Middle East
345,000 Gazans face ‘catastrophic’ hunger: UN
Some 345,000 Gazans face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter after aid deliveries fell, a UN-backed assessment said yesterday, warning of the persistent risk of famine across the Palestinian territory.
Bangladesh to initiate safe return of citizens from Lebanon
The government has taken an initiative to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshis in phases, who got stuck in troubled Lebanon, with the first batch's likely arrival on October 21
Israeli air strikes hit Beirut, south Lebanon
An Israeli airstrike yesterday destroyed the municipal headquarters in Nabatieh, a major town in south Lebanon, killing the mayor and at least five others as they met to coordinate aid for those suffering from war.
Strikes hits south Beirut after Israeli military evacuation order
Strikes hit south Beirut on Wednesday, an AFP journalist saw, less than an hour after the Israeli military ordered residents to leave part of the Lebanese capital
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 50 Palestinians
Israeli military strikes killed at least 50 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave yesterday, amid fierce battles with Hamas-led fighters.
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli targets
Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli naval base yesterday, a day after a drone strike killed four soldiers in the deadliest attack on Israel since the war in Lebanon began.
Israel steps up military pressure in north Gaza
Palestinian medics said yesterday that at least 10 people were killed and 30 injured by Israeli tank shells that hit a food distribution centre in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, with casualties including women and children.
IMAGES OF LIVING THINGS in afghanistan / Taliban vow to enforce media ban
Afghanistan’s Taliban morality ministry yesterday pledged to implement a law banning news media from publishing images of all living things, with journalists told the rule will be gradually enforced.
Grand Mosque in Makkah drops social distancing
The Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia operated at full capacity on Sunday (Oct 17), with worshippers praying shoulder-to-shoulder for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Battle for Yemen’s Marib: Airstrikes kill 160 Huthi rebels
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government yesterday said it had killed 160 Huthi rebels in strikes south of the strategic city of Marib, where loyalists say rebels have made advances.
Over 180 Yemen rebels killed in strikes south of Marib
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government said yesterday it had killed more than 180 Huthi rebels in strikes south of the strategic city of Marib.
Armenia says six troops injured in Azerbaijan attack
Armenia said yesterday that six of its soldiers had been injured by Azerbaijani forces in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which was at the centre of a war last year.
Iran,EU agree nuclear talks ‘in days’: EU
Iran and the EU agreed Thursday to hold further dialogue in Brussels aimed at resuming talks on a faltering 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic republic and world powers, Tehran said.
Saudi Coalition Raids in Yemen: More than 150 rebels killed
The Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government said more than 150 Huthi rebels were killed yesterday in air strikes south of Marib city, where the insurgents are pushing on the government’s last northern stronghold.
5 killed as deadly shooting rocks Beirut over port blast probe
Gunfire in Beirut killed at least five Lebanese Shi'ites in what authorities said was an attack on protesters who were going to take part in a demonstration called by Hezbollah to demand the removal of the judge investigating last year's port explosion.
Halt sales of ‘text blast’ kit
The Philippines has ordered tech giants Facebook, Alibaba Lazada and Sea’s Shopee to stop allowing sales of cellular equipment used for emergency messaging, after “text blasts” were used to promote a presidential election candidate.
This day in history
1884 - Greenwich in London established as the universal time meridian of longitude.
Beirut blast investigator forced to pause probe a second time
The Lebanon judge leading the investigation into last year’s huge port blast was forced to suspend his probe yesterday for a second time, moments after issuing an arrest warrant against a former minister.