Tel Aviv, Israel — Israeli protesters expressed concern for the hostages in Gaza on Saturday, after Qatar said it was pausing as a key mediator for a cease-fire that would help bring the captives home. Thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv holding signs reading “400,” the number of days since the hostages were taken when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Efforts …
2 Saudi military personnel killed in Yemen attack: state media
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Two Saudi military personnel have been killed in an attack in Yemen, Saudi state media said Saturday, reporting that the assailant was affiliated with Yemen’s defense ministry. “An officer and a non-commissioned officer were martyred, and an officer was injured as a result of a treacherous and cowardly attack” Friday inside a military camp in the city of Seiyun, the official Saudi …
Spaniards demand Valencia leader resign for bungled flood response
VALENCIA, Spain — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in the eastern city of Valencia on Saturday to demand the resignation of the regional president in charge of the emergency response to last week’s floods that left more than 200 dead and others missing. A group of protestors clashed with riot police in front of Valencia’s city hall, where the protestors started their march to the …
Israeli strikes pound Lebanese towns, killing more than 20 say officials
Beirut — Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon over the last day have killed more than 20 people including several children, Lebanese authorities said on Saturday, after heavy Israeli bombardment pounded the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut overnight. At least seven people were killed in the coastal city of Tyre late on Friday, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The Israeli military has previously ordered swathes of the city …
Gaza mourns children killed in Israeli strike as death toll rises
CAIRO/GAZA — A Gaza family sat weeping Saturday over children killed by an Israeli strike as they were getting ready to play soccer. The strike came amid an intensified bombardment that Palestinian health authorities said killed 44 people over the past 24 hours. The strike was in Mawasi, a southern coastal area where hundreds of thousands of people have sought shelter after Israel’s military told them …
Suspect arrested in killing of American tourist in Budapest
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY — A 31-year-old American tourist was killed while on vacation in Hungary’s capital, and the suspect, a 37-year-old Irish man, has been arrested, Hungarian police said Saturday. The victim, Mackenzie Michalski of Portland, Oregon, was reported missing on November 5 after she was last seen at a nightclub in central Budapest. Police launched a missing person investigation and reviewed security footage from local nightclubs, …
Lithuanian defense minister proposes ways for smoother relations between Europe, Trump
PRAGUE — European nations should not repeat the mistake of creating a barrier between them and President-elect Donald Trump but instead cooperate on issues of common interest, Lithuania’s defense minister said Saturday. Assuming that Trump will again apply what Laurynas Kasciunas called “his contract approach to our relations,” Kasciunas outlined areas where Europe and the new president could join forces: more investment in defense, European acquisition …
Iranian American activist defiant over Iranian plots to kill her, Trump
BERLIN — In the middle of a Berlin hotel cafe, Masih Alinejad raises her voice and starts singing at the top of her lungs in Farsi, as waiters and her three German government bodyguards turn to watch. “I blossom through my wounds and my scars,” she translates the lyrics as. “Because I am a woman. I am a woman. I am a woman.” Alinejad was expressing …
Iran accuses Germany of defending ‘terrorist’ after death of dual national
TEHRAN, IRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused Germany of defending a “terrorist” after the death in Iran of Jamshid Sharmahd, a dual national sentenced to execution, which triggered condemnation from Berlin. Iran on October 28 announced the execution of Sharmahd, 69, but eight days later the judiciary spokesperson said Sharmahd had died before the “imminent” execution could be carried out, implying natural causes. After …
Boeing to face civil trial over 2019 MAX crash
NEW YORK — Beleaguered aviation giant Boeing is set to confront another hurdle next week when it faces a civil trial over the March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people. The trial, scheduled for federal court in Chicago, originally included six plaintiffs, but “all but one” have settled, a person close to the litigation told AFP this week. Barring an accord, the case will …
Berlin Wall once shaped German women’s lives; echoes remain today
BERLIN — Like many other young women living in communist East Germany, Solveig Leo thought nothing about juggling work and motherhood. The mother of two was able to preside over a large state-owned farm in the northeastern village of Banzkow because child care was widely available. Contrast that with Claudia Huth, a mother of five, who grew up in capitalist West Germany. Huth quit her job …
Germany marks 1989 Berlin Wall fall with ‘Preserve Freedom’ party
BERLIN — Germany marks 35 years since the Berlin Wall fell with festivities beginning Saturday under the theme “Preserve Freedom!” as Russia’s war rages in Ukraine and many fear democracy is under attack. Chancellor Olaf Scholz — whose governing coalition dramatically collapsed this week — said in a message to the nation that the liberal ideals of 1989 “are not something we can take for granted.” …
North Korea jams GPS signals, affecting ships, aircraft in South
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — North Korea staged GPS jamming attacks on Friday and Saturday, an operation that was affecting several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft in South Korea, Seoul’s military said. The jamming allegations come about a week after the North test-fired what it said was its most advanced and powerful solid-fuel ICBM missile, its first such launch since being accused of sending soldiers to …
After Amsterdam violence, Israelis worry about sports teams’ safety abroad
The violence against fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam has some Israelis worried that it isn’t safe for their sports teams and fans to travel to games abroad. Many Palestinians want them banned entirely over Israel’s conduct of the war with Hamas. Dutch authorities say Israeli fans were assaulted after a football game in Amsterdam by hordes of young people apparently riled up by …
Berlin Wall, divide that once shaped German women’s lives, echoes today
berlin — Like many other young women living in communist East Germany, Solveig Leo thought nothing about juggling work and motherhood. The mother of two was able to preside over a large state-owned farm in the northeastern village of Banzkow because childcare was widely available. Contrast that with Claudia Huth, a mother of five, who grew up in capitalist West Germany. Huth quit her job as …
Japan plans automated cargo transport system to relieve shortage of drivers and cut emissions
TOKYO — Japan is planning to build an automated cargo transport corridor between Tokyo and Osaka, dubbed a “conveyor belt road” by the government, to make up for a shortage of truck drivers. The amount of funding for the project is not yet set. But it’s seen as one key way to help the country cope with soaring deliveries. A computer graphics video made by the …
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki unleashes towering columns of hot clouds
MAUMERE, Indonesia — Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano spewed towering columns of hot ash high into the air Saturday, days after a huge eruption killed nine people and injured dozens of others. Activity at the volcano on the remote island of Flores, in East Nusa Tenggara province, has increased since Monday’s initial eruption. On Thursday, authorities expanded the danger zone as the volcano erupted again. …
US to send contactors to Ukraine to repair, maintain US weapons
The United States will send a small number of contractors to Ukraine to help it maintain and repair the U.S.-provided weapons and air defense systems it is using against Russia’s invasion, a defense official said Friday. The official said the contractors “will be far from the front lines and they will not be fighting Russian forces.” Ukraine needs the contractors to repair and maintain equipment, …
Turkish authorities ban screening of LGBTQI-themed film ‘Queer’
Washington/Istanbul — Local authorities in Turkey’s metropolitan Istanbul province banned a screening of the LGBTQI-themed movie “Queer” on Thursday because of concerns that it would endanger public peace and security. The screening of “Queer,” a film directed by Italian director Luca Guadagnino and starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, was scheduled to open a film festival in Istanbul’s Kadikoy district on Thursday. The festival was organized …
Amsterdam bans rallies after Israeli soccer fans attacked
amsterdam — Amsterdam banned demonstrations for three days from Friday after overnight attacks on Israeli soccer supporters by what the mayor called “antisemitic hit-and-run squads,” and Israel sent planes to the Netherlands to fly fans home. Mayor Femke Halsema said Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had been “attacked, abused and pelted with fireworks” around the city, and that riot police intervened to protect them and escort them …
In Morocco, politics limited sermons, including about war in Middle East
rabat, morocco — Politicians and activists in Morocco are questioning limitations imposed on preachers regarding what they may say about war in the Middle East during sermons. During a meeting at the country’s parliament this week, socialist lawmaker Nabila Mounib bemoaned the way that imams were curtailed in how they can speak about the plight of Palestinians and call for religious struggle to support their cause. …
China backs Myanmar military amid growing border tensions
WASHINGTON — As clashes escalate along Myanmar’s northern border, Chinese Premier Li Qiang this week reaffirmed Beijing’s support for Myanmar’s military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The comment came Wednesday following a sideline meeting with the embattled junta leader at the November 6-7 Greater Mekong Subregion Summit in Kunming, in China’s southern Yunan province, according to a Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry statement issued the same …
China’s forays in disputed sea up tensions as Indonesian leader visits Beijing
JAKARTA, INDONESIA — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is in Beijing Friday for his first official visit to China, where he is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Experts say he hopes to maintain the personal rapport with the Chinese leaders established by his predecessor, Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. “Presumably, he will be leaning more toward Beijing for economic purposes since Prabowo has …
China approves $840B plan to refinance local government debt, boost slowing economy
BEIJING — China on Friday approved a 6 trillion yuan ($839 billion) plan to help local governments refinance their mountains of debt, in the latest push to rev up growth in the world’s second largest economy. The plan will be implemented over the next three years, Xu Hongcai, vice-chairman of the National People’s Congress’s financial and economic committee, said at a news conference Friday. Finance minister …