NewsTensions rise: Global conflicts and crises escalate. This is what happened overnight
Tensions rise: Global conflicts and crises escalate. This is what happened overnight
This happened while you were sleeping. Here's what international agencies reported from Sunday night to Monday morning.
6:03 AM EDT, October 14, 2024
- At least three people died, and 40 were injured as a result of an Israeli attack on a refugee camp and hospital for Palestinian refugees in Deir el-Balah in the central part of the Gaza Strip. A massive fire broke out, consuming tents. Disturbing videos published online show people burning alive. The Israeli military claimed—without providing evidence—that they attacked a "Hamas command center." Approximately 20–30 tents were burned. The situation on the ground, as described by Al Jazeera, is chaotic and dramatic. There were many people in the tents, and rescuers are being brought in from other regions of the Gaza Strip.
- Beijing began military exercises around Taiwan on Monday. "China deployed planes and ships to encircle Taiwan on Monday," writes the AFP agency. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense condemned the maneuvers, calling them "irrational and provocative behavior."
- From Sunday night to Monday morning, police reported that on Saturday, a man was arrested for illegally possessing a shotgun and a loaded handgun near a rally for Donald Trump in Coachella, California. The 49-year-old suspect, Vem Miller, was driving a black SUV when he was stopped at a checkpoint by officers who found two firearms and a "high-capacity magazine." The US Secret Service stated that Trump "was in no danger at any time" and added that the incident did not affect protective operations.
- Four Israeli soldiers were killed, and 51 were injured, seven seriously, on Sunday evening in a Hezbollah drone attack on a military base near the town of Binyamina in central Israel, according to the armed forces. Emergency services had previously reported over 60 injured.
- Peacekeeping soldiers in Lebanon (UNIFIL) will remain in all their positions, "it's important for the UN flag to still fly high in this region" said a UN spokesperson on Sunday. Earlier that day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the evacuation of UN peacekeeping forces from areas in Lebanon affected by fighting.
- Colombian President Gustavo Petro demanded explanations from his predecessor Ivan Duque, who led the country from 2018 to 2022, and two former ministers of his cabinet regarding the purchase of the illegal Israeli eavesdropping system Pegasus, which was used against Colombian youth and political opposition.
- Iceland's Prime Minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, from the Independence Party, announced on Sunday the resignation of his cabinet and the scheduling of early parliamentary elections for November 30. Benediktsson stated at a press conference that he would meet with the country's president, Halla Tomasdottir, on Monday to discuss the matter. The Icelandic government's decision was explained by internal disagreements within the three-party coalition, especially regarding migration and energy policies. According to recent polls, the coalition parties are supported by less than 25 percent of voters.
- The smuggling of swallowed cocaine capsules is becoming an increasingly common method of introducing the drug to South Africa, its global transit hub. Data on seizures suggest that cocaine flows to South Africa have significantly increased in recent years. Last week, three smugglers who flew in from Sao Paulo, Brazil, were arrested. In the case of one, a 43-year-old Paraguayan, a medical examination revealed he had swallowed 117 cocaine capsules. The man was in such poor health that he was immediately transported from the airport to the hospital.
