Israel’s president says ‘shocking’ settler violence against Palestinians must end

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s president says authorities must take decisive action to stop “shocking and serious” Jewish settler violence against Palestinian civilians and Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank. President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday added a powerful voice to what’s been muted criticism by top Israeli officials. Two top Israeli military officials echoed Herzog’s remarks, with one saying violence by a settler “anarchist fringe” would be dealt with firmly. On Tuesday, dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked two West Bank villages and clashed with Israeli soldiers.

Pakistan’s prime minister offers talks to Afghanistan after deadly militant attacks

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s prime minister has offered talks to Afghanistan’s Taliban government in a renewed peace overture. Wednesday’s offer by Shehbaz Sharif comes about a week after negotiations between the two sides collapsed in Istanbul raising fears that a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey could unravel and trigger new border clashes. It also comes a day after a deadly suicide bombing outside a court in the capital Islamabad killed 12 people and wounded 27 others. The prime minister said that Pakistan wanted peace in the region because it was good for both sides. There was no immediate comment from Kabul to Sharif’s offer.

Turkish military plane crash in Georgia kills all 20 on board

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s defense minister has announced that all 20 personnel on board a military cargo plane that crashed in Georgia have died. The C-130 plane took off from Azerbaijan and crashed on Tuesday in Georgia’s Sighnaghi municipality. A Turkish accident investigation team reached the site early on Wednesday to inspect the wreckage. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the plane’s flight data recorder has been recovered and inspections were underway to determine the cause of the crash. The plane lost contact shortly after entering Georgia’s airspace and did not issue a distress signal. Turkey and Azerbaijan maintain close military ties.

Top Ukrainian ministers submit their resignations

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s justice and energy ministers submitted their resignations amid a major embezzlement and kickbacks scandal involving the state nuclear power company. The move comes as Russia’s renewed attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the 4-year-old war cause rolling blackouts ahead of winter. It’s fast becoming one of the most significant government crises since Moscow’s full-scale invasion, with media reports implicating a close associate of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Anti-corruption watchdogs revealed the findings of a 15-month investigation, including 1,000 hours of wiretaps, resulting in the detention of five people, and another seven linked to about $100 million in kickbacks in the energy sector.