Three deputies killed in training facility explosion in L.A.
Three deputies died Friday morning in an explosion at a police training facility in East Los Angeles, officials confirmed.
The blast occurred around 7:30 a.m. local time at the Biscailuz Center Academy, where the victims were reportedly handling explosives. The cause is under investigation, according to BBC.
Local and federal agencies, including the LAPD bomb squad and ATF, are assisting. Authorities described the incident as the region’s deadliest law enforcement-related explosion in nearly 40 years.
North Korea bans foreigners from seaside resort weeks after opening
North Korea has temporarily banned foreign tourists from its newly opened Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, despite earlier plans to welcome international visitors.
The seaside resort, launched on 1 July as part of Kim Jong Un’s tourism push, recently hosted Russian tourists and received praise from Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his visit. Direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang are expected soon, BBC reported.
Spanning 4km of beachfront, the resort features hotels, restaurants, and a water park. However, rights groups have criticised alleged forced labour during its construction.
North Korea briefly reopened to foreign tourists earlier this year but halted visits without explanation, according to BBC.
At Least 30 killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 30 Palestinians across Gaza on Friday, according to Al Jazeera.
Among the dead were civilians in Gaza City’s Tuffah area, Jabalia in the north, and al-Mawasi in the south—previously marked a “safe zone”—where tents sheltering displaced families were hit, killing at least five, including infants.
Seven others were killed while seeking aid. Many wounded, including children, were taken to Nasser Hospital with injuries linked to drone attacks.
Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported a rise in strikes using shrapnel-packed drone missiles targeting crowded areas, raising concerns over Israel’s claims of precision.
Israel to increase defense budget by $12.5bn
Israel will raise its defense budget by 42bn shekels (about $12.5bn) for 2025–2026, the finance and defense ministries announced Thursday.
The funding will support urgent military needs and strengthen security amid ongoing conflicts. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the budget covers operations in Gaza and preparations for wider threats, Xinhua reported.
Defense spending currently stands at 110bn shekels—around 9 percent of Israel’s GDP.
Since resuming its Gaza offensive on March 18, over 7,800 Palestinians have been killed, bringing the total death toll to nearly 59,000, according to Gaza health officials. The conflict began after the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel, according to Xinhua.
