Thursday, October 17, 2024
It is Thursday, October 17, 2024. Here are today’s top stories.
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Israel kills Hamas leader and mastermind of Oct. 7 attack
Israel’s government announced that its troops in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. He is considered the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed 1,200 people, including 43 Americans.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday night in the southern Gaza Strip, its troops was doing a routine patrol and happened to encounter three armed men. They exchanged fire and the three men were killed, one of them Sinwar. The Israeli police said it's forensics team identified Sinwar’s body by analyzing photographs of his teeth and are waiting for DNA and fingerprint confirmation.
The Israeli government said Sinwar’s death “creates a possibility for the immediate release of (hostages)” and to bring a new change in Gaza without Hamas and without Iranian control.
An organization made up by the families of Israeli hostages said they are very concerned about the remaining 101 men, women and children still held captive by Hamas.
Sinwar was 62 years old and was Hamas’ leader in Gaza since 2017.
https://abcnews.go.com/International/idf-checking-possibility-hamas-leader-yahya-sinwar-killed/story
https://www.axios.com/2024/10/17/sinwar-hamas-israel-killed-gaza
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Musician Liam Payne dies at 31
Musician Liam Payne, who was a member of the former boy band One Direction, died on Wednesday at the age of 31. He was staying in Argentina at the time.
Police there said he was pronounced dead after he fell multiple stories at a hotel. Police said he jumped from his room.
News reports in Argentina said prior to his death, a hotel manager called police for help because a hotel guest, presumably Payne, was acting out of control and was damaging his room. There were drugs in his room.
Payne and One Direction rose to fame after they competed in the British reality competition show “The X Factor,” which is similar to America’s Got Talent. The band became popular in the UK and became a global success in the 2010s.
The X Factor posted on social media, “We are heartbroken by the sad passing of Liam Payne… he was immensely talented… Our thoughts are with his friends, family and all who loved him.”
https://x.com/TheXFactor/status/1846837093026115648
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U.S. attacks Houthi fighters in Yemen with B-2 bombers
The U.S. military said its B-2 bombers attacked weapons caches that belonged to Houthi fighters in Yemen, who has been firing on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea for months.
The B-2 bomber is the only warplane that can carry 30,000 pound bombs that can penetrate deeply buried targets. The airstrikes targeted five underground weapons storage locations that were “hardened.”
Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin said President Biden ordered the B-2 airstrikes to further degrade the Houthis’ ability to attack ships.
USA Today said the strikes could also be a warning to Iran at a time when Iran and Israel appear on the verge of a full-blown war.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2024/10/17/us-b-2-bombers-yemen-houthis/75712387007/
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Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese to pay $880M settlement for child sex abuse claims
The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced it will pay $880 million to settle childhood sexual abuse claims by more than 1,300 alleged victims.
A news report from California explained that the settlement would resolve claims filed against the Archdiocese after a recent law temporarily waived the statute of limitations for alleged victims to seek damages in sex abuse claims.
After this settlement, the Los Angeles Archdiocese will have paid about $1.5 billion to resolve sex abuse cases over the past twenty years.
A member of an organization called Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the settlement is a significant piece of justice, but no amount of money will ever be enough for what was done to survivors while they were children.
LA Archbishop Jose Gomez said he is sorry for every one of these incidents, from the bottom of his heart, and hope that the settlement will provide some measure of healing.
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Universal Orlando opening new Harry Potter and Nintendo world
Universal’s resort in Florida announced it would open its sweeping new “Epic Universe” amusement park on May 22, 2025.
The Epic Universe has four worlds connected to a hotel and shopping district. The worlds are “Super Nintendo World,” “Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “Dark Universe.”
The new park will be bigger than Universal’s two theme parks and will more than double the size of Universal’s footprint in Orlando. They are expecting over 6 million visitors during its first year.
https://www.cnn.com/travel/epic-universe-opening-date-universal-orlando-florida/index.html
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That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.