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Peace through strength, Taiwan president says on China battle anniversary

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By Reuters, Posted by TOE KINMEN, Taiwan — Peace can only be secured through strength and not even an inch of territory can be sacrificed, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on ⁠Sunday, visiting a sensitive frontline island to mark a key battle with Chinese forces almost seven decades ago. Taiwan has controlled the Kinmen and Matsu islands, which lie just off the Chinese coast, since the Republic of China government fled to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists. No peace ⁠treaty or armistice has ever been signed. In heavy rain, ​Lai ⁠laid a wreath and bowed at a memorial park for the 68th anniversary of the 1958 clash with Chinese forces, known as the start of the second Taiwan ⁠Strait crisis — the last time Taiwanese and Chinese forces battled on a large scale. Addressing veterans later, ​Lai ⁠expressed gratitude to those who “stood united and ‌fought a bloody battle to repel Communist totalitarian aggression”. “Our resolve to unite ...
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Israel strikes north Lebanon town, UN expresses concern about peacekeepers

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By Artorn Pookasook and Maya Gebeily Reuters Israel expanded its targets in its war with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon on Monday, killing at least 21 people in an airstrike in the north, health officials said, while millions of Israelis took shelter from projectiles fired back across the border. So far the main focus of Israel’s military operations in Lebanon has been in the Bekaa Valley in the east, the suburbs of Beirut, and in the south, where incidents involving Israeli troops and U.N. peacekeepers have created tension. The U.N. Security Council on Monday expressed  strong concern  after several peacekeeping positions in southern Lebanon came under fire amid clashes between the Israeli military and Hezbollah. The strike in the Christian-majority northern town of Aitou hit a house that had been rented to displaced families, the town’s mayor Joseph Trad told Reuters. In addition to the deaths, eight people were injured, the Lebanese health ministry said. Rescue workers...
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North Korea blows up inter-Korean road, rail lines near border

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By Hyunsu Yim and Hyonhee Shin Reuters North Korea blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas on Tuesday, prompting South Korea’s military to fire warning shots. Tensions have been rising on the Korean peninsula, with Pyongyang  saying  last week it would cut off the inter-Korean roads and railways entirely and further fortify the areas on its side of the border as part of its push for a “two-state” system scrapping its longstanding goal of unification. At around midday on Tuesday, some northern parts of road and rail lines connected to the South were destroyed, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, condemned the incident as a clear violation of past inter-Korean agreements, calling it “highly abnormal.” “It is deplorable that North Korea is repeatedly conducting such regressive behaviour,” ministry spokesman Koo Byoung-sa...
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UN says Israeli tanks burst into peacekeeper base, Israel gives different account

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By James Mackenzie, Maayan Lubell and Michelle Nichols Reuters The United Nations said on Sunday Israeli tanks had burst through the gates of a base of its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, the latest accusation of Israeli violations and attacks that have been denounced by Israel’s own allies. The  UNIFIL peacekeeping force  said two Israeli Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate of a base and forcibly entered before dawn on Sunday morning. After the tanks left, shells exploded 100 metres (yards) away, releasing smoke which blew across the base and sickened U.N. personnel, causing 15 to require treatment despite wearing gas masks, it said in a statement. Advertisement · Scroll to continueReport this ad In its version of events, the Israeli military said militants of the  Iran-backed group Hezbollah  had fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops, wounding 25 of them. The attack was very close to a UNIFIL post and a tank that was helping evacuate the casualti...
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SpaceX catches giant Starship booster in fifth flight test

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By Joey Roulette Reuters SpaceX in its fifth Starship test flight on Sunday returned the rocket’s towering first stage booster back to its Texas launch pad for the first time using giant mechanical arms, achieving another novel engineering feat in the company’s push to build a reusable moon and Mars vehicle. The rocket’s first stage “Super Heavy” booster lifted off at 7:25 a.m. CT (1225 GMT) from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas launch facilities, sending the Starship second stage rocket toward space before separating at an altitude of roughly 70 km (40 miles) to begin its return to land – the most daring part of the test flight. The Super Heavy booster re-lit three of its 33 Raptor engines to slow its speedy descent back to SpaceX’s launch site, as it targeted the launch pad and tower it had blasted off from. The tower, taller than the Statue of Liberty at over 400 feet, is fitted with two large metal arms at the top. With its engines roaring, the 233 foot (71 metres)-tall Super Heavy b...
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Israeli tanks deepen their push into the northern Gaza Strip

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By Nidal Al-Mughrabi Reuters Israeli forces widened their raid into northern Gaza, and tanks reached the north edge of Gaza City, pounding some districts of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood and forcing many families to leave their homes, residents said. Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking access between the two areas except upon their permission for families willing to heed evacuation orders and leave the three towns. Nine days into a major Israeli operation in northern Gaza, the Hamas-run Gaza government media office said Israeli strikes had killed around 300 Palestinians there. It said Israel’s bombardment of civilian houses and displacement shelters was intended to force residents to leave Gaza once and for all, which Israel denies. Gaza’s health ministry says dozens of people have been confirmed killed in the assaults on northern areas, with many dozens of others fear...
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Lithuanians elect new parliament amid cost of living, security worries

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By Andrius Sytas Reuters Lithuanians were electing a new  parliament  on Sunday in a vote dominated by concerns over the cost of living and potential threats from neighbouring Russia, with the opposition Social Democrats tipped to emerge as the largest party but well short of a majority. The outgoing centre-right coalition of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte has seen its popularity eroded by inflation that topped 20% two years ago, by deteriorating public services and a widening gap between rich and poor. “I got bored with the old government. I want something new”, Hendrikas Varkalis, 75, said after casting his vote in Panevezys, about 100 kilometres northwest of the capital Vilnius. Polling stations opened at 7 am (0400 GMT) and will close at 8 pm (1700 GMT). Results are expected after midnight local time. Opinion polls suggest Simonyte’s Homeland Union will win just 9%, behind the Social Democrats on 18% and the anti-establishment Nemunas Dawn on 12%, though the eventual...
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Thousands trapped in Jabalia camp as Israel escalates deadly attacks in northern Gaza

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By Adam Makary and Nidal Al-Mughrabi Reuters Thousands of people are trapped in  Gaza ‘s Jabalia camp as Israeli forces attack the area, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) said on Friday, a week after Israel launched an offensive there which it says is aimed at stopping Hamas regrouping. At least 20 Palestinians were killed and dozens more were wounded late on Friday by Israeli strikes in Jabalia, which also damaged four nearby homes, medics told Reuters. The death toll is likely to rise, they added. Israeli military strikes killed at least 61 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Friday, the medics added. Nearly half of the fatalities, including the 20 killed at the home, occurred in Jabalia, the northern district which is the largest of Gaza’s historic refugee camps. The Israeli military says it has killed dozens of militants in Jabalia, though it remains unclear how many of the dead were civilians rather than fighters. “Nobody is allowed to get in or out; an...
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