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Israel Mourns Three Gaza Hostages Mistakenly Killed

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Israel on Saturday mourned the deaths of three Gaza hostages killed when troops mistook them for a threat, with the military expressing remorse over a “tragic” incident that sparked protests in Tel Aviv.

The Israeli army said Yotam Haim, Alon Shamriz and Samer El-Talalqa — all aged in their twenties — were shot during operations in a neighbourhood of Gaza City.

The trio were among an estimated 240 people taken hostage during Hamas’s October 7 raids into Israel, which also killed an estimated 1,200 people.

Relatives and supporters of hostages held by Palestinian militants demonstrate outside the Israeli ministry of defence in Tel Aviv on December 15, 2023. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)


“During combat in Shejaiya, the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) mistakenly identified three Israeli hostages as a threat and as a result, fired toward them and the hostages were killed,” Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari said.

“The IDF expresses deep sorrow regarding this disaster and shares in the grief of the families.”

Their bodies were transferred to Israel, and on examination were confirmed as being Haim, a 28-year-old heavy metal drummer, 25-year-old Bedouin man El-Talalqa and Shamriz, aged 26.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described their deaths as an “unbearable tragedy”.

“All of Israel is grieving their loss,” he said, while the White House called the incident a “tragic mistake”.

A man holds a portrait of Keith Samuel Siegel (64), held by Palestinian militants together with others since the October 7 attack, as families and supporters hold a demonstration outside the Israeli ministry of defence in Tel Aviv on December 15, 2023, calling for an immediate deal or their release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)


As news of the incident spread late Friday, hundreds of people gathered at Israel’s ministry of defence in Tel Aviv to call on Netanyahu’s government to secure the release of 129 hostages still being held in Hamas-ruled territory.

The demonstrators waved Israeli flags and brandished placards.

“Every day, a hostage dies,” read one message.

“I am dying of fear,” said Merav Svirsky, sister of Hamas-held hostage Itay Svirsky.

“We demand a deal now.”

In November, a short-lived truce saw more than 100 hostages freed in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

That deal has since lapsed and fighting has resumed.

AFP

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Crime

Chinese national apprehended in Anambra for involvement in illegal mining.

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A 45-year-old Chinese national, Mr. Mu Hua Qiang, has been arrested in Aguleri, Anambra State, for alleged involvement in illegal mining. He was apprehended by operatives of the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade during a surveillance operation and handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Awka.

Police spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga confirmed the arrest, stating that the suspect’s statement was taken and he is in custody pending further investigation. Authorities say illegal mining remains a serious concern in Anambra due to its environmental and security risks.

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International

Education: Denmark permitting use of AI for English exams from 2026

We are launching pilot schemes to try to find the right balance,” Education Minister Mattias Tesfaye said in a statement, emphasising the need to encourage digital learning while upholding teaching standards.

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The Danish education ministry announced on Friday students in some high schools in Denmark will be allowed to use artificial intelligence to write English language exams from next year.

The move comes as education authorities around the world debate whether AI is a useful learning tool for those entering an increasingly digital economy, or a slippery slope to producing dumbed-down graduates.

The Danish government said the permitted use of AI in the English curriculum from 2026 would be experimental, and apply only to the oral component of the English exam for the high school diploma.

In that test, once a student is handed their topic, they would have one hour to prepare, during which they would be “permitted to use all available tools, including generative AI”, the ministry said.

The students would then have to give their oral presentation in person in front of an examiner.

“We are launching pilot schemes to try to find the right balance,” Education Minister Mattias Tesfaye said in a statement, emphasising the need to encourage digital learning while upholding teaching standards.

“With students growing up in both analogue and digital worlds, we need to ready them in the best way possible for the reality they will encounter after their schooling.

”When it comes to the written part of the English test, the ministry said students would have to do part of it handwritten to ensure no reliance on computers.

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International

Trump pledges to maintain federal forces in Washington amid mounting criticism.

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President Donald Trump on Thursday visited police and troops he has deployed in the US capital in what he calls a crackdown on crime, saying they were going to “stay here for a while.”

Trump ordered hundreds of members of the Guard, a reserve force, to deploy in Washington last week vowing to “take our capital back,” despite protests by some residents and statistics showing violent offenses falling.

“We’re going to make it safe, and we’re going to then go on to other places, but we’re going to stay here for a while. We want to make this absolutely perfect,” he said outside a US Park Police facility in Washington.

The 79-year-old Republican was surrounded by law enforcement from various local and federal agencies as well as National Guard troops.

Earlier Thursday he suggested he would go on patrol with police and the military, but instead he made a short speech and gave out pizzas and hamburgers.

“Everybody feels safe,” Trump said, adding that he plans to get the capital “fixed up physically.”

“One of the things we’re going to be redoing is your parks. I’m very good at grass, because I have a lot of golf courses all over the place. I know more about grass than any human being,” he added.

Trump wrote on social media early Friday that “there were no murders this week for the first time in memory” in Washington.

He said Mayor Muriel Bowser “must immediately stop giving false and highly inaccurate crime figures, or bad things will happen, including a complete and total Federal takeover of the City!”

Bowser has said that violent crime in the capital has been its lowest level in three decades.

Trump’s visit came a day after his vice president, JD Vance, was greeted by boos and shouts of “Free DC” — referring to Washington’s formal name, the District of Columbia — on his own meet-and-greet with troops.

Vance dismissed the hecklers as “a bunch of crazy protesters.”

The DC National Guard has mobilized 800 troops, while Republican states Ohio, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia are sending a total of around 1,200.

They have been spotted in tourist areas such as the National Mall and its monuments, the Nationals Park baseball stadium and others.

The overwhelmingly Democratic US capital faces allegations from Republican politicians that it is overrun by crime, plagued by homelessness and financially mismanaged.

But data from Washington police showed significant drops in violent crime between 2023 and 2024, though that was coming off the back of a post-pandemic surge.

Some residents have welcomed the crackdown, pointing to crime in their areas — but others have complained the show of force is unnecessary, or has not been seen in parts of Washington where violence is concentrated.

– Sandwich guy –

Several incidents involving the surge of law enforcement have gone viral as residents voice their discontent, including the arrest of one man who was caught on camera throwing a sandwich at an agent.

Banksy-style posters honoring the so-called “sandwich guy” have popped up around the city.

The National Guard troops have provided “critical support such as crowd management, presence patrols and perimeter control in support of law enforcement,” according to social media statements.

In addition to sending troops into the streets, Trump has also sought to take full control of the Washington police department, attempting at one point to sideline its leadership.

The deployment of troops in Washington comes after Trump dispatched the National Guard and Marines to quell unrest in Los Angeles, California, that was sparked by immigration enforcement raids

AFP

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