Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of people in Lebanon and northern Gaza on Sunday, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump have been discussing the way forward for when Trump takes office in January. The Israeli leader said he has spoken with Trump three times since the U.S. presidential election last week and that they “see eye-to-eye on the Iranian threat in all its aspects, and on the dangers they reflect.” Netanyahu said he sees “great opportunities facing Israel, in the area of peace and its expansion,” but did not expand on his statement.   Before the election, Trump, according to Israeli news accounts, told Netanyahu that he wanted Israel to resolve its wars against two Iranian-supported groups, Hamas militants in Gaza and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, before his inauguration as president on January 20. Israeli President Isaac Herzog is scheduled to meet with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday in Washington as the mid-month deadline approaches for Israel to meet a Biden administration ultimatum that it allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza to assist Palestinians or risk possible restrictions on U.S. military funding. Israeli forces have encircled and largely isolated Jabaliya and the nearby northern Gaza towns of Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun for the past month, allowing in only a trickle of humanitarian aid. Experts from a panel that monitors food security say famine is imminent or may already be happening.   In the Sunday fighting, an Israeli airstrike killed at least 23 people, including seven children, in Aalmat village north of Beirut, far from the areas in the east and south where Hezbollah militants have a major presence. Lebanon's health ministry said another six people were wounded. Watch related report by Arash Arabasadi: There was no Israeli evacuation warning and no immediate Israeli comment on the attack. In northern Gaza, an Israeli strike on a home sheltering displaced people in the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya killed at least 17 people including nine women, according to Dr. Fadel Naim, director of Al-Ahly Hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli military, without offering evidence, said it had targeted a site where militants were operating. It said the details of the strike are under review. A separate strike hit a house in Gaza City, killing Wael al-Khour, a minister in the Hamas-run government, as well as his wife and three children, according to the Civil Defense first responders who operate under the government. In Syria, the state news agency SANA said an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab, killing seven civilians. The Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, suggested Hezbollah was targeted, but Israel did not offer any immediate comment. The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting about 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, although about one-third of them are believed to be dead. Israel's counteroffensive has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to local health authorities. The Israeli military says the death toll includes thousands of Hamas militants. Some material in this report came from The Associated Press.

Tehran, Iran — Iran's foreign ministry is calling for an arms embargo on Israel and the expulsion of its arch-foe from the United Nations, following a deadly strike in Syria.  Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran "strongly condemned the aggressive attack carried out by the Zionist regime against a residential building" in the Damascus area.  The strike on an apartment Sunday belonging to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, killed nine people including a Hezbollah commander, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.  Baghaei called for measures against Israel, including "an arms embargo" and its "expulsion from the United Nations."  Regional tensions have soared since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, triggered by the Palestinian Hamas militant group's unprecedented attack on Israel.  The conflict has drawn in Tehran-aligned militants in the region and included rare direct attacks between Iran and Israel.  Since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria, mainly targeting army positions and fighters including from Hezbollah.  Israeli authorities rarely comment on the strikes but have repeatedly said they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.

washington — The U.S. military said Monday that it had carried out strikes against nine targets associated with Iranian groups in Syria.  In a statement, the U.S. military said the strikes were made against two locations in Syria and were a response to several attacks on U.S. personnel in Syria in the past 24 hours.  The U.S. has occasionally carried out strikes against targets linked to Iran in both Iraq and Syria. In February, the U.S. launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and militias it backs, in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops.  "These strikes will degrade the Iranian backed groups' ability to plan and launch future attacks on U.S. and coalition forces," the U.S. military said after the most recent strikes.  The U.S. has 900 troops in Syria and 2,500 in neighboring Iraq, on a mission to advise and assist local forces trying to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large swaths of both countries but was later defeated.  The U.S. has sent warships and fighter aircraft to the region since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, to try to deter Iran and Iran-backed groups from getting involved in the conflict.  U.S. forces have also helped shoot down projectiles that Iran launched toward Israel this year. 

New Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim, is ready to give a green light for the Premier League club to offload Joshua Zirkzee in January. The Red Devils are looking to send Zirkzee out on loan in January. Zirkzee only arrived at Old Trafford six months ago in a £36.5million transfer. The Dutchman was United’s first […]

EPL: Amorim ready to offload Man Utd striker in January

The implementation of the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) framework for electricity pricing has again been delayed for the fourth minor review which occurs every six months. Daily Trust reports that the tariff which should now be at an average of N51 per kilowatt hour (kWh) is still at N31.8 as the implementation of the reviews […]

NERC delays electricity tariff review for fourth time

Manchester, England — Taylor Swift came out top at the 2024 MTV EMAs on Sunday, walking away with best artist, best U.S. act, best live act and best video for "Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone).  Swift, who is currently finishing up her Eras tour on the other side of the Atlantic, thanked the fans for the bounty of prizes via video message.  The U.K. show opened with an acrobatic Benson Boone suspended in the air on a gold grand piano performing his viral hit "Beautiful Things" and latest release "Slow it Down." Boone also accepted his first EMA for best new act.  South African newcomer Tyla gave Swift a run for her money picking up three awards for best afrobeats, best R&B and best African act.  Tyla performed her smash hit "Water" for the EMA audience at the Co-op Live, Manchester, flanked by a host of dancers, as well as singing energetic new track "Push 2 Start."  British singer Rita Ora, who hosted the show for a record third time, paid tribute to former One Direction star Liam Payne, who died last month after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires.  Ora had a close relationship with the singer and the pair recorded a song together in 2018, "For You (Fifty Shades Freed)." She addressed the audience saying, "I want to take a moment to remember someone. Liam Payne was one of the kindest people I knew." Her voice broke as she asked the crowd to take a moment to remember Liam saying, "He had the biggest heart and he left such a mark on this world."  Hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes was awarded the EMAs global icon award from British rapper Little Simz telling the crowd that in 34 years of professionally recording this was his first award from MTV and it felt incredible. The 12-time Grammy Award nominee, who has more than 10 million album sales under his belt, performed a mega medley of his greatest hits "Break ya Neck," "Touch it" and "Put Your Hands Where the Eyes can See" accompanied by dancers wearing tracksuits with giant dragon heads.  Shawn Mendes gave an intimate and heartfelt performance and also received the award for best Canadian act. Sabrina Carpenter picked up the honors for best song for her hit "Espresso," while Ariana Grande was crowned best pop act and Eminem took away best hip hop act.  U.K. duo Pet Shop Boys were honored with the inaugural Pop Pioneers Award for their contribution to pop music and closed out the show accompanied by local orchestra Manchester Camerata with a cover of David Bowie's "All the Young Dudes" followed by their iconic hit "West End Girls" in celebration of the song's 40th anniversary.  Other performers on the night included K-Pop quintet Le Sserafim, Mexican singer and rapper Peso Pluma, English singer and songwriter Raye, multi-platinum singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, American powerhouse Teddy Swims, Mexican rock sisters the Warning.  LL Cool J, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, mother-and-daughter musicians Neneh Cherry and Mabel and TV and film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Turner-Smith and Lucien Laviscount all presented awards. 

In a tragic incident in Rawalpindi’s Shah Khalid Colony, three siblings, 2-year-old Zohan, 6-year-old Saira, and 7-year-old Faria, lost their lives after being confined in a box. The children were left alone at home, intensifying the sorrow of the situation. According to reports from a Rescue spokesperson, the parents, who were employed in different jobs—the ... Read more

The post Tragedy Strikes as Three Siblings Found Dead Locked in Box appeared first on Pakistan Tribune.

US-ROK-Japan Trilateral Global Leadership Youth Summit

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

La enseñanza bíblica en profundidad de John MacArthur lleva la verdad transformadora de la Palabra de Dios a millones de personas cada día.

GENEVA — The U.N. weather agency is predicting that the phenomenon known as La Nina is poised to last through the end of this year, a mysterious “triple dip” — the first this century — caused by three straight years of its effect on climate patterns like drought and flooding worldwide. The World Meteorological Organization on Wednesday said La Nina conditions, which involve a large-scale cooling of ocean surface temperatures, have strengthened in the eastern and central equatorial Pacific with an increase in trade winds in recent weeks. The agency’s top official was quick to caution that the “triple dip” doesn’t mean global warming is easing. “It is exceptional to have three consecutive years with a La Nina event. Its cooling influence is temporarily slowing the rise in global temperatures, but it will not halt or reverse the long-term warming trend,” WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said. La Nina is a natural and cyclical cooling of parts of the equatorial Pacific that changes weather patterns worldwide, as opposed to warming caused by the better-known El Nino — an opposite phenomenon. La Nina often leads to more Atlantic hurricanes, less rain and more wildfires in the western United States, and agricultural losses in the central U.S. Studies have shown La Nina is more expensive to the United States than the El Nino. Together El Nino, La Nina and the neutral condition are called ENSO, which stands for El Nino Southern Oscillation, and they have one of the largest natural effects on climate, at times augmenting and other times dampening the big effects of human-caused climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas, scientists say.

United Nations — The U.N. Secretary-General appealed Monday to developed nations to make good on their promise of $100 billion a year to support climate action in developing countries, ahead of a November climate review conference in Egypt.   “Funding for adaptation and resilience must represent at least half of all climate finance,” Antonio Guterres told reporters.    Ministers, climate experts and civil society representatives are meeting this week in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, to prepare the agenda for the November meeting, known as COP27, which will take place in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh from November 6 to 18.    The United Nations says G-20 countries account for 80% of global emissions, but they have been slow to deliver on their $100 billion annual pledge.   “Taken together, current pledges and policies are shutting the door on our chance to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, let alone meet the 1.5-degree goal,” he said of the benchmarks set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.    The U.N. warns that failure to reach those goals would spell climate catastrophe.   “The world can’t wait,” he added. “Emissions are at an all-time high and rising.”   Guterres said every government, business, investor and institution must step up with concrete climate action plans.    “I am urging leaders at the highest level to take full part in COP27 and tell the world what climate action they will take nationally and globally,” the U.N. chief said.    U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry is among the leaders in Kinshasa this week.   

[Capital FM] NAIROBI -- Talks between the National Assembly Education Committee,university lecturers, and public universities failed to kick off on Tuesday amid a stalement over a strike declared unprotected by courts.

[African Development Bank (AfDB)] The world's largest annual climate conference opens in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Monday, with African nations ramping up efforts to tackle climate change. At COP29, the African Development Bank aims to mobilize additional resources for climate action in Africa and launch a bold new approach to assessing African economies by including their "green wealth."

[Dabanga] Airstrikes killed dozens and injured others in Nyala and neighbouring Beleil in South Darfur and Mellit, El Koma, and Kabkabiya in North Darfur on Saturday and Sunday, according to a Radio Dabanga listener. Multiple political actors and groups have condemned the "random" air raids.

Man sentenced to three years imprisonment after admitting to possessing and distributing child pornography

Should North Korea ever have the capacity to launch a nuclear missile that could reach the U.S. mainland, Trump would have approximately ten minutes to react and make a decision to counterattack.

Critical levels of nationwide hunger in Sudan has only increased to critical levels since the start of the Sudanese civil war in April 2023. Escalated hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have led to limited mobility and repeated blockages of humanitarian aid. This, coupled with the volatile floods […]

Over the coming month, the United States has a window of opportunity to lift a multi-billion-dollar burden from Ukraine, and other countries in financial distress, without costing the US taxpayer a dime. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is currently considering ending its controversial “surcharges” — punitive fees that it imposes on countries whose debt exceeds […]

New institutional economics (NIE) has received another so-called Nobel prize, ostensibly for again claiming that good institutions and democratic governance ensure growth, development, equity and democracy. Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James Robinson (AJR) are well known for their influential cliometric work. AJR have elaborated earlier laureate Douglass North’s claim that property rights have been […]

Thai diplomats have been urged to take a proactive approach to attracting foreign investors following Donald Trump's US presidential election victory, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Tuesday.

The IDF’s 162nd Division continued its operations in the Jabalya area, where soldiers engaged and neutralized several terrorists and dismantled key structures that were used for weapons storage.

Cruise missiles are easier targets for dense, integrated air defenses than ballistic missiles are. But ballistic missiles are often fired from known launch points.

Sayeda Zainab, a stronghold of Hezbollah and the site of a major Shi’ite shrine, has been the target of previous strikes. 

The strikes were in response to attacks on US personnel over the past 24 hours, CENTCOM reported.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon kill dozens of people

At least three killed in Israeli strike on Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp

At least 22 killed in Lebanon and Gaza strikes as Israeli defence minister rejects ceasefire

Funeral held for 10 people killed in consecutive Israeli strikes in Lebanon

Scripture isn’t shy about the unpopularity of the gospel. The message of the cross is called “foolishness” and a “stumbling block” (1 Corinthians 1:23). Christ Himself is called “a rock of offense” (Romans 9:33). Jesus simply told His followers that the world would hate them (John 15:18–20). But what makes the gospel so repulsive to the world?

I remember listening to a Christian radio station when a caller asked, “What should I look for in a church?” The host responded by saying, “The thing I look for is fellowship. That’s the most important thing in choosing a church.” That may be a good feature of a church—but that is not the right answer.

“Preach the word!” (2 Timothy 4:2, NKJV). To the church today, those words may sound unusual as a pastor’s primary job description. We are used to all kinds of other “ministry” endeavors fighting for position in a long list of pastoral responsibilities. Even for those who affirm the primacy of preaching, the kind of preaching they want is purely practical—thus, doctrine (which is presumed to be utterly impractical) is the mortal enemy.

How would you describe a pastor’s job? Previously, we considered Paul’s exhortations to Timothy to preserve and preach sound doctrine. Paul did not charge Timothy with political advocacy or social change. He didn’t tell him to find ways to give back to the community. He called him to “preach the word” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Right doctrine is essential to right living. It is impossible to live a faithful Christian life without knowing biblical doctrine. Doctrine simply means “teaching,” and there is no way that even the most sincere believer can conduct a life pleasing to God without knowing what God Himself is like and what sort of life God demands of His people. Those who set biblical theology aside also set aside sound Christian living. And this happens more often than you might think.