Family pleads for the release of a Nepali student abducted by Hamas
KATHMANDU, Nepal — The family of a Nepali man taken captive by the Palestinian militant group Hamas appealed Thursday to his captors for his release, stressing that he has no involvement in the conflict in Gaza.
Bipin Joshi, now 25, was among 17 Nepali students studying agriculture in southern Israel during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack that ignited the war in Gaza.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Iran's lies about its nuclear plans finally at an end
Iran's nuclear weapons strategy lies in tatters in the wake of this week's extensive, and ongoing, targeted Israeli strikes. Ever since the Islamic Regime's clandestine program to obtain a nuclear weapon was first exposed almost a quarter century ago, the ruling mullahs have pushed the fiction that their ambitions are exclusively peaceful. At the same time, they led the United States, Europe, and the International Atomic Energy Agency down a path of obfuscation and outright lies. Advertisement No more. Israel is in the early stages of a campaign that could last days or even weeks and will seek to set back this nuclear program years. Their targeting so far is an attempt to force the complete, irreversible dismantlement of Iran's nuclear program and, eventually, the radical Islamist regime behind it. Last night's attack struck all the systems, resources, and personnel who led Iran's drive for a nuclear weapons program: enrichment and storage facilities, missile launch sites, the nuclear scientists driving the research, and the military leaders responsible for implementing it. Israel targeted Iran's principal enrichment facility at Natanz for a second time, as well as the nuclear facilities at Fordow and Isfahan. Multiple floors at the Natanz facility have been destroyed, according to the Israel Defense Forces, including the main hall housing uranium-enriching centrifuges that provide the fuel for a nuclear weapon. Advertisement Israeli jets also struck hard at Iran's surface-to-surface missile array, seen in action on two separate occasions last year when Iran fired hundreds of missiles at Israel's population centers. Initial reports suggest that dozens of Iranian launchers, missile storage facilities, and other military sites have been destroyed. The fatality list among the nuclear program's military and scientific leadership is already devastating. Gone are the Iranian military's commander-in-chief, Gen. Mohammed Bagheri, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Gen. Hossein Salami, and the commander of the IRGC's Air Force, Gen. Amir Hajizadeh, along with several of his senior aides. Advertisement Gone too are nuclear researchers Fereydoun Abbasi, the former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, and Mohammad Tehranji, a nuclear physicist who was based at the Azad University in Tehran. There can be no serious doubt that the leaders of the Islamic Republic have brought this disaster upon themselves. A mix of conceit and hubris gained from more than two decades of nuclear deception led them to believe that President Donald Trump's ultimatum – 60 days to make a deal or else face military action – wouldn't be followed through. Israel's preemptive strike took place on the 61st day. The Iranian regime has been deeply foolish. Since lending support to the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023, the Iranians have lost their client regime in Syria, witnessed the destruction of their Hamas and Hezbollah proxies by the IDF, swallowed the decision of their Houthi allies in Yemen to end attacks on the US Navy and commercial shipping in the Red Sea, and sustained two previous Israeli air strikes that wiped out their air defenses along with several missile factories. Advertisement Even so, as Israeli officials have emphasized again and again over the last 24 hours, this is far from over. Gauging the success of 'Operation Rising Lion' will be a complex task, but by targeting key military and scientific personnel alongside the physical infrastructure, Israel has eliminated key human assets integral to Iran's nuclear program, setting its development back years, not mere months. By deploying its significant imagery, signals collection, and human intelligence capabilities, Israel will be in a position to make an authoritative assessment of the operation over the coming days and weeks. Meanwhile, Israel is sensibly bolstering its home-front defenses and preparing its citizens for the inevitable attempted mass casualty attack. As hated as the Iranian regime is by its own people, there are no signs of imminent collapse. Further, as a member of the 'axis of aggressors,' Tehran can count on its allies in Russia, China, and North Korea to assist it militarily, economically, and diplomatically. Just last week, Iran ordered thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate, a key ingredient in ballistic missile fuel, from a Chinese company in Hong Kong. The Chinese Foreign Ministry disingenuously claimed it had no knowledge of the transaction. Advertisement At this juncture, Israel and its allies have good reason to feel optimistic. Trump himself deemed the Israeli strikes 'excellent,' but the Trump administration's support needs to go beyond mere tweets and praise. Iran is actively threatening U.S. forces in the Middle East, and cannot be allowed to bolster its threats with nuclear weapons. The United States must quickly furnish Israel with any tools needed to finish the job – first-rate intelligence, offensive and defensive munitions, and THAAD missiles to counter the ballistic missile threat from Iran. And if Iran is foolish enough to strike out at the United States in retaliation for this, then America should respond with B-2 Stealth Bombers and Massive Ordinance Penetrators that would finish up the job on Iran's nuclear enrichment and storage assets. Advertisement Only then will Iran's insidious efforts to weaponize its nuclear program be consigned to the garbage can of history. Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery (retired) is a senior fellow and a senior director at the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). Ben Cohen is a senior analyst with FDD and director of FDD's rapid response outreach.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Weekend: Iran-Israel conflict sends oil price soaring as markets reel
It's been a week of big international headlines, mostly bad. On Friday the world woke up to news that Israel had launched a co-ordinated assault on Iranian nuclear sites and military facilities, killing two of the country's most senior commanders in the process. The attacks – the first of many to come according to Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu – sparked an immediate retaliation from Iran. Oil prices shot up as traders pondered the possibility of Iran disrupting the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz or striking its Gulf neighbours' oilfields as it has done in the past. Unsurprisingly, gold prices benefited too, while stock markets didn't fare so well. A day earlier, a London-bound aeroplane came down barely a minute after take-off in Ahmedabad, India, killing all but one of the 242 passengers on board. The tragedy is a major setback for Boeing (BA), maker of the 787 Dreamliner involved, whose shares had been on a tear this year as its new boss tried to turn things around after a string of safety-related incidents. The plane maker's stock price took an immediate hit, falling almost 5%. Closer to home, finance minister Rachel Reeves delivered her eagerly awaited spending review, promising to put Britain on the path to "national renewal". Healthcare and defence were at the heart of the plan, with the NHS getting a £29 billion annual boost and the defence budget set to rise to 2.6% of GDP from the current 2.3%. There was an ambitious commitment of £39 billion to social housing, a £14.2bn investment pledged to the Sizewell C nuclear plant and a host of transport and infrastructure projects in cities outside London. But the optimistic tone of the announcements was undermined somewhat the very next day when official figures revealed the UK economy had shrunk by 3% in April, far more than the contraction expected by analysts. Reeves admitted it was a blow, as the government banks on spurring economic growth to fund its bold spending plans. Let's take a closer look at these and other stories from an eventful few days. Boeing stock slumps after deadly Air India plane crash It was reportedly the first deadly crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its launch 14 years ago. Boeing's shares had gained more than 20% this year on the heels of a massive company turnaround following a brutal 2024 sparked by a "door plug" incident on an Alaska Airlines (ALK) flight. Five years prior to that the plane maker had suffered a serious crisis when two fatal crashes exposed critical flaws in the 737 Max 8 jet's software, leading to a 20-month global grounding of the aircraft. UK economy shrinks by 0.3% in April The shock reading for April came a day after chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled a raft of pledges in the government spending review. The biggest contributor to the fall in GDP was a 0.4% drop in services output, while production output slumped 0.6%. The contraction came as an increase in employer national insurance contributions and the national minimum wage, which were announced in the autumn budget, came into place in early April. Professor Joe Nellis, economic adviser to accountancy and advisory firm MHA, said: "This is not an ideal scenario for the chancellor. The sustainability of her spending promises is critically dependent on changing this — kickstarting the economy to grow GDP and collect more revenue through tax receipts. "Without this, the chancellor may be forced into unwanted – and unpopular – tax increases in the autumn budget to keep public finances on track." Oil prices surge as Israel strikes Iran Iran has threatened to hit US assets in the region as part of its retaliation, even as secretary of state Marco Rubio warned against such a move. Rubio claims Israel took "unilateral action" and the US was not involved in Friday morning's strikes. Iran is the third-largest oil producer within the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), trailing only Saudi Arabia and Iraq, with output exceeding 3 million barrels per day. 'We can probably expect a temporary slowdown in oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,' Ed Hirs, senior fellow at the University of Houston, said in an interview with Yahoo Finance. Tehran has repeatedly threatened to block the strait, a vital chokepoint through which as many as 20 million barrels of oil pass each day. Gold hits nearly two-month high as Israel attack spurs demand Gold prices shot up as the massive escalation of Middle East conflict spurred demand for traditional safe-haven assets. "Gold surged past resistance around $3,400 on news of the airstrikes, and further upside could be in-store should the escalation continue," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. The rally has been further underpinned by growing expectations of monetary policy easing in the US. Recent data showing elevated jobless claims and muted producer price inflation have increased speculation that the Federal Reserve could cut interest rates, making non-yielding assets such as gold more attractive to investors. The UK's rental boom is over Rental price growth has slowed significantly, according to the latest figures from Zoopla, with the average rents for new lets agreed 2.8% higher in April than the same time a year ago. That's less than half of the average rental growth in April 2024, which stood at 6.4%, and the lowest growth in nearly four years. The slowdown is a result of weaker rental demand and growing affordability pressures, rather than an increase in supply, Zoopla said. The chancellor is determined that Wednesday's spending review won't come with a tax sting in the tail. Unfortunately, that pledge is resting on some very fine margins. If the government achieves the growth it wants and a potential funding gap emerges, taxes are likely to be in the frame. Columnist Sarah Coles, a personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, examined the possibilities: Why Rachel Reeves' spending review may lead to tax rises Recent industry studies put the cost of a "moderate" retirement at £31,700 per year and a "comfortable" retirement at an eye-popping £43,900 per year. But before you throw your hands up in despair, take time to think about what you want or need from your post-career years – is it lots of travelling or something more sedate? You may find that what you need differs massively from these figures: How far will your pension go as retirement costs soar? Find more personal finance gems here UK inflation and interest rates will be the main focus in terms of economic data. Markets will be watching Wednesday's UK inflation reading for any signs of a cool off after April's jump to 3.5%, later revised to 3.4% due to an error in car tax data. The higher-than-expected figure was driven mainly by large increases in household bills. With that in mind, the Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates on hold at 4.25% on Thursday as it tries to keep price increases in check. The US Federal Reserve is due to announce its next interest rate decision next week too. The Fed is expected to keep rates on hold once again at its meeting on Wednesday, maintaining the 4.25%-4.50% range. On the company earnings front, investors will be keeping an eye on the latest results from US-listed consultancy firm Accenture (ACN), given the company narrowed its revenue growth guidance for the year and warned of the impact of federal spending cuts in its previous quarterly update. On the London market, Berkeley (BKG.L) is due to report, with focus expected to be on whether the housebuilder has any updates cash return plans. Premier Inn-owner Whitbread is another FTSE 100 (^FTSE) company due to update on its performance, following a slower start to year for its UK business. The Beach Boys frontman, widely regarded as a genius, left a gaping hole in the rock royalty family this week when he passed away at the age of 82. The troubled songwriter, who formed the band with his brothers, cousin and a friend in 1961, will always be remembered for his ability to craft sublime melodies, his innate gift for soaring harmonies and his relentless drive for studio perfection. The Beach Boys' 1966 Pet Sounds is frequently cited as one of the greatest albums ever made. Here's one of the best songs ever made, from that very album. Farewell Brian! Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Israel, Iran trade attacks after Israel targets nuclear sites
Retired Adm. James Stavridis and New York Times National Security Correspondent David Sanger weigh in on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
