A top Iranian general attended the funeral procession of military officer Mohammed Reza Zahedi on Saturday, vowing Iran will respond to the strike on its embassy consulate in Damascus that killed killed top figures from its Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has pinned the blame for the attack on Israel, and Bagheri said Saturday that it "won’t remain unanswered” by Iran, according to Iran's semi-official news outlet Tasnim. Bagheri, who is the country's highest ranking military commander, said it will be up to Iran to decide how and when to respond to attack, according to the Tasnim report.  He also issued a warning to the US, saying the "main responsibility" for the Damascus attack lies with the US, according to Tasnim. Bagheri's remarks on Saturday were heard by a huge crowd gathered in the western city of Isfahan for Zahedi's funeral procession. Video from news agencies and state media shows mourners thronging the streets to catch a glimpse of the officer's coffin, which travelled in a highly-decorated open cortege.  Many mourners could be seen waving Iranian and Palestinian flags. Some context: Israel has intensified its military campaign against both Iran and its proxy groups in the region since the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, which is backed by Tehran, and the subsequent war in Gaza. The US is on high alert and actively preparing for a “significant” attack that could come as soon as within the next week by Iran targeting Israeli or American assets in retaliation for the Damascus strike, a senior administration official told CNN on Friday.   Source: CNN

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted more than two dozen drones fired by Russia on Kharkiv, the Ukrainian army said. The attack killed at least six people and damaged residential buildings. Russia launched missile and drone strikes on Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv, killing six and injuring 11, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Saturday. Ukraine's National Police released images of the damage caused by the attack, including fires that had broken out on the streets and next to buildings. Attacks on Kharkiv, near the Russian border, have been intensifying in recent weeks. It has suffered extensive damage in the two years of war. Kharkiv a target for a new offensive  Air defenses intercepted 28 out of 32 drones and three of six missiles fired by Russia, the military said. Fighting along the approximately 1000-kilometer (620 miles) front line that stretches across the south and east Ukraine remains largely deadlocked. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has, however, warned Russia could attempt a new offensive in late May or early summer. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, told Politico in an interview published on Thursday that he saw Kharkiv as the most likely target for a new Russian offensive. Attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure The attack on Kharkiv came a day after a Russian strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia killed four people and wounded more than 20.  Ukraine's internal ministry Saturday updated the wounded toll in the Zaporizhzhia strike to 23, which included two children.  The US think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), said this week the goal of Russia's escalated attacks on civilian areas and the country's power grid might be to compel Ukraine's army to deploy air defense systems away from the front line. The think tank added that this would allow Russia to provide more air cover for its ground operations on the battlefield.  

The US, Germany and other countries are seeking answers after an airstrike in Gaza killed seven aid World Central Kitchen aid workers. Israeli PM Netanyahu said the strike was "unintentional." Israeli military chief says strike was a 'grave mistake' Israel's top military commander said the strike that killed seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen (WCK) in Gaza was a "grave mistake." "It was a mistake that followed a misidentification, at night, during a war, in very complex conditions. It shouldn't have happened," Halevi said during a video statement released on Wednesday.. The military chief made the comments after having been presented with the initial findings of a preliminary investigation that was initiated after the deadly strike. Halevi said the Israeli military will "continue taking immediate action to ensure more is done to protect humanitarian aid workers." "Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the people of Gaza. We are sorry for the unintentional harm to the members of WCK," Halevi said.

First a three-day strike at the beginning of January, now an unprecedented six-day strike: German train drivers' actions will hit companies, ports and consumers alike. But what are the actual consequences? The wage dispute between Germany's state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the train drivers' union GDL is entering the next round. The GDL called another strike on Monday, after paralyzing many rail services for three days at the beginning of January. This time, passenger transport will be affected from Wednesday morning (January 24 from 2 a.m. CET) until Monday evening, making it almost six days — and thus the longest strike in the history of the railroads in Germany. In freight transport, the strike is to begin on Tuesday evening and also end on Monday at 6 p.m., a total of 144 hours. The strike is not only hurting Deutsche Bahn. It's also impacting other German firms that transport their raw materials or goods by rail. In addition, the consequences will also be felt in neighboring countries. Nearly 60% of Deutsche Bahn's freight transport services are carried out across Europe. Six out of 11 corridors for freight transport in Europe run through Germany, according to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport. As Thomas Puls of the German Economic Institute put it: "Germany is the logistical heart of Europe." Cost will be hard to quantify The costs of such strikes are difficult to assess. Without actual production losses, the costs would not be deducible from any statistic, according to Puls. Analyses of previous strikes showed that they can cause losses of up to €100 million ($110 million) per day. Michael Grömling, head of economic research at the German Economic Institute, said the costs of a six-day strike would no longer increase linearly but would multiply in some cases. "We are quickly looking at a billion euros in damage," he said. In addition, the impact of the freight transport strike is set to be felt even afterward in the form of traffic disruptions. After the last freight transport strike, it took days for the traffic jams to clear up. Deutsche Bahn is forecasting a loss of around €25 million per day for the company alone. Commerzbank Chief Economist Jörg Krämer estimates the strike will reduce value creation in just the transport sector by €30 million per day, which corresponds to 0.3% of daily gross domestic product. "Much greater economic damage would occur if factories had to shut down their production due to supply problems," warned Krämer. "In addition, the rail strike is putting a strain on people's nerves and tarnishing Germany's already tarnished image as a business location." Frank Huster, managing director of the German Freight Forwarding and Logistics Association, said the strikes could lead to logistics companies losing confidence in rail freight transport. Its reputation was already suffering severely due to repeated technical failures, an extremely decrepit railway network and continuing infrastructure problems, he said. This is not a good starting position for the goal of transporting more goods by rail. According to the 2021 German government coalition treaty, the market share of rail in freight transport is to increase to 25% by 2030. The current market share is 19%.   Freight transport by train is essential A large portion of goods, about two-thirds, is transported via roads in Germany; just under one-fifth is transported by rail. Nonetheless, freight transport by rail was very important, traffic expert Puls told DW. "Even if it's not that clear when we look at the market shares — a lot of rail transports cannot be processed in another way, or only with major difficulties," he said. Large industries like the steel and chemical industry, for instance, are dependent on rail transport. Without black coal, delivered by rail, neither the steel industry's furnaces nor the power stations that secure the production of electricity can be operated. As far as several dangerous goods used in the chemical industry are concerned, rail transport is even required by law because of the reduced risk of accidents on trains. Products used by the car industry, as well as finished vehicles, are also loaded onto trains. All vehicles designated for export are transported by train to the international port of Bremerhaven, where they're loaded onto car ships, said Puls. But what happens when trains are canceled? According to Puls, there aren't enough car carrier trucks to transport that  many vehicles via roads. Other freight service providers could benefit Although Deutsche Bahn is the largest provider of rail freight transport (with a market share of over 40%), there are also many private providers covering the remaining freight transport volume. They won't be directly affected by strikes. "Some 60% of the rail freight traffic is running as usual and often even reaches its destination better due to less rail traffic," said Peter Westenberger, managing director of the association Die Güterbahnen, in which DB Cargo's competitors are mainly organized. The private companies also occasionally pick up goods that DB Cargo is unable to transport due to the strike.  However, if the railroad's signalmen also go on strike, nothing will work. There would also be no more emergency runs, according to Puls. "Without central traffic control, no train will run," he said. Fears of container jams in ports Other parts of the logistics chain — such as ports — are also affected by the strike. "As soon as ports run out of container storage space, there‘ll be huge problems," Puls said. At the port of Hamburg, for instance, most containers coming in on ships continue their journey by train. Puls said switching to road transport isn't a realistic option.  "Probably we don't have enough trucks, and even if we had them, we would not be able to dispatch as many to Hamburg as are necessary to move the number of containers which are usually transported by rail out of the port," he said. A view of containers in the Port of Hamburg German economic slowdown partially alleviates strike consequences However, the currently sluggish economic activity does help to alleviate the effects of the strike. When industrial production is operating far below capacity, it's easier to postpone production if goods are not delivered on time, said Puls. Nonetheless, costs are obviously still incurred for rescheduling production and logistics chains. Moreover, large companies aren't completely unprepared, which will also alleviate the negative effects of the strike. All in all, supply chains have become more resilient in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Huster said. Even in the absence of a strike, it wouldn't be unusual for a freight train to be delayed for a day, he added, so the industry had certain buffers and had set up storehouses for emergencies. Due to the economic conditions, even the situation in the ports is unlikely to reach critical levels very quickly. "In a better economic climate we would, with trains not running, reach the absolute limit after approximately five days," said Puls.  

Poland's former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski has announced he's going on hunger strike, a day after his dramatic arrest inside the presidential palace. He says the case against him is politically motivated. Polish former Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Wednesday that he would be starting a hunger strike in prison, a day after he was arrested despite having taken refuge with political ally and President Andrzej Duda in the presidential palace in Warsaw.  Kaminski is a senior politician with Poland's largest political party, PiS, which lost control of government in recent elections but still holds the presidency.  "I declare that I treat my conviction... as an act of political revenge," Kaminski said in the statement, read by his former deputy, Blazej Pobozy, at a press conference. "As a political prisoner, I started a hunger strike from the first day of my imprisonment." "As the one who was elected by 10.5 million Poles, I appeal for calm," Duda said. "It is allowed to gather and participate in demonstrations in Poland, but I ask that they be dignified and peaceful."    Power struggle between old government and new, spanning decades The charges against Kaminski and his former state secretary, Maceij Wasik, who was also arrested on Tuesday, date back to 2007. They also reflect the highly antagonistic relationship, even by the standards of robust democratic opposition, between the two largest political factions in Poland for many years. The last time his PiS party lost power, Kaminski was accused and convicted of abuse of power while in office by the next government.  But in 2015, as the scales swung back in PiS's favor at the polls, President Andrzej Duda pardoned them. Kaminski returned as a member of the Sejm parliament and as a minister without portfolio with PiS. Critics argued this pardon was invalid, as it came before the politicians had exhausted their normal avenues for appeal. Last June, Poland's Supreme Court declared that their pardons had been invalid.  Since narrowly winning October's parliamentary elections and regaining control of parliament — but not the president's office — the coalition around Prime Minister Donald Tusk had sought to reinstigate their prosecution and detention.  Duda, who argues his pardon for them remains valid, invited them into the presidential palace in an apparent bid to shield them from police planning to act on an arrest warrant. Ultimately this did not work and the men were cuffed inside the building, amplifying the existing tensions between the old and new governments. Tusk accused Duda of obstructing justice by harboring fugitives. The arrest led to protests in Warsaw, including outside the presidential palace and the police precinct that was holding the politicians.    January 10 already a noteworthy day for PiS leaders, supporters Supporters of PiS were set to be on the streets on Wednesday anyway by coincidence. January 10 is the anniversary of the 2010 Smolensk air disaster in which Poland's then-President Lech Kaczynski was killed. Kaczynski's twin brother, Jaroslaw, no longer holds senior public office but still heads the PiS party and is still seen as its driving force. He laid a wreath at a Warsaw memorial service on Wednesday. Kaczynski and PiS are among those promoting the notion that the crash was no simple accident caused by unsafe flying, as both Russian and Polish investigators formally concluded at the time. He has also accused the Polish government of the time, which was led by Tusk's Civic Coalition, of helping cover up any potential Russian complicity.

The nationwide strike is expected to cause thousands of cancellations over a 24-hour period. The action follows a breakdown of talks with the main national operator in a tricky dispute over pay and working hours. Train drivers at Germany's national railway Deutsche Bahn have begun a 24-hour strike, according to the GDL trade union, which represents the drivers. The nationwide passenger carrier strike started at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Thursday and was set to continue until 10 p.m. on Friday. It is expected to cause thousands of train cancellations, with delays and disruptions set to continue through the weekend. A freight strike began at 6 p.m. Thursday. The strike is affecting long-distance and regional trains, as well as commuter trains in the cities of Berlin and Hamburg.  The strike is the fourth to hit Deutsche Bahn this year and comes on the heels of a 20-hour GDL work disruption that forced the cancellation of nearly 80% of all long-distance and regional trains in Germany on November 15-16. What are the GDL's demands? The GDL is seeking a reduction in weekly work from 38 hours to 35 hours with no reduction in pay, a monthly raise of €555 ($600) for employees and a one-time payment of €3,000 to offset inflation. Deutsche Bahn has flatly rejected any reduction in hours, citing labor shortages, and has instead offered an 11% raise to GDL drivers. GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky previously announced that negotiations with Deutsche Bahn had collapsed on November 24. Subsequently, the union began a vote among its members on whether to move from temporary "warning strikes" to full-scale strikes. The result of the vote is expected shortly before Christmas. Although Friday's strike was expected to be the last of the year, Weselsky warned that "longer and more intense" strikes could be called in early 2024 if no agreement could be reached. How has the Deutsche Bahn reacted? Deutsche Bahn called the GDL strike "irresponsible and selfish." "Instead of negotiating and facing up to reality, the train drivers' union is going to strike for unfulfillable demands. This is absolutely unnecessary," said Deutsche Bahn Human Resources Director Martin Seiler. A majority of the German public was also against the strike, according to a YouGov poll published on Friday. Of the 3,700 respondents, 59% were opposed while 30% expressed sympathy. Younger respondents generally showed more understanding than older ones. The 10,000-member strong GDL is the smaller of two unions representing Deutsche Bahn employees, but it wields outsized leverage as it represents train drivers.     

The nationwide strike is expected to cause thousands of cancellations over a 24-hour period. The action follows a breakdown of talks with the main national operator in a tricky dispute over pay and working hours. Train drivers at Germany's national railway Deutsche Bahn have begun a 24-hour strike, according to the GDL trade union, which represents the drivers. The nationwide passenger carrier strike started at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Thursday and was set to continue until 10 p.m. on Friday. It is expected to cause thousands of train cancellations, with delays and disruptions set to continue through the weekend. A freight strike began at 6 p.m. Thursday. The strike is affecting long-distance and regional trains, as well as commuter trains in the cities of Berlin and Hamburg.  The strike is the fourth to hit Deutsche Bahn this year and comes on the heels of a 20-hour GDL work disruption that forced the cancellation of nearly 80% of all long-distance and regional trains in Germany on November 15-16. What are the GDL's demands? The GDL is seeking a reduction in weekly work from 38 hours to 35 hours with no reduction in pay, a monthly raise of €555 ($600) for employees and a one-time payment of €3,000 to offset inflation. Deutsche Bahn has flatly rejected any reduction in hours, citing labor shortages, and has instead offered an 11% raise to GDL drivers. GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky previously announced that negotiations with Deutsche Bahn had collapsed on November 24. Subsequently, the union began a vote among its members on whether to move from temporary "warning strikes" to full-scale strikes. The result of the vote is expected shortly before Christmas. Although Friday's strike was expected to be the last of the year, Weselsky warned that "longer and more intense" strikes could be called in early 2024 if no agreement could be reached. How has the Deutsche Bahn reacted? Deutsche Bahn called the GDL strike "irresponsible and selfish." "Instead of negotiating and facing up to reality, the train drivers' union is going to strike for unfulfillable demands. This is absolutely unnecessary," said Deutsche Bahn Human Resources Director Martin Seiler. A majority of the German public was also against the strike, according to a YouGov poll published on Friday. Of the 3,700 respondents, 59% were opposed while 30% expressed sympathy. Younger respondents generally showed more understanding than older ones. The 10,000-member strong GDL is the smaller of two unions representing Deutsche Bahn employees, but it wields outsized leverage as it represents train drivers. 

The nationwide strike is expected to cause thousands of cancellations over a 24-hour period. The action follows a breakdown of talks with the main national operator in a tricky dispute over pay and working hours. Train drivers at Germany's national railway Deutsche Bahn have begun a 24-hour strike, according to the GDL trade union, which represents the drivers. The nationwide passenger carrier strike started at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Thursday and was set to continue until 10 p.m. on Friday. It is expected to cause thousands of train cancellations, with delays and disruptions set to continue through the weekend. A freight strike began at 6 p.m. Thursday. The strike is affecting long-distance and regional trains, as well as commuter trains in the cities of Berlin and Hamburg.  The strike is the fourth to hit Deutsche Bahn this year and comes on the heels of a 20-hour GDL work disruption that forced the cancellation of nearly 80% of all long-distance and regional trains in Germany on November 15-16. What are the GDL's demands? The GDL is seeking a reduction in weekly work from 38 hours to 35 hours with no reduction in pay, a monthly raise of €555 ($600) for employees and a one-time payment of €3,000 to offset inflation. Deutsche Bahn has flatly rejected any reduction in hours, citing labor shortages, and has instead offered an 11% raise to GDL drivers. GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky previously announced that negotiations with Deutsche Bahn had collapsed on November 24. Subsequently, the union began a vote among its members on whether to move from temporary "warning strikes" to full-scale strikes. The result of the vote is expected shortly before Christmas. Although Friday's strike was expected to be the last of the year, Weselsky warned that "longer and more intense" strikes could be called in early 2024 if no agreement could be reached. How has the Deutsche Bahn reacted? Deutsche Bahn called the GDL strike "irresponsible and selfish." "Instead of negotiating and facing up to reality, the train drivers' union is going to strike for unfulfillable demands. This is absolutely unnecessary," said Deutsche Bahn Human Resources Director Martin Seiler. A majority of the German public was also against the strike, according to a YouGov poll published on Friday. Of the 3,700 respondents, 59% were opposed while 30% expressed sympathy. Younger respondents generally showed more understanding than older ones. The 10,000-member strong GDL is the smaller of two unions representing Deutsche Bahn employees, but it wields outsized leverage as it represents train drivers. 

The US actors' union agrees to a new deal with studios and streaming services tentatively ending a historic strike. The deal shows a power shift in Hollywood. After nearly four months on strike — the longest legal action in its history — American actors' union SAG-AFTRA has agreed to a new, three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group that represents the major studios, US television networks and streaming services like Netflix, Amazon and Apple TV+. SAG-AFTRA's members still need to formally approve the deal but most expect the vote will be strongly in favor.  The actors' strike, and that of the Hollywood's Writers Guild, the WGA, which lasted from May through September this year, effectively shut down film and TV production across the US. While some movies and series were able to secure interim agreements from the union to keep shooting, many hit shows, including "Emily in Paris," "The Last of Us," "Law and Order," "The White Lotus," "Yellowstone," and blockbuster films such as "Gladiator 2," the "Avatar" sequels, as well as new "Transformers," "Spider-Man" and "Superman" movies, were put on hold. Tens of thousands of workers, both actors and so-called "below-the-line" employees, from set designers to audio technicians to make-up stylists, lost their jobs. The economic damage to the US economy runs into the billions.  The strike also disrupted Hollywood's promotional ecosystem, since actors were prohibited from promoting their movies at premieres and red carpet events while negotiations were still underway. Some films, notably "Dune 2" and "Challengers," both starring Zendaya, delayed their releases until next year to make sure their stars will be available to promote them. Oscar promotion can kick off The end of the strike is also a boon for the Oscar season, which can now kick off in earnest with award contenders available to do the rounds of talk shows and magazine profiles. Restarting Hollywood could bring its own problems, however. As everyone rushes to get their movies and shows into production, there's a risk of a bottleneck as demand for actors, cinematographers, editors and costume designers outstrips supply. But that's a small price to pay for getting the dream machine going again. The studios, in particular, were desperate to reach a deal before the end of this year, in the hopes of salvaging a portion of their broadcast TV schedule and getting enough films shot and in the can before next summer.  AI issues at the core of the crisis Like any contract negotiation, the actors strike was about wages, and with the new deal, SAG-AFTRA secured a substantial bump in minimum rates — the base daily salary for an union actor on a film or TV shoot — for its members. But the real battle was over the future. The new technologies of streaming and artificial intelligence dominated negotiations.  Hollywood's creative classes felt global streamers weren't properly compensating them for their work. An actor or writer on a television series typically gets paid an upfront salary plus compensation, or residuals, every time the show is rerun, or sold to a cable channel or international broadcaster. Netflix and co. broke that model by doing buy-out deals, paying talent a one-time lump sum to acquire a series worldwide to show on their platform in perpetuity. Under the new SAG-AFTRA deal, talent working on big-budget streaming series and movies will get a 100 percent bump in performance compensation bonuses if their work is a hit, meaning it crosses certain viewership thresholds. While this is unlikely to mean much for most union members — the bulk of Netflix series won't be hits — it marks a sea change by requiring streamers to share their profits with the people who make their shows.  Artificial intelligence was an even bigger sticking point, with the unions determined to limit how the studios and streamers could use new AI technology. Actors in particular were worried studios and streamers would begin to use AI scans of their likenesses and voice performances to insert them into new films and shows without their approval or compensation. This is a real threat. "Black Widow" star Scarlett Johansson recently took legal action against an AI app that used her name and likeness in an online advertisement without her permission. Last month, Tom Hanks took to Instagram to warn his fans that a dental plan was using an unapproved AI-generated image of him for one of their promotional videos.  The new SAG-AFTRA deal puts guardrails on the use of AI and requires producers to secure approval to scan and reuse an actors' performance. The AMPTP has also agreed to keep meeting with the union over the next two and half years until the next contract negotiations, to discuss AI as the technology advances. Power shift in Hollywood As Hollywood's fiercest labor dispute in a generation comes to a close, the creatives, not the suits, appear the clear winners. Most of SAG-AFTRA's demands were met and the union secured concessions on the most contentious issues, including streaming compensation and restrictions on AI. The solidarity within the union — big stars like George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson and Leonardo DiCaprio expressed their support for the strike, alongside rank-and-file members — was a source of strength for SAG-AFTRA negotiators. It may be a sign of a power shift within Hollywood. The studios have reason to be worried. Their contract with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, the union representing technicians and craftspersons, is due to end November 2024. Another potential Tinseltown-shuttering strike looms on the horizon. 

The deal will ensure actors receive a pay increase. It also includes provisions for consent and compensation around the use of Ai to clone actors' likenesses. Hollywood actors agreed to call off a months-long strike after they reached a tentative deal with studios on Wednesday. The Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) called off its 118-day strike from midnight after finally reaching an agreement with the likes of Disney and Netflix. "We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers," the union said. The new three-year contract is valued at more than $1 billion (€934 million) and received support from the union's leadership. SAG-AFTRA President and "The Nanny" star Fran Drescher wrote on Instagram: "We did it!!!! The Billion+ $ Deal!" The deal still needs to be ratified by the union's board and members, but it is widely expected to pass. What does the deal entail? The minimum pay for actors is set to increase by around 8% compared to the previous contract. This was a compromise for both sides because it was less than the actors originall wanted but more than what the writers obtained after their strike. The tentative deal also includes a new new "streaming participation" bonus. The rise of such platforms, which typically pay minimal "residuals" when a show gets rewatched, had severely eroded actors' incomes. Actors had also expressed concerns about studios using AI to clone their likenesses or voices. The deal is expected to include provisions for concent and compensation regarding the use of AI. Actors and crews back to work The strike cost California more than $6 billion (€5.6 billion) in lost output, according to the Milken Institute. It also affected other workers in the film industry, with prop masters, costume designers and other crew members unable to find work. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass welcomed the "fair agreement" that was reached on Wednesday, noting that the strikes had "impacted millions in Los Angeles and throughout the country." "Now, we must lean in on local production to ensure that our entertainment industry rebounds stronger than ever and our economy is able to get back on its feet," she said in a statement.