Police vehicles and ambulances arrive at the scene of a security breach at the Hamburg Airport, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Hamburg, Germany. (Jonas Walzberg/dpa via AP)
BERLIN (AP) — The hostage situation at Hamburg Airport ended Sunday afternoon, around 18 hours after a man drove his vehicle through the gates of the airport with his 4-year-old daughter inside, authorities said. The man was arrested and the girl appears to be unharmed.
Hamburg police tweeted that “the hostage situation is over. The suspect has left the car with his daughter. … The child appears to be unharmed.”
Police also said that “the man was arrested by the emergency services without resistance.”
Police vehicles block access to Hamburg Airport during an operation, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Hamburg, Germany. (Bodo Marks/dpa via AP)
The airport in the northern German city had been closed to passengers and flights canceled since Saturday night when the man, who was armed, broke through an airport gate with his vehicle and fired twice into the air with a weapon, according to German news agency dpa. The man drove the vehicle just outside a terminal building and parked it under a plane.
Authorities said the man’s wife had previously contacted them about a child abduction.
Police said that the 35-year-old man had his daughter inside the car after reportedly taking her by force from the mother in a possible custody battle.
Police guard the scene of a security breach at the Hamburg Airport, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Hamburg, Germany. (Jonas Walzberg/dpa via AP)
A psychologist had been negotiating with the man for 18 hours. Nobody was injured during the standoff after all passengers had evacuated the airport, police said.
The mother of the girl also arrived at the airport earlier on Sunday.
Police spokeswoman Sandra Levgruen said that officers were checking whether the suspect “still has any explosive devices on him or with him or whether they are still in the car,” dpa reported.
“We are currently assuming that he is unharmed, but he is still lying on the ground in the care of the police,” she said.
More than 100 flights were canceled and several planes were rerouted. Thousands of travelers had been affected by the standoff and hundreds were put up at hotels close by.
A man gets out of his vehicle near an airplane with his child in his arms at Hamburg Airport, Germany, Sunday Nov. 5, 2023. (Jonas Walzberg/dpa via AP)
Police said Sunday afternoon that preparations were underway for the fastest possible resumption of flight operations.
Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher expressed relief that nobody was injured in the incident.
“The hostage-taking at Hamburg Airport is over after long, dramatic hours,” Tschentscher wrote on X, thanking police for their efforts.
“I wish the mother, the child and her family a lot of strength to cope with these terrible experiences,” he added.
An American man and a Luxembourgian woman died on the spot in a road accident in Phuket Province, while the female Russian driver was injured.
The incident happened near the Friendship Beach Resort entrance on Wiset Road, on the way to Rawai Beach. Phuket Police officers from Chalong Police Station were notified at 1:00 a.m. on November 5, and they then contacted a forensic doctor from Vachira Phuket Hospital, as well as staff from the Rawai Municipal Rescue Unit and the Phuket Foundation, to assist with the scene examination.
A grey BYD car with a Phuket licence plate, driven by Miss Irina, 41 years old, Russian nationality, collided with a Honda Click motorcycle with a red licence plate in Phuket Province, driven by Mr. Nickolas Joseph Ayoub, age 21 years, American nationality from New York State, and Miss Schintgen Cey-lan, age 19 years, Luxembourgian nationality, sitting behind.
Both were pronounced dead at the scene. A forensic doctor indicated during the initial autopsy that there were wounds all over the body and that some muscles were torn. He handed over the bodies to rescue workers, who took them to Vachira Phuket Hospital. The police also notified the couple’s two embassies to report their deaths to their families.
Officials also noted at the scene that the electric pole, traffic signal poles, and electrical wires had been damaged. After being taken to the hospital by the rescuers, the Russian driver will be investigated.
Palestinians strike the concrete while looking for survivors under the rubble of a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The United States and Arab partners disagreed Saturday on the need for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as Israeli military strikes killed civilians at a U.N. shelter and a hospital, and Israel said the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers were “encountering the full force” of its troops.
Large columns of smoke rose as Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the initial target of its offensive to crush Hamas. Gaza’s Health Ministry has said more than 9,400 Palestinians have been killed in the territory in nearly a month of war, and that number is likely to rise as the assault continues.
“Anyone in Gaza City is risking their life,” Israel’s Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said.
In the night from Saturday to Sunday, airstrikes hit the Maghazi refugee camp in the central area of Gaza, and Palestinian health officials reported multiple casualties. Maghazi is in the evacuation zone where Israel had urged Palestinians to seek refuge.
Tails of fire caused by Israeli bombardment, fall over Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Arab countries want an immediate cease-fire, saying “the whole region is sinking in a sea of hatred that will define generations to come.”
Blinken, however, said “it is our view now that a cease-fire would simply leave Hamas in place, able to regroup and repeat what it did on Oct. 7.” He said humanitarian pauses can be critical in protecting civilians, getting aid in and getting foreign nationals out, “while still enabling Israel to achieve its objective, the defeat of Hamas.”
As he left church in Delaware on Sunday, U.S. President Joe Biden hinted at progress in efforts to convince Israel to agree to a humanitarian pause, responding “Yes,” to reporters’ questions about any forward movement on the subject. He did not elaborate.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told reporters in Beirut that Blinken “should stop the aggression and should not come up with ideas that cannot be implemented.” The spokesman of the Hamas military wing, who goes by Abu Obeida, said in a speech that fighters had destroyed 24 Israeli vehicles and inflicted casualties in the past two days.
Palestinians comfort a crying man after losing relatives under the rubble of a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)
Egyptian officials said they and Qatar were proposing humanitarian pauses for six to 12 hours daily to allow aid in and casualties to be evacuated. They were also asking for Israel to release a number of women and elderly prisoners in exchange for hostages, suggestions Israel seemed unlikely to accept. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the press on the discussions.
Israel has repeatedly demanded that northern Gaza’s 1.1 million residents flee south, and on Saturday it offered a three-hour window for residents to do so. An Associated Press journalist on the road, however, saw nobody coming. The head of the government media office in Gaza, Salama Maarouf, said no one went south because the Israeli military had damaged the road.
But Israel asserted that Hamas “exploited” the window to move south and attack its forces. There was no immediate Hamas comment on that claim, which was impossible to verify.
Some Palestinians said they didn’t flee because they feared Israeli bombardment.
“We don’t trust them,” said Mohamed Abed, who sheltered with his wife and children on the grounds of al-Shifa hospital, one of thousands of Palestinians seeking safety at medical centers in the north.
Swaths of residential neighborhoods in northern Gaza have been leveled in airstrikes. U.N. monitors say more than half of northern Gaza’s remaining residents, estimated at around 300,000, are sheltering in U.N.-run facilities. But deadly Israeli strikes have also repeatedly hit and damaged those shelters. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has said it has lost contact with many in the north.
On Saturday, two strikes hit a U.N. school sheltering thousands just north of Gaza City, killing several people in tents in the schoolyard and women who were baking bread inside the building, according to the U.N. agency. Initial reports indicated that 20 people were killed, said spokeswoman Juliette Touma. The health ministry in Gaza said 15 people were killed at the school and another 70 wounded.
Also Saturday, two people were killed in a strike by the gate of al-Nasser Hospital in Gaza City, according to Medhat Abbas, health ministry spokesman. And a strike hit near the entrance to the emergency ward of al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City, injuring at least 21, the Palestinian Red Crescent said.
The World Health Organization called attacks on health care in Gaza “unacceptable.”
Black smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab, a Lebanese border village with Israel in south Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. The Lebanon-Israel border has been the site of regular clashes between Israeli forces on one side and Hezbollah and Palestinian armed groups on the other since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Also hit was the family home of Hamas’ exiled leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Shati refugee camp on the northern edge of Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run media office in Gaza. It had no immediate details on damage or casualties.
Israel has continued bombing in the south, saying it is striking Hamas targets.
An airstrike early Saturday destroyed a home in the southern town of Khan Younis, with first responders pulling three bodies and six injured people from the rubble. Among those killed was a child, according to an AP cameraman at the scene.
“The sound of explosions never stops,” said Raed Mattar, who was sheltering in a school in Khan Younis after fleeing the north.
At least 1,115 Palestinian dual nationals and wounded have exited Gaza into Egypt, but on Saturday authorities in Gaza didn’t allow foreign passport holders to leave because Israel was preventing the evacuation of Palestinian patients for treatment in Egypt, said Wael Abu Omar, a spokesman for the Palestinian Crossings Authority.
The U.N. said about 1.5 million people in Gaza, or 70% of the population, have fled their homes.
Food, water and the fuel needed for generators that power hospitals and other facilities is running out.
Anger over the war and civilian deaths in Gaza sparked large demonstrations in Paris, Washington, London, Pakistan and elsewhere on Saturday. “Against apartheid, free Palestinians,” a banner in Rome read.
Palestinians carry a dead child that was found under the rubble of a destroyed house following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled)
Turkey said it was recalling its ambassador to Israel for consultations, and Turkish media reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he could no longer speak to Netanyahu in light of the bombardment.
Thousands of Israelis protested outside Netanyahu’s official residence in Jerusalem, urging him to resign and calling for the return of roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu has refused to take responsibility for the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed more than 1,400 people.
“I find it difficult to understand why trucks with humanitarian aid are going to monsters,” said Ella Ben Ami, whose parents were abducted. She called for aid to be halted until the hostages are released.
Thousands of people also joined a demonstration of hostages’ families in Tel Aviv.
Air raid sirens sounded Saturday evening in southern Israel as Hamas launched rockets into Ashkelon. Rocket fire has continued in the area throughout the conflict, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
Fears continued of a new front opening along Israel’s border with Lebanon. The Israeli military said it had struck militant cells in Lebanon trying to fire at Israel, as well as an observation post for Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas. Throughout the war, Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire almost daily. Hezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a tense stalemate.
“We are not interested in a northern front, but we are prepared for any task,” Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, said after touring the border. He said the Air Force is “preserving most of its might for the Lebanon front,” according to a video statement.
The Israeli military said four more soldiers have died during the Gaza ground operation, bringing the confirmed death toll to 28.
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Bassem Mroue reported from Beirut and Cara Anna reported from New York. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Amman, Jordan; Samy Magdy in Cairo; Julia Frankel and Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem; and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this story.
Ms. Heidi, a 24-year-old American woman, filed a report with the police at Somdet Chao Phraya Police Station, Bangkok, that she had been raped in her room of a condominium in the Sathorn area, Krung Thonburi Road, Khlong San District, Bangkok at 10:00 p.m. on November 4.
The woman revealed that she knew a man, Tim, who assaulted her through the Tinder application. They had agreed to meet at a pub on November 2. When they met, Tim requested to stay in her room, which she allowed. They had agreed not to have sex because she had to work early in the morning.
Later, on November 3, about 2:00 a.m., as she was taking a shower to prepare for bed, this man raped her without her consent. As a result, she decided to report the incident.
Officials reviewed CCTV footage from the American woman’s condominium and obviously noticed the suspect’s face. As a result, they will track him down and arrest him for an additional inquiry.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, Pool)
A fake video purported to show Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida making sexual remarks during an apparent live news program has been widely circulated on social media.
In the video, possibly fabricated by generative artificial intelligence, the prime minister appears to be speaking to viewers on Japanese broadcaster Nippon Television Network Corp. The company’s logo appears in the corner of the screen along with a ticker saying, “Breaking News.”
“It is totally unforgivable that our program logo has been abused in a fake video,” the broadcaster said, adding, it will take action over the case.
Three motorbike accidents on Pattaya Sai 3 Road, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, injured Thais and a foreigner. Police say a Russian guy driving drunk caused it.
Officers apprehended a Russian guy after he refused to have his alcohol level assessed and became aggressive.
The incident occurred on November 4 around 2:00 a.m. Police called in rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Dhammasathan Foundation in Pattaya to provide first aid to those injured on a damaged Honda Wave motorbike. The driver, Mr. Santichai Limtrakul, 32, suffered a laceration on his left leg. Another foreign man was a pillion rider with a major head wound.
Also nearby was a Honda MSX motorcycle that had overturned and was damaged next to Ms. Sabaporn Kongcharoen, 26 years old, who was the driver. There were wounds and abrasions all over the body. All were sent to a nearby hospital.
A Russian man on a Honda PCX motorcycle collided with the two motorcycles. He was drunk and attempted to flee the police, so he was arrested at the Pattaya police station.
Santichai, the driver of a Honda Wave motorcycle, recalled an incident in which he was riding on the back of a motorcycle with a foreign man. When he came to a halt at the intersection to cross the street, he was joined by a female rider’s motorbike. Suddenly, the opposing motorbike appeared from nowhere at tremendous speed and collided with his motorbike and another close bike.
This handout photo provided by Nepal Prime Minister's Office shows an earthquake-affected area in northwestern Nepal, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Nepal Prime Minister's Office via AP)
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepalese authorities said their focus was on finding survivors after a strong earthquake shook districts in northwestern Nepal just before midnight Friday, killing at least 128 people and injuring dozens more.
The death toll was expected to rise as communications were still cut off in many places, officials said Saturday.
“The priority is to find the survivors and take them to hospital,” said regional police chief, Bhim Dhakal, “while we recover bodies of the deceased.”
Troops were clearing roads and mountain trails blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake. Helicopters flew in medical workers and medicines to the hospitals there.
Security forces on the ground were digging out the injured and dead from the rubble, Nepal police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said.
A woman airlifted from an earthquake-affected area is carried on a stretcher in Nepalgunj, Nepal, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Krishna Adhikari)
At the regional hospital in the city of Nepalgunj, more than 100 beds were made available and teams of doctors stood by to help the injured.
“I was fast asleep when all of a sudden it started shaking violently. I tried to run but the whole house collapsed. I tried escaping but half my body got buried in the debris,” said Bimal Kumar Karki, one of the first two people to be brought to the regional hospital.
“I screamed, but every one of my neighbors were in the same situation and screaming for help. It took nearly a half-hour to an hour before rescuers found me,” he said.
The United States Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 11 miles. Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center said its epicenter was at Jajarkot, which is about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.
People airlifted from an earthquake-affected area arrive in Nepalgunj, Nepal, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Krishna Adhikari)
As day broke Saturday, rescue helicopters flew into the region to help out and security forces on the ground were digging out the injured and dead from the rubble, Nepal police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said.
Troops were clearing roads and mountain trails that were blocked by landslides triggered by the earthquake. Helicopters flew in medical workers and medicines to the hospitals there.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also flew in on a helicopter with a team of doctors. Dahal led an armed communist revolt in 1996-2006 that began from the districts that were hit by the quake.
In Jajarkot district, where the quake’s epicenter was, 92 people were confirmed dead and 55 others injured, Kadayat said. The quake killed at least 36 people in neighboring Rukum district, where numerous houses collapsed, and at least 85 injured people were taken to the local hospital, he said.
Security officials worked with villagers all through the night in the darkness to pull the dead and injured from fallen houses.
Security officers stand guard at Bheri hospital, where people airlifted from earthquake-affected areas are being brought for treatment, in Nepalgunj, Nepal, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
The quake, which hit when many people were already were asleep in their homes, was felt in India’s capital, New Delhi, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away.
Earthquakes are common in mountainous Nepal. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015 killed some 9,000 people and damaged about 1 million structures.
Neighboring India offered to help in the rescue efforts.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared on social media that he was deeply saddened by the loss of lives and damage due to the earthquake in Nepal.
“India stands in solidarity with the people of Nepal and is ready to extend all possible assistance,” he said.
This screen grab from video shows villagers stand in front of their damaged houses from last night earthquake in Jagarkot, Nepal, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (Sabin Dhamala via AP)
“The 1990s is a period of time that many people consider to be the best time of their lives, filled with cherished memories. For those in their late 30s to early 50s, the nostalgia for the happiness and atmosphere of the ‘90s still lingers, as if it was just yesterday…”
FEED, the content lifestyle creator under the Matichon Group, invites everyone to relive the ‘90s with the ‘FEED RETRO Music & Food Fest’ event. It’s an event that will warm your hearts with live music performances by renowned artists from that era.
Enjoy delicious dishes from legendary and famous restaurants, and don’t miss the special talks in the garden that will take you down memory lane with iconic figures from various industries. Plus, there will be other special activities in the midst of the cool weather. The event takes place from November 24th to 26th at Museum Siam, the National Discovery Museum.
On November 24th, enjoy a talk in the garden with the ‘90s industry legends, such as Chakraphan Yomchinda, the former Channel 7 news anchor, who will share his experiences from the perspective of a male icon of the era.
Immerse yourself in the music with T-Bone aRootstic, one of the first Reggae Ska bands in Thailand, who have been in the music scene for over 30 years. Their hit songs, such as ‘Have You Seen the Sky,’ ‘Attraction,’ ‘Growing Up,’ and ‘Hug,’ will surely make everyone sing along.
On November 25th, join the talk in the garden with Dj Pae, the top radio show host in the music industry, who has been hosting shows from the cassette era to the present day. Enjoy more music with uk Viyada Komalakul Na Nakorn, the singer of beloved songs like ‘Monday,’ ‘Mai Khet Fai,’ and ‘Dok Tanta Wan,’ and Byrd-Kulpong Bunnag and Heart-Suthipongse Thatphithakkul, the legendary Thai musicians with hits like ‘Rain,’ ‘Forget,’ ‘Arai Rak,’ and ‘Waiting for Love.’
On November 26th, engage in a garden talk with Sai Charoenpura, the multi-talented actor and millionaire who has worked extensively in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. Experience the music of Pan Paiboonkiat Keiwkaew, the artist with more than 10 albums and numerous collaborations with other artists. Sing along to hits like ‘Ruk Lon Lum Oi,’ ‘Rak Nirand,’ ‘Sukang Jai Ter,’ and ‘Rak Yuen Yong.’
The closing performance of the event, featuring a unique and soft-spoken singer, Thee Chaiyadej. Thee Chaiyadej is known for his distinctive style and the way he delivers songs beautifully, tenderly, and with a mix of emotions ranging from sweetness to bitterness. Some of his popular songs include “Kon Hin Lamoe” (A Piece of Stone), “Fun Pai” (Dreaming Forward), “Rak” (Love), and “Sap” (Cursed).
Throughout the three days, you can enjoy the finest dishes from famous and legendary restaurants of the ‘90s. This includes iconic places such as ” EarSae Thai style coffee,” a legendary restaurant, ancient coffee shops with a history of over 90 years, ‘tiparos icecream’ for coconut ice cream, and ‘Kway Teow Saeb Haeng Jong Ang Wang Kai’ for spicy dry noodles with a poached egg by charm garden By Chef.
And also Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu, street food awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand award for 5 years in a row, ukChin ChaoReua Fish ball Famous shop from Chonburi You can also enjoy Japanese-style curry with pork at ‘ Tai Tai Curry ‘ and affordable local delicacies like ‘ Ramena Ramen ‘ for just 25 baht and seafood skewers for 20 baht from a famous market in Jod Fair. Don’t miss ‘ Yoi-Yoii Thai Dessert,’ a popular iced dessert shop from Nakhon Pathom, and many other delectable items. You can savor delicious ice creams, along with many other exquisite dishes.
In terms of their aspirations, Sompratana Kraywichian, who is the Director of Digital Media at the Matichon Public Company Limited, mentioned that another interesting aspect of culture and entertainment, happiness from movies, music, lifestyle, play, and food, is centered around the 90s era.
This content is continuously presented through websites and social media platforms like Feed and has received a good response from viewers and page followers. Therefore, the Feed team has the idea to organize an event to cater to those who still enjoy stories related to the 90s, allowing them to come together to relive the happiness, entertainment, and fond memories in the “FEED RETRO Music & Food Fest” event.
Recently, they designed a simple concept for the event, set to take place at the end of November, during the pleasant evening weather on the weekend. It invites people to enjoy renowned food at the iconic restaurants that have maintained their deliciousness until today, while sitting on a picnic blanket and listening to beautiful music in the 90s atmosphere, something they used to enjoy and be happy with. This is the main objective of the event.
For the “FEED RETRO Music & Food Fest” #90s, the event will be held on November 24-25-26, 2023, and it is an open event that you can attend for free from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Museum Siam. For more details, you can inquire on Facebook: FEED.
Palestinians look at the destruction after Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip in Khan Younis, Friday, Now. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to urge protections for civilians in the fighting with Hamas, as Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City.
Tensions escalated along Israel’s border with Lebanon ahead of the first public speech by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah — an Iranian-backed Hamas ally — since the Hamas attacked Israel last month. Nasrallah said his militia is undeterred by U.S. warnings to stay out of the Israel-Hamas war, but stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah is fully engaging in the war.
Hundreds of Palestinians with foreign passports and dozens of injured have left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing in recent days under an apparent agreement among the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar, which mediates with Hamas.
FILE – Palestinians work among debris of buildings that were targeted by Israeli airstrikes in Jabaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip on Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Abed Khaled, File)
Israel has allowed more than 260 trucks carrying food and medicine through the crossing, but aid workers say it’s not nearly enough. Israeli authorities have refused to allow fuel in, leaving hospitals with dwindling supplies.
The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,227, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In the occupied West Bank, more than 140 Palestinians have been killed in violence and Israeli raids.
More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the fighting, and 242 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group.
TARGETED ATTACKS ON MILITANT CELLS IN GAZA CITY HAVE STARTED, ISRAELI ARMY SAYS
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said ground troops continued to exchange fire with Hamas militants Friday in Gaza, as Israeli aircraft killed numerous Hamas militants exiting tunnels.
Footage released by the military showed troops and tanks advancing through grassland toward bombed out buildings as smoke clouds from airstrikes rose in the distance.
The military said it encircled Gaza City on Thursday and was beginning to launch targeted attacks within the city Friday to target militant cells.
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU RULES OUT CEASE-FIRE UNTIL HAMAS FREES HOSTAGES
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a temporary cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, saying he will press ahead with a devastating military offensive until hostages held by the Hamas militant group are released.
Netanyahu spoke shortly after meeting Friday with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who pressed Israel for a temporary pause in its offensive to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Blinken also urged Israel to do more to protect civilians from its attacks.
In a statement, Netanyahu said Israel is continuing with “all of its power” and “refuses a temporary cease-fire that doesn’t include a return of our hostages.”
Hamas kidnapped about 240 people in its Oct. 7 cross-border attack that triggered the Israel-Hamas war. The attack killed about 1,400 people, while over 9,200 Palestinians in Gaza have died in Israeli strikes that began the same day, according to Palestinian health officials.
BLINKEN URGES ISRAEL TO DO MORE TO PROTECT GAZA CIVILIANS, INCREASE AID
TEL AVIV — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said more needs to be done to “protect Palestinian civilians” in Gaza and that, without that, there will be “no partners for peace.”
Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv on Friday, Blinken also said, “we need to substantially and immediately increase the sustainable humanitarian assistance” into Gaza.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media during a press conference, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP)
He said it was critical to restore the path toward a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, calling it the only “guarantor” of a safe and democratic Israel and independent Palestine. He said work on that must begin “not tomorrow, not after today, but today.”
Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Friday for his third trip to Israel since the war began with Hamas’ incursion into Israel on Oct. 7. Blinken will also visit Jordan and may make additional stops in the region before traveling to Asia early next week.
He met Friday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials to urge them to do everything possible to protect civilians caught in the fighting, while underscoring Israel’s right to defend itself.
“We stand strongly for the proposition that Israel has not only the right but the obligation to defend itself, and to make sure that October 7 should never happen again,” Blinken said. “How Israel does this matters and it is very important that when it comes to the protection of civilians who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas’ making that everything to be done to protect them and to bring assistance to those who so desperately need it.”
U.S. President Joe Biden has called for a “humanitarian pause” in the fighting in order to arrange the evacuation of dual citizens and foreigners still trapped in Gaza as well as to try to secure the release of more than 240 hostages Hamas is holding.
HEZBOLLAH LEADER THREATENS AN ESCALATION OF BORDER FIGHTING
BEIRUT — The leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group said Friday that his powerful militia is engaged in unprecedented cross-border fighting with Israel and threatened escalation.
Hassan Nasrallah’s widely anticipated speech was his first since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, sparked by the Palestinian militants’ deadly Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel.
A woman holds a banner with a picture of an Israeli kidnapped during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel during a protest calling for the return of the hostages, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Nasrallah stopped short of announcing that Hezbollah is fully engaging in the war but said the fighting on the Lebanon-Israel border would “not be limited” to the scale seen until now.
The speech came a day after the most significant escalation in clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on the border since the war started, and on the same day as a visit to Israel by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge protections for civilians in the fighting with Hamas.
Nasrallah praised the Hamas attack four weeks ago on farming villages and military posts in southern Israel. More than 1,400 people were killed in Israel in the attack by Hamas, a Hezbollah ally.
“This great, large-scale operation was purely the result of Palestinian planning and implementation,” Nasrallah said, suggesting his militia had no part in the attack. “The great secrecy made this operation greatly successful.”
Since the beginning of the war, Hezbollah has taken calculated steps to keep Israel’s military busy on its border with Lebanon, but not to the extent of igniting an all-out war.
Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group has been named among 11 leading organisations with outstanding sustainability reports by the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a CEO-led organisation that supports the world’s leading sustainable businesses.
WBCSD’s Reporting Matters 2023 campaign analyses sustainability reports of 250 companies globally and summarises their overall performance based on transparency and efficiency of sustainability efforts.
Charoen Pokphand Group has received this prestigious recognition for two years in a row thanks to sustainability reports that highlight agendas and strategies in all key aspects, as well as the promotion of stakeholder engagement.
The other 10 companies named top sustainability performers by WBCSD this year are:
DSM, Dutch multinational corporation in health and nutrition
EDP (Energias de Portugal), Portugal’s electricity infrastructure company
Enel SpA, Italian producer and distributor of electricity and natural gas
Eni SpA, Italian oil and gas company
ERM, UK business consulting and sustainability service provider
Mondi Group, Austrian paper and packaging company
Novartis, Switzerland’s leading pharmaceutical company
Philip Morris International SA, US cigarette and tobacco manufacturer
Solvay SA, Belgian manufacturer and distributor of medical, chemical and plastic products
Stora Enso Oyj, Finnish paper pulp manufacturer
Suphachai Chearavanont, chief executive officer of Charoen Pokphand Group, said that sustainability reports are the pillar of change, a result of awareness building, setting up goals and performance indicators, organisation communication and data collection that integrates seamlessly with the business operation.
“Sustainability reports also promote transparent business operation and disclosure of information to the public that enables year-on-year performance comparisons both within the company and against others,” he said. “They ensure efficient learning and verification processes, and reduce the risk of ‘greenwashing’, or creating a false image of sustainability to cover up negative or irresponsible operations. This transparency will eventually promote a race to the top among business operators.”
CP Group is proud to be included among top sustainability performers by the WBCSD for two consecutive years. Based on the WBCSD’s three evaluation criteria – namely principles, content, and effectiveness – CP Group was regarded as showing continued improvement in sustainability reporting under international standards, with a comprehensive scope covering economic, social and environmental aspects as well as details of standards used in the reporting as reference.
CP Group’s sustainability report of 2022 was recognised as being an outstanding model in three aspects:
Materiality assessment, in which a new system called ‘Double and Dynamic Materiality’ was used for the first time to create a better understanding of sustainability and changes based on situation and period.
Clear sustainability strategy, which is reflected in operational plans, financial impact and operational evidence, as well as the corporate goal of achieving net zero emissions by the year 2050 that is backed by short and long-term plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The report also highlights CP’s commitment to transparency by disclosing key information to the public.
CP Group’s continued efforts to maintain relationship with stakeholders from all sectors, as displayed in the group’s relationship assessment conducted annually to collect opinions and in-depth data from stakeholders and promote their participation in the group’s sustainability efforts.
CP Group’s sustainability report of 2022 was prepared under the concept ‘Making Today a Better Tomorrow’, underlining the group’s commitment to achieving its 15 sustainability goals by 2030 under the three main frameworks of Heart, Health and Home. The report covers sustainability operations in the economic, social and environmental aspects, in line with the United Nation’s framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report also highlights tangible achievements, challenges, and plans for future operations of companies under CP Group and affiliates, with a focus on innovation development and its contribution to the group’s sustainability goals.
CP Group’s 2022 sustainability report also includes in-depth analyses of business operation, external factors, and organisational risks based on WBCSD’s double and dynamic materiality assessment. This approach has helped the group in understanding the key sustainability topics, maximising the efficiency of cooperation with stakeholders, managing risks, identifying opportunities, improving the reports by adding long-term values, driving positive impacts and reducing negative ones on the group’s operations and society.
CP Group also prepared six additional topic-specific reports, namely: Double and Dynamic Materiality Assessment Report 2022, Stakeholder Engagement Report 2022, Sustainability Performance Report 2022, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report 2022, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD) Report 2022, and Biodiversity (TNFD) Report 2022, which was included for the first time last year.
Charoen Pokphand Group Sustainability Reports 2022 can be downloaded at: https://cpgroupglobal.com/storage/document/sustainability-reports/2022/sustainability-report-2022-th.pdf
Charoen Pokphand Group Additional Topic-Specific Reports can be read at: cpgroupglobal.com, under “Additional Topic-Specific Reports”.
A full version of WBCSD Reporting Matters 2023 can be downloaded at: https://www.wbcsd.org/contentwbc/download/17372/244023/1
