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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Israel's June 8 hostage rescue was aided by US intelligence, The New York Times reported.</li><li>US specialists provided key intelligence and logistic support to Israel's military.</li></ul>Israel's rescue operation that freed four hostages on June 8 was supported by intelligence from US sources, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/08/world/middleeast/us-intelligence-israel-hostage-rescue.html">The New York Times</a> reports.A team of US hostage recovery specialists stationed in Israel provided key intelligence and logistical support to the Israeli military, assisting a daytime operation that brought the hostages back to Israel after being held captive for eight months in Gaza, said several unnamed US and Israeli officials, the report said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gaza-israels-special-forces-rescue-woman-on-a-motorbike-hostage-and-3-others-2024-6">Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv were rescued</a> in the special forces operation, which IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari called "daring."Palestinian gunmen kidnapped around 240 hostages following the terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-kidnapped-woman-begs-hamas-fighters-not-to-kill-her-2023-10">Argamani's ordeal went viral on social media</a> when she was kidnapped on October 7. She was abducted from the Nova festival via motorbike, and footage of her pleading "Don't kill me!"The Pentagon and CIA has been providing real-time intelligence from drone surveillance over Gaza, communications intercepts, and other sources, supplementing Israel's capabilities, said the NYT report."The United States is supporting all efforts to secure the release of hostages still held by terrorists," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement."We won't stop working until all the hostages come home and a cease-fire is reached," said President Joe Biden.The hostage rescue operation took place in central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp.Gaza's Government Media Office said at least 210 people were killed in the raid, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/6/8/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israeli-army-to-be-added-to-un-child-harm-list">Al Jazeera</a>.Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades said that Israel's operation also killed some hostages.Israel, "by committing horrific massacres, was able to free some its hostages, yet it killed some others during the operation," Briades' spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, said on Telegram, per <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/hamas-armed-wing-says-israel-killed-some-its-hostages-operation-central-gazas-al-2024-06-08/">Reuters</a>.Israeli military spokesperson Peter Lerner called the allegation a "blatant lie," per CNN.It is not the first time Israel has been accused of killing hostages accidentally.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israeli-grandmother-likely-killed-by-idf-on-october-7">Efrat Katz, an Israeli grandmother</a> who died on October 7, was likely killed by her own military in a friendly-fire incident.She was in the process of being abducted from her kibbutz by Hamas militants when her own military opened fire on the vehicle she was traveling in.In December, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/israel-idf-accidentally-killed-hostages-friendly-fire-gaza-2023-12">IDF killed three Israeli hostages</a> they mistakenly perceived to be threats.More than 37,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to Gaza's health ministry that Hamas runs.

Israel's special forces hostage rescue was aided by US intelligence, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Neither Harris nor Trump outline specific disaster-relief policies on their website.</li><li>Their records, however, offer clues into how they'd deal with natural disasters as president.</li></ul>As another <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-evacuation-empty-gas-station-full-hotels-gridlock-traffic-2024-10">hurricane</a> threatens to devastate swaths of the Southeast, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are under new scrutiny about their disaster response strategies. And though neither have specifically addressed how they'd approach disaster relief on their campaign websites, their environmental records offer clues into how they might deal with similar crises in the future.When Hurricane Helene bore down on six states, and with particular force in North Carolina and Georgia, both Harris and Trump said that the focus should be on providing aid, not politics. But the storm, which has killed more than 230 people and destroyed entire towns, has already crept into the presidential race. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-milton-tampa-florida-desantis-clean-disaster-dangerous-2024-10">Hurricane Milton is expected to hit Florida</a> on Wednesday night, only exacerbating the focus on environmental devastation."Disasters are always political," Thomas Birkland, a political scientist at North Carolina State University who studies the politics of national disasters, told Business Insider. He said that disaster relief is not, however, usually <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-milton-category-five-threatens-florida-fema-funding-2024-10">discussed during campaigns</a>.Timothy Kneeland, a professor at Nazareth University who studies politics and natural disasters, thinks that as hurricanes become more common, candidates should address them more explicitly."Having a short but clear statement on disasters should be part of any campaigner's policy," he wrote in a statement to BI.Both candidates have visited impacted areas, with Trump visiting Georgia on September 30 and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-donald-trump-crises-middle-east-strike-hurricane-election-2024-10">Harris on October 2</a>. Republicans criticized Harris for attending a fundraising event in California when Helene struck, while she maintained that politicians should stay out of the most devastated areas as first responders begin their early work.In the days since Hurricane Helene, Trump has spread misinformation about the storm and response efforts, prompting the Federal Emergency Management Agency to publish a fact-checking page. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hurricane-helene-relief-disinformation-misinformation-north-carolina-democrats-republicans-2024-10">Democrats and Republicans alike</a> say that the baseless claims are complicating <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-elon-musk-starlink-hurricane-helene-fema-2024-9">clean-up efforts</a>, and Harris has put out a digital ad slamming his former disaster relief. When he was president, Trump responded to several hurricanes. As with Hurricane Helene, he <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.vox.com/politics/376982/trump-hurricane-helene-fema-lies-debunked">publicized</a> misinformation. When Hurricane Dorian threatened Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, he incorrectly said that its path included Alabama as well. During a briefing in the Oval Office, he showed a map of the hurricane's path that included a Sharpie mark extending the storm's reach to Alabama. Trump also falsely claimed that the death toll from Hurricane Maria in 2017 was overblown, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/08/trump-hurricane-helene-natural-disasters/">Washington Post reported</a>.The former president occasionally threatened to hold back disaster funding over political spats. In 2020, for example, he floated withholding money from flood-ravaged Michigan because he was frustrated with absentee voting procedures in the state."A charitable interpretation would be mixed on crisis management," Birkland told BI about Trump's past responses to natural disasters. Kneeland said that storm victims and disaster experts largely criticized his handling of Hurricane Maria.During his time in office, Trump's administration rolled back more than 125 environmental rules, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html">Washington Post</a> found, with a big focus on deregulating the fossil fuel industry. Trump's campaign has, according to Birkland, "been pretty clear that it disdains alternative fuels."Harris doesn't have a presidential record to back up her approach to disaster relief, but Birkland anticipates she'd take a relatively similar approach to President Joe Biden.As attorney general, Harris prosecuted oil companies that broke environmental rules. During her tenure as vice president, she voted for the Inflation Reduction Act, which devoted $370 billion to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.But both Birkland and Kneeland told BI that Harris has become less aggressive about addressing climate change this election, likely in an attempt to court more moderate voters."Harris' position is a little murkier," Birkland said. "Harris has been clear that we should be doing things like alternative energy, but also supports, as of recent months, continued fossil fuel production. So it's kind of a both-and strategy."Presidents are somewhat limited in their disaster responses — both Kneeland and Birkland told BI that states and local governments lead disaster responses, with the federal government's assistance."Even when FEMA is on the ground they must work within the structure of existing state and local government," Kneeland said in his written statement. The responsibility is, he said, layered throughout the government.Regardless, all eyes are on how Harris and Trump respond to the twin storms — and the outcome of the election could theoretically hang in the balance. Kneeland said that disaster response can either greatly boost or doom an incumbent, pointing to instances as varied as Hurricane Betsey in 1965, Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.Though Birkland doesn't anticipate that the hurricanes will sway many voters, he said that even a small impact in swing states could matter."I think most people's minds are made up. I think that you're really dealing with the margins," he said. "On the other hand, this election is going to be won or lost on the margins, so that matters."

Hurricanes are taking the election by storm. Here's where Harris and Trump stand on natural disaster policies.

With heavy, torrential rains currently lashing south India, particularly Bangalore and Chennai, life in these metros has reached a complete standstill. While there is little you can do to control nature's ongoing fury, you can safeguard your precious two- and four-wheelers, which have little respite or protection from the ongoing vagaries of rains and floods. During heavy rains, the first in line of damage is your vehicle's engine, which could cost you a bomb! If the water enters the engine's cylinder, it can cause it to seize and leave it beyond repair. Another common damage your vehicles can face during such times is <keyword id="23605837" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electrical-failure" source="keywords">electrical failure</keyword> since water seepage can cause shorting of the electrical components, including the battery, alternator, and wiring systems. Then there's moisture seepage, which can affect your vehicle's braking and fuel systems. <h2><keyword id="20224622" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="motor-insurance" source="keywords">Motor Insurance</keyword> to the Rescue</h2> While a comprehensive motor insurance policy might protect you against accidents, thefts, and other third-party liabilities, they might fall short when it comes to safeguarding your vehicles from damages caused by natural calamities like heavy rain. As such, you can opt for a few add-ons over and above your regular motor policy to ensure you don't end up spending a hefty amount from your pockets if your vehicles need repair. "In Chennai and Bangalore, the recent heavy rains have led to several challenges, causing multiple vehicles and home damage. Urban flooding is a phenomenon now being witnessed in most metropolitan cities. Cases of vehicles being swept away in floods have also been seen, leading to total loss" Vivek Chaturvedi, CMO and Head of Direct Sales, Go Digit General Insurance "While comprehensive motor insurance policies protect your vehicle against damage from natural disasters such as floods, cyclones, and heavy rains, you should consider add-on covers like engine protection, zero depreciation, <keyword id="22024865" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roadside-assistance" source="keywords">roadside assistance</keyword>, return to invoice, and consumables. These options help cover the costs of repairing or replacing vehicle parts and any injuries or damage from accidents," he continues. Here's a ready reckoner of all add-ons you can consider: 1. <keyword id="23605835" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="engine-protection-cover" source="keywords">Engine Protection Cover</keyword>: This cover protects your wallet from costly repairs in case your vehicle's engine is severely damaged. 2. Zero Depreciation Cover/Bumper-to-Bumper Cover: While servicing your claims, insurers generally deduct depreciation or regular wear and tear on your vehicle. This add-on guarantees you a claim without any deduction for wears and tears. 3. Roadside Assistance Cover: You never know when your vehicle might be stalled. This cover offers repair at the site, towing, and alternative travel if one’s car is stuck on waterlogged roads. It can also include services like fuel delivery, battery replacement, or flat tire repair. 4. Tire Protection Cover: It offers repair or replacement of tires damaged due to cuts, bursts, or bulges during wet, hazardous conditions. Says Kalpesh Chavan, Senior Vice President &amp; Product Head of Elephant (Corporate Insurance Wing of Alliance Insurance Brokers), "EV owners should additionally also opt for battery protection cover and electric surge secure add-on. This add-on protects the electronic pieces and circuits of electric vehicles from any short circuits, electrical arcing, or leakage, especially through water entry." <h2>Don't crank up the engine. </h2>Got a vehicle that's flooded with water? Don't try to start it forcefully. If you do so, the insurance company can decline your claim for all the damage caused by attempting to start such a flooded engine. Your best bet in such cases is to wait till the water subsides and then try revving up the engine. Chavan adds that most car owners need to take into account how disaster-prone their area is and end up estimating the wrong coverage amount for their cars. Inadequate study of the terms and conditions of the policy may lead to claim rejections when most needed. But most importantly, if your vehicle's insurance is up for renewal, do not delay or procrastinate to do the same. Or else your car could become uninsured during the most critical periods. Maintaining up-to-date records and documentation is of the essence; missing documents may trigger unwarranted delays in the processing of claims.

Facing vehicle damage during heavy rains? Here's how motor insurance can come to your rescue

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Israel's special forces hostage rescue was aided by US intelligence, report says

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Hurricanes are taking the election by storm. Here's where Harris and Trump stand on natural disaster policies.

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Facing vehicle damage during heavy rains? Here's how motor insurance can come to your rescue

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