• Accuses his predecessor of threatening democracy, kowtowing to Russia • Warns Israel against using aid to Gaza as a bargaining chip WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Thursday laid out his case for re-election in a fiery State of the Union speech that accused Donald Trump of threatening democracy, kowtowing to Russia and torpedoing a […]
• Deal on the table proposes prisoner release in exchange for aid flowing into Gaza • Israel okays construction of 3,500 settler homes in occupied West Bank CAIRO: Talks on a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas were at an impasse on Wednesday, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepened and the Israelis […]
GENEVA: The United Nations on Wednesday condemned recent public executions in Afghanistan, urging the Taliban authorities to cease the use of capital punishment. Afghanistan’s Taliban government publicly executed three convicted murderers in the past week on death warrants signed by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. All three men were shot multiple times in front of large […]
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said on Friday that it had removed the United Arab Emirates from its “grey list” of countries subject to increased monitoring, while Kenya and Namibia were added. Countries on the list have “strategic deficiencies” in their efforts to counter money laundering and terrorist financing, but are cooperating with the […]
UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council is likely to vote on Tuesday on an Algerian push for the 15-member body to demand an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war, said diplomats, a move the United States signaled it would veto. Algeria had put forward an initial draft resolution more than two weeks ago. […]
Hundreds of protesters, many of them Russian emigres, gathered in cities across Europe and beyond on Friday to express their outrage over the death of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. Often gathering outside Russian embassies, they chanted slogans critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom they blamed for the activist’s death, holding up signs calling him a “killer” […]
• CIA, Mossad chiefs meet Egyptian, Qatari representatives • Hamas says it does not trust Israel not to renew the war if prisoners are freed CAIRO: Officials from the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar met in Cairo on Tuesday in another bid to agree a Gaza truce as calls grew for Israel to hold back […]
DUBAI: The IMF and World Bank warned on Monday that the Gaza war and the related attacks on shipping through the Red Sea pose threats to the global economy. The war in Gaza, raging since October, has already hit the Middle East and North Africa region’s economy, said the International Monetary Fund’s managing director Kristalina […]
GAZA STRIP: Israel conducted fresh strikes on Gaza’s overcrowded border town of Rafah on Friday with UN chief Antonio Guterres saying the Israeli action would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare Israel’s key backer US warning of a looming disaster. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has ordered troops to “prepare […]
UNITED NATIONS: The UN aid coordination office (OCHA) warned on Tuesday that Israel’s invasion of the densely populated southern city of Rafah would constitute a war crime. “We, as the UN and member states, can bear witness,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told journalists. “We can make it clear that under international humanitarian law, indiscriminate bombing […]