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Europe
Spain
02.11.2024 At least 211 dead, areas still isolated after an intense storm system triggered devastating floods hitting the province of Valencia the hardest /Photo/ (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Asia
Israel
(Saturday), November 2, 2024 /8:00 AM CET) Three projectiles crossed into Israel from Lebanon, Israel's military said, and some were intercepted. Israel's emergency services said seven people were injured before dawn today in attack in the central town of Tira. Israel launched dozens of intense airstrikes across Lebanon's northeastern farming villages yesterday, in Bekaa Valley, where small villages, olive groves and wineries nestled between the country's mountain ranges, killing at least 52 people, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported. The bombardment left 72 people wounded. Intensified Israeli airstrikes were on and around the northeastern city of Baalbek after Israel issued evacuation warnings have prompted 60,000 people to flee, emptying nearby villages. In Lebanon's capital Beirut Israeli planes pounded the southern suburb of Dahiyeh overnight and early yesterday. The Israeli military, which warned residents to evacuate at least nine locations in Dahiyeh, said it hit Hezbollah weapons manufacturing sites and command centers. Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in 2023, more than 2,897 people have been killed and 13,150 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reports, not including Friday's rising toll. Health authorities say that a quarter of those killed were women and children. United Nations agencies estimate that Israel's ground invasion and bombardment of Lebanon has displaced 1.4 million people. Residents of Israel's northern communities near Lebanon, roughly 60,000 people, have also been displaced for more than a year. Israel has stepped up its offensive against Hamas' remaining fighters in Gaza, pulverizing areas in the north and raising fears of worsening humanitarian conditions for civilians still there. Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly hindered an emergency polio vaccination campaign, which the World Health Organization announced it planned to finally resume on Saturday - but only in Gaza City. Towns further north, like Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, remain inaccessible as Israel tightens its siege. The UN and other humanitarian organizations warned Friday that 'the situation unfolding in north Gaza is apocalyptic,' citing Israel's denial of humanitarian aid to the area, military raids on hospitals, airstrikes on shelters and obstruction of Palestinian rescue teams who struggle to help survivors after Israeli attacks. Yesterday, a barrage of airstrikes hit central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Palestinians recovered the bodies of 25 people killed in aerial attacks that began Thursday, hospital officials said. Israel's war in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023. Health officials inside Hamas-run Gaza say more than half of the dead in the enclave are women and children. As American diplomats left the region after a flurry of meetings with Israeli officials, there were no signs of a breakthrough on a cease-fire in either Lebanon or Gaza. (Source: Gulf Today - United Arab Emirates / Associated Press - U.S.)
Lebanon
(Saturday), November 02 2024 10:02:54 A Turkish vessel carrying 1,000 tons of humanitarian aid docked at Beirut's port yesterday, providing critical support to Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli attacks in the region. The shipment, organized by Turkish NGOs operating in Lebanon, includes food supplies, medical equipment, and essential goods for vulnerable citizens. Turkish lawmaker Turan and Murad, head of the Lebanon-Türkiye Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, were present to receive the aid. Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Ulusoy and Khair, Secretary-General of the Lebanese Higher Relief Commission, also attended the welcoming ceremony. The delivery follows a previous shipment of 300 tons of humanitarian supplies from Türkiye on Oct. 9. The aid arrives as Lebanon grapples with the impact of escalating cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah. The conflict intensified when Israel initiated an incursion into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1. (Source: Hurriyet Daily News - Turkey)
North America
United States
November 02, 2024 12:38 IST With just three days to go for polls, earlier on Saturday morning (Friday night in the US), swing state Wisconsin witnessed a war of words between the Democratic and Republican rallies. MC Lyte, GloRilla, and Flo Milli performed at the Vice President Harris’s rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Comedian Key took to the stage with an speech, which was anything but humorous. He went on to stress how serious he was in this election, but then towed same line of Trump ’pitting’ people against one another as the central argument. The New York-based rapper-songwriter musician Cardi B went on to echo her similarities with the Democratic presidential candidate. “Just like Harris, I too have been the underdog. I’ve been underestimated. My success belittled and discredited,” said. The crowd cheered on as she exclaimed, “Women have to work 10 times harder, perform 10 time better, and still, people question us how we got to the top!” Shortly after, US Vice President Harris took to the stage, and declared, 'Make no mistake, we will win.’ She added that it was time for a new generation of leadership in America. Harris attacked her rival Trump, 'The man is out for unchecked power. In 90 days, it is going to be either him or me, in the Oval office.' ’You know I can fight!’ Harris said, adding, ’if you give me this chance, there is nothing that will stand in my way.' “Freedom” banners floated in the background. Former US President and businessman Trump powered through his speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans,” hinting at President Biden’s recent comments calling Trump supporters ’garbage.’ Even when talking about his reforms, Trump attacked the economic agenda under Harris. He focused on the African Americans, stating that migrants took away their jobs and will soon gun for Hispanic ones. Wisconsin is home to a significant population of many ethnicities, but the Trump rally visuals rarely featured any of them. “No tax on tips,” declared Trump in a bid to get popular working class votes. Wisconsin is a decisive swing state with 10 electoral votes, making it quite the battleground. Back in 2016, Trump won narrowly and Biden barely clawed it back in 2020. Michigan had Wisconsin voted Trump to presidency before. (Source: The Week – India)
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Nov 2, 2024 In the Middle East, the U.S. has ramped up its military presence, deploying B-52 bombers, fighter jets, refueling aircraft, and destroyers to the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is slated to leave the region by mid-November, creating a temporary gap in U.S. aircraft carrier presence. To mitigate this void, the Pentagon plans to send additional destroyers either from the Indo-Pacific or Europe. Iran and its allies remain on high alert, prepared for possible retaliatory strikes that experts warn could target both Israeli and American interests in the region which could provoke a counter-response from the U.S. and its allies, spiraling into widespread violence. Such an escalation could create conditions ripe for the emergence of new terrorist groups eager to exploit the chaos and target local or international objectives. Given the current dynamics, it seems likely that peace negotiations will remain sidelined, with conflicts deepening. (Source: BulgarianMilitary)
by Nikolov
Pacific Ocean
3:32pm, 2 Nov 2024 US finds a new use for old Patriots to counter China’s missile advancements. One of the biggest challenges face by modern navies has been the growing threat to surface vessels posed by cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as low-cost drones. In the high-stakes arena of Pacific military power the US Navy is moving to arm its warships with repurposed Patriot missiles. It plans to equip its ships with Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (PAC-3 MSE) interceptors – originally a staple of the US Army’s defence arsenal – in acknowledgement of the evolving threats posed by Chinese hypersonic weapons. These new interceptors feature improved engines and guidance systems, making them invaluable for maritime defence, complementing the US Navy’s primary defensive missiles, the SM-2 and SM-6 surface-to-air systems that are used for long-range air defence against threats like anti-ship missiles and high-altitude aircraft. The new PAC-3 MSE variant, which has proven effective on land in Europe, offers US forces an additional tool to counter these maritime threats. Spain announced in July its acquisition of comparable missiles and support equipment, part of a broader effort to enhance its air and missile defence inventory. Japan agreed to co-produce PAC-3 MSE systems, as well as Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, during the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee meeting held in Tokyo on July 28. In August, the US approved the sale of 600 PAC-3 MSE missiles, worth an estimated US$5 billion, to Germany, which has heavily invested in its Patriot air and missile defence capabilities this year, some of which have been sent to Ukraine. Switzerland signed a contract in October last year to modernise its air defence with the PAC-3 MSE. The PAC-3 MSE innovation, combining a traditionally land-based capability with the navy’s pre-existing air defences and radar architecture, would help mitigate China’s ballistic and cruise missile threat to US ships in the region, including hypersonic varieties. Future solutions may include lasers or other technologies that could be developed or deployed. ’Previously, the US military had worked to transfer the vessel-based Tomahawk cruise missile system to land, enhancing its missile strike capabilities against other countries,’ Chinese military expert Zhang was quoted as saying.’Now, it is attempting to deploy land-based missile systems at sea to improve missile air defence capabilities’. Chinese military experts cited in the nationalistic Global Times tabloid on Sunday argued that the US is exploiting the perceived threat of Chinese missiles as a pretext to pursue ’absolute military superiority’. (Source: South China Morning Post - China; „Additional reporting by Reuters”)
by Siow
.4 11 2 12:15
