WARS
Sunday, 26 January 2025 04:12
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 478
Four Israeli soldiers swapped for 200 Palestinians; north Gaza shut over hostage still held Hamas freed four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners, but a delay in freeing another hostage prompted Israel to block hundreds of thousands of Gazans from returning to the enclave's bombed-out north. The four Israelis freed in the second swap of the week-old Gaza truce were led onto a podium in Gaza City amid a large crowd of Palestinians and surrounded by dozens of armed Hamas men. The hostages waved and smiled before being led off, entering Red Cross vehicles to…
Sunday, 26 January 2025 04:09
What to know after Day 1067 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Inside the Ukrainian drone unit conducting deep strikes on Russia As snow fell in a wooded area of Ukraine, the long-range attack drones accelerated one by one down an unlit, abandoned road and their whirring engines propelled them into the night sky. The unmanned aircraft carrying explosive warheads are part of a Ukrainian campaign of long-range drone attacks that aim to inflict blows on Russia far behind the front line as Moscow's troops advance in the east. "Our main goal is to conduct strikes to hit logistics hubs in the rear, ammunition warehouses and decrease our enemy's pressure…
Saturday, 25 January 2025 04:58
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 477
Hamas has added up to 15,000 fighters since start of war, US figures show The Palestinian militant group Hamas has recruited between 10,000 and 15,000 members since the start of its war with Israel, according to two congressional sources briefed on U.S. intelligence, suggesting the Iran-backed fighters could remain a persistent threat to Israel. The intelligence indicates a similar number of Hamas fighters have been killed during that period, the sources said. The latest official U.S. estimates have not been previously reported. Hamas and Israel began a ceasefire on Sunday after 15 months of a conflict that has devastated the…
Saturday, 25 January 2025 04:57
What to know after Day 1066 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE US suspends aid to Ukraine – Politico US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has frozen nearly all aid grants to Ukraine for 90 days, Politico reported on Friday. The move comes after President Donald Trump ordered a full review of all foreign assistance. Rubio instructed diplomatic and consular posts to issue “stop-work orders” on nearly all “existing foreign assistance awards,” Politico said, citing an internal document. According to Politico, the order has “shocked”State Department officials and appears to apply to funding for military assistance to Ukraine. The magazine cited three current and two former officials familiar with the…
Friday, 24 January 2025 04:20
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 476
Israel sees more to do on Lebanon ceasefire as deadline nears Israel said on Thursday the terms of a ceasefire with Hezbollah were not being implemented fast enough and there was more work to do, while the Iran-backed group urged pressure to ensure Israeli troops leave south Lebanon by Monday as set out in the deal. The deal stipulates that Israeli troops withdraw from south Lebanon, Hezbollah remove fighters and weapons from the area and Lebanese troops deploy there - all within a 60-day timeframe which will conclude on Monday at 4 a.m (0200 GMT). The deal, brokered by the…
Friday, 24 January 2025 04:19
What to know after Day 1065 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Kremlin responds to Trump’s threat over Ukraine deal The Kremlin has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s threats of sanctions and tariffs over a Ukraine peace deal, calling the tactics “nothing new.” Trump issued a thinly-veiled ultimatum to Moscow on Wednesday by calling on it to end the Ukraine conflict and strike a “deal”or to face new sanctions instead. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Russia remains open to “equal and respectful dialogue” with the United States, adding that, during his first term in office, Trump had engaged in this kind of exchange with President Vladimir…
Thursday, 23 January 2025 04:11
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 475
Hamas' tight grip on Gaza complicates plan for lasting peace In neighbourhoods levelled by 15 months of war with Israel, Hamas officials are overseeing the clearance of rubble in the wake of Sunday's ceasefire. The group's gunmen are guarding aid convoys on Gaza's dusty roads, and its blue-uniformed police once again patrol city streets, sending a clear message: Hamas remains in charge. Israeli officials have described a parade of jubilant Hamas fighters that celebrated the ceasefire on Sunday in front of cheering crowds as a carefully orchestrated attempt to exaggerate the Palestinian militant group's strength. But, in the days since…
Thursday, 23 January 2025 04:09
What to know after Day 1064 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukrainian drones attack city near Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, officials say Russia-installed officials in Ukraine's partly-occupied Zaporizhzhia region said Ukrainian drones on Wednesday attacked Enerhodar, a city serving the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Russia seized the nuclear plant, Europe's largest with six reactors, in the early days of the war and each side has since accused the other of staging periodic attacks on the facility. Russia-installed local officials have reported attacks on Enerhodar, particularly on two electricity substations nearby. Russian media quoted the city's authorities as saying at least four drones had attacked Enerhodar. It said there were…
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 04:19
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 474
More than 2,400 aid trucks enter Gaza under truce, UN says no big looting issues Nearly 900 humanitarian aid trucks entered the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the third day of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas, as a senior U.N. official said so far there had been no apparent law-and-order issues. The latest arrivals bring the three-day total to more than 2,400 trucks entering the enclave. Throughout the 15-month war, the U.N. has described its humanitarian operation as opportunistic - facing problems with Israel's military operation, access restrictions by Israel into and throughout Gaza and more recently looting…
Wednesday, 22 January 2025 04:18
What to know after Day 1063 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Zelenskiy says security guarantee would need at least 200,000 peacekeepers Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is seeking a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that at least 200,000 European peacekeepers would be needed to prevent a new Russian attack after any ceasefire deal. The Ukrainian leader, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland a day after Trump returned to power following months of promises to end the war in Ukraine quickly, also urged European leaders to do more to defend the continent. The prospect of a rapid settlement has focused minds in Kyiv…
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Tuesday, 21 January 2025 04:41
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 473
Hamas says next hostages will be released on Saturday as scheduled Hamas said on Monday it would next release hostages held in Gaza on Saturday, after an official with the Palestinian militant group had said they would be released a day later than expected. Hamas is set to release the more than 90 hostages over the coming weeks as part of a complex ceasefire deal reached with Israel this month that could end the 15-month war in Gaza. The militant group said in a statement that the next group of hostages would next be released on Saturday in exchange for…
Tuesday, 21 January 2025 04:40
What to know after Day 1062 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine detains two generals accused of negligence in defending against Russian offensive Ukraine's State Investigation Bureau (DBR) said on Monday it had detained two generals and a colonel suspected of negligence in failing to adequately defend against a Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region last year. The DBR said in a statement on Telegram the detained officers were the former chief commander of the Kharkiv frontline, a former commander of a brigade and a former commander of an infantry battalion. It did not give their names. Russia launched an assault across the border in May 2024 into Ukraine's…
Monday, 20 January 2025 04:52
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 472
Hamas frees hostages, Israel releases Palestinian prisoners on day one of ceasefire Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East. The truce allowed Palestinians to return to bombed-out neighborhoods to begin rebuilding their lives, while relief trucks delivered much-needed aid. Elsewhere in Gaza, crowds cheered Hamas fighters who emerged from hiding. Fireworks were launched in celebration as buses carrying the Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah on the West Bank, where thousands of people waited…
Monday, 20 January 2025 04:51
What to know after Day 1061 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Blinken overruled America’s top general on Ukraine peace talks – NYT Outgoing US State Secretary Antony Blinken urged Ukraine to continue its military efforts against Russia rather than pursue peace negotiations in 2022, the New York Times reported on Saturday. In late 2022, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley advised Kiev to capitalize on its battlefield successes by seeking peace talks with Moscow. However, Blinken insisted that Ukraine should press on with its military campaign, the newspaper wrote. “Less a peacemaker than a war strategist,” the US diplomat frequently argued against more “risk-averse Pentagon officials,”…