4 Israeli soldiers k!lled and more than 60 people injured by Hezbollah drone attacks on army base

 

Four Israeli soldiers have been k!lled and more than 60 people injured in a Hezbollah drone attack on an army base in central-northern Israel, according to first responders and the Israeli military.

The incident which occurred late Sunday night, October 13, is one of the bloodiest attacks on Israel since the beginning of the war last October.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, launched by Hezbollah hit an army base adjacent to Binyamina, a town north of Tel Aviv that lies some 40 miles from the Lebanese border.

In addition to the four soldiers killed, seven soldiers suffered severe injuries, the IDF said.

According to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service, a total of 61 people were wounded in the attack.

The news comes after Hezbollah said Sunday it had fired a swarm of attack drones on an Israeli infantry training camp in Binyamina.

The Lebanon-based militant group said the attack was in response to Israeli strikes in Lebanon Thursday that killed 22 people and injured 117, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Hezbollah said it had targeted the Golani Brigade, an infantry unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that has been deployed in southern Lebanon. The claim of responsibility for the attack came shortly after the militant group released an audio message from its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah calling on its members to “defend your people, your family, your nation, your values and your dignity.”

Earlier on Sunday, the IDF said it had intercepted a Lebanon-launched UAV without specifying where. It was not immediately clear whether this was the same incident that led to the injuries.

Hezbollah said it had fired dozens of rockets toward the northern Israeli towns of Nahariya and Acre to engage Israel’s air defense systems, while simultaneously launching the drone swarm.

“These drones broke through the Israel defense radars without detection and reached its target at the training camp of the elite Golani Brigade in Binyamina,” Hezbollah said.

The IDF’s top spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military would investigate how the drone got through without raising an alarm at the base.

“We will learn from and investigate the incident,” he said in a video statement from the base. “The threat of UAVs is a threat we are dealing with since the beginning of the war. We need an improvement to our defense,” he added.

The Binyamina attack comes almost two weeks after Israel launched a ground operation in southern Lebanon. 
 

Husband kept wife and 7 children captive for 20 years, r@ped them, and forced them to have ab0rtions, with bodies found in garden

 A man who kept his wife and seven children prisoner for 20 years has been arrested after one of them managed to escape. 

The unnamed suspect, 54, r@ped them before forcing them to have ab0rtions in Novo Oriente, Brazil. 

The seven children are aged between 3 and 22 and investigators say the suspect’s mother-in-law was also s£xually abused. 

He also drilled holes in the walls of the house so that he could see his daughters getting dressed.

 

 

It was only when one of them gave him a sleeping pill so she could escape and report him to the police that he was exposed. 

Authorities carried out a month-long investigation before they carried out a raid at the home. 

Three foetuses were found buried in the garden and the man’s wife, 40, said she had been held captive since she was 17. 

One of the foetuses found buried was eight months old and the wife was reportedly forced to have three ab0rtions by her husband. 

Another daughter was forced to endure an unsuccessful ab0rtion of a six-month-old foetus but the baby survived and was rescued by a midwife. 

The girl was in poor health at the time but her dad did not let her receive any medical help. 

The mum and children have now been moved to another state in Brazil for their protection and the man is being held in preventative custody. 

He has been charged with false imprisonment, r@pe of a vulnerable person, psychological violence, abortion and concealment of a corpse. 

Police spokesperson Herika Ribeiro Sena said: "The victim only left home to receive benefits and, many times, was accompanied by him. None of the neighbours knew her, not even relatives had access to her." 

The investigation is ongoing.

No plan to transfer northern IDPs to South East, FG

The federal government has said it is not planning to transfer Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the northern part of the country to the South East. 

Tijani Aliyu Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), disclosed this in a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday,  October 9. 

There has been tension in Imo State following the visit of the NCFRMI team to the premises of the National Open University Centre in Nsu Ehime Mbano Local Government Area, for the establishment of a skills acquisition centre aimed at training persons of concern and youth from the five southeastern states. 

Subsequently, several homes were burnt by angry youths, including the home of Senator Frank Ibezim, who facilitated the visit and accompanied the team. 

Speaking about the situation, Ahmed said: “We want to categorically state that the NCFRMI’s intervention in Imo State and the entire southeast has no political motives and it does not in any way intend to bring IDPs from the northern part of Nigeria to reside in the South East. 

“The commission equally wants to state that no money was given to any person or persons for the purpose of utilizing the facility as it belongs to the government. 

“The proposed establishment of the skills acquisition centre is purely a humanitarian initiative designed to serve as a critical resource and provide training in areas such as vocational skills, entrepreneurship, and capacity building. 

“These programmes will benefit displaced persons, returnee migrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups, irrespective of their political affiliation, ethnicity, or religious inclination within the southeast region. 

“We deeply regret the misrepresentation of information by the media that led to the unwarranted unrest and the destruction of properties by some unscrupulous elements.” 

He noted that out of the over six million people facing displacement in Nigeria, a significant number reside in the South East, where entire communities have been displaced due to ecological challenges such as erosion, landslides, and other forms of environmental degradation. 

The federal commissioner said in 2024 alone, the commission facilitated the return of 4,550 stranded migrants, with no fewer than 30 per cent of them originating from the South East. 

“Additionally, the region hosts approximately 500 non-Nigerian nationals currently seeking asylum as refugees in Nigeria. This group belongs to the subset of the population referred to as persons of concern to the commission,” he said.

Nigerians to pay more for number plates and driver’s license from November 1

The Joint Tax Board (JTB) has approved new rates for the issuance of national driver’s licenses and vehicle number plates, set to take effect from November 1, 2024. 

The revised rates aim to enhance the quality and security features of these identification documents, in line with international standards.

Under the new pricing structure, Nigerians will now pay N15,000 for a three-year motor vehicle driver’s licensee, while a five-year license will cost N21,000. Motorcycle and tricycle drivers will face an increase as well, with a three-year license priced at N7,000 and a five-year license at N11,000.

For vehicle number plates, the new rates start at N30,000 for both standard private and commercial vehicle plates. Fancy number plates will cost N400,000, while motorcycle plates are priced at N12,000. Dealer vehicle number plates will be issued for N100,000.

The JTB has also adjusted prices for government-issued number plates. Government fancy vehicle plates will now cost N120,000, and standard plates will be N80,000. Motorcycle number plates for government vehicles are set at N50,000 for fancy options and N20,000 for standard.

According to the JTB, these adjustments will introduce improved security features, aiding in the identification process for both drivers and vehicles across the country.

Olusegun Adesokan, Secretary of the JTB, emphasized the importance of public awareness and education regarding the new rates. In a circular obtained by BusinessDay, Adesokan stated, “The secretariat has requested that the FRSC [Federal Road Safety Corps] notify the JTB of its public engagement and sensitization plans. We believe that a robust engagement will ensure a seamless implementation of the revised rates.”

The FRSC is expected to spearhead the public sensitization campaign ahead of the November implementation.

Repentant Boko Haram fighters escape with govt rifles, motorcycles

Thirteen former fighters of Boko Haram, have reportedly escaped with rifles and motorcycles given to them by the Borno State government.

Premiumtimes reports that the 13 are among thousands of former Boko Haram fighters and their families who had surrendered to the government and were enlisted to join the military in fighting the ins-urge. 

The escapees attached to the military operatives in Mafa fled their camp between the 1st and 2nd of September. The report quotes Malik Samuel, a researcher with a deep understanding of jihadi groups in northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region, as saying that eight ex-fighters first escaped from the camp on September 1 before five others followed suit the next day.

He said the escapees called Abdullahi Ishaq, a special adviser to the government on security matters, threatened to unleash more violence.

After their escape, the jubilant terrorists reportedly released a video brandishing the rifles.

The state government is yet to react to this development.

Sarco ‘Su!cide Pod’ use suspended weeks after US woman, 64, ended her life in it

The use of the Sarco suicide capsule, dubbed the “Tesla of euthanasia,” has been suspended just weeks after an American woman ended her life in the controversial machine. 

The Sarco was created by Dr. Philip Nitschke, the founder and director of the pro-euthanasia group Exit International. It was used for the first on Sept. 24, 2024, to take the life of an immunocompromised 64-year-old woman from the Midwest. 

Swiss officials have said that the Sarco had not been approved when it was used to take the unidentified American’s life. 

A criminal investigation into the pod is pending and all of the 371 active applications have been suspended, according to the National Review. 

Switzerland is one of the few countries that permits travelers to legally take their lives under its assisted sucide practices, which do not require a doctor but can include outside help. 

The pod requires the user to activate it themselves, with a modulated voice directing them to press a button if they “want to d!e.” 

Once pressed, the capsule is flooded with nitrogen, which drags the user’s oxygen levels to deadly levels until they eventually enter a hypoxic state before asphyx!ating. 

“When she entered the Sarco, she almost immediately pressed the button,” Nitschke said, according to the National Review. 

“She didn’t say anything. She really wanted to d!e. My estimate is that she lost consciousness within two minutes and that she died after five minutes. We saw jerky, small twitches of the muscles in her arms, but she was probably already unconscious by then. It looked exactly how we expected it to look.”  

Police arrested several people connected to the American’s death, including a Dutch photographer covering the assisted suic!de. 

It is not known if Nitschke was among those arrested.

Diddy doused victim in lubricant mixed with date r@pe drug before ass@ulting her with his bodyguard and friend - Lawyer alleges

Embattled music executive and rapper, Sean “Diddy” Combs doused a woman with lubricant that was mixed with the date r@pe drug Rohypnol before he viciously assaulted her alongside his bodyguard and a third friend, the accuser’s attorney claims.

The unnamed victim was allegedly forced to remove her clothes when Combs threatened her with a knife, lawyer Ariel Mitchell-Kidd told NewsNation.

Diddy then supposedly squirted the woman “all over her body” with “some type of lubricant or oil,” after which she noticed herself becoming “more and more limp,” the lawyer said of her client’s alleged ordeal.

The victim did not recall being forced to consume any drugs, but oil can be a conduit for Rohypnol, or GHB – the so-called “date-rape drug,” Mitchell-Kidd claimed. 

“So, in order to get that to topically take into somebody’s body, you need a conduit, which is typically oil,” the attorney noted.

“So, it seems to me that there were some types of drugs mixed into the oil, which is why he was dousing her in that oil prior, not only to make it easier to assault her, but that was what was lowering her defenses.”

After he doused her with the mysterious liquid, Combs allegedly raped Mitchell-Kidd’s client, as did his bodyguard and a third person.

Mitchell-Kidd (pictured below) said she plans to file a complaint on behalf of her client later this week.
 

“The details are graphic, and the complaint lays out all of the details. … She was finally able to get away after the gruesome attack,” she told NewsNation of the alleged assault.

It was not immediately clear if the client Mitchell-Kidd was discussing with the same client who previously said she was lured to Combs’ home and raped in 2018.

That unnamed victim filed a police report after the incident, Mitchell-Kidd said last week.

Combs, 54, has been behind bars since Sept. 16, when he was arrested in New York City for racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution.

He was accused of using drugs to keep victims “compliant” during violent, sometimes days-long sex sessions, the federal complaint said.

Last week, more than 120 victims announced plans to file lawsuits against the Bad Boy Records founder for alleged sexual abuse and exploitation.

The wave of allegations were split evenly by gender, spanned over 30 years and included 25 minors – including one 9-year-old, attorney Tony Buzbee said of the horrifying allegations.

The children Combs allegedly abused were “seeking TV or music careers with promises [from Combs] of ‘I’ll make you a star,” Buzbee claimed.

47-year-old man sentenced to life imprisonment for r@ping 8-year-old girl in Calabar

A 47-year-old man, Ita Okon has been sentenced to life imprisonment for r@ping an 8-year-old girl in Calabar, Cross River State. 

Okon was convicted and sentenced on Tuesday, October 8, 2024,  by Hon Justice Blessing Egwu of Family Court 2 Calabar. 

 

In addition to the life sentence, the Court also awarded a compensation of N1,000,000 (One million naira) to the survivor. 

 

Reacting to the judgement, the Principal Counsel at BRCI, Barrister James Ibor, thanked the police and the Cross River State Ministry of Justice. 

 

"May I use this opportunity to thank the Nigerian Police Force, Cross River State, the Ministry of Justice, Cross River State and Basic Rights Counsel Initiative for the output. The war against Violence Against Women and Girls must be won,” Ibor stated. 

Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel's Haifa

 

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it had fired rockets at the city of Haifa in northern Israel on Tuesday, October 8, after the city was hit for the first time in 18 years on Monday, October 7. 

Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, said it had launched a "large rocket salvo" at Haifa and its northern suburbs. 

The Israeli military reported more than 100 rockets crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory on Tuesday, saying some were intercepted. 

Hezbollah's attack comes as Israel expands ground invasion of Lebanon. 

Earlier, Israel said its troops have begun ground operations in south-west Lebanon. Until now, its invasion had focused on the eastern side of the border 

The ground offensive began on September 30, and Israel says it's targeting Hezbollah sites. 

About 2,000 Lebanese have been killed since Hezbollah began firing at Israel a year ago in solidarity with Hamas.