First on CNN: Three US troops killed in drone attack in Jordan, at least two dozen injured

Three US Army soldiers were killed and at least two dozen service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war.

The killing of three Americans at Tower 22 in Jordan near the border with Syria is a significant escalation of an already-precarious situation in the Middle East. Officials said the drone was fired by Iran-backed militants and appeared to come from Syria.

US Central Command confirmed in a statement on Sunday that three service members were killed and 25 injured in a one-way drone attack that “impacted at a base in northeast Jordan.”

Spiral of VengeanceThe Gathering Storm Clouds in the Middle East

By Christoph Reuter und Monika Bolliger

French government mounts defence as agricultural unions prepare Paris ‘siege’

France’s government said Sunday it was making plans to avoid any blockage of routes around the French capital as agricultural unions prepared to mount a “siege” of Paris, part of efforts to pressure the government to meet their demands on pay, taxes and regulations.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin on Sunday tasked law enforcement officials with putting in place “an extensive defensive system” to prevent farmers from blocking Paris area airports, the Rungis market and “to prohibit any entry into Paris”.

The leaders of two of France‘s largest farming unions said Saturday that members from the regions around Paris “will begin an indefinite siege of the capital” on Monday.

“All the major roads leading to the capital will be occupied by farmers,” they said, adding that they intend to blockade the massive Rungis wholesale food market south of the capital.

Key UN Gaza aid agency UNRWA runs into diplomatic storm

By Mark Lowen, in Jerusalem

BBC News

In Gaza, a strip of land fast becoming a wasteland, few international aid bodies can still operate. The United Nations is one of them.

Its Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, or UNRWA, was founded in 1949, working in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, caring for the 700,000 Palestinians who were forced or fled from their homes with the creation of the state of Israel.

Now, says the agency’s head, the lifesaving assistance on which two million Gazans rely could be about to end, as several Western governments suspend their funding over allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.

Central Tokyo condo average price tops ¥100 mil for 1st time

The average price of new condominiums released last year in central Tokyo topped 100 million yen for the first time, driven by luxury properties and soaring construction material prices, according to data from the Real Estate Economic Institute.

The price shot up 39.4 percent from the previous year to 114.83 million yen per unit in the capital’s 23 wards, the institute said.

The average price of new condos in the capital and the three surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa and Saitama also climbed sharply, rising 28.8 percent to 81.01 million yen for the fifth straight year of increase.

By Sarah Fowler & Lipika Pelham

BBC News

The UK has become the latest country to pause funding for the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA.

It comes after the agency announced the sacking of several of its staff over allegations they were involved in the 7 October Hamas attacks.

The UK government said it was “appalled” by the allegations made by Israel.

The US, Australia, Italy, Canada and Finland have already suspended additional funding to the UN agency.

Created in 1949, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, provides health care, education and other humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It employs around 13,000 people inside Gaza.

Palestine Red Crescent Society says hospital and its workers in southern Gaza are besieged by Israeli forces

From CNN’s Ibrahim Hazboun and Robert Iddiols

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) says its medical workers are living in a “state of terror and panic” and once again accused Israel of besieging its headquarters and a southern Gaza hospital.

The PRCS issued a statement Saturday in which they condemned the “siege and targeting” of Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis, “for the sixth consecutive day.”

She was fleeing with her grandson, who was holding a white flag. Then she was shot

Sara Khreis replays the last day she spent with her mother over and over in her mind.

Their family had spent weeks agonizing over whether to flee as Israeli troops moved into Gaza City’s al-Rimal neighborhood, tanks rolling past their front door and a terrifying cacophony of bombs, quadcopter drones and gunfire thundering all around them.

After two nights of bombardment so intense they thought it might blow their home apart, they were resolved: they had to go.

Russia: Court denies appeal to WSJ reporter on spying charge

Russian state news agencies on Friday reported that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich had lost an appeal against his detention.

The 32-year-old is the first US citizen to face spying charges since 1986 when the Soviet KGB secret service Nicholas Daniloff, a Moscow correspondent for US News and World Report, was arrested.

The period of detention of Evan Gershkovich … is extended by two months … till March 30,” the court said on Telegram.

British Post Office scandal victim wants Fujitsu to be ‘open, honest’

One of the British post office operators falsely accused of embezzlement due to faults in Fujitsu Ltd’s accounting system said its local unit should be “open and honest” about their role in the scandal.

Speaking to Kyodo News, Lee Castleton described the behavior of staff at Fujitsu’s European arm as “not very honorable,” after it emerged last week at the public inquiry into the scandal that a Fujitsu manager in a 2006 email called him “a nasty chap” who wanted to “rubbish” the company’s name.

In the same email, the Fujitsu Post Office Account Security Team member expressed his desire for Castleton to be “hung out to dry,” despite never having met or spoken to the operator himself.

Georgia’s stolen children: Twins sold at birth reunited by TikTok video

Amy and Ano are identical twins, but just after they were born they were taken from their mother and sold to separate families. Years later, they discovered each other by chance thanks to a TV talent show and a TikTok video. As they delved into their past, they realised they were among thousands of babies in Georgia stolen from hospitals and sold, some as recently as 2005. Now they want answers.

Amy is pacing up and down in a hotel room in Leipzig. “I’m scared, really scared,” she says, fidgeting nervously. “I haven’t slept all week. This is my chance to finally get some answers about what happened to us.”

Her twin sister, Ano, sits in an armchair, watching TikTok videos on her phone. “This is the woman that could have sold us,” she says, rolling her eyes.

‘Too much poison’: Attacks on Indian Muslims grow after Ram temple ceremony

As India marks Republic Day, many fear the dawn of a new nation where minorities are made to feel like ‘rubbish’.

Driving through the Mira Road neighbourhood of Mumbai was a usual affair for 21-year-old Mohammad Tariq, who ran errands on his father’s white loading auto carrier.

But on Tuesday, participants in a Hindu nationalist rally stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road. Young boys – mostly teenagers – dragged him out. They punched and kicked him and thrashed him with batons, flag staffs and iron chains, his 54-year-old father, Abdul Haque told Al Jazeera. Since then, Haque said, “[Tariq] has been terrified.”

Gangs, gunmen and cartels running amok. As terror grips the streets of Ecuador, even the armed forces live in fear

Camille Gamarra and Diego Gallardo sat in their living room and watched as armed gunmen stormed a local television news studio, taking anchors and staff hostage during the live broadcast.

People watching it play out were left stunned, and word quickly spread on social media and through WhatsApp messages of simultaneous attacks that were being carried out through Ecuador’s largest and arguably most violent city, Guayaquil.

Suddenly, residents, including Camille and Diego, found themselves seeking a safe place for themselves and their loved ones.

Russia sentences woman to 27 years for war blogger’s death

Darya Trepova was charged with carrying out a blast that killed a prominent Russian war blogger last year at a cafe in St. Petersburg.

A St. Petersburg court sentenced a Russian national to 27 years in prison for a bomb attack that killed a prominent Russian military blogger and injured a dozen more people at a cafe in April 2023.

The court found Darya Trepova guilty of terrorism and other charges last year. Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky died when a miniature statue handed to him as a gift by Trepova exploded.

Tatarsky was killed while hosting a talk at the cafe in the country’s second-biggest city. He was handed the figurine with the bomb while meeting members of the public, Russian media had reported.

French court scraps large parts of hardline immigration law as unconstitutional

France’s Constitutional Council on Thursday rejected several measures in a divisive new immigration law that critics call inhumane, in a new blow to President Emmanuel Macron and his government.

The council said in a statement that it threw out all or part of 32 of the law’s 86 articles, saying they were contrary to the constitution. Macron and lawmakers had sought the body’s assessment of the law, passed last year after a torturous debate.

Among measures rejected were those making it harder for immigrants to bring their families to France, and limiting their access to social welfare. The bill also strengthens France’s ability to deport foreigners considered undesirable.

Groups who see the law as contrary to French values — and as a gift to the increasingly influential far right — protested ahead of the ruling outside the Constitutional Council across from the Louvre Museum in central Paris. Other protests were also planned, and Paris police deployed special security measures for the day.

Man sentenced to death for Kyoto Animation arson attack

By Hiroshi HIYAMA

The Kyoto District Court on Thursday sentenced to death the perpetrator of a 2019 arson attack on an animation studio that killed 36 people, local media reported.

The blaze that ripped through the studios of Kyoto Animation 4 1/2 years ago was Japan’s deadliest crime in decades, stunning the anime industry and its fans around the world.

Shinji Aoba, now 45, broke into the building, spread gasoline around the ground floor, lit it and shouted “drop dead” on the morning of July 18, 2019, survivors said.

Qatar ‘appalled’ at alleged Netanyahu criticism of mediation in Gaza war

After reports of leaked recording, Qatar says attributed remarks show Israeli PM ‘obstructing mediation efforts’ and ‘prioritising’ his career.

Qatar has rebuked Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he allegedly criticised the Gulf country’s role as a mediator in the Gaza war as “problematic” in a leaked recording.

At a meeting this week with the families of captives being held in Gaza, Netanyahu blamed Qatar for financing Hamas and said he was upset at a decision by the United States to extend the presence of a military base in the Gulf state, according to Israeli news outlet Channel 12.

“These remarks if validated, are irresponsible and destructive to the efforts to save innocent lives, but are not surprising,” Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said in a post on X on Wednesday.

Russian military plane crashes near Ukraine border

Belgorod governor says air defenses were active in the region shortly before military plane crash

From CNN’s Radina Gigova and Katharina Krebs

Air defense systems in the Belgorod region were active shortly before the crash of a Russian military transport plane Wednesday morning, according to information from the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov.

On his Telegram channel, Gladkov wrote that a drone had been shot down over the village of Blizhnee, which lies about 60 kilometers southwest of Yablanovo, where the plane crashed. The governor’s post was published at 10:35 a.m. local time, about 40 minutes before Russia’s Defense Ministry says the plane crashed.

In another post, published at 11:12 a.m. local time, Gladkov reported an air attack alert was active, warning people to take shelter. About half an hour later, he said the alert was over.

Thailand: Popular politician Pita cleared by top court

Thailand’s Constitutional Court has cleared former candidate for prime minister Pita Limjaroenrat of charges that could have seen him banned from politics. The 43-year-old has been reinstated as a lawmaker.

Thailand‘s Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday that former prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat had not broken election rules and lifted his suspension from the country’s parliament.

Under reformist candidate Pita, the progressive Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most votes in last year’s general election, promising to reform Thailand’s strict royal insult laws, reduce the power of the military and break up business monopolies.

But the 43-year-old was blocked from becoming prime minister and suspended as a member of parliament over claims that he had violated election law by owning shares in a media company while the MFP was excluded from the governing coalition.

Saudi Arabia ‘plans to allow alcohol sales’ to non-Muslim diplomats

Saudi Arabia plans to allow alcohol sales to non-Muslim diplomats for the first time, two sources familiar with the plan told AFP on Wednesday, modifying strict rules governing liquor in the conservative country.

Alcohol “will be sold to non-Muslim diplomats” who previously had to import alcohol via a diplomatic pouch, or sealed official package, one of the sources said.

Prohibition has been the law of the land in Saudi Arabia since 1952, shortly after one of King Abdulaziz’s sons got drunk and, in a rage, shot dead a British diplomat.

Rumours have swirled for years that alcohol would become available in the Gulf kingdom amid a wave of social reforms introduced as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform agenda, among them the introduction of cinemas and mixed-gender music festivals.

Israel’s war on Gaza live: ‘Mass casualties’ at Gaza centre sheltering IDPs

• UNRWA reports “mass casualties” as training centre sheltering tens of thousands of displaced people in Khan Younis catches fire after being struck amid fierce fighting.
• Israeli forces continue tank-and-drone strikes on Khan Younis city with at least 210 people killed over the past 24 hours.
• UN chief Antonio Guterres says risks of a regional war are “now a reality”, urging all sides “to step back from the brink and consider the horrendous costs”.
• At least 25,700 people have been killed and 63,740 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. The death toll in Israel from the October 7 Hamas attacks stands at 1,139.

Russia’s relentless ‘meat assaults’ are wearing down outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian forces

Straddling the frontlines, the small town of Avdiivka has become the epicenter of the war in Ukraine. Still in Ukrainian hands – just – it’s enclosed on three sides by Russian troops and cannons.

Pounded by the Russians, the town itself is unrecognizable.

Concrete carcasses mark what were once the town’s tallest buildings, seemingly floating amid small hills of rubble. The cross atop the town’s church, bent double by an explosion, points accusatorially at the Russian lines.

China grilled over human rights record at UN

“Universal Periodic Reviews” are held at the UN every five years to address a country’s human rights record. More than 160 countries provided assessment of China’s record, ranging from praise to condemnation.

China underwent rare scrutiny of its human rights record at the United Nations on Tuesday.

The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which all UN member states must undergo every five years, focused on Xinjiang, a remote region where China has incarcerated more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities and is accused of crimes against humanity.

The political situation in Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a strict set of “security” laws, was also taken into consideration.

More than 160 countries addressed the hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, and each only had 45 seconds to speak.

‘Fed up’: French farmers increase pressure on government as protests continue

French farmers’ representatives threatened to expand protests on Monday before a meeting with government to address anger over price pressures, taxes and green regulation – grievances that are shared by farmers across Europe.

“There is a general feeling of being fed up,” Arnaud Gaillot, the head of the Young Farmers (Jeunes Agriculteurs) union told France 2 television, after farmers blocked roads in parts of France last week, in action similar to widespread protests by farmers in Germany.

“I think that at this moment, as long as I don’t have the answers, I’d have a hard time explaining to them that they need to leave (the protests),” he said.

Farmers cite a government tax on tractor fuel, cheap imports, water storage issues, price pressures from retailers and red tape among their grievances.

Shinkansen lines halted from morning after power outage

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

January 23, 2024 at 18:29 JST

Services on three Shinkansen lines in central and eastern Japan were suspended on Jan. 23 after a power outage occurred, triggered by loose overhead wires, forcing many passengers to walk to stations.

Two workers were reportedly electrocuted while working on the wires and were taken to a hospital emergency room where they were conscious.

The outage occurred at around 9:58 a.m. between Ueno and Oyama stations on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, and between Ueno and Kumagaya stations on the Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen Lines.

“Ninety seconds to midnight is profoundly unsustainable,” said Rachel Bronson, the president and chief executive of the organisation.

Last year, the Bulletin set its metaphorical Doomsday Clock at 90 seconds to midnight, the closest it had been since it was established after the second world war.