Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon climbs to 2,141

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Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon climbs to 2,141

2024-10-10 10:55 Last Updated At：16:57

The death toll in Lebanon from the ongoing Israeli attacks has risen to 2,141 since October 2023, with 10,099 others injured, according to a report released by Lebanese Environment Minister Nasser Yassin on Wednesday, who is also Coordinator of the Government Emergency Committee.

Lebanon has suffered 9,470 Israeli attacks since the outbreak of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict on October 8, 2023, according to the report.

The Lebanese government has established 1,000 shelters to accommodate the displaced, with 807 of them being full. Currently, some 180,000 displaced individuals are residing in official shelters.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Wednesday that they continued ground military operations in southern Lebanon. Lebanon's Hezbollah also said to have counterattacked the Israeli army in southern Lebanon and launched rockets into northern Israel on the same day. The Israeli army reported that they continued striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, killing a large number of Hezbollah armed personnel and destroying over 500 Hezbollah armed facilities, including gathering places, underground infrastructures, and weapons depots. The Israeli army also carried out airstrikes on 185 Hezbollah strongholds within Lebanon in the past day.

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi declared on Wednesday that the Israeli army would relentlessly strike Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, denying them any respite or chance to recover.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday that their forces launched multiple attacks on the advancing Israeli army in southern Lebanon, causing casualties and forcing the Israeli army to retreat in the southwestern region. Hezbollah also fired rockets at the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona.

The Israeli army confirmed monitoring around 20 rockets fired from Lebanon towards Shemona on Wednesday. The Israeli emergency organization reported two deaths in the attack. The Israeli army subsequently targeted and destroyed the equipment used by Hezbollah to launch rockets at Shemona.

Since Sept. 23, the Israeli military has been carrying out an extensive air campaign in Lebanon, dubbed "Arrows of the North," in a dangerous escalation with Hezbollah. Since October last year, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have been exchanging fire along the Lebanese-Israeli border, stoking fears of a wider conflict as the war between Hamas and Israel continues in Gaza.

EU should return to free trade, negotiation on Chinese EVs: scholar

2024-10-10 16:17 Last Updated At：16:37

It is in the best interest of the European Union (EU) to return to free trade and to negotiate with China, said a Polish scholar Wednesday following the EU's recent move to impose punitive tariffs on Chinese battery electric vehicles (EVs).

The EU countries voted on Oct 4 to impose duties on imports of electric vehicles from China despite huge internal discord.

The decision triggered criticisms from European media and transportation associations which say the punitive tariffs will harm the interest of the EU and its consumers, citing reasons including the technological advantages and innovative capacities of the Chinese EV makers and the good quality and affordable prices of their products.

"I would say China has invested heavily in the research and development [of EVs]. It is not as some European producers claimed. It's not only the subsidies. It's also the real investment in China that led to this competitive advantage," said Witold M. Orlowski, professor of the Department of Business and International Relations of Poland's Vistula University.

The lack of competitiveness of European EVs on the market is the real reason behind Friday's move, said the professor, adding that as the EU plans to ban the sale of fuel-powered car by 2035, the protectionist tariff is only an effort to win more time for local EV makers.

It is in the best interest of the EU to uphold free trade and consult with China, said Witold M. Orlowski, adding that Friday's decision represents a type of "war."

"The best interest of the European nations is to stop this type of the war and actually to negotiate and coming back to the situation of free trade," he said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said before Friday's vote that Germany is against imposing tariffs on Chinese EVs and Europe must continue its negotiations with China. "Tariffs on Chinese electric cars would be wrong ... We have to speak plainly and negotiate with China - but trade wars only have losers," said German Finance Minister Christian Lindner last Thursday on X.