Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on Gaza rises to 2,750

16 October 2023; AA: The number of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has risen to 2,750, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said on Monday.

The number of wounded has risen to 9,700, the ministry added.

In a previous statement, the ministry said over 750 children were among the people killed in the Israeli attacks.


Health authorities also said that there are 58 fatalities in the West Bank along with at least 1,250 injuries.

Russia’s assault on a key eastern Ukraine city reported to be weakening. The war marks 600 days

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A dayslong attempt by Russian forces to storm a strategically important city in eastern Ukraine appears to be running out of steam, Kyiv officials said Monday, as the Kremlin’s war entered its 600th day.

Ukrainian forces repelled 15 Russian attacks from four directions on Avdiivka over the previous 24 hours, the Ukrainian General Staff said.

Egypt reinforces Gaza border with concrete barriers as it ‘indefinitely’ closes Rafah crossing

15 October 2023; MEMO: Egypt is continuing to keep its border with the Gaza Strip closed to Palestinians attempting to flee the Israeli bombardment of the territory, completing the construction of its concrete wall in the process.

Since the start of the Israeli aerial assault on Gaza which began after an offensive operation by the Palestinian resistance group last Saturday, Egypt closed its Rafah border crossing with the strip as many of its residents fled to the south of the besieged territory.

UAE: Iran warns Israel of regional escalation if 'aggressions do not stop'

DUBAI, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Iran warned Israel of escalation if it failed to end aggressions against Palestinians, with its foreign minister saying other parties in the region were ready to act, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday.

"If the Zionist aggressions do not stop, the hands of all parties in the region are on the trigger," Hossein Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.

USA: A proposed gag order on Trump in his federal election case is putting the judge in a tricky position

WASHINGTON (AP) — A proposed gag order aimed at reining in Donald Trump’s incendiary rhetoric puts the judge overseeing his federal election interference case in a tricky position: She must balance the need to protect the integrity of the legal proceedings against the First Amendment rights of a presidential candidate to defend himself in public.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan will hear arguments Monday in Washington over whether Trump has gone too far with remarks such as calling prosecutors a “team of thugs” and one possible witness “a gutless pig.”

The Israel-Hamas war has roiled US campuses. Students on each side say colleges aren’t doing enough

New York (AP) — America’s colleges aspire to be places where ideas meet and common ground emerges. As the death toll rises in the Israel-Hamas war, they have become seats of anguish.

Many Jewish students and their allies, some with family and friends in Israel, have demanded bold reckonings and strong condemnation after the attacks by Hamas militants, who stormed from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns, killing and abducting civilians and soldiers.

USA: Biden and Democrats report raising $71 million-plus for his 2024 race from July through September

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised more than $71 million for his reelection in the three months ending Sept. 30, a strong indication that party donors remain united behind him going into a 2024 race that may feature a rematch with Donald Trump.

Sunday’s announcement comes after the Biden campaign and the party reported raising $72-plus million in the 10 weeks between his official campaign announcement on April 25 and the end of the second quarter on June 30.

Egypt: Blinken to extend Middle East tour, return to Israel on Monday

CAIRO, Oct 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel on Monday, a senior State Department official said, extending his Middle East shuttle diplomacy by a day as Israel prepares for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip and the United States works to stop the conflict from spreading.

Israel has vowed to annihilate the militant group Hamas in retaliation for a rampage by its fighters in Israeli towns eight days ago in which its militants shot men, women and children and seized hostages in the worst attack on civilians in the country's history.

USA: NASA spacecraft launched to mysterious and rare metal asteroid in first mission of its kind

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s Psyche spacecraft rocketed away Friday on a six-year journey to a rare metal-covered asteroid.

Most asteroids tend to be rocky or icy, and this is the first exploration of a metal world. Scientists believe it may be the battered remains of an early planet’s core, and could shed light on the inaccessible centers of Earth and other rocky planets.

SpaceX launched the spacecraft into an overcast midmorning sky from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Named for the asteroid it’s chasing, Psyche should reach the huge, potato-shaped object in 2029.

USA: A Supreme Court dispute over a $15,000 IRS bill may be aimed at a never-enacted tax on billionaires

WASHINGTON (AP) — Charles and Kathleen Moore are about to have their day in the Supreme Court over a $15,000 tax bill they contend is unconstitutional.

The couple from Redmond, Washington, claim they had to pay the money because of their investment in an Indian company from which, as Charles Moore, 62, said in a sworn statement, they “have never received a distribution, dividend, or other payment.”

But significant parts of the story they have told to reach this point seem at odds with public records.

Conflict in Middle East could escalate, U.S. officials warn

WASHINGTON, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Top U.S. officials warned on Sunday that the war between Israel and the militant group Hamas could escalate into a wider conflict across the Middle East, saying they were worried the Lebanese group Hezbollah could attack Israel's north or that Iran might get involved.

American officials also say they are trying to ensure Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip have access to food, water and shelter as Israeli forces prepare for an expected ground assault on the tiny, densely populated enclave.

USA: Republican Jeff Landry wins the Louisiana governor’s race, reclaims office for GOP

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, has won the Louisiana governor’s race, holding off a crowded field of candidates.

The win is a major victory for the GOP as they reclaim the governor’s mansion for the first time in eight years. Landry will replace current Gov. John Bel Edwards, who was unable to seek reelection due to consecutive term limits. Edwards is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South.

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