War rages on multiple fronts as Israel marks a year since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack

RE’IM, Israel (AP) — Israelis are holding somber ceremonies to mark a year since the deadliest attack in the country’s history. The Hamas-led raid shattered Israelis’ sense of security and ignited wars on two fronts with no end in sight. Hamas marked the anniversary of its Oct. 7, 2023, attack by firing a barrage of rockets at Tel Aviv, underscoring its resilience after a year of war and devastation in Gaza. Lebanon’s Hezbollah vowed to continue firing rockets at northern Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians despite its recent losses. The Israeli military says it will soon launch operations on Lebanon’s southern coast, telling residents to stay off the beaches and fishermen off the sea for a 60-kilometer stretch along the Mediterranean.

Ukraine strikes a Russian oil hub as Zelenskyy says the war is in ‘a very important phase’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military says it struck a major oil terminal in Crimea that provides fuel for Russia’s war effort. The strike on Monday came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the war has entered an important phase and both sides face the issue of how to sustain their costly war of attrition. Ukraine’s General Staff says the oil terminal on the south coast of the Russia-occupied Crimea Peninsula has been supplying the Russian army. It said the strike was part of an ongoing effort to undermine Russia’s military and economic potential and impair its ability to support front-line units, especially in the eastern Donetsk region where the main Russian battlefield effort is stretching weary Ukrainian forces.

Pakistani separatist group claims bombing that killed 2 Chinese near Karachi airport

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani separatist group has claimed responsibility for a late-night bombing that targeted a convoy with Chinese nationals outside Karachi’s airport, killing two workers from China and wounding eight people. Pakistani news channels broadcast videos of flames engulfing cars and a thick column of smoke rising from the scene. Troops and police cordoned off the area and counterterrorism officials said they were investigating how the attacker reached Karachi. The spokesman for the separatist Baloch Liberation Army said one of their suicide bombers targeted the convoy of Chinese engineers as they left the airport. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the attackers were “enemies of Pakistan” and promised the perpetrators would be punished.

Ex-Philippine President Duterte to run as mayor despite his drug killings legacy

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Officials in the Philippines say former President Rodrigo Duterte has registered to run for mayor of his southern home city despite his notorious legacy over his brutal anti-drug crackdown that the International Criminal Court is investigating as a possible crime against humanity. Duterte, 79, filed his papers before the Election Commission in Davao city, where he had served as mayor for about two decades before winning the presidency in 2016. More than 6,000 people, mostly poor drug suspects, were killed under a massive police-enforced crackdown against illegal drugs that Duterte oversaw when he was president, according to government pronouncements. But human rights groups say the death toll is considerably higher. Duterte has denied condoning extrajudicial killings.