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Israeli Army Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen Following Deadly Drone Attack in Tel Aviv

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Israeli Army Strikes Houthi Targets in Yemen Following Deadly Drone Attack in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv, Israel – In a significant escalation of regional tensions, the Israeli army announced on Saturday that it has conducted airstrikes on several Houthi targets in western Yemen. This military action follows a fatal drone attack by the rebel group in Tel Aviv the previous day. The Israeli strikes mark the first on Yemeni soil since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

According to the Israeli military, a series of “military targets” were hit in the western port city of Hodeidah, a known Houthi stronghold. The targets included facilities believed to be involved in the Houthi’s operational capabilities. The Israeli army stated that this operation was “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months.”

Israeli strike back at Yemen Houthi rebels attack

The drone attack in Tel Aviv occurred early Friday and was reportedly orchestrated by the Houthi rebels. The assault resulted in the death of one individual and injuries to at least 10 others near the United States Embassy. This incident has heightened concerns over the expanding reach of Houthi military capabilities and their impact on regional security.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the Israeli airstrikes, describing them as a “blatant Israeli aggression.” In a statement posted on the social media platform X, Abdulsalam claimed that the attacks targeted essential infrastructure, including fuel storage facilities and the province’s main power station. He accused Israel of seeking to “increase the suffering of the people” and exert pressure on Yemen to cease its support for Gaza.

Health officials in Yemen reported that the Israeli airstrikes resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries. However, specific details regarding the number of casualties were not disclosed. The affected areas in Hodeidah were reportedly significant to the Houthi’s logistical and operational framework.

The drone attack in Tel Aviv has prompted a robust response from Israel, highlighting the vulnerabilities and challenges posed by such asymmetric warfare tactics. Israeli air defenses, which have successfully intercepted most projectiles fired from the southern Arabian Peninsula, detected the drone on Friday. However, a technical error occurred, and the drone was not intercepted, leading to the tragic outcomes.

This latest development underscores the volatile nature of the current Middle Eastern geopolitical landscape. The Israel-Hamas conflict, which has already strained relations and security across the region, now sees an added layer of complexity with the involvement of Houthi forces from Yemen.

Israeli officials reiterated their commitment to defending national security and responding decisively to threats. “We will continue to take all necessary measures to protect our citizens and our sovereignty,” an Israeli military spokesperson said.

apnews.com

Police in Bangladesh Ordered to Shoot Protesters on Sight

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Police in Bangladesh Ordered to Shoot Protesters on Sight

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Police imposed a strict curfew with a “shoot-on-sight” order across Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital on Saturday following deadly clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs. The violence has resulted in scores of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

The curfew, which began at midnight, was relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. to allow people to run essential errands. It is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday. Lawmaker Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party, stated that officers have been authorized to fire on mobs in extreme cases.

The demonstrations, mainly organized by student groups, began several weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. Violence erupted Tuesday, with the Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reporting the death toll at least 103 people.

Friday marked the deadliest day so far; Somoy TV reported 43 killed, while an Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, although it was not immediately clear whether they all died on Friday. On Thursday, 22 others were reported dead as protesting students attempted to “completely shut down” the country.

The United States Embassy in Dhaka issued a statement on Friday indicating that reports suggested “hundreds to possibly thousands” were injured across Bangladesh. The embassy described the situation as “extremely volatile.”

Bangladeshi authorities have not shared any official numbers of those killed and injured.

The primary objective of the curfew was to quell further violence as police and protesters continued to clash at university campuses in Dhaka and other cities. The government has also temporarily shut down mobile internet services to disrupt the organization of protests and to prevent the spread of violence.

Lawmaker Obaidul Quader reiterated that the police would be firm in their response to any breach of the curfew, emphasizing that the government’s primary concern is to restore peace and order. “Our officers are equipped and prepared to handle any situation that threatens public safety,” he said in a statement.

As the situation continues to evolve, international observers and human rights organizations have expressed concern over the escalating violence and the government’s response. The international community is closely monitoring the events in Bangladesh, with calls for restraint and dialogue between the government and protest leaders.

Plane Crashes Near Ohio Airport, Killing 3

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Plane Crashes Near Ohio Airport, Killing 3

Youngstown, Ohio – A plane attempting an emergency landing at an airport in northeastern Ohio crashed, resulting in the deaths of all three people on board, authorities confirmed.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported Saturday that the twin-engine Beechcraft 60 went down near the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Ohio at approximately 6:45 p.m. Friday.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol post in Trumbull County, notified shortly after 7 p.m. Saturday, stated the crash just north of the airport claimed the lives of the pilot and two passengers. An official added that the families of the victims have been notified, and their names will be released later.

Anthony Trevena, executive director of the Western Reserve Port Authority, told WKBN-TV that the crash occurred after an airplane not associated with the air reserve station at the airport attempted an unscheduled emergency landing. A mechanical failure is suspected, the station reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will conduct an investigation into the crash, the FAA said in a statement.

Ukrainian Former Lawmaker Killed in Suspected Assassination as Civilians Die in Russian Airstrikes

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Ukrainian Former Lawmaker Killed in Suspected Assassination as Civilians Die in Russian Airstrikes

Lviv, Ukraine – A Ukrainian former lawmaker, Iryna Farion, best known for her crusade to promote the Ukrainian language, was fatally shot on Friday by an unknown assailant in the western city of Lviv. Farion, 60, initially survived the assault but later died from her wounds in a hospital.

Authorities have launched a manhunt for the attacker, who fled the scene. Ukrainian officials have stated that an investigation is underway, treating the attack as an assassination. “All available surveillance cameras are being worked on, witness interviews are ongoing, and several districts are being surveyed. All leads are being investigated, including the one that leads to Russia,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel Saturday. “All necessary forces from the National Police of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Security Service have been deployed to search for the criminal.”

Farion served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament between 2012 and 2014 and was renowned for her campaigns to promote the use of the Ukrainian language by Ukrainian officials who spoke Russian. She controversially criticized Russian-speaking members of Ukraine’s Azov regiment who defended the port city of Mariupol in the first days of the full-scale invasion.

Police are considering “personal animosity” toward the former MP due to her linguistic and political activities as a likely motive behind the attack, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, who will oversee the investigation in Lviv.

In other news, Ukrainian officials reported that 12 people were killed and three more injured in a series of Russian airstrikes targeting infrastructure in the country’s northeastern city of Synyekhurchenko early Saturday.

apnews.com

Sundance Institute Announces Six Finalists for New Film Festival Location

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Sundance Institute Announces Six Finalists for New Film Festival Location

Park City, Utah – The Sundance Institute on Friday announced six finalists in its search for a new host location for the influential film festival.

After 40 years in Park City, Utah, the festival is considering locations across the country for festivals starting in 2027 when its existing contract will be up for renewal. The snowy mountain town, along with Salt Lake City, will still be home to the 2025 and 2026 festivals, and the Utah cities are one of the six options for future festivals.

The other five finalists are Atlanta, Cincinnati, Boulder, Colorado; Louisville, Kentucky, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. These cities are moving along in the selection process after a competitive request for proposal phase that started in May and saw submissions from across the country.

The potential host cities were selected for their ability to support the film festival’s growth, and they will continue to be evaluated on each city’s infrastructure, accessibility, event venues, and logistical capabilities, as well as their alignment with Sundance’s values.

“As we very carefully consider this important decision for our Festival, we believe these six finalists allow us the best opportunity to not only secure a sustainable future for our Festival, but also to build upon its legacy while continuing to support the next generation of storytellers and highlight bold new works of art,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute board chair, and Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute CEO, in a joint statement.

“We are grateful to all the communities who have expressed interest and been a part of the process, and we have valued the opportunity to learn about the unique offerings of each city,” the statement continued. “We look forward to the next phase of this important decision.”

The Sundance Film Festival, which has long served as a major platform for independent films and has launched numerous careers, aims to ensure its future growth and impact through this relocation process. Further evaluations and site visits will be conducted before the final decision is made.

Drea de Matteo Reveals Her 13-Year-Old Son Edits Her OnlyFans Photos

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Drea de Matteo Reveals Her 13-Year-Old Son Edits Her OnlyFans Photos

New York, NY – Drea de Matteo, the actress known for her roles in “The Sopranos” and “Sons of Anarchy,” revealed that her 13-year-old son, Waylon “Blackjack,” edits her OnlyFans photos during a recent appearance on the “Not Today, Pal” podcast.

While discussing her girl-on-girl content with hosts Robert Iler and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Matteo paused to apologize to her son and 16-year-old daughter, Alabama, who were waiting outside the door.

“Blackjack and Alabama — my kids are out there — I’m sorry, guys,” Matteo, 52, said. “I’m really sorry. But they know.”

Iler claimed that Blackjack told him before the show that he “edits [her] OnlyFans photos.”

“Oh yeah,” Matteo admitted. “He’s like, ‘So what do you want me to do with the bikini line here?’”

However, the “Sopranos” star said her kids “don’t see” the shots of her getting frisky with other women and she made sure they were comfortable with her latest career endeavor before delving into it.

“They don’t see the girl shots. But I do go over that with them before I ever put them out,” she said. “I was like, ‘Are you OK with this?’”

Matteo explained that she doesn’t view her OnlyFans content as that big of a leap from some of her past movie roles.

“Because it’s like, if I were to do it in a movie, because I would make out with girls in movies and lay long before I’d even make out with boys,” she said.

During a September 2023 interview with Fox News, Matteo explained that she started an account on the subscription-based website due to financial strain.

At the time, the “Sons of Anarchy” star said her kids, whom she shares with ex Shooter Jennings, were the ones who encouraged her to join.

“They were the ones that were like, ‘Do it,’” Matteo explained. “She’ll [Alabama] edit the photos, too, because there are certain things that we haven’t been able to do.”

Fauci Says Trump Ear Injury Not Big Deal, Calls it, ‘Superficial’

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Fauci Says Trump Ear Injury Not Big Deal, Calls it, ‘Superficial’

Washington, D.C. – Former White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci addressed concerns about former President Trump’s health after a failed assassination attempt last week, noting he suffered from a “superficial wound.”

“I don’t think there is much more to it,” Fauci told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Friday, after watching clips of Trump speaking about his ear, which was grazed by a bullet during the shooting in Pennsylvania. “I mean, from what we’ve seen and what we’ve heard, it was … a bullet shot that grazed his ear and injured his ear.”

Fauci said that according to the physicians who examined the former president, there was no further damage.

His comments come after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed a roof with a direct line to the former president and began firing off shots during a campaign stop in Butler, Pa., just outside Pittsburgh. Crooks and one event attendee were killed, and two others were critically injured, per the Secret Service, which has come under intense scrutiny following the event.

Fauci, who served under both the Trump and Biden administrations, added that he thinks the former president is “in the clear” related to the “bullet itself.”

“As far as I can see, I mean, it’s dangerous to make diagnoses from a distance. From what I’m seeing, the way he’s acting now and what his physicians report saw, it seems to have been a superficial wound to the ear that’s all,” Fauci said in comments, highlighted by Mediaite.

Just days after the assassination attempt, Trump formally accepted the GOP presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

While Trump had a visible presence at the convention this week, little indication was given that he is experiencing lingering effects from the shooting. However, some close to the former president have expressed concern about his ear injury.

At Least 13 Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Nuseirat Camp in Central Gaza

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At Least 13 Killed in Israeli Airstrikes on Nuseirat Camp in Central Gaza

Gaza Strip – At least 13 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Saturday, according to hospital officials and Gaza’s Civil Defense.

The toll came from two separate strikes in the camp, the officials said. In response to CNN’s question about the latest strikes, the Israeli Defence Source (IDF) said: “Overnight, the IDF struck terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip, including terrorists and terrorist infrastructure sites in the area of Nuseirat.

“The IDF is making significant efforts to mitigate harm to uninvolved civilians and is operating in accordance with international law against the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip that are systematically and cynically operating from within civilian infrastructure.”

Gaza’s Civil Defense also said a residential block was hit south of Nuseirat, with hospital officials saying they received three bodies.

“A short while ago, one tower [block] was bombed,” Mahdi Abdullah, a man from northern Gaza displaced in Nuseirat, told CNN. “The situation is difficult here, and I am waiting for things to calm down so that I can return to my place.”

The Israeli military has launched numerous deadly strikes on Nuseirat, including the targeting of multiple UN-run schools housing displaced people. The Israeli military has said its targets were Hamas compounds operating inside the schools.

Nuseirat residents described living in constant fear of being bombed and a deteriorating humanitarian situation.

“The situation is scary,” said Rahma Abu Hajiaj, a 39-year-old mother of five from Nuseirat. “There are no warnings, there are no alarms when homes are bombed, we are hiding all the time and we do not know why they are targeting these homes.”

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said that 37 people have been killed and 54 injured in the past 24 hours due to ongoing Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.

The ministry said the total number of deaths since October 7 now stands at 38,919 with another 89,622 people injured. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants killed.

Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza following Hamas’ October 7 attacks has reportedly killed about 1,200 people.

US Sanctions Alleged Russian Hackers Who Claimed Attacks on US Water Facilities

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US Sanctions Alleged Russian Hackers Who Claimed Attacks on US Water Facilities

Washington, D.C. – The US Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned two alleged members of a Russian cybercriminal gang that has claimed responsibility for a series of hacks against US critical infrastructure providers, including a cyberattack in January that caused a tank at a Texas water facility to overflow.

Treasury posted photos of the two alleged hackers — Yuliya Vladimirovna Pankratova and Denis Olegovich Degtyarenko — unmasking them from the anonymous social media accounts they had used to hide.

Pankratova and Degtyarenko are allegedly part of a politically motivated hacking group called Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR), which has claimed credit for a series of cyberattacks against American and European organizations in support of Russia.

The string of hacks alarmed US officials because of how easily they were able to pull them off. The hackers logged into sensitive industrial software systems that are supposed to be separated from the public internet. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan appealed to state officials and water authorities to shore up their cyber defenses.

The hack in January in the small town of Muleshoe, in north Texas, wasted tens of thousands of gallons of water, according to the Treasury Department. It coincided with at least two other towns in north Texas taking precautionary defensive measures.

Sanctions against criminal hackers are increasingly common as the US government tries to deter both politically and financially motivated computer operatives.

Among CARR’s other claimed targets was a wastewater treatment plant in Indiana. The hackers tend to blend their unsophisticated hacking efforts with psychological operations designed to drum up interest in the group and spread panic among targets. They have, for example, released videos of them purporting to infiltrate water systems and disrupt critical infrastructure.

“Russia continues to provide a safe haven to cybercriminals and enable their operations that target infrastructure within the United States and its allies and partners,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement on Friday.

Bridge Collapse in China Kills 12, Leaves Over 30 Missing Amid Heavy Rains

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Bridge Collapse in China Kills 12, Leaves Over 30 Missing Amid Heavy Rains

Shanxi, China – At least 12 people have been confirmed dead and more than 30 are missing following the collapse of a bridge in China’s northern province of Shanxi, authorities reported on Friday evening. The incident occurred in Zhanshui County, Shangluo City, amid heavy rains and flash flooding that have devastated the region.

The collapse happened around 10 p.m. local time, causing 17 cars and 8 trucks to plunge into the river below. Rescue operations were launched immediately, and as of 12 p.m. local time (12 a.m. ET) Saturday, efforts to locate and save survivors were ongoing. The national fire and rescue authority has dispatched a substantial team comprising nearly 900 personnel, 90 vehicles, 20 boats, and 41 drones to assist in the search and recovery efforts, according to reports from Reuters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for comprehensive rescue efforts and emphasized the urgency of flood control measures. “The country is in a critical period for flood control,” President Xi stated, urging local governments to take immediate action to mitigate the disaster’s impact, as reported by local media through Reuters.

The disaster underscores the severe weather conditions plaguing China, with multiple regions grappling with the dual impacts of recent drought and now catastrophic flooding. The provinces affected have seen significant infrastructure damage, and emergency services are stretched thin.

In the neighboring Henan province, more than 100,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes due to flooding, state media reported. The extensive evacuation efforts highlight the severity of the flooding and the urgent need for effective disaster response.

Meanwhile, in the southwestern Sichuan province, flash floods have also wreaked havoc. Over 30 people are reported missing in Hanyuan County after sudden floods hit early Saturday morning, around 2:30 a.m. local time. The local emergency management agency, cited by CCTV, reported significant damage to homes, roads, and bridges.

The bridge collapse and widespread flooding have brought intense scrutiny to China’s infrastructure resilience and disaster preparedness. Authorities are working tirelessly to rescue those affected and prevent further casualties.

Source: CNN

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