Not Your Casual News Week 38: Israel kills 558 Lebanese in one day
A weekly read to keep you in the loop on international news and climate issues
Israeli air strikes on southern Lebanon and the Bekaa region on 23 September killed 569 people, including 50 children, according to Lebanon’s outgoing health minister, Firas Abiad.
The strikes, described as the biggest since 2006, were said to have targeted positions and infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.
Most of the victims were civilians, said Firas Abiad, and two hospitals were hit. The strikes also killed 94 women and wounded 1,835 people. Hezbollah has not yet announced the deaths of any of its fighters.
“Among the hundreds of victims were entire families, including ten members of the Hajj Hassan family killed in the Bekaa”, writes L’Orient le Jour.
“The public electricity supplier Électricité du Liban has announced the death of one of its employees, Farah Kajak, who was killed along with her husband, children, father, mother and sister in an Israeli air raid on Kaouthariyet el-Sayyad yesterday”, the Lebanese newspaper added.
Speaking in New York, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel was trying to drag the Middle East into a major conflict by inciting Iran to intervene in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in Beirut said on Tuesday that two of its staff had been killed by Israeli strikes.
What Else Happened?
Democracy is for others. French President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled a new right-leaning government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, signaling a shift to the right despite a left-wing alliance winning the most seats in the recent snap election in June. Macron’s centrist party will rely on support from other factions, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, to pass legislation. The European Union has also warned France over its spiraling public deficit, which exceeds the bloc’s financial rules. Left-wing opposition are calling it a “denial of democracy”, with Olivier Faure, chair of the Socialist party, describing it as “giving democracy the finger.”
At the heart. An Al-Qaeda-linked group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), claimed responsibility for a rare attack in Mali’s capital Bamako on 17 September, targeting the international airport and a gendarmerie training centre. The attack, which involved heavy gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades, briefly seized part of the airport, including the presidential hangar. The Malian military repelled the attack, with some casualties reported among security personnel, although details remained unclear. The attack is significant because Bamako is usually spared the violence that often plagues other regions of Mali, which is under military rule after coups in 2020 and 2021 and helped by Russian Wagner mercenaries.
Misinformation news. Meta has banned Russian state media outlet RT and other Kremlin-controlled networks from Facebook and Instagram, citing deceptive influence operations and foreign interference. The decision follows a US Department of Justice indictment accusing two RT employees of funneling millions of dollars to a US company to promote content aligned with Russian interests ahead of the 2024 US presidential election. The ban is part of a wider effort by Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet (Google) to block propagandist Russian state media.
Climate News
Typhoon over typhoon. Just days after Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm to hit Shanghai since 1949, Shanghai was hit by a second storm, Typhoon Pulasan, on 20 September. Bebinca, a category 1 storm, brought winds of up to 151 km/h (94 mph). More than 400,000 people were evacuated, 10,000 trees were felled and 1,400 flights and 570 train services were cancelled. A few days later, Pulasan made landfall with winds of up to 83 km/h and heavy rains, flooding roads and neighbourhoods. Another 112,000 people were evacuated and some transport services were suspended. Some areas received more than 300 mm of rain in just six hours, breaking local records.
Flooding recovery fund. The Czech Republic has pledged 30 billion crowns ($1.34 billion / €1.18 billion) in the 2024 budget to deal with flood damage, with an additional 10 billion crowns for the following year. Central Europe has been hit by the worst floods in more than 20 years, causing at least 22 deaths, extensive property damage and widespread destruction of infrastructure in countries from Romania to Poland. The Czech Republic was particularly hard hit, with five deaths reported.
European desert. Spain’s climate is expected to shift towards a desert-like state by 2050, according to a new study by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. “The warming process resulting from climate change has been very pronounced in mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, representing a true hotspot,” the researchers write. They predict a 20% reduction in rainfall, pushing the Mediterranean country towards a semi-arid or desert climate. Temperatures in Spain have already risen by 3.27°C since 1971, well above the global average, and summers are now 36 days longer. Droughts are also becoming more frequent, while extreme rainfall is increasing, especially along the Mediterranean coast. By mid-century, almost 40% of Spain could experience a cold steppe climate, significantly altering the country’s ecosystem and weather patterns.
Image of the Week
A woman tries to put out flames encroaching on her house in Vilarinho, Portugal, on Tuesday 17 September. Picture taken by Pedro Nunes for Reuters. Full gallery by The Guardian.
Portugal has been battling a series of deadly wildfires that have ravaged central and northern regions of the country. At least 7 people, including 3 firefighters, have lost their lives in the fires.