Gemayel, Amin, Sabra, didn’t, Rafiq Al, Hariri, Iran’s, Israel, Hassan Ammar, George W, Bush, Saddam Hussein, Saddam Hussain, State Condoleezza Rice Organizations: Beirut CNN —, Lebanon —, Palestinian Liberation Organisation, PLO, Palestinian, West Bank, Getty, Maronite Christian, Arab, AP, Hezbollah, US, State Locations: Beirut, Middle East, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Palestinian, Tunisia, Yemen, Gaza, West Beirut, Galilee, AFP, Lebanon –, Beirut's, Iraq, Baghdad, Tehran, Damascus, Al, Afghanistan, State, Syria, Beirut’s

☆ What might come next as Hezbollah reels from Nasrallah’s killing and Israel mulls the possibility of a Lebanon ground incursion?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-29 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Israel has warned that a “new era” of war was beginning with its “center of gravity” moving north, in a reference to the Lebanon border. Israel has raised the possibility of a ground incursion into Lebanon, which, if undertaken, would be the fourth Israeli invasion of the country in the past 50 years. Men rest on mattresses near the sea in Beirut, Lebanon, after being displaced by Israeli airstrikes on September 28, 2024. The US sees the possibility of a limited ground incursion into Lebanon as Israel moves forces to its northern border, CNN reported earlier, citing a senior administration official and a US official. But the officials stressed that Israel does not appear to have made a decision on whether to carry out a ground incursion.

Persons: Israel, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Carl Court, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Peter Lerner, Hezbollah –, –, ”, Hanin Ghaddar, “, Baz Ratner, Jonathan Panikoff, Aaron David Miller, CNN’s Abbas Al Lawati, Mostafa Salem, Irene Nasser, Alex Stambaugh, Dana Karni Organizations: CNN, US, Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah, Washington Institute, Israeli, United Nations, Saturday, Security Council, US State Department Middle Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Beirut, Israel, Gaza, ”, Beirut’s, United States, France, Safed

☆ Iran weighs its next move as its closest ally takes a hit in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Abbas Al Lawati | Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

As Tehran watches its most prized non-state ally take a beating, questions are mounting about how it may respond. Israel then began an air assault that killed several Hezbollah commanders and led to the highest number of casualties in Lebanon in almost two decades. The Israeli military has claimed that Nasrallah has been killed, but Hezbollah is yet to comment on the matter. But it’s not an easy option as they will (become) targets, and they don’t understand Lebanon.”Under what circumstances would Iran intervene? This week however, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that his country would not remain “indifferent” if a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in Lebanon.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, “, ”, Hanin Ghaddar, Amal Saad, Saad, … it’s, it’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trita Parsi, Mohamed Azakir, Farzin, Nadimi, ” Saad, ” Parsi, Parsi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Javad Zarif, Donald Trump, Mike Segar, Pezeshkian, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Zarif, Ismail Haniyeh, Abbas Araghchi Organizations: CNN, Washington Institute, AFP, Cardiff University, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, ”, Washington DC, Quincy Institute, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Islamic, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, UN, Reuters, Israel, West, Assembly, UN Security Locations: Israel, Tehran, Gaza, Lebanon, Beirut, Wales, Tel Aviv, Lebanese, Iran, American University of Beirut, Damascus, United States, “, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Islamic Republic, New York

☆ Hezbollah leader’s killing creates another balancing act for Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, 2024. “It’s welcome,” one senior administration official told CNN after both the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death. But Hezbollah has been “decimated,” and Iran — which backs the militant group — has also been “much weakened,” the official said. Angry senior US officials were convinced that Netanyahu was reacting to backlash at home from far-right members of his government. Israeli officials, meanwhile, attributed the confusion to a “miscommunication.”Whatever the case, by Friday any talk of an imminent ceasefire had quieted as Israeli warplanes dropped bombs on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, Joe Biden, Biden, he’s, hadn’t, Nasrallah, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, —, Pamela Smith, “, I’m, ” “ Hassan Nasrallah, Kamala Harris, Anwar, ” Biden, Harris, Ron Dermer, Jake Sullivan, CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg Organizations: CNN, Hezbollah, Israeli, United Nations General Assembly, White House, Israel Defense Forces, US, Anwar Amro, Getty, UN Security Council, State Department, Saturday, Ibrahim Amro, Biden Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, France, Lebanon, Beirut, Delaware, Iran, ”, AFP, People, Beirut's, Netanyahu’s, Dermer

New York City Mayor Eric Adams will step into a Manhattan courtroom and into the history books on Friday when he is arraigned on federal corruption and bribery charges that could force him out of office. Adams is the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted on criminal charges in the modern era. “This was a multiyear scheme to buy favor with a single New York City politician on the rise,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Thursday. Adams' indictment capped two weeks of turmoil in his administration, a period during which Banks, the city’s police commissioner, and the city's top lawyer, have announced their resignations. “You could almost picture them trying to cobble this together and try to tell a story so that they could say, ‘corruption, corruption’ at a press conference,” Spiro said at a Thursday press conference.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, David Banks, ” Adams, ”, ensnared Adams, Damian Williams, Banks, Alexandria Ocasio, Sen, John Liu, New York — Sen, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Kathy Hochul —, “, Adams ’, Alex Spiro, ” Spiro, Edward Caban, James Caban, ” Williams Organizations: York City, New York City, City, New York City Schools, New York Fire Department, Democratic, ” Prosecutors, Turkish, Adams . Police, Authorities, Queens Locations: York, Manhattan, New York City, Brooklyn, Turkish, U.S, Alexandria, Cortez, New York, India, France, China, Hungary, Ghana, Turkey, Istanbul, Washington, Adams

☆ NYC Mayor Eric Adams charged with bribery and wire fraud in scheme spanning nearly 10 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan_Dienst_Byline.Jpg | Jonathan Dienst | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been hit with five federal charges – including wire fraud, bribery and solicitation of a contribution by a foreign national – according to a sprawling 57-page federal indictment unsealed Thursday. Although the Bentley Suite for two nights would have cost approximately $7,000, Adams paid less than $600, the indictment says. And so, the building opened as requested by a Turkish official who had plied Adams with travel benefits and other gifts, the indictment says. In addition to the free travel and hotel rooms, Adams received illegal campaign contributions from foreign donors, including the Turkish government official, the indictment says. Adams has repeatedly said that his administration is cooperating in the investigations and he's focused on his work as mayor.

Persons: Eric Adams, Adams, ingratiate, Damian Williams, Gracie, Alexandria Ocasio, Brad Lander, Sen, John Liu, New York – Sen, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Kathy Hochul –, Hochul, Edward Caban, James Caban, he's, ” Adams, “ Organizations: York City, Prosecutors, Southern, of New, Brooklyn Borough President, Regis, Bentley, York City’s, New, New York City Fire Department, FDNY, Turkish, Washington , D.C, Gracie Mansion, Wednesday, Gov, FBI, Adams . Police, Authorities, Queens Locations: York, Brooklyn, Regis Istanbul, Turkey, New York City, Turkish, Washington ,, Alexandria, Cortez, New York, Adams, Manhattan

☆ Hong Kong gets two more giant pandas as Finland says it can’t afford its own bears
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

HONG KONG — Pandas An An and Ke Ke, a gift from Beijing to Hong Kong, arrived in the Chinese territory on Thursday to much fanfare, two days after Finland said it would return its own pair over mounting debts. Hong Kong officials welcomed the giant pandas at the city’s international airport with a red carpet on the tarmac and panda toys. The Sichuan-born male and female will increase the total number of pandas to six, the highest ever in the financial hub. Hong Kong leader John Lee said the pandas would soon receive new names through a public contest organized by the government. An An and Ke Ke’s arrival comes just after resident giant panda Ying Ying gave birth to twin cubs ahead of her 19th birthday.

Persons: Ke Ke, John Lee, Ying Ying, Xi Jinping, Jin Baobao, Roni Rekomaa, Ahtari, Risto Sivonen, Sivonen, ” Sivonen Organizations: HONG KONG —, Workers, Reuters, Nordic, Getty, Ahtari Zoo, Embassy Locations: HONG KONG, Beijing, Hong Kong, Finland, Sichuan, Guangdong Province, An, China, People’s Republic of China, Ahtari, AFP, Helsinki

☆ China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank earlier this year, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-26 | by ( Oren Liebermann | Paul P. Murphy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank pierside in the spring and the Chinese Navy tried to conceal the loss, according to two US defense officials. The attack submarine was the first of its new Zhou-class line of vessels, the official said, under construction at a shipyard near the city of Wuhan. “It’s not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pierside,” said the senior US defense official. According to the latest China military power report from 2023, the PLA Navy operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines, and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines. The PLA Navy has 370 platforms, which includes 234 warships, according to CRS, while the US has 219 warships.

Persons: The Zhou, Zhou, It’s, ”, Tom Shugart, “ I’ve, ” Shugart, Shugart Organizations: CNN, Chinese Navy, Maxar Technologies, PLA Navy, Center, New, New American Security, People’s Liberation Army, PLA ) Navy, US Navy, Street Journal, Congressional Research Service, Navy, CRS Locations: Wuhan, The, New American, Beijing, United States, China, Washington ,

Hezbollah’s main base is on the Israel-Lebanon border, where the militant group and Israel have seen near-daily clashes since the war in Gaza began. The rise of Hezbollah: As droves of Palestinian fighters left Lebanon, a band of Shia Islamist fighters trained by Iran burst onto the scene. Support for Gaza: Hezbollah is part of a larger Iran-led alliance of militant groups spanning Yemen, Syria, Gaza, and Iraq that has increasingly clashed with Israel and its allies since the war with Hamas started — and has vowed to continue until the war ends. Displaced residents: The increase in cross-border fighting has forced people from their homes in both Israel and Lebanon. On Tuesday, Israel made it a new war objective to return tens of thousands of Israel’s northern residents to their homes near the border.

Persons: —, Israel, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad Organizations: Christian Lebanese, Hezbollah Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanese, Palestinian, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Iraq

The death of an American woman in an assisted suicide capsule has led to criminal proceedings being launched against several people in Switzerland. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Bern said, “We are aware of reports of the death of a U.S. citizen in Switzerland. The device is the brainchild of Philip Nitschke, an Australian physician famous for his work on assisted suicide since the 1990s. While euthanasia remains illegal, assisted suicide, as long as done without a selfish motive, is allowed under Swiss law which has led to the opening of several assisted suicide clinics in the country. In 2022, French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard died at his home in Switzerland after an assisted suicide.

Persons: “, Carl Sagan, Philip Nitschke, Nitschke, Jean, Luc Godard Organizations: Midwest, Schaffhausen Police, Police, NBC News, U.S, Embassy, Prevention Locations: American, Switzerland, Canton, Schaffhausen, Bern, French, Swiss

☆ Pope expels a bishop and 9 other people from a Peru movement over ‘sadistic’ abuses
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Associated Press | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

VATICAN CITY Associated Press —Pope Francis took the unusual decision Wednesday to expel 10 people – a bishop, priests and laypeople – from a troubled Catholic movement in Peru after a Vatican investigation uncovered “sadistic” abuses of power, authority and spirituality. It was announced by the Peruvian Bishops Conference, which posted a statement from the Vatican embassy on its website. The statement was astonishing because it listed abuses uncovered by the Vatican investigation that have rarely if ever been punished canonically — such as hacking someone’s communications — and cited the people the pope held responsible. Victims of Figari’s abuses complained to the Lima archdiocese in 2011, though other claims against him reportedly date to 2000. The investigation, published in 2017, found that Figari sodomized his recruits and forced them to fondle him and one another.

Persons: CITY Associated Press — Pope Francis, –, Francis ’, Luis Figari, ”, Figari, Pedro Salinas, Paola Ugaz, Sodalitium, Jordi Bertomeu, Charles Scicluna, Martin Mejia, Jose Antonio Eguren, Francis, Salinas, “ Organizations: CITY Associated Press, Peruvian Bishops Conference, CNN, South, Catholic, Maltese, Associated Press Locations: Peru, Vatican, America, South America, United States, Lima, Rome, Spain, Malta, Lima , Peru, Figari, Piura, Ugaz, Eguren’s, Peruvian

☆ Korean adoptees say they were ‘commodified’ and governments ignored fraud, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“It showed the callous way in which children going to the US. At a hearing in 1977, a U.S. congressman asked why so many children were still coming from South Korea. But with hundreds of stories to verify in a single week, only a tiny fraction of adoptions were denied. How is that possible?” said Susan Jacobs, a retired State Department official who has worked on adoption reform efforts. Robert Ackerman, immigration attache at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, told reporters in 1988 that he had heard allegations of birth mothers being bribed.

Persons: Patricia Nye, “, ” Nye, ”, Susan Jacobs, Laws, Homer Stark, ” Stark, David Will, ” Will, Stark, Donald Wells, “ I’ve, Robert Ackerman, Ackerman, ” Ackerman, Michelle Bernier, Toth, adoptees, Elizabeth Bartholet Organizations: Social Service, U.S, Embassy, University of Minnesota Libraries, ISS, State Department, State, United Press International Locations: Seoul, Asia, U.S, South Korea, Tokyo, Gwinnett County , Georgia, strollers, Georgia, United States, Europe, Hague, Korea

☆ Canadian detained by China says he experienced psychological torture
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

OTTAWA, Ontario — A Canadian man detained by China for more than 1,000 days said he was put into solitary confinement for months and interrogated for up to nine hours every day, treatment he said amounted to psychological torture. Kovrig and fellow Canadian Michael Spavor were taken into custody in December 2018 shortly after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, on a U.S. warrant. Kovrig noted that U.N. guidelines say prisoners should not be put into solitary confinement for more than 15 days in a row. Kovrig said there was no daylight in the solitary cell, where the fluorescent lights were kept on 24 hours a day. “It’s a combination of solitary confinement, total isolation and relentless interrogation for six to nine hours every day,” he said.

Persons: Michael Kovrig, Michael Spavor, Meng Wanzhou, “, ” Kovrig, Spavor, Kovrig, ”, Meng, “ I’ll, ’ ” Organizations: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian, Huawei, U.S . Justice Department, Embassy, Ottawa Locations: OTTAWA, Ontario, China, Ottawa, rapeseed, Canada

☆ Finland zoo to send giant pandas back to China because they’re too expensive to keep
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Alex Stambaugh | Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Helsinki, Finland — Finland will return two giant pandas to China in November, more than eight years ahead of time, as the zoo where they live can no longer afford their upkeep, the chair of the zoo’s board told Reuters on Tuesday. Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic of China has sent pandas to foreign zoos to strengthen trading ties, cement foreign relations and boost its international image. The Finnish agreement was for a stay of 15 years, but instead the pandas will soon go into a month-long quarantine before they are shipped back to China, according to Ahtari Zoo, the pandas’ current home. The pandas will soon go into a month-long quarantine before they are shipped back to China. Lehtikuva/Roni Rekomaa/ReutersRising inflation had added to the costs, the zoo said, and Finland’s government in 2023 rejected pleas for state funding.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Ahtari, Risto Sivonen, Roni Rekomaa, Sivonen, ” Sivonen Organizations: Finland —, Reuters, Nordic, Ahtari Zoo Locations: Helsinki, Finland, Finland — Finland, China, People’s Republic of China

☆ Biden proposes banning Chinese vehicles from U.S. roads with software crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Biden administration has raised serious concerns about the collection of data by Chinese companies on U.S. drivers and infrastructure through connected vehicles as well as about potential foreign manipulation of vehicles connected to the internet and navigation systems. The planned regulation, first reported by Reuters, would also force American and other major automakers in the coming years to remove key Chinese software and hardware from vehicles in the United States. The U.S. Commerce Department on Monday proposed prohibiting key Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles on American roads due to national security concerns - a move that would effectively bar nearly all Chinese cars from entering the U.S. market. The move is a significant escalation in the United States' ongoing restrictions on Chinese vehicles, software and components. The rules would apply to all on-road vehicles but exclude agricultural or mining vehicles not used on public roads.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Gina Raimondo, Raimondo, We're, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, Jan Organizations: White, White House, Reuters, U.S . Commerce Department, United, National, Embassy, U.S, The Commerce Department, Alliance, Automotive Innovation, General Motors, Toyota, Hyundai Locations: Rose, Washington ,, United States, U.S, Yantai, Shandong province, Russia, China, Washington

Russian intelligence services are building up their presence in Mexico for spy operations targeting the United States, a return to Cold War tactics by an increasingly aggressive regime, according to U.S. officials and former intelligence officers. The Mexican Embassy and the Russian Embassy did not respond to a request for comment. “Part of this is a function of the fact that so many Russian intelligence officers have been kicked out of Europe. Those are Russian intelligence personnel, and they keep an eye very closely on their opportunities to have influence on U.S. opportunities and access,” VanHerck said. Russian intelligence could conceivably also take advantage of Mexico’s proximity to target Putin’s political enemies inside the U.S., former intelligence officers said.

Persons: Biden, William Burns, ” Burns, ”, Vincenzo Circosta, “, Paul Kolbe, Glen VanHerck, ” VanHerck, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Trotsky, —, ideologues, Leon Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, Vladimir Lenin, Ramon Mercader, John Sipher, ” Sipher, Christopher Boyce, Andrew Daulton Lee, Lee, Boyce, Harold “ Jim ” Nicholson, Hector Cabrera Fuentes, Fuentes, Douglas London, enforcement’s, Natalia Sedova's, Claudio Cruz, ” Kolbe Organizations: U.S, NBC News, Mexican Embassy, Russian Embassy, CIA, “, Kremlin, Getty, . Air Force, U.S . Northern Command, Senate Armed Services Committee, TRW, Soviet Embassy, Bettmann, Museum Locations: Mexico, United States, Russia, Mexico City, Moscow, Washington, Ukraine, Mexican, Russian, Europe, London, Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, Balkans, U.S, “, Cuba, Soviet Union, Spanish, Los Angeles, Soviet, manacles, Seattle, surveilling, Miami, American, AFP, Colombia

This is the latest in a decades-long conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Here’s what to know:Israeli invasion: Israeli forces took almost half of Lebanon’s territory when it invaded Lebanon in 1982. Displaced residents: The increase in cross-border fighting has forced people from their homes in both northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Israel said Aqil was among senior Hezbollah figures who were killed in an airstrike on a residential building in Beirut. Lebanon was already reeling after thousands of small blasts hit Hezbollah members’ pagers and walkie-talkies during the week, killing dozens and wounding thousands.

Persons: Sabra, Shatila, Israel, Hezbollah’s, Fu’ad, Ibrahim Aqil, Aqil, ’ pagers Organizations: Commission, Christian Lebanese, Hezbollah, Hamas Locations: Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Beirut, Lebanese, Palestinian, Islamic Republic, Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Beirut . Lebanon

☆ Rare Israeli airstrike in Beirut kills Hezbollah commander and more than a dozen others
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-21 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Israel launched a rare airstrike that killed a senior Hezbollah military official in a densely populated southern Beirut neighborhood on Friday. The Israeli military did not provide the identities of the other Hezbollah commanders allegedly killed in its strike on the crowded neighborhood just kilometers from downtown Beirut. Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire regularly since Hamas' Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel ignited the Israeli military's devastating offensive in Gaza. The last time Israel hit Beirut was in a July airstrike that killed senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur. After Friday's Israeli airstrike, Hezbollah announced attacks on northern Israel, two of which it said targeted an intelligence base from where it claimed Israel directed assassinations.

Persons: Daniel Hagari, Ibrahim Akil, Yoav Gallant, Akil, Hassan Nasrallah, —, Hussein Harake, Gallant, Israel, pagers, Fouad Shukur, Hagari, Nasrallah Organizations: American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Hezbollah, Radwan Force, Israeli, Jihad, U.S, Embassy, U.S . Marine Corps, U.S . State Department, Lebanon's Health, Beirut's St, Therese Hospital, Gaza, Health Ministry Locations: American University of Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Beirut, Dahiya, Lebanese, United States, Beirut's, Therese, Gaza, Israel's, Hamas, Gaza City

☆ How pagers turned into explosive devices in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Bruna Horvath | Bruna Horvath Is An Intern On Nbc News' Tech Team. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Pagers, devices that are used every day as a crucial form of communication for health care professionals, became a deadly weapon Tuesday as thousands of them simultaneously exploded in Lebanon, killing 37 people and injuring thousands. The explosions targeted the militant and political group Hezbollah, after the devices had reportedly begun beeping and heating up. Pagers are wireless communication devices that receive radio signals from short- or long-range paging networks. The pagers that exploded in Lebanon were made to appear as if they were Gold Apollo’s AR-924 pagers, but The New York Times reported that they were actually created by Israeli intelligence workers. Following the explosions on Tuesday, Hezbollah told Al Jazeera that the “treacherous and criminal enemy will certainly be punished for this aggressive act.”How did the pagers explode?

Persons: Al Jazeera, ” Israel, Mohamed Azakir, Amer Al Sabaileh, Matthew Pines, ” “, John Brennan, ” Brennan, Muhammad Mahdi, Firas Abiad, Mojtaba Amani Organizations: Hezbollah, New York Times, Consulting KFT, Consulting, NBC News, ”, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Strategic Advisory, CIA, National News Agency, Lebanese, Cross, American University of Beirut Medical Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Hungarian, Hungary, American University of Beirut, Syria

He bemoaned that, despite those milestones, which he framed as being on behalf of the Jewish people, he had not seen an increase in support from Jewish voters. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on the former president's remarks. At a separate event in the capital on Thursday evening, he shared a similar warning with Jewish voters about the stakes of their support in the election. As Trump continues to court Jewish voters ahead of the November general election, he has continued to publicly assail high-profile Jewish leaders like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Pennsylvania Gov. Trump’s comments Thursday echo his years of frustration at Jewish voters’ lack of support for him (they historically lean Democratic, according to the Pew Research Center.)

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Donald Trump, I’m, ” Trump, Trump, ”, “, Israel, Chuck Schumer, Josh Shapiro, Schumer, Shapiro, Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump’s Organizations: Jewish, Embassy, Office, - American, National Summit, Pennsylvania, Trump, Pew Research Center, Democratic Locations: WASHINGTON, America, U.S, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Israel, Lago, Florida

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