
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 12, including five Hezbollah fighters
A security source told Reuters that five of the dead were Hezbollah fighters. Khodr said seven of the dead were Syrian nationals, who often work in the agricultural fields of the Bekaa region.

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Hindustan Times
15 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Donald Trump says he heard India may stop buying oil from Russia: 'Good step'
US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that he had heard that India might no longer buy oil from Russia, though he acknowledged he was not certain about the claim. U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 1, 2025.(Reuters) "I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I heard, I don't know if that's right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens," Trump told ANI. Trump's remarks come days after his tirade against India for buying Russian oil and the White House's decision to levy 25 per cent tariffs on all exports to America and an unspecified additional 'penalty' for purchasing Russian energy. In a post on Truth Social, Trump criticised India for maintaining the world's highest tariffs and 'obnoxious' trade barriers while continuing to buy Russian military equipment and energy during the Ukraine war. On Friday, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal defended India's procurement of energy and defence hardware from Russia, saying New Delhi and Moscow have a 'steady and time-tested partnership'. 'India and the US share a comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges,' Jaiswal said in response to several questions regarding Trump's tariff policy. Also Read | US sanctions 6 Indian companies for engaging in petroleum trade with Iran 'We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to and are confident that the relationship will continue to move forward,' he said. He also pointed to the potential for growing the 'strong defence partnership' with the US and highlighted that India's ties with the US had overcome several challenges and New Delhi is committed to taking the relationship forward.


India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Trump orders firing of labour stats chief after weak July jobs report release
Trump fires Bureau of Labour Statistics Comissioner Erika McEntarfer (Photo:Reuters) Accuses her of faking July jobs data, demands immediate replacement Claims lack evidence, BLS denies data manipulation allegations Concerns rise over data quality amid mass federal layoffs US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) ordered that the commissioner of the Labour Department's Bureau of Labour Statistics Erika McEntarfer be fired after data showed weaker-than-expected employment growth in July and massive downward revisions to the prior two months' job counts. McEntarfer was nominated by former President Joe Biden to serve in the role in 2023 and was confirmed by the US Senate the following year. It was not immediately clear whether McEntarfer, whom Trump accused of faking the jobs numbers, had been fired. Trump took to his Truth Social account to inform about McEntarfer's firing. Trump announced the firing of McEntarfer over his Truth Social account Trump lambasted McEntarfer and accused her of producing fake job numbers. "We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified," Trump said. There is no proof that supports Trump's accusations about the BLS tampering with data. The BLS is the statistical agency responsible for creating the employment report, which is closely followed, as well as data on consumer and producer prices. The White House did not respond immediately to questions about Trump's post. ACCUSATIONS As per Reuters, Trump acccused McEntarfer of putting out the job numbers before the elections to help Democrats. The order to dismiss McEntarfer comes at a time when the Trump administration's mass layoffs of federal government workers have raised concerns about the quality of US economic data, long seen as the gold standard. Trump later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' After his initial post, Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Chavez-DeRemer said. Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick disbanded two expert committees that worked with the government to produce economic statistics. Lutnick has also floated the idea of stripping out government spending from the gross domestic product report, claiming "governments historically have messed with GDP." ECONOMISTS' OVERVIEW The BLS has already reduced data collection for the consumer price data as well as the producer price report. Economists attributed the sharply slower job growth to Trump's trade and immigration policies. The economy created only 73,000 jobs in July. Data for May and June were revised sharply down to show 258,000 fewer jobs created than had been previously reported. As per a report by CNBC, Laura Ulrich, director of economic research for North America at job site Indeed said that the July figure suggests the job market isn't keeping pace with population growth, and is therefore contracting. With inputs from agencies. US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) ordered that the commissioner of the Labour Department's Bureau of Labour Statistics Erika McEntarfer be fired after data showed weaker-than-expected employment growth in July and massive downward revisions to the prior two months' job counts. McEntarfer was nominated by former President Joe Biden to serve in the role in 2023 and was confirmed by the US Senate the following year. It was not immediately clear whether McEntarfer, whom Trump accused of faking the jobs numbers, had been fired. Trump took to his Truth Social account to inform about McEntarfer's firing. Trump announced the firing of McEntarfer over his Truth Social account Trump lambasted McEntarfer and accused her of producing fake job numbers. "We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified," Trump said. There is no proof that supports Trump's accusations about the BLS tampering with data. The BLS is the statistical agency responsible for creating the employment report, which is closely followed, as well as data on consumer and producer prices. The White House did not respond immediately to questions about Trump's post. ACCUSATIONS As per Reuters, Trump acccused McEntarfer of putting out the job numbers before the elections to help Democrats. The order to dismiss McEntarfer comes at a time when the Trump administration's mass layoffs of federal government workers have raised concerns about the quality of US economic data, long seen as the gold standard. Trump later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' After his initial post, Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Chavez-DeRemer said. Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick disbanded two expert committees that worked with the government to produce economic statistics. Lutnick has also floated the idea of stripping out government spending from the gross domestic product report, claiming "governments historically have messed with GDP." ECONOMISTS' OVERVIEW The BLS has already reduced data collection for the consumer price data as well as the producer price report. Economists attributed the sharply slower job growth to Trump's trade and immigration policies. The economy created only 73,000 jobs in July. Data for May and June were revised sharply down to show 258,000 fewer jobs created than had been previously reported. As per a report by CNBC, Laura Ulrich, director of economic research for North America at job site Indeed said that the July figure suggests the job market isn't keeping pace with population growth, and is therefore contracting. With inputs from agencies. Join our WhatsApp Channel

Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Israel intercepts Huthi missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Friday, which the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they had launched. Protesters, predominantly Houthi supporters, demonstrate in solidarity with Palestinians in Sanaa, Yemen, on August 1, 2025.(Reuters) "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted," the Israeli military said. The Huthis targeted Israel's Ben Gurion airport "using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile", their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement. The rebels have launched repeated missile and drone attacks against Israel since their Palestinian ally Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war. The Huthis, who say they are acting in support of the Palestinians, paused their attacks during a two-month ceasefire in Gaza that ended in March, but renewed them after Israel resumed major operations. Israel has carried out several retaliatory strikes in Yemen, targeting Huthi-held ports and the airport in the rebel-held capital Sanaa.