Israel seizes cryptocurrency said to be used to finance Hezbollah

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government said Tuesday that it seized millions of dollars in cryptocurrency from accounts that had sent or received funds in alleged financing schemes for a powerful arm of the Iranian military and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said he issued an order to seize the cryptocurrency wallets and turn over the funds to the Israeli government. He described the “extensive” operation as Israel’s first to target the Hezbollah militant group and the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force — two organizations sworn to Israel’s destruction.

UN: Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, more than 1,000 were killed

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United Nations said Tuesday it has documented a significant level of civilians killed and wounded in attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover — despite a stark reduction in casualties compared to previous years of war and insurgency. According to a new report by the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, since the takeover in mid-August 2021 and until the end of May, there were 3,774 civilian casualties, including 1,095 people killed in violence in the country. That compares with 8,820 civilian casualties — including 3,035 killed — in just 2020, according to an earlier U.N. report.

Italian group calls off pasta strike after costs fall, but produce prices still pinch

MILAN (AP) — Italians can celebrate lower pasta prices but must face higher prices across the board for fruit and vegetables. Italy’s industry ministry reported last week that prices of pasta had fallen by an average of 0.3% in May compared with a month earlier, saying that a monitoring system it set up had the intended effect of reducing prices. As a result, the Assoutenti consumer group called off a pasta strike planned for this week, intended to force down prices by reducing demand.

‘Movement’ detected at South African mine where dozens suspected dead

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African authorities have detected “movement” underground at a shuttered gold mine where they believe at least 31 illegal miners died in a suspected gas explosion last month, raising the very slim possibility that there may be survivors, officials said. Officials also said it’s likely that there were more illegal miners underground than initially thought and the death count will be higher than 31.