Posts by Riah Stelmack
Thousands demonstrate near Knesset for hostage release
Thousands of mainly women in Israel blocked an access road to the Israeli parliament or Knesset as they demonstrated on Friday for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to a story in the Jerusalem Post. There have been weekly demonstrations demanding the hostages be released, but these normally occur…
Read MoreUkraine sends new forces to the front, Zelensky suggests NATO shield
Fresh Ukrainian troops are being redeployed to the heavily threatened front-line regions of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, while Ukraine’s president said he could agree to a ceasefire if NATO agrees to protect areas under Ukrainian control. The new deployments are in response to the Russian advance in eastern Ukraine, Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on…
Read MorePalestinian reports: Some 120 killed in Gaza; W Bank gunman wounds 4
At least 120 people have been killed in Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip since Thursday night, according to Palestinian reports on Friday. Palestinian medics told dpa that about 25 people were killed in northern Gaza, with an additional 20 fatalities reported in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central region. Civil defence sources…
Read MoreZelensky suggests ‘hot phase’ of war could end if unoccupied Ukraine comes under Nato
President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested that the parts of Ukraine under his control should be taken “under the Nato umbrella” to try and stop the “hot phase” of the war. In a long, wide-ranging interview on Sky News, the Ukrainian president was asked whether he would accept Nato membership, but only on the territory which…
Read MoreMexico’s congress votes to charge cruise ship passengers $42 per head for port calls
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Cruise ship industry players are up in arms after the lower house of Mexico’s Congress voted this week to charge a $42 immigration levy for every passenger on cruise ships that dock in Mexico. Two-thirds of the money raised, moreover, would go to the Mexican army, not to improve port facilities.…
Read MoreHezbollah leader vows to implement ceasefire with Israel in Lebanon
The leader of the Lebanese militant Islamist movement Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, has said his group plans “high-level coordination” with the Lebanese army to implement a ceasefire deal with Israel that began on Wednesday. “Coordination between the resistance and the Lebanese army will be of a high level to implement obligations of the agreement,” Qassem said…
Read MoreAt least 120 killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip
At least 120 people have been killed in Israeli military attacks in the Gaza Strip since Thursday night, according to Palestinian reports on Friday. The Israeli military, when contacted, stated that it requires the precise geographic coordinates of the attacks to comment further, though such details are rarely available due to the widespread destruction. The…
Read MoreSeveral injured in attack on a bus near West Bank settlement
Several people have been injured after a gunman opened fire on a bus near an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Three people were seriously injured by gunfire and another person suffered moderate injuries, the Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom reported on Friday. Other people were injured by broken glass, it said. The alleged…
Read MoreRussia condems advances by Syrian rebels around Aleppo
Russia, a close supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has condemned the unexpected advance of anti-government Islamist rebels on the city of Aleppo as an attack on Syria’s sovereignty. “Of course this is an encroachment on Syria’s sovereignty in this region,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in Moscow. However, his words suggested that Moscow did…
Read MoreIsrael warns against returning to 60 Lebanon villages
The Israeli military has warned Lebanese citizens not to return to 60 villages in the south of the country, three days into a ceasefire after more than a year of fighting with the Shia armed group Hezbollah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) published a map showing a swathe of territory several miles deep, which it…
Read MoreBrussels vets countries’ compliance with EU fiscal rules
This week, the European Commission assessed the multiannual spending plans of the 21 member states who submitted them – giving passing grades to 20 and failing one. The passing countries: Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. However, the…
Read MoreDeath toll in Uganda landslides rises to 20 as search for more casualties presses on
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — More bodies buried under the mud were retrieved in eastern Uganda on Friday and an injured person died in a hospital, bringing the death toll from this week’s landslides to 20, officials said as search efforts pressed on in the stricken area. Heavy rains had triggered the landslides that engulfed six…
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