10 things you need to know today: November 27, 2023

1. Israel, Hamas consider truce extension

Hamas released 17 more hostages on Sunday, including 4-year-old Israeli-American dual citizen Abigail Edan, whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas surprise attack that started the war. "What she endured was unthinkable," President Joe Biden said of the girl, the first American freed during the temporary truce. The four-day cease-fire deal, which included the release of 50 of the 240 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and 150 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, was set to end Monday, but Hamas said it was seeking an extension. Israel has said it would agree to another day's pause in the fighting for every 10 hostages Hamas releases beyond the original 50. The New York Times, The Associated Press

2. Palestinian students shot in Vermont

Relatives of three Palestinian students shot in Burlington, Vermont, over the weekend called for authorities to investigate the attack as a hate crime. A white male with a pistol confronted the students — Hisham Awartani of Brown University in Rhode Island, Kinnan Abdel Hamid of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and Tahseen Ahmed of Trinity College in Connecticut — and shot them near the University of Vermont. Two were wearing keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves. All three were being treated in hospitals Sunday. Two were stable; one was more gravely injured. After a brief search, police arrested a suspect, Jason J. Eaton, 48, on Sunday. The shootings came amid a surge of Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents since the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7. Reuters, CNN

3. Russia shoots down wave of drones

Russia shot down 24 drones across four regions, including Moscow, early Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Ukrainian military intelligence sources told Bloomberg that the attack included a total of 35 drones launched in response to a wave of drones Russia used to target Kyiv on Saturday. Ukrainian air defenses shot down 71 of the 75 Russian drones in what was described as the heaviest such barrage in Russia's 22-month invasion of Ukraine. Sergei Sobyanin, mayor of the Russian capital, wrote in a Telegram post that the attack on Moscow was "massive." It prompted three airports in the capital area to temporarily restrict flights. Bloomberg

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4. US Navy thwarts hijacking of tanker off Yemen

The U.S. Navy, responding to a distress call, thwarted the hijacking of a tanker owned by an Israeli billionaire in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen on Sunday. U.S. forces on the guided-missile destroyer USS Mason and other ships and aircraft disrupted the hijacking and chased the fleeing attackers who had briefly taken over the tanker, the M/V Central Park. Five people, all of whom were armed, eventually surrendered and were detained, according to a statement from U.S. Central Command. After the incident, two ballistic missiles were fired toward the Mason and the Central Park from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen. Both missiles missed. Zodiac Maritime, the British company that manages the Central Park, said the crew and cargo were safe. The Washington Post, CNN

5. Holiday shopping off to solid start

Holiday shopping got off to a respectable start over the weekend as customers facing dwindling savings and rising credit-card debt looked for deals. The National Retail Federation estimated that 182 million people would shop online or in stores between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Black Friday retail sales rose 2.5% compared to a year earlier, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. Foot traffic in brick-and-mortar stores rose 2.1%, while online shopping was up 7.5% from 2022, according to a report from Adobe Analytics. But retailers are bracing for a hit as people drop store-brand credit cards, which have higher interest rates, in favor of general purpose cards. The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press

6. South Korea, Japan, China pledge to increase cooperation

Top diplomats from South Korea, Japan and China agreed Sunday to revive the trilateral summits their leaders held from 2008 to 2019. The three countries did not set a date for the next summit, but expressed support for increased cooperation on economic and other issues. "We three ministers agreed to restore and normalize three-nation cooperation at an early date," South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin told reporters after his meeting with Japan's Yoko Kamikawa and China's Wang Yi, the first such gathering in about four years. The leaders agreed to push for increased cooperation on trade, technology, public health, security and other matters, South Korea and Japan said in statements. The Associated Press

7. Sierra Leone arrests leaders of military barracks attack

Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio said Sunday that most the ringleaders of an attack on a military barracks in the capital, Freetown, had been detained. "We will ensure that those responsible are held accountable," Bio said on national television. The government said earlier that it had stopped "renegade soldiers" from breaking into a military armory. Gunmen also attacked a prison and a police station. Former President Ernest Bai Koroma said in a statement that a military guard posted at his Freetown home was shot and another "whisked away," although he couldn't say who was responsible. The government imposed a curfew across the West African nation. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Reuters

8. Australian police arrest dozens over coal-port blockade

Police in Australia arrested 109 people over a weekend protest that blocked ships at the world's largest coal port. An estimated 3,000 people swam and paddled kayaks into the shipping lane of the Newcastle port, preventing more than a half-million tons of coal from leaving Australia, the world's second-biggest coal exporter. Police had approved the 30-hour demonstration, which was organized to call attention to the impact of fossil fuels on climate change, but the activists were arrested after remaining in the water past a cutoff point. "I am doing this for my grandchildren and future generations," said Alan Stuart, 97, one of the people who defied the deadline. BBC News

9. Marty Krofft, who created 'trippy' kids' shows, dies at 86

Marty Krofft, who teamed up with his brother Sid to create a string of hit 1970s TV shows, died of kidney failure at his home in Los Angeles over the weekend. He was 86. The Kroffts produced memorable children's fantasy shows, many of which had a "trippy feel," according to The New York Times. Those shows included "H.R. Pufnstuf," about a boy who is lured to a magical island by a witch trying to steal his talking flute, and gets help from the island's dragon mayor, H.R. Pufnstuf. The Kroffts' other hits included "Land of the Lost," "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters," and variety shows like "Donny and Marie." The New York Times

10. 'Hunger Games' prequel, 'Napoleon' lead Thanksgiving weekend box office

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" and "Napoleon" led the domestic box office over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Overall ticket sales jumped 40% compared to last year but still didn't reach pre-pandemic levels. The "Hunger Games" prequel dominated North American theaters, bringing in $42 million from Wednesday through Sunday, including $28.8 million Friday night through Sunday. Ridley Scott's "Napoleon," starring Joaquin Phoenix, narrowly beat out "Wish" to take the No. 2 spot with $32.5 million over five days. "Wish" brought in $31.7 million over five days, coming in third in another setback for Disney after "The Marvels" flopped. The Hollywood Reporter