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Court Denies Netanyahu Request to Skip Trial Opening

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP)
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Court Denies Netanyahu Request to Skip Trial Opening

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP)

An Israeli court on Wednesday denied a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be excused from attending the start of his impending corruption trial.

The ruling by the Jerusalem District Court, where the first hearing is to be held on Sunday, cited a clause in Israeli criminal law stating that "a person may not be tried on criminal charges except in his presence".

Netanyahu's legal team on Tuesday asked the court to allow Netanyahu's absence from the formal reading of the charges against him, despite written objections by the state attorney's office.

The premier's presence in the court requires five bodyguards, his lawyers wrote, meaning the hearing would not be able to take place "within the limitations set by the health ministry due to the coronavirus pandemic".

Netanyahu's lawyers insisted that Sunday's hearing was "technical" and there was "no need for the prime minister to attend".

The prosecution's real reason for insisting Netanyahu be in court was "a media campaign seeking to show the prime minister in the dock", the lawyers claimed in their request, seen by AFP.

The court's ruling on Wednesday, published by the justice ministry, was unequivocal.

"We reject the request of the petitioner to be absent from the reading (of the charges)," it said.

Netanyahu's trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust had been scheduled to start in March, but was postposed to May 24 due to lockdown measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Netanyahu denies allegations that he accepted improper gifts and sought to illegally trade favors in exchange for positive media coverage.

He is the first prime minister in Israel's history to be indicted while in office.

Israel’s premier since 2009, Netanyahu extended his record tenure on Sunday when parliament swore in a new three-year coalition government to end more than 500 days of political deadlock.

Netanyahu, head of the right-wing Likud party, will lead the government for 18 months before vacating the premier's office for his former rival Benny Gantz.

Netanyahu's trial, including all appeals, could take several years.

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World

ISIS Militants Kill at Least 20 Somali Soldiers in Ambush

FILE - Al-Shabab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, Oct. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)
FILE - Al-Shabab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, Oct. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)
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ISIS Militants Kill at Least 20 Somali Soldiers in Ambush

FILE - Al-Shabab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, Oct. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)
FILE - Al-Shabab fighters display weapons as they conduct military exercises in northern Mogadishu, Somalia, Oct. 21, 2010. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh, File)

Militants killed at least 20 Somali soldiers in an ambush, a military officer who survived the attack said, as the government acknowledged damage to military vehicles but disclosed no troop casualties.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group, which has fought Somalia’s government for nearly two decades, claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack near Jameeca village in southern Somalia.

The Defense Ministry said its troops killed about 75 militants and wounded 56 during hours of fighting. Al-Shabab claimed it killed 321 soldiers and captured prisoners and military equipment.

The casualty figures and claims of captured soldiers and equipment could not be independently verified.

Abshir Abdikarim, a military officer traveling with the convoy, told The Associated Press by phone late Tuesday that he saw at least 20 of his fellow soldiers dead after the attack. He said troops had advanced from Leego into Jameeca, in Burhakaba district in the Bay region, where they exchanged heavy gunfire with militants.

Some soldiers previously reported missing reached Baledogle on Tuesday, he said, while others remained unaccounted for.

The ministry described the confrontation as an assault on militant positions.

Al-Shabab said its fighters ambushed a convoy advancing into territory under its control.

The ministry said militants used explosives-laden vehicles to attack army vehicles, damaging some of them. It did not specify how many were damaged or address the claims that soldiers had been captured.

Al-Shabab said it seized Turkish-supplied armored vehicles, armed pickup trucks, supply trucks, weapons and ammunition.

African Union troops pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the group adapted through guerrilla warfare, suicide bombings and targeted assassinations.

Somali authorities have reported territorial gains during a US-backed military campaign, although access restrictions have made those claims difficult to verify independently. The militants have retained the ability to operate across large areas of central and southern Somalia.

The fighting comes amid a separate struggle for control of South West state.

Government troops last month clashed near Baidoa with militias loyal to former regional President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, who resigned after federal forces seized the city in March.

The Defense Ministry said government forces would continue to target al-Shabab positions and disrupt efforts by its fighters to regroup.

World

French Senate Passes Bill to Make Protesters Pay for Unrest Damage

Protesters take cover behind a plywood board as French riot police and gendarmes use a water canon amid clashes during an authorized demonstration organized by labor unions in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in France, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Protesters take cover behind a plywood board as French riot police and gendarmes use a water canon amid clashes during an authorized demonstration organized by labor unions in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in France, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)
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French Senate Passes Bill to Make Protesters Pay for Unrest Damage

Protesters take cover behind a plywood board as French riot police and gendarmes use a water canon amid clashes during an authorized demonstration organized by labor unions in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in France, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)
Protesters take cover behind a plywood board as French riot police and gendarmes use a water canon amid clashes during an authorized demonstration organized by labor unions in Paris as part of nationwide protests called by the "Yellow Vests" movement joined by French high school and university students against the cost of living and rising fuel prices, in France, October 24, 2026. (Reuters)

The French parliament's upper house passed a bill Wednesday that would make protesters financially liable for damage caused during street demonstrations, despite warnings from critics that it could curb the right to protest.

The bill was drafted in response to riots that followed Paris Saint-Germain's victory over Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final in May.

But it has taken on added significance after weeks of protests over inequality and soaring prices culminated in some of the worst violence France has seen in years on October 17, when thousands of businesses across the country were damaged and looted.

The Senate passed an expanded version of the bill by 229 votes to 105, backed by a right-wing and centrist alliance which holds a majority.

The legislation has been sent to the National Assembly, which is split between France's political factions, for debate and voting.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whom opinion polls place as the frontrunner to succeed Emmanuel Macron in next spring's presidential election, supports the legislation.

Speaking in parliament, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez stressed the "urgency" of responding to the damage and scenes of chaos seen on October 17.

"We can no longer allow the vast majority of our fellow citizens to pay for a minority of vandals," he said.

- 'Legal travesty' -

Under the legislation, protesters could be ordered to pay up to 10,000 euros for damage caused during street demonstrations.

But critics argue that people who took no part in vandalism could nonetheless be held liable if they were deemed to have been associated with those responsible.

The bill introduces joint financial liability for anyone found to have "knowingly participated" in a group formed with the intent of carrying out acts of vandalism.

It would also apply to individuals who "voluntarily" continued to take part in a gathering likely to disrupt public order after two police dispersal warnings.

Welfare benefits and housing assistance could also be seized to help cover the cost of damages under the scheme, a provision that has drawn sharp criticism from left-wing parties and advocacy groups.

In the second reading, senators toughened the measure to include other social benefits such as the family supplement, back-to-school allowance and the employment bonus.

Left-wing lawmakers accused the government of an "authoritarian drift" at the expense of the freedom to demonstrate.

Communist senator Fabien Gay denounced what he called a "legal travesty that deliberately conflates protesters and rioters".

Green senator Melanie Vogel accused the government of responding to social demands with "collective punishment."

Supporters of the bill sought to reassure critics.

"We must not give the impression that this bill would criminalize a passer-by or a peaceful protester," said Olivier Bitz of the center-right Horizons party.

- 'Disastrous consequences' -

The government has proposed introducing protest bans targeting the most violent individuals.

Late Tuesday, the Senate approved a bill allowing authorities to demand the rapid removal of social media content calling for "insurrection or taking up arms against the state".

"As we speak, there are calls circulating for next Saturday that are calls for insurrection. Those are the kinds of content we want to remove," the interior minister told senators.

Platforms would be required to remove such content within 24 hours, or they could face "blocking" or "delisting."

In an op-ed published in French daily Le Monde last week, a coalition of trade unions and student groups warned of a "serious infringement on the freedom to demonstrate."

They argued the measures would disproportionately affect "the poorest families" and encourage "arbitrary police action."

Amnesty International also urged the government to abandon the bill, warning the measures could push "already marginalized families further into poverty".

"If passed, this bill would be a deeply regressive step," Nathalie Godard of Amnesty International France said on Monday.

"Seizing family allowances, housing assistance, or the active solidarity income could have disastrous consequences for some of the most vulnerable people."

World

Serbia: ‘ISIS Supporter’ Killed after Attacking Guard Outside Israeli Embassy

This handout photograph taken and released by Serbia's Interior Ministry on October 28, 2026, shows the scene of an attack on a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. (Photo by Handout / SERBIAN MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Serbia's Interior Ministry on October 28, 2026, shows the scene of an attack on a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. (Photo by Handout / SERBIAN MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS / AFP)
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Serbia: ‘ISIS Supporter’ Killed after Attacking Guard Outside Israeli Embassy

This handout photograph taken and released by Serbia's Interior Ministry on October 28, 2026, shows the scene of an attack on a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. (Photo by Handout / SERBIAN MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS / AFP)
This handout photograph taken and released by Serbia's Interior Ministry on October 28, 2026, shows the scene of an attack on a police officer guarding the Israeli embassy in Belgrade. (Photo by Handout / SERBIAN MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AFFAIRS / AFP)

Serbian police killed an attacker outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade on Wednesday after an officer was targeted in a "terrorist attack", outgoing Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said.

"A minor whose identity has yet to be established... attacked a member of the police with two knives," Dacic said, also raising the terrorism threat to its highest level.

The interior ministry said in a statement the guard killed the attacker in self-defense but suffered a minor knife wound to the face in the incident just after midnight on Wednesday.

Dacic said security services had been monitoring the attacker, who was "known to be a supporter of ISIS" and was believed to be from the western city of Sabac.

"His Instagram profile featured a black flag and the ISIS emblem," he added.

Dacic said the terrorism threat level had been raised to its highest, or "red alert".

"This means tighter security checks and an increased police presence at sensitive sites, including infrastructure facilities and places where large crowds gather”.

Police photos from the scene showed the guard's booth outside the embassy and the area sealed off by police tape as officers in full gear stood nearby.

Although such attacks are rare in Serbia, the Israeli embassy in Belgrade has been targeted before.

In June 2024, an attacker armed with a crossbow seriously wounded a police officer guarding the embassy before being shot dead by police.

The attacker was identified at the time as a 25-year-old man from a village near Belgrade who had embraced extremist views.

Wednesday's attack comes just days after Serbia held a key early parliamentary election on Sunday in which long-ruling former President Aleksandar Vucic was defeated by a youth-led movement after almost two years of protests against him. But Vucic and his allies still control the police as the new government is yet to be formed.

Israel also held its parliamentary vote Tuesday that exit polls said produced no clear winner.