2 earthquakes were reported in southern Cuba. The 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck about 25 miles off the coast of Bartolome Mazo in southern Granma province. The second tremor occurred an hour after the first, which registered a magnitude of 5.9. Massive damage has been recorded. No deaths have been reported so far.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu officially confirmed that Israel was behind the Pager attack targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon in September. This is the first time Netanyahu has admitted that Israel was involved in the attack. At the Cabinet meeting held on Sunday, Netanyahu stated that the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrullah in Beirut was also on his orders.

Canada stops issuing fast-track visas to foreign students amid ongoing India-Canada diplomatic row. Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced in a statement on Friday that the Student Direct Stream (SDS) is being terminated immediately. SDS was Canada’s program that had the fastest document checks for students and the highest number of applications approved.

Canada introduced the SDS scheme in 2018 to avoid delays in pursuing further education in Canada for foreign students. The project saw students from 14 countries like India, China, Brazil, Pakistan, Vietnam and the Philippines. The only criteria for this were language and economic security. Officials have clarified that Canada SDS applicants will be accepted only until 2 pm local time on November 8. Applications thereafter will be treated as normal study permit applications. With Canada stopping this service, it will affect students from India the most. With this, Indian students will have to go through lengthy visa procedures.

Beirut: Israel  attack in various areas of Lebanon. International media reported that 40 people were killed in the Israeli bombing of the city of Baalbek. More than fifty people have been injured.

There are reports that Israel launched an attack near Beirut International Airport. It is reported that there were four attacks this morning. This has been confirmed by the Lebanese Ministry of Health. It is reported that the attack was aimed at Hezbollah. Israel had earlier asked people in the area where the attack took place to evacuate.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu fired Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as the war with Iran and Hamas escalated. Netanyahu fired Gallant over differences of opinion. Netanyahu’s decision comes at a time of heightened tension in West Asia.

Earlier, international media reported that there was a difference of opinion between the two over an attack on Hamas. ‘Over the past few months, I’ve lost faith in Gallant. Therefore, it has been decided to remove him from the position of Minister of Defense,” Netanyahu’s office said in a press release.

Gallant will be replaced by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Gallant had made it clear that the country’s security would remain his goal even after he was expelled.