Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, Nov. 8

JERUSALEM -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that its air force killed two militants in southern Lebanon on Saturday.

According to the statement, the two were members of the Lebanese Resistance Brigades, a paramilitary group affiliated with Hezbollah. (Israel-Lebanon-Militant)

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. administration has granted Hungary a one-year exemption from U.S. energy sanctions on Russia after President Donald Trump met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House on Friday, multiple media outlets reported, citing anonymous White House officials.

"We're looking at it, because it's very difficult for him (Orban) to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you know, they don't have the advantage of having the sea," Trump told reporters at the White House with Orban earlier on Friday.

Orban stressed that the access to Russian energy is "vital" for Hungary's economy. (U.S.-Hungary)

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GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Israel handed over the remains of 15 Palestinians to the Gaza Strip through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday, a day after Palestinian militants returned the remains of an Israeli hostage under the ongoing ceasefire agreement.

The handover followed Israel's confirmation that the remains transferred by Hamas the previous night belonged to a reserve soldier killed during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Hamas-Israel-Hostage)

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ISTANBUL -- Six people were killed and another injured when a fire broke out at a cosmetics factory in Türkiye's northwestern Kocaeli province on Saturday, local authorities reported.

The fire erupted at the facility in the Dilovasi district, and multiple fire units were dispatched following an emergency call, according to a statement from the office of Governor Ilhami Aktas. (Türkiye-Fire)

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PYONGYANG -- The defense chief of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday slammed the United States for recent military actions in the Korean Peninsula, saying they threaten the country's security and intentionally escalate political and military tensions in the region, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday.

The DPRK will show more offensive action in response, No Kwang Chol, national defense minister of the DPRK, said in a statement carried by the KCNA. (DPRK-Defense-U.S.) Enditem