WARS
Tuesday, 07 November 2023 04:53
What to know after Day 621 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine's Zelenskiy dismisses talk of wartime election as irresponsible Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed as irresponsible any notion of holding an election in wartime as talks have heated up recently whether Kyiv should be voting when under Russia's assault. Calling for unity to avoid pointless political discussion, Zelenskiy's comments appeared to rule out any suggestion Ukraine should hold a vote to demonstrate its democratic credentials remain in good order. While the martial law declared in the country at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 prohibits authorities from holding elections, there has been increased debate at…
Monday, 06 November 2023 04:45
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 31
Gaza has lost telecom contact again, while Israel's military says it has surrounded Gaza City Gaza lost communications Sunday in its third total outage of the Israel-Hamas war, while Israel’s military said it encircled Gaza City and divided the besieged coastal strip into two. “Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters, calling it a “significant stage” in Israel’s war against the Hamas militant group ruling the enclave. Israeli media reported troops were expected to enter Gaza City within 48 hours. Strong explosions were seen in northern Gaza after nightfall. The “collapse in connectivity”…
Monday, 06 November 2023 04:44
What to know after Day 620 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Five injured, arts museum damaged in Russian strikes on Odesa, Ukraine officials say Five people were injured in Odesa and one of the city's principal art galleries was damaged in Russian strikes late on Sunday, Ukrainian officials in the Black Sea port said. "On November 6, the Odesa National Art Museum turns 124 years old," Oleh Kiper, governor of the Odesa region, of which the Odesa city is the administrative centre, said on the Telegram messaging app. "On the eve of November 6, the Russians 'congratulated' our architectural monument with a missile that hit nearby." The walls of…
Sunday, 05 November 2023 04:37
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 30
US and Arab partners disagree on the need for a cease-fire as Israeli airstrikes kill more civilians The United States and Arab partners disagreed Saturday on the need for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as Israeli military strikes killed civilians at a U.N. shelter and a hospital, and Israel said the besieged enclave’s Hamas rulers were “encountering the full force” of its troops. Large columns of smoke rose as Israel’s military said it had encircled Gaza City, the initial target of its offensive to crush Hamas. Gaza’s Health Ministry has said more than 9,400 Palestinians have been killed…
Sunday, 05 November 2023 04:36
What to know after Day 619 of Russia-Ukraine war
RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE We won’t talk to Russia – Zelensky Ukraine is not willing to hold any talks with Russia, President Vladimir Zelensky said on Saturday during a joint press conference with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He also denied recent media reports that Kiev’s Western backers are pushing it to engage in negotiations. “Now, none of the EU, US leaders, our partners are putting pressure on us in terms of sitting down [at the negotiating table] with Russia, talking to it or surrendering something to it,” he told journalists. “This is not going to happen,” he added. Zelensky…
Saturday, 04 November 2023 04:51
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 29
Israel resists US pressure to pause the war to allow more aid to Gaza, wants hostages back first Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday pushed back against growing U.S. pressure for a “humanitarian pause” in the nearly month-old war to protect civilians and allow more aid into Gaza, insisting there would be no temporary cease-fire until the roughly 240 hostages held by Hamas are released. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his third trip to Israel since the war began, reiterating American support for Israel’s campaign to crush Hamas after its brutal Oct. 7 attack in Israel. He…
Saturday, 04 November 2023 04:49
What to know after Day 618 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukrainian troops battle exhaustion as war drags into second winter Istoryk, a 26-year-old soldier in eastern Ukraine, finally managed to fall asleep one morning, exhausted from the relentless battles against Russian forces in the pinewood forests near Kreminna. His rest was cut short just an hour later when a fresh firefight broke out, forcing the senior combat medic back into action in a fierce and lengthy exchange. "We had a firefight for over 20 hours," said Istoryk, identified by his military call sign. "Non-stop fighting, assaults, evacuations, and you know, I managed it," he told a Reuters reporter…
Friday, 03 November 2023 04:49
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 28
Pressure rises on Israel to pause fighting and ease siege as battles intensify near Gaza City Israeli troops battling Hamas militants encircled Gaza City on Thursday, the military said, as the Palestinian death toll rose above 9,000. U.S. and Arab leaders raised pressure on Israel to ease its siege of Gaza and at least briefly halt its attacks in order to aid civilians. Nearly four weeks after Hamas’ deadly rampage in Israel sparked the war, U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading to the region for talks Friday in Israel and Jordan following President Joe Biden’s suggestion for a…
Friday, 03 November 2023 04:48
What to know after Day 617 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE US imposes sweeping new sanctions targeting Russia over war in Ukraine The United States on Thursday imposed sweeping new measures against Moscow over the war in Ukraine, targeting Russia's future energy capabilities, sanctions evasion and a suicide drone that has been a menace to Ukrainian troops and equipment, among others, in sanctions on hundreds of people and entities. The latest measures target a major entity involved in the development, operation and ownership of a massive project in Siberia known as Arctic-2 LNG, the State Department said in a statement. The project expected to ship chilled natural gas, known…
Thursday, 02 November 2023 04:50
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 27
After weeks in besieged Gaza, some foreign nationals and wounded Palestinians are allowed to leave Israeli ground troops have advanced to “the gates of Gaza City” in heavy fighting with militants, the military said Wednesday, as hundreds of foreign nationals and dozens of seriously injured Palestinians were allowed to leave Gaza after more than three weeks under siege. The news came as U.S. President Joe Biden called for a humanitarian “pause” in the fighting. Biden was speaking at a Minneapolis campaign fundraiser when a protester interrupted him, calling for a cease-fire. “I think we need a pause,” Biden responded. White…
More...
Thursday, 02 November 2023 04:49
What to know after Day 616 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine must innovate as war moves to static, attritional phase -army chief Ukraine's war with Russia is moving towards a new stage of static and attritional fighting, a phase that could allow Moscow to rebuild its military power, Ukraine's commander-in-chief has said. In an article for The Economist published on Wednesday, General Valery Zaluzhnyi said his army needed key new military capabilities and technological innovation to break out of the new phase of the war, now in its 21st month. Using stark language, he described risks of prolonged, attritional fighting: "This will benefit Russia, allowing it to rebuild…
Wednesday, 01 November 2023 04:36
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 26
Israeli airstrikes crush apartments in Gaza refugee camp, as ground troops battle Hamas militants A barrage of Israeli airstrikes leveled apartment buildings in a refugee camp near Gaza City on Tuesday, with rescuers clawing through the destruction to pull men, women and children from the rubble. Israel said the strike, which targeted a senior Hamas military leader, destroyed a militant command center and an underground tunnel network. The toll from the attack in the Jabaliya camp was not immediately known. The director of the nearby hospital where casualties were taken, Atef Al-Kahlot, said hundreds of people were wounded or killed,…
Wednesday, 01 November 2023 04:35
What to know after Day 615 of Russia-Ukraine war
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Don't expect instant success, Ukraine's Zelenskiy warns as he rallies his troops Ukraine's attacks on the Russian Navy in the Black Sea have crippled Moscow's war efforts, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, seeking to rally his troops even as the outside world expects instant successes. Despite Kyiv's gruelling months-long offensive, the vast frontline in Ukraine's east and south has moved little in the past year, spurring criticism and impatience among some of Ukraine's Western allies. "We live in a world that gets used to success too quickly. When the full-scale invasion began, many people around the world…
Tuesday, 31 October 2023 05:33
Here’s the latest as Israel-Hamas war enters Day 25
Israel pushes deeper into Gaza and frees Hamas captive; Netanyahu rejects calls for cease-fire Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into Gaza on Monday, advancing in tanks and other armored vehicles on the territory’s main city and freeing a soldier held captive by Hamas militants. The Israeli prime minister rejected calls for a cease-fire as airstrikes landed near hospitals where thousands of Palestinians are sheltering beside the wounded. The military said a soldier captured during Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 incursion was rescued in Gaza — the first rescue since the weekslong war began. Military officials provided few details but said in…