Author: AFP
Ukraine’s military said on Tuesday it shot down 76 out of a record high of 188 drones launched by Russia overnight. The air force said it lost track of 96 of the drones, likely due to active electronic warfare, and five drones headed towards Belarus.
Russia on Tuesday banned a string of Britain’s cabinet ministers from entering the country in response to what it called London’s “Russophobic” policies. Among those it was targeting included Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, interior minister Yvette Cooper and more than a dozen other senior politicians in the new Labour government.
G7 foreign ministers said Tuesday they “will comply with our respective obligations” regarding the arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Group of Seven industrialised nations brings together Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, host Italy and the United States. “We reiterate our commitment to International Humanitarian Law and will comply with our respective obligations,” the ministers said in a joint statement issued following two days of talks near Rome. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu last week, prompting outrage from Israel and its allies — including the US, which…
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon were “in the final stages”, and added that a deal could help end the Gaza conflict. “We’re not there yet, but I believe we are in the final stages,” Blinken told reporters after a meeting near Rome with G7 counterparts, adding that “by de-escalating tensions in the region, it can also help us to end the conflict in Gaza”.
Israel’s military said Tuesday at least 20 projectiles had been identified crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel, as the security cabinet met to discuss a potential ceasefire with Hezbollah. “Following the sirens that sounded between 17:26 (1526 GMT) and 17:35 in the Western Galilee area, approximately 10 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon,” the army said in a statement, adding that some were intercepted. It also said that in a separate incident, a “suspicious aerial target was identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory”, but that no injuries were reported. Earlier, the military said it had identified another 10 projectiles…
Parliament has made significant strides in digitizing and providing remote access to its vast collection of parliamentary archives, with nearly 30 million documents cataloged, and 12 million of them already digitized. This achievement comes as part of the ongoing “Paperless Parliament Project,” which has earned Parliament a first-place award at the Turkish Informatics Awards. Under the leadership of Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, the initiative has now advanced with the launch of the “Digital Parliament Project,” further accelerating the transition to digital. The newly developed Archive Management System software enables easy access to all archived documents through a single portal, making…
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday he was “optimistic” for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, as Middle East tensions dominated a G7 meeting near Rome. The Group of Seven foreign ministers also discussed the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas military chief. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attended the talks in the towns of Fiuggi and Anagni with ministers from Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Japan and host Italy. “I am optimistic about Lebanon,” Tajani told a press conference as international efforts for a ceasefire intensify — even if it…
UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon expressed worry Monday over deadly strikes on Lebanese soldiers, which Beirut blames on Israel, despite the army staying out of the war between Hezbollah and Israel. “UNIFIL is seriously concerned by numerous strikes on the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) inside the Lebanese territories,” the peacekeepers said in a statement, using the acronym for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The army has reported 19 members killed while on active duty. The army’s “role remains vital for the full implementation of Resolution 1701 (2006), which is essential to ending the ongoing violence between Hizbullah and…
With an intensive Israeli military operation in Gaza’s besieged north in its 50th day, remaining residents are left “scavenging among the rubble” for food, UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Wateridge told AFP. The Israeli army announced it would intensify operations in the ravaged north of the territory on October 6, with troops encircling the northern city of Jabalia and adjacent areas at the time. Speaking to AFP from Gaza City, where many of the north’s residents have fled since the operation began, Wateridge gave insights gleaned from speaking to displaced Palestinians and colleagues from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. She said…
A senior UN official on Monday called on all parties involved in the conflict in Lebanon to “accept a ceasefire,” as new Israeli strikes targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. The violence follows top European Union diplomat Josep Borrell calling for an immediate ceasefire on Sunday and after a US envoy said last week that a deal was within grasp. “The situation remains grave across the region,” senior envoy Muhannad Hadi told the Security Council on behalf of UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland. “Israeli military operations continued across the Blue Line with Lebanon, as did the firing of…