KoinNews Update 05 Jan 24

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January 05, 2024

Islamic State claims responsibility for deadly Iran attack, Tehran vows revenge (Reuters)

DUBAI, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility on Thursday for two explosions in Iran that killed nearly 100 people and wounded scores at a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani who was killed in Iraq in 2020 by a U.S. drone.

In a statement posted on its affiliate Telegram channels, the militant Sunni Muslim group said two IS members had detonated their explosive belts in the crowd which had gathered at the cemetery in the southeastern Iranian city of Kerman on Wednesday for the anniversary of Soleimani's death.

 

 

Houthis launch sea drone to attack ships hours after US, allies issue ‘final warning’ (AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a “couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a “final warning” to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.

Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Navy operations in the Middle East, said it was the first time the Houthis had used an unmanned surface vessel, or USV, since their harassment of commercial ships in the Red Sea began after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. They have, however, used them in years past.

 

 

North Korea Issues Ominous Warning About Nuclear Strike This Year (NewsWeek)

North Korea has issued an ominous warning about "the highest risk of clashes this year" between the totalitarian state and its neighbor to the south, which could end in "a nuclear strike," according to South Korean media.

Yonhap News Agency, a major media outlet in Seoul, reported on Thursday that North Korea media condemned recent Army artillery exercises and naval firing drills and exercises. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state news agency of North Korea, said the exercises are "self destructive" and called South Koreans "warmongers," according to Yonhap.

 

Israeli defence minister outlines new phase in Gaza war (Reuters)

CAIRO/GAZA/JERUSALEM Jan 4 (Reuters) - Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday outlined a new stage of Israel's war in Gaza: a more targeted approach in the north and further pursuit of Hamas leaders in the south while Israel seeks to free remaining hostages held by Hamas.

Under international pressure to shift to less intense combat operations and in the face of economic challenges, Israel has been drawing down its forces in Gaza to allow thousands of reservists to return to their jobs.

 

 

Consumer Reports finds 'widespread' presence of plastics in food (Reuters)

NEW YORK, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Consumer Reports has found that plastics retain a "widespread" presence in food despite the health risks, and called on regulators to reassess the safety of plastics that come into contact with food during production.

The non-profit consumer group said on Thursday that 84 out of 85 supermarket foods and fast foods it recently tested contained "plasticizers" known as phthalates, a chemical used to make plastic more durable.

 

Rival narratives will battle for supremacy in 2024 (Reuters)

LONDON, Jan 2 (Reuters Breakingviews) - It has been more than six decades since Thomas Kuhn first coined the term “paradigm shift”. Yet the process the American historian described, where accumulating contradictions in and violations of old theories lead to them being painfully overthrown, remains relevant today. As 2024 gets underway, the consequences of an inflationary overshoot, heightening trade conflict and war pose a challenge to established ways of thinking about the world. That leaves fields from central banking to technology, industrial policy, and energy in an uncomfortable state of flux. The lessons their practitioners draw in the coming 12 months will influence economies, companies and markets for years to come.

 

Another covid wave hits U.S. as JN.1 becomes dominant variant (MSN)

The United States is in the throes of another covid-19 uptick, cementing a pattern of the virus surging around the holidays as doctors and public health officials brace for greater transmission after Americans return to school and work this week.

Coronavirus samples detected in wastewater, the best metric for estimating community viral activity, suggests infections could be as rampant as they were last winter. A smattering of health facilities around the country, including every one in Los Angeles County, are requiring masks again. JN.1, the new dominant variant, appears to be especially adept at infecting those who have been vaccinated or previously infected.

 

Houthi Red Sea Attacks: Retailers Warn of Shortages and Price Rises as Imports Slow (Breitbart)

One of the UK’s largest retailers has warned of potential stock shortages this year and said a planned price cut on mass-produced imports is cancelled as continued strikes in the Red Sea delay arrivals and send shipping prices spiralling.

The UK’s largest clothing retailer Next, which has over 500 stores in the UK and hundreds more abroad has warned delays to the arrival of stock, which is overwhelmingly imported from workshops in the east, are “likely” early this year if the “difficulties” with the shipping sector are not resolved soon. The BBC reports the warning in their trading statement, in which they reported strong business, that “Difficulties with access to the Suez Canal, if they continue, are likely to cause some delays to stock deliveries in the early part of the year”.