Israeli sources said the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners due to take place Saturday under the Gaza truce deal has been delayed, pending a decision by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Netanyahu “will hold a security consultation this evening”, an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity, with a second source adding that…
Yemen’s Houthis launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and an MQ-9 Reaper drone last week but didn’t hit either, US defense officials told Al Arabiya English. Officials who spoke to Al Arabiya English said that the Trump administration was reviewing options for countering Houthi attacks. Fox News was first to report about last week’s attacks….
The United States wants the UN Security Council to vote on a brief draft resolution marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Monday before the 193-member General Assembly votes on the same text, diplomats said on Saturday. The US move at the UN pits it against Ukraine and the European Union, who…
Palestinian militants on Saturday freed six Israeli hostages, the last living captives to be released under the first phase of a fragile truce that is also expected to see Palestinian prisoners released. Freedom for the captives caps an emotional two days in Israel, where the family of another hostage, Shiri Bibas, earlier on Saturday confirmed receipt…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “not ready” to sign a deal that would give the United States preferential access to his country’s rare earth minerals, a Ukrainian source told AFP. US President Donald Trump wants Ukraine to give US companies access as compensation for the tens of billions of dollars of aid delivered under his…
US negotiators pressing Kyiv for access to Ukraine’s critical minerals have raised the possibility of cutting the country’s access to Elon Musk’s vital Starlink satellite internet system, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Ukraine’s continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in discussions between US and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr…
US President Donald Trump said Saturday he would like his billionaire advisor Elon Musk to get “more aggressive” in implementing his reform agenda to cut back the federal government. “Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Remember, we have…
President Donald Trump reversed course on Friday and said Russia did in fact invade Ukraine, and that Kyiv would soon sign a minerals agreement with the United States as part of efforts to end the Ukraine war. Trump had said on Tuesday that Ukraine “should have never started” the war three years ago, prompting a…
A second meeting between representatives of Russia and the United States is planned for the next two weeks, the RIA state news agency reported on Saturday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Moscow and Washington held their first talks on ending the nearly three-year war in Ukraine on Tuesday, aimed at restoring relations and…
Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas’s community confirmed her death Saturday after new remains were returned from Gaza, as the seventh hostage–prisoner exchange under a fragile Gaza ceasefire was set to go ahead. Bibas and her two young sons, whose bodies were returned by Hamas to Israel on Thursday, had become symbols of the ordeal suffered by…
Arab leaders gathered in Riyadh on Friday to discuss plans for Gaza’s post-war reconstruction, the Saudi Press Agency reported, amid growing opposition to Donald Trump’s suggestion that the US assume control of the Palestinian territory and displace its population. Earlier this month, Trump, during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, floated the idea…
Islamabad – 21 February 2025 (Adnan Hameed) : The China Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) hosted Dr. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Director Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series. Dr. Pongsudhirak deliberated on the topic of “Southeast Asia/ASEAN between the U.S….
Pope Francis’ health has deteriorated over the past 24 hours, the Vatican said in a statement on Saturday, adding that he had suffered a “prolonged asthma-like respiratory crisis” and had needed blood transfusions. “The Holy Father remains alert and has spent the day in a chair, though he is more unwell than yesterday. At the…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he was counting on unity and courage from his compatriots, and pragmatism and a “constructive” approach in relations with the United States. “We are standing strong on our own two feet. I am counting on Ukrainian unity, our courage … on the unity of Europe and the…
The Trump administration has stopped all funding to the Palestinian Authority security forces as part of the global freeze on foreign assistance, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing US and Palestinian officials. The Washington Post reports that the aid freeze comes at a critical moment for the Palestinian Authority, which is struggling to maintain…
