Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire

BEIRUT (AP) — Israeli airstrikes are hitting Lebanon with airstrikes as negotiations progress toward a ceasefire between the country and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants. Lebanon reported that at least 12 people were killed Monday as explosions lit up the sky and airstrikes hit targets in Beirut and Tyre, a southern port city. After about a year of exchanging low-level attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, Israeli troops launched a ground invasion of Lebanon in October. More than 3,700 people have been killed and 1.2 million displaced since. The fighting has amplified worries about direct conflict between Israel and Iran. International mediators are seeking to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to end the fighting.

Egyptian officials say 16 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian officials say a tourist yacht has sunk in the Red Sea after warnings of rough waters and 16 people are missing. The governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said Monday that rescuers saved 28 people from the vessel south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam. Some were airlifted to receive medical treatment. Hanafy visited the site of the sinking, according to a Red Sea Governorate update on Facebook. A total of 44 people were on board the yacht, including 13 Egyptians, who include crew members, and 31 foreign nationals from the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland, China, Slovakia, Spain, and Ireland.

French prosecutors demand maximum sentence for Gisèle Pelicot’s ex-husband

AVIGNON, France (AP) — A high-profile rape trial in France is moving into a new phase with prosecutors setting out the verdicts and punishments they want for 51 men accused of raping Gisèle Pelicot, 71, while she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband of nearly 50 years. Dominique Pelicot has admitted mixing sedatives into his wife’s food and drink so he and dozens of strangers could rape her. Prosecutor Laure Chabaud is seeking the maximum possible penalty for aggravated rape — 20 years — for the victim’s now ex-husband. Prime Minister Michel Barnier said the ongoing trial “affects us all.”

10 children killed by security forces in Mozambique’s election protests,

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Human Rights Watch says Mozambique security forces have killed at least 10 children and injured dozens of others while trying to suppress weeks of protests following a disputed presidential election. The rights group says hundreds of other minors have been detained by security forces in violation of international law. The southern African country has been beset by unrest after the ruling party’s candidate was declared the winner of the Oct. 9 election. Opposition parties claimed the vote was rigged and international observers, including a team from the European Union, criticized the conduct of the election.