Nasrallah among 7 top Hezbollah commanders eliminated over past week in Lebanon: Who's next on Israel's list?

Middle East tensions: Israel has intensified its air raids in Lebanon in the last few days, resulting in the elimination of seven high-ranking commanders and officials from powerful armed militant group in the country – Hezbollah – including its chief Hassan Nasrallah. The move has sent shivers down the spine in the Middle East of an all-out war, besides one already underway in Gaza. Hezbollah had opened a front on Israel’s northern border in solidarity with the Palestinians and support Hamas in the Gaza Strip, a day after the Palestinian group’s deadly attack into southern Israel.

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Scientists Explain Mount Everest's 'More Than Expected' Growth

Mount Everest is Earth's tallest mountain - towering 5.5 miles (8.85 km) above sea level - and is still growing.

While it and the rest of the Himalayas are continuing an inexorable uplift that dates back to their birth roughly 50 million years ago when the Indian subcontinent collided with Eurasia, Everest is growing more than expected from this alone. Scientists now think they know the reason why, and it has to do with the monumental merger of two nearby river systems.

Everest has gained roughly 49-164 feet (15-50 meters) in height due to this change in the regional river system, with the Kosi river merging with the Arun river approximately 89,000 years ago, the researchers estimated. That translates to an uplift rate of roughly 0.01-0.02 inches (0.2-0.5 millimetres) per year.

The geological process at work, they said, is called isostatic rebound. It involves the rise of land masses on Earth's crust when the weight of the surface diminishes. The crust, Earth's outermost layer, essentially floats atop a mantle layer made of hot, semi-liquid rock.

In this case, the merger of the rivers - more like a hostile takeover, with the Kosi subjugating the Arun as the rivers changed course over time - resulted in accelerated erosion that has carried off huge amounts of rock and soil, reducing the weight of the region near Everest.

"Isostatic rebound can be likened to a floating object adjusting its position when weight is removed," said geoscientist Jin-Gen Dai of China University of Geosciences in Beijing, one of the leaders of the study published on Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

"When a heavy load, such as ice or eroded rock, is removed from the Earth's crust, the land beneath slowly rises in response, much like a boat rising in water when cargo is unloaded," Dai added.

The main gorge of the merged river system is located approximately 28 miles (45 km) east of Everest.

The researchers, who used numerical models to simulate the evolution of the river system, estimated that isostatic rebound accounts for about 10% of Everest's annual uplift rate.

This geological process is not unique to the Himalayas.

"A classic example is in Scandinavia, where the land is still rising in response to the melting of thick ice sheets that covered the region during the last Ice Age. This process continues today, affecting coastlines and landscapes, thousands of years after the ice retreated," Dai said.

Study co-author Adam Smith, a University College London doctoral student in Earth sciences, said GPS measurements reveal the continued rising of Everest and the rest of the Himalayas.

This uplift outpaces the continued surface erosion caused by factors such as wind, rain and river flow. As this erosion continues, Everest's uplift rate from isostatic rebound may increase, Smith said.

Neighbouring peaks including Lhotse, the world's fourth highest, and Makalu, the fifth highest, also get a boost from the same process. Lhotse is experiencing an uplift rate similar to Everest. Makalu, situated closer to the Arun, has a slightly higher uplift rate.

"This research underscores our planet's dynamic nature. Even a seemingly immutable feature like Mount Everest is subject to ongoing geological processes, reminding us that Earth is constantly changing, often in ways imperceptible in our daily lives," Dai said.

Earth's rigid outer part is divided into colossal plates that move gradually over time in a process called plate tectonics, with the Himalayas rising following a collision between two plates.

Everest, also called Sagarmatha in Nepali and Chomolungma in Tibetan, is situated on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It was named for George Everest, a 19th-century British surveyor in India.

"Mount Everest occupies a unique place in human consciousness," Dai said.

"Physically, it represents Earth's highest point, giving it immense significance simply by virtue of its stature," Dai added. "Culturally, Everest is sacred to local Sherpa and Tibetan communities. Globally, it symbolizes the ultimate challenge, embodying human endurance and our drive to surpass perceived limits."

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Nepal: Death count rises to 170, dozens still missing as rains trigger landslide, floods

The death count in rain-triggered flooding and landslides has mounted to 170 on Sunday, according to the Armed Police Force and Nepal Police database. The massive rains have led to the inundation of eastern and central Nepal swathes since Friday, with flash floods reported in parts of the country.

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France Submits Final Price Offer To India For 26 Rafale Marine Jet Deal

France has submitted the final price offer to India for the 26 Rafale Marine Jet deal just ahead of the scheduled visit of Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to the country.

Defence sources told ANI that the best and final price offer has been submitted to the Indian authorities by the French side for the project and a significant price reduction has been given after tough negotiations in the proposed contract.

India and France are negotiating the deal for buying 26 Rafale Marine jets which are going to be deployed on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier and different bases.

The two sides had also held negotiations last week when a French team was in the national capital for finalizing the discussions with India.

The deal is scheduled to be taken up for discussion during the India-France Strategic Dialogue where the Indian NSA is scheduled to meet his French counterparts from tomorrow in Paris.

The deal is important for the Indian Navy as it is looking at strengthening its maritime strike capability.

India has also approved deviations in the letter of request, which is the tender document equivalent in government-to-government deals, like the integration of the indigenous Uttam radar in the jets for the Indian Navy.

Sources said that the integration would have taken a longer time of around eight years along with a high price to be paid to the French side for doing so.

India had also asked France for integration of indigenous weapons on the plane. This includes the Astra beyond visual range missiles along with the Rudram anti-radiation missiles.

The sources added that the price for the deal has been based on the agreements over rate it inflation to be taken into account and would be using the previous deal for 36 Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force as the basis.

Some of the Indian Air Force requirements have also been incorporated in the naval deal which will include around 40 drop tanks and a small number of work stations for the planes.

The Indian side is also going to get more number of long-range air-to-air Meteor missiles and with the anti-ship weaponry in this project planned to be concluded before the end of this financial year.

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Israel Used American-Made Bomb In Attack On Hezbollah Chief: US Senator

The bomb that Israel used to kill Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week was an American-made guided weapon, a US senator said on Sunday.

Mark Kelly, chair of the Senate Armed Services Airland Subcommittee, said Israel used a 2,000-lb (900-kg) Mark 84 series bomb, during an interview with NBC. His statement marks the first US indication of what weapon had been used.

"We see more use of guided munitions, JDAMs, and we continue to provide those weapons," Kelly said, using an abbreviation that stands for Joint Direct Attack Munitions. "That 2,000-pound bomb that was used, that's a Mark 84 series bomb, to take out Nasrallah," he said.

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had eliminated Nasrallah in a strike on the group's central command headquarters in Beirut's southern suburbs. The Israeli military has declined to comment on what weapons were used in the attack. The Pentagon was not immediately available for comment.

JDAMs convert a standard unguided bomb using fins and a GPS guidance system into a guided weapon. The US is Israel's longtime ally and biggest arms supplier.

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Who Is Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah's Possible New Leader?

The killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes in a Beirut suburb has put the spotlight on the man widely regarded as his heir, Hashem Safieddine. 

The Iran-backed group confirmed that Nasrallah, who led the group for 32 years, had been killed in Friday's strike. It now faces the challenge of choosing a new leader after the heaviest pounding the group has faced in its 42-year-old history.

Here are some facts about Safieddine, who a source in the group said survived the Israeli attacks.

• As head of the executive council, Safieddine oversees Hezbollah's political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group's military operations.
• Safieddine is a cousin of Nasrallah and like him is a cleric who wears the black turban denoting descent from Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
• The US State Department designated him a terrorist in 2017 and in June he threatened a big escalation against Israel after the killing of another Hezbollah commander. "Let (the enemy) prepare himself to cry and wail," he said at the funeral.
• Safieddine's public statements often reflect Hezbollah's militant stance and its alignment with the Palestinian cause. 
• At a recent event in Dahiyeh, Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs, he declared, "Our history, our guns and our rockets are with you," in a show of solidarity with Palestinian fighters.
• Nasrallah "started tailoring positions for him within a variety of different councils within Lebanese Hezbollah. Some of them were more opaque than others. They've had him come, go out and speak," said Phillip Smyth, an expert who studies Iran-backed Shi-ite militias.
• Safieddine's family ties and a physical resemblance to Nasrallah, as well as his religious status as a descendant of Mohammed, would all count in his favour. 
• He has also been vocal in his criticism of U.S. policy. In response to American pressure on Hezbollah, he stated in 2017, "This mentally impeded, crazy U.S. administration headed by Trump will not be able to harm the resistance," asserting that such actions would only strengthen Hezbollah's resolve.

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Hurricane Helene intensifies to Category 4, emergencies declared in several southeastern US regions

Hurricane Helene has intensified into a Category 4 storm as it moves towards Florida's northwest coast, bringing with it the potential for catastrophic damage, as per forecasters. The massive hurricane is likely to make landfall soon. After landfall, it is expected to cause "nightmare" storm surges, destructive winds, and heavy rainfall across much of the southeastern United States, they said. Helene is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which began June 1.

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New York Mayor Eric Adams Pleads Not Guilty To Shock Corruption Charges

New York Mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of fraud and bribery in a case that marks a stunning downfall for a man once touted as a future Democratic Party star.

Adams, who appeared before a judge in a Manhattan federal court, is the first sitting New York mayor to be criminally indicted.

He is accused of wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign donations and a bribery conspiracy involving Turkish citizens and at least one Turkish official. Judge Katherine Parker set the next hearing for Wednesday.

The allegations prompted calls for his resignation, but Adams has remained defiant, saying on Thursday that he is looking "forward to defending myself" and urging New Yorkers to "wait to hear our side of the story."

Accompanied by aides, the 64-year-old mayor made no comments to waiting reporters Friday but gave a thumbs-up as he entered the courthouse. He wore a dark blue suit and a purple tie.

"I am not guilty, your honor," he said in court.

Presenting the charges on Thursday, US District Attorney Damian Williams said the mayor was "secretly being showered" with gifts for years.

"The conduct alleged in the indictment -- the foreign money, the corporate money, the years of concealment -- is a grave breach of the public's trust," Williams told journalists.

Luxury travel

The 57-page document accuses the mayor of America's biggest city of crimes going back a decade, when Adams, a Democrat, took office as Brooklyn's borough president.

According to the charges, he accepted luxury international flights, hotel suites and free high-end restaurant meals including from Turkish associates in return for favors.

In one example, prosecutors say Adams pressured the city's fire department to approve Turkey's new high-rise consulate in Manhattan despite safety concerns.

"The Turkish official got what he wanted, and as we explained in the indictment, just four days after Adams held up his end of the bargain, he went right back to soliciting more travel benefits," Williams said.

Scandal has swirled around Adams for months with several high-ranking allies resigning as others were indicted or raided by federal agents.

The drama escalated with a pre-dawn raid of his official residence early Thursday.

Some city and state officials have demanded he resign, including influential New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who said Adams must step down "for the good of the city."

The indictment risks embarrassing Democrats weeks before the presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, who are polling neck and neck.

Adams, the second Black mayor in the city's history, won the 2021 Democratic primary vowing to reduce crime, which did fall after rising during the Covid pandemic.

But the city of 8.5 million people faces a housing crisis that has seen rents skyrocket. Adams is up for reelection next year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Kamala Harris Visits Border To Neutralize Weak Spot Against Trump

Kamala Harris will tackle the politically explosive issue of illegal immigration with a visit to the US-Mexican border Friday, in a bid to blunt one of Donald Trump's main attack lines in their fight for the White House.

The US vice president's trip to Arizona, her first to the border since replacing President Joe Biden as Democratic nominee in July, comes as polls show the subject remains one of her biggest vulnerabilities against the Republican.

Harris will call for tougher border security in a major speech in the border town of Douglas, and accuse Trump of killing off attempts to pass a bipartisan migration bill to boost his own election chances, her campaign said.

"The American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games," she plans to say, according to her campaign.

Arizona is also one of the half-dozen battleground states that are expected to decide the agonizingly close November 5 election, and the one where polls show Harris may have to do the most work.

Republican former president Trump has turbocharged the border issue in recent weeks as he seeks an edge against Harris, America's first female, Black and South Asian vice president.

He has called for mass deportations, amplified bogus claims about migrants eating pet cats and dogs, and stepped up his racist rhetoric about an "invasion" of illegal immigrants.

'Save her airfare'

On the eve of Harris's visit, which is just her second to the Mexican border as vice president, Trump accused his rival of having "completely destroyed" the frontier.

"She should save her airfare. She should go back to the White House and tell the president to close the border," he said in New York on Thursday.

Trump is set to hold a campaign event in Michigan, another key swing state, after a tense meeting in New York with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on US support for Kyiv.

Recent polls have seen Harris eating into Trump's lead on migration with voters, yet it still remains a weak spot for Harris, with record numbers of illegal border crossings under her and Biden's watch.

But Harris points to the fact that numbers have plummeted since Biden signed an executive order in June temporarily closing the border to asylum seekers -- to around 58,000 in August from a peak of 250,000 last December.

The 59-year-old will meet border agents during her visit, call for action to stop the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl across the border, and talk up her former career as a prosecutor involved in tackling gangs smuggling drugs across the border, the campaign said.

Harris will also accuse Trump of lobbying Republicans in the US Congress to tank last year's bill on migration, which would have given more funding to border security, because he feared it would hurt him politically.

Trump doubles down

Republicans for their part have accused her of flip-flopping on whether to continue with the wall along the 1,900-mile (3,050-kilometer) border that Trump made one of his signature policies.

They have also focused on her role early in the Biden administration when the president tasked her with looking into the causes of illegal migration from Central America -- falsely calling her a "border czar" and implying that she had overall control over US border policy.

Harris has struggled with the subject in the past, including in a widely mocked interview in 2021 when she defensively claimed that "we've been to the border" when she personally had not, and added: "And I haven't been to Europe."

Trump has meanwhile doubled down on his divisive rhetoric targeting migrants, with the 78-year-old billionaire seeing it as appealing to his base of largely white, blue-collar voters.

In his remarks on Thursday, Trump also repeated his claim that migrants were "infecting our country," using language that Biden has previously compared to that used by Nazi Germany.

Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance have in recent weeks played up false stories about Haitian migrants eating pets in the town of Springfield, Ohio.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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America's Big Corporate Divide As US Election Comes Knocking On The Door

America is increasingly divided on political lines as the 2024 Presidential election approaches. Though open and upfront divergence in political ideology is not uncommon among citizens, especially in democracies and near elections, another big divide has emerged in the run-up to the November polls - that of Corporate America.

Tech behemoths, banking giants, large corporations and even regional and small firms stand on either side of this political divide.

On November 5, citizens across the US will vote for their next president between Democrat candidate Kamala Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump. The divide is straightforward - "liberal and left-leaning" Kamala Harris vs "protectionist and right-leaning" Donald Trump.

TECH BEHEMOTHS DIVIDED

Big tech has joined the cause, aligning themselves to their chosen candidate. Employees at Microsoft, Google (Alphabet), Amazon, and Sun Microsystems have donated millions of dollars to Kamala Harris's campaign, according the data made public by political watchdog OpenSecrets. The contribution to Ms Harris's campaign is significantly more than what was given to the Trump campaign.

Tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are, however, rallying strongly for Donald Trump. The contributions they have made directly to the Trump campaign are not available at the moment.

According to the a CNN report, Meta chief executive Zuckerberg made public statements supporting right-wing "censorship" narratives and praised Donald Trump for being a "badass". He later claimed he wanted to appear "neutral" and nonpartisan.

The report also said that Mr Zuckerberg sent a letter to the powerful House Judiciary Committee, stating that the Biden administration had "pressured" Meta to "censor" content.

"In 2021, senior officials from the Biden Administration, including the White House, repeatedly pressured our teams for months to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire, and expressed a lot of frustration with our teams when we didn't agree," Mr Zuckerberg said.

The letter was immediately weaponised by Trump, who claimed once again that the 2020 election was stolen.

Elon Musk, however, has been far more open in his support for Trump. According to ta report in the Wall Street Journal, Musk had said in July that he is personally donating $45 million every month to an organisation called America PAC, which in turn looks after the Trump campaign.

Another big venture capitalist who is openly backing Donald Trump is Peter Theil.

Indian-American billionaire and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Vinod Khosla, and venture capitalist Reid Hoffman are among those strongly backing Kamala Harris.

Election funding data reveals that Sundar Pichai-led Google (Alphabet), and its subsidiaries have donated $2.16 million to Kamala Harris. In comparison, the same companies donated much smaller amounts to the Trump campaign.

While Satya Nadella-led Microsoft donated $1.1 million to Kamala Harris's campaign, Jeff Bezos-led Amazon donated $1 million. In comparison, the same groups made much lower contributions to the Trump campaign - $88,000 from Microsoft and $116,000 from Amazon and their employees.

More than a hundred venture capitalists and big tech companies in Silicon Valley, which has largely been left-leaning in the past, have backed Kamala Harris.

BANKING AND OIL GIANTS

Banking corporations and crude oil firms appear to be leaning towards Trump, thanks to his promise of less tax and less regulation in these sectors. Even the US stock market reflected that sentiment when there were assassination attempts against the Republican leader.

According to a Bloomberg report, CEOs of Oil giants have been getting signals from Donald Trump to go big on drilling due to Trump's love for oil. Trump has openly said that he does not believe in Climate Change and has called it a "lie". He has also said that he believes in coal and oil for energy because of the advantage United States has in the sector. The ex-President has also faced criticism from climate activists like Greta Thunberg for his view on the issue.

"We have more liquid gold than anybody," Trump had told Businessweek in July.

According to the Bloomberg report, banking chiefs see an opportunity for more mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector, bringing a windfall in fees. The capital markets hope to send fresh dollars into pipelines, liquefied natural gas terminals and electric transmissions capabilities - and maybe even a new commitment to nuclear energy infrastructure.

Bankers also believe that strict rules which have been implemented under the Biden administration will be rolled back should Donald Trump. Some believe that new banking rules suggested by the Biden Administration will not even see the light of day.

Big banking giants and Oil firms are hence backing Donald Trump.

TRUMP vs HARRIS - A LOOK AT THE TOP CONTRIBUTORS

According to political funding analysts OpenSecrets, the following table shows corporations and individuals who have made the largest monetary contributions to the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns.

KAMALA HARRIS CAMPAIGN - TOP CONTRIBUTIONS

Add image caption here

DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN - TOP CONTRIBUTIONS

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Bangladesh to 'soon' hold negotiations with India over sharing of river water: Interim govt advisor

Dhaka: Bangladesh will soon take steps to hold negotiations with India over the sharing of water of transboundary rivers, an adviser of the interim government said on Wednesday. India and Bangladesh were set to sign a deal on Teesta water sharing during then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in 2011, but West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee declined to endorse it, citing a scarcity of water in her state.

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Biden Warns "All Out War" Possible In Middle East

US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday of the possibility of an "all-out war" in the Middle East but said he was hopeful a settlement was still achievable for the conflict-torn region.

Biden's comments as he appeared on ABC chat show "The View" came as Israel put troops on alert for possible entry into Lebanon and the war in Gaza grinds on.

"An all-out war is possible," Biden said when asked about the situation. "What I think is, also, the opportunity is still in play to have a settlement that could fundamentally change the whole region."

Biden appeared to raise the possibility of a ceasefire in Lebanon, where Israeli strikes targeting the Hezbollah militia have killed more than 600 people this week.

"They have a possibility -- I don't want to exaggerate it -- there's a possibility if we can deal with a ceasefire in Lebanon that it can move into dealing with the West Bank as well," said Biden.

Israel has been carrying out deadly raids in the occupied West Bank since late August targeting what it says are Palestinian militants.

Biden added however that "we also have Gaza to deal with", as efforts stall to get a ceasefire deal to end Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza after the group's October 7 attacks.

"But it's possible and I'm using every bit of energy with my team to get this done. There's a desire to see change in the region," he said.

The US president also pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to drop his opposition to an independent Palestinian state to end the crisis.

"I don't agree with his (Netanyahu's) position. There needs to be a two-state solution," Biden told the show's all-women panel, led by US comedian Whoopi Goldberg.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Satellite Data Reveals How Earth's Crust Is 'Dripping' Beneath Turkey

A recent study has confirmed a fascinating geological phenomenon happening beneath Turkey. An analysis of satellite data revealed the Earth's crust below the Konya Basin in the Central Anatolian Plateau of Turkey has been reshaping over millions of years. The research, conducted by Earth scientists at the University of Toronto, was published in Nature Communications.

Researchers said experimental simulations, combined with geological, geophysical and geodetic data, explain the enigmatic sinking of the basin, inside the rising plateau interior.

It further adds to the existence of a new class of plate tectonics that have implications for other planets in the universe, like Mars and Venus, that do not have Earth-like plate tectonics.

The study suggests the sinking is due to the multi-stage lithospheric dripping — the phenomenon named for the instability of rocky material that creates the crust and upper mantle of the Earth.

Major landforms like basins and mountainous folding of the crust are formed at the surface as the dense rock fragments beneath get detached and sink into more fluid layers of the mantle of the planet, the research said.

“Looking at the satellite data, we observed a circular feature at the Konya Basin where the crust is subsiding or the basin is deepening,” said lead author Julia Andersen, a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto.

This prompted the researchers to look at other geophysical data beneath the surface. There they witnessed a "seismic anomaly in the upper mantle and a thickened crust, telling us there is high-density material there and indicating a likely mantle lithospheric drip," Andersen added.

In the past, studies have suggested that the Central Anatolian Plateau has risen by around one kilometre over the past 10 million years due to the lithospheric dripping phenomenon.

How it happens

Russell Pysklywec, a co-author of the study, has given insight into the phenomenon and stated that when the lithosphere thickened and further dripped below the region, this led to the formation of a basin at the surface that "later sprang up when the weight below broke off and sank into the deeper depths of the mantle".

However, this process was not a one-time tectonic event, Pysklywec said and suggested that the "initial drip seems to have spawned subsequent daughter events elsewhere in the region, resulting in the curious rapid subsidence of the Konya Basin within the continuously rising plateau of Turkiye.”

To conclude, the research team recreated the dripping process in laboratory experiments and further analysed the observations.

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Iranian Army bans communications devices after pagers, walkie-talkie blasts kill 39 Hezbollah members: Report

Tehran: Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told news agency Reuters. One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is underway by the IRGC to inspect all devices, not just communication equipment. He said most of these devices were either homemade or imported from China and Russia.

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"Global Action Must Match Global Ambition": PM Modi At UN Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking at the United Nations Summit of the Future on Monday, said alongside terrorism, new areas of conflict are emerging and it is high time that "global action must match global ambition".

Pointing out that terrorism continues to be a serious threat to global peace and security, PM Modi said on the other hand, "cyber, maritime and space are emerging as new areas of conflict".

"On all these issues, I will stress that global action must match global ambition," he added.

Talking of growing global concern over dangers from new and evolving technologies, especially artificial intelligence, PM Modi said, "There is a need for balanced regulation at a global level, for the safe and responsible use of technology."

According to the Wilmington Declaration - made two days ago at the Quad meet -- leaders of the US, Australia, Japan and India announced their intention to enhance cybersecurity partnership.

"In the face of a deteriorating security environment in the cyber domain, Quad countries intend to enhance our cybersecurity partnership to address common threats posed by state-sponsored actors, cybercriminals, and other non-state malicious actors. Our countries commit to taking concrete steps to increase our collective network defense and advance technical capabilities through greater threat information sharing and capacity building," read the joint declaration.

The leaders, in their declaration, had unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.

"We are committed to international cooperation and will work with our regional partners in a comprehensive and sustained manner to strengthen their capability to prevent, detect and respond to threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism, including threats posed by the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, consistent with international law," the statement had added.

"When we are discussing the global future, we must accord the highest priority to a human-centric approach while prioritising sustainable development," PM Modi also said. 

"We must also ensure human welfare, food and health security," he added, declaring India was ready to share her experience in poverty eradication and bridging the digital divide.

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Couple's 1.5 Million Pounds Mansion Left In Ruins By Previous Owner In UK

A couple's dream of owning a £1.5 million, approximately Rs 16.65 crore, mansion quickly turned into a nightmare when they found the previous owner stripped the property of its most valuable assets. Martin and Sarah Caton bought the home, Bochym Manor, in Cornwall, but were devastated to see it in ruins when they first moved in. They were eager to transform the estate into a wedding venue and holiday destination.

“I was distraught. It was like a warzone or like a tornado had shredded the place. He took pretty much every door handle, tiles off the wall, the locks were removed,” Mr Caton was quoted as saying by the Metro.

The once-majestic property, steeped in history, featured a Jacobean oak staircase and a walnut-panelled library. The 10-bedroom gothic-revival villa had 13 vacation houses on the estate, as well as hidden tunnels and antique stained-glass windows.

It was found stripped of doors, windows, fireplaces, floors and even plumbing and electrics. The stained-glass windows and the library's original panelling — carved by the same artisans who worked on the Houses of Parliament — had also been removed. The Catons further revealed the holiday homes were left gutted, and the estate's clock tower staircase had been torn out.

“There was some very random and bizarre destruction. I don't understand the mentality behind it – it's staggering that you can be that cruel actually,” Mr Caton told Metro.

The couple, who bought the property in 2014, have had to spend an additional £1.5 million to restore the mansion and its surrounding properties. They immediately reported the destruction to the police and Cornwall Council, sparking a nine-year legal battle.

Sellers are prohibited from removing fixtures and fittings without the consent of buyers, especially when dealing with a listed property like Bochym Manor. Despite these regulations, the previous owner, Mark Payne, dismantled and removed several key elements of the historic estate.

According to Metro, in 2015, Payne was arrested on suspicion of theft, criminal damage, and violations of the Planning Act at his new home in Cumbria. Police recovered a few items, but the case stalled when Cornwall Council dropped it, citing concerns over proving Dr Payne had caused the damage. He was released without charge.

The Catons, using historic photographs of the property, provided evidence of what had been taken and presented it to the council again. External legal advice confirmed that there was enough evidence to pursue a case. However, the council declined to prosecute Payne, leaving the Catons baffled and frustrated.

After nearly a decade of legal wrangling, the Catons finally achieved a small victory earlier this year when the removed items were returned.

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From procurement of MQ-9B drones to semiconductor plant in Kolkata, key moments of Biden-PM Modi meet

Wilmington: US President Joe Biden welcomed the progress made towards India sealing procurement of 31 long-endurance MQ-9B armed drones from American defence major General Atomics, as he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to boost reciprocal supply of military hardware between the two sides. The US President hosted Modi at his personal home in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday and the two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering various key aspects of India-US ties including ways to further ramp up bilateral defence and military partnership.

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"You Are India's Brand Ambassadors": PM Modi Thanks Indians Settled In US

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today addressed tens of thousands of Indian-Americans in a grand community event at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. The chants of "Modi, Modi" filled the stadium as the prime minister walked on stage to address people of Indian origin.

The Prime Minister started his speech with the chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai!". He began by saying that even the 'Namaste' has gone from being local to global, and credited the Indians settled overseas for it.

A series of cultural performances entertained the people gathered at the stadium, who were enthused as they waited for the Prime Minister's arrival.

During his speech, Prime Minister fondly recalled his previous community events in the United States - 2014 at the Madison Square Garden, 2016 in San Jose, California, 2018 in Houston, Texas, 2023 in Washington and now in Long Island.

He credited the Indians settled in the United States. He said that they have been the bridge between the two nations and have helped strengthen the India-US relationship. He said "you all have come seven seas apart, but nothing can ever take the love of India away from your hearts and souls."

He said that people from different parts of India may have settled overseas - here in the US too and have become US citizens, but "the sentiment that brings us all together is, 'Bharat Mata ki...(Jai! chanted the spectators)'."

"This sentiment is what keeps us united, and this is our biggest strength, no matter where we go in the world," he said, adding that "It is this sentiment that helps us be peaceful, law abiding global citizens - what makes India proud of its children - and makes the world realise that India is the world's 'Vishwa-Bandhu'."

Calling the Indians settled in the United States 'Rashtradoot' (Ambassadors), the prime minister thanked the Indian community in the United States for the respect India has earned in that country, adding that "It is our Indian values and culture that makes us One."
 

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Joe Biden Welcomes PM Modi With A Hug, India-US Bilateral Talks Begin

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived in Philadelphia for his three-day US Visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden ahead of the Quad Leaders' Summit today. 

US President Biden has opted for his hometown of Wilmington - around 170 kilometres from Washington - to host the farewell summit for Quad leaders. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Philadelphia today. He then headed to US President Joe Biden's hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where the two leaders are holding bilateral discussions. 

PM Modi is also likely to hold bilateral discussions with some other world leaders on the sidelines of the UN summit. 

Here are the LIVE updates on Prime Minister Modi's US visit:

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US: Biden to meet Zelenskyy next week, discuss state of war between Russia and Ukraine

US President Joe Biden will meet Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on September 26, the White House has said, adding that the latter will also hold a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris, who is in the race for the presidential elections scheduled this November. During the meeting, the leaders will discuss the state of war between Russia and Ukraine, including Kyiv's strategy planning and the US' support for Ukraine's defence against Russia amid the ongoing war.

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Watch: Panting, Barking Dogs Painted As Pandas At China Zoo

A zoo in the Shanwei city of China's eastern Guangdong province was forced to admit that the pandas in their exhibits are, in fact, "painted dogs".

The duped visitors at the Shanwei zoo, who were left outraged, witnessed that one of the so-called "pandas" was actually panting and barking, New York Post reported.

They even clicked photographs and took videos of the animals that have gone viral on social media.

Glitch in the Matrix: China zoo forced to admit the truth after one of their “pandas” started panting and barking. The Shanwei zoo admits they painted dogs white and black to make them look like pandas. pic.twitter.com/5SWDlpOSqB

— SynCronus (@syncronus) September 19, 2024

In one of the viral videos, one of the animals can be seen panting while lying on a rock in a fenced area. Also, it shows another dog, having a long, curly tail, strolling around.

Officials at the zoo initially tried to cover upand bizarrely claimed that the two animals were a breed of "panda dogs."

However, when the visitors criticised them over various social media platforms, the zoo's manager said the dogs are one of its top attractions.

"You can see by our name, we are 'Strange Animals and Cute Pets Paradise. These are Chow Chow dogs being painted (as pandas), as this is part of our specialties," CNN quoted her as saying.

Chow Chows are a fluffy breed of spitz, originally from northern China.

The two dogs were painted with black-and-white markings.

This was not the first time when a zoo in China was caught misleading visitors with the claims of housing real pandas in their exhibits.

A few months ago, the Taizhou Zoo in Jiangsu Province was also criticised by many for painting Chow Chows and presenting them as 'pandas'. The zoo advertised the attraction of ''Xiong Mao Quan'', which translates as ''panda dogs'' to boost its visitor footfall during the May Day holiday. 

At that time too, the zoo representatives had claimed that the animals were rare "panda dogs" breed. However, they later admitted that such animal breeds don't exist.

Back then, the zoo officials had informed the local media that they did not intentionally mislead anyone as they advertised the animals as "panda dogs".

After being confronted on the idea of inventing "panda dogs," a zoo representative said, "There are no panda bears at the zoo and we wanted to do this as a result. People also dye their hair. Natural dye can be used on dogs if they have long fur."

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Ammunition From India Diverted To Ukraine? What Government Said

Dismissing a report by news agency Reuters claiming that ammunition sold by Indian manufacturers has been diverted to Ukraine by European customers and New Delhi did not stop the trade, the Ministry of External Affairs has termed it "inaccurate and mischievous". 

Answering questions on the report, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday, "We have seen the Reuters report. It is speculative and misleading. It implies violations by India, where none exist and, hence, is inaccurate and mischievous.

Emphasising that India has an impeccable track record of compliance with international obligations on the export of military and dual-use items, Mr Jaiswal added, "India has been carrying out its defence exports taking into account its international obligations on non-proliferation and based on its own robust legal and regulatory framework, which includes a holistic assessment of relevant criteria, including end-user obligations and certifications."

In its report, Reuters cited conversations with eleven Indian and European government and defence industry officials and an analysis of commercially available customs data to claim that artillery shells sold by Indian arms manufacturers had been diverted to Ukraine by European customers and the Indian government did not intervene to stop the trade despite protests from Moscow.

The report said the supply of munitions, which have helped Ukraine in the war against Russia, had been happening for over a year and the Kremlin had raised the issue with India at least twice, including in July, during a meeting between Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. 

It said Indian arms export regulations specify that weaponry can be used only by the declared purchaser and future sales to them can be stopped if there are unauthorised transfers. 

"Two Indian government and two defence industry sources told Reuters that Delhi produced only a very small amount of the ammunition being used by Ukraine, with one official estimating that it was under 1% of the total arms imported by Kyiv since the war. The news agency couldn't determine if the munitions were resold or donated to Kyiv by the European customers," the report said.

"Among the European countries sending Indian munitions to Ukraine are Italy and the Czech Republic, which is leading an initiative to supply Kyiv with artillery shells from outside the European Union, according to a Spanish and a senior Indian official, as well as a former top executive at Yantra India, a state-owned company whose munitions are being used by Ukraine," it added.

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US Warns Against Further Middle East Escalation After Lebanon Blasts

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned against the risk of escalation in the Middle East after the detonation of thousands of Hezbollah pagers threatened to derail his latest regional diplomacy push.

News of the blasts broke as the top US diplomat traveled to Cairo to meet senior Egyptian officials hoping to advance efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and improve ties with Egypt.

Militant group Hezbollah promised to retaliate against Israel, accusing it of detonating pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday killing at least 12 people, including two children, and wounding nearly 3,000.

Israel has declined to respond to questions about the explosions.

Asked about the blasts, Blinken said the United States was still gathering facts but it was in no one's interest for conflict to spread.

"It's imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict," Blinken said at a news conference alongside his Egyptian counterpart.

He did not say who the US believes was behind the blasts.

Blinken said he was focused on securing a ceasefire deal that would bring calm, including to Israel's northern border with Lebanon, and that 15 out of 18 paragraphs of a deal had been agreed by all sides.

Making progress involved long waits for messages to be passed between the parties that left time for incidents to disrupt the talks, Blinken said.

"We've seen that in the intervening time, you might have an event, an incident - something that makes the process more difficult, that threatens to slow it, stop it, derail it - and anything of that nature, by definition, is probably not good in terms of achieving the result that we want, which is the ceasefire," Blinken said.

He cited Hamas' execution of six Israeli hostages last month. He did not name Israel, which is believed to have targeted members of groups aligned against it in Lebanon, Syria and Iran that have set back the talks.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told Blinken in their meeting on Wednesday morning that Egypt opposed attempts to "escalate the conflict and expand its scope regionally" and called for all parties to act responsibly, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.

Blinken will head from Cairo to Paris on Thursday for a meeting with the foreign ministers of France, Italy and Britain to discuss the Middle East and Ukraine and other issues, a State Department official said. Blinken will also meet French President Emmanuel Macron, the official said.

Blinken will not visit Israel on this trip, the first time he has skipped a stop in Washington's closest regional ally since Hamas sparked the war in Gaza nearly a year ago.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that was because Washington aimed to discuss bilateral issues with Egypt on this trip and the Gaza ceasefire proposal that U.S. and mediators have been working on was still not ready to present to Israel.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Instagram Rolls Out "Teen Accounts" With Parental Control For Underage Users

Meta Platforms is rolling out enhanced privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under 18 in a significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns around the negative effects of social media.

Meta will port all designated Instagram accounts automatically to "Teen Accounts", which will be private accounts by default, the company said on Tuesday.

Users of such accounts can only be messaged and tagged by accounts they follow or are already connected to, while sensitive content settings will be dialed to the most restrictive available.

Users under 16 can change the default settings only with a parent's permission. Parents will also get a suite of settings to monitor who their children are engaging with and limit their use of the app.

Several studies have linked social media use to higher levels of depression, anxiety and learning disabilities, particularly in young users.

Meta, ByteDance's TikTok and Google's GOOGL.O YouTube already face hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children and school districts about the addictive nature of social media. Last year, 33 U.S. states including California and New York sued the company for misleading the public about the dangers of its platforms.

Top platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, allow users who are 13 years of age and above to sign up.

Meta's move comes three years after it abandoned development on a version of the Instagram app meant for teenagers, after lawmakers and advocacy groups urged the company to drop it, citing safety concerns.

In July, the U.S. Senate advanced two online safety bills - The Kids Online Safety Act and The Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act - that would force social media companies to take responsibility for how their platforms affect children and teens.

As part of the update, the under-18 Instagram users will be notified to close the app after 60 minutes each day. The accounts will also come with a default sleep mode that will silence notifications overnight.

Meta said it will place the identified users into teen accounts within 60 days in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, and in the European Union later this year. Teens around the world will start to get teen accounts in January.

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Trump Shooting Suspect Charged With Gun Crimes

A man suspected of plotting to assassinate former US president Donald Trump was charged with federal gun crimes on Monday.

Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was charged with possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number at his initial court appearance.

Routh, who was arrested on Sunday after an alleged abortive bid to shoot the Republican presidential candidate at his West Palm Beach golf course, is expected to face further charges at a later date.

Routh appeared calm during the brief court hearing before Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe of the Southern District of Florida, answering "yes" to several questions.

A detention hearing was scheduled for September 23 and an arraignment on further potential charges was set for September 30.

Routh was arrested on Sunday after a Secret Service agent on the former president's security detail saw what appeared to be the barrel of a rifle pointing out of a tree line on the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Course, according to a criminal complaint filed by an FBI special agent.

"The Agent fired his/her service weapon in the direction of the rifle," the complaint said.

Trump, who was slightly wounded in a July 13 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, was several hundred yards away when the golf course shooting occurred and was unharmed.

A man later identified as Routh was seen by a witness fleeing the area in a Nissan sport utility vehicle at high speed, the complaint said.

Routh was arrested by local police about 45 minutes later on I-95, a major north-south highway, and replied in the "affirmative" when asked if he knew why he was being stopped, it said.

Video footage of the arrest showed Routh, who was wearing sunglasses and dressed in a peach-colored shirt, being taken into custody by the roadside without incident by heavily armed police officers.

According to the complaint, a "loaded SKS-style, 7.62x39 caliber rifle with a scope," a digital camera, a backpack and a black plastic bag containing food were recovered from the tree line.

Criminal convictions

Routh appears to have spent nearly 12 hours on the perimeter of the Trump golf course.

"Routh's mobile phone was located in the vicinity of the area along the tree line... from approximately 1:59 am until approximately 1:31 pm on September 15," the complaint said.

Routh is reported to be a self-employed builder based in Hawaii, with an arrest record spanning decades.

He regularly posted about politics and current events on social media, including criticism of Trump, according to US media.

According to the criminal complaint, he was convicted in North Carolina in December 2002 of "possession of a weapon of mass death and destruction."

He was convicted in 2010 in the same state of multiple counts of possession of stolen goods, it said.

Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number carries a maximum five-year sentence.

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Israel's multi-layer defence system activated after missiles fired from Yemen set off sirens in Tel Aviv

Tel Aviv: A surface-to-surface missile fired at central Israel from Yemen hit an unpopulated area, causing no injuries, Israel's military said on Sunday. Moments earlier, air raid sirens had sounded in Tel Aviv and across central Israel, sending residents running for shelter.

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Donald Trump Safe After "Gunshots In His Vicinity" At Florida Golf Club

Donald Trump's campaign reported Sunday that there had been "gunshots in his vicinity" but added that the Republican presidential candidate was safe.

"President Trump is safe following gunshots in his vicinity. No further details at this time," said a statement from his campaign spokesman Steven Cheung.

Trump had been golfing at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, not far from his Mar-a-Lago residence, during a day away from the presidential campaign, multiple media reports said.

It was unclear who had fired the shots, and there was no immediate indication that Trump had been targeted.

Some reports said the gunfire was between two people in a dispute near the course.

Still, it came amid heightened concern for the candidate's safety -- just two months after the former president was wounded in the ear when a gunman opened fire during a Trump rally in Pennsylvania.

The US Secret Service, tasked with protecting presidents, former presidents and other dignitaries, faced criticism after the Pennsylvania incident.

The head of the agency later resigned, and at least five of its agents were placed on administrative leave.

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Hamas Official Says Group Has "High Ability" To Continue Gaza War

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian Islamist movement had ample resources to continue fighting Israel despite losses sustained over more than 11 months of war in Gaza.

"The resistance has a high ability to continue," Osama Hamdan told AFP during an interview in Istanbul.

"There were martyrs and there were sacrifices... but in return there was an accumulation of experiences and the recruitment of new generations into the resistance."

His comments came less than a week after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told journalists that Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, "no longer exists" as a military formation in Gaza.

"The number of casualties... is much less than what is expected in a battle of this size, level and breadth," Hamdan said on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched retaliatory military operations to destroy Hamas after the group's surprise attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

The Israeli military campaign has killed at least 41,206 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, which does not provide breakdowns of civilian and militant deaths.

Militants also seized 251 hostages on October 7, 97 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Netanyahu is facing mounting domestic pressure to seal a deal in which hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel's announcement this month that the bodies of six hostages had been recovered from a tunnel in Gaza after they were "executed" by Hamas spurred an outpouring of grief and anger, leading to a brief general strike and large-scale demonstrations that continued in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on Saturday night.

But months of negotiations aimed at securing a truce -- mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar -- have apparently stalled.

In the interview on Sunday, Hamdan said the United States, Israel's most important military backer, was not doing enough to force concessions from Netanyahu that would end the bloodshed.

"The American administration does not exert sufficient or appropriate pressure on the Israeli side," Hamdan said.

"Rather it is trying to justify the Israeli side's evasion of any commitment."

During two press conferences after officials announced the deaths of the six hostages earlier this month, Netanyahu said it was Hamas who refused to compromise and vowed "not to give in to pressure" on remaining sticking points.

He also said Israel's military campaign had killed "no less than 17,000" Hamas militants.

Israel 'not immune'

The war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas has drawn in other Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, notably Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Huthi rebels in Yemen.

On Sunday the Huthis claimed a missile attack on central Israel that, while producing no casualties, triggered a rush to shelters and added to regional tensions.

Hamdan said the attack showed the limits of Israel's ability to defend itself, including its oft-touted aerial defence system.

"It is a message to the entire region that Israel is not an immune entity," Hamdan said.

"Even Israeli capabilities have limits."

Hamdan also reiterated Hamas's view that an attack earlier this month in which a Jordanian truck driver shot dead three Israeli guards at a border crossing underscored widespread anger at Israel in the region.

As for Arab leaders who have normalised diplomatic ties with Israel or are considering doing so, Hamdan said they should ask themselves how they would feel if their countries were occupied and the world stood by and watched.

"If you see Israel as a blessing and a gain... give them a piece of your country," he said, jokingly adding that it could be called "the new Israel".

'Day after' planning

Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007, but with Israel calling for the group to be eliminated it is unclear what form it will exist in after the war.

Hamdan said on Sunday it was impossible to imagine a scenario in which Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar would leave the besieged territory.

Sinwar and other leaders "are ready to be martyred thousands of times in Palestine rather than leaving it because everything he is doing is to free Palestine," Hamdan said.

Hamas has demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, including the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land along Egypt's border that has emerged as a key sticking point in the truce talks.

Hamdan said that Hamas wants "joint Palestinian rule" in Gaza, adding that Hamas officials and representatives of other Palestinian factions would meet soon in Cairo to discuss their post-war vision.

"The day after the battle is a Palestinian day," he said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Russia, Ukraine Swap 206 Prisoners Of War In UAE-Brokered Deal

Moscow and Kyiv swapped 103 prisoners of war each on Saturday in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, a rare moment of coordination between the two warring sides as Russia pushes ahead in east Ukraine.

The Russians released in the swap were captured during Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, Moscow said, while some of the Ukrainians freed had been held prisoner since Moscow seized the Azovstal steel plant in May 2022.

"Another 103 soldiers were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram.

Among the freed were 82 privates and sergeants as well as 21 officers, Zelensky said.

"The defenders of Kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol and Azovstal, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and the Kharkiv regions," he added.

Russia confirmed it had "handed over" 103 Ukrainian army prisoners, and received 103 Russian servicemen captured by Kyiv in its Kursk offensive in return.

"At present, all Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are being provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as an opportunity to contact their relatives," the Russian defence ministry said.

Despite ongoing hostilities, Russia and Ukraine have managed to swap hundreds of prisoners throughout the two-and-half-year conflict -- often in deals brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.

The announcement comes a day after Zelensky said 49 Ukrainian POWs had been returned from Russia, and three weeks ago both sides swapped 115 prisoners each in a deal also mediated by the UAE.

The UAE's foreign ministry hailed the deal as a "success" and thanked both sides for their cooperation on Saturday.

Russian advances

The prisoner swap came as Russia pushed ahead in east Ukraine, where it claims to have captured a string of villages in recent weeks.

The Russian defence ministry said in a daily briefing it had "liberated" the village of Zhelanne Pershe, less than 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the key Ukrainian-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Pokrovsk lies on the intersection of a key road that supplies Ukrainian troops and towns across the eastern front and has long been a target for Moscow's army.

More than half of the city's 60,000 residents have fled since the invasion began in February 2022, with evacuations ramping up in recent weeks as Moscow's army closes in.

Ukraine had hoped its major cross-border incursion into the Kursk region last month would slow down Russia's advances in the east.

On Friday, Zelensky said Moscow had been slowed down somewhat but conceded the situation on the eastern front was "very difficult".

Russia meanwhile claimed this week to have clawed back a swath of territory in the Kursk region, as it mounted what appeared to be a counter-offensive.

Missile spat

Tensions between Russia and the West over the conflict reached dire levels this week over UK and US discussions about letting Ukraine use longer-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.

The discussions came after a visit to Kyiv by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British counterpart David Lammy.

President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Thursday that green-lighting the use of the long-range weapons deep inside Russia would put the NATO military alliance "at war" with Moscow.

"This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict," Putin told a state television reporter.

"It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia," he added.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden on Friday delayed a decision on the move.

US officials believe the missiles would make a limited difference to Ukraine's campaign and also want to ensure that Washington's own stocks of the munitions are not depleted.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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West's approval of use of long-range missiles by Ukraine will mean it is at war with Russia: Putin warns

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict.

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Breakthrough mRNA Cancer Vaccine Shows Early Promise In Clinical Trials

A groundbreaking vaccine against cancer cells has given encouraging early results from its first clinical trials, according to The Metro. Developed by Moderna Pharmaceuticals-the same company that made headlines with its Covid-19 vaccine-the jab, known as mRNA-4359, is designed to activate the body's immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.

Uses mRNA technology, such as that employed by Covid-19 vaccines, to instruct the immune system to recognise healthy cells versus tumour cells. In a phase-one clinical trial involving 19 patients with advanced solid tumours, it was observed that eight patients had no growth of the tumours and no new tumours appeared. Importantly, the vaccine was found to be well tolerated, without any serious adverse effects.

Chief investigator Dr Debashis Sarker, a clinical reader in experimental oncology at King's College London and a consultant in medical oncology at Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, told The Metro: "This study evaluating an mRNA cancer immunotherapy is an important first step in hopefully developing a new treatment for patients with advanced cancers. We have shown that the therapy is well tolerated without serious side effects and can stimulate the body's immune system in a way that could help to treat cancer more effectively."

"However, as this study has only involved a small number of patients to date, it's too early to say how effective this could be for people with advanced stage cancer."

Now the study is enrolling patients with specific cancers, namely melanoma and non-small-cell lung cancer.

Among such studies, the mRNA-4359 trial is one of the studies being conducted exploring the likelihood of cancer vaccines. Others include a personalised mRNA vaccine for melanoma by Moderna and a lung cancer vaccine under test by BioNTech. These vaccines are major breakthroughs in treating cancer, offering the first rays of hope for patients in advanced stages of cancer.

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Harvey Weinstein indicted on additional sex crimes charges ahead of New York retrial

New York: Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on additional sex crimes charges ahead of his retrial in New York, Manhattan prosecutors said at a hearing Thursday. The indictment will remain under seal until Weinstein's arraignment, which is scheduled for Sept 18.

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Harris Leads Over Trump, Voters See Her As Debate Winner In Latest Polls

Democratic U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump 47% to 42% in the race to win the Nov. 5 presidential election, increasing her advantage after a debate against the former president that voters largely think she won, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Thursday.

The two-day poll showed Harris with a five percentage point lead among registered voters, just above the four-point advantage she had over Trump in an Aug. 21-28 Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Among voters who said they had heard at least something about Tuesday's debate, 53% said Harris won and 24% said Trump won. Some 52% of respondents said that Trump stumbled and didn't appear sharp, while 21% said that of Harris.

Harris, 59, put Trump, 78, on the defensive in a combative presidential debate with a stream of attacks on his fitness for office and his myriad legal battles.

The poll surveyed 1,690 U.S. adults nationwide, including 1,405 registered voters. It had a margin of error of around three percentage points for registered voters.

While national surveys including Reuters/Ipsos' polls give important signals on the views of the electorate, the state-by-state results of the Electoral College determine the winner, with a handful of battleground states likely to be decisive.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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S Jaishankar Calls On German Chancellor, Conveys Personal Greetings Of PM

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called on German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and conveyed the personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Jaishankar is in Berlin on the second leg of his three-nation tour. He arrived in Germany from Saudi Arabia after attending the first India-Gulf Cooperation Council Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue.

"Honoured to meet Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin today. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM Modi. Look forward to his visit to India for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations," he said in a post on X.

Honoured to meet Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin today.

Conveyed the personal greetings of PM Modi. Look forward to his visit to India for the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations.@Bundeskanzler

?? ?? pic.twitter.com/kqUbxdSpMj

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 11, 2024

The minister also had an "in-depth exchange with Jens Plotner, Security and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor. "Our conversation focussed on preparations for IGC and important strategic developments," Mr Jaishankar said.

He met Friedrich Merz, Chairman of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, and member of the CDU-CSU (Christian Social Union) parliamentary group.

"A great pleasure to meet @_FriedrichMerz, Chairman @CDU and members of the CDU - CSU parliamentary group. A comprehensive discussion on our bilateral relationship as well as regional and global issues. Appreciated his many insights and suggestions to strengthen our strategic partnership," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Jaishankar met Michael Roth, the chairman of the German Parliament's committee on foreign affairs, and discussed the current global challenges and the possibilities of new bilateral collaborations.

"Glad to meet Mr Michael Roth, MP and Chairman of the @Bundestag Committee on Foreign Affairs. Shared views on current global challenges, and possibilities of new collaborations between India and Germany," Mr Jaishankar said in a post on X.

He also held a lively conversation with foreign affairs and security policy experts organised by the Munich Security Conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

"Exchanged perspectives on the changing global order, multipolarity, security challenges and the strategic convergences between India and Germany," he said.

Mr Jaishankar also interacted with the members of the German parliament known as the Bundestag. "Appreciated their insights on contemporary global issues. Value their support for stronger India-Germany relations," he said.

Earlier, Mr Jaishankar held wide-ranging discussions with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock and took stock of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership, covering areas such as trade, defence and security.

On the third and final leg of his trip, Mr Jaishankar will visit Geneva. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Imran Khan's Party Leaders Clash With Cops, Several Lawmakers Detained

Pakistani authorities arrested several leaders of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party, including its chairman and around a dozen lawmakers, as National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Tuesday promised action against those responsible for the crackdown.

The Pakistan-Tehreek-e-Insaf workers had clashed with police, injuring several police officials, including a senior officer, during a rally of the party on Sunday. The government accused the party of violating the permission for the rally by over-stepping the allotted time limit.

PTI chairman Gohar Khan and fellow member of parliament Sher Afzal Khan Marwat were arrested from outside the Parliament building while leading lawyer and party leader Shoaib Shaheen was arrested from his office by Islamabad police on Monday night, according to police spokesperson Jawad Taqi.

PTI spokesman Zulfi Bokhari confirmed in a WhatsApp group that thirteen PTI leaders were arrested since night raids, including Gohar Khan, Sher Afzal Marwat, Shoaib Shaheen, Sheikh Waqas, Zain Qureshi, Ahmad Chatha, Molana Naseem, Awais Jhakhar, Amir Dogar, Shah Ahad, Yousaf Khattak, Lateef Chitrali and Zubair Khan.

National Assembly Speaker Sadiq took notice of the development and said he "will take action on the incident and address it seriously".

Mr Sadiq, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, further said that if necessary, an FIR would be filed, and those involved in the crackdown would be named as he summoned political leaders from all parties for an urgent meeting in his chamber to discuss further steps.

He also summoned Islamabad's Inspector General of Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi and a senior superintendent of police for allegedly arresting the PTI leaders from within the jurisdiction of the parliament.

According to a parliamentary rule, police should inform the speaker before arresting any lawmaker and the rule was violated in the case.

The PTI also shared videos on social media about the arrest of some of its leaders.

Speaking to the media after his release on Tuesday evening, Gohar termed the arrests as an attack on the parliament and September 9 as "a black day for Pakistan".

"PTI will not forget this," he said. "This time, CCTV footage would be disclosed and this time, the common person would not be punished." He said that the PTI was targeted by the government, but the party forgave it for the sake of the country, people and democracy.

"Our election result was changed, but we didn't go for a rally, we didn't resort to a boycott," Gohar said. "We stayed in parliament so we could play our role and we did so." He warned that if the largest political party was not given space, then non-political elements would get stronger. "Extremist and separatist movements will get stronger," he said.

He also announced to challenge the arrest of other party leaders in the high court.

Referring to Mr Marwat's arrest, the PTI said in a post on X that the "PML-N government should be completely ashamed of this step against a sitting MNA".

In another post on X, the party condemned the "illegal" arrest of party chairman Gohar Khan. 

"This is a moment of shame for entire parliament, as this must be considered a direct attack on the remaining democracy in Pakistan...Speaker NA should be ashamed for allowing such disrespect to parliament. Pakistan has descended further into the undeclared Martial Law," the post said.

Omar Ayub Khan, the Leader of the Opposition, condemned the arrests and alleged that Islamabad police had formed teams to arrest him, PTI leader Zartaj Gul Wazir, and "other colleagues".

"This fascist regime and its backers have gone completely mad," Omar wrote in a statement on X. "Just found out that they have included my name along with Zartaj Gul sahiba and other colleagues in 2 additional FIRs. Islamabad Police teams have been made for our arrests." Speaking against the arrest in the parliament, PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan condemned the police raid at Parliament House, calling it an assault on democracy and Pakistan.

"Democracy has faced arrests before, but what happened last night, with masked men entering parliament and arresting members, is unacceptable," he said.

Members of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), both government allies, also expressed discontent with the arrests, warning that it would further escalate tensions.

The arrests come just a day after the PTI flexed its muscles through a political rally in the suburbs of Islamabad, demanding the release of their leader Imran Khan and warning to get him out of jail through street protests.

The 71-year-old former-cricketer-turned-politician faces a slew of legal cases and has been in prison for more than a year after being sentenced in a graft case.

Mr Khan was arrested on August 5 last year after his conviction in the first Toshakhana corruption case filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan. Since then, he has been in jail in different cases.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Kamala Harris's election campaign to get boost with desi-twist of 'Nacho Nacho' song | WATCH

Washington: To harness the power of Bollywood music, an Indian-American entrepreneur and a major fundraiser for the Democratic party has released a music video to mobilise South Asians in key battleground states to vote for presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election.

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Former Canada Fashion Mogul Sentenced To 11 Years In Sex Assault Cases

Former Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Monday after being convicted of four counts of sexual assault in attacks on women in his Toronto office building that in some cases date back for decades.

The 11-year sentence is reduced to take into account time he has already spent behind bars. Nygard has about 6.7 years left to serve and will be eligible for full parole after one-third of that.

Nygard, 83, was found guilty by a Toronto jury on four counts of sexual assault last November. He was acquitted of a fifth count of sexual assault and one count of forcible confinement.

During the six-week trial, the Ontario Superior Court heard testimony from five complainants who said during a period between the late 1980s to around 2005 Nygard had attacked them in a private bedroom suite on the top floor of the building.

Canadian police arrested Nygard in late 2020 at the request of the United States, where he was accused of using his businesses to lure women and girls to sexually gratify himself and his associates.

Toronto police laid their own charges against him about a year later. Nygard also faces charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement in Manitoba and Quebec.

He is fighting extradition to the U.S. where he faces federal charges in New York for nine offences including conspiracy to commit racketeering, transportation of a minor for purpose of prostitution, and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion.

Born in Finland, Nygard grew up in the Canadian province of Manitoba, eventually running his namesake clothing company and becoming one of the wealthiest people in the country.

"Peter Nygard is a sexual predator. He is also a Canadian success story gone very wrong," Justice Robert Goldstein said Monday.

"He used his wealth and his power to commit four sexual assaults."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"Violent Clouds": 4 Dead, 14 Missing After Heavy Flooding Morocco

Moroccan authorities on Sunday said four people died and 14 were missing in flooding caused by an "exceptional" climate phenomenon in southern areas.

"Four people have died and 14 have gone missing" since heavy rains began on Friday in the province of Tata, some 740 kilometres south of Rabat, a local official told AFP, saying the death count could potentially rise.

"Eight houses were washed away by floods in some valleys" near Tamanart, a rural area in the Tata region, said the official, who did not wish to be named.

Usually arid areas in southern Morocco and Algeria have been drenched in floods caused by massive rainfall since Friday, officials told AFP Sunday.

Areas in southern Morocco have been affected "by an extremely unstable tropical air mass", the spokesman for the Moroccan General Directorate of Meteorology, Lhoussaine Youabd, told AFP.

This "led to the formation of unstable and violent clouds" that caused massive rainfall, he said.

Youabd described the phenomenon as "exceptional" and said the areas saw "heavy thunderstorms and significant rainfall, leading to river flooding" as "humid tropical air masses moved northward".

As a result, the Ouarzazate region received 47 millimetres of water in three hours, and Tagounite, near the Algerian border, some 170 millimetres, according to the Moroccan weather service.

The heavy rains hit regions of Morocco that have been suffering from drought for at least six years.

In neighbouring Algeria, authorities meanwhile confirmed one person dead and one missing in flooding in the south.

Algerian civil defence said an unnamed young girl was swept away by the waters in Illizi, in the far south, and another person who was trapped in a vehicle was still missing.

It also said it had rescued several families trapped by flooded rivers, mostly in Illizi and Bechar, also in the south.

Videos posted on social media showed that some areas in the Sahara desert were drenched.

In Morocco's Ouarzazate, entire streets were flooded.

"We haven't seen such rain for about 10 years," Omar Gana, a local, told AFP.

Morocco has been experiencing severe water stress after six consecutive years of drought, shrinking dam levels to less than 28 percent of capacity by the end of August.

The rains were accompanied by strong winds, reaching up to 100 kilometres per hour in Ouarzazate and 76 km/h in Marrakesh, where they caused "an optical phenomenon, giving the sky an orange tint", according to the General Directorate of Meteorology.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Social Media Platform X Suffers Outage For Less Than An Hour: Report

Social media platform X was back up on Saturday after it suffered an outage that lasted less than an hour, according to outage tracking site Downdetector.com.

The website, which tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including users, showed less than 164 reports of outages in the US as of 11:01 am ET (1501 GMT).

There were more than 8,200 reports at the peak of the outage at 10:31 am ET.

The cause of the outage is not yet known.

X did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for outside regular business hours.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Pakistan: Major relief to Shehbaz Sharif, Supreme Court reinstates changes in anti-corruption laws

Islamabad: In a major relief to former PM Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan's Supreme Court in a unanimous decision on Friday reinstated the changes in the country's anti-corruption laws that had benefited several leading politicians, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo. The court overturned a previous ruling that nullified amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws that restored corruption cases against public representatives.

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Macron names Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as French Prime Minister after months of stalemate

President Emmanuel Macron named the EU’s Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, as France’s new prime minister on Thursday after more than 50 days of caretaker government. The appointment of the 73-year-old Barnier follows weeks of intense efforts by Macron and his aides to find a candidate who might be able to build loose groupings of backers in parliament and survive possible attempts by Macron’s opponents to quickly topple the new government that Barnier will now put together and lead.

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60% Of People Are Missing These Four Key Nutrients In Their Diets

A well-rounded diet is critical for the body's overall growth, strengthening immunity, and supplying the nutrients required for optimum health; yet, many people do not obtain enough important vitamins and minerals from their food and beverages. More than half of the global population consumes inadequate levels of several micronutrients essential to health, including calcium, iron, and vitamins C and E, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). 

It is the first study to provide global estimates of inadequate consumption of 15 micronutrients critical to human health. The study was published in The Lancet Global Health on August 29.

"Our study is a big step forward," said co-lead author Chris Free, research professor at UCSB. "Not only because it is the first to estimate inadequate micronutrient intakes for 34 age-sex groups in nearly every country, but also because it makes these methods and results easily accessible to researchers and practitioners."

The researchers used data from the Global Dietary Database, the World Bank, and dietary recall surveys in 31 countries to compare nutritional requirements with nutritional intake among the populations of 185 countries. (They have made these data, as well as code for analysis, freely available.) They divided populations into males and females belonging to17 age groups: zero to 80 in five-year spans, as well as an 80+ group. The assessment studied fifteen vitamins and minerals: calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamin, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and E.

The study found significant intake inadequacies for nearly all of the evaluated micronutrients, excluding fortification as a potential source of additional nutrients. Inadequate intake was especially prevalent for iodine (68% of the global population), vitamin E (67%), calcium (66%), and iron (65%). More than half of people consumed inadequate levels of riboflavin, folate, and vitamins C and B6. Intake of niacin was closest to sufficient, with 22% of the global population consuming inadequate levels, followed by thiamin (30%) and selenium (37%).

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Greta Thunberg, popular climate activist, detained in Denmark's Copenhagen during Gaza war protest | VIDEO

Copenhagen: Danish police on Wednesday apprehended activist Greta Thunberg at a Copenhagen protest against the war in Gaza, a spokesperson for the student group organising the demonstration said. India TV was able to confirm the location and the date of the videos from the original file metadata and the GPS coordinates.

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Shooting At High School In US's Georgia, Casualties Feared, Suspect Held

A high school in US's Georgia is in the midst of an active shooting incident. Police and medics have been rushed to the school and the neighbourhood has been put under a lockdown.

Students have been evacuated from the scene of the shooting and one suspect has been taken into custody.

Local news reports suggest that there are casualties and one person has been evacuated in an air ambulance.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation or GBI said it is responding to a "shooting" at the high school.

The Apalachee High School in Barrow County, Georgia, sent out a message to parents saying it was "currently in a hard lockdown after reports of gunfire," according to US media.

The school is located in the town of Winder, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta, the state capital.

#HappeningNow shooting at Apalachee High School in Barrow Co. GA. Hearing reports of injuries. pic.twitter.com/t4xgv8Ibaq

— DAP (insert blue check here) (@Deetroit_Dave) September 4, 2024

"We have agents on site assisting local, state, and federal law enforcement w/ the investigation. One suspect in custody," the GBI said in a post on social media.

"Law enforcement has arrived. Please do not attempt to come to the school at this time while officers work to secure the area," it added.

CNN, citing the local sheriff's office, reported that there had been casualties, without providing further details.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said on social media website X that state agencies were responding to the incident.

The White House also said that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting.

Local footage showed ambulances driving across a school field, and scores of vehicles parked around the school.

(Inputs from AFP)
 

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French Man Who Invited Over 50 To Rape Wife Also Clicked Daughter's Nudes

In a case that has outraged people across France, the man who drugged his wife and invited more than 50 strangers to rape her, also photographed his daughter naked after she was drugged, according to the Daily Mail.

While going through Dominique P's computer, the police found a folder titled 'My Daughter Naked', Judge Roger Arata revealed in court.

As the judge made the revelation, the daughter broke down, started shaking uncontrollably, and had to be helped out of the courtroom in Avignon, according to the Daily Mail.

Just as he did with his wife, Dominique gave his daughter tranquilisers and after she fell unconscious, he partially dressed her in her mother's clothes and photographed her. The pictures were taken at their family home near Paris in 2013.

The shocking revelation comes after the trial of the 71-year-old accused, along with 50 other men began on Monday. He is accused of drugging his 72-year-old wife and getting her raped when she passed out. This happened on multiple occasions for over a decade. He also film the abuse when the strangers raped her. They each face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

He has also been charged in a 1991 rape and murder case as well as for attempted rape in 1999.

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