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Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Friday with, including US President Joe Biden urging Congress to reconvene to address disaster relief funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon saying its headquarters has been repeatedly shelled amid an Israeli onslaught on the country, and NATO’s secretary general saying the alliance will begin its annual nuclear preparedness exercise next week.

TOP STORIES

• Biden urges Congress to reconvene for disaster relief, slams Trump's aid claims

US President Joe Biden urged Congress to reconvene and address critical disaster relief funding in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

Biden stressed the urgency of the situation, particularly for the Small Business Administration (SBA), as he encouraged lawmakers to "move as rapidly as they can" on emergency funding.

"It's pretty right at the edge right now,” he said at a news conference at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. “Congress should be coming back, moving on emergency needs immediately.”

• UN mission says its headquarters repeatedly shelled amid Lebanon assault

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said its headquarters in southern Lebanon has been repeatedly shelled amid an Israeli onslaught on the country.

“This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an Israeli Merkava tank fired toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall,” the UN peacekeeping mission said in a statement.

Another UNIFIL position in Labbouneh came under Israeli fire, damaging vehicles and a communications system.

• NATO to begin annual nuclear exercise, says alliance chief

NATO will kick off its annual nuclear preparedness exercise, Steadfast Noon, next week, the alliance announced.

Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized the importance of readiness in an increasingly volatile global landscape.

"In an uncertain world, it is vital that we test our defense and strengthen our capabilities so that our adversaries know NATO is ready and able to respond to any threat," Rutte said in London after meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• At least 22 people were killed and 117 others injured in two Israeli airstrikes on neighborhoods in central Beirut.
• The UN denounced Israel’s targeting of journalists in the northern Gaza Strip, emphasizing the “alarming" number of reporters killed.
• Yemen’s Houthi group said it targeted two ships in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
• The Foreign Ministry of Canada strongly denounced the Israeli army's repeated attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon after two members of the international force were injured by Israeli tank fire.
• The UN official for peace operations emphasized the "serious risk" peacekeepers face in Lebanon amid Israel's continued attacks.
• UN Political Affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned of the "alarming" situation in Lebanon as she urged Israel to end airstrikes and withdraw troops.
• The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) representative to Palestine, Nestor Owomuhangi, said mounting anger for those in the Gaza Strip is leading "to disorder and looting."
• Russian President Vladimir Putin relieved Anatoly Antonov of his duties as Russia’s ambassador to the US, according to a decree published on the governmental portal.
• The White House said it is "deeply concerned' by Israel's repeated attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon after two members of the international force were injured by Israeli tank fire.
• China has strongly condemned recent US arms sales to Taiwan, calling on Washington to reverse the decision, state-run media reported.
• UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang condemned an Israeli attack on the positions of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.
• Mpox is still a major public health issue in Africa, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said amid surging new cases.
• A retired Jordanian general said Israel’s bombing of the northern Gaza Strip is not part of a so-called "Generals' Plan," as reported by several outlets, but rather a series of "random" bombings.
• Israel announced that it has recommended the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) "relocate five kilometers north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies" after the Israeli army fired artillery on positions of peacekeepers in Lebanon.
• The authorities of Russia's Adygea region located in the North Caucasus announced that they are evacuating residents of the village of Rodnikovo because of a Ukrainian drone attack.
• Italy summoned the Israeli envoy to Rome because of the shelling of UN troops in southern Lebanon, according to a statement by the prime minister’s office.
• South Korea announced plans to double its cooperation funds for key projects in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region to $48 million by 2027, according to local media.
• Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met with his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki in Asmara following his state visit to Eritrea the previous evening.
• The Palestinian resistance group Hamas claimed to have ambushed an Israeli military convoy in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip.
• Ukraine strongly reacted to Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze's comments about the ongoing war with Russia, urging not to involve it in domestic politics.
• The EU foreign policy chief condemned Israeli firing on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon as Israel presses on with its air and ground assault in the Middle Eastern country.
• Israel has perpetrated a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s health care system as part of a broader assault on the enclave, committing war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities, a UN commission said.
• The Swedish subsidiary of the Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems was targeted in a shooting in the western city of Gothenburg, but there were no casualties, according to a police statement.
• The death toll due to a Russian missile attack in Ukraine’s southwestern Odesa region rose to eight, local authorities said.
• Moscow has not received any signals from Kyiv regarding its readiness for peace talks, and no actions are being taken in this regard, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
• At least 28 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured in a new Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced civilians in the central Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said.
• Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said China has no right to represent his country, as Taipei is not a "subordinate" to Beijing.
• The Lebanese army said two foreigners were arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.
• The 2024 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to South Korean author Han Kang.
• Israel’s security cabinet is set to vote on authorizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to determine the response to last week’s Iranian missile attack.
• Japan and the US are moving to jointly produce air-to-air missiles, local media said.
• At least 16 people have been killed and many others wounded in Israeli airstrikes near Yemen Al-Saeed Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip.

SPORTS

• Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal retiring from game

Spanish tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, said he will retire at the end of this season.

"I am here to let you know I am retiring from professional tennis," Nadal, 38, said in a video on Instagram.

"The reality is that it has been some difficult years, the last two especially. I don't think I have been able to play without limitations. I think it's the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could ever have imagined," he said.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Americans to see 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment to Social Security benefit payments in 2025

Americans will see a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment to their benefit payments next year, the US Social Security Administration said.

The benefits will cover more than 72.5 million Americans, it said in a report.

While the cost-of-living adjustment will begin with benefits payable to nearly 68 million social security beneficiaries in January 2025, increased payments to nearly 7.5 million recipients will begin on Dec. 31, 2024.

• EU commits nearly $2B to Moldova’s economic growth, EU accession path

The European Union announced an investment package of €1.8 billion (nearly $2 billion) to boost Moldova’s economy and support its EU membership path.

The package, to be delivered over three years, aims to strengthen Moldova’s infrastructure, energy sector and public services, laying the groundwork for future economic growth.

“Moldova’s place is in our EU,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters during a visit to the former Soviet nation's capital Chisinau, commending its progress in aligning with EU values since being granted candidate status in June 2022.

• Price of gold hits highest quarterly gain since 2016

The ounce price of gold saw its highest quarterly gain since 2016 in July-September amid interest rate cuts by central banks and geopolitical tensions leading to rising demand for the safe-haven asset.

The ounce price of gold saw a record high at $2,685.61 in the third quarter of the year, completing the July-September period at $2,634.70, up 13.2%.

Falling interest rates reduced the opportunity costs of holding noninterest-bearing gold.