Briefing

Israel and Gaza are commemorating the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 terror attack, which began the longest war in Israel’s history.

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Emotional ceremonies were held around the world to mark three years since Hamas’s attacks on Israel.

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Israel is marking three years since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, which killed about 1,200 people and saw 251 others kidnapped. More than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel began its retaliatory war against Hamas. The report examines the anniversary observances in Israel and Gazans’ continuing hardship.

IsraelGaza warHamasOct. 7 attacks

South Korea says it has not verified reports that its fuel was shipped to Russia, but will take legal action if illegal exports are confirmed. The dispute comes amid strained ties with Ukraine, which Seoul also accuses of breaching a confidentiality agreement; Kyiv says no such agreement existed.

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Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, the Houthis, said it hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile. Spokesman Yahya Saria said air traffic stopped after the direct hit and urged international airlines to avoid Saudi airspace, which he called a “theater of war” apart from Mecca and Medina.

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Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group said it attacked King Khalid International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, with a ballistic missile on Thursday.

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Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Britain’s consulate general in East Jerusalem would stay open as an independent UK mission serving Palestinians. Israel ordered it closed on Thursday over Britain’s plans to sanction West Bank settlements. Britain has withdrawn some staff and families and plans to rebuild its presence, but will take no reciprocal action against Israel while talks continue.

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Israel says 20 diplomats and the consul general will leave the British consulate in East Jerusalem, with a seven-person team allowed to remain for limited work. UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband says some staff have been temporarily withdrawn for security reasons, but the building will stay open as the UK Mission, Jerusalem. Israel says the move responds to UK sanctions on settlements in the occupied West Bank.

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Workers removed signs from the UK consulate and its consular section in occupied East Jerusalem as the 30-day deadline set by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar arrived on Thursday. The UK flag remained flying. The move further strained ties, after Britain imposed sanctions over Israeli settlements. Israel says the consulate will close, while the UK has sought to keep it open.

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Europe’s ties with China, the United States and the United Kingdom are being tested at the same time. EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič is in Beijing facing a deadline to rebalance trade relations, Marco Rubio urges Europe to wake up, London weighs rejoining the EU, and students are back on the streets in France.

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EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič has arrived in Beijing as talks between the EU and China enter a critical phase.

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European and Chinese officials are set to hold tough talks in Beijing, seeking to avoid escalating trade tensions.

EU-China tradeBrusselsBeijing

Oil prices climbed after a report said the Trump administration asked the Pentagon to prepare options for strikes on Iran that could be carried out before the midterm elections. A hurricane also forced some US output to shut down.

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Yandex said on Thursday that drones struck a major data centre it owns in Russia’s Ryazan region.

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A major Yandex data center in Russia’s Ryazan Oblast was reportedly damaged in an overnight drone attack, with a large fire at the industrial site. Yandex acknowledged an incident and power problems at its cloud facility but did not connect them to the attack. It remains unclear whether the data center, the Sasta plant or both were targeted.

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Margaret Hamilton, a groundbreaking researcher who helped establish software engineering, has died at 90. Her code helped NASA’s Apollo astronauts land on the moon.

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The World Health Organization is seeking further answers from Russia about a plague death that occurred in a laboratory. NBC News' Dr. Akshay Syal reports on what is known about the illness and what the WHO wants Russia to clarify.

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After a Wednesday emergency court hearing, Christa Pike’s lawyers said preserving evidence from her failed execution attempt last week was only the first step in a lengthy legal battle. The judge ordered Tennessee to retain physical evidence, including IVs and syringes, along with all communications and surveillance video. Her lawyers said this was needed for transparency.

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Christa Pike woke up in a hospital this week feeling “angry and confused,” her lawyers said. She survived Tennessee’s failed attempt to execute her and faces a lengthy recovery.

TennesseeexecutionChrista Pike

Indian actor and filmmaker Nana Patekar has died at 75. Known for intense roles in Bollywood films and theatre, he won three National Film Awards and received the Padma Shri.

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Nana Patekar died aged 75 in Goa after suffering a cardiac arrest at home, his son told the BBC. A prominent actor in Hindi and Marathi cinema and theatre, he won three National Film Awards and was known for intense performances. He also co-founded the Naam Foundation, which works on farmer welfare and rural projects. Patekar denied sexual-harassment allegations made in 2018; police cleared him in 2019, citing insufficient evidence.

Nana PatekarIndian cinematheatreobituary