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Israel, Hezbollah Accept US-Brokered Ceasefire Deal

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Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire beginning Wednesday at 4 a.m. local time (0200 GMT), following intense diplomatic efforts by the United States and France to end months of cross-border violence, President Joe Biden announced Tuesday.

Israel’s security cabinet approved the agreement in a 10-1 vote, clearing the way for what Biden called “a permanent cessation of hostilities” in the conflict that erupted following last year’s Gaza war. “What is left of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations will not be allowed to threaten the security of Israel again,” Biden said at the White House.

The deal includes a 60-day gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces as Lebanon’s army assumes control of border territories to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its infrastructure. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the country would deploy at least 5,000 troops to the southern region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing coalition opposition to the deal, emphasized Israel’s readiness to respond to violations. “We will enforce the agreement and respond forcefully to any violation. Together, we will continue until victory,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel retained “complete military freedom of action” in coordination with the United States.

Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, violence intensified Tuesday with Israel conducting extensive airstrikes across Lebanon, killing at least 18 people according to health authorities. Israel reported striking Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure while intercepting rocket launches from Lebanese territory that triggered alarms in approximately 115 settlements.

A senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously, revealed that the U.S. and France would join a mechanism with the UNIFIL peacekeeping force to work alongside Lebanon’s army in monitoring ceasefire violations, though no U.S. combat forces would deploy.

The agreement faces domestic challenges in Israel, where a Channel 12 TV poll showed 37% support versus 32% opposition. Critics, including Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, argue the deal doesn’t guarantee the safe return of displaced northern Israelis and question the Lebanese army’s ability to contain Hezbollah.

Israeli army members operate in an area given as Tulkarm, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on August 28, 2024. Israeli Army Handout/Handout via REUTERS

Both Lebanon’s government and Hezbollah insist on allowing displaced civilians to return to southern Lebanon, while some Israeli opposition leaders advocate for a depopulated buffer zone along the frontier.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the agreement on social media as “the culmination of efforts undertaken for many months with the Israeli and Lebanese authorities.” UN Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert welcomed the deal, urging parties to “deliver, through concrete actions, to consolidate today’s achievement.”

Netanyahu said the ceasefire would allow Israel to focus on Iranian threats, replenish arms supplies, give forces rest, and isolate Hamas. He claimed Hezbollah had been “considerably weakened,” with Israel destroying “most of its rockets and missiles, neutralized thousands of fighters, and obliterated years of terror infrastructure near our border.”

Ukraine Reports Downing 76 of 188 Russian Drones in Overnight Strike

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Ukraine’s military intercepted 76 Russian drones during a massive overnight assault that saw Moscow launch 188 unmanned aircraft and four missiles across the country, officials said Tuesday.

The air force engaged targets across sixteen regions as Russian forces conducted their latest aerial bombardment, which damaged critical infrastructure and apartment buildings. Ukrainian air defenses successfully countered drone attacks in Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr.

In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Governor Serhiy Lysak confirmed via Telegram that one drone hit central Nikopol.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its own success against Ukrainian aerial attacks, reporting it shot down 39 drones overnight, with the majority intercepted over the Rostov region and others over Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Oryol, Voronezh and Russian-occupied Crimea. Officials in Rostov, Bryansk and Voronezh said these attacks caused no damage or casualties.

voanews

Russian Court Sentences Journalist to Four Years for Foreign Media Links

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A Russian court sentenced journalist Nika Novak to four years in prison Tuesday for allegedly cooperating with a foreign organization, in a case that underscores the country’s intensifying crackdown on independent media.

Photo: womeninjournalism.org

The Zabaikalsky Regional Court in Chita found Novak, 24, guilty of assisting in “the preparation of false materials discrediting the Armed Forces of Russia and government agencies” while working with foreign media representatives. The court claimed she received monetary compensation for actions aimed at damaging Russia’s reputation and destabilizing the country.

Novak, who previously worked as a freelance reporter for U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty according to Siberia.Realities, was arrested in Moscow in December 2023. Authorities transported her more than 6,000 kilometers east to Chita for a closed-door trial.

In a Telegram post published Tuesday after her sentencing, Novak described her seven-hour flight from Moscow’s Lefortovo prison to Chita. She revealed she remains barred from contacting her mother, who is listed as a witness in the case, and suggested authorities monitor all her communications. “I feel some pressure, but I try not to lose heart,” she wrote.

The journalist served as editor-in-chief of local news site Zab.ru and organized cultural events in Chita, a remote eastern Russian city closer to Japan than Moscow. The human rights organization Memorial has designated Novak a political prisoner.

The case represents another application of Russia’s foreign agent laws, which authorities have increasingly used to restrict press freedom, including actions against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Billionaire Buffett Gives Away $1.1B, Outlines Plans for $147B Fortune After Death

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Billionaire investor Warren Buffett distributed more than $1.1 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to four family foundations Monday, continuing his Thanksgiving giving tradition while revealing new details about the distribution of his $147.4 billion fortune after his death.

The 94-year-old investor disclosed in a letter to shareholders that he has designated successors to his three children for distributing his remaining wealth within a decade of his death, acknowledging the reality that his children, now aged 71, 69, and 66, may not outlive the distribution timeline.

“Father time always wins. But he can be fickle – indeed unfair and even cruel – sometimes ending life at birth or soon thereafter while, at other times, waiting a century or so before paying a visit,” Buffett wrote. “To date, I’ve been very lucky, but, before long, he will get around to me.”

While not identifying the successors, Buffett indicated his children Howard, Peter, and Susie know and approve of the choices. The arrangement maintains his long-held opposition to creating dynastic wealth, a view he noted was shared by both his first and current wives.

Buffett’s massive fortune stems from the power of compounding interest and Berkshire’s growth through strategic acquisitions and investments, including substantial Apple holdings. He has never sold his Berkshire shares and maintains a modest lifestyle, residing in the same Omaha home he purchased decades ago.

The investor’s giving has heavily favored the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has received $55 billion in stock, chosen initially for its ability to handle large donations. However, Buffett plans to end Gates Foundation contributions after his death, expressing confidence in his children’s philanthropic experience.

Highlighting the scale of his lifetime giving, Buffett noted that without any charitable donations, his family’s fortune would have reached nearly $364 billion. His philanthropic journey accelerated after his first wife Susan’s death in 2004, when her $3 billion estate was distributed, followed by his 2006 pledge to make annual gifts to his children’s foundations and the Gates Foundation.

Buffett, who still controls more than 30% of Berkshire’s voting power with 206,363 Class A shares after the latest donation, emphasized the importance of families discussing estate plans openly. Drawing from his and late partner Charlie Munger’s observations, he warned that posthumous will revelations often create family conflicts.

While continuing as Berkshire’s chairman and CEO with no retirement plans, Buffett has delegated most operational duties to focus on investment decisions. Greg Abel, who oversees Berkshire’s non-insurance operations, is designated to succeed as CEO after Buffett’s death.

The latest stock conversion involved 1,600 Class A shares transformed into 2.4 million Class B shares for the donation, demonstrating Buffett’s ongoing commitment to philanthropy while maintaining significant control of the company he built.

apnews.com

Florida Woman Sentenced to 25 Years in Fatal Shooting of Black Neighbor

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A white Florida woman who shot her Black neighbor through a front door during a dispute over children playing outside received a 25-year prison sentence Monday, in a case that sparked racial tensions in this central Florida community.

Susan Lorincz, 60, convicted of manslaughter in August for killing Ajike “A.J.” Owens, 35, faced Circuit Judge Robert Hodges, who rejected calls for both maximum and minimum sentences. “The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” Hodges said. “The shooting, I find, was based more in anger than in fear.”

The fatal confrontation in June 2023 culminated a long-running neighborhood dispute over Owens’ children playing in a shared grassy area near both homes, located about 80 miles northwest of Orlando. Prosecutors said Owens approached Lorincz’s door after her children reported Lorincz had thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz denied.

Trial testimony revealed Owens, a mother of four, was pounding on Lorincz’s door and yelling when Lorincz fired a single shot from her .380-caliber handgun. While Lorincz claimed self-defense in videotaped police interviews, citing fear for her life and alleged three years of harassment, jurors rejected this defense.

“I so wish I could go back and change things so she was still here,” Lorincz told the court Monday. “I never intended to kill anyone.”

The victim’s mother, Pamela Dias, now caring for her daughter’s four children, described profound family trauma during the sentencing hearing. “We’re hurting with a pain that will never, never go away,” Dias said. “There’s a hole in our heart that will never mend. Susan destroyed our family.”

Lorincz’s defense sought a sentence below the 11.5-year minimum guideline, citing mental health issues and claims of extreme duress. Judge Hodges dismissed these arguments, emphasizing the lasting impact on Owens’ children: “They’ll live their whole lives without their mother, which I think is a very significant harm inflicted by Ms. Lorincz.”

The case generated protests in Ocala’s Black community, which comprises about 12% of Marion County’s population, when prosecutors took weeks to file manslaughter charges rather than second-degree murder. An all-white jury ultimately convicted Lorincz of the lesser charge, which carried a maximum 30-year sentence.

Judge Hodges considered Lorincz’s history of childhood abuse and mental health challenges in deciding against the maximum term, though he maintained the sentence must reflect the gravity of taking a mother from her children through what he deemed an anger-driven act.

Connecticut Pair Faces Charges in Million-Dollar Lululemon Theft Operation

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A Connecticut couple faces felony organized retail theft charges in Minnesota for their alleged role in a sophisticated shoplifting operation that investigators say stole approximately $1 million in merchandise from Lululemon stores nationwide.

Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, of Danbury, Connecticut, were charged in Ramsey County District Court after police discovered more than $50,000 worth of Lululemon clothing in their Bloomington hotel room. The pair posted bail bonds of $100,000 and $30,000 respectively and are scheduled to appear in court December 16.

According to criminal complaints, the suspects employed an elaborate scheme targeting stores across multiple states, including Colorado, Utah, New York, and Connecticut. A Lululemon investigator had been tracking the couple before police confronted them November 14 at a Roseville store.

Prosecutors say the operation followed a systematic pattern: The group would spend two days stealing from stores in a targeted city, return to the East Coast to exchange stolen items without receipts for new merchandise, then use the return receipts to obtain credit card refunds before launching new theft operations.

The complaints detail a sophisticated theft method where Richards would initially purchase inexpensive items legitimately, then assist Lawes-Richards in removing security sensors from other merchandise. They allegedly manipulated store security systems by having Richards present his legitimate purchases when exit alarms activated, while accomplices walked out with concealed merchandise.

Minnesota authorities charged the couple under a new state law enacted last year specifically targeting organized retail theft. “This type of theft harms retailers in myriad ways, including lost economic activity, job loss, and threats to worker safety when crime goes unaddressed,” said State Senator Ron Latz, who helped author the legislation.

Lululemon’s vice president of asset protection, Tristen Shields, credited the arrests to “collaboration with law enforcement and our investments in advanced technology, team training and investigative capabilities to combat retail crime.”

The case follows August charges against two Minnesota women under the same law for allegedly targeting a Minneapolis Lululemon store.

5 Dead, 20 Missing After Nigerian Boat Capsizes

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Five people died, and twenty others are missing after a speedboat struck a submerged log and capsized in Nigeria’s southern Delta state, police officials said Tuesday.

The accident occurred Friday in the Gbaramatu Kingdom area of Warri South-West district. Emergency responders continue searching for the twenty missing passengers.

Six survivors from the accident are receiving treatment at a local hospital, according to the police spokesperson.

reuters

3 Dead, 13 Missing After Tourist Boat Sinks Off Egyptian Coast

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Rescue teams recovered three bodies Tuesday morning from a capsized tourist diving boat off Egypt’s Red Sea coast, as the search continues for 13 others still missing after the vessel sank in rough seas, Red Sea Governor Amr Hanafi told Reuters.

The Sea Story, carrying 31 tourists and 13 crew members on a multi-day diving expedition, went down Monday near Sataya Reef after being struck by high waves, sinking within five to seven minutes. Officials believe sixteen passengers may have been trapped inside the vessel when it capsized.

Twenty-eight survivors escaped with minor injuries, requiring no hospitalization. Local authorities have housed them in a Marsa Alam hotel while working with foreign embassies and consulates to provide emergency assistance and documentation.

The 34-meter vessel had passed its most recent safety inspection in March 2024 with no technical issues reported, according to Hanafi. The Egyptian-owned boat held a current one-year safety certificate from the Maritime Safety Authority.

Severe weather conditions played a crucial role in the disaster. The Egyptian Red Sea Ports Authority reported waves reaching heights of 3-4 meters (10-13 feet) and wind speeds of 34 knots when the incident occurred, conditions that had already forced the closure of maritime traffic in the area.

REUTERS

Four Soldiers Killed in Pakistan Protest Violence Over Khan’s Detention

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Four paramilitary soldiers died Tuesday during violent confrontations near Pakistan’s parliament as protesters demanding former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s release clashed with security forces, marking a deadly escalation in the country’s political crisis.

The interior ministry confirmed the deaths while Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accused protesters of deliberately ramming the paramilitary troops with vehicles. “It is not a peaceful protest. It is extremism,” Sharif said in a statement, characterizing the demonstrations as driven by “evil political designs.”

Opposing accounts of the soldiers’ deaths emerged immediately. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party spokesman Zulfikar Bukhari disputed the government’s version, stating, “No protesters ran over any rangers,” and claiming social media videos show demonstrators “protecting and hugging rangers.” He accused the government of creating a false narrative to justify a potential crackdown.

The deadly incident occurred as hundreds of protesters reached D-Chowk, a square near parliament historically used for demonstrations. Protesters ransacked vehicles and torched a police kiosk, prompting authorities to deploy army units to protect diplomatic missions in the capital’s fortified red zone.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar warned of severe consequences, stating “No one will be spared,” while authorities indicated they might impose a curfew. The violence has already claimed an additional victim, with one police officer killed Monday and dozens wounded in earlier clashes.

The protests, which Khan called the “final call,” have drawn thousands who broke through security barriers on roads blocked with shipping containers. Led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and key aide Ali Amin Gandapur, demonstrators now armed with steel rods, slingshots, and sticks have announced plans for a sustained sit-in outside parliament.

The deaths of the paramilitary soldiers represent the most serious escalation since Khan’s imprisonment in August last year. The 72-year-old former cricket star faces multiple charges ranging from corruption to inciting violence, all of which he and his party deny.

British Police Forces Scale Back Social Media Presence on X Platform

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Several major British police forces have significantly reduced their presence on X, formerly Twitter, amid mounting concerns over the platform’s role in promoting extreme content and misinformation, according to a Reuters survey of police social media activity.

West Midlands Police, serving Britain’s second-largest city Birmingham, has cut its posts on X by approximately 95% compared to last year, while Lancashire Police reduced its platform activity by three-quarters. Derbyshire Police hasn’t made an original post since August 12, limiting activity to responding to queries.

The shift follows X’s controversial handling of UK-related content, including the platform’s role in spreading misinformation during summer riots and Elon Musk’s August prediction of “inevitable” civil war in Britain, which drew sharp criticism from Downing Street and police leadership.

North Wales Police became the first force to completely abandon the platform, stating, “As X was no longer an effective communication medium, this change hasn’t affected our abilities to reach our communities.” Other forces report shifting focus to platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which they find more effective for community engagement.

The exodus occurs despite X’s significant British user base of over 10 million, though usage has declined 19% year-over-year according to digital intelligence platform Similarweb. The platform remains larger than competitors Threads and Blue Sky, with 4.5 million and 433,000 British users respectively.

Police forces maintaining some presence on X cite its utility for operational updates like road closures, while acknowledging changing communication preferences among their audiences. “We understand that, as the digital landscape changes, so too does our audiences’ channels of choice,” Lancashire Police said in a statement.

The retreat reflects broader institutional concerns about X’s content moderation and leadership under Musk, who has described Britain as a “police state” while defending his approach to free speech. Several prominent organizations, including The Guardian newspaper and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, have already left the platform.

The British government has also distanced itself from X, maintaining a presence but avoiding paid communications while continuing to advertise on Meta’s platforms. The shift marks a significant change for a platform that has served as a primary communication tool for British public services for over a decade.

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