Latest news with #BlackSaturday
Egypt Independent
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Bodies of two Israeli-American hostages recovered from Gaza in joint military operation
CNN — The bodies of two Israeli-American hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 were recovered from southern Gaza during a military operation, according to a statement from Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency. Judy Weinstein-Haggai, 70, and Gadi Haggai, 72, were killed near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack on southern Israel in 2023. 'Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the dear families,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. The prime minister thanked the soldiers and commanders involved in the operation and vowed to return all remaining hostages held in Gaza. 'We will not rest and we will not be silent until all our hostages – both the living and the fallen – are brought home,' he said. A spokesperson for kibbutz Nir Oz said the bodies of the two hostages had been returned to Israel overnight and would be laid to rest. The couple had four children and seven grandchildren. In a statement the Kibbutz remembered Gadi as 'a sharp-minded man, a gifted wind instrument player since the age of three, deeply connected to the land, a chef and advocate of healthy vegan nutrition and sports,' and Judy as 'a poet, entrepreneur, creative spirit, and devoted advocate for peace and coexistence.' A statement from the family, provided by the Nir Oz spokesperson expressed gratitude for the return of their missing loved ones. 'We are grateful for the closure we have been granted and for the return of our loved ones for burial – they went out for a walk on that Black Saturday morning and never came back. In this emotional moment, we want to thank the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and security forces who carried out this complex rescue operation and have been fighting for us for over a year and a half, and to everyone who supported, struggled, prayed, and fought for us and for all the people of Israel,' it said. The family also thanked the US administration, the Israeli government and the FBI for their 'tireless work and ongoing support.' 'Still, our hearts will not be whole until all 12 hostages from Nir Oz – and all 56 hostages – are brought home,' the statement added. Heartbreak and healing A total of 56 hostages remain in Gaza, including one taken in 2014. Twenty are believed to still be alive. Throughout 20 months of war in the territory, the rescue of hostages and the recovery of bodies has happened on only a few occasions. In late-March, Israeli forces recovered 'findings' related to Manny Goddard, whose body was taken into Gaza after he was killed by members of Islamic Jihad on October 7, according to the IDF and the Shin Bet. In January, Israeli forces recovered the body of soldier Oron Shaul, who was killed during a battle in the enclave in July 2014. The remains of another soldier killed during the same conflict remain in Gaza. Israel's Hostages and Missing Families Forum welcomed the latest news, calling it both heartbreaking and healing. 'Their return reminds us all that it is the state's duty to bring everyone home, so that we, the families, together with all the people of Israel, can begin the process of healing and recovery,' a statement from the forum said. 'Decision-makers must do everything necessary to reach an agreement that will return all 56 remaining hostages – the living for rehabilitation and the deceased for burial,' it added. Bringing back all hostages still in Gaza is among Israel's primary war goals, along with the destruction of Hamas. The release of hostages has been a key point in mediated negotiations aimed toward a ceasefire between Israel and the militant group. This is a developing story and will be updated.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Bodies of two Israeli-American hostages recovered from Gaza in joint military operation
The bodies of two Israeli-American hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 were recovered from southern Gaza during a military operation, according to a statement from Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency. Judy Weinstein-Haggai, age 70, and Gadi Haggai, age 72, were killed near their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the Hamas attack on southern Israel in 2023. 'Together with all the citizens of Israel, my wife and I extend our deepest condolences to the dear families,' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. The prime minister thanked the soldiers and commanders involved in the operation and vowed to return all remaining hostages held in Gaza. 'We will not rest and we will not be silent until all our hostages — both the living and the fallen — are brought home,' he said. A spokesperson for Kibbutz Nir Oz said the bodies of the two hostages had been returned to Israel overnight and would be laid to rest. The couple had four children and seven grandchildren. In a statement the Kibbutz remembered Gadi as 'a sharp-minded man, a gifted wind instrument player since the age of three, deeply connected to the land, a chef and advocate of healthy vegan nutrition and sports.' and Judy as 'a poet, entrepreneur, creative spirit, and devoted advocate for peace and coexistence.' A statement from the family, provided by the Nir Oz spokesperson expressed gratitude for the return of their missing loved ones. 'We are grateful for the closure we have been granted and for the return of our loved ones for burial — they went out for a walk on that Black Saturday morning and never came back. In this emotional moment, we want to thank the IDF and security forces who carried out this complex rescue operation and have been fighting for us for over a year and a half, and to everyone who supported, struggled, prayed, and fought for us and for all the people of Israel,' it said. The family also thanked the US administration, the Israeli government, and the FBI for their 'tireless work and ongoing support.' This is a developing story and will be updated.
Sydney Morning Herald
18-05-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The maps that show how climate change is driving up the cost of insuring Melbourne homes
Since then, Pascoe and Johanason have left the mountain, and now live in Nillumbik. Pascoe says that after the damaging storms, weakened trees continue to come down on Mount Dandenong, disrupting power lines and people's lives. She and her partner have had to reimburse guests on multiple occasions when power outages hit. 'People are not properly compensated,' she said. 'There's often businesses that are throwing out produce; people have generators and have to rely on that ... and our [business's] insurance is far more expensive than it was before the storm.' Data collected exclusively for this masthead from about 40,000 online quotes for building insurance premiums in Melbourne suburbs, compiled by actuary and insurance consultants Finity, shows Pascoe's experience is far from isolated. Finity collected quotes from eight insurers over a six-year period across metropolitan Melbourne, representing the amount that customers would pay if they were taking on a new building insurance policy for a typical risk profile in the local government area. Principal Stephen Lau said the most expensive climate-related events in the past 40 to 50 years, from an insurance perspective, were floods, bushfires and the 1999 Sydney hailstorm that caused $8.9 billion in normalised losses (adjusted for inflation, exposure and building stock). 'And that's then passed back down to consumers ... if there's higher reinsurance risks, they pass down higher reinsurance costs.' While Black Saturday and Black Summer had increased insurance premiums, Lau said the most expensive climatic event from a normative loss basis were the 1999 hailstorms. Rounding out the top three were the 2022-23 floods across south-eastern Australia, and the Black Summer bushfires. In Melbourne, the municipality with the lowest average insurance premiums was Whitehorse, which had an average insurance premium of $1609 – almost three times lower than the Yarra Ranges Shire. Lau said the Bayside, Stonnington and Port Phillip local government areas had higher-than-average premiums due largely to the higher cost of housing and larger-than-average property values insured. Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Andrew Hall called for a 10-year, $30 billion flood defence fund that would be jointly funded by federal and state governments, to develop flood defences, retrofit homes and relocate people where no other mitigation was possible. 'The cost of extreme weather is growing,' he said. 'Over the past five years, the annual average insured cost of extreme weather has reached $4.5 billion [nationwide], 64 per cent higher than the previous five-year average. 'This trend is expected to worsen, which is why we must invest in risk reduction, mitigation and adaptation.'
The Age
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Age
The maps that show how climate change is driving up the cost of insuring Melbourne homes
Since then, Pascoe and Johanason have left the mountain, and now live in Nillumbik. Pascoe says that after the damaging storms, weakened trees continue to come down on Mount Dandenong, disrupting power lines and people's lives. She and her partner have had to reimburse guests on multiple occasions when power outages hit. 'People are not properly compensated,' she said. 'There's often businesses that are throwing out produce; people have generators and have to rely on that ... and our [business's] insurance is far more expensive than it was before the storm.' Data collected exclusively for this masthead from about 40,000 online quotes for building insurance premiums in Melbourne suburbs, compiled by actuary and insurance consultants Finity, shows Pascoe's experience is far from isolated. Finity collected quotes from eight insurers over a six-year period across metropolitan Melbourne, representing the amount that customers would pay if they were taking on a new building insurance policy for a typical risk profile in the local government area. Principal Stephen Lau said the most expensive climate-related events in the past 40 to 50 years, from an insurance perspective, were floods, bushfires and the 1999 Sydney hailstorm that caused $8.9 billion in normalised losses (adjusted for inflation, exposure and building stock). 'And that's then passed back down to consumers ... if there's higher reinsurance risks, they pass down higher reinsurance costs.' While Black Saturday and Black Summer had increased insurance premiums, Lau said the most expensive climatic event from a normative loss basis were the 1999 hailstorms. Rounding out the top three were the 2022-23 floods across south-eastern Australia, and the Black Summer bushfires. In Melbourne, the municipality with the lowest average insurance premiums was Whitehorse, which had an average insurance premium of $1609 – almost three times lower than the Yarra Ranges Shire. Lau said the Bayside, Stonnington and Port Phillip local government areas had higher-than-average premiums due largely to the higher cost of housing and larger-than-average property values insured. Insurance Council of Australia chief executive Andrew Hall called for a 10-year, $30 billion flood defence fund that would be jointly funded by federal and state governments, to develop flood defences, retrofit homes and relocate people where no other mitigation was possible. 'The cost of extreme weather is growing,' he said. 'Over the past five years, the annual average insured cost of extreme weather has reached $4.5 billion [nationwide], 64 per cent higher than the previous five-year average. 'This trend is expected to worsen, which is why we must invest in risk reduction, mitigation and adaptation.'
Rhyl Journal
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
Nine killed after Russian drone strike in north-eastern Ukraine, officials say
Ukrainian officials said the attack happened on Saturday, just hours after Moscow and Kyiv held their first direct peace talks in years that failed to yield a ceasefire. Seven people were also injured in the attack in Bilopillia, a town around six miles from the border with Russia, three of them seriously, according to local governor Oleh Hryhorov and Ukraine's national police. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'deliberate killing of civilians' and said in a post on Telegram messaging app that 'Russians could scarcely not realise what kind of vehicle they were hitting'. He lamented the missed opportunity from the peace talks on Friday, saying that 'Ukraine has long proposed this — a full and unconditional ceasefire in order to save lives'. 'Russia only retains the ability to continue killing,' Mr Zelensky added. Spoke with @POTUS together with President Macron, Federal Chancellor Merz, Prime Ministers Starmer and Tusk. We discussed the meeting in Istanbul. Ukraine is ready to take the fastest possible steps to bring real peace, and it is important that the world holds a strong stance.… — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2025 In Bilopillia, a period of mourning was declared through until Monday, with local community chief Yurii Zarko calling the day 'Black Saturday'. The injured were taken to a hospital in Sumy, the regional capital. The local media outlet Suspilne said the passengers on the bus were being evacuated from the town when the strike happened. Authorities are working to identify some of the victims, most of them elderly women. Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces hit a military staging area in the Sumy region on Saturday morning, some 31 miles south-east of Bilopillia, without mentioning any other attacks there. Russian and Ukrainian officials met on Friday in Istanbul in an attempt to reach a temporary ceasefire, but the talks ended after less than two hours without a breakthrough. It was the first face-to-face dialogue between the two sides since the early weeks of Moscow's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While both sides agreed on a large prisoner swap, they remained far apart on key conditions for ending the fighting. One such condition for Ukraine, backed by its Western allies, is a temporary ceasefire as a first step toward a peaceful settlement. The Kremlin has pushed back against such a truce, which remains elusive. Mr Zelensky said he had discussed the outcome of the Istanbul talks with US President Donald Trump and the leaders of France, Germany, Britain and Poland. In a post on X from a European leadership meeting in Albania on Friday, he urged 'tough sanctions' against Moscow if it rejects 'a full and unconditional ceasefire and an end to killings'. Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each, according to the heads of both delegations, in what would be their biggest such swap. The sides also discussed a ceasefire and a meeting between their heads of state, according to the chief Ukrainian delegate, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to President Vladimir Putin, said both sides also agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals, with Ukraine requesting the heads of state meeting, which Russia took under consideration. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Saturday held open the possibility of Mr Putin holding talks with Mr Zelensky, providing the agreed prisoner swap goes ahead and if Russian and Ukrainian delegations reached unspecified further 'agreements'. Mr Peskov also told reporters that Moscow will present Ukraine with a list of conditions for a ceasefire but gave no timeframe, or say what needed to happen before Mr Zelensky and Mr Putin can meet. In Tirana, Albania, Mr Zelensky met with leaders of 47 European countries to discuss security, defence and democratic standards against the backdrop of the war, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 'Pressure on Russia must be maintained until Russia is ready to end the war,' Mr Zelensky said on X. Mr Macron in Tirana on Saturday accused Mr Putin of 'cynicism' and said that Russia has failed to 'respect' ceasefire proposals backed by the US and other Western nations. Following a call on Friday between Mr Trump, Mr Zelensky, Mr Starmer, Mr Merz, Mr Tusk and Mr Macron, the French president reiterated that a European 'coalition of the willing' is ready to give Ukraine security guarantees and 'put pressure on Russia', something he said he expected Mr Trump would support. 'Faced with President Putin's cynicism, I believe that … in fact, I'm sure that President Trump, concerned about the credibility of the United States of America, will react,' he said.
