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‘Planes have already taken off’: US sends Israel air defense, munitions after Hamas attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is surging weapons to Israel, rapidly sending air defenses and munitions in response to Israeli officials’ urgent requests for aid, a senior Pentagon official said Monday.“Planes have already taken off,” the senior official, who was granted anonymity in order to speak about sensitive plans, told reporters.The Defense Department is working across its enterprise, including U.S. Central Command, to determine which arms in U.S. inventory can be made quickly available for Israel’s defense, as well as pressing industry to expedite the delivery of pending Israeli orders for military equipment, the official said. DOD officials are in “constant, ongoing contact” with their Israeli counterparts as the needs of the conflict evolve.The Pentagon is using existing authorities and funds to make the moves, and does not yet need to ask Congress for additional aid, the official said.The senior official condemned the surprise attacks on Israel by Hamas over the we...

Myanmar military accused of bombing a displacement camp in a northern state, killing about 30

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military was accused of launching an airstrike on a camp for displaced persons in the northern state of Kachin late Monday that killed more than 30 people, including 13 children, a human rights group and local media said.The attack on the Mung Lai Hkyet displacement camp in the northern part of Laiza, a town where the headquarters of the rebel Kachin Independence Army is based, also wounded about 60 people, a spokesperson for Kachin Human Rights Watch told The Associated Press on Tuesday.Laiza is about 324 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city.The spokesperson, who asked to be identified only as Jacob for security reasons, said 19 adults and 13 children from the camp were killed by the airstrikes, which occurred around 11 p.m.“We strongly condemn this inhumane killing. This action causes resentment among the Kachin people,” he said.Kachin News Group, a local online news site, reported that more than 30 displaced persons ...

What to know as war between Israel and Hamas militants rages on for a fourth day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Around 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory, the Israeli military said Tuesday after announcing it had largely gained control in the south and “restored full control” over the border on the fourth day of fighting following an unprecedented surprise attack.Spokesperson Richard Hecht said no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible. Israel has previously reported 900 soldiers and civilians killed, and Palestinian authorities have reported about 700 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank. The Israeli government promised Monday to hunt down Hamas fighters and to punish the Gaza Strip following a surprise weekend attack that killed more than 900 people in Israel, including at least 260 at a crowded music festival that became the scene of one of the country’s worst civilian massacres.During an unprecedented incursion Saturday, militants blew through a fortified border fence and gun...

Live updates | Gaza’s parliament and civilian ministries are legitimate targets, Israel says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

In a briefing Tuesday, Israel’s military spokesperson said Gaza’s parliament and civilian ministries were legitimate targets in its offensive against Hamas.Spokesperson Richard Hecht also said that because Israel’s air force is stretched thin, there might not be the same “level of fidelity” in warning targets before strikes. Asked if Israel considered Hamas’ civil government, such as parliament and ministries, legitimate targets, Hecht said “if there’s a gunman firing rockets from there, it turns into a military target.”SOME 1,500 BODIES OF HAMAS MILITANTS ARE FOUND IN ISRAELThe Israeli military said it had largely gained control in the south and “restored full control” over the border. Spokesperson Richard Hecht said 1,500 bodies of Hamas militants have been found in Israeli territory and no Hamas fighters have crossed into Israel since Monday night, although infiltrations could still be possible.Hecht said the military struck hundreds of Hamas targets overnight in Gaza’s Cit...

43 Malaysians freed from phone scam syndicate in Peru were young people who arrived a week earlier

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The 43 Malaysians rescued from a human trafficking syndicate operating a telecommunication fraud in Peru were young people who had arrived in Lima just a week earlier, Malaysian police said Tuesday.The Malaysians were ensnared in a scam that reportedly originates from crime syndicates in Taiwan and China, in which scammers impersonate banks or a public official to trick a person into disclosing personal banking information or transfer money. Hundreds of Malaysians have been lured by job offers in other Southeast Asian nations only to end up being forced to defraud people through online romance or cryptocurrency schemes. “This is the first such (trafficking) case in Peru (involving Malaysians). We are trying to do our best to educate Malaysians including on social media but these job scams still happen,” Malaysian police chief Razarudin Husain told a news conference.The 26 women and 17 men arrived in Peru on Sept. 29 and were fortunate to have been freed...

Russia faces a tough fight to regain its seat in the UN’s top human rights body

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia faces a tough fight to regain a seat in the U.N.’s premiere human rights body in Tuesday’s election in the General Assembly, which voted last year to suspend Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.The 193-member assembly will be electing 15 members to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council, with candidates put forward by the U.N.’s five regional groups.Russia is competing against Albania and Bulgaria for two seats allotted to the East European regional group, and Moscow’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the United States on Monday of leading a campaign to prevent their return to the council.“The main phobia of our American colleagues today is electing Russia to the Human Rights Council,” Nebenzia told a Security Council meeting called by Ukraine on last week’s strike by a Russian missile on a Ukrainian soldier’s wake in a small village that killed 52 people.The United States and others have sent letters to many of the 193 members of the General A...

European Parliament aims to forge stronger ties with Kazakhstan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

Roman Vassilenko and David McAllister. Photo credit: MFA’s press serviceKazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko held meetings with members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during his working visit to Strasbourg. The discussions centered on future cooperation with the European Union (EU) legislature and the forthcoming report evaluating the 2019 EU Strategy for Central Asia, currently under preparation by members of the European Parliament’s Committee for Foreign Affairs (AFET), reported the ministry’s press service on 4 October, writes Aiman Nakispekova in International.The Kazakh delegation met with several key figures, including AFET Chair David McAllister, Chair of the Delegation for Cooperation with Central Asia and Mongolia (DCAS) Tomáš Zdechovský, Rapporteur for Central Asia Karsten Lucke, Rapporteur for Kazakhstan Klemen Grošelj. They also engaged with members of the Conference of Delegation Chairs of the European Parliament (CPDE), Juozas Olekas and Andrius Kubilius...

All westbound lanes blocked on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge after big rig catches fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

(KRON) -- All westbound lanes on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge were blocked Monday night after a big rig truck struck a toll booth, according to California Highway Patrol's traffic log. According to the log, the big rig hit the booth just before 10 p.m. Both the truck and the toll booth caught fire, according to the traffic log. This is a developing story. Stick with KRON4 for updates.

MLB playoffs 2023: Braves rally, Diamondbacks push Dodgers to brink; AL Division Series resume

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

Austin Riley and the Atlanta Braves rallied late to even their NL Division Series with Philadelphia.Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in big trouble against Arizona.Held hitless into the sixth inning, the Braves erased a four-run deficit for an improbable 5-4 victory over the Phillies on two-run homers by Travis d’Arnaud and Riley and a game-ending double play for the ages Monday night.Just like that, the best-of-five series is all tied up. Game 3 is Wednesday in Philadelphia.In Los Angeles, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and the surprising Diamondbacks made quick work of another opposing starter, beating the Dodgers 4-2 behind Zac Gallen for a 2-0 lead in their NLDS.The young Diamondbacks, who earned the final National League wild card despite losing their last four regular-season games, improved to 4-0 in these playoffs — all on the road against division winners.They’ll try for a stunning sweep of the 100-win Dodgers when the series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Wednesday.Follow...

Asia qualifying for 2026 World Cup set to kick off with the continent’s lowest-ranked teams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

Asia is set to start its 2026 World Cup journey, giving the lower-ranked teams such as Afghanistan, Bhutan and Pakistan a chance to grab some attention and secure matches against soccer’s continental heavyweights.The Asian Football Confederation’s 20 lowest-ranked teams compete in two-leg, home-and-away series on Thursday and next Tuesday, with the 10 winners advancing to the second round of the qualifying group stage.Afghanistan, ranked 158th, takes on No. 183 Mongolia. Getting to the next stage, where each team will have six games, is not just valuable financially but also in terms of experience.“It’s very important for us to get past Mongolia into the second round as we would play India, Kuwait and Qatar,” Afghanistan coach Abdullah Al-Mutairi told The Associated Press. “We need as many games as possible, and these are strong teams, but we have the quality to show what we can do.”With little in the way of domestic soccer in Afghanistan, Al-Mutairi has tapped into the countr...