In Gaza, at least 50 people were killed in several IDF strikes, including children, according to hospital officials and AP reporters.
After armed Palestinian groups conducted a raid on Israel on 7 Oct 2023 that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, Israel’s Nakba in Gaza has killed more than 42,400 Palestinians, with more than half of them women and children. The reprisal rate is close to 40:1.
Israeli strikes hit the upper floors of the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, and forces opened fire at the hospital’s building and its courtyard, causing panic among patients and medical staff. At the Awda hospital in Jabaliya, strikes hit the building’s top floors, injuring several staff members.
In central Gaza, at least ten people were killed, including two children, when a house was hit in the town of Zawayda. Another strike killed 11 people, all from the same family, in the Maghazi refugee camp, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, where they were taken. Two Associated Press journalists counted the bodies at the hospitals. Attacking medical staff or facilities is a war crime.
The war has destroyed vast swaths of Gaza, displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people, and left them struggling to find food, water, medicine, and fuel. The UN has warned of an imminent famine for the people of Gaza.
In the West Bank, the UN reports that between 8-14 Oct, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including a child, and injured 104 people, including nine children.
“Israeli forces accused most of those fatalities of being involved in attacking Israelis,” a UN official said.
“Yesterday, a Palestinian woman was reportedly killed while she was harvesting olives in Jenin. That follows 32 attacks by Israeli settlers this month on Palestinians engaged in the olive harvest. Hundreds of olive trees and saplings have been vandalized, sawed off or stolen. The olive harvest is an economic lifeline for tens of thousands of Palestinian families.”
Meanwhile, James Elder, a UNICEF spokesperson who recently returned from another mission to Gaza, called the Palestinian enclave “the real-world embodiment of hell on Earth for its one million children. And it is getting worse, day by day, as we see the horrific impact of the daily airstrikes and military operations on Palestinian children.”
In Dec 2023, UNICEF stated: “The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child.”
Meanwhile, families of hostages still held in Gaza demanded the Israeli government restart negotiations to bring home their loved ones. There are about 100 hostages remaining in Gaza, at least 30 of whom Israel says are dead.
In Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle on a main highway north of Beirut, killing two people.
According to Lebanese authorities, more than 2,300 people have been killed and over 11,000 injured since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah began in Oct 2023, while more than 1.2 million people have been displaced.
UNIFIL Peacekeepers near the southern Lebanese town of Marwahin, 12 Oct 2023. 48 countries contribute Soldiers to this mission, including Finland, China, Turkiye, France, Italy, Ireland, Malaysia, and Spain. Approximately 800 Peacekeepers are women.
A UN official accused the IDF of repeatedly targeting UN peacekeepers along the blue line, the provisional border between Israel and Lebanon.
“We have been targeted several times and deliberately attacked once inside the borders in Naqoura, injuring two peacekeepers,” said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UNIFIL in Geneva.
“The Israelis hit the communication system very close to the bunkers where peacekeepers were sheltering. And there was an instance when IDF troops entered a UNIFIL position and remained there for 45 minutes. So, all these elements are clear, and we have been very vocal that these are deliberate attacks against the mission.”
Israel has rejected accusations that it is going after the peacekeepers, but acknowledged injuring two UNIFIL peacekeepers on 11 Oct when forces fired on what an IDF statement on X called “an immediate threat.” The IDF has stated that Hezbollah militants in Lebanon deliberately operate near UNIFIL posts and bases, “thereby endangering UNIFIL personnel.”
Demands by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu for the UN mission to move its positions away from the blue line were ignored by the UN.
Tenenti said that incursions into Lebanese territory by the IDF in the proximity of the blue line in both UNIFIL sectors, east and west, “constitute a violation of Lebanese sovereignty, and also a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Security forces near Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea, Israel, 19 Oct 2024. Neither he nor his wife were home and there were no casualties when a drone crashed nearby.
Israeli forces do not want witnesses to their offensive in Lebanon (or in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank for that matter). After the IDF attacked the USS Liberty spy ship on 8 Jun 1967 during the Six-Day War, James Bamford, an NSA historian, wrote that the USS Liberty SIGINT personnel intercepted IDF communications about Israeli soldiers massacring unarmed Egyptian POWs. To eliminate damaging evidence of war crimes the naval eavesdropping platform might be gathering, the Israeli High Command allegedly ordered an airstrike on the USN ship, killing 34 Americans and wounding 173.
Of a crew of 294 officers and men (including three civilians), the ship suffered 34 KIA and 173 WIA. The ship itself, a $40,000,000 state-of-the-art signals intelligence (SIGINT) platform, was so badly damaged that it never sailed on an operational mission again and was sold in 1970 for $101,666.66 as scrap.
Sources:
Strike launched toward Israeli prime minister’s house; Gaza strikes kill at least 21 (voanews.com)
USS Liberty incident – Wikipedia
USS Liberty Veterans Association |
Israel denies UN accusations that it’s targeting peacekeepers in Lebanon (voanews.com)
Infographics | UNIFIL (unmissions.org)
Drone targets Israeli prime minister’s house as strikes in Gaza kill 50 (scrippsnews.com)
Russia, Ukraine Conduct Prisoner Swap, Exchange Fallen Soldiers
Ukrainian prisoners of war seen following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, on 18 Oct 2024 (AFP Photo/Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout)
Russia and Ukraine swapped 190 prisoners of war on 18 Oct under an agreement completed with the help of the United Arab Emirates who mediated the exchange.
95 returning Russian servicemen were undergoing medical checks in Belarus. There was no immediate word of the exchange from Ukrainian authorities.
Russia and Ukraine also exchanged the bodies of fallen servicemen. 501 servicemen returned to Ukraine and 89 to Russia.
The bodies will be taken to Ukrainian morgues for identification, after which they will be handed over to relatives for burial.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the exchange of bodies, which the two sides have regularly done since 2022. The International Committee of the Red Cross acts as an intermediary in the exchanges.
In the meantime, South Korean intelligence confirmed Ukrainian President Zelensky’s accusation on TV that North Korea is sending troops to fight Ukraine. NIS (once called KCIA) reported Pyongyang began moving special forces to Russia earlier this month to help support the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine. One report indicated 1,500 special forces were en route to Russia and a total of 10,000 troops would be ready to fight in Nov.
Satellite images released by South Korea’s intelligence services show North Korean special forces troops boarding Russian ships and being transported to the mainland. (Via UK Latest News.)
Large Russian transport planes (AN-124s) have been observed frequently sortieing between Vladivostok and Pyongyang. North Korean soldiers were provided with Russian uniforms and Russian-made weapons, as well as fake identification cards of residents of the Siberian region of Yakutiya Buratiya (Attachment 5) who have a similar appearance to North Koreans. They are being disguised as Russian soldiers in order to conceal their participation in the war.
NIS assessed that North Korea has provided more than 13,000 containers of artillery, missiles, anti-tank rockets, and other lethal aid to Russia on more than 70 occasions since Aug 2023.
The Ukrainian military should make targeting these North Koreans with HIMARs or other catastrophic weapons a priority to immediately demoralize them. These DPRK soldiers may be well-trained and disciplined, but Coriolanus can not uncover the last time these commandos were involved in a real shooting war since 1953. Some commandos have conducted pin-prick raids against the South Korea coast, but nothing large-scale like this conflict. Seoul can be of assistance to Kiev by providing linguists and messages in order to begin a PSYOP campaign directed at these North Koreans. The old terminology was “leaflets and loudspeakers” to induce surrenders or get them to question why they are so far away from their families.
Serhii Hnezdilov, a Ukrainian soldier and activist, at a court hearing in Kiev this month after his arrest on a charge of desertion. He wanted to draw attention to the need to discharge worn-out soldiers and replace them with fresh conscripts. (Photo: Stanislav Yurchenko / Reuters)
The Ukrainian population is beginning to fatigue from the stresses of this 21-month long war while these fresh North Korean soldiers bolster the Russian army. As posted here on Coriolanus, the Ukrainian military is seeking out military-age males who have not registered for conscription or served at the front. Appeals to the Ukrainian diaspora to return home to fight have failed. Reports of Ukrainian military desertions are increasing and they seem not to stem from cowardice or lack of patriotism, but sheer exhaustion. Serhii Hnezdilov, pictured above, is protesting the never-ending combat tours.
Sources:
Russia, Ukraine Conduct Prisoner Swap, Exchange Of Bodies (rferl.org)
UAE resets a decade of muscular foreign policy (ft.com)
Press Release Details | News | NIS National Intelligence Service
US/Canada/Mexico: 16 Defendants Charged in Cocaine Smuggling Network; Four Murders
Ryan James Wedding (43) a Canadian citizen residing in Mexico and Andrew Clark (34) a Canadian citizen also residing in Mexico, were charged with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute, and export cocaine. Clark was arrested 8 Oct by Mexican law enforcement and is detained. Wedding is a fugitive.
Wedding, whose aliases include “El Jefe,” “Giant,” and “Public Enemy,” and who competed for Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, UT, is head of the Wedding Drug Trafficking Organization (WDTO). Wedding and Clark allegedly directed the 20 Nov 2023, murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, in retaliation for a stolen drug shipment that passed through Southern California. They ordered the murder of another victim on 18 May 2024, over a drug debt
Cocaine shipments were transported from Mexico to the Los Angeles area, stored in stash houses, then delivered to Canada using long-haul semi-trucks.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for any information leading to his arrest.
Law enforcement seized more than one ton of cocaine, three firearms, dozens of rounds of ammunition, $255,400 in US currency, and more than $3.2 million in cryptocurrency.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.
If convicted, Wedding, Clark, and Cunningham would face a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison on the murder and attempted murder charges. The continuing criminal enterprise charges also carry a mandatory minimum penalty of life in federal prison. The drug trafficking charges carry mandatory minimum penalties between 10 and 15 years in prison.
Olympian Ryan James Wedding competing in happier times. (Undated photo . Getty Images)
This is only a matter of time before Wedding is either caught by law-enforcement or disposed of by other nefarious elements south of the border. Wedding is no longer of any utility and now presents a threat to lucrative criminal operations with the spotlight shining on him as a fugitive with a reward for his capture.
Sources:
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in double homicide: DOJ | CTV News
France: Local Transmissions of Dengue Fever Reach Record High
The tiger mosquito bites throughout the day and carries dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika. (Photo: © AP – James Gathany)
Since the beginning of May, the onset of tiger mosquito activity, 80 people have contracted the tropical disease without travelling to endemic regions.
This marks a new record, surpassing the 65 locally transmitted cases reported in 2022 and 45 in 2023.
It follows a recent report from the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses) that suggests the risk of an epidemic of dengue, chikungunya or Zika – all diseases transmitted by tiger mosquitoes – is high.
On a scale of 0 to 9, the agency rated the likelihood of such an outbreak occurring in mainland France within the next five years at 6 to 7.
Map: Welt-Atlas.de
Currently, dengue cases are localised mainly in the south-eastern Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, which has reported 58 infections this year alone. The main factors contributing to potential outbreaks are warm temperatures – between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius – and the importation of viruses from areas experiencing epidemics.
Since the beginning of the year, Santé Publique France has recorded 3,938 imported dengue cases, alongside 22 cases of chikungunya and five of Zika – 1.5 times the number reported in 2023.
A significant majority of these cases – 68 percent – involved travelers returning from the French Caribbean territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique, in the grip of extensive outbreaks for over a year.
The tiger mosquito first arrived in mainland France in 2004, establishing a foothold in the southern town of Menton before spreading across the entire country. Once an area is colonised by mosquitoes, eradication becomes a daunting challenge. Residents are urged to eliminate standing water and other mosquito breeding sites in their surroundings.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the spread of dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases in recent years is “an alarming trend that demands a coordinated response across sectors and across borders”.
The UN health agency said the number of dengue cases reported globally has approximately doubled each year since 2021, with over 12.3 million cases, including more than 7,900 deaths, reported in the first eight months of 2024 alone.
An estimated four billion people worldwide are currently at risk of contracting dengue, chikungunya, or Zika, according to the WHO, with that number estimated to swell to five billion by 2050.
Dengue symptoms include high fever, often accompanied by headaches, nausea and vomiting, lasting two to three weeks.
Global warming has been a benefit to man’s apex predator, the mosquito. Longer summers and warmer temperatures help expand their spread, as well as their feeding/mating times.
Sources:
Local transmissions of dengue fever reach record high in France (rfi.fr)
Paris wards off tiger mosquito scourge ahead of Olympics
Dengue and severe dengue (who.int)
Tel Aviv Man Arrested for Allegedly Spying for Iran; Planned Assassination of Israeli Scientist
Vladimir Varkhovsky (Photo: Regtechtimes)
Israeli authorities have arrested a Tel Aviv resident on suspicion of carrying out missions for Iranian intelligence, including graffiti, distributing flyers, and gathering information on Israeli targets.
Vladimir Varkhovsky allegedly agreed to assassinate an Israeli scientist for $100,000 and had obtained a weapon for the task. The Shin Bet said communication with his handlers was in English.
Varkhovsky communicated with an Iranian agent via the Telegram messaging app and carried out several tasks for the agent between Aug and Sep 2024. These included spraying anti-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu graffiti around Tel Aviv, placing plastic containers with tracking devices near Segula Cemetery in Petah Tikva and filming protests in Tel Aviv in an attempt to connect with another demonstrator.
Varkhovsky was reportedly instructed to retrieve a pistol intended for the assassination of the Israeli scientist. The foreign agent promised him $100,000 and assistance in fleeing to Russia after the murder. Varkhovsky collected the gun and matching magazine at a pre-arranged location as part of the plot. He received payment for his activities in digital currency.
The intelligence network that led to Varkhovsky’s arrest was uncovered through a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Israeli police’s serious crime Lahav 433 unit, often dubbed “the Israeli FBI.” (Photo: Regtechtimes)
The Shin Bet and police warned that Iranian intelligence has used social media platforms to recruit unsuspecting Israelis for various tasks. “While some assignments may initially seem harmless, they pose a genuine threat to national security. Many Israelis who received suspicious outreach did not respond and alert the authorities,” the statement added.
Superintendent Maor Goren, head of the security division at Lahav 433, added: “This case is part of a series of serious investigations where Israeli citizens were recruited by foreign agents. However, this case stands out due to its severity and boldness: the defendant had already armed himself with a pistol, magazine and bullets, after agreeing to carry out the murder of a scientist for $100,000 and planning to flee the country with the foreign agent’s help to Russia immediately after the attack.”
The indictment follows a similar case just days earlier, in which a couple from the nearby city of Ramat Gan was charged with contacting an Iranian agent and agreeing to assassinate Israeli officials.
Vladislav Victorsson (30) and his partner Anna Bernstein (18) are accused of working under the direction of an Iranian agent to carry out various criminal activities. (Photo: Yuval Chen)
The alleged plot against an Israeli scientist is most likely a response to the murder of nuclear physicists in Iran. Between 2010 and 2020, five Iranian nuclear scientists (Masoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari, Darioush Rezaeinejad, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, and Mohsen Fakhrizadeh) were killed in foreign-linked assassinations.
Sources:
Tel Aviv man arrested for allegedly spying for Iran, planned assassination of Israeli (ynetnews.com)
Israeli couple indicted in Iranian plot to assassinate Israeli officials (ynetnews.com)
Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists – Wikipedia
Main Zoo in North Macedonian Capital Shut Down After Avian Flu Case Detected
Map: CIA
The main zoo in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje was closed Saturday after authorities confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu.
According to a press statement, the flu was detected in a goose that died in a pond.
“Laboratory results confirmed a case of the presence of a pathogenic strain of the Avian influenza H5N1 virus,” the statement said.
Authorities immediately put down dozens of ducks, geese, chickens and one jackdaw, which inhabited the same pond.
The zoo will be closed for at least three weeks. During that period, authorities will disinfect the place, inspect other animals and apply other biosecurity measures aimed to prevent the spread of the disease.
The last cases of bird flu in North Macedonia, all in wild birds, were detected in 2022.
You can see more fauna in the Skopje Zoo here: ZOO Skopje photo gallery – Quest Macedonia (Photo: Aleksandar Ristevski)
The virus can cause heavy losses in the poultry industry and lead to restrictions on the import and export of live birds and poultry products. Highly pathogenic strains of avian flu can also be transmitted to humans.
Founded in 1926, Skopje’s zoo is one of the most visited places in the capital, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, not only from the country but also from across the Western Balkans.
In the past, the zoo had been the target of much criticism over the animals’ living conditions. Starting in 2008, authorities poured large sums of money into improvements, working with the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to bring the zoo up to modern standards.
Sources:
Main zoo in North Macedonian capital shut down after avian flu case detected – ABC News (go.com)
ZOO Skopje photo gallery – Quest Macedonia
US/Canada: Frozen Waffles Sold at Walmart, Target Recalled Over Listeria Risk
This is a voluntary recall of the product. (Photo: Treehouse Foods)
Hundreds of varieties of frozen waffles sold under brands like Kodiak Cakes, Simple Truth, Walmart’s Great Value and Target’s Good & Gather have been recalled because of a possible listeria contamination.
Manufacturer TreeHouse Foods voluntarily announced the recall on Friday after the contamination was discovered during routine testing.
There have been no confirmed reports of illness linked to the recalled products to date, the company said.
The recalled frozen waffles were distributed throughout the US and Canada and packed in various formats.
Listeria infections typically cause fever, muscle aches and tiredness and may cause stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions. Symptoms can occur quickly or to up to ten weeks after eating contaminated food, according to the Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
The infections are especially dangerous for older people, those with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant.
Consumers who have purchased any of the products listed in the recall should dispose of them or return the product to the place of purchase for credit. Further questions can be directed to the company at (800) 596-2903.
Sources:
Frozen waffles sold at retailers like Walmart, Target recalled for listeria risk (scrippsnews.com)
American Warzone: Mass Shooting After Mississippi High School Homecoming; 3 KIA; 8 WIA
Whether people in the US want to admit it or not, Americans suffer from wartime casualties every day without having to go to war with another country. This is why Coriolanus uses these brutal, military terms. According to the CDC, in 2022 there were more than 48,000 firearm-related deaths in the US. The US military suffered 58,281 KIA in Vietnam. In this photo, US Army medics are providing aid to a casualty. (Image: US Department of Defense)
Three people were killed and at least eight more were wounded during a shooting in Mississippi early Saturday morning.
The shooting happened just after 12:30 CDT during a trail ride in Holmes County, approximately five miles from the city of Lexington, Miss.
(Map: thedirectory.org)
Police are still searching for suspects, with agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation assisting local authorities.
Officials say a group of people were riding together following a homecoming event at a local high school when a confrontation broke out, leading to the mass shooting.
Police identified two men from Durant, MS and a woman from Kosciusko in neighboring Attala County, as those who were killed.
The remaining victims were taken to hospitals in Jackson, MS, including by air ambulance, with varying degrees of injuries.
The incident took place following a homecoming event and football game at Holmes County Central High School.
In an average year, 804 people are murdered and 2,101 are wounded by guns in Mississippi. The Magnolia State has the 2nd-highest rate of gun violence in the US.
Mississippi has the 2nd-highest societal cost of gun violence in the US at $3,323 per resident each year. Gun deaths and injuries cost Mississippi $9.9 billion each year, of which $307.2 million is paid by taxpayers.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/firearm-violence/data-research/facts-stats/index.html
Massachusetts Governor Grants Reprieve to Beaver
Nibi was found on the side of a road when she was just a baby. Efforts to familiarize her with other beavers were not successful and she preferred to be near humans, according to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue who provided this photo.
The question of whether a two-year-old beaver named Nibi can stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild was resolved when the Massachusetts governor stepped in to protect Nibi.
The state issued a permit to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue for Nibi to remain at the rehabilitation facility and serve as an educational animal.
“Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said Thursday. “We’re excited to share that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain in Newhouse’s care, continuing to educate the public about this important species.”
Nibi’s fate had made it all the way to the state courts before Healey stepped in.
A judge on Tuesday had said that Nibi would be allowed to stay in her home at the rescue center in Chelmsford, located northwest of Boston. A hearing had been set in a case filed by the rescuers against MassWildlife, the state’s division of fisheries and wildlife, to stop the release.
Nibi’s rescuers at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue said on their Facebook page that they were “beyond grateful” for Healey’s decision.
Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group’s social media since she was a baby, and posts about her impending release garnered thousands of comments.
An online petition to save Nibi from being released into the wild has received over 25,000 signatures, lawmakers have weighed in, and earlier this week Healey pledged to make sure Nibi is protected.
“We all care about what is best for the beaver known as Nibi and all wild animals throughout our state,” Mark Tisa, director of MassWildlife, said. “We share the public’s passion for wildlife and invite everyone to learn more about beavers and their important place in our environment.”
Jane Newhouse, the rescue group’s founder and president, has said that after Nibi was found on the side of the road, they tried to reunite her with nearby beavers who could have been her parents but were unsuccessful. After that, attempts to get her to bond with other beavers also didn’t work.
“It’s very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to like people and seems to have no interest in being wild or bonding with any of her own species,” she said.
Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue operation, and will also wander in its yard and rehabilitation space, Newhouse said. “She pretty much has full run of the place. Everybody on my team is in love with her,” she said.
Newhouse said she had asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver, allowing her to take the beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. Newhouse said she feared a release would mean certain death for her beloved “diva” beaver, who doesn’t know how to live in the wild.
“It doesn’t give her much time… to figure out how to build a lodge for the first time, how to build dams for the first time, how to store all of her food before winter sets in,” she said.
Newhouse said that beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it’s possible that over the next year Nibi will show more interest in wanting to be in the wild. But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe.
Beavers are common and abundant throughout Massachusetts. A keystone species, beavers play an important role in fostering biodiversity of ecosystems, according to state officials. By damming rivers and streams, and forming shallow ponds, beavers are vital for creating healthy wetlands that support a tremendous diversity of plants, bugs, and wildlife, and store floodwaters during storms.
They are also North America’s largest native rodents, weighing between 35 and 80 pounds and reaching 2–3 feet in length as adults. Adult beavers have very few predators and can live for 20 years or more.
In almost all cases, it’s best to leave wildlife alone, officials said, so they don’t come to rely on humans for food and shelter.
Sources:
Nibi the ‘diva’ beaver to stay at rescue center, Massachusetts governor decides | AP News
Undated photo of Nibi, courtesy of Jane Newhouse, Newhouse Wildlife Rescue
Coriolanus 