World

After an Iranian missile strikes labs, Israeli scientists rush to save their jobs.

Published

4 months ago

June 21, 2025

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Following the destruction of a building housing dozens of state-of-the-art laboratories by an Iranian missile, scientists at Israel’s esteemed Weizmann Institute of Science have been rushing to preserve their experiments.
Early on Sunday morning, the missile struck the institute’s campus in Rehovot, on the southern outskirts of Tel Aviv. It damaged many buildings, forcing researchers to scramble into the rubble to salvage samples while the fire burned.

The campus was deserted overnight, so no one was harmed, but one building completely collapsed, and the walls of the other building were blown out, revealing a maze of twisted metal, blasted debris, and scorched cement.
“While we were fighting the fire, we tried our best to save as many of the samples as we could from the labs, from the buildings,” Weizmann’s vice president for development and communications, Roee Ozeri, a physicist, told Reuters.
Last Friday, Israel launched an offensive against Iran, claiming that its longstanding adversary was close to producing nuclear weapons. Iran, which maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, attacked Israel with drones and missiles in retaliation.

In addition to killing hundreds of civilians, Israel’s strikes have destroyed Iran’s senior military leadership, destroyed nuclear capabilities, and murdered a number of well-known Iranian nuclear scientists.
24 Israeli people have been murdered by Iran’s attacks, which have also caused hundreds of buildings, including a hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, to sustain damage.
Iran has not stated whether or why the Weizmann Institute was the target.

Although the majority of the institute’s research focuses on topics that could advance scientific understanding and medicine, it also has ties to the military. In October 2024, it declared a partnership on “bio-inspired materials for defense applications” with Elbit, the biggest defense company in Israel.
Established in 1934, Weizmann is a multidisciplinary organization that conducts research in areas such as immunology, astrophysics, and genetics. It is regarded as a world-class institution by the international scientific community.
With 286 research groups, 191 professional scientists, and hundreds of PhD, master’s, and postdoctoral fellow students, it is the most significant scientific research institute in Israel.

‘EVERYTHING IS LOST’

Researchers like Eldad Tzahor, who specializes in regenerative medicine with a focus on adult cardiac problems, were impacted by the Iranian rocket. He said that numerous tissues and samples from lengthy research had been destroyed.
He said, “Everything is lost,” to Reuters TV. “I would estimate that it will take us about a year to get into a full year of research and with everything working again.”
The institute, which runs expensive, sophisticated machinery that is sometimes shared by multiple labs or research groups, estimates the damage to be between $300 and $500 million.

The ceiling of Jacob Hanna’s lab fell, and the stairs disconnected, he told the scientific magazine Nature. Hanna leads a molecular genetics team that focuses on embryonic stem cell biology.
By moving hundreds of frozen mouse and human cell lines to backup liquid-nitrogen tanks that Hanna had kept in the basement, his students were able to preserve them, according to Nature.
“I was always worried that if a war actually happens, I don’t want to lose these,” he stated.

World

Trump gives Hamas a “final warning” on the captives.

Published

4 weeks ago

September 8, 2025

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On Sunday, US President Donald Trump issued a “last warning” to Hamas, stating that the Palestinian militant organization must agree to a settlement that will free the prisoners in Gaza.

“My demands have been accepted by the Israelis. It’s time for Hamas to come around too. I’ve told Hamas what will happen if they don’t accept. Trump stated on social media, “This is my last warning,” without providing any other details.

Hamas expressed its readiness to “immediately sit at the negotiating table” in a statement issued shortly after, citing “some ideas from the American side aimed at reaching a ceasefire agreement.”

White House envoy Steve Witkoff delivered Hamas a fresh ceasefire and hostage-resolution plan for Gaza last week, according to U.S. news agency Axios.

Although the White House has not disclosed any information on the plan, Trump stated late Sunday that “you’ll be hearing about it pretty soon,” painting a favorable picture of the talks.

“We had some excellent conversations. “There could be positive outcomes,” he informed reporters. “I think we’re going to have a deal on Gaza very soon.”

Trump sent Hamas a similar ultimatum in early March, stating that if it did not immediately release all surviving captives and give over the corpses of the murdered hostages, “it is OVER for you.”

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, an Israeli advocacy organization, hailed the US president’s most recent action as a “true breakthrough.”

During the catastrophic October 7, 2023, onslaught on Israel, Hamas forces captured 251 prisoners, with 47 reportedly remaining in Gaza.

According to the Israeli military, 25 of them have died. Israel is requesting that their remains be returned.

– Assault on Gaza City –

Trump and Hamas’ remarks coincided with Israel’s army bombing a residential skyscraper in Gaza City on Sunday, the third in as many days, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that the military was “deepening” its attack on the strategic city.

When the Al-Roya tower was struck, witness Mohammed Al-Nazli told AFP that it “felt like an earthquake.”

Israeli bombardment on Sunday killed at least 48 Palestinians, according to Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for the Gaza civil defense department.

Under the same pretext that Hamas had utilized them as observation posts, the air force has destroyed two other residential high-rises.

About 100,000 people have already fled Gaza City, according to Netanyahu, who blamed Hamas for attempting to obstruct evacuations and for using civilians as “human shields.”

Concerns that the already terrible humanitarian situation for Palestinians residing in the region may worsen have been heightened by the escalation.

Fearing for the safety of hostages said to be held in Gaza City, Israeli demonstrators flocked to the streets on Saturday to demand that their government revoke the decision to take the city.

According to an AFP count based on Israeli data, 1,219 persons were killed in the October 7, 2023 strike, the majority of them were civilians.

According to the United Nations-reliable health ministry numbers in Hamas-run Gaza, Israel’s retaliatory operation has killed at least 64,368 Palestinians, the majority of whom were civilians.

AFP is unable to independently confirm the tolls and information supplied by the Israeli military or the civil defense service because to media restrictions in Gaza and access issues in several regions.

World

Modi of India claims that relations with the US are still “very positive.”

Published

1 month ago

September 6, 2025

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Following US President Donald Trump’s reaffirmation of their personal friendship and his downplaying of his previous comments about “losing India” to China, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that Washington and New Delhi still had “very positive” connections.

The trade comes amid tensions after Washington accused New Delhi of supporting Moscow’s murderous attacks on Ukraine by buying Russian oil and levied tariffs of up to 50% on Indian goods.

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Right-wing populists Trump and Modi, however, have been close since the US president’s first term.

Modi wrote on X that India and the US had a “very positive and forward-looking comprehensive and global strategic partnership” and that he “deeply appreciate and fully reciprocate President Trump’s sentiments and positive assessment of our ties.”

Trump previously declared to reporters that he “will always be friends with Modi of course.”

“The relationship between the United States and India is unique. Trump downplayed his earlier comments about “losing India” to China, saying, “There is nothing to worry about.”

Trump previously declared to reporters that he “will always be friends with Modi of course.”

“The relationship between the United States and India is unique. Trump downplayed his earlier comments about “losing India” to China, saying, “There is nothing to worry about.”

A thaw between the two Asian giants was indicated last week when Modi made his first trip to China in seven years to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting.

Trump has come off as annoyed in New Delhi as he tries to claim credit for his alleged Nobel Prize-worthy diplomacy in mediating peace between India and Pakistan after the two nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in their deadliest confrontation in decades in May.

Since then, India, which vehemently opposes any outside intervention on Kashmir, has ignored Trump.

World

Toyota cuts its profit forecast because of US tariffs.

Published

2 months ago

August 7, 2025

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The impact of US tariffs caused Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota to lower its year net profit prediction on Thursday to 2.66 trillion yen ($18.06 billion).

“Due to the impact of US tariffs and other factors, actual results showed decreased operating income, and the forecast has been revised downward,” the business stated in a statement. In Tokyo afternoon trading, its stock dropped 0.6 percent.

Japan and its vital auto industry suffered a serious setback in April when the Trump administration levied a 25 percent tax on Japanese automobile imports into the US.

In July, Tokyo and Washington announced a trade agreement that would reduce that tax to 15 percent and offer some relief to the industry, although it is unclear when that agreement will go into effect.

Additionally, it is unclear if the vehicle tax and other “reciprocal” levies will be capped at 15 percent or if they will be added to the ones that were already in place prior to Trump’s trade war.

Due to an existing 2.5 percent tax on the auto industry, the current duty is 27.5 percent.

Revenues in Toyota’s first quarter from April to June were up 3.5 percent, but net income decreased by 36 percent.