China reaffirms its military threats against Taiwan weeks before the island’s presidential election
Taipei: Weeks before Taiwan holds elections for its president and legislature, China renewed its threat to use military force to annex the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory. Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Wu Qian on told reporters Thursday at a monthly briefing that China’s armed forces would “as always take all necessary […]
Israel launches heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza after widening its offensive
Rafah (Gaza Strip): Israel launched heavy strikes across central and southern Gaza overnight and into Wednesday after broadening its offensive against Hamas to more areas where the military had told Palestinians to seek shelter earlier in the war. Residents reported heavy bombing in the built-up Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, in the southern city […]
Students in Indonesia protest growing numbers of Rohingya refugees in Aceh province
Banda Aceh (Indonesia): Students in Indonesia’s Aceh province rallied on Wednesday demanding the government drive away Rohingya refugees arriving by boat in growing numbers as police named more suspects of human trafficking. Over 1,500 Rohingya, who fled violent attacks in Myanmar and now are leaving camps in neighbouring Bangladesh in search of better lives, have […]
Israeli forces bombard central Gaza in apparent move toward expanding ground offensive
Rafah (Gaza Strip): Israeli forces bombarded Palestinian refugee camps in central Gaza on Tuesday, residents said, in apparent preparation to expand their ground offensive into a third section of the besieged territory. The opening of a potential new battle zone points to the long and destructive road still ahead as Israel vows to crush Hamas […]
At least 140 villagers killed by suspected herders in dayslong attacks in north-central Nigeria
Abuja (Nigeria): At least 140 people were killed by gunmen who attacked remote villages over two days in north-central Nigeria’s Plateau state, survivors and officials said Tuesday in the latest of such mass killings this year blamed on the West African nation’s farmer-herder crisis. The assailants targeted 17 communities during the “senseless and unprovoked” attacks […]
Biden orders strike on Iranian-aligned group after 3 US troops injured in drone attack in Iraq
Washington: President Joe Biden ordered the US military to carry out retaliatory airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups after three US servicemembers were injured in a drone attack in northern Iraq. National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said one of the US troops suffered critical injuries in the attack that occurred earlier on Monday. The Iranian-backed […]
Egypt floats ambitious plan to end Israel-Hamas war and create transitional Palestinian government
Cairo: Egypt has put forward an ambitious, initial proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war with a cease-fire, a phased hostage release and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts who would administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat said on Monday. The proposal, worked out […]
At least 68 killed in central Gaza in airstrike, adding to weekend’s bloodshed
Deir Al-Balah: At least 68 people were killed by an Israeli strike in central Gaza, health officials said Sunday, while the number of Israeli soldiers killed in combat over the weekend rose to 15. Associated Press journalists at a nearby hospital watched frantic Palestinians carry the dead, including a baby, and wounded following the strike […]
A weekend of combat in Gaza kills 14 Israeli soldiers in a sign of Hamas’ entrenchment
Tel Aviv: Fourteen Israeli soldiers were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip over the weekend, the Israeli military said Sunday, in some of the bloodiest days of battle since the start of the ground offensive and a sign that Hamas is still putting up a fight despite weeks of brutal war. The mounting death […]
On Christmas Eve, Bethlehem resembles a ghost town; celebrations are halted due to Israel-Hamas war
Bethlehem (West Bank): The normally bustling biblical birthplace of Jesus resembled a ghost town on Sunday, as Christmas Eve celebrations in Bethlehem were called off due to the Israel-Hamas war. The festive lights and Christmas tree that normally decorate Manger Square were missing, as were the throngs of foreign tourists and jubilant youth marching bands […]
