Friday briefing: Islamic State claims Iran bombing
Islamic State says it is behind the bombing of Iran
Islamic State on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed at least 84 people in Kerman, Iran, according to a post on the extremist group’s official Telegram account.
The group called the attack a “double martyrdom operation” and described how two militants detonated explosive belts strapped to their bodies during a memorial ceremony at the grave of Major General Qassim Suleimani. The general, a widely respected and feared Iranian military leader, was killed in a US drone strike four years ago.
Islamic State likely seized an opportunity to attack an enemy, U.S. officials said. The Sunni Muslim group has claimed responsibility for several previous attacks on Iran, which has a Shiite Islamist government and leads an alliance of Shiite groups in the Middle East.
The bombings in Iran and the killing of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas leader, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday have heightened fears of a regional war that could attract the US. Just hours after the bombs went off in Iran, the US and 12 allies issued a written warning to Yemen’s Houthis, who carry out almost daily attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The US has refrained from retaliating against Houthi bases in Yemen, largely because it does not want to undermine a fragile truce in the country’s civil war. But on Wednesday it accused Iran, which has supplied weapons and intelligence to the Houthis, of involvement in the Red Sea attacks.
In the war in Gaza:
Balloons float over Taiwan as the election approaches
A spate of sightings of balloons from China flying over Taiwan has caught the attention of the island’s military and struck some experts as a calculated, ambiguous warning. On January 13, Taiwanese voters will elect a president and legislature, and Beijing has made no secret of its desire to see the ruling Democratic Progressive Party lose power.
China could use the flights to warn Taiwan of its military strength without falling into a bare-bones confrontation. Instead of planes and ships, the country has “turned to balloons that can be used for a certain type of intimidation and intimidation with lower intensity,” said Ko Yong-Sen, a research fellow at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security. Research.
But so far, Taiwan has not experienced the alarm that many Americans felt last year when a Chinese surveillance balloon hovered over the American population. Taiwanese, accustomed to Chinese military flights near the island, have generally reacted calmly, if not indifferently, to the balloons.
Kim Jong-un’s daughter is his likely successor, South Korea said
South Korean intelligence told lawmakers yesterday that Kim Ju-ae, as South Korean officials have identified her, “is seen as the most likely successor” to her father, Kim Jong Un, as leader of North Korea.
North Korea has not released any personal details about the daughter, including her name or age, but she is believed to be about 10 years old. State media has called her a “most loved” or “respected” child of Kim and has seen military generals and other senior officials kneel before her.
She made her first public appearance in November 2022, when she attended a long-range missile test with her father. If Ju-ae replaces Kim as leader, she would be the first female ruler of the deeply patriarchal and male-dominated North.
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Juno, a NASA mission designed to study the origins of Jupiter, returned new images of Io, one of the planet’s largest moons and the most volcanically active world in our solar system.
The snapshots show sharp cliffs, sharp mountain peaks, lakes of lava and even a volcanic plume. Studying these features could help scientists figure out what drives Io’s volcanoes, some of which shoot lava tens of kilometers into space, and could offer clues about how Jupiter and its satellites formed.
The seven keys to longevity
Sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, experimenting with cryotherapy or irradiating yourself with infrared light are modern techniques for those aiming for a longer life. But most geriatric experts are skeptical about whether the claims surrounding them will come true.
“People are looking for the magic pill,” said Dr. Luigi Ferrucci, the scientific director of the National Institute on Aging, “and the magic pill is already here.”
So here are seven methods, backed by actual evidence, to help you live longer and better. Here’s a sneak peek: Make sure you exercise and eat more vegetables.