Author: Deutsche Presse-Agentur - Dpa

At least 11 people were killed in Israeli strikes on an area in central Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry said on Saturday. The attack in the densely populated district of Basta also left 63 others injured, the ministry added in an update. Body parts were also recovered from the rubble and will be identified, it said. The dawn attack was unleashed without an advance warning from the Israeli military, and caused high casualties among civilians and massive destruction, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported. Lebanese security sources reported that the attack was aimed at an official from the pro-Iranian…

Hundreds of suspected Jewish extremists attempted on Saturday to force their way across a military checkpoint and into a part of the West Bank city of Hebron where they are not allowed. The attempted breach led to clashes with Israeli soldiers and border police, a military spokesman said. Several of the rioters spat in the faces of Israeli security forces. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz and Palestinian media also reported that some of those involved had thrown stones at the shops and houses of Palestinian residents. The incident took place during a Jewish pilgrimage in Hebron that attracts thousands of Jews…

Public or private advocating for childlessness in Russia is now punishable by law. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that imposes heavy fines of up to 1 million roubles (about $9,500) for any violation. As a result, the idea of childlessness can no longer be propagated on the internet, in the media, in cinemas or in advertising. Above all, it should not be advertised to young people, said Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma. “A woman’s decision not to give birth” is not affected by this law, he said. Rather, it is about “protecting the young generation from…

Lewis Hamilton rebounded from his Brazil disappointment with a commanding performance in opening practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, leading an all-British top three. Just two weeks after raising doubts about his future with Mercedes following a lackluster 10th-place finish in Interlagos, Hamilton outpaced teammate George Russell by 0.396 seconds on the iconic Strip. Lando Norris, aiming to chip away at Max Verstappen’s 62-point lead in the championship standings and keep the title race alive until Qatar, finished third, nearly a second behind Hamilton. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, one spot ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen. Hamilton, 39,…

Lewis Hamilton rebounded from his Brazil disappointment with a commanding performance in opening practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, leading an all-British top three. Just two weeks after raising doubts about his future with Mercedes following a lackluster 10th-place finish in Interlagos, Hamilton outpaced teammate George Russell by 0.396 seconds on the iconic Strip. Lando Norris, aiming to chip away at Max Verstappen’s 62-point lead in the championship standings and keep the title race alive until Qatar, finished third, nearly a second behind Hamilton. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, one spot ahead of Red Bull’s Verstappen. Hamilton, 39,…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday called Russia’s use of an experimental new missile in Ukraine a “terrible escalation” as he defended his administration’s policy on the conflict. Scholz said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s authorization of the strike, which hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Thursday, was a “terrible escalation, just like the use of North Korean soldiers who are now being deployed and dying in this war for Putin’s imperial dream.” However, Scholz maintained that his government’s refusal to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles to hit Russian territory was correct. He said it was necessary to ensure that…

A United States investor has asked the US government for permission to buy the decommissioned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if it is put up for auction, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Financier Stephen Lynch had applied to the US government for permission to bid on the pipeline should it be auctioned in a Swiss bankruptcy proceeding, the Wall Street Journal reported. American ownership of the pipeline would provide leverage in peace negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine and serve US long-term interests, Lynch told the newspaper. “The bottom line is this: This is a…

Lewis Hamilton revealed he considered leaving Mercedes right after his disappointing performance at the Brazilian Grand Prix. The 39-year-old veteran delivered one of the worst results of his illustrious Formula One career in Interlagos, finishing 10th just two weeks ago. “That was a disaster of a weekend, guys,” Hamilton said over the radio after the race. “The worst the car has ever been. Thanks for all your efforts, and great job to the pit crew. If this is the last time I get to race, it’s a shame it wasn’t better, but I’m still grateful for you all.” Asked about…

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes Germany still feels a “hangover from the Schumacher era” in Formula One. “It’s a strange German phenomenon, and nobody can really explain it,” Wolff told Stuttgarter Zeitung in an interview. He explained that Germany hasn’t hosted a Grand Prix in some time, despite holding two races a year during Michael Schumacher’s dominance. Additionally, Formula One is no longer regularly available on free-to-air TV, with only seven races airing this year. “There were always great German drivers, most recently Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel,” Wolff recalled. But neither Vettel, who won four world titles from…

The war in Ukraine has left tens of thousands of people dead, destroyed homes and created millions of refugees, but it has also caused severe environmental damage, Ukrainian Environment Minister Svitlana Hryntchuk told the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku. The environmental damage caused by military operations following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 is estimated at $71 billion, Hryntchuk said on Tuesday. In addition, an additional 180 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been released into the atmosphere due to shelling and forest fires, she said. According to the minister, roughly 3 million hectares of forest…