Hong Kong to slap tobacco products with laser labels to root out contraband
By Clifford Lo
Tobacco products in Hong Kong will need to carry laser labels to show they are legitimate goods, in a bid by local authorities to crack down on black-market cigarettes, the Post has learned.
Sources said authorities were studying how to update existing legislation to ensure the adoption of the labelling system, which involved goods being marked with a laser, to distinguish between duty-paid cigarettes and untaxed tobacco products.
One source said an exemption period was likely to be granted to tobacco companies to sell their products without the new label.
He said the labelling system was primarily designed to target criminals attempting to pass off untaxed cigarettes as legally duty-paid ones by using packages carrying statutory health warnings.
Such contraband cigarettes are known as “cheap whites” and are understood to be sold to retailers such as news-stands and groceries, enticing them with the promise of high profits by distributing untaxed tobacco products.
The increase in tobacco tax in February’s budget pushed the average cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes up by HK$16 (US$2) to more than HK$90, with tax accounting for HK$66 of the sale price.
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By Clifford Lo
Tobacco products in Hong Kong will need to carry laser labels to show they are legitimate goods, in a bid by local authorities to crack down on black-market cigarettes, the Post has learned.
Sources said authorities were studying how to update existing legislation to ensure the adoption of the labelling system, which involved goods being marked with a laser, to distinguish between duty-paid cigarettes and untaxed tobacco products.
One source said an exemption period was likely to be granted to tobacco companies to sell their products without the new label.
He said the labelling system was primarily designed to target criminals attempting to pass off untaxed cigarettes as legally duty-paid ones by using packages carrying statutory health warnings.
Such contraband cigarettes are known as “cheap whites” and are understood to be sold to retailers such as news-stands and groceries, enticing them with the promise of high profits by distributing untaxed tobacco products.
The increase in tobacco tax in February’s budget pushed the average cost of a pack of 20 cigarettes up by HK$16 (US$2) to more than HK$90, with tax accounting for HK$66 of the sale price.
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Leasing momentum, lower interest rates unlikely to rescue Hong Kong’s distressed office landlords
By Cheryl Arcibal
Hong Kong’s office property market is likely to see more distressed sales in the medium term, as banks will need to call on loans amid a soft demand for office space, according to analysts.
From their peak in October 2018, prices of prime office space in the city’s main business zones of Sheung Wan/Central, Wan Chai/Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui declined by more than 46 per cent as of November, according to the latest data from the Rating and Valuation Department.
Overall rents, meanwhile, across the city’s premium office space segment are estimated to have fallen 8.6 per cent this year, according to real estate firm JLL. The property consultancy forecasts office rents to drop by as much as 10 per cent in 2025.
“A few years ago, rental transactions would go for 50,000 sq ft, but now leasing transactions are just for 18,000 sq ft, so rents could not fund the loans,” said Oscar Chan, head of capital markets at JLL in Hong Kong. “For the banks, if a borrower has defaulted for one or two years already, they have to take action no matter what. Definitely, in two to five years, there will be more cases of banks taking action.”
While Hong Kong’s six biggest lenders – HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of East Asia, Standard Chartered Bank and ICBC Asia – this month cut borrowing costs to the lowest level in more than two years, uncertainties cloud the outlook for more rate cuts initiated by the US Federal Reserve next year because the incoming Trump administration’s economic policies are widely viewed as inflationary.
“Towards the end of 2024, the office market exhibited a mixed performance,” said Tom Ko, executive director and head of capital markets in Hong Kong at real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield. “Looking ahead to 2025, the outlook for the office market suggests a continuation of challenges.”
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By Cheryl Arcibal
Hong Kong’s office property market is likely to see more distressed sales in the medium term, as banks will need to call on loans amid a soft demand for office space, according to analysts.
From their peak in October 2018, prices of prime office space in the city’s main business zones of Sheung Wan/Central, Wan Chai/Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui declined by more than 46 per cent as of November, according to the latest data from the Rating and Valuation Department.
Overall rents, meanwhile, across the city’s premium office space segment are estimated to have fallen 8.6 per cent this year, according to real estate firm JLL. The property consultancy forecasts office rents to drop by as much as 10 per cent in 2025.
“A few years ago, rental transactions would go for 50,000 sq ft, but now leasing transactions are just for 18,000 sq ft, so rents could not fund the loans,” said Oscar Chan, head of capital markets at JLL in Hong Kong. “For the banks, if a borrower has defaulted for one or two years already, they have to take action no matter what. Definitely, in two to five years, there will be more cases of banks taking action.”
While Hong Kong’s six biggest lenders – HSBC, Hang Seng Bank, Bank of China (Hong Kong), Bank of East Asia, Standard Chartered Bank and ICBC Asia – this month cut borrowing costs to the lowest level in more than two years, uncertainties cloud the outlook for more rate cuts initiated by the US Federal Reserve next year because the incoming Trump administration’s economic policies are widely viewed as inflationary.
“Towards the end of 2024, the office market exhibited a mixed performance,” said Tom Ko, executive director and head of capital markets in Hong Kong at real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield. “Looking ahead to 2025, the outlook for the office market suggests a continuation of challenges.”
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Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery, Israel hospital says
By Associated Press
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent successful surgery on Sunday to have his prostate removed, hospital officials said, a procedure that came as he manages multiple crises including the war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption.
Netanyahu, who has had a series of health issues in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader. During his trial this month, he boasted about working 18-hour days, accompanied by a cigar. But as Israel’s longest-serving leader, such a gruelling workload over a total of 17 years in power could take a toll on his well-being.
Netanyahu, 75, is among older world leaders including US President Joe Biden, 82, president-elect Donald Trump, 78, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 79, and Pope Francis, 88, who have come under scrutiny for their age and health issues.
Netanyahu’s latest condition is common in older men, but the procedure has had some fallout. The judges overseeing his trial accepted a request from his lawyer on Sunday to call off three days of testimony scheduled this week. The lawyer, Amit Hadad, had argued that Netanyahu would be fully sedated for the procedure and hospitalised for “a number of days”.
Dr Ofer Gofrit, head of the urology department at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, said in a video statement late on Sunday that the procedure had gone well and “there was no fear” of cancer or malignancy. “We only hope for the best,” he said.
In a statement, Netanyahu thanked his doctors. His office said he was “fully alert” and was taken to an underground recovery unit fortified against potential missile attacks. Netanyahu was expected to remain in hospital for several days of observation.
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By Associated Press
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underwent successful surgery on Sunday to have his prostate removed, hospital officials said, a procedure that came as he manages multiple crises including the war in Gaza and his trial for alleged corruption.
Netanyahu, who has had a series of health issues in recent years, has gone to great lengths to bolster a public image of himself as a healthy, energetic leader. During his trial this month, he boasted about working 18-hour days, accompanied by a cigar. But as Israel’s longest-serving leader, such a gruelling workload over a total of 17 years in power could take a toll on his well-being.
Netanyahu, 75, is among older world leaders including US President Joe Biden, 82, president-elect Donald Trump, 78, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 79, and Pope Francis, 88, who have come under scrutiny for their age and health issues.
Netanyahu’s latest condition is common in older men, but the procedure has had some fallout. The judges overseeing his trial accepted a request from his lawyer on Sunday to call off three days of testimony scheduled this week. The lawyer, Amit Hadad, had argued that Netanyahu would be fully sedated for the procedure and hospitalised for “a number of days”.
Dr Ofer Gofrit, head of the urology department at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, said in a video statement late on Sunday that the procedure had gone well and “there was no fear” of cancer or malignancy. “We only hope for the best,” he said.
In a statement, Netanyahu thanked his doctors. His office said he was “fully alert” and was taken to an underground recovery unit fortified against potential missile attacks. Netanyahu was expected to remain in hospital for several days of observation.
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‘Phase 2 China shock is coming’: historian Adam Tooze on Europe, America and manufacturing
By Finbarr Bermingham
English historian Adam Tooze holds the Shelby Cullom Davis chair of history at Columbia University. He writes the popular Chartbook newsletter and has published a series of bestselling books. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series click here.
You have written and spoken critically on the debate in the West about Chinese industrial overcapacity. Can you explain your stance?
I think it’s a test of bona fides: where is the argument being applied? If somebody wants to make a case that there’s an overhang of capacity in Chinese heavy industry, it wouldn’t be surprising in light of the gear shift in Chinese growth, which was so heavily based around construction and involved a lot of concrete and steel – basic infrastructure buildout.
It’s an argument that reflects the difficulty of locating the current moment in Chinese economic history properly. It’s far too superficially seen as just a cyclical downturn, or something like that. It’s actually a far more fundamental break from a truly unique urbanisation push to a new phase, and so there are going to be some adjustment difficulties. It’s clearly been a long-standing issue, and it’s trailed over the global heavy industrial system for a long time.
It is significant that [the overcapacity debate] has come up at this moment, because it provides a kind of justification for industrial policy in the West and that’s also the dimension in which it seems to me quite problematic because it concerns the leading edge [of technology].
The new element of this argument is in green tech, and it’s just very difficult to even understand what we mean by the suggestion of, say, excess capacity in [solar] photovoltaics (PV). You can see it from the point of view of Chinese manufacturers who say this themselves, because it’s really difficult to earn a buck in making PV in China. But there’s no reason the rest of the world should have any dog in that particular fight. That’s industrial firms in China competing as hard as they do and using all of the tools in the book.
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By Finbarr Bermingham
English historian Adam Tooze holds the Shelby Cullom Davis chair of history at Columbia University. He writes the popular Chartbook newsletter and has published a series of bestselling books. This interview first appeared in SCMP Plus. For other interviews in the Open Questions series click here.
You have written and spoken critically on the debate in the West about Chinese industrial overcapacity. Can you explain your stance?
I think it’s a test of bona fides: where is the argument being applied? If somebody wants to make a case that there’s an overhang of capacity in Chinese heavy industry, it wouldn’t be surprising in light of the gear shift in Chinese growth, which was so heavily based around construction and involved a lot of concrete and steel – basic infrastructure buildout.
It’s an argument that reflects the difficulty of locating the current moment in Chinese economic history properly. It’s far too superficially seen as just a cyclical downturn, or something like that. It’s actually a far more fundamental break from a truly unique urbanisation push to a new phase, and so there are going to be some adjustment difficulties. It’s clearly been a long-standing issue, and it’s trailed over the global heavy industrial system for a long time.
It is significant that [the overcapacity debate] has come up at this moment, because it provides a kind of justification for industrial policy in the West and that’s also the dimension in which it seems to me quite problematic because it concerns the leading edge [of technology].
The new element of this argument is in green tech, and it’s just very difficult to even understand what we mean by the suggestion of, say, excess capacity in [solar] photovoltaics (PV). You can see it from the point of view of Chinese manufacturers who say this themselves, because it’s really difficult to earn a buck in making PV in China. But there’s no reason the rest of the world should have any dog in that particular fight. That’s industrial firms in China competing as hard as they do and using all of the tools in the book.
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Hong Kong should focus on finding compelling uses for generative AI
By Kai-Lung Hui
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has charmed the world. Its ability to digest and produce content such as text, images and videos presents opportunities for any industry that needs to communicate – from medicine, law and finance to the creative arts, architecture and biochemical sciences.
US research suggests large language models (LLM) could affect at least 10 per cent of tasks for most of the workforce and at least 50 per cent for some. Accordingly, LLM and generative AI are tipped to become general purpose technologies, which have a broad and transformative impact on the economy and society.
One key feature of general purpose technology is that it attracts investment. According to Stanford University’s 2024 AI Index Report, private investment in generative AI last year was nearly nine times that in 2022, and 30 times that in 2019.
While this investment is primarily led by the United States, China has invested more than US$600 million, close to the combined investment of the European Union and United Kingdom. Most of this investment went to AI infrastructure and natural language processing, both of which form the foundation for generative AI. Over the five years to 2027, the International Data Corporation expects generative AI investment in China to grow by a compound annual rate of 86.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, a UBS survey found that over 75 per cent of family offices globally are likely to invest in generative AI in the next two to three years. The Hong Kong government is gung-ho about generative AI development and plans to deploy a ChatGPT-like tool for government departments to use. Many local institutions are already training foundational generative AI models or fine-tuning them for specific sectors and users.
But we must recognise that general purpose technology in itself may not be seen by end users as of high value. The internet is a case in point. In the heady dotcom days of the 1990s, investors were hopeful that the internet would transform society, all but eliminating the need for intermediaries such as travel agents and brick-and-mortar shops, particularly in retail. In support of this vision, enormous investments went into building internet infrastructure, particularly in laying fibre optic cables and building online portals.
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By Kai-Lung Hui
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has charmed the world. Its ability to digest and produce content such as text, images and videos presents opportunities for any industry that needs to communicate – from medicine, law and finance to the creative arts, architecture and biochemical sciences.
US research suggests large language models (LLM) could affect at least 10 per cent of tasks for most of the workforce and at least 50 per cent for some. Accordingly, LLM and generative AI are tipped to become general purpose technologies, which have a broad and transformative impact on the economy and society.
One key feature of general purpose technology is that it attracts investment. According to Stanford University’s 2024 AI Index Report, private investment in generative AI last year was nearly nine times that in 2022, and 30 times that in 2019.
While this investment is primarily led by the United States, China has invested more than US$600 million, close to the combined investment of the European Union and United Kingdom. Most of this investment went to AI infrastructure and natural language processing, both of which form the foundation for generative AI. Over the five years to 2027, the International Data Corporation expects generative AI investment in China to grow by a compound annual rate of 86.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, a UBS survey found that over 75 per cent of family offices globally are likely to invest in generative AI in the next two to three years. The Hong Kong government is gung-ho about generative AI development and plans to deploy a ChatGPT-like tool for government departments to use. Many local institutions are already training foundational generative AI models or fine-tuning them for specific sectors and users.
But we must recognise that general purpose technology in itself may not be seen by end users as of high value. The internet is a case in point. In the heady dotcom days of the 1990s, investors were hopeful that the internet would transform society, all but eliminating the need for intermediaries such as travel agents and brick-and-mortar shops, particularly in retail. In support of this vision, enormous investments went into building internet infrastructure, particularly in laying fibre optic cables and building online portals.
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Croatian incumbent Milanovic headed for election victory, early results indicate
By dpa
Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic looks set to win a second term in office according to an early election tally.
With 63 per cent of all votes counted on Sunday evening, the former social democrat Milanovic was clearly ahead with 50.1 per cent. His challenger Dragan Primorac, who is supported by the conservative ruling party HDZ, had meanwhile collected 21.8 per cent of the vote.
Post-election polls suggested an even clearer lead. According to figures from the public broadcaster HTR, Milanovic received 50.7 per cent of the vote.
If none of the candidates achieve more than 50 per cent of the vote, a presidential run-off will be called on January 12.
Originally from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Milanovic was prime minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016.
As president, he soon adopted a populist rhetoric, appealing not only to his core left-wing voters, but also to right-wing and far-right voters.
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By dpa
Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic looks set to win a second term in office according to an early election tally.
With 63 per cent of all votes counted on Sunday evening, the former social democrat Milanovic was clearly ahead with 50.1 per cent. His challenger Dragan Primorac, who is supported by the conservative ruling party HDZ, had meanwhile collected 21.8 per cent of the vote.
Post-election polls suggested an even clearer lead. According to figures from the public broadcaster HTR, Milanovic received 50.7 per cent of the vote.
If none of the candidates achieve more than 50 per cent of the vote, a presidential run-off will be called on January 12.
Originally from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Milanovic was prime minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016.
As president, he soon adopted a populist rhetoric, appealing not only to his core left-wing voters, but also to right-wing and far-right voters.
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Finland finds drag marks on Baltic seabed after cable damage
By Reuters
Finnish police said on Sunday they had found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometres along the bottom of the Baltic Sea where a tanker carrying Russian oil is suspected of breaking a power line and four telecoms cables with its anchor.
The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finnish police and coastguard officials on Thursday and sailed into Finnish waters where the crew of the impounded tanker is being questioned.
Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Nato said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region.
A break in the 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia took place at midday on Wednesday, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 linking the two countries, grid operators said.
They said Estlink 2 might not be back in service before August.
Finnish police suspect the Eagle S caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed.
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By Reuters
Finnish police said on Sunday they had found tracks that drag on for dozens of kilometres along the bottom of the Baltic Sea where a tanker carrying Russian oil is suspected of breaking a power line and four telecoms cables with its anchor.
The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S was boarded by Finnish police and coastguard officials on Thursday and sailed into Finnish waters where the crew of the impounded tanker is being questioned.
Baltic Sea nations have been on high alert after a string of outages of power cables, telecom links and gas pipelines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Nato said on Friday it would boost its presence in the region.
A break in the 658 megawatt (MW) Estlink 2 power cable between Finland and Estonia took place at midday on Wednesday, leaving only the 358 MW Estlink 1 linking the two countries, grid operators said.
They said Estlink 2 might not be back in service before August.
Finnish police suspect the Eagle S caused the damage by dragging its anchor along the seabed.
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Brazil police investigating after 3 women die in suspected Christmas cake poisoning
By Agence France-Presse
Brazilian police are investigating three deaths and several hospitalisations resulting from a family eating an arsenic-laced Christmas cake, local media reported over the weekend.
Three women died after eating the cake at a family get-together on December 23 in Torres, a small seaside town in southern Brazil.
The woman who baked the cake, along with a 10-year-old girl who also ate it, remain in hospital, receiving treatment for poisoning.
The CartaCapital news website said the ex-husband of the woman who made the cake died in September.
Police initially believed that he died of foodborne illness. But his death was now being re-examined and an exhumation of his body has been ordered, according to CartaCapital.
The news website G1 said police were waiting until the hospitalised woman’s condition improved to question her. Testimony had meanwhile been taken from 15 other people as part of the investigation.
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By Agence France-Presse
Brazilian police are investigating three deaths and several hospitalisations resulting from a family eating an arsenic-laced Christmas cake, local media reported over the weekend.
Three women died after eating the cake at a family get-together on December 23 in Torres, a small seaside town in southern Brazil.
The woman who baked the cake, along with a 10-year-old girl who also ate it, remain in hospital, receiving treatment for poisoning.
The CartaCapital news website said the ex-husband of the woman who made the cake died in September.
Police initially believed that he died of foodborne illness. But his death was now being re-examined and an exhumation of his body has been ordered, according to CartaCapital.
The news website G1 said police were waiting until the hospitalised woman’s condition improved to question her. Testimony had meanwhile been taken from 15 other people as part of the investigation.
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Black box of Azerbaijan crashed plane sent to Brazil for investigation: Kazakh authorities
By Agence France-Presse
The black box from the Azerbaijan Airlines aeroplane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week, believed to have been hit by Russian anti-aircraft missiles, is being delivered to Brazil for investigation, Kazakh authorities said on Sunday.
The Accident Investigation Commission “decided to send the flight recorders to the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) in Brazil, which is also the country that manufactures the Embraer aircraft”, the Kazakh transport ministry said in a statement following the crash that left 38 dead.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia, adding that some in Russia had lied about the cause of the disaster.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Aliyev for Wednesday’s “tragic incident” in Russian airspace involving Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 after Russian air defences engaged Ukrainian attack drones.
A Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting a criminal case had been opened.
“Our plane was shot down by accident,” Aliyev said on state television on Sunday, adding that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.
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By Agence France-Presse
The black box from the Azerbaijan Airlines aeroplane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week, believed to have been hit by Russian anti-aircraft missiles, is being delivered to Brazil for investigation, Kazakh authorities said on Sunday.
The Accident Investigation Commission “decided to send the flight recorders to the Center for the Investigation and Prevention of Aeronautical Accidents (CENIPA) in Brazil, which is also the country that manufactures the Embraer aircraft”, the Kazakh transport ministry said in a statement following the crash that left 38 dead.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia, adding that some in Russia had lied about the cause of the disaster.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Aliyev for Wednesday’s “tragic incident” in Russian airspace involving Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243 after Russian air defences engaged Ukrainian attack drones.
A Kremlin statement did not say Russia had shot down the plane, only noting a criminal case had been opened.
“Our plane was shot down by accident,” Aliyev said on state television on Sunday, adding that the plane had come under some sort of electronic jamming and had then been shot at while it was approaching the southern Russian city of Grozny.
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Russian man arrested for organising LGBTQ tours dies in custody
By Agence France-Presse
A Russian man detained for organising travel tours for LGBTQ people has died in pre-trial detention, rights groups and Russian state media reported on Sunday.
Andrei Kotov, the director of travel agency Men Travel, was charged last month with taking part and organising “extremist” activities, in the Kremlin’s broad crackdown on anyone deemed not to have a lifestyle that aligns with its “traditional values”.
The OVD-Info rights group cited Kotov’s lawyer as saying investigators told her that the man had died by suicide at dawn on Sunday.
OVD-Info said that 40-year-old Kotov had reported he was beaten during his arrest last month.
Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency also said Kotov had died by suicide.
Late last month, state media published a video of Kotov being questioned on the floor by security officers.
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By Agence France-Presse
A Russian man detained for organising travel tours for LGBTQ people has died in pre-trial detention, rights groups and Russian state media reported on Sunday.
Andrei Kotov, the director of travel agency Men Travel, was charged last month with taking part and organising “extremist” activities, in the Kremlin’s broad crackdown on anyone deemed not to have a lifestyle that aligns with its “traditional values”.
The OVD-Info rights group cited Kotov’s lawyer as saying investigators told her that the man had died by suicide at dawn on Sunday.
OVD-Info said that 40-year-old Kotov had reported he was beaten during his arrest last month.
Russia’s RIA Novosti state news agency also said Kotov had died by suicide.
Late last month, state media published a video of Kotov being questioned on the floor by security officers.
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Israel targets Gaza City hospital with missile, killing 7: Palestinian officials
By dpa
The Israeli military killed seven people in a missile attack on a hospital in the eastern part of Gaza City, Palestinian civil defence officials said on Sunday.
The Israeli missile was reported to have hit the fifth floor of Al-Wafaa Hospital, injuring others and prompting a panicked evacuation of the building.
Israeli military officials, offering a different version, said the hospital was not being used at the time of the attack and was instead functioning as the command centre of a Hamas air defence unit which was targeted with a precision attack.
Information from both sides could not be independently verified.
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has repeatedly hit Gaza’s hospitals, school buildings and refugee camps with missiles, saying that Hamas fighters and weapons are hidden there.
On Saturday the Israeli military ended a three-day operation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern city of Beit Lahia, during which it said it arrested 240 Hamas fighters.
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By dpa
The Israeli military killed seven people in a missile attack on a hospital in the eastern part of Gaza City, Palestinian civil defence officials said on Sunday.
The Israeli missile was reported to have hit the fifth floor of Al-Wafaa Hospital, injuring others and prompting a panicked evacuation of the building.
Israeli military officials, offering a different version, said the hospital was not being used at the time of the attack and was instead functioning as the command centre of a Hamas air defence unit which was targeted with a precision attack.
Information from both sides could not be independently verified.
Since the start of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023, Israel has repeatedly hit Gaza’s hospitals, school buildings and refugee camps with missiles, saying that Hamas fighters and weapons are hidden there.
On Saturday the Israeli military ended a three-day operation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern city of Beit Lahia, during which it said it arrested 240 Hamas fighters.
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US tourists in Panama dismiss Trump’s canal claims
By Agence France-Presse
For dozens of US tourists watching a cargo ship pass along the Panama Canal, Donald Trump’s threat to possibly wrest back control of the waterway is nonsensical.
“I think it is 100 per cent Panama’s, yeah, and it should stay such,” said Natalia Glusack, a 47-year-old accountant from California on holiday with her mother.
She was among around 50 Americans standing in a viewing area at a visitors’ centre to watch a 266-metre Danish-flagged freighter move along the canal.
None of those interviewed backed president-elect Trump in his repeated threats that he could seize control of the canal after he returns to the White House next month.
Trump has claimed that American ships are charged “unfair” fees for passing through the canal, and made unsubstantiated allegations that China controls it.
Panama’s government has resolutely rejected Trump’s accusations and his threat.
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By Agence France-Presse
For dozens of US tourists watching a cargo ship pass along the Panama Canal, Donald Trump’s threat to possibly wrest back control of the waterway is nonsensical.
“I think it is 100 per cent Panama’s, yeah, and it should stay such,” said Natalia Glusack, a 47-year-old accountant from California on holiday with her mother.
She was among around 50 Americans standing in a viewing area at a visitors’ centre to watch a 266-metre Danish-flagged freighter move along the canal.
None of those interviewed backed president-elect Trump in his repeated threats that he could seize control of the canal after he returns to the White House next month.
Trump has claimed that American ships are charged “unfair” fees for passing through the canal, and made unsubstantiated allegations that China controls it.
Panama’s government has resolutely rejected Trump’s accusations and his threat.
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Tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi kill 2 and injure 6 as severe weather moves east
By Associated Press
At least two people were killed and six more injured as several tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi on Saturday, damaging homes and flipping vehicles as the storm system moved east across Alabama early on Sunday.
The National Weather Service’s severe storm tracker indicated the system was moving east through Alabama into Georgia shortly before 4am. The agency issued severe thunderstorm warnings with the possibility of tornadoes in western Georgia and the northwestern tip of Florida directly above the Gulf of Mexico.
One person died in the Liverpool area, located south of Houston, and four people suffered injuries that were not considered critical, according to Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
There were “multiple touchdown points” in the county between Liverpool, Hillcrest Village and Alvin. Officials knew of around 10 damaged homes but were working to determine the extent of the damage, Polston said.
In Mississippi, one person died in Adams County and two people were injured in Franklin County, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes hit around Bude and the city of Brandon, ripping roofs from several buildings.
“These storms are probably going to get a lot worse this evening and overnight the further east you go,” said Josh Lichter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
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By Associated Press
At least two people were killed and six more injured as several tornadoes touched down in Texas and Mississippi on Saturday, damaging homes and flipping vehicles as the storm system moved east across Alabama early on Sunday.
The National Weather Service’s severe storm tracker indicated the system was moving east through Alabama into Georgia shortly before 4am. The agency issued severe thunderstorm warnings with the possibility of tornadoes in western Georgia and the northwestern tip of Florida directly above the Gulf of Mexico.
One person died in the Liverpool area, located south of Houston, and four people suffered injuries that were not considered critical, according to Madison Polston of the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office.
There were “multiple touchdown points” in the county between Liverpool, Hillcrest Village and Alvin. Officials knew of around 10 damaged homes but were working to determine the extent of the damage, Polston said.
In Mississippi, one person died in Adams County and two people were injured in Franklin County, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The National Weather Service said two tornadoes hit around Bude and the city of Brandon, ripping roofs from several buildings.
“These storms are probably going to get a lot worse this evening and overnight the further east you go,” said Josh Lichter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
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