Israel, at UN, warns Houthis risk sharing same fate as Hamas, Hezbollah

Israel, at UN, warns Houthis risk sharing same fate as Hamas, Hezbollah

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations issued on Monday what he called a final warning to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militants to halt their missile attacks on Israel, saying they risked the same “miserable fate” as Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad if they persisted. The ambassador, Danny Danon, also warned Tehran that Israel has the ability to…

Russian governor says Ukraine stages new attack on Kursk region town

Russian governor says Ukraine stages new attack on Kursk region town

Ukrainian forces staged a new attack on the town of Lgov in southern Russia’s Kursk region on Monday, badly damaging a two-story apartment building, the region’s acting governor said, a week after four people were killed in another strike. Alexander Khinshtein, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said one person was injured in the latest…

Israeli army says intercepted missile launched from Yemen

Israeli army says intercepted missile launched from Yemen

The Israeli military on Monday said that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen before it crossed into Israeli territory. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have been firing missiles and drones at Israel and ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians since the war in the Gaza Strip…

Turkey hikes fuel tax, aims to control inflation

Turkey hikes fuel tax, aims to control inflation

Turkey imposed a 6 percent tax hike on fuel on Tuesday, after its finance minister said over the weekend that tax moves on fuel and tobacco would not affect the government’s inflation goal. The special consumption tax per litre for fuel has been increased by around 6 percent, according to a presidential decree in the Official…

S. Korea arrest warrant ‘illegal, invalid’, says impeached President Yoon’s lawyer

S. Korea arrest warrant ‘illegal, invalid’, says impeached President Yoon’s lawyer

A lawyer for South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that an arrest warrant for the impeached president was “illegal and invalid,” as investigators seek to detain him over his declaration of martial law. “The arrest warrant and search and seizure warrant issued at the request of an agency without investigative authority are illegal and invalid,” a…

Two killed in Gaza as aid convoy looted: WFP

Two killed in Gaza as aid convoy looted: WFP

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…

Baku demands Moscow admit guilt, punish those responsible for AZAL plane crash

Baku demands Moscow admit guilt, punish those responsible for AZAL plane crash

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…

Kazakhstan sends AZAL plane flight recorders to Brazil for decoding

Kazakhstan sends AZAL plane flight recorders to Brazil for decoding

“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…

Putin congratulates foreign leaders on New Year and Christmas

Putin congratulates foreign leaders on New Year and Christmas

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…

Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency, citing rise in crime

Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency, citing rise in crime

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 confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala

Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala

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 and Ukraine exchange 300 POWs in UAE-brokered deal: Moscow

Russia and Ukraine exchange 300 POWs in UAE-brokered deal: Moscow

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…

US announces $5.9 billion in military and budget aid to Ukraine

US announces $5.9 billion in military and budget aid to Ukraine

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 eyes ‘strategic’ ties with Ukraine, Kyiv vows more food aid shipments

Syria eyes ‘strategic’ ties with Ukraine, Kyiv vows more food aid shipments

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…

US military confirms use of THAAD battery in Israel to intercept Houthi missiles

US military confirms use of THAAD battery in Israel to intercept Houthi missiles

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…