Pentagon puts Iran war cost at $25 Bn; Hegseth clashes with lawmakers
The Pentagon has estimated that the ongoing Iran war has cost the United States $25 billion and claimed 14 American...
Geostrategy
Hezbollah warns it would respond to Israeli ceasefire violations
The exchange came as regional tensions remained high and Iran intensified diplomatic efforts to secure a broader halt to hostilities,...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Netanyahu thanks Trump for weapons to ‘finish the job’ against Iran axis
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday thanked US President Donald Trump for sending munitions held up...
- Netanyahu has long expressed his opposition to Iran, its nuclear programme and its proxies, which include Palestinian militant group Hamas
- The Israeli leader made similar remarks last month, at a news conference with visiting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying Israel would "finish the job" against Iran
Geostrategy
Israel blocks humanitarian aid to Gaza as ceasefire’s first phase ends, sparking global outrage
Truce mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of blatantly violating the ceasefire deal by halting the aid, a move left trucks...
- Early on Sunday Israel had announced a truce extension until mid-April that it said United States Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed
- But Hamas has repeatedly rejected an extension, instead favouring a transition to the truce deal's second phase that could bring a permanent end to the war.
PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after 40 years of armed struggle
Istanbul, Turkey - Outlawed Kurdish militants on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a landmark call by jailed PKK...
- The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency since 1984 with the aim of carving out a homeland for Kurds
- Turkey's vice president Cevdet Yilmaz said "a new phase" began toward achieving the goal of a "terror-free Turkey", without making any mention of the PKK statement
Geostrategy
Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close, Hamas wants permanent peace
The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was set to expire over the...
- Negotiations have so far been inconclusive, with the fate of hostages still held in Gaza and the lives of more than two million Palestinians hanging in the balance.
- A senior Hamas official told AFP the Palestinian militant group was prepared to release all remaining hostages in a single swap during the second phase
Geostrategy
Two lunar landings in a week for NASA’s private Moon fleet
Washington, United States -- More than fifty years passed between the last Apollo mission and the United States' return to...
- First up is Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, nicknamed "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
- Blue Ghost's arrival will be followed on March 6 by Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission, featuring its lander, Athena.
Geostrategy
Europe backs Zelensky after White House showdown with Trump
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the "unspeakable" row "underlined that a new age of infamy has begun". Friedrich Merz,...
- Russia backed Trump, who openly berated Zelensky on Friday and accused him of having "disrespected" the United States.
- European Union chiefs Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen assured Zelensky in a joint statement that he was "never alone".
Geostrategy
Trump and Zelensky clash in heated Oval Office meeting over Ukraine peace deal
During a tense meeting at the White House, Trump and Zelensky argued over the war with Russia, with Trump accusing...
- Zelensky was at the White House to sign a deal on sharing Ukraine's mineral riches and discuss a peace deal with Russia, despite the US president recently branding him a dictator
- Tempers frayed after Vice President JD Vance said that "diplomacy" was needed to end the war. Zelensky asked "what kind of diplomacy" and Vance accused him of being disrespectful
Geostrategy
Mediators hope for end to conflict as next phase of Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo begins
Mediator Egypt say Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were already in Cairo for "intensive" talks on the next stage of...
- A hostage-Palestinian detainees swap early Thursday was the final one under the initial stage of the truce that took effect on January 19.
- Over the past several weeks, Hamas freed in stages 25 living Israeli and dual-national hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.
Geostrategy
Hamas, Israel prisoner swap advances as talks for ceasefire’s next phase loom
Israeli authorities received four hostage bodies from Hamas, while Palestinian prisoners were welcomed in Ramallah, as ceasefire negotiations involving Egypt,...
- The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed they had received the coffins of "four fallen hostages", and a process to formally identify them had started in Israel
- The ceasefire has largely halted the war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and seen 25 hostages released alive so far in exchange for more than 1,100 prisoners
Business
Clip of Gaza as seaside resort posted on Trump social media accounts
The video, which racked up more than 15 million views on Instagram and was shared thousands of times on Trump's...
- The 33-second clip remained on Trump's accounts without denial or retraction hours after the initial posting.
- Trump has floated the idea of a US takeover of Gaza under which its Palestinian population would be relocated -- a proposal met with global condemnation.
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Pentagon puts Iran war cost at $25 Bn; Hegseth clashes with lawmakers
The Pentagon has estimated that the ongoing Iran war has cost the United States $25 billion and claimed 14 American...
Geostrategy
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Nearly one in six children in Gaza acutely malnourished: study
The study, the most detailed look so far at child hunger in Gaza, analysed data on more than 200,000 children...
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Israel, Hamas agree to first phase of peace plan: To include release of hostages, aid into Gaza
In a dramatic moment, AFP journalists saw US Secretary of State Marco Rubio interrupt an event at the White House...
Geostrategy
US envoys arrive at Gaza truce talks as Egypt, Hamas voice ‘optimism’
Both sides have responded positively to Trump's plan, which calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held...
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Geostrategy
US, Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt
Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Turkey's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, Trump's special Middle East envoy Steve...
- Israel and Hamas are holding indirect negotiations in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month
- "There's a real chance that we could do something," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, adding that US negotiators were also involved in the talks
Geostrategy
Syria announces ‘comprehensive ceasefire’ with Kurds after clashes
Damascus, Syria - Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces after a meeting Tuesday between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa...
- Syria's authorities, who took power last year after the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, have rejected Kurdish demands for a government giving them greater autonomy
- The Kurds, who carved out their semi-autonomous administration under Assad, have called for decentralisation, a demand the new authorities have rejected
Geostrategy
Pro-Gaza protests flare in UK on anniversary of Hamas attack
London, United Kingdom - Thousands of students protested in London and other UK cities on Tuesday, defying a plea from...
- Chanting "Free Palestine", students from several London universities walked out of classes at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) to march through the centre of the British capital
- Writing in The Times newspaper, Starmer alleged that pro-Palestinian protests had been used "to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility