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A man holds a walkie talkie device after he removed the battery during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded. Photo: ANWAR AMRO/AFP Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon's south and in Beirut suburbs, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions launched via the group's pagers. Lebanon's health ministry said nine people had been killed and more than 300 injured, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured. At least one of Wednesday's blasts took place near a funeral organised by Iran-backed Hezbollah for those killed the previous day when thousands of pagers used by the group exploded across the country and wounded many of it...

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games flag Photo: Photosport The Scottish government has backed a bid for Glasgow to host a scaled-down version of the Commonwealth Games in 2026, 12 years after the city last hosted the quadrennial multi-sport event. The Games were originally slated for the Australian state of Victoria, but they withdrew as hosts due to rising costs. "We have been working with Commonwealth Games Scotland and the Scottish Government for several months and are delighted to hear CGS has received confirmation of support from the Government to enable them to progress with their proposal to host the Games in 2026," Commonwealth Games Federation president Chris Jenkins said in a statement. At the heart of discussions, Jenkins said, is the 100 million pounds (NZ$213.00 million) invest...

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams hold a news conference from the International Space Station on 13 September. Photo: AFP PHOTO / NASA TV Two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station for eight days and ended up staying months were aware of the risks and will be being kept busy, a retired astronaut who knows the pair says. NASA astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore crewed Boeing's Starliner which left earth on 5 June for what was meant to be an eight-day test mission. They're now expected to return in February on a different spacecraft. Retired astronaut Michael Fossum told Nine to Noon what happened to Wilmore and Williams was "pretty jarring" - to go from an eight day mission to months spent in space. But this was a test flight, he sa...

By Ben Blanchard, Reuters Hsu Ching-kuang (L), head of Taiwanese company Gold Apollo, speaks to the media outside the company's office in New Taipei City on September 18, 2024. Photo: AFP / YAN ZHAO The model of pagers used in detonations in Lebanon were made by Budapest-based BAC Consulting, Taiwanese pager firm Gold Apollo said on Wednesday, adding it had only licensed out its brand to the company and was not involved in the production of the devices. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon on Tuesday. According to a senior Lebanese security source and another source, explosives inside the devices were planted by Israel's Mossad spy agency. Images of destroyed pagers analysed by Reuters s...

Phillip Mehrtens was kidnapped in February 2023. Photo: Facebook Rebels in Indonesia's West Papua region have proposed the terms of release for the New Zealand pilot taken hostage almost 18 months ago. The armed faction of the West Papua National Liberation Army kidnapped Phillip Merhtens in February last year after he landed a small commercial plane in a remote, mountainous area. The group has tried to use Mehrtens to broker independence from Indonesia. It is now asking the New Zealand government, including the police and army, to escort the pilot and for local and international journalists to be involved in the release process. Both Foreign Affairs and the minister's office say they are aware of the proposed plan. In a statement, they say their focus remains on securing a peaceful res...