Author: AFP

The administration of US President Joe Biden has notified Congress of an $8 billion arms sale to Israel, a source familiar with the plan said on Saturday. “The department has informally notified Congress of an $8 billion proposed sale of munitions to support Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities,” the official said.

Joe Biden on Saturday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 19 honorees, bestowing the highest civilian honor in the United States on entertainers, sports stars, activists and diplomats including Jane Goodall and Hillary Clinton. Among those receiving honors from the outgoing US president were singer and activist Bono, basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, longtime Vogue editor Anna Wintour, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, actors Denzel Washington and Michael J. Fox, and fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Posthumous recipients included Fannie Lou Hamer, a Black civil rights activist. In a White House ceremony, Biden praised the group of “truly extraordinary people who…

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon accused Israel Saturday of a “flagrant violation” of the 2006 Security Council resolution that forms the basis of its November ceasefire with Hezbollah. The statement from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came as Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned the militant group’s patience with Israeli violations could run out before the end of the ceasefire’s 60-day implementation timeframe. The fragile truce, which took effect on November 27, has been marked by mutual accusations of violations from both sides. “This morning, peacekeepers observed an (Israeli military) bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the line…

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed on Saturday that indirect negotiations with Hamas have resumed in Qatar for the release of hostages seized in the October 2023 attacks. The minister told relatives of one of the hostages, woman soldier Liri Albag, that “efforts are under way to free the hostages, notably the Israeli delegation which left yesterday (Friday) for negotiations in Qatar”, his office said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Elon Musk’s “erratic” comments and his open support for the extreme-right AfD party in an interview published Saturday. The world’s wealthiest man — who owns social media platform X — has in a string of posts attacked several European leaders and ruffled feathers on the continent. Asked about interference by Musk — who last month called Scholz an “incompetent fool” before calling the German president an “anti-democratic tyrant”, the chancellor told Stern magazine it was important “to keep calm” ahead of Germany’s snap elections on February 23. “In Germany, everything is proceeding according to the…

Russia said on Saturday it had shot down eight US-supplied ATACMS missiles, whose use Moscow has warned could spark a hypersonic ballistic missile attack on central Kyiv. “Air defence systems downed eight ATACMS US-made missiles and 72 drones,” the Russian defence forces told news agencies without specifying whether there were any casualties or damage.

The United States’ top government doctor on Friday called for health warnings on alcoholic drinks to highlight that they cause cancer and urged a reassessment of daily consumption limits due to the risks. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said that the connection between alcohol and cancer has been known since the 1980s, with mounting evidence reinforcing the dangers. Yet, mandatory warning labels fail to address the health threat. “Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer, responsible for about 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States,” Murthy said in a statement, emphasizing that this toll exceeds…

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has cancelled her travel plans until mid-January because of a “severe” case of pneumonia, her office said Friday. The German politician, 66, is carrying out her duties from her home city of Hanover and remains in close contact with her team, a spokesman for the commission said. “The president has cancelled her external engagements for the first two weeks of January. She is dealing with a severe pneumonia,” the spokesman said. Among the events that von der Leyen, who has led the commission since 2019, had to call off were a speech in…

Donald Trump doubled down Thursday on linking the deadly New Orleans truck-ramming attack to President Joe Biden’s border policies, even though the attacker was identified as a US citizen and military veteran. The Republican, hours after the attack early Wednesday morning, claimed to have been vindicated in saying on the campaign trail that “criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in the country.” Law enforcement later identified Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan, as the driver of the pickup truck who plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing 15. Biden described the attack as “despicable,”…

Donald Trump doubled down Thursday on linking the deadly New Orleans truck-ramming attack to President Joe Biden’s border policies, even though the attacker was identified as a US citizen and military veteran. The Republican, hours after the attack early Wednesday morning, claimed to have been vindicated in saying on the campaign trail that “criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in the country.” Law enforcement later identified Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old Texan, as the driver of the pickup truck who plowed into a crowd of New Year’s revelers, killing 15. Biden described the attack as “despicable,”…