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Israeli planes bomb southern Lebanon after radio blasts

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By Walid Saleh and James Mackenzie

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel bombed southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it had thwarted an Iranian-led assassination plot, a day after explosions of Hezbollah radios that came on the heels of blasts in booby trapped pagers, setting the foes hurtling towards war.

The sophisticated attacks on armed group Hezbollah’s communications equipment, which killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000 over two days, sowed disarray in Lebanon, with panicked residents abandoning their mobile phones.

“This isn’t a small matter, it’s war. Who can even secure their phone now? When I heard about what happened yesterday, I left my phone on my motorcycle and walked away,” said Mustafa Sibal on a street near central Beirut.

A distant roar in the skies could be heard in Beirut from what Lebanese state media said was Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier – a sound that has grown increasingly common in recent months.

Israel said its warplanes struck villages in southern Lebanon overnight, and a security source and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported airstrikes near the border resumed on Thursday just after midday.

Hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon’s south. The Lebanese health minister raised the death toll, saying 25 people had been killed and 608 injured in the country’s deadliest day since cross-border fighting erupted between the militants and Israel in parallel with the Gaza war last year.

The previous day, hundreds of pagers – used by Hezbollah to evade mobile phone surveillance – exploded at once, killing 12 people including two children, and injuring more than 2,300.

In a post on X, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the United Nations Security Council to take a firm stand to stop Israel’s “aggression” and “technological war” against his country.

Israel has not commented directly on the booby-trapped walkie-talkies and pagers, but multiple security sources have said the attacks were carried out by its spy agency Mossad.

Israel says its conflict with Hezbollah, like its war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, is part of a wider regional confrontation with Iran, which sponsors both groups as well as armed movements in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

On Thursday Israeli security forces announced that an Israeli businessman had been arrested last month after attending at least two meetings in Iran, where he discussed assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister or the head of the Shin Bet spy agency.

Last week, Shin Bet uncovered what it said was a plot by Hezbollah to assassinate former Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon.

Israel has been accused of assassinations including a blast in Tehran that killed the leader of Hamas and another in a Beirut suburb that killed a senior Hezbollah commander within hours of each other in July.

Despite the events of the past few days, a spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon said the situation along the frontier had “not changed much in terms of exchanges of fire between the parties”.

“There was an intensification last week. This week it is more or less the same. There are still exchanges of fire. It is still worrying, still concerning, and the rhetoric is high,” the spokesperson, Andrea Tenenti, told Reuters.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the Israeli-Lebanon border in parallel with the war Israel has waged in Gaza against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Tens of thousands of people have had to flee the Israel-Lebanon border area on both sides. Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to return the evacuated Israelis “securely to their homes”.

SHIFTING FOCUS

The Israeli military said its overnight air strikes hit Hezbollah targets in Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam.

Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon, but there was no official confirmation.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the war was moving into a new phase, with more resources and military units now being shifted to the northern border.

According to Israeli officials, the forces being deployed there include the 98th Division, an elite formation including commando and paratroop elements that has been fighting in Gaza.

Hezbollah launched missile barrages on Israel on the day after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, and since then there has been a constant exchange of fire that neither side has allowed to escalate into a full-scale war.

However, tens of thousands have been evacuated on both sides of the border, and there has been mounting pressure in Israel for the government to get the evacuees back home.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry and Walid Saleh in BeirutWriting by Michael GeorgyEditing by Peter Graff)

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Bitcoin soars past US$81,000 as Trump’s pro-crypto stance fuels buying spree

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Bitcoin reached a record high on Monday. Photo: Reuters
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The token climbed to an unprecedented US$81,497 early in the Asian day on Monday

Bitcoin rallied past US$81,000 for the first time, boosted by President-elect Donald Trump’s embrace of digital assets and the prospect of a Congress featuring pro-crypto lawmakers.

Trump’s decisive victory in the presidential election has prompted celebratory chest-thumping from the digital-asset industry, which spent over US$100 million backing a range of crypto-friendly candidates.

The largest token climbed as much as 6.1 per cent on Sunday, before extending the gain to an unprecedented US$81,497 early in the Asian day on Monday. Bullish sentiment lifted smaller coins too, including a surge in Dogecoin, a meme-crowd favourite promoted by Trump supporter Elon Musk.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

“With the dust from Trump’s victory still settling down, it was only a matter of time before a run-up of some sort occurred given the perception of Trump being pro-crypto, and that’s what we’re seeing now,” said Le Shi, Hong Kong managing director at market-making firm Auros.

Trump vowed on the campaign trail to put the US at the centre of the digital-asset industry, including creating a strategic bitcoin stockpile and appointing regulators enamoured with digital assets. Jubilant traders for the moment are paying little heed to questions such as the speed of likely implementation or whether a strategic stockpile is a realistic possibility.

His broader agenda of stoking domestic economic growth, tax cuts and reducing red tape has fuelled a buying spree across stocks, credit and crypto. The S&P 500 stock index last week hit its 50th record this year.

Bitcoin has added about 92 per cent so far in 2024, helped by robust demand for dedicated US exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The rise in the token, which scaled fresh records after Tuesday’s US vote, exceeds the returns from investments such as stocks and gold.

The ETFs, powered by BlackRock’s $35 billion iShares Bitcoin Trust, posted a record daily net inflow of almost US$1.4 billion on Thursday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A day earlier, the iShares ETF’s trading volume jumped to an all-time peak – all signs of how Trump’s victory is reshaping crypto.

Trump’s stance contrasts with a crackdown on digital assets under President Joe Biden. Securities & Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Genslerrepeatedly labelled the sector as rife with fraud and misconduct. The agency turned the screws on crypto following a 2022 market rout and a litany of collapses, notably the bankruptcy of Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraudulent FTX exchange.

Digital-asset companies spent heavily during the election campaign to boost candidates viewed as favourable to their interests. Against that backdrop, Trump did an about-face, becoming a supporter of an industry he once labelled a scam.

“Trump has promised supportive regulation, and the sweep of the House and the Senate makes the passage of crypto bills much more likely,” wrote Noelle Acheson, author of the Crypto Is Macro Now newsletter.

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Philippine hotel named world’s largest chicken-shaped building by Guinness World Records

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A 15-room hotel at the Campuestohan Highland Resort in the Philippines was named the largest building in the shape of a chicken by Guinness World Records. Photo courtesy of Guinness World Records
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Philippine hotel named world’s largest chicken-shaped building by Guinness World Records

A hotel in the Philippines has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest chicken-shaped building in the world.

The hotel measures 12 meters in width, 28 meters in length, and stands 35 meters tall, approximately the height of a 13-story building, with each floor around 2.6 meters high, according to the Guinness World Records website.

Designed by businessman Ricardo “Cano” Gwapo Tan, the chicken-shaped building is part of Campuestohan Highland Resort, a popular tourist destination in the Philippines.

The hotel features 15 air-conditioned rooms equipped with televisions and large beds, suitable for families or groups. Additionally, it boasts a viewing deck that offers visitors a bird’s-eye view of the surrounding area, as reported by Philstar.

Room rates start at 4,500 pesos (US$77) per night.

When asked about the rooster-inspired design, Tan explained that it reflects the gamefowl industry in Negros Occidental. He added that the “calm and commanding, imposing and strong” figure of the rooster represents the local spirit, according to Guinness World Records.

Construction of the hotel began on June 10, 2023, and completed on Sept. 8 this year despite challenges of frequent storms in the area.

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ACCOUNTABILITY: IGP SPEAKS TOUGH ON ALLEGED EXTORTIONS, ORDERS STRINGENT PUNISHMENT FOR CORRUPT OFFICERS.

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ACCOUNTABILITY: IGP SPEAKS TOUGH ON ALLEGED EXTORTIONS, ORDERS STRINGENT PUNISHMENT FOR CORRUPT OFFICERS.
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PRESS RELEASE

ACCOUNTABILITY: IGP SPEAKS TOUGH ON ALLEGED EXTORTIONS, ORDERS STRINGENT PUNISHMENT FOR CORRUPT OFFICERS.

Reschedules workshop on Child Protection, Care for Monday 11th.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has condemned alleged extortions by some officers of the force in some areas within the country, most especially the extant case involving the officers of the Zone 16 Zonal Headquarters, Yenegoa, identified as ASP Emmanuel Ubong, Inspector Nse Okon, Inspector Adiewere Collins, and Inspector Kuromare Marine.

The officers were alleged of extorting the sum of Ten Million Naira from a group of young Nigerians. The money has been recovered through the efforts of the new Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 16, and the Officers have since been detained and subjected to orderly room trial.

The Nigeria Police Force, under the leadership of IGP Egbetokun, maintains a zero-tolerance policy for any act of corruption and police misconduct, as the Force takes every allegation of extortion and abuse of power extremely seriously.

The IGP has however reassured the general public that the force will continue to investigate all allegations levelled against erring officers of the Force thoroughly. In pursuit of restorative justice, the Inspector-General of Police has mandated severe consequences for any officer, no matter how highly ranked, found culpable, acting as a deterrent to those who may seek to compromise the integrity of the Force.

The IGP further urges members of the public to make use of the following Police helpline & contacts to lay complaints whenever necessary: +2347056792065, +2349133333785, +2349133333786, @PoliceNG on X, @ngpolice on Facebook, and @nigeriapoliceforce on Instagram. Citizens can also contact us by mail via pressforabuja@police.gov.ng and through the police website at www.npf.gov.ng..

Similarly, to guarantee that officers within the Force receive adequate training in child care and protection and in effective investigations considerate of vulnerable individuals, most especially children in conflict with the law, the IGP has rescheduled the workshop with all Heads of Police investigative units to take place on Monday, November 11, 2024.

The workshop will not only focus on enhancing technical capabilities but also emphasize the essential ethical principles when dealing with sensitive cases in order to have a child-friendly police system in Nigeria. By emphasizing compassion, transparency, and adherence to modern investigation techniques, the Nigeria Police Force aims to foster a culture of professionalism and accountability among its personnel, thereby strengthening public trust and confidence in the organization.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.

8TH NOVEMBER, 2024

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