
Explosion at Lebanese arms depot kills six army experts, wounds several others
The incident occurred on the edge of the southern village of Zibqin in Tyre province, the army said. It added that efforts were being made to determine the cause of the blast but gave no further details. The depot is believed to have been used by the militant group Hezbollah.
The blast took place south of the Litani River in an area where Hezbollah withdrew its fighters under the terms of a ceasefire that ended a 14-month conflict with Israel in November. Over the past months, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers have been taking over Hezbollah posts in the area.
On Thursday, the Lebanese Cabinet voted in favor of a US-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah and implement a ceasefire with Israel. The Lebanese government asked the national army to prepare a plan in which only state institutions in the small nation will have weapons by the end of the year.
Hezbollah officials have said they will not disarm before Israel withdraws from five hills along the border and stops airstrikes that have killed more than 250 people since the ceasefire.
The government's decision has angered Hezbollah and its supporters, who have been staging protests in areas where the Iran-backed group enjoys support.
The army warned in a statement Friday that it will not allow any attempts to endanger the country's security. It warned protesters that it will not allow the closing of roads or attack private or public property.

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Indian Express
8 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Modi likely to be in US next month for UNGA meet, bilateral talks with Trump
Preparations are underway to schedule a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US in the last week of September, The Indian Express has learnt. The ostensible reason is to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but a key objective will be to meet US President Donald Trump, iron out the issues on trade and arrive at a common ground on tariffs. This will also give an opportunity for the two leaders to announce a trade deal. However, for this to fructify, a lot of moving parts have to fall in place. There has to be movement on two fronts — the Russia-Ukraine war and the Indo-US trade deal. Negotiations are underway on both fronts, and the stakes for Delhi are high since it has been slapped with 50 per cent tariffs by the US — 25 per cent for its high tariffs and 25 per cent penalty for buying Russian oil. On the Russia-Ukraine war front, Delhi is closely following the meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 to discuss a resolution to the war in Ukraine. Modi has already spoken to Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the last few days. A resolution to the conflict is in India's interest, sources said, and this has been conveyed to both leaders. On the trade deal front, Indian and American negotiators had been close to sealing a deal, but the US President was not happy about the deal that was agreed between the interlocutors. So, the negotiators have to discuss the terms of the deal further, and they have to offer new terms, as red lines have been drawn. But the two sides are focused on the new goal for bilateral trade — 'Mission 500' — aiming to more than double total bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. This was decided during Modi's visit to the White House where he met Trump in February this year. They had also agreed that to realise this ambition, they would require new, fair-trade terms, and they had announced plans to negotiate the first tranche of a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by fall this year. And to conclude a wide-ranging BTA, the US and India had agreed to take an integrated approach to strengthen and deepen bilateral trade across the goods and services sector, and work towards increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and deepening supply chain integration. But that has run into rough weather. And the officials and negotiators have to unlock the issues and negotiate a deal by September last week – the Prime Minister's visit to the US is expected to 'dot the i's and cross the t's', sources said. Now, to schedule the visit, as a first step, the Indian side has reached out to the UN headquarters for a speaking slot for the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly. As of now, that has been scheduled for September 26 morning. Trump is slated to speak on September 23. At the UNGA, permanent missions to the UN have to indicate the level of representation from each country, and the speaking slot of 15-minutes is granted accordingly. If the PM's visit takes place, it will give an opportunity to speak at the UNGA and hold bilateral meetings with Trump and other world leaders. Zelenskyy also indicated Monday, after his phone call with Modi, that they 'agreed to plan a personal meeting in September during the UN General Assembly'. Sources said plans are underway since the entire process of accreditation and travel arrangements to the UN needs to be completed in August. Ties between India and the US have been impacted in recent months after Trump claimed to have brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan — a claim denied by Delhi. He followed it with diatribes against India on tariffs, and imposed 50 per cent tariffs. Sources said that since the two countries are strategic partners, they have to sort out the issues, and the PM's visit will be to smoothen the issues, so that a visit by the US President to India can take place in October for the summit of Quad leaders.


Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Union Cabinet approves 2 semiconductor projects worth Rs 4,009cr for Odisha
Bhubaneswar: Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved two major semiconductor manufacturing units worth Rs 4,009 crore for Odisha. The two projects, to be set up in Bhubaneswar's Info Valley, will generate thousands of high-skilled jobs, catalyse electronics manufacturing and help place Odisha on the global semiconductor map, sources said. The two manufacturing units will be built by SiCSem and 3D Glass. Given the growing demand for semiconductors in telecom, automotive, data centres, consumer electronics and industrial electronics, the newly approved projects will significantly contribute to creating an ' Atmanirbhar Bharat ', official sources said. Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Cabinet's approval, chief minister Mohan Majhi said in an X post, "The recent amendment of the Odisha Semiconductor Manufacturing and Fabless Policy, aimed at enhancing investment viability, competitiveness, and sustainability, together with this significant Cabinet approval, marks a major milestone in the state's industrial and technological advancement. I look forward to continued partnership between the state and central govts to further this strategic initiative for the comprehensive development of Odisha and the nation." SiCSem Pvt Ltd, in collaboration with UK-based Clas-SiC Wafer Fab Ltd, will set up India's first commercial compound semiconductor fabrication facility here. The plant will manufacture silicon carbide (SiC) devices, known for their efficiency in high-power applications, with an annual capacity of 60,000 wafers and 96 million packaged units. The SiC devices will have applications across critical sectors, including missiles, defence equipment, electric vehicles (EVs), railway, fast chargers, data centre racks, consumer appliances and solar power inverters. The facility is expected to give India a strategic edge in producing next-generation power electronics domestically. The second project, by US-headquartered 3D Glass Solutions Inc (3DGS), will introduce the world's most advanced semiconductor packaging technology. The unit will manufacture glass interposers, silicon bridges and 3D heterogeneous integration (3DHI) modules. The component are crucial for miniaturisation, high performance and energy efficiency in electronics. With a planned capacity of about 69,600 glass panel substrates, 50 million assembled units, and 13,200 3DHI modules annually, the facility will cater to applications in defence, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, RF and automotive electronics, photonics and co-packaged optics. Officials said the two projects will not only bring cutting-edge technology to Odisha but also create a ripple effect in the state's electronics ecosystem, encouraging ancillary industries and boosting technical skill development. Apart from two Odisha projects, the Cabinet also approved one project each for Punjab and Andhra Pradesh under the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM). Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan hailed the Cabinet's decision to set up the two units in Odisha. He said the decision is a pivotal moment for the state, emphasising its potential to create jobs and generate substantial revenue. Pradhan expressed his gratitude to the PM and highlighted that this move marks a new chapter in the 'Purvodaya' mission. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.

Hindustan Times
38 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
US offers $5 million reward for arrest of Haitian gang leader
The United States offered a $5 million reward on Tuesday for the arrest of Haitian gang leader Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier for allegedly violating US sanctions. Haitian gang leader Jimmy "Barbeque" Cherizier has been under US Treasury Department sanctions since 2020 and UN sanctions since 2022.(REUTERS) Cherizier, 48, and another man, Bazile Richardson, have been indicted on charges of conspiring to transfer funds from the United States to fund gang activities in Haiti, the Justice Department said. "There's a good reason that there's a $5 million reward for information leading to Cherizier's arrest," US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference. "He's a gang leader responsible for heinous human rights abuses, including violence against American citizens in Haiti." Cherizier has been under US Treasury Department sanctions since 2020 and UN sanctions since 2022. The former policeman heads an alliance of gangs in Haiti dubbed the "G9 Family," whose members are accused of murder, robbery, extortion, rape, targeted assassinations, drug trafficking and kidnappings. The alliance participated in an organised assault last year that ultimately led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was replaced by a frail transitional council. The Justice Department said that Cherizier and Richardson, a naturalised US citizen who was arrested in Texas last month, raised funds from members of the Haitian diaspora in the United States and had the money transferred to intermediaries in the Caribbean nation. Cherizier allegedly used the funds to pay salaries to members of his gang and purchase firearms. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with swaths of the country and the vast majority of the capital, Port-au-Prince, under the control of armed gangs. Despite the deployment of a Kenyan-led multinational force to back up Haiti's police, violence has continued to soar. At least 3,141 people have been killed in the first half of this year, according to figures released last month by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "Cherizier and (Richardson) sought to raise funds in the United States to bankroll Cherizier's violent criminal enterprise, which is driving a security crisis in Haiti," Assistant Attorney General John Eisenberg said. 'The National Security Division does not tolerate criminal gang fundraising in the United States, and will continue to pursue those who enable Haiti's violence and instability.'