Two people have been killed in northern Gaza as gunmen attacked an aid convoy, the World Food Program said Monday, prompting Hamas to accuse to UN agency of having failed to coordinate security. Gazans face dire conditions after nearly 15 months of war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, with humanitarian agencies repeatedly warning not…
Russian, Azerbaijani presidents hold telephone conversation on Aktau plane crash The Azerbaijani authorities have handed over to the Russian side the demands on admitting guilt for the crash of the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane near Kazakhstan’s Aktau, punishing those responsible for the incident and paying compensation, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with…
“The flight recorders will be delivered to the CENIPA,” the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan said Kazakhstan sent Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) flight recorders to the Aeronautical Accidents Investigation and Prevention Center (CENIPA) in Brazil for decoding, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan said. “Kazakhstan sent the flight recorders to Brazil. The commission on the investigation…
The list did not include the leaders of the UK, Germany, the US, France, Japan, and other large states unfriendly to Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Christmas and New Year greetings to a number of foreign leaders, the Kremlin press service reported. In the last days of December, Putin traditionally congratulates his foreign counterparts…
The president of Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency on Monday due to a rise in criminal activity, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. The dual-island Caribbean nation off the coast of Venezuela is experiencing “heightened criminal activity which endangers the public safety,” the prime minister’s office said, following advice…
Iran confirmed on Monday the arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, saying she was detained for violating Iranian laws but did not provide specific details. Sala “traveled to Iran on December 13, 2024, with a journalist visa and was arrested on December 19, 2024, on charges of violating the laws of the Islamic Republic,” Iran’s culture…
Russia said Monday it had swapped 150 Ukrainian soldiers held captive for an equal number of Russian troops, in an exchange deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. “On 30 December, as a result of the negotiation process, 150 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In return, 150 Ukrainian army…
The United States on Monday announced nearly $6 billion in additional military and budget assistance for Ukraine as President Joe Biden uses his final weeks in office to surge aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes power. Biden announced $2.5 billion in additional security assistance for Ukraine. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the United States has…
Syria hopes for “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine, its new foreign minister told his Ukrainian counterpart on Monday, as Kyiv moves to build ties with the new rulers in Damascus amid waning Russian influence. Russia was a staunch ally of ousted president Bashar al-Assad and has given him political asylum. Moscow has said it is in contact…
The US military confirmed Monday that it had used a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery deployed to Israel after Yemen’s Houthis fired missiles at Israel. A US official told Al Arabiya English last week that a THAAD was used to shoot down a Houthi projectile, but it was unclear if the interception was successful. The US…
Syria’s newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, announced on Monday that his first official visit abroad will be to Saudi Arabia, following an official invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan. “I have received an official invitation from His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Faisal…
The top diplomats of China and Iran agreed Saturday that the Middle East is “not a battleground for the big powers” and should not be an arena of geopolitical competition between countries outside the region. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi agreed that “the international community should respect the sovereignty, security,…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is to undergo prostate removal surgery on Sunday, his office said after he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. The procedure comes with Israel at war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip more than 14 months after the Palestinian militants carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on…
Qatar’s prime minister met a Hamas delegation in Doha on Saturday to discuss a “clear and comprehensive” ceasefire deal to end the war in Gaza, a statement said. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani held talks with a Hamas team led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, the foreign ministry statement said. “During the meeting,…
