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The cost of building a home in NSW and Victoria has jumped by more than 25 per cent in four years, after completion times blew out during the pandemic. The national average construction cost for a home – including houses, townhouses and apartments – rose from $345,410 to $443,828 between 2019-20 and 2023-24, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data published last week. The cost of building a home in Australia has increased by almost $100,000 in four years. Credit: Louie Douvis Costs surged across all states during the period, rising by 25.5 per cent in Victoria and 30.2 per cent in NSW. The biggest leap took place in Queensland, with a 44 per cent rise. The cost of building a home soared during the pandemic due to higher demand, boosted by record low interest rates and government grants such as HomeBuilder. At the same time, disruptions to global supply chains pushed up material and freight costs, and worsened labour shortages. Housing Industry Australia chief economist Tim Reardon said construction costs grew at the fastest rate in June 2022 as supply chain disruptions filtered through to the building process. “You only need one disruption to disrupt everything else and the whole dynamic,” Reardon said. “If you’re missing one component, like the glue for a benchtop, you can’t manufacture that product, you can’t complete the kitchen, and you can’t sell the house.” Reardon said timber prices have fallen about 20 per cent over the past year as global supply chains improve, but other costs – particularly for energy-intensive materials such as aluminium, glass and cement – continue to rise. “The further we get away from the pandemic, the more settled those price changes will be,” he said. AMP deputy chief economist Diana Mousina said construction costs were among the fastest rising components of inflation. “It has moderated a lot over the past six to nine months, but it’s still growing faster compared to headline inflation,” she said. “It started off as a supply issue, but the problem became worse because people were demanding materials to do renovations or to build their home.” The influx has created a bottleneck: the number of houses under construction nearly doubled from 56,000 in June 2020 to 104,315 in March 2023, a number 48 per cent higher than the pre-pandemic record of 70,000 six years ago. This figure dropped to 87,149 in June 2024, but building times remain long, increasing from six months and three weeks in September 2019 to nine months and four weeks in June 2024, the ABS reported. Reardon said the ABS data was likely coming in with a lag. “Build times are now less than what they were pre-pandemic, though only by a week or two,” he said. However, labour shortages would remain constant for at least the next two years, Reardon said, because of the large volume of government construction work under way that is taking up any excess capacity in the labour market. Mousina said construction cost inflation, while down from its peak, could remain higher than overall inflation for some time, partly due to competing government infrastructure projects. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.

Subscribe Search Search Sort by Relevance Title Date Subscribe ALBAWABA - Elon Musk's fortune has skyrocketed by $70 billion since Donald Trump claimed the US elections, hitting a record-breaking $347.8 billion on Friday, according to Bloomberg, and setting a new record for the wealthiest person in the world. Also Read Billionaires reap record $64B following Trump’s re-election The rise has been largely driven by Tesla, the stock of which increased 3.8% on Friday and has risen 45% since November 4, the day before the election, as investors feel optimistic about the Trump administration's plans for EV subsidies and legislation regarding self-driving electric cars, which could provide Tesla a competitive advantage. Since Tesla stock and options account for more than two-thirds of his net worth, Musk has seen significant gains from the soaring stock, surpassing the $340.4 billion record in net worth he established in 2021. Elon Musk's net worth reached $347.8 billion today, according to Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/QlKMVUt1Or Also Read As Trump gets back in office, how much is the US president salary? — Dima Zeniuk (@DimaZeniuk) November 22, 2024 Musk's fortune explosion was also aided by his artificial intelligence startup, xAI. The company was valued at $50 billion in a recent investment round, more than doubling its value from six months ago, as Bloomberg reports. The quick expansion is ascribed by analysts to heightened investor interest fueled by Musk's strong ties to Trump, who claims to prioritize technical innovation in his policies. Musk's endeavor into space technology, SpaceX, is likewise seeing a spike. This week, the firm had a high-profile launch event that was attended by President Elect Trump and is in discussion to hold a private share sale, which could boost the company's value to more than $250 billion. Musk's political influence is also increasing. He and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are set to run the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The agency intends to reduce bureaucracy and deregulate sectors, which might benefit Tesla and other Musk-led businesses that have fought with state-level regulations. A passionate about the Gaming Industry with a career of over 5 years in the field, I write about current trends and news in the Game Development business and how it impact the industry and players. Laith has recently started a new position at Al Bawaba as a freelance business writer. Subscribe Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content Subscribe Now Subscribe Sign up to get Al Bawaba's exclusive celeb scoops and entertainment news Subscribe to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content SubscribeThe No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies (8-2, 5-1 SEC) and Auburn Tigers (4-6, 1-5) meet Saturday. Kickoff from Jordan Hare Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's college football odds around the Texas A&M vs. Auburn odds , and make our expert college football picks and predictions . The Aggies roughed up New Mexico State 38-3 last Saturday in the annual SEC cupcake game in mid-November but failed to cover as 38.5-point home favorites. Texas A&M has won 8 of the past 9 outings with only a 44-20 shellacking as 3-point road favorites at South Carolina Nov. 2 as the lone blemish in that span. Texas A&M has failed to cover the past 2 games and is 3-7 against the spread (ATS) on the season. The Over has cashed 4 in a row against SEC teams. The Tigers topped UL-Monroe 48-14 last Saturday, covering as 24.5-point favorites with the Over (45.5) cashing. QB Payton Thorne finished with a career-best 5 passing TDs and 286 with WR Cam Coleman (8 receptions, 100 yards, 3 TDs) as his top target. However, Auburn has dropped 5 of the past 6 games against SEC foes, while going 2-4 ATS in those games. The Under has cashed in 4 straight outings against SEC teams. Rankings - US LBM Coaches Poll : Conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+ Texas A&M at Auburn odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated at 1:21 p.m. ET. Texas A&M at Auburn picks and predictions Prediction Texas A&M 31, Auburn 20 Moneyline TEXAS A&M (- 120 ) is worth a look straight up if you're a little more conservative and you prefer not to lay the points and just want to pick a winner. While it's a safe play, Auburn (+100) should be playing with desperation, as it needs to win out -- against A&M and Alabama next Saturday -- to qualify for a bowl game. Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now ! Against the spread Back TEXAS A&M -1.5 (- 105 ). Save for the South Carolina debacle two games ago, the Aggies are playing some of the best football in the SEC. Auburn has just been off this season. The Tigers' 4 wins are against Alabama A&M, New Mexico, Kentucky and UL-Monroe, not exactly a murderer's row. The Tigers should be desperate, yes, but they just don't have the horses to slow the Aggies down. Over/Under OVER 47.5 ( -110 ) is worth. Texas A&M will likely have to do a lot of the heavy lifting to get this across the finish line. A&M is good for 34 or more points in 4 of the past 5 games, and the run game is the pride of the Aggies offense. However, Auburn is pretty decent defensively against the run, so that's a little bit of a concern with the Over. Want to play some games of your own? Play for free at the best social casinos and enjoy lots of slots, blackjack, video poker, roulette and more. You can even earn real prizes! For more sports betting picks and tips , check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW . Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X . Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook . College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group: Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School More NCAA College Football Picks and Predictions! USC at UCLA odds, picks and predictions Cincinnati at Kansas State odds, picks and predictions Iowa State at Utah odds, picks and predictions

There are times when a postseason bowl seems like the first game of next year for the participating teams. That cliche means something a little different for NC State and East Carolina. The Wolfpack and Pirates face each other in the Military Bowl on Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland. Then they'll see each other again in about eight months. NC State opens the 2025 season at home against ECU on Aug. 30. There is certainly plenty of familiarity between these two programs, even though NC State (6-6) is in the ACC and East Carolina (7-5) is in the AAC. The teams — located about 80 miles apart — have met 32 times, most recently in 2022 when the Wolfpack won 21-20. From 1970-87, these teams played each other every year. Since 2004, they haven't gone more than two consecutive seasons without meeting. “Hour and a half down the road and you're playing — whether you play every year or don't play every year — I think it's still a rivalry," East Carolina coach Blake Harrell said. "Our fans still get excited. They still think that's a rivalry. Our players still think that's a rivalry.” NC State leads the series 19-13 and has won three straight — but East Carolina won three in a row before that. “It's weird playing a team that we open with next year,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said. “We don't play them that much. We play them every three years, so it's really a roster turnover. Every time we see them, it's a different ballclub for the most part. But yeah, finishing with who you open with is unique.” NC State and East Carolina met in the Peach Bowl in 1992 — during an eight-year hiatus in their regular-season series. ECU scored three touchdowns in the final 7:26 to win 37-34. “We had that time during COVID, we obviously all had some down time. I remember searching through YouTube, just past games to check out. That game did pop up," Harrell said. "That was a special moment for that team and that program at the time, and this could be a special moment for this team and this program.” NC State is playing in the Military Bowl for the first time. East Carolina was supposed to participate in 2021, but the game was canceled. The Pirates lost to Maryland in the 2010 edition. Harrell took over on an interim basis in the middle of the season when Mike Houston was fired. After leading the Pirates to four straight wins, Harrell had the interim tag removed . Freshman CJ Bailey took over at quarterback for NC State this season after concussion problems ended Grayson McCall's career. Bailey has completed 64.1% of his passes. Only Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson threw for more touchdowns as a freshman for the Wolfpack than Bailey, who has 14 TD tosses. “He's a really good player. Doesn't play like a freshman to me,” Harrell said. "Makes really good throws down the field, has a really good arm, and then if he takes off scrambling or if the quarterback-designed run game, he's a long strider. He can eat up some ground. Nobody ever catches him." Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.Ahmed Usman Ododo, Kogi State governor, has signed a bill converting the state-of-the-art Reference Hospital, Okene into the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) Teaching Hospital. Kingsley Fanwo, the state commissioner for Information and Communications, announced this on in Lokoja during a press briefing, adding that the move aligns with the National Universities Commission’s approval of a full-time Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme, among other medical courses at CUSTECH, saying that the step ensures the programme begins on a solid foundation. “This achievement is the result of months of coordinated engagement between the university, the State Ministry of Health, and the State Ministry of Education. We commend the State House of Assembly for passing the bill, which has now been signed into law by Governor Ododo.” He emphasised the administration’s prioritisation of healthcare, noting that the former Reference Hospital now the CUSTECH Teaching Hospital is equipped with world class medical facilities, some of which are debuting for the first time in Africa. “With this development, CUSTECH will have cutting – edge medical technology to train outstanding healthcare professionals for Kogi State and beyond.” Fanwo equally highlighted the administration’s commitment to healthcare and education, describing the signing as a significant milestone in the state’s progress. He also expressed gratitude to the State House of Assembly for their collective effort in creating this historic achievement. With the bill now law, CUSTECH is poised to effectively commence its MBBS programme.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Tens of thousands of Spaniards marched in downtown Barcelona on Saturday to protest the skyrocketing cost of renting an apartment in the popular tourist destination. Protesters cut off traffic on main avenues in the city center, holding up homemade signs in Spanish reading “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living" and “The people without homes uphold their rights.” The lack of affordable housing has become one of the leading concerns for the southern European Union country, mirroring the housing crunch across many parts of the world, including the United States . Organizers said that over 100,000 had turned out, while Barcelona’s police said they estimated some 22,000 marched. Either way, the throngs of people clogging the streets recalled the massive separatist rallies at the heigh of the previous decade’s Catalan independence movement. Now, social concerns led by housing have displaced political crusades. That is because the average rent for Spain has doubled in last 10 years. The price per square meter has risen from 7.2 euros ($7.5) in 2014 to 13 euros this year, according to the popular online real estate website Idealista. The growth is even more acute in cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Incomes meanwhile have failed to keep up, especially for younger people in a country with chronically high unemployment. Protestor Samuel Saintot said he is “frustrated and scared” after being told by the owners of the apartment he has rented for the past 15 years in Barcelona’s city center that he must vacate the premises. He suspects that the owners want him out so they can renovate it and boost the price. “Even looking in a 20- or 30-kilometer radius outside town, I can’t even find anything within the price range I can afford,” he told The Associated Press. “And I consider myself a very fortunate person, because I earn a decent salary. And even in my case, I may be forced to leave town.” A report by the Bank of Spain indicates that nearly 40% of Spaniards who rent dedicate an average of 40% of their income to paying rents and utilities, compared to the European Union average of 27% of renters who do so. “We are talking about a housing emergency. It means people having many difficulties both in accessing and staying in their homes,” said Ignasi Martí, professor for Esade business school and head of its Dignified Housing Observatory. The rise in rents is causing significant pain in Spain, where traditionally people seek to own their homes. Rental prices have also been driven up by short-term renters including tourists. Many migrants to Spain are also disproportionately hit by the high rents because they often do not have enough savings. Spain is near the bottom end of OECD countries with under 2% of all housing available being public housing for rent. The OECD average is 7%. Spain is far behind France, with 14%, Britain with 16%, and the Netherlands with 34%. Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for Barcelona’s Tenants Union which helped organize the protest, said that renters should consider a “rent strike” and cease paying their monthly rents in a mass protest movement. “I think we the tenants have understood that this depends on us. That we can’t keep asking and making demands to the authorities and waiting for an answer. We must take the reins of the situation,” Arcarazo told the AP. “So, if they (the owners) won’t lower the rent, then we will force them to do it." The Barcelona protest came a month after tens of thousands rallied against high rents in Madrid. The rising discontent over housing is putting pressure on Spain’s governing Socialist party, which leads a coalition on the national level and is in charge of Catalonia’s regional government and Barcelona’s city hall. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presided over what the government termed a “housing summit” including government officials and real estate developers last month. But the Barcelona’s Tenants Union boycotted the event, saying it was like calling a summit for curing cancer and inviting tobacco companies to participate. The leading government measure has been a rent cap mechanism that the central government has offered to regional authorities based on a price index established by the housing ministry. Rent controls can be applied to areas deemed to be “highly stressed” by high rental prices. Catalonia was the first region to apply those caps, which are in place in downtown Barcelona. Many locals blame the million of tourists who visit Barcelona, and the rest of Spain, each year for the high prices. Barcelona’s town hall has pledged to completely eliminate the city’s 10,000 so called “tourist apartments,” or dwellings with permits for short-term rents, by 2028.

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King and PM honour former US president Jimmy Carter after his death aged 100Year after year, statistics show that indiscipline in the use of protective equipment can cost lives or cause irreversible injuries. The economic scenario of the country is complex. However, there is insufficient production and high demand for gloves, boots and any other equipment that can contribute to safety and health at work. When we look at the issue, we see that there are differences between sectors, provinces and unions. All activities do not present the same risks; it is the responsibility of the administrations to guarantee the appropriate protection of their workers and, in turn, to ensure that they use the means of protection appropriately, with the active intervention of the trade union. The Cuban government maintains the objective of guaranteeing the health of workers as part of the social policies to be carried out until the year 2030, linked to the Macro Program for Human Development, Equity and Social Justice, which establishes and regulates decent employment. Work accidents continue to increase in a significant number of primary and tertiary economic organizations. A recent analysis at the National Secretariat of the Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC) revealed that the unions that stand out in this negative indicator are: Transportation, with 49 accidents at work and on the road; Sugar, with 43; Energy and Mining, with 40; Construction, with 36; Commerce, Gastronomy and Services, with 35; Agriculture, Forestry and Tobacco, with 17; and Defense Civilian, with 15. The provinces with the highest accident rates at the end of December 2023 are Holguín, with 59, and Villa Clara, with 57. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) reported that there have been 851 work accidents to date, of which 25 have been fatal. Similarly, a CTC report that reviews the characteristics of the scenario at the end of the first quarter of this year explains that there were 14 deaths, with an average age ranging between 25 years, belonging to the sectors of commerce, gastronomy and services (4); defense civilian (7); sugar (2) and agriculture and livestock (1). Yordanis Cruz Sánchez, CTC official in Holguín in charge of the Labor Department, pointed out that one of the most important functions in this area is to manage the constant improvement of working conditions in order to achieve a healthy and safe working environment. On the other hand, there is a tendency to under-execute the corresponding budgets, even though the purchase of protective equipment has shown a positive trend in the last period, but the quality of this equipment and its use by workers remains an issue to be resolved. The work to eliminate or minimize occupational hazards and their impact on accidents has not been without difficulties. The greatest needs, he emphasized, are concentrated in gloves (dielectric, heat, latex); goggles (impact, acid, particle); ear muffs; boots (sanitary, rubber, with caps); aprons (plastic, short PVC, long PVC) and helmets. The main causes are the centralization of budgets in the provincial entities or the lack of monitoring and control of their execution, failures in administrative management, noncompliance with contracts between companies and agencies, and the lack of demand by union leaders for workers to be accountable to their member assemblies for the performance of the financing of the acquisition of such resources. This panorama covers the whole of Cuba. The data obtained in the CTC of Villa Clara show that among the difficulties encountered with personal protective equipment in the province are the wrong selection, poor purchase management, high prices, constantly increasing by MSMEs, which are the main suppliers, delays by the supplier and the need for training. At this point, it is not idle to point out that occupational safety and health is far from being just another task. Its priority is already recognized in article 69 of the Constitution of the Republic, which underlines the main lines of the subject for the State through the adoption of appropriate measures aimed at the prevention of accidents and occupational diseases. Likewise, Law 116, the Labor Code, recognizes in Article 24 that occupational health and safety conditions must be agreed upon as part of the employment contract. If we consider the series of deficiencies that surround this activity, it is contradictory to know that there are state and private organizations that are ready to produce a significant number of media because they have the necessary infrastructure and manpower. Since the approval of MTSS Resolution No. 6, on April 6, 2022, there has been a slight increase in the national production of personal protective equipment (PPE), as the regulation includes new economic actors: micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), non-agricultural cooperatives (CNAs) and self-employed workers (TCPs), Valia Carbó, head of the PPE Registration and Approval Center at the aforementioned agency, told Trabajadores . She explained that this participation depends on whether they meet the quality standard based on the required tests and trials. In the hierarchy of methods used to control workplace hazards, personal protection is essential in the presence of risks that cannot be prevented or sufficiently limited at source by technical, organizational or collective protection measures, so that the safety and health of workers are guaranteed by the use of PPE during certain activities. Likewise, the expert assured that there are other reasons for the non-compliance in the execution of the budget, such as: the lack of supply in local currency and the entities do not have the financing in foreign currency necessary for the acquisition of essential PPE in some activities. To this list must be added the fact that some of the means of protection are not produced in the country, the poor quality of some equipment, the increase in market prices, as well as the policy of import concentration applied by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, which makes it difficult to obtain the equipment that is essential for these activities and that involves very specific risks. For Ángel San Martín Dupoté, head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department of MTSS, this function should focus on solving procedural, structural and maintenance problems within a company. A notable step in this direction, he highlighted, has been the analysis of the problem in the organizations that have the greatest impact on the accident rate. This research left other questions unanswered. The life and health of Cuban workers are important, and there are regulations, guidelines, budgets, institutions and specialists who must enforce what is established, without ignoring the individual responsibility of the worker. What happens in the workplace with good and bad examples? What is the role of the trade union? What are the demands of the manufacturers of protective equipment and what is the situation with the inspectors of the National Labor Inspectorate? We will look for these and other answers. You, your family and the country need them.None

Israel is carrying out its most intense wave of strikes on Lebanon's capital Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the 13-month war with Hezbollah, apparently signaling it aims to pummel the country in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech Tuesday evening saying he would ask his ministers to adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah. Less than an hour later, Israeli jets targeted a building in a bustling commercial area of Beirut and Israel's military issued new evacuation warnings, sending residents fleeing into the streets. Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel, triggering air raid sirens across the country’s north. The ceasefire deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, in support of the Palestinian militant group. That has set off more than a year of fighting escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon and an Israeli ground invasion of the country’s south. It’s not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, where more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in the 13-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. ——— Here's the Latest: WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump’s designate to be national security adviser, credited Trump’s victory with helping bring the parties together toward a ceasefire in Lebanon. “Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump,” he said in a post on X on Tuesday. “His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.” He added: “But let’s be clear: The Iran Regime is the root cause of the chaos & terror that has been unleashed across the region. We will not tolerate the status quo of their support for terrorism.” BEIRUT — Israeli jets targeted a building in a bustling commercial area of Beirut for the first time since the start of the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. The strike on Hamra is around 400 meters (yards) from the country’s central bank. A separate strike hit the Mar Elias neighborhood in the country’s capital Tuesday. There was no immediate word on casualties from either strike, part of the biggest wave of attacks on the capital since the war started. Residents in central Beirut were seen fleeing after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for four targets in the city. Meanwhile, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on at least 30 targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday, including two strikes in the Jnah neighborhood near the Kuwaiti Embassy. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that 13 people were injured in the strikes on the southern suburbs. BEIRUT — Hezbollah has said it accepts the ceasefire proposal with Israel, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Among the issues that may remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would recommend his Cabinet adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people. The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal. In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting. Netanyahu said the vote was expected later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state media said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 10 people in Baalbek province the country’s east. At least three people were killed in the southern city of Tyre when Israel bombed a Palestinian refugee camp, said Mohammed Bikai, a representative of the Fatah group in the area. He said several more people were missing and at least three children were among the wounded. He said the sites struck inside the camp were “completely civilian places” and included a kitchen that was being used to cook food for displaced people. JERUSALEM — Dozens of Israeli protesters took to a major highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, as the country awaited news of a potential ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. Protesters chanted “We are all hostages,” and “Deal now!” waving signs with faces of some of the roughly 100 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are thought to be dead. Most of the other hostages Hamas captured in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack were released during a ceasefire last year. The prospect of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon has raised desperation among the relatives of captives still held in Gaza, who once hoped that the release of hostages from Gaza would be included. Instead of a comprehensive deal, the ceasefire on the table is instead narrowly confined to Lebanon. Dozens of Israelis were also demonstrating against the expected cease-fire, gathering outside Israel’s military headquarters in central Tel Aviv. One of the protesters, Yair Ansbacher, says the deal is merely a return to the failed 2006 U.N. resolution that was meant to uproot Hezbollah from the area. “Of course that didn’t happen,” he says. “This agreement is not worth the paper it is written on.” FIUGGI, Italy — Foreign ministers from the world’s industrialized countries said Tuesday they strongly supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that Israel comply with international law in its ongoing military operations in the region. At the end of their two-day summit, the ministers didn’t refer directly to the International Criminal Court and its recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over crimes against humanity . Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official meeting agenda, even though the G7 was split on the issue. The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, isn’t a signatory to the court and has called the warrants “outrageous.” However, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said all the other G7 countries were signatories and therefore obliged to respect the warrants. In the end, the final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, “must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.” And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – “reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.” It stressed that “there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel.” The ICC warrants say there's reason to believe Netanyahu used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny. BEIRUT — An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded in Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. It was not immediately clear if anyone in particular was targeted, though Israel says its airstrikes target Hezbollah officials and assets. The Israeli military spokesman issued a flurry of evacuation warnings for many areas, including areas in Beirut that have not been targeted throughout the war, like the capital’s commercial Hamra district, where many people displaced by the war have been staying. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks in Lebanon during the final hours before a ceasefire is reached, sparked panic and sent residents fleeing in their cars to safer areas. In areas close to Hamra, families including women and children were seen running away toward the Mediterranean Sea’s beaches carrying their belongings. Traffic was completely gridlocked as people tried to get away, honking their car horns as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. The Israeli military also issued warnings for 20 more buildings in Beirut’s suburbs to evacuate before they too were struck — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah in the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. TEL AVIV, Israel — The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services. The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe. The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.” It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues. The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means. On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking. The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack. Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over. JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River — a focal point of the emerging ceasefire. In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces. Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border. The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation. The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in “close-quarters combat” with Hezbollah forces. The announcement came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting. BEIRUT — Israeli jets Tuesday struck at least six buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday, including one that slammed near the country’s only airport. Large plumes of smoke could be seen around the airport near the Mediterranean coast, which has continued to function despite its location beside the densely populated suburbs where many of Hezbollah’s operations are based. The strikes come hours before Israel’s cabinet was scheduled to meet to discuss a proposal to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The proposal calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Tuesday’s airstrikes. FIUGGI, Italy — EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded. “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,” for desperate Palestinians, he said. “Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.” It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court’s decisions. Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,” Borrell said. “And if the Europeans don’t support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,” he said. Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded. “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,” for desperate Palestinians, he said. “Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.” It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court’s decisions. Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,” Borrell said. “And if the Europeans don’t support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,” he said. (edited)Jeeno Thitikul makes late charge to catch Angel Yin in the LPGA finale‘Living in a home that damages health the norm for far too many older people’

Trump's tariff threat a grim reminder of turbulent trade in first administrationNoneIsrael approved a United States-brokered with Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel’s security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, but neither he nor Netanyahu have proposed a postwar solution for the Palestinian territory, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Israel says it will ‘attack with might’ if Hezbollah breaks truce Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” Netanyahu’s office later said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Warplanes bombard Beirut and its southern suburbs Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut’s bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah’s financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli forces reach Litani River in southern Lebanon The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. ___