War, latest news. "Israel approves temporary truce in Gaza for anti-polio". IDF operation in West Bank, Hamas: "We resume suicide bombings"

A command room used by terrorists hidden inside a mosque was discovered by the Israeli army in the Fara refugee camp in the West Bank, near Tubas. Palestinian media reported in the evening that the mosque had been blown up. The site, the IDF reported, was equipped with numerous surveillance cameras connected to television screens that were used by terrorists to monitor Israeli forces. A video taken by an IDF drone shows the entrance to the mosque, the walls of which are plastered with "martyrs' posters". The video also shows the equipment used to make explosive devices; several triggered explosive devices were found inside the mosque.

Lithuania today sent Kiev a shipment of forklifts and anti-tank systems for use by the Ukrainian armed forces. The new aid package adds to the already long list of military aid sent throughout this year, which includes, among other things, 155mm ammunition, M577 and M113 armoured vehicles, 'Carl Gustaf' anti-tank grenade launcher ammunition, RISE-1 remote detonation systems, and generators. Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania has provided Kiev with military support to a total value of over 647 million USD.

The United Nations World Food Programme (Wfp or Pam) announced the suspension 'until further notice' of its staff movements in Gaza after one of its vehicles was hit by Israeli fire. "This is totally unacceptable and is the latest in a series of unnecessary security-related events that have endangered the lives of WFP teams in Gaza," denounced UN agency head Cindy McCain in a press release.

The UN condemns Israel for military operations launched in the West Bank that include 'lethal war tactics'. The spokesman for the UN secretary general, Stephane Dujarric, stressed that the population "is increasingly exposed to lethal war tactics that appear not to meet international standards for security forces". "Israeli forces must comply with international standards for law enforcement where lethal force and firearms are the last resort that can be used against an imminent threat of death or serious harm," he added.

Russia did not accept the request made to it by Estonia to jointly measure the bottom of the Narva River to clarify where the shipping lanes should be marked. This was announced by the Foreign Ministry in Tallinn. The request had come after Russian border guards had unreasonably removed Estonian buoys from the border between the two states in May. "In its response, Russia's precondition for discussing the joint measurement of maritime routes is the ratification of the border agreement, which is neither relevant nor remotely related to the incident that Russia caused on the Narva River in May," Tsahkna said, speaking to reporters on Estonian television.

The Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration's request to reactivate the plan for the reduction of student debt student debt while the various lawsuits filed run their course. The plan was blocked in early August by a federal court and the Department of Education went to the Supreme Court in an attempt to make it available again to thousands of students.

Il Presidente Usa Joe Biden. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

The UN reported that a UN humanitarian vehicle was hit by Israeli fire in Gaza.

Joe Biden will talk to Chinese leader Xi Jinping "in the coming weeks": the White House announced it will probably be the last direct contact between the two leaders before the US presidential elections in November. Plans for the call were drawn up in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who is in China for three days of scheduled meetings. The upcoming talks will be the second telephone communication of the two leaders since their in-person meeting in California in November.

Israeli army forces recovered the body of a soldier killed during the 7 October massacre and brought to Gaza by terrorists. The family asked that his name not be published.

"In the face of Russia's latest attacks, the allies today reaffirmed that they are increasing their military aid to Ukraine. We must continue to provide it with the equipment and ammunition it needs to defend itself against Russia's invasion, it is vital to Ukraine's ability to continue fighting." This was said by Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who chaired a Nato-Ukraine Council meeting today in light of recent Russian bombings against Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure that were strongly condemned by the allies. "Ukraine continues to intercept missiles every day, saving countless lives. Its ability to maintain these defences requires increased supplies and more support,' Stoltenberg said again, according to an Alliance note on the meeting that took place at ambassador level at Ukraine's request. Speaking for Kiev via video link was the Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, who explained the current security situation and priority needs to the allies.

Moscow has permanently banned 92 US citizens from entering Russia 'in response to the Russophobic policy of US President Joe Biden's administration'. This was announced in a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Among them are journalists from the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and New York Times. "The practice of expanding the list of those sanctioned to include those directly involved in anti-Russian activities, in response to the sanctions frenzy of the US ruling elite, will be pursued with all determination and consistency," the ministry added.

The Kremlin is once again accusing Ukraine of deliberately attacking the nuclear power plant in Russia's Kursk region after the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, visited the site yesterday and denounced the 'serious risk' of an accident, given the plant's proximity to the frontline which, according to unconfirmed information, is only 30 kilometres away. The plant, Grossi noted, is operating normally. But there was no comment from him on Moscow's accusations that Ukrainian drones tried to strike the site. "Grossi has seen the result of drone attacks against the plant, assessed the threat these attacks can create. For understandable reasons, the IEA says it is not authorised to name the perpetrators of the attacks, but in this case there is no doubt. The responsibility of Ukraine in the escalation of the nuclear danger is more than obvious,' said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

During the ongoing operation in the Nur Shams camp near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, the Israeli army claimed to have accidentally damaged a water main. "During the activity to uncover explosive devices buried under the roads in Nur Shams, a water main was inadvertently damaged," the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said, pointing out, "IDF troops are allowing residents who wish to move away from the combat zones to leave the area safely." The Times of Israel reports.

An Al Jazeera correspondent confirmed that electricity has been cut off in several neighbourhoods of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank during the Israeli military operation. It added that clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters are ongoing inside the camp. Local channels on Telegram shared videos of large numbers of Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets. The videos were verified by Sanad, Al Jazeera's fact-checking agency.

- The US announced new sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank for violence against Palestinians, urging its ally Israel to demand greater accountability. "Extremist settler violence in the West Bank causes intense human suffering, damages Israel's security, and undermines the prospects for peace and stability in the region," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement, adding that it is "critical" for Israel to demand accountability.

Israeli forces reportedly ordered the inhabitants of the Nur Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarem, to leave the area within a few hours, four from the time of the order. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing a security source who said that Israeli soldiers had set up a military post in the al-Maslakh area to search people leaving the area. Similar news is also reported by the satellite TV al-Jazeera, which however points out that "there is no explicit order to evacuate" the area.

Israeli soldiers speak to a Palestinian boy from inside their vehicle during a raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on August 28, 2024. At least 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli raids and strikes in several towns in the north of the occupied West Bank, a spokesman for the Red Crescent said on August 28. The operation comes two days after Israel said it carried out an air strike on the West Bank that the Palestinian Authority reported killed five people. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

The US State Department and the US Treasury Department are expected to announce new sanctions today against the Hashomer Yosh organisation operating in the West Bank because of its support for extremist settler violence against Palestinian citizens. This was reported by US officials to the Israeli news site Walla. The Hashomer Yosh association has been funded and supported in recent years by the Israeli government. Some senior members of the association identify themselves with the 'Youth of the Hills' and the parties of the far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. In recent weeks there has been an increase in violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Dozens of extremist settlers, many of them masked, organised a pogrom last week in the Palestinian village of Jit in the West Bank. Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar recently sent a letter to Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and other ministers, warning them that the latest Jewish terror attacks against Palestinians have put the country on the brink of disaster.

From London and Berlin there are 'no new decisions' on Kiev's demands to the allies to be able to relax the limits imposed on the use of supplied weapons in attacks against Russian territory. In their joint press conference in Berlin, Keir Starmer and Olaf Scholz, explained that they had no intention to dwell on 'technical issues on the use of weapons', merely stressing that 'there are no new decisions'. "We are providing support and weapons to Ukraine consistent with the approach of other key allies, including Germany. We support the approach and framework put forward by the previous government in the UK when we were in opposition and we've been acting consistently with that since we came into government and that's why I'm very clear in saying that no different decisions have been taken," Starmer said. "I won't get carried away with technical issues on the use of weapons for obvious reasons but no new decisions have been made." Scholz added that there are no new developments from Germany either. Berlin will continue to support Kiev. The basis of the new cooperation agreement that Germany and Great Britain will sign as early as next year will be an understanding on defence. "This means a common determination to defend the security of our peoples and of Europe starting with our unwavering support for Ukraine that we spoke about today," he pointed out.

The European Union, at Kiev's request, is considering training soldiers in Ukraine 'if the necessary political and operational conditions are met'. A European External Action Service (EEAS) document viewed by Politico indicates this. "A more in-depth and comprehensive analysis would be required to fully assess the risks and possible mitigation measures, as well as the political and operational benefits of conducting training" on Ukrainian soil, reads the 34-page document dated 22 July and titled 'Strategic Review of Eumam Ukraine', the name of the EU mission to train Ukrainian soldiers. According to the specialised website, French President Emmanuel Macron is open to the idea of training troops in Ukraine, supported by countries such as Lithuania, but others, such as Germany, fear that this could increase tensions with Russia and endanger the lives of Western instructors sent to the former Soviet republic.

Farhan al-Qadi, the hostage freed yesterday by the Israeli army in a tunnel in Gaza, told his relatives about the harsh conditions in which he was held by Hamas. The man recalled being left alone in a tunnel, causing him to become detached from the outside world. He barely saw the light of day during his months of imprisonment. Ynet reports. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone, so do everything to bring the hostages home," he said as he reunited with his family.

The usually well-informed Jewish Chronicle website reports intelligence sources that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has surrounded himself with 22 live and handcuffed hostages and is using them in the tunnels as human shields to protect himself from an attack by Israel. The others kidnapped, dead or alive, are being held by smaller groups such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Mujahideen Brigades, the al-Nasser Salah al-Deen and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The IDF would have had several opportunities to eliminate him but the attacks were not authorised so as not to kill the 22 hostages.

Ria Novosti wrote that it had learned from a source in the Paris Public Prosecutor's Office that only Pavel Durov is currently under investigation in the Telegram investigation. The news from the Russian agency follows one published by Politico.eu, according to which Pavel's brother Nikolai Durov has also been the subject of an arrest warrant from the French judiciary since last March.

French authorities issued arrest warrants in March for Telegram CEO Pavel Durov and his co-founder brother Nikolai, according to a French administrative document viewed exclusively by Politico.eu. The document indicates that the French undercover investigation into Telegram is broader and began months earlier than previously known. The case revolves around Telegram's refusal to cooperate with a French police investigation into child sexual abuse.

The UNHCR increases emergency aid in Alkufra, Libya, in response to the influx of Sudanese refugees. The UN refugee agency itself reports this, explaining that since the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, some 97,000 Sudanese refugees have sought refuge in Libya. Alkufra, one of the main entry points into the country for Sudanese refugees, is now overloaded, receiving around 350 new arrivals from Sudan every day. Recent flooding in the region has also impacted on critical local infrastructure and some refugees have been forced to take temporary refuge in schools.

Israeli forces "have imposed a curfew in the eastern part of Jenin". This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing local sources that the inhabitants of the area are not allowed to leave their homes.

"We will reopen all cases of victims of terrorism so that Justice can do what it should have done more than 20 years ago. All the Montoneros (leftist Peronist Argentine guerrilla organisation, ed.) should be in prison'. The Argentine vice-president, Victoria Villaruel, rekindles the fire of controversy already ignited (even within her own party, La libertà avanza) by the visit of a group of parliamentarians to the military of the dictatorship in the Ezeiza prison. Villarruel used the Senate, to launch a challenge that once again opens divergences with the position expressed by Javier Milei. "All the Montoneros should be in prison, to answer for the bloodshed of our nation," Villarruel said in his speech. In the same vein, he announced: 'We will reopen all the cases of the victims of terrorism so that Justice can do what it should have done more than 20 years ago', reports the Clarin. In this regard, a few minutes after the speech, the vice-president's entourage confirmed to the newspaper that the civil association Centre for Legal Studies on Terrorism and its Victims, founded by Villarruel herself, will demand the reopening of all cases.

From next year, Brazil's armed forces will be able to count women among their troops. This is stipulated by a government decree that removes limits on female enlistment, access to which is currently only allowed through NCO and officer competitions for technical roles such as doctors, engineers and air traffic coordinators. Like all Brazilian boys, girls at the age of 18 will be able to decide to serve the country by wearing the uniform. The selection of women will take place under the terms of the law regulating Brazilian military service - which remains compulsory only for men - respecting established physical, cultural, psychological and moral criteria.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan not to support the Philippines in disputes over disputed waters in the South China Sea. "The United States should not use bilateral treaties as an excuse to undermine China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, nor should it support infringement actions promoted by the Philippines," Wang said, in the report by state-run network Cctv.

Farhan al-Qadi the hostage freed by the IDF after being found in a Gaza tunnel was discharged from Soroka hospital after undergoing a series of check-ups. The 52-year-old, visibly slim, is nevertheless considered to be in fair health. This was reported by the Israeli media.

'We keep hearing that Putin wants peace, but has never done anything to seek it'. This was stated by the German Foreign Ministry in a message on X in which a 'gif' from the popular Simpsons TV series was also posted to highlight the Russian president's lack of efforts to seek peace in the war against Ukraine. "Seriously: in the past two years there has been no lack of efforts by the international community and Ukraine to convince Putin to end Russia's war of aggression. But his response each time is: even more suffering, death and destruction," wrote the German foreign ministry again, which, in a long thread, listed all the peace talks Putin has deserted and Russia's military reactions. "When peace in Ukraine was negotiated in Istanbul in March 2022, Putin responded with brutal crimes against the people of Buca and Irpin. When several African countries wanted to start peace talks in the summer of 2023, they had to leave Moscow disappointed. In Kiev they had previously been greeted by Russian missile explosions,' the German ministry recalled, adding that 'when in June this year some 100 delegations from all over the world, from Argentina to Qatar to Thailand, met in Switzerland to talk about a peace based on international law, Putin responded with waves of bombs against Ukrainian power plants'.

"If we have to move people, we will, it will serve to protect the IDF troops." This was said by Likud Minister (the same party as PM Benyamin Netanyahu) Avi Dichter on military radio, supporting Foreign Minister Israel Katz's call for the temporary evacuation of Palestinian civilians from areas in the West Bank where a large anti-terrorist operation by the Israeli army is underway.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa citing local sources, the IDF imposed a curfew in the east of Jenin, preventing citizens from leaving their homes. In the meantime, troops launched extensive house searches, subjecting residents to interrogations. An Israeli military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said on X that "large forces" had entered the city of Jenin.

The day after the release of the hostage Qaid Farhan al-Qadi details of his captivity emerged: the man was reportedly left alone in the tunnel for an unspecified period of time. One of the brothers, who spent the night with him at the Soroka hospital in Beersheva, told Ynet that Farhan was in the dark most of the time, without distinguishing whether it was day or night. For two months he was with another hostage who later died. The former hostage asked his brother to remind the world that 'there are other people in the tunnels, in that darkness, who need to be taken care of'. The first person to meet with al-Qadi after he was taken out of the tunnel was the Arabic-speaking Colonel Ahsan Daxa, to whom the freed hostage revealed many details. According to the Idf and Israeli intelligence, at least in some cases, Hamas lost contact with the abductees, and the militiamen are now trying to figure out what became of them. The Idf stated that the rescue operations will not succeed in bringing all hostages, dead or alive, back to Israel.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned the "increasingly military response" of the Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank. The UN agency says the recent Israeli military operation in the West Bank is being conducted "in a manner that violates international law and risks further inflaming an already explosive situation."

Israeli soldiers operate during a raid in the Nur Shams camp for Palestinian refugees near the city of Tulkarem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on August 28, 2024.(Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)

The US "should implement its commitment not to support Taiwan's independence". This was said by Chinese diplomacy chief Wang Yi in one of the rounds of meetings held in Beijing with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Washington, Wang added in the state media report, should therefore 'stop arming Taiwan and support the peaceful reunification of China'. Taiwan 'belongs to China and will be reunified', Wang reiterated, for whom independence of the island 'is the biggest risk to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait'.

- In a statement, the armed wing of Fatah says it is taking part in the fighting, including the dropping of bombs on Israeli troops during the extensive anti-terrorist operation launched overnight in the West Bank. The Islamic Jihad terrorist group, which like Hamas is believed to have strengthened its position in the northern West Bank in recent years, also issued a statement denouncing an 'open war' by Israel.

Russia is intent on continuing the so-called 'special military operation' in Ukraine despite President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement that he wants to submit a peace plan to White House candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. This was said by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "This is not the first time," Peskov said, quoted by the Tass news agency, "that we have heard such statements from representatives of the Kiev regime. We continue our special military operation and will achieve all our goals."

'Turning the corner on Brexit'. That is the stated aim of today's visit to Germany by the new British Labour prime minister, Keir Starmer, who arrived in Berlin in his first international engagement after a short summer break to meet with his German colleague (and fellow party member) Olaf Scholz. At stake - as reported by the UK media - is the start of discussions to define a bilateral agreement in areas such as energy, military technology and the fight against 'illegal immigration, as well as the revival of trade and access to the respective markets across the North Sea. An agreement that, in Starmer's intentions, should serve as a model for similar initiatives with other EU countries in the context of that 'reset' in relations with the continent that the new tenant of Downing Street has repeatedly evoked; although excluding - at least in this generation - a reopening of the Brexit itself and closing the doors even to London's re-entry into the Brussels single market or customs union. After Berlin, Starmer will travel to Paris to attend the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, on the sidelines of which he will also have a face-to-face with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

PNA presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the escalation in the West Bank against the cities, villages and camps of Jenin, Tulkarem, Tubas and other Palestinian towns will lead to 'terrible and dangerous results'. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

"Iran is working to establish an eastern terror front against Israel in the West, along the lines of Gaza and Lebanon, financing and arming terrorists and smuggling sophisticated weapons from Jordan". Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote this on X referring to the vast operation launched by the Israeli army in Samaria and the Jordan Valley. Katz called for "the temporary evacuation of Palestinians from the area, similar to what is happening in parts of the Gaza Strip".

The Russian hacker group RaHDit (Evil Russian Hackers) has published the data of some 7,000 members of the Azov battalion online in what is described as 'the largest leak of enemy data' since the beginning of the conflict. The data also includes addresses and telegram numbers. The list also includes foreign nationals such as the Swede Mathias Gustavsson. The man had been captured in Mariupol in 2022 and was later mistaken for a Russian soldier.

The IDF has informed the PNA police forces that it intends to raid the Ibn Sinai hospital in Jenin, which has meanwhile been surrounded, as part of the large-scale anti-terrorist operation in the West Bank following last week's failed attack in Tel Aviv. This was reported on Israeli TV. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported at least 11 dead in the operation: 6 in Jenin and 5 in Tubas. Videos published by the IDF show explosives buried in the ground in the Noor al-Shams refugee camp as they are removed by army vehicles. In a joint statement, the Idf and Shin Bet (internal security) spokesmen said that "the security forces began an operation to counter terrorism in Jenin and Tulkarem".

At a lunch in 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron invited Pavel Durov to move Telegram to Paris but the Russian-born entrepreneur declined. This is what the Wall Street Journal writes, citing people familiar with the discussions. Macron even speculated about granting him French citizenship, according to one of the people. Also according to the Wsj, in 2017 French 007s targeted Durov in a joint operation with the United Arab Emirates that hacked his iPhone. French security was concerned about the Islamic State's use of Telegram to plan attacks.

According to military sources, the IDF launched a large operation in the West Bank in the Tulkarem area where a terrorist network is located that planned and directed last week's failed attack in Tel Aviv. This was reported by the Israeli media. The bomber was identified by Hamas as Jaafar Mona, from Nablus, who was killed by the device that exploded before time as he was on his way to a synagogue where evening prayer was in progress. Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the 18 August attack.

The oil tanker attacked last week by Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea is still on fire and may be leaking oil, the Pentagon says, as reported by the BBC. Attempts to save the Greek-owned and -flagged MV Sounion have been thwarted by the Houthis, who have threatened further attacks. The ship carries more than 150,000 tonnes, or one million barrels, of crude oil and a large spill could prove to be one of the largest ever recorded on a ship. The Iranian-backed Houthis, who control much of Yemen, say they have been attacking ships in the Red Sea for 10 months to support Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The political debate flares up as the road to appointing a premier and forming a government in France looks increasingly uphill. For the former president of the Republic, François Hollande, a socialist and newly re-elected in parliament with the New Popular Front (NFP), Emmanuel Macron is guilty of "a serious institutional error" by refusing to nominate Lucie Castets, the candidate indicated by the NFP, the gauche coalition that won the most seats in parliament, as premier. Criticism, however, which is described as 'nonsense' by the centrist leader of the MoDem, François Bayrou, Macron's ally. "It was not up to the president of the republic to reject Lucie Castets," Hollande said in an interview with Le Point, "this responsibility lies with the Assemblée Nationale once it has heard the general policy statement and the formation of the government. Hollande also accused Macron of a 'political error' when he said that the left-wing candidate would be immediately challenged: 'Everything would depend on what compromise she would be able to guarantee the other groups. For François Bayrou, this is 'nonsense' that 'means nothing': 'What do you mean? It is up to the president to appoint the prime minister. A vote of no-confidence would have been safe'. Then, Bayrou - interviewed by BFM TV - moved on to accuse the New Popular Front of an "attempt to deflect" the result of the legislative elections by claiming that it had "won the elections": "Nobody won these elections," he said, "because at the ballot, the first thing everyone said was 'we don't want the Rassemblement National'". 'The Republican Front,' he explained, 'is the only dominant one in this election'. The French voted, in the second round, to save themselves 'and not to choose within the Republican Front'. The second round of consultations at the Elysée Palace, which began yesterday, continues today. The gauche is not participating, after Macron did not invite the two extremes, Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National and Jean-Luc Mélenchon's La France Insoumise, to the negotiating table. Today it is the turn of the representatives of the Républicains.

Palestinian photojournalist Mohammed Abd Rabbo was killed this morning in an Israeli airstrike that hit his sister's house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The woman was also killed in the attack. This was reported by Al Jazeera. The Palestinian journalists' union said Israeli forces had killed 161 media workers and injured 186 others in Gaza and the West Bank since 7 October. A further 51 have been arrested.

Russian forces carried out a raid on a Himars rocket depot in the Sumy region of Ukraine. This was reported by the Moscow Defence Ministry, quoted by Tass. The attack, it states, destroyed a rocket launcher system and six sets of rockets.

The Russian Air Defence Forces last night shot down 12 Ukrainian drones over two regions of the country, the Russian Defence Ministry announced, as reported by Tass. Eight drones were shot down over the territory of the Voronezh region and four over that of the Rostov region.

More weapons tests in North Korea. Kim Jong Un continues to demonstrate that he is upgrading his arsenal. The North Korean leader witnessed the testing of a '240mm multiple rocket launcher' that the North Korean agency Kcna claims was 'technically upgraded in its manoeuvrability and concentrated fire capability'. Updates that have proven to be 'beneficial in all parameters, including a new guidance system, controllability and destructive power'. Only in recent days, Kim's latest order had been to strengthen the development and production of attack drones. The North Korean leader, Kcna reported, supervised Saturday tests organised by the Pyongyang Academy of Defence Science.

The death toll rises to at least four in the Russian missile attack that hit a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on Monday night. Another lifeless body was pulled from the rubble, local media reported this morning citing rescuers.

Flights to the Russian airport in Kazan were temporarily suspended and redirected to an alternative stopover in Samara for 'security reasons'. This was reported by Ria Novosti. According to the Ukrainian media, the reason is allegedly related to a threat of drone attacks.

Michael Sparks, the man who first entered Capitol Hill on 6 January 2021, was sentenced to four years and five months in prison. This was reported in the media. Before learning of his conviction, Sparks reiterated to the judge that he still believed the 2020 election was rigged. "I am sorry that what happened that day did not help anyone. I am sorry that our country is in the state it is in," he added.

Overnight, an Israeli Arab was killed in clashes with settlers near Bethlehem. In retaliation Hamas called for a day of 'anger and mobilisation' in the West Bank, urging Palestinian residents to 'confront the settlers by all means'.

The IDF announced that it had rescued an Israeli hostage from a tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Qaid Farhan al-Qadi, 52, from a Bedouin community near the southern town of Rahat, who had been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in the nearby community of Mivtahim, reportedly managed to escape from his captors on his own before being rescued by the Israeli army thanks to 'precise intelligence information'.

Despite assurances to the contrary from French President Emmanuel Macron, the arrest of Pavel Durov in Paris risks turning out to be a 'political case', i.e. 'a direct attempt to restrict freedom of communication' and 'intimidation' against him. After two days of reflection, the Kremlin takes a firm stance on the affair of the Russian-French founder and head of Telegram.

According to the US news site Politico, Ukrainian officials will present US national security officials with a list of long-range targets in Russia that Kiev could hit if Washington lifts arms restrictions.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kiev had successfully tested the first domestically manufactured ballistic missile and added that F-16 fighter jets had been used to repel the latest Russian air strikes.

IEA raises nuclear alert over clashes in Kursk. After visiting the Russian power plant in the region, the agency's director-general Grossi said there was a 'danger of a nuclear accident' at the plant, saying he had 'seen traces of drone attacks' on the territory.