Thousands of Lebanese return to their homes as ceasefire takes hold

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — Thousands of Lebanese displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned home Wednesday as a ceasefire takes hold. Lebanese and Israeli troops warned them to stay away from some areas. If it endures, the ceasefire would end nearly 14 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated in September into all-out war. The fighting threatened to pull Hezbollah’s patron, Iran, and Israel’s closest ally, the United States, into a broader conflagration. The deal does not address the war in Gaza, where Israeli strikes overnight on two schools-turned-shelters in Gaza City killed 11 people, including four children.

Latest ‘massive’ Russian aerial attack cuts power to 1 million homes in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials say Russia has conducted a “massive” attack against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, firing nearly 200 missiles and drones and leaving more than a million households without power. Russia’s second major aerial attack on Ukraine’s power grid in less than two weeks amplified fears that the Kremlin aims to cripple the country’s power generation capacity before winter. Ukraine’s energy chief says the attacks happened across the country on Thursday, with emergency power outages being implemented nationwide. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles, presumably for another pre-winter aerial campaign against Ukraine’s power grid. About half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed during the war with Russia.

Death toll rises to at least 15 after landslides in eastern Uganda

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 15 people have died and 113 others are missing after landslides buried homes in six villages in eastern Uganda. Uganda police say that 15 injured people had been rescued and admitted to Buluganya Health Center. Local media reports say authorities expect the death toll could rise to 30. The landslides happened after heavy rains in the mountainous district of Bulambuli. The prime minister’s office issued a disaster alert on Wednesday stating that heavy rains across the country had cut off major roads.

A social media ban for under-16s passes the Australian Senate

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australian Senate has passed a social media ban for young children that will soon become a world-first law. The law will make platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram liable for fines for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. The House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the legislation 102 votes to 13. The platforms will have one year to work out how they could implement the ban before penalties are enforced. Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the legislation had been “rushed.”