WARS
Sunday, 16 February 2025 04:53
What to know after Day 1088 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE US, Russia to meet in Saudi Arabia over Ukraine war U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to start talks aimed at ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a U.S. lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, said Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz…
Saturday, 15 February 2025 04:47
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 498
Three Israeli hostages set to return from Gaza as ceasefire holds Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel-Chen and Sasha Troufanov are expected to return from Gaza on Saturday after Egyptian and Qatari mediators helped avert a standoff that threatened to sink a fragile ceasefire that has halted fighting for almost a month. Palestinian militant group Hamas said the three would be returned, in exchange for 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees, easing fears that the agreement could collapse before the end of a 42-day ceasefire. Dekel-Chen, a U.S.-Israeli, Troufanov, a Russian Israeli, and Horn, whose brother Eitan was also abducted, were…
Saturday, 15 February 2025 04:46
What to know after Day 1087 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Putin discusses with Security Council his conversation with Trump — spokesman Russian President Vladimir Putin held a closed-door discussion with the Security Council regarding his recent conversation with US President Donald Trump, as well as the broader context of ongoing contacts with the United States, Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS. "Of course, [he discussed it]," Peskov responded to a related question. Putin's conversation with Trump occurred on Wednesday and marked their first communication in three years. The last official dialogue between the two leaders took place in July 2020, during Trump's previous term in office. During their…
Friday, 14 February 2025 04:57
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 497
Hamas says it is willing to move ahead with Gaza ceasefire Hamas signalled on Thursday that a crisis threatening to unravel an already fragile ceasefire in Gaza could be avoided even after trading accusations with Israel this week of ceasefire breaches. The 42-day ceasefire has appeared close to failure since Hamas on Monday unexpectedly announced it would stop releasing hostages, leading Israel to respond with a threat to return to war. Hamas said it did not want the deal to collapse, though it rejected what it called the "language of threats and intimidation" from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and…
Friday, 14 February 2025 04:56
What to know after Day 1086 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukrainians worry about Trump effort to end war with Russia, though some hope for the best Ukrainians on Thursday worried that U.S. President Donald Trump was preparing to sell out their country following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though some expressed cautious hope over his effort to swiftly end the war. Trump's call to the Russian president - the first by a U.S. leader since Moscow's February 2022 invasion - followed remarks by his defence chief that cast doubt over the full restoration of Ukraine's borders and its aspiration to join the NATO alliance. "It…
Thursday, 13 February 2025 04:42
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 496
Israel calls up reservists as fears for fragile Gaza ceasefire rise Israel has called up military reservists to brace for a possible re-eruption of war in Gaza if Hamas fails to meet a Saturday deadline to free further Israeli hostages and a nearly month-old ceasefire unravels. Concern that the truce will collapse is growing as fury mounts in the Arab world over President Donald Trump's plan for the United States to take over Gaza, resettle its Palestinian inhabitants and build an international beach resort. Hamas said Egypt and Qatar, which with U.S. support mediated the ceasefire deal that took effect…
Thursday, 13 February 2025 04:41
What to know after Day 1085 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Trump says Putin and Zelenskiy want peace; phone calls kick off talks to end Ukraine war Donald Trump said both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed a desire for peace in separate phone calls with him on Wednesday, and Trump ordered top U.S. officials to begin talks on ending the war in Ukraine. The conversations came after Trump's defense secretary earlier said Kyiv would have to give up its long-held goals of joining the NATO military alliance and regaining all of its territory seized by Russia, signaling a dramatic shift in Washington's approach to…
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 04:58
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 495
Netanyahu says Israel will end Gaza ceasefire if hostages not returned on Saturday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday the ceasefire in Gaza would end and the military would resume fighting Hamas until it was defeated if the Palestinian militant group did not release hostages by midday Saturday. Following Netanyahu's ultimatum, Hamas issued a statement renewing its commitment to the ceasefire and accusing Israel of jeopardizing the ceasefire. The Israeli announcement came after Netanyahu met with several key ministers, including defence, foreign affairs and national security, who he said gave the ultimatum their full support. After nearly 16…
Wednesday, 12 February 2025 04:57
What to know after Day 1084 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia's missile attack on Kyiv kills one, sparks fires, Ukraine says Russia's early morning missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one civilian and sparked several fires throughout the city, Ukrainian officials said. "Russia carried out a missile strike on Kyiv and the Kyiv region," Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. "This is how (Vladimir) wants the war to end." U.S. President Donald Trump, who had vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine, said over the weekend that he has been in contact with Kyiv and Putin…
Tuesday, 11 February 2025 04:47
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 494
Trump says ceasefire should be canceled if hostages aren't released by Saturday: 'Let all hell break out' President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and "let all hell break out." Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening. When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is "Israel’s decision." "If all the Gaza hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the…
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Tuesday, 11 February 2025 04:45
What to know after Day 1083 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia launches drone attacks on Kyiv, Sumy, Ukrainian officials say Overnight Russian drone attacks sparked a fire in Kyiv and injured a woman and damaged several houses in the northeastern city of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said on Monday. The Ukrainian military said on Monday that it had shot down 61 out of 83 drones with 22 more likely downed by electronic warfare. No injuries were reported in the attack that sparked a fire at a non-residential building in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. But a 38-year-old woman was hospitalised after…
Monday, 10 February 2025 04:09
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 493
Israel troops withdraw from corridor that split Gaza in two Israeli troops have withdrawn from the Netzarim Corridor - a military zone cutting off the north of the Gaza Strip from the south. Hundreds of Palestinians in cars and on carts laden with mattresses and other goods began returning to northern Gaza following the pull-out - often to scenes of utter destruction. The Israeli withdrawal is in line with the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement of 19 January under which 16 Israeli hostages and 566 Palestinian prisoners have so far been freed. By the end of the first stage of the ceasefire…
Monday, 10 February 2025 04:08
What to know after Day 1082 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Trump says US is making progress with Russia, declines to discuss talks with Putin U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he believed the United States was making progress in its talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, but declined to provide details about any communications he had had with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump indicated that the two men had been in contact; that would mark the first officially acknowledged conversation between Putin and a U.S president since early 2022. Asked whether he had had his conversation with…
Sunday, 09 February 2025 04:28
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 492
Hamas frees three hostages, Israel begins releasing Palestinians Palestinian militant group Hamas on Saturday handed over three Israeli hostages whose gaunt appearance shocked Israelis, and Israel began freeing dozens of Palestinians in the latest stage of a ceasefire aimed at ending the war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, who were taken hostage from Kibbutz Be'eri during the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and Or Levy, who was abducted that day from the Nova music festival, were led onto a Hamas podium by gunmen. The three men appeared thin, weak and pale, in worse…