WARS
Sunday, 25 February 2024 04:51
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 142
Israeli officials to meet on a proposed pause in Gaza while the Cabinet is set to OK a Rafah plan Israeli officials will meet Saturday night on the next steps after the latest talks with the United States, Egypt and Qatar in search of a deal on pausing the fighting in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. But Netanyahu announced that he’ll convene the Cabinet early next week to “approve the operational plans for action in Rafah,” including the evacuation of civilians, despite widespread warnings from the international community about a military ground operation in the southern city where…
Sunday, 25 February 2024 04:50
What to know after Day 731 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE How Russia's military uses volunteer fighters to plug gaps in Ukraine When Russian forces withdrew from the town of Balakliia in eastern Ukraine in late 2022, pursued by Ukrainian troops and under artillery fire, they left a poorly equipped group of volunteers to guard their retreat. The force of around 50 men came from the National Army Combat Reserve - known by its Russian acronym BARS - a loose assembly of units totaling several thousand fighters that Russia's defense ministry has deployed in Ukraine to supplement its regular forces. About four hours of footage from a bodycam worn…
Saturday, 24 February 2024 04:31
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 141
Netanyahu seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in Gaza in new postwar plan A long-awaited postwar plan by Israel’s prime minister shows that his government seeks open-ended control over security and civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip. That was swiftly rejected Friday by Palestinian leaders and runs counter to Washington’s vision for the war-ravaged enclave. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented the two-page document to his security Cabinet late Thursday for approval. Deep disagreements over Gaza’s future have led to increasingly public friction between Israel and the United States, its closest ally. The Biden administration seeks eventual Palestinian governance…
Saturday, 24 February 2024 04:30
What to know after Day 730 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine's defences under strain as war enters its third year Ukraine marks the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on Saturday looking more vulnerable than at any time since the early days of Europe's most deadly conflict since World War Two. The former Soviet republic's 40 million people defied expectations - and the Kremlin's best-laid plans - by repelling a much larger enemy and preventing outright defeat in the days and weeks after Russian tanks and soldiers rolled towards Kyiv. But as the war enters its third year, international aid and military supplies have slowed, impacting the battlefield…
Friday, 23 February 2024 04:44
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 140
Mideast cease-fire efforts gain steam as US envoy visits. Mediators report 'encouraging' signs International efforts to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appeared to gain new momentum Thursday as the White House said a visit by a senior envoy with Israeli leaders was “going well” and other mediators reported encouraging signs from the warring parties. The new signs of progress came ahead of an expected summit this weekend in Paris, where mediators plan to present a new proposal. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been struggling for weeks to find a formula that could halt Israel’s devastating offensive in…
Friday, 23 February 2024 04:43
What to know after Day 729 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia says it has taken Pobieda village in Donetsk region, Ukraine reports fighting Russian troops have taken the village of Pobieda in Ukraine's Donetsk region, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday, but the Ukrainian military said its forces were repelling dozens of attacks in the area. Pobieda is a village south of Maryinka, a town that has been all but levelled by months of clashes. Russia's defence ministry said it had taken Pobieda and improved its position in several other areas of the Donetsk region. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, in its evening report on…
Thursday, 22 February 2024 05:01
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 139
New attempts at Gaza cease-fire are underway, Israel's Gantz says New attempts are underway to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that could pause the war in Gaza, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet said late Wednesday. “Initial signs indicate a possibility of moving forward,” said Benny Gantz, a former military chief and defense minister. It’s the first Israeli indication of renewed cease-fire talks since negotiations stalled a week ago. However, Gantz repeated his pledge that unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, Israel will launch a ground offensive into the crowded southern city…
Thursday, 22 February 2024 04:59
What to know after Day 728 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine outnumbered, outgunned, ground down by relentless Russia As the Ukraine war enters its third year, the infantry of 59th Brigade are confronting a bleak reality: they're running out of soldiers and ammunition to resist their Russian invaders. One platoon commander who goes by his call sign "Tygr" estimated that just 60-70% of the several thousand men in the brigade at the start of the conflict were still serving. The rest had been killed, wounded or signed off for reasons such as old age or illness. Heavy casualties at the hands of Russian forces have been compounded by…
Wednesday, 21 February 2024 02:57
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 138
Food deliveries into northern Gaza are halted because of the war's chaos, increasing famine risk The World Food Program said Tuesday it has paused deliveries of food to isolated northern Gaza because of increasing chaos across the territory, hiking fears of potential starvation. A study by the U.N. children’s agency warned that one in six children in the north are acutely malnourished. Entry of aid trucks into the besieged territory has been more than halved in the past two weeks, according to U.N. figures. Overwhelmed U.N. and relief workers said intake of trucks and distribution have been crippled by Israeli…
Wednesday, 21 February 2024 02:55
What to know after Day 727 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Moscow reveals details on capture of Avdeevka The key Donbass town of Avdeevka has been liberated with minimal losses among Russian troops, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. While fleeing the town, Ukrainian forces left behind many wounded soldiers, military hardware and equipment, as well as heavily mined positions, the minister said. The president congratulated the minister on the success in Avdeevka, noting that the Ukrainian forces were forced to flee the heavily-fortified town, while their announced withdrawal was a purely political attempt to cover up the true position and portray it as…
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Tuesday, 20 February 2024 04:48
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 137
US pushes for UN to support temporary Gaza ceasefire, oppose Rafah assault The United States has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and opposing a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah, according to the text seen by Reuters. The move comes after the U.S. signalled it would veto on Tuesday an Algerian-drafted resolution — demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire — over concerns it could jeopardize talks between the U.S., Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release…
Tuesday, 20 February 2024 04:47
What to know after Day 726 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine has used US-made chemical weapons – Russia Washington and Kiev have violated articles of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) as Ukrainian forces have used illegal munitions on the battlefield, Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov has claimed. The head of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces provided several examples of Kiev’s alleged use of banned chemical weapons and non-lethal chemical agents that he said were obtained from the US. Kirillov claimed that Ukraine used drones to drop US-made gas grenades on December 28, 2023 containing “CS” compound – a chemical classified as a…
Monday, 19 February 2024 04:43
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 136
Israel vows to 'finish the job' in Gaza as War Cabinet member threatens a Ramadan deadline for Rafah Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday brushed off growing calls to halt the military offensive in Gaza, vowing to “finish the job” as a member of his War Cabinet threatened to invade the southern city of Rafah if remaining Israeli hostages are not freed by the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Israel’s government has not publicly discussed a timeline for a ground offensive on Rafah, where more than half the enclave’s 2.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge. Retired general Benny…
Monday, 19 February 2024 04:42
What to know after Day 725 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE NATO troops, disguised as mercenaries, control MLRS, air defense in Ukraine — top brass Military personnel from NATO countries, under the guise of mercenaries, operate air defense systems, multiple launch rocket systems, and tactical missile systems in Ukraine, Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy, chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff and First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, said in an interview with the Krasnaya Zvezdanewspaper. "NATO military personnel, under the guise of mercenaries, participate in hostilities. They control air defense systems, tactical missiles and multiple launch rocket systems, and are part of assault detachments,"…