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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement after the missile attack condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Photo: AFP Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel. Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Many were intercepted in flight but some penetrated missile defences. Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement after the missile attack condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent tro...

Photo: CIA/X By Jonathan Landay, Reuters The US CIA launched a new drive to recruit informants in China, Iran and North Korea, adding to what it says has been a successful effort to enlist Russians. The premier US spy agency posted instructions in Mandarin, Farsi and Korean on its accounts on X, Facebook, Instagram, Telegram, LinkedIn and the Dark Web on how to contact it securely, a CIA spokesperson said in a statement. "Our efforts on this front have been successful in Russia, and we want to make sure individuals in other authoritarian regimes know that we're open for business," the spokesperson said, adding that the CIA was adapting to increased state repression and global surveillance. A Mandarin-language video posted to Youtube featuring only written instructions advised individuals...

Relatives and friends mourn by the grave of Israeli soldier Eitan Itzhak Oster killed in fighting in the northern border area with Lebanon, during his funeral at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP By Ari Rabinovitch and Maya Gebeily, Reuters Israel said eight of its soldiers were killed in combat in south Lebanon as its forces thrust into its northern neighbour in a campaign against the Hezbollah armed group. The losses were the deadliest suffered by the Israeli military on the Lebanon front in the past year of border-area clashes between Israel and its Iranian-backed Lebanese foe. Hezbollah said its fighters were engaging Israeli forces inside Lebanon on Thursday, reporting ground clashes for the first time since Israeli forces pushed over the bor...

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is already in custody awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering. Now he's set to face lawsuits from 120 people who have accused him of sexual assault and abuse. Photo: AFP / Angela Weiss Hip hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, already in custody awaiting trial on three counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering, is now set to face lawsuits from 120 people who have accused him of sexual assault and abuse. Last month the 54-year-old was arrested in a New York hotel and taken into police custody. Reuters reported that prosecutors accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to facilitate his exploitation of women, dating back at least 16 years. According to the 14-pag...