WARS
Wednesday, 07 February 2024 04:41
What to know after Day 713 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine's Zelenskiy orders creation of separate military force for drones President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday ordered the creation of a separate branch of Ukraine's armed forces devoted to drones, weapons he and military officials say are crucial to fighting the war against Russia. Zelenskiy signed a decree calling on the government and general staff of the armed forces to "work out issues on the creation within the Ukrainian armed forces of a separate force for drone systems". "I have just signed a decree which will launch the creation of a separate branch within our armed forces -- a…
Tuesday, 06 February 2024 04:48
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 123
Blinken returns to Mideast in push for hostage deal and postwar plan for Gaza, but obstacles loom U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Monday at the start of his fifth visit to the Middle East since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, hoping to press ahead with a potential cease-fire deal and postwar planning while tamping down regional tensions. But on all three fronts he faces major challenges: Hamas and Israel are publicly at odds over key elements of a potential truce. Israel has dismissed U.S. calls for a path to a Palestinian…
Tuesday, 06 February 2024 04:47
What to know after Day 712 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Some Ukrainian soldiers express unease over possible dismissal of army chief As Ukraine's president looks poised to fire the head of his armed forces, some soldiers fighting Russia's latest onslaught on the eastern front are sceptical, but say that much will depend on who he might be replaced by. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that he is considering replacing armed forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as part of a broader wartime shake-up of the top brass. Zaluzhnyi is viewed as a hero by most Ukrainians, with the memories of the stunning underdog victories against…
Monday, 05 February 2024 04:53
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 122
Hamas hounds Israeli forces in main Gaza cities Palestinian gunmen kept up attacks against Israeli forces on Sunday in the Gaza Strip's two main cities, weeks after they were overrun by troops and tanks, in a sign Hamas still maintains some control ahead of any potential truce. Nearly four months into the war triggered by the Palestinian Islamist group's deadly cross-border rampage in Israel, there was persistent fighting in Gaza City in the north of the densely populated enclave, and in Khan Younis to the south. At the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 17 of Hamas'…
Monday, 05 February 2024 04:51
What to know after Day 711 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Zelenskiy says he might replace several Ukraine officials, not just military Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an interview broadcast on Sunday, said he was considering a "reset" to replace several senior officials. Speculation has gripped Ukraine for weeks over suggestions that the president was about to dismiss the highly popular commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. The two have been at odds over the conduct of the nearly two-year-old Russian invasion of Ukraine. But Zelenskiy said any changes went beyond replacing a single person to harness efforts to oust Russian troops. "When I speak of turnover, I have in mind something…
Sunday, 04 February 2024 04:50
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 121
Israel issues its most detailed warning yet to Hezbollah, while the war in Gaza marks 4 months Israel’s military on Saturday issued its most detailed warning yet to Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon that it would be “ready to attack immediately” if provoked, as it recounted its actions along the northern border during four months of war in Gaza and made a rare acknowledgement of dozens of airstrikes inside Syria against the militant group. “We do not choose war as our first priority, but we are certainly prepared,” military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, adding: “We will continue to act wherever Hezbollah…
Sunday, 04 February 2024 04:49
What to know after Day 710 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine hits Russia's Volgograd oil refinery in latest drone attack, source says Two Ukrainian attack drones struck the largest oil refinery in southern Russia on Saturday, a source in Kyiv told Reuters, detailing the latest in a series of long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities. Local authorities in Russia said earlier that a fire had been extinguished at the Volgograd refinery following a drone attack. Oil producer Lukoil, which owns the refinery, later said the plant was working as normal. The Kyiv source said the operation by the SBU security service struck the primary processing facility, without which…
Saturday, 03 February 2024 04:45
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 120
Hamas says it's studying Gaza cease-fire proposal, but appears to rule out key provisions Hamas officials said Friday that the group is studying a proposed cease-fire deal that would include prolonged pauses in fighting in Gaza and swaps of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, but the militants appeared to rule out some key components. Hamas remains committed to its initial demands for a permanent cease-fire, the group’s top political leader Ismail Haniyeh and a senior Beirut-based official, Osama Hamdan, said. Hamdan also said the group seeks the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners being held for acts related to the…
Saturday, 03 February 2024 04:44
What to know after Day 709 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russian military reports gains against Ukrainian troops The Russian military is making advances at multiple locations along the frontline in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), according to a daily press briefing of the country’s Defense Ministry released on Friday. Over the past 24 hours, Moscow’s troops have inflicted heavy casualties on the adversary, amounting to up to 795 servicemen. The DPR saw intense combat at multiple locations, with the troops “taking up better positions”near the village of Klescheevka, located to the southwest of the town of Artyomovsk (known in Ukraine as Bakhmut). The small village has been experiencing…
Friday, 02 February 2024 04:57
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 119
Israel turns focus of Gaza attack to Rafah as Hamas weighs ceasefire proposal Israel prepared to advance its war on Gaza farther south, close to the Egyptian border, after claiming to have dismantled Hamas in Khan Younis, as diplomatic efforts in pursuit of a ceasefire accelerated. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday that success in the fight against the Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where Israel launched a major ground attack last week, meant its forces could advance to Rafah on the enclave's southern border. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are…
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Friday, 02 February 2024 04:55
What to know after Day 708 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE EU agrees $54 billion in new aid for Ukraine as Hungary falls in line European Union leaders unanimously agreed on Thursday to extend 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in new aid to Ukraine, sending a message to the United States split on whether to keep backing Kyiv in its fight against Russia's invasion. The agreement overcomes weeks of resistance from Hungary and comes amid uncertainty over the future of U.S. aid. Kyiv relies heavily on Western support as the war, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two, nears its third year. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said…
Thursday, 01 February 2024 04:50
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 118
Fighting kills more in north Gaza as South Africa alleges Israel ignores court ruling Gaza’s Health Ministry says people are still being killed in fighting in the northern part of the territory, the initial target of Israel’s ground offensive into the Gaza Strip that has seen entire neighborhoods flattened. The Health Ministry said more than 150 people were killed and an additional 313 wounded as Israeli forces continued to battle militants Wednesday. Israel’s military said its forces killed more than 15 Hamas militants in northern Gaza in the past day and targeted militant infrastructure in a school. South Africa’s foreign…
Thursday, 01 February 2024 04:48
What to know after Day 707 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russia to expand Ukraine’s ‘demilitarized zone’ – Putin Russia needs to create a large “demilitarized zone” in Ukraine, one that is big enough to ensure no longe-range weapons can strike Russian cities, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Russian border regions have been subjected to frequent drone and missile attacks, as well as shelling by the Ukrainian military, since the start of the conflict between Kiev and Moscow. One of the deadliest attacks took place on December 30, when Kiev’s forces struck the Russian border city of Belgorod with multiple rocket launchers, including the RM-70 Vampire – an…
Wednesday, 31 January 2024 04:38
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 117
Israeli forces dressed as civilian women and medics kill 3 militants in West Bank hospital Israeli forces disguised as civilian women and medics stormed a hospital Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing three Palestinian militants in a dramatic raid that underscored how deadly violence has spilled into the territory from the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile ruled out a military withdrawal from Gaza or the release of thousands of jailed militants — Hamas’ main two demands for any cease-fire — casting doubt on the latest efforts to end a war that has destabilized the broader Middle…