WARS
Wednesday, 17 January 2024 04:31
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 103
Palestinians fight in hard-hit areas of Gaza while deal emerges to deliver medicine to hostages Palestinian militants battled Israeli forces in devastated northern Gaza and launched a barrage of rockets from farther south on Tuesday in a show of force more than 100 days into Israel’s massive air and ground campaign against the tiny coastal enclave. The fighting in the north, which was the first target of Israel’s offensive and where entire neighborhoods have been pulverized, showed how far Israel remains from achieving its goals of dismantling Hamas and returning scores of hostages captured in the Oct. 7 attack that…
Wednesday, 17 January 2024 04:30
What to know after Day 692 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine conflict began in 2008 – Putin The West provoked the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine by luring Kiev with the prospect of NATO membership. This move drastically changed the security situation on the continent, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday. The current standoff began not in 2022 but in 2008, he added, speaking to local community leaders from across Russia. Putin then cited a former Czech president, who, according to Putin, has “recently” admitted that the “war” between Kiev and Moscow started in summer 2008 when the US-led bloc decided to “open its doors to Ukraine…
Tuesday, 16 January 2024 04:43
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 102
Hamas fights with a patchwork of weapons built by Iran, China, Russia and North Korea Iranian sniper rifles. AK-47 assault rifles from China and Russia. North Korean- and Bulgarian-built rocket-propelled grenades. Anti-tank rockets secretly cobbled together in Gaza. An Associated Press analysis of more than 150 videos and photos taken in the three months of combat since Hamas launched its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel shows the militant group has amassed a diverse patchwork arsenal of weapons from around the world – much of it smuggled past a 17-year blockade that was aimed at stopping just such a military…
Tuesday, 16 January 2024 04:42
What to know after Day 691 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine ground commander says his troops, now on 'active defence', can still surprise His demeanour is dispassionate and his message is clear: Ukraine's ground forces are focused first and foremost on defence along the eastern stretch of the 1,000-km (600-mile) front under his command. They should not be counted out, however, as an offensive force. In an interview late last week, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi - a key figure in Kyiv's response to Russia's full-scale invasion - underlined the shifting realities on the battlefield that have tempered hopes of a major Ukrainian breakthrough. Despite initial optimism for a much-vaunted…
Monday, 15 January 2024 04:45
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 101
White House says 'it's the right time' for Israel to scale back Gaza war as fighting hits 100 days The White House said Sunday that “it’s the right time” for Israel to scale back its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli leaders again vowed to press ahead with their operation against the territory’s ruling Hamas militant group. The comments exposed the growing differences between the close allies on the 100th day of the war. Also Sunday, Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon following a Hezbollah missile attack that killed two Israeli civilians — an older woman and her…
Monday, 15 January 2024 04:45
What to know after Day 690 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Reparation bonds could unlock $300 billion for Ukraine Ukraine needs cash to keep defending itself against Russian aggression. The United States and European Union are struggling to keep writing cheques to the country. They’re also reluctant to hand over $300 billion of Russian central bank reserves, which Western governments froze at the start of the war. Here is a proposal for a fallback plan. Kyiv could raise money by selling bonds backed by future claims for war damages against Moscow. It would be better if Ukraine’s backers just gave it more cash, as the United Kingdom did last…
Sunday, 14 January 2024 04:46
Here are the major events during 100 days of war between Israel and Hamas
Israel and Hamas have been at war in Gaza for 100 days since gunmen from the Palestinian militant group ran amok in southern Israel, prompting a fierce Israeli military campaign in which almost 24,000 Palestinians have been killed. Following is a timeline of the war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip. Oct. 7, 2023: Hamas gunmen storm into southern Israel from Gaza and rampage through communities, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is at war and retaliatory airstrikes on densely…
Sunday, 14 January 2024 04:45
What to know after Day 689 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Russia launches hypersonic missiles at Ukrainian targets – MOD Russian forces have launched a major strike on Ukrainian military industry facilities, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. The attack involved long-range high-precision weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and also drones. The targets included facilities producing 155mm, 152mm and 125mm shells for Ukrainian tanks and artillery as well as drone workshops and gunpowder factories, the ministry said in a statement on Telegram. All the targets were successfully hit and the goal of the strike was achieved, it added. The Defense Ministry did not disclose the exact number of…
Saturday, 13 January 2024 04:43
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 99
Israel defends itself at the UN's top court against allegations of genocide in Gaza Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel insisted at the United Nations’ highest court Friday that its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide. Israel described the allegations leveled by South Africa as hypocritical and said one of the biggest cases ever to come before an international court reflected a world turned upside down. Israeli leaders defend their air and ground offensive in Gaza as a legitimate response to Hamas’ Oct. 7…
Saturday, 13 January 2024 04:42
What to know after Day 688 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Britain's Sunak, in Ukraine, announces increase in military aid British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited wartime Kyiv on Friday to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for Ukraine to buy drones, including surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones. Britain, one of Ukraine's closest allies during President Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion, will increase its support in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.19 billion), an increase of 200 million pounds on the previous two years, Sunak said. "Our opponents around the world believe that we have neither the patience nor resources…
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Friday, 12 January 2024 04:56
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 98
UN top court hears genocide allegation as Israel focuses fighting in central Gaza The United Nations’ top court began hearings Thursday on South Africa’s allegation that Israel’s war with Hamas amounts to genocide against Palestinians. Israel strongly denies the claim. Although the case is likely to take years to resolve, South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military operations in Gaza have recently focused on the southern city of Khan Younis and urban refugee camps in the territory’s center. Hundreds of people have been…
Friday, 12 January 2024 04:55
What to know after Day 687 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE US confirms Ukraine military supplies have stopped The military aid Washington has been providing Kiev has come to a halt, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday. His remarks came amid the resurgence of debate in Congress about the importance of continuing support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. “We have issued the last drawdown package that we had funding to support, and that’s why it’s critical that Congress move on that national security supplemental request,” Kirby told reporters at a press briefing, admitting that “the assistance that [the US had] provided has now…
Thursday, 11 January 2024 04:43
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 97
Israeli military says it found traces of hostages in an underground tunnel in Gaza The Israeli military said Wednesday it has found evidence that hostages were present in an underground tunnel in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, which has become the focus of Israel’s ground offensive. The military showed the tunnel to journalists who were escorted into a neighborhood near the ruins of destroyed homes and streets. A corrugated tin hut covered the tunnel’s entrance in a residential yard. A makeshift ladder led to the narrow underground pathway, about 2.5 meters (8 feet) below. The tunnel was hot…
Thursday, 11 January 2024 04:42
What to know after Day 686 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Number of heavily wounded Ukrainian soldiers up by 30% — ABC The number of heavily wounded Ukrainian soldiers grew by 30% over the past few weeks, the ABC television reported citing a Ukrainian doctor. Sergey Ryzhenko, a chief doctor of a hospital in the city of Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk), said between 40 and 100 heavily wounded soldiers are admitted to the facility daily, with between 50 and 100 surgical operations performed every day. He added that the majority of surgeries are amputations. The channel quoted doctors as saying that, according to their information, around 30,000 Ukrainian servicemen are…