Iran offers US new proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz, end war: report
Iran has conveyed a fresh proposal to the United States through Pakistani intermediaries, seeking an agreement to reopen the Strait...
Geostrategy
Strait of Hormuz disruption threatens trade flows: UNCTAD
UNCTAD data shows Brent crude oil prices rose above $90 per barrel, while natural gas prices also increased sharply after...
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War monitor say Israeli strikes kill three in Syria
Beirut, Lebanon - Israeli air strikes that targeted a building in an upscale area near the Syrian capital killed three people...
- In the latest incident three people were killed, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
- Since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbor, mainly targeting Iran-backed forces.
Geostrategy
Hamas, Saudi warn of calamity if Israeli troops attack Rafah
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week said he had ordered troops to prepare to go in to the city, crowded...
- Hamas said any military action would have catastrophic repercussion that "may lead to tens of thousands of martyrs and injured if Rafah... is invaded".
- Saudi Arabia said that Israel's planned army operation in overcrowded Rafah would cause a "humanitarian catastrophe".
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Israel’s AI-enabled tech usage in Gaza sparks new fears
New defense technologies including artificial intelligence-powered gunsights and robotic drones form a bright spot in an otherwise dire period for...
- In a first, the army has used an AI-enabled optic sight, made by Israeli startup Smart Shooter, which is attached to weapons such as rifles and machine guns.
- A senior defense official said the technology was destroying enemy drones and mapping Hamas's vast tunnel network in Gaza.
Business
Jordan, Tunisia to enhance trade, investment relations
AMMAN, JORDAN - The Chairman of the Amman Chamber of Commerce Khalil Haj Tawfiq has called on Jordanian and Tunisian...
- The trade between the two nations has seen significant growth over the past two years, with a notable balance in exports and imports.
- Trade volume over the last 10 months reached US$30 million, equally distributed between Jordan and Tunisia.
Gaza medics say Israeli forces raid Khan Yunis hospital
Hospitals are granted special protection under the laws of war, but they have been repeatedly hit in Gaza over the...
- PRCS said Israeli forces had arrested eight of its team members at Al-Amal hospital, including "four doctors, as well as four wounded individuals and five patients' companions
- The medical organization has in recent days made repeated pleas for supplies and protection, reporting severe shortages of oxygen, medicines and fuel to power the hospital
NATO chief calls on Europe to ramp up arms production
Ahead of a key meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels and the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, Jens...
- Stoltenberg's comments came amidst growing pleas for shells, ammunition and other military aide from Ukraine as it battles Russian forces into a third year
- NATO defense ministers will meet in Brussels on February 15, one week ahead of the second anniversary of Russia's offensive in Ukraine
Planned Israeli offensive in Rafah ‘alarming’: EU’s Borrell
Rafah is the southernmost city in the Palestinian enclave that has been hit by a fierce Israeli offensive since the...
- Netanyahu said this week he had ordered troops to prepare to move into Rafah, and that "total victory" against the fighters would come in months
- Israeli air strikes and a ground offensive in response of October 7 attacks have killed at least 27,947 people in Gaza, mostly women and children
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Palestinian group says Israeli troops raid Gaza hospital
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare to "evacuate" hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza's...
- "The occupation (Israeli) forces stormed Al-Amal hospital and started searching it. We're finding it difficult to communicate with our crews inside the hospital," the group said
- Al-Amal has been caught in fierce fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, with the Red Crescent reporting "intense artillery shelling and heavy gunfire"
Geostrategy
Law, politics hamper UK museum return of artifacts
LONDON, UK - British museums, like others across Europe, are under pressure to return artworks taken during the colonial era, including...
- Politicians have little appetite to change the legal framework that is currently blocking full restitutions by national museums, campaigners say.
- British laws dating from the 1960s and 1980s prevent national museums, such as the British Museum and the V&A, from making returning artifacts.
Geostrategy
Crippling Israeli restrictions throw West Bank life in disarray
The number of checkpoints and barriers in the Palestinian territory has greatly increased since October 7, adding hours to already...
- Recently, an AFP team left Jerusalem at 8 am for the northern West Bank city of Tulkarem -- normally a trip of just two hours -- and arrived there at 1:30 pm.
- Israel first erected military checkpoints in the West Bank following the first Palestinian uprising or intifada in 1987, but the number increased after the second intifada.
Iran offers US new proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz, end war: report
Iran has conveyed a fresh proposal to the United States through Pakistani intermediaries, seeking an agreement to reopen the Strait...
Geostrategy
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Lebanon slams foreign interference as Iran security chief visits
Lebanese leaders firmly rejected any efforts at foreign interference during a visit by Iran's security chief Wednesday, with the prime...
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Israel military says approved plan for new Gaza offensive
The approval for the expanded offensive comes days after Israel's security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza's largest city,...
Geostrategy
Gulf tourists say Polish mountain town is a cool place
Zakopane, Poland -- Saudi photographer Fahad Alayyash gazed over the Alpine-like panorama of the Tatras, Poland's highest mountain range --...
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Netanyahu floats ‘allowing’ Palestinians out of Gaza as mediators renew truce push
For Palestinians, any effort to force them off their land would recall the "Nakba", or catastrophe -- the mass displacement...
- Past calls to resettle Gazans outside of the war-battered territory, including from US President Donald Trump, have sparked concern among Palestinians and global community
- Netanyahu defended his war policies in a rare interview with Israeli media, broadcast shortly after Egypt said Gaza mediators were leading a renewed push to secure a 60-day truce
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Zelensky says US summit in Alaska a ‘personal victory’ for Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had scored a "personal victory" by getting invited to...
- Zelensky also ruled out withdrawing troops from Ukraine's eastern Donbas region as part of a peace deal, after Trump said he and Putin might negotiate a land swap to end the war
- The summit, set to take place in Alaska on Friday, will be the first between a sitting US and Russian president since 2021 and comes as Trump seeks to broker an end to Ukraine war
Geostrategy
The Elders group of global leaders terms Gaza situation ‘unfolding genocide’
The London-based group also called for the "recognition of the State of Palestine", but added "this will not halt the...
- "What we saw and heard underlines our personal conviction that there is not only an unfolding, human-caused famine in Gaza. There is an unfolding genocide," it added.
- "Transfers of arms and weapons components to Israel must be suspended immediately," it added, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be sanctioned.