BIBI: CEASEFIRE WILL NOT HAPPEN AMID HOSTAGE SITUATION

Israel is determined to continue the battle against Hamas and refuses to consider calls for a ceasefire as they view it as surrendering to terrorism, according to Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Currently, his government faces increased pressure due to a hostage situation where about 230 Israelis and foreigners are held captive in the Gaza Strip. These hostages have been a significant negotiation point for Israel in the past.

Furthermore, Hamas recently released a video showing three women who were taken hostage during the deadliest attack in Israel's history on October 7. Netanyahu condemned this video as "cruel psychological propaganda" and vowed to do everything possible to secure the release of the kidnapped individuals.

In another development, an Israeli woman soldier was successfully rescued from the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army during their ground operations.

Israeli tanks were observed advancing towards the outskirts of Gaza City, indicating an escalated military operation by Israel in the region.

These intensified military activities in the Gaza Strip have raised concerns for the 2.4 million residents, with the United Nations warning that insufficient aid is reaching them to address their "unprecedented humanitarian needs." According to the Hamas-controlled health ministry, over 8,300 people have lost their lives in Gaza.

BIDEN UNVEILS SWEEPING AI REGULATIONS WITH FOCUS ON SECURITY AND PRIVACY

US President Joe Biden has unveiled an extensive executive order aimed at regulating artificial intelligence (AI) technology, setting new standards for security and privacy protections with significant implications for companies such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. The order compels developers to subject powerful AI models to safety tests and report the results to the government before public release, especially for systems with potential national or economic security risks. It further addresses privacy, civil rights, consumer safety, scientific research, and worker rights.

In addition, the executive order recommends marking AI-generated content, like photos, videos, and audio, to indicate their AI origin. The commerce department will provide guidance for labeling and watermarking such content. The order also seeks to simplify visa requirements for foreign talent wishing to work for US-based AI companies.

These new regulations, set to take effect in the next 90 days, will likely face legal and political challenges. However, they primarily address future advanced AI systems and do not directly tackle immediate threats from existing chatbots that may spread disinformation.

This order builds upon voluntary commitments already made by tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, and Meta, to stress-test their AI systems for vulnerabilities. The tech industry has expressed support for AI regulations, although opinions differ on the extent of government oversight. The US, home to leading AI developers, has been slower to address AI regulation than the EU and other nations.

Biden's executive order precedes a global meeting on AI safety organized by the UK, highlighting the US's efforts to catch up with other countries in the development of AI regulations.

MOB STORMS RUSSIAN AIRPORT TO ‘CATCH’ JEWISH FLYERS FROM ISRAEL

An uprising in southern Russia, where rioters stormed an airport tarmac apparently searching for Jewish passengers on a flight from Israel, has shocked Jews in Russia and beyond, drawn condemnation from the Israeli government and prompted the Kremlin to call a meeting to address the clashes.

Hundreds of young men stormed the main airport in the predominantly Muslim republic of Dagestan on Sunday night, searching for a commercial flight from Tel Aviv, Israel. Videos and some images on social media showed some of the rioters holding Palestinian flags and carrying signs opposing the war in the Gaza Strip, possibly spurred on by a Telegram messaging channel that urged them to “catch” the passengers of the incoming flight from Israel.

Over 20 people were injured, with two in critical condition. The injured included police officers and civilians. Police said they had arrested 60 people in connection with the unrest and identified 150 of the most active participants. Russian aviation authorities said the airport, in Makhachkala, the republic’s capital, would reopen Tuesday.

Israel, in a statement, said it expected Russian authorities to protect all Israeli citizens and Jews and to act firmly against the rioters. Russian President Putin accused Ukraine and “Western special services” of instigating the anti-Israel riot. “The events in Makhachkala last night were instigated also through social networks, not least from Ukraine, by the hands of agents of Western special services,” Putin said in televised comments. “Who is organising the deadly chaos and who benefits from it today, in my opinion, has already become obvious... It is the current ruling elites of the US and their satellites,” he said. He called a meeting of security and law enforcement officials on Monday and said “firm action will be taken. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the meet will discuss “attempts by the West to use the events in the Middle East to divide the (Russian) society.”

CORNELL JEWISH CENTER UNDER GUARD AFTER ONLINE THREATS TO JEWISH STUDENTS

Campus police at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, were guarding the university’s Center for Jewish Living on Sunday after online posts threatened violence against Jewish students, according to a statement by Cornell President Martha Pollack. The posts, which appeared on an online discussion forum about fraternities, included threats to shoot Jewish students and encouragement to others to kill them. They also called for the Jewish center to be torn down. “We will not tolerate antisemitism at Cornell,” said Pollack. “Threats of violence are absolutely intolerable, and we will work to ensure that the person or people who posted them are punished to the full extent of the law.”

XI ADVICE TO WOMEN : ACTIVELY CULTIVATE CULTURE OF MARRIAGE AND CHILDBEARING

Chinese President Xi Jinping said women have a critical role and must establish a “new trend of family”, as the nation grapples with an ageing population and record decline in the birth rate. Xi said the role of women had been part of a discussion with the new leadership team of the All China Women’s Federation, which operates under the Communist Party.

Doing a good job in women’s work is not only related to women’s own development, he said but also related to “family harmony, social harmony, national development and national progress”. It is necessary to “actively cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing and strengthen guidance on young people’s view on marriage, childbirth and family,” he said. Factors including high childcare costs, career hindrance, gender discrimination and not wanting to get married have deterred many young Chinese women from having children.

The number of births is tied to marriage rates because official policies make it hard for single women to have children. China’s National Bureau of Statistics in January reported the first population drop in six decades and the country’s population is ageing.

B’DESH CAFE ATTACK CONVICTS’ DEATH PENALTY COMMUTED

Dhaka : The Bangladesh High Court has commuted the death sentences of seven Islamist militants to life imprisonment, four years after their conviction for their roles in the 2016 terror attack at a popular Dhaka cafe, which claimed 23 lives, including that of an Indian girl. The heavily armed militants attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic area on July 1, 2016, taking diners hostage and killing 20 people, including seven Japanese, nine Italians, and one Indian. The militants were later killed during a rescue operation, during which two police officers and a cafe chef also lost their lives. On Monday, the High Court made this decision, commencing life imprisonment until death for the seven men.

BANGLADESH RULING PARTY HOLDS RALLY TO DENOUNCE ‘VIOLENT PROTESTS’

DHAKA: Thousands of supporters of Bangladesh's ruling Awami League party held a rally in the capital, Dhaka, to denounce what they called violence by the main Opposition party as tensions soar ahead of the elections expected in January. Since Saturday, at least four persons were killed and hundreds injured following clashes.

DEPORTATION OF AF REFUGEES IN LINE WITH LAW: PAK

Islamabad : Pakistan has rejected UN agencies’ warnings against expelling Afghan refugees and other illegal immigrants, saying the move was compliant with international norms and principles.

Foreign office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch reiterated that the repatriation plan applies to “all illegal foreigners, irrespective of nationality and country of origin”. “The decision is in exercise of Pakistan’s sovereign domestic laws,” Baloch said. The deadline for voluntary exits of such people is October 31.

UN agencies had warned that the expulsion of over a million “undocumented” Afghans risked triggering a “human rights catastrophe”.

According to UNHCR, about 1.7 million Afghan refugees are deemed to be in Pakistan illegally. UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration report nearly 60,000 Afghans have returned home since October 3 when Pakistan announced its deportation deadline.

CHINA, RUSSIA TAKE AIM AT US AT BEIJING FORUM

Beijing : Chinese and Russian military chiefs targeted the US for criticism at a security forum in Beijing on Monday, even as China’s second most senior military commander vowed to boost ties with Washington.

The lack of regular communications between the US and Chinese militaries has been a worry for Washington as tensions rise over various issues and given the risks of an accidental clash in the South China Sea or near Taiwan. Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu warned the West that its involvement in the Ukraine war created grave danger.

Zhang Youxia, vice chairman, under President Xi, of China’s central military commission, delivered veiled criticism of the US and its allies, accusing “some countries” of trying to undermine China’s government. He stressed for improving military ties with US.

HIJAB METRO DEATH: LAWYER WHO WENT TO FUNERAL ARRESTED

Dubai : Iranian authorities arrested a leading human rights lawyer Sunday after she attended the funeral of a teenage girl who died after being injured weeks ago in a mysterious incident on Tehran’s Metro.

The report by the semiofficial Fars news agency, which is close to the country's security forces, said authorities detained Nasrin Sotoudeh on a charge of violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf, or hijab, law.

Many other Iranian news outlets republished the report and said there were multiple arrests at the funeral of Armita Geravanad, who also was not wearing a headscarf at the time she was injured.

On Saturday, 60-year-old Sotoudeh — known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves — called Geravand’s death “another state murder.” The funeral took place Sunday morning.

Geravand was injured and in a coma for weeks. It’s not clear what happened in the few seconds after Geravand entered the train on October 1.