NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Smuggling tunnel: The Israeli military said it discovered and detonated a militant tunnel on Monday that was dug from Gaza into Israel, in a rare flare-up along the border that has remained largely quiet since a 2014 war with Gaza’s Hamas rulers. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said forces blew the tunnel up inside Israeli territory, after military intelligence had been tracking it for some time. He called it a “grave and unacceptable violation of Israeli sovereignty” and that Israel holds Hamas responsible for the breach of its territory. Conricus said the assumption is there are more tunnels boring into Israel aimed at attacking its soldiers and citizens.
_2 Reporter slain: A Danish inventor has admitted dismembering a Swedish journalist who disappeared from his home-made submarine in August and has changed his story about how she died, but still denies killing her, Copenhagen police said Monday. Peter Madsen now says Kim Wall died as result of carbon monoxide poisoning inside the submarine while he was on deck, police said. Previously he had said she died after being accidentally hit by a heavy hatch in the submarine’s tower. Madsen’s pre-trial detention is set to expire Tuesday but police said no new hearing will be held as the 46-year-old has voluntarily agreed to remain in detention.
_3 Nuclear conference: The Vatican will host a conference next week aimed at trying to avert a threatened nuclear confrontation between the U.S. and North Korea, bringing together 11 Nobel peace laureates and top U.N. and NATO officials as well as ambassadors from key countries. Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said Monday that the Nov. 10-11 conference was part of the Vatican’s effort to promote a nuclear weapons-free world. Pope Francis already has urged Washington and Pyongyang to step back from the brink of war and urged mediation efforts.
_4 Sexual harassment: British Prime Minister Theresa May is calling for changes in the way Parliament deals with allegations of inappropriate behavior as she responds to suggestions that dozens of U.K. lawmakers have sexually harassed their employees or other people. May wrote to House of Commons speaker John Bercow proposing a mediation service and contractually binding grievance procedures for all parliamentary staff, saying the current voluntary system “does not have the required teeth.” Britain’s political establishment has come under increasing scrutiny as the scandal surrounding Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein emboldens people in many industries to tell their own stories of sexual harassment at the hands of powerful individuals who control their future job prospects. _5 Antiterror law: French President Emmanuel Macron formally signed a sweeping counterterrorism law Monday that replaces a twoyear-old state of emergency and is meant to give police more tools to fight violent extremism. The bill was definitively adopted by parliament earlier this month. Macron said the new measure will take effect Tuesday, just in time to replace the state of emergency that is set to expire Wednesday. The law gives law enforcement greater authority to conduct searches, to close religious facilities and to restrict the movements of people suspected of extremist ties. The state of emergency was first imposed in November 2015 after the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people. It has been extended six times since then.