Lebanon said Israeli strikes Thursday on the country's east and south killed 52 people, as raids also hit south Beirut and Hezbollah claimed its deepest attack on Israel in over a year. More than 11 months of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the Gaza conflict escalated into all-out war in September, with Israel conducting an extensive bombing campaign, primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds, and sending ground troops into southern Lebanon. "Israeli enemy strikes that targeted the Baalbek district" in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley left "40 dead and 52 wounded", a health ministry statement said, listing tolls for 10 different locations. Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said a couple and their four children were killed in a strike on a house in the village of Maqneh, while another couple and their young daughter were among 11 people killed in a raid on nearby Nabha. The ministry also reported "seven dead and 24 wounded" in "Israeli enemy strikes" on south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh district, and "five dead and 26 wounded" in strikes elsewhere in south Lebanon. In Israel, first responders said a man was killed after rocket fire from Lebanon hit the Galilee region in the country's north. In Beirut's southern suburbs, the NNA reported at least 12 strikes throughout Thursday, after relative calm while US envoy Amos Hochstein visited earlier this week, seeking to broker an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on social media platform X issued several rounds of evacuation warnings for Beirut's southern suburbs, as well as areas in and around the southern coastal city of Tyre, but none for east Lebanon. AFPTV footage showed columns of smoke rising from the southern suburbs, usually a densely populated residential district but now largely emptied. Adraee said on X that the Israeli military "targeted a weapons depot, a command headquarters and terrorist infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah in south Beirut. Amid a series of attack claims, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted "the Hatzor air base" near Israel's southern city of Ashdod, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Lebanon's southern border, "with a missile salvo" -- its deepest target in more than a year of hostilities. In 10 separate statements, Iran-backed Hezbollah said its fighters also targeted Israeli troops in and near the south Lebanon town of Khiam, including with artillery, rockets and drones. The NNA said "the enemy army" was "blowing up homes and residential buildings during its incursion into the town". Lebanon's official news agency and Hezbollah have reported fighting and air strikes in the Khiam area ever since Israeli ground troops first entered Lebanon on September 30. Earlier Thursday, United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert visited Baalbek's UNESCO-listed archaeological area, after the UN's cultural body this week granted more than 30 heritage sites in Lebanon "provisional enhanced protection" amid the war. Lebanon's health ministry said Thursday that at least 3,583 people had been killed in the violence since October 2023. Most of the deaths have been since September this year. The Israeli military said Wednesday that three soldiers were killed in south Lebanon, bringing to 52 the number killed in Lebanon since the start of ground operations. bur-lg/giv
Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while WHO chief says he was meters awayHow Trump could spare Biden's renewable energy credits and still cripple his landmark climate billAs the holiday shopping season approaches, one perennial gift—cellphones—is more popular than ever. Most (97%) adult Americans own a cellphone of some sort, according to a January 2024 Pew Research Center mobile study. Nine in 10 Americans own a smartphone, a number expected to rise this year. This year, the iPhone 16, which Apple introduced on Sept. 20, is already generating buzz among holiday shoppers. The new model boasts a dedicated shutter button for higher-quality photos and a faster processor that supports Apple Intelligence features, which include AI-generated images and ChatGPT integrated with Siri. New phones, and tech in general, have long been popular holiday gifts. Some consumers may line up when a new model drops, but others tend to wait for the holidays to give—or receive—a newer, pricier phone. In years past, Apple has seen a post-holiday season sales spike. Strong first-weekend sales after a new iPhone is unveiled have predicted robust holiday sales. The National Retail Federation forecasts a 2.5% to 3.5% increase from last year's holiday sales, putting sales projections at an all-time high. These indicators suggest mobile sales will soar. Mobile sales rebounded this year after a slight decline in 2023, increasing by 7.8% year over year during the first quarter of 2024, according to the International Data Corporation. Mobile phones have drastically changed in style and appearance, hardware, and functionality since they became widely available in the early 2000s. Even the BlackBerry, once considered high-tech, might look like ancient history now compared to sleek and speedy new models. Spokeo reviewed marketing studies and historical sources to find the most popular phones over the past 20 years and their place in the timeline. When the first cellphone prototype debuted in 1973, it was a large, bulky block that could hardly be called convenient. The Motorola DynaTAC—or "the brick," as it was dotingly called by its inventors—weighed about 2.5 pounds and took 10 hours to charge for only 35 minutes of usage. However, it took decades for cellphones to be accessible to everyday consumers. By the early 2000s, cellphones evolved into pocket-sized portables with more features and personalization options than their predecessors. The iconic Nokia 1110, unveiled in 2003, targeted populations in emerging markets like Russia and China at the time. Despite its discontinuation in 2009, it remains the bestselling cellphone of all time. Other phones that gained popularity early on include the Motorola Razr, which had a distinctly sleek design in vibrant colors like bright blue and candy pink. In 2002, with the launch of the game-changing BlackBerry 5810, cellphones made a leap in functionality. With a calendar, full keyboard, and internet access, the double-thumbed typing popularized the BlackBerry first among the business class, and then among the wider population. Over time, cellphones got slimmer and smarter, and features expanded to include web browsing, music, and games. However, when the first iPhone was released in 2007, it shifted the cellphone market—and the culture surrounding it. Today, out of the 15 bestselling phones, nearly half of them are iPhones. Apple is credited with popularizing touchscreen phones and digital storefronts like the App Store. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the second-bestselling phones of all time, just behind the Nokia 1110. The newest iPhones on the list are the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. Since 2004, Nokia, Samsung, and Apple have dominated the mobile phone market. Though Samsung only has one phone on the bestseller list, it holds the largest global market share and has the most global shipments The Samsung E1100 stands out for its durability and battery life, similar to Nokia phones, which still maintain a reputation of affordability and durability. Read on to see which mobile phones were the most popular over the past two decades. - Year released: 2005 - Total units sold: 130M - Year released: 2004 - Total units sold: 130M - Year released: 2004 - Total units sold: 135M - Year released: 2012 - Total units sold: 146.2M - Year released: 2009 - Total units sold: 150M - Year released: 2009 - Total units sold: 150M - Year released: 2007 - Total units sold: 150M - Year released: 2018 - Total units sold: 151.1M - Year released: 2019 - Total units sold: 159.2M - Year released: 2016 - Total units sold: 159.9M - Year released: 2013 - Total units sold: 164.5M - Year released: 2015 - Total units sold: 174.1M - Year released: 2013 - Total units sold: 200M - Year released: 2014 - Total units sold: 222.4M - Year released: 2005 - Total units sold: 247.5M Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
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Guy Ritchie left furious as robbers knick £2million worth of equipment from the set of new drama The FixerAccess to police administrative services in Morocco, including national digital identity card issuance, is expected to be simplified and streamlined from tomorrow following the launch of a digital police portal. The announcement comes from the General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) about a move that falls in line with government efforts to fully digitize public services in the country, as by Morocco World News. Morocco recently to improve identity and authentication services for social protection programs as part of its digital transformation push. Scheduled to go live December 20, the digital platform will facilitate access to important services offered by the police such as criminal record certificates and appointments for ID card issuance. The platform will also be used to register for police recruitment examinations. For a start however, the first service to be made available on the portal will be the criminal record certificate, authorities have disclosed. As say individuals will have access to the portal and apply for services after verifying their identity using the DGSN-developed digital identity portal and identity verification platform. The security department is quoted as saying that the digital police portal is user-friendly and built with cutting-edge technology used in the domain of digital government. The DGSN has explained that once a person makes a request for a digital police certificate using the platform, they will have a notification on the availability of the document which they can then go to a nearly police office to collect. The process is expected to take less processing time than has been the case, officials say. The launch of the digital police portal is the latest action in a series of moves aimed at enhancing access to police administrative service and digital government in country. Apart from a digital platform meant to combat cybercrime through which citizens can report incidents of online crimes, the police last year a unified police telecommunications network as a way of improving the security performance of its service. The infrastructure, among other things, facilitates telecommunications and data transfer among police and other government services across 57 Moroccan cities. Kenya has also taken a similar move aimed at accelerating the production of biometric police clearance certificates . | | | |