November 27 top stories
It is November 27. Here are today’s top stories.
Israel-Hamas hostages updates
Over the weekend, Israel and Hamas honored their four-day cease-fire agreement and exchanged a number of hostages and prisoners.
Hamas has released 40 Israeli hostages and Israel has freed 117 Palestinian prisoners.
A 4-year-old Israeli-American hostage named Avigail Idan was freed on Saturday. Her parents were murdered by Hamas fighters on October 7.
Hamas has also released 17 hostages from various countries.
Many trucks filled with humanitarian supplies entered Gaza as a part of the ceasefire agreement.
Qatar, the country that is mediating talks between Israel and Hamas, said there is a deal to extend the ceasefire for two more days with more hostages and prisoners released.
3 Palestinian students shot in Vermont
On Saturday night in Vermont, a gunman shot three young Palestinian men who are college students in the U.S. They were wounded and are still in a hospital. Their names are Tahseen Ahmad, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Hisham Awartani. All are 20 years old.
Two of the students were visiting Hisham’s grandmother in Vermont for the Thanksgiving holiday. They were walking outside when a suspected gunman, Jason Eaton, allegedly walked up to them and shot them without speaking to them.
An attorney for the victims’ families said they believe they were targeted because they were wearing keffiyehs, which are traditional Palestinian scarves.
Eaton was arrested on Sunday and charged with three counts of attempted murder. He pleaded not guilty and is held without bond.
A prosecutor said they believe that this is a “hateful act” and are working on getting evidence to support a hate crime enhancement.
This incident is yet another instance of violence against Arab or Jewish individuals in the U.S. that seems to be caused by tensions stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.
Deadly landslide in Alaska
Last week, there was a massive landslide in Wrangell, Alaska that tragically killed at least four people from the same family. The landslide destroyed three homes in its path. First responders found the bodies of Timothy, Beth, Mara, and Kara Heller. They were 44, 36, 16, and 11. There is a 12-year-old boy who is still missing, Derek Heller. A 65-year-old man named Otto Florschutz is also missing. Emergency workers are still searching the area.
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Car crash/explosion at U.S. border crossing
Last Wednesday, a car crashed into a border checkpoint at the U.S.-Canada border in Niagara Falls and exploded. The driver and a passenger were killed. Some thought it was an act of terrorism, but authorities ruled that out.
The two people in the car were a married couple from Grand Island, New York — Kurt and Monica Villani. Both were 53. The car was a 2022 Bentley vehicle. It was traveling at a high rate of speed, hit a median, flew into the air, and burst into flames when it crashed.
Police said they are looking at whether medical or mechanical issues may have caused the crash.
The couple’s family owns a lumber business and seven Ace Hardware locations in New York.
Derek Chauvin stabbed in prison
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who murdered George Floyd, was stabbed in a federal prison in Arizona on Friday. AP News said Chauvin was seriously injured.
The prison is the Federal Correctional Institution, Tucson. There are about 380 inmates there. There is no information on who the suspect is.
Chauvin is simultaneously serving a 21-year federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights and a 22-year state sentence for second-degree murder.
Black Friday shoppers spend $9.8B online
CNBC reported that Americans spent $9.8 billion in online shopping on Black Friday. It is a record amount. More than half of the purchases were made on customers’ smartphones. The best-selling categories are smartwatches, televisions, toys, and gaming.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/11/27/world/israel-hamas-hostages-gaza-war
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67539313/page/3
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/26/us/palestinian-students-shot-vermont-investigation-monday/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/US/officials-continue-searching-3-missing-alaska-landslide/story