₦airaland Forum

The last place former president #NelsonMandela called home has been abandoned. The mansion on 12th avenue in Houghton was being occupied by Mandela’s grandchildren but they moved out after the lights were cut due to unpaid utility bills - which according to his grandchildren are supposed to be paid by the Nelson Rolihlala Mandela Trust. 10 years after the statesman’s death and his estate has still not been wind up.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said it is a duty of women to halt a fall in the country’s births in order to strengthen national power, state media said Monday, as his government steps up the call for the people to have more children.

While getting a detailed read on North Korea’s population trends is extremely difficult because of the limited statistics it discloses, South Korea’s government assesses that the North’s fertility rate has declined steadily for the past 10 years. That is a concerning development for a country that depends on mobilized labor to help keep its broken, heavily sanctioned economy afloat.

Kim’s latest appeal for women to have more children was made Sunday during the country’s National Mothers Meeting, the first of its kind in 11 years.

“Stopping the decline in birthrates and providing good child care and education are all our family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers,” Kim said in his opening speech.

According to South Korea’s government statistics agency, North Korea’s total fertility rate, or the average number of babies expected to be born to a woman over her lifetime, was at 1.79 in 2022, down from 1.88 in 2014. The decline is still slower than its wealthier rival South Korea, whose fertility rate last year was 0.78, down from 1.20 in 2014.

South Korea’s fertility rate, the lowest in the developed world, is believed to be due to a potent cocktail of reasons discouraging people from having babies, including a decaying job market, a brutally competitive school environment for children, traditionally weak child care assistance and a male-centered corporate culture where many women find it impossible to combine careers and family.

While North Korea is one of the poorest nations in the world, the change in its demographic structure is similar to that of rich countries, some observers say.

“Many families in North Korea also don’t intend to have more than one child these days as they know they need lots of money to raise their kids, send them to school and help them get jobs,” said Ahn Kyung-su, head of DPRKHEALTH.ORG, a website focusing on health issues in North Korea.

Ahn, who has interviewed many North Korean defectors, said the smuggling of a vast amount of South Korean TV dramas and movies in the past 20 years that showed an elevated social status for women has also likely influenced women in North Korea not to have many children.

North Korea implemented birth control programs in the 1970-80s to slow a postwar population growth. The country’s fertility rate recorded a major decline following a famine in the mid-1990s that was estimated to have killed hundreds of thousands of people, the Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute said in a report in August.

“Given North Korea lacks resources and technological advancements, it could face difficulties to revive and develop its manufacturing industry if sufficient labor forces are not provided,” the institute report said.

According to North Korean state media reports this year, the country has introduced a set of benefits for families with three or more children, including preferential free housing arrangements, state subsidies, free food, medicine and household goods and educational perks for children.

South Korea’s statistics agency estimates the North’s population at 25.7 million. The Hyundai institute report said that North Korea was expected to experience a population shrink from 2034 and forecast its population would decrease to 23.7 million by 2070.

Ahn, the website head, said that Kim Jong Un’s repeated public appearances with his young daughter, Ju Ae, are also likely be efforts to encourage families. Other experts said the daughter’s appearances were more likely an attempt to show she’s her father’s heir.

Hamas violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory.

The IDF has resumed combat against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza.

Liberian incumbent president and football legend George Weah conceded defeat on Friday evening after nearly complete returns showed opposition leader Joseph Boakai leading with nearly 51 percent of the run-off ballots.

"The results announced tonight, though not final, indicate that... Boakai is in a lead that we cannot surpass," Weah said in a speech on national radio.

The "CDC (party) has lost the election, but Liberia has won. This is the time for graciousness in defeat, to put national interest above personal interest," he said.

The expected victory for former Vice President Boakai would be sweet revenge for the 78-year-old, who lost to Weah, 57, by a large margin in the second-round presidential vote in 2017.

With more than 99.5 percent of the polling stations reporting vote tallies after Tuesday's second-round vote, Boakai had garnered 50.89 percent of ballots cast, with Weah on 49.11 percent, according to official results released by the electoral commission.

Boakai was 28,000 votes ahead of Weah, according to Friday's figures, after the two men finished neck-and-neck in the first round last month, with a national lead of just 7,126 votes for Weah.

The United States extended its congratulations to "president-elect Boakai on his victory and President Weah for his peaceful acceptance of the results".

"We call on all citizens to follow President Weah's example and accept the results," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Former vice president Joseph Boakai had garnered 50.89 percent of votes cast, with incumbent George Weah on 49.11 percent with most polling stations tallied

Weah said he had spoken to Boakai "to congratulate him on his victory".

"The Liberian people have spoken, and we have heard their voice. However, the closeness of the results reveals a deep division within our country," Weah said in his speech.

"Let us heal the divisions caused by the campaign and come together as one nation and one united people."

The elections were the first since the United Nations in 2018 ended its peacekeeping mission, created after more than 250,000 people died in two civil wars in Liberia between 1989 and 2003.

International observers, including the European Union, commended Liberia this week for holding a peaceful election.

Regional bloc ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, said the election was "largely" peaceful, but it noted isolated incidents that led to "injuries and hospitalisations" in four provinces.

Clashes during the campaign left several dead before the first round and raised fears of post-election violence.

Around 2.4 million Liberians were eligible to vote on Tuesday, but no turnout figures have been released.

Boakai is an old political hand, having served as vice president to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state, from 2006 to 2018.

He is set to lead the English-speaking country of around five million people, one of the poorest in the world, for six years.

More than a fifth of the population lives on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank.

Nepal said on Monday it would ban China's TikTok, adding that social harmony and goodwill were being disturbed by "misuse" of the popular video app and there was rising demand to control it.

TikTok has already been either partially or completely banned by other countries, with many citing security concerns.

More than 1,600 TikTok-related cyber crime cases have been registered over the last four years in Nepal, according to local media reports.

Nepal's Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said the decision to ban TikTok had been made at a cabinet meeting earlier on Monday.

"Colleagues are working on closing it technically," Sharma told Reuters.

Nepal Telecom Authority Chair Purushottam Khanal said that internet service providers have been asked to close the app.

"Some have already closed while others are doing it later today," Khanal told Reuters.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. It has previously said such bans are "misguided" and that they are based on "misconceptions".

Opposition leaders in Nepal criticised the move, saying that it lacked "effectiveness, maturity and responsibility".

"There are many unwanted materials in other social media also. What must be done is to regulate and not restrict them," Pradeep Gyawali, former foreign minister and a senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), said.

Nepal's neighbour India banned TikTok along with dozens of other apps by Chinese developers in June 2020, saying that they could compromise national security and integrity.

Another South Asian country, Pakistan, has banned the app at least four times over what the country's government terms its "immoral and indecent" content.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has criticised refereeing and the use of VAR in La Liga and called on the Spanish government to intervene.

Both refereeing and video technology has been under the microscope in Spain in recent months – as they have in other leagues such as the Premier League.

Perez, speaking at the club's annual general meeting on Saturday, says more needs to be done to improve officiating.

"In Spain, the situation of football is worrying," he said. "I will not dedicate many words at this moment to the Spanish Football Federation, given that it is immersed in a process of regeneration.

"There are many issues of particular relevance that depend directly on the Spanish Football Federation. Issues as sensitive and as important as the quality of refereeing and the application of VAR, a technological instrument that came to improve football and that today is so questioned by the management and use made by those responsible for it.

"I am confident that the Spanish government will act and take the necessary measures to regenerate the refereeing profession once and for all."

Super League can mark 'new era for the good of football'
Florentino Perez claims that a European Super League can be the beginning of “a new era for the good of football”.

Real were one of 12 founding members of a proposed new European competition that was launched and subsequently failed in 72 chaotic hours back in April 2021.

Following a challenge from Super League organisers, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in UEFA’s favour in December 2022 with the final binding verdict – originally expected to come in March – now set to be made in December.

Real, alongside La Liga rivals Barcelona, have consistently maintained their support for the project throughout with Perez using the club's annual general meeting on Saturday to again do so as well as criticise UEFA's current running of the European game.

FIFA have confirmed that Saudi Arabia have submitted the only bid to host the 2034 World Cup 🇸🇦🏆

A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes.

A police bulletin identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack that sent panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins when shots rang out around 7 p.m. Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.

The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.

Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away.

One bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.

“I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon — he was holding a weapon — I just booked it,” he told The Associated Press.

Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.

“I was putting on my bowling shoes when when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.

Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the doors after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter-mile away. Soon, the police flooded the roadway and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building.

“I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Small said. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”

After the shooting, police, many armed with rifles, took up positions while the city descended into eerie quiet — punctuated by occasional sirens — as people hunkered down at home.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.

Two law enforcement officials told The AP that at least 16 people were killed and the toll was expected to rise. However, Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to provide a specific estimate at a news conference, calling it a “fluid situation.”

The two law enforcement officials said dozens of people also had been wounded. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients. The hospital was locked down and police, some armed with rifles, stood by the entrances.

Meanwhile, hospitals as far away as Portland, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) to the south, were on alert to potentially receive victims.

An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.

Gov. Janet Mills released a statement echoing instructions for people to shelter. She said she had been briefed on the situation and will remain in close contact with public safety officials.

President Joe Biden spoke by phone to Mills and the state’s Senate and House members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said.

Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring the situation. King’s office said the senator would be headed directly home to Maine on the first flight possible.

Local schools will be closed Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”


Wednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.

Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.

Some recent attempts by gun control advocates to tighten the state’s gun laws have failed. Proposals to require background checks for private gun sales and create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases failed earlier this year. Proposals that focused on school security and banning bump stocks failed in 2019.

State residents have also voted down some attempts to tighten gun laws in Maine. A proposal to require background checks for gun sales failed in a 2016 public vote.

Iceland's prime minister is expected to join tens of thousands of women in a strike for equal pay on Tuesday, labour unions in the country have said.

Katrín Jakobsdóttir told Icelandic media that she plans to take part in the industrial action, organised under the slogan 'Do you call this equality?', and not come to work.

She told the mbl.is website: "I will not work this day, as I expect all the women [in cabinet] will do as well.

"I have decided not to have a cabinet meeting tomorrow and in Alþingi [Iceland's parliament] only male ministers will answer impromptu questions. We show solidarity in this way."

Organisers said on the campaign's official website: "On 24 October, all women in Iceland, including immigrant women, are encouraged to stop work, both paid and unpaid [including household chores].

"For the whole day, women (and non-binary people) will strike, to demonstrate the importance of their contribution to society."

The strike, which is known as the "Kvennafrí" or "Women's Day Off", hopes to raise awareness about "systemic" pay discrimination and gender-based violence.

Iceland is seen as one of the most progressive in the world in terms of gender equality and has topped the World Economic Forum's gender gap index 14 years in a row.

No nation has achieved full gender equality, according to the index, but Iceland has closed at least 91% of its gap and is the only country to have passed 90%.

However, women in some jobs there earn at least 20% less than their male colleagues, Statistics Iceland has said.

And a study by the University of Iceland found 40% of Icelandic women experience gender-based and sexual violence in their lifetime.

Strike organiser Freyja Steingrímsdóttir, of the Icelandic Federation for Public Workers, said: "We're seeking to bring attention to the fact that we're called an equality paradise, but there are still gender disparities and urgent need for action.

"Female-led professions such as healthcare services and childcare are still undervalued and much lower paid."

Industries where women make up the majority of workers, like healthcare and education, will be especially affected.

The first Women's Day Off took place on 24 October, 1975 , when 90% of Icelandic women stopped work to protest gender inequality and it has been repeated in 1985, 2005, 2010, 2016 and 2018.

The Kazakh government has banned hijab headscarves for students and teachers at schools. Officials stress the need to preserve secularism, meanwhile some girls are dropping out of school in protest.

The Kazakh government's recent announcement of a ban on wearing the hijab headscarf in educational institutions has sparked fierce debate in the country.

"Requirements for the school uniform prohibit the wearing of the hijab, since any attribute, symbol, element in one way or another implies propaganda of the dogma to which they relate. Ensuring the equality of all religions before the law, the principles of secularism do not allow the advantage of any religion,” reads the statement on the "For citizens” section of the Kazakh government's website, dated October 16.

The statement also bans the hijab for school teachers. However, it emphasizes that the ban does not apply outside of schools.

A secular state
According to official figures, almost 70% of Kazakhstan's population practices Islam. But both supporters and opponents of the ban quickly came forward. Proponents stressed that Kazakhstan was a secular country and should therefore avoid privileging any particular religion. Opponents however believe that such restrictions violate the principles of freedom of conscience, and some have taken extreme measures to protest the ban.

Kazakh Education Minister Gani Beisembayev confirmed that in the Atyrau region alone, 150 girls have dropped out of school since the beginning of September because of the ban. And in the Turkestan region, two men reportedly beat a local school director because she refused to allow girls wearing hijabs to attend classes.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also commented on the matter at the national teachers' congress in the capital Astana, saying that a school is an educational institution where people come to acquire knowledge, while religious beliefs are a private matter. "Freedom of religion is guaranteed by law in our country. I think it is right for children to decide for themselves when they grow up and develop their own worldview," Tokayev said, adding that Kazakhstan was and would remain a secular state.

So far the authorities have not objected to this suggestion, though the ban on wearing the hijab applies to all educational institutions in Kazakhstan without exception.

The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has banned Mr Jonathan Bukabakwa, former youth coach at clubs of the Urban Football Agreement of the regions of Lipopo and Malebo in Congo DR, from all football-related activities for 20 years, after having found him guilty of sexually abusing a minor football player. In addition, the adjudicatory chamber imposed a fine amounting to CHF 100,000 on Mr Bukabakwa.

This case arose following serious allegations related to the sexual abuse of minors in the Congo DR Football Association (FECOFA) that were made on several media platforms. In particular, various football coaches of different regions and leagues in Congo DR were accused of having abused minor players, leading to Mr Bukabakwa being provisionally suspended for a period of five months earlier this year.

In deciding this case, the adjudicatory chamber took into account the evidence collected during the investigations and was comfortably satisfied that Mr Bukabakwa had breached article 24 (Protection of physical and mental integrity) of the Code of Ethics. The terms of the decision were notified to Mr Bukabakwa today, the date on which the ban comes into force, and will be followed by the notification of the grounds within the next 60 days in accordance with the FIFA Code of Ethics.

The decision taken by the adjudicatory chamber is in line with FIFA’s zero tolerance approach to all forms of abuse in football. World football’s governing body has regularly updated its regulatory framework in recent years to provide greater protection to victims of discrimination and sexual abuse or harassment.

FIFA also provides a confidential, dedicated, highly secure and web-based whistleblowing system so that individuals can report any safeguarding concerns.

I am responsible for the defense establishment. I was responsible for it in the last two weeks, even in the difficult incidents, and I am responsible for bringing it to victory in the battle

We will be precise and deadly and we will continue until we complete the mission.

You now see Gaza from afar, soon you will see it from the inside. The order will come.

The Defense Ministry says an American plane has landed at Ben Gurion Airport with a shipment of armored vehicles for the Israeli military, to replace those damaged amid the fighting that began on October 7.

The ministry says the delivery is part of a larger NIS 400 million procurement to bolster the Israel Defense Forces’ fleet of vehicles.

It says further shipments will also contain armored ambulances, trucks, and mechanical engineering equipment.

An Israeli strike killed the head of the Hamas-led national security forces, Jehad Mheisen, and members of his family in their house, a Hamas-aligned news agency reported.

IDF spokesperson Peter Lerner: “We are determined to restore safety and security to our people.”

Hamas's security forces chief is killed along with some of his family in Israeli airstrike on their house

The head of Hamas's security forces was killed today along with members of his family in an Israeli airstrike on their house as Israel continued its bombardment of the war-torn Gaza Strip to 'destroy' the terrorist group.

Jehad Mheisen, a key leader within Hamas, was killed in the airstrike on his home in Gaza, a Hamas-aligned news agency said, as the IDF continued to hit hundreds of targets across the enclave including tunnel shafts and command centres.

Israel has said it is attacking Hamas terrorists wherever they may be in Gaza, describing them as 'dead men walking', and accused the group's leaders and fighters of taking shelter among the civilian population.

All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza, whom are once again victims of these unjust bombings that spare neither women nor children.

"Mister Karim Benzema has notorious ties, as we all know, with the Muslim Brotherhood

Karim Benzema is an "agent of Hamas propaganda,"

Karim (Benzema) is an accomplice to terroism

In a tweet, footballer Karim Benzema sent “his prayers” to the residents of Gaza. “All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings which spare neither women nor children,” he wrote.

Remember, Karim Benzema was transferred to the Al-Ittihad club in Saudi Arabia last June and also benefits from dual nationality: French and Algerian.

Also, the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Damanin, announced this Wednesday, October 18. that Karim Benzema is “in connection with the Muslim Brotherhood”.
Let us remember, as explained in particular by Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, anthropologist and responsible for research at the CNRS: “Muslim Brotherhood is a political-religious movement which has given itself the mission to organize the march of all Muslims towards the same objective: the establishment of Islamic society worldwide.

It is a theocratic movement which will ultimately have to get rid of democracy. "

If the statements of the Minister of Internal Affairs are true, we should consider sanctions against Karim Benzema.

Initially, it would be a symbolic sanction. withdrawing the Ballon d’Or.

Finally, we must request loss of citizenship. We cannot accept that a French dual national, internationally known, can dishonor and even betray our country in this way.

Everything is false. Benzema never had any relationship with 'Muslim Brotherhood'. We are thinking about prosecutions against this minister in application, for example, of the law on the manipulation of information dear to our government... and defamation or even public insult."

At least 500 people have been killed in a bombing of a hospital in Gaza City, the Palestinian Health Ministry has claimed.

A spokesman for the ministry said in a statement: "Initial estimates indicate that between 200 and 300 martyrs were killed in the bombing that targeted Baptist Hospital in Gaza city."

The ministry later revised the figure to at least 500, AP and Reuters reported.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are investigating what happened at the hospital.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there were still no details on the hospital deaths, adding: "We will get the details and update the public. I don't know to say whether it was an Israeli air strike."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following the bombardment, according to state media. Abbas has also now announced his withdrawal from a planned meeting with Biden.

In a new war crime and a crime against humanity, Israeli warplanes targeted Al-Ahli Arab hospital (Baptist Hospital) in Gaza Strip

🚨UPDATE - Hamas Press Statement:

"The Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital massacre in the middle of the Gaza Strip is a crime of genocide. Enough silence over the arrogance and recklessness of the occupation."

"The horrific massacre carried out by the Zionist occupation in the Arab National Hospital in the middle of the Gaza Strip, during which hundreds of martyrs, wounded, and wounded died, most of them displaced families, patients, children, and women, is a crime of genocide that once again reveals the truth about this enemy and its fascist government and its terrorism, and exposes American and Western support for this criminal occupation entity."

"The international community and the Arab and Islamic countries must assume their responsibility and intervene immediately, now and not tomorrow, to stop the arrogance of the occupation and its fascist army and hold it accountable for the genocide it has been committing for eleven days."

Police in Brussels have shot dead the man who killed two Swedish nationals on Monday evening.

Abdesalem Lassoued, 45, was shot in a café in the Schaerbeek neighbourhood.

Two Swedes were killed and a third person injured in the automatic rifle attack on Monday.

It took place on Boulevard d'Ypres, 5km (3 miles) from the stadium where Belgium was playing Sweden to qualify for the Euro 2024 football tournament.

Brussels has been on its highest terror alert ever since.

The gunman is believed to be a man of Tunisian origin who was in Belgium illegally, after having his asylum application rejected.

He posted a video online saying he had killed people in the name of God and the prosecutor's office believe he was inspired by the Islamic State Group.

Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told Flemish public broadcaster VRT that the automatic weapon found on him was the same as the one used in Monday's attack.

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, called Monday's shooting "a harrowing act of terrorism" in a press conference on Tuesday.

The prosecutor on the case has said the likely motive was the Swedish nationality of the victims.

Mr De Croo said: "Perpetrators, they try to instil fear, distrust and division in our free societies. Terrorism. Terrorists must understand that they will never succeed in their intent."

A shooter killed two people near the center of Brussels on Monday evening, in what Belgium’s foreign minister has condemned as a “terrorist attack.”

Police said gunshots were fired near Place Sainctelette and Boulevard du Neuvième de Ligne shortly after 7 p.m. and patrols were immediately dispatched to the scene.

Two people were confirmed dead, said Brussels police spokesperson Ilse Van de Keere, but more details were not immediately available. “The investigation is ongoing,” she said.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said: “My deepest condolences to the relatives of this cowardly attack in Brussels. We are monitoring the situation and ask the people of Brussels to be vigilant.”

He added that he had passed on his condolences to Sweden’s prime minister “following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens.” Sweden is playing Belgium in an international football match at the national stadium in northern Brussels.

Belgian’s Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said she was “horrified” by the “terror attack,” adding, “All necessary means must be mobilized to combat radicalism,” Lahbib wrote on X.

A spokesperson for the Belgian National Crisis Center — charged with organizing the security response in case of a terror attack — said it was monitoring the situation.

Belgium’s Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne and De Croo are currently at the National Crisis Center, near the prime minister’s office in the Belgian capital, the spokesperson added.

“Terrible shooting in Brussels,” Verlinden wrote on X, adding that the suspected shooter was being tracked down by police.

Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said: “Following the shooting in Brussels, the police services are mobilizing to guarantee safety in and around our capital” in collaboration with Verlinden’s ministry.

In the name of Allah, this is a message from the soldiers of the Islamic State. The Islamic State will remain despite your laws. We live for our religion and we die for our religion,”

Due to the incidents in Brussels earlier tonight, play is suspended. Our thoughts are with all those affected.

UPDATE from Gaza: The message we received a few hrs ago was that MSF-supported Al Awda Hospital is still standing.

After spending part of the night in the street with bombs landing in close proximity, we understand that some medical staff & all patients have been able to move-
but the situation remains extremely complicated and chaotic.

"The Israeli Occupation contacted us and informed us that it would bomb the hospital with warplanes."

We call on Israel once again to cease the indiscriminate bloodshed, withdraw the evacuation order, and protect health care facilities and civilians.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society received an order from Israeli forces on Saturday with a new deadline to evacuate its Al-Quds hospital in Gaza City by 1300 GMT (16:00 pm local), according to a statement.

An initial deadline was given for 0300 GMT (06:00 am local) but was later extended.

However, the association said they cannot evacuate the hospital and it is obliged under a humanitarian mandate to continue providing services to the sick and wounded, the statement added.

Israel requested Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the largest in the north of the Gaza Strip, to evacuate - apparently in preparation for a renewal aerial attack.
Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Ahmed Kahlot said there are hundreds of patients, all children and pregnant women.

The only hospital for children and pregnant women, providing medical care to approximately 450 thousand residents in the northern Gaza Strip.
There are 150 patients, and there are more than 100 medical staff. It's a death sentence.

The Israeli army insists they evacuate even if they were told it was impossible. If premature babies are cut off from electricity, they will not survive.

Military spokesman Richard Hecht said there is a "window" for safe passage to south Gaza between 10.00 am and 4.00 pm. Without saying how many days the window would remain, Hecht told reporters: "We know this is going to take time but we recommend people not to delay."

Statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening, following a Security Assessment, at the Kirya in Tel Aviv:

"Citizens of Israel, Shabbat Shalom.
Shabbat shalom to our forces deployed across the country who are celebrating the Sabbath in the field, far from home."

Today, we all understand that we are fighting for our home. And we are fighting tooth and nail: soldiers, police officers, citizens, security forces, health personnel and rescue teams — and Israel's citizens, with your extraordinary volunteering spirit that has touched the world.

We are all mobilized, we are all united. Stories of the heroic acts of our people in these dark days of pain and grief, of that cursed Saturday, will be told for years to come. Stories that will become an integral part of the history of Israel.

We will never forget the horrific acts perpetrated against us by our enemies.

I spoke today with bereaved families and families whose loved ones are still unaccounted for. Their world has collapsed. I know.

We will never forget the horrific acts perpetrated by our enemies, and we will never forgive. We will not allow the world, or anyone, to forget these horrors, the likes of which the Jewish people have not endured in decades.

We are pounding our enemies with unprecedented force, and I stress, this is only the beginning. Our enemies have only just begun to pay the price. I will not detail our plans, but I tell you, this is only the beginning.

In my phone calls with President Biden and other world leaders, and through many other efforts, we are securing vast international support for Israel.

Earlier today I met with the US Secretary of Defense. We are ensuring that the war will continue through munitions and weapons that are en route to Israel.

We will obliterate Hamas, we will triumph. It might take time, but we will end this war stronger than ever. "May the Almighty cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them."

The UK will send surveillance aircraft and two Royal Navy ships to the eastern Mediterranean in plans “to support Israel", No 10 says.

The aircraft will begin patrols on Friday to "track threats to regional stability such as the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups".

The package includes surveillance assets, helicopters, P8 aircraft, and a company of marines.

Rishi Sunak said the military support would "prevent further escalation".

The British armed forces will be on standby to "deliver practical support to Israel and partners in the region, and offer deterrence and assurance", Downing Street said.

Under the plans, a Royal Navy task group will be moved to the area next week to support humanitarian efforts.

The prime minister said the government "must be unequivocal" in making sure the "horrific scenes" that have unfolded in Israel "will not be repeated".

"Our military and diplomatic teams across the region will also support international partners to re-establish security and ensure humanitarian aid reaches the thousands of innocent victims of this barbaric attack from Hamas terrorists," Mr Sunak said.

He has also asked for military teams in Israel, Cyprus and across the region to be bolstered to support contingency planning.

Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on Saturday, killing at least 1,300 and taking around 150 hostages to Gaza.

More than 1,300 have also been killed in Gaza since Israel launched retaliatory air strikes.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the military aid "will be an undeniable display of the UK's resolve to ensure Hamas's terrorist campaign fails".

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has begun arranging flights for British nationals stranded in Israel.

The first plane is expected to leave Tel Aviv on Thursday, with more planned "in the coming days, subject to security".

The U.S. government will begin operating evacuation flights to help Americans leave Israel as Israel prepares to escalate retaliatory action against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, according to the Biden administration.

White House National Security spokesman, John Kirby confirmed Thursday that the U.S. would arrange charter flights from Israel to sites in Europe. “We’re still working through some of the details of that to assist U.S. citizens and their immediate family members,” he said.

The evacuation flights are expected to begin operating as early as Friday. The U.S. government is arranging for at least four charter flights a day out of Israel through Frankfurt, Germany.

Palestinian residents of the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern region of the Gaza Strip said Thursday that Israeli planes dropped flyers warning them to evacuate their homes and to head to “known shelters.”

“Anyone who is near Hamas terrorists will put their lives in danger,” the flyers said. “Adhering to IDF instructions will prevent you from being exposed to danger.”

The area had already been heavily struck by the time the flyers were dropped. Shelters in the Gaza Strip are not safe from airstrikes — the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has seen 10 of its shelters struck since the start of the operation.

Palestinians living the pummeled Strip have said that the military often has not alerted them before striking homes, or will alert them but not with enough time to evacuate before their homes are struck. Israeli defense officials have said that they attempt to provide warning before strikes.

The British government is now organising flights to get British nationals out of Israel, with the first flight to the UK expected to leave Tel Aviv later today.

Today we are providing a UK-sponsored flight to help British nationals leave Israel.

Vulnerable British nationals will be prioritised for these flights. After this, seats will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

We are directly contacting those who are eligible to take this flight.

If you are a British national in Israel or the OPTs, you should register your presence to receive updates:

The Israeli army said Thursday it was preparing for a ground assault on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip but that the country's political leaders had not yet taken a decision.

It said the military's campaign against the Islamists was also aimed at "taking out" the group's senior leadership including top government officials.

"We are waiting to see what our political leadership decides about a potential ground" incursion, army spokesman Richard Hecht told journalists.

"This has not been decided yet... But we are preparing for a ground manoeuvre if it is decided."

The army has deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border with the Gaza Strip as it continues a withering air campaign it says targets Hamas infrastructure, commanders and operating centres in the enclave.

The air strikes came in response to a surprise air, land and sea assault on Saturday by Hamas fighters that left more than 1,200 people killed in Israel.

Until now Hamas has fired more than 5,000 rockets at Israel, according to the army.

Israel's air campaign has also so far left at least 1,354 people dead in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest toll from the Hamas-affiliated health ministry.

"We are preparing ourselves for the next stages of war... to prepare for multiple operative contingency plans," Hecht said.

He said the possible operation "could be from the air, it could be combined from the sea (and) air".

Israel's assault is targeting senior leaders of Hamas, Hecht said, including the group's chief in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

"Right now we are focused on taking out their senior leadership, not only the military leadership (but) also their governmental leadership, all the way up to Sinwar," Hecht said.

"They were directly connected" to the weekend attack, he added.

In a separate briefing to reporters, chief military spokesman Daniel Hagari reiterated the army's plans against the Islamists.

"We are crushing Hamas' ability to function as sovereign," Hagari said.

"It is already failing to run Gaza in some areas," he continued, adding that they would continue to target the group until it is no longer able to rule "in all of Gaza".

On Thursday, Israel and Hamas traded more fire, with AFP journalists witnessing several air strikes targeting two Palestinian refugee camps in the Gaza Strip.

"Whoever approaches the fence will be killed," Hagari said.

Israel has also imposed a "complete siege" on the Palestinian territory, cutting off electricity, water and fuel supplies into Gaza.

Israel formed a rare emergency government with some opposition members on Wednesday to see the country through its war with Hamas.

A “war management cabinet” will be established with three members, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office. They are Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and ex-Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who now heads an opposition party.

Today, the French troops escorted by Niger Forces began their withdrawal from Niamey, #Niger, traveling by road through Diffa en route to #Chad.