Author: Daily Sabah With DPA

The European Union said on Monday that it will support reconstruction and resilience in the Palestinian Territories with €1.6 billion ($1.8 billion), to be dispensed over three years. “With this programme, the EU reiterates its unwavering support for the Palestinian people and its commitment to a lasting and sustainable peace based on the two-state solution,” a European Commission statement said. The funds will cover the period from 2025 to 2027 and are structured around three pillars, the statement said. Of the total, €620 million in direct assistance grants will be paid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) for its urgent needs…

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly criticized the Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City and called for the protection of health care facilities. The emergency room, laboratory, X-ray machines and the pharmacy have been destroyed, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Sunday, citing the hospital director. He said 50 patients had been moved to other hospitals, but 40 critically ill patients could not be transferred, adding that the hospital cannot accept new patients without repairs. The director of the al-Ahli Hospital said a child had died because its treatment…

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly criticized the Israeli airstrike on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City and called for the protection of health care facilities. The emergency room, laboratory, X-ray machines and the pharmacy have been destroyed, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X on Sunday, citing the hospital director. He said 50 patients had been moved to other hospitals, but 40 critically ill patients could not be transferred, adding that the hospital cannot accept new patients without repairs. The director of the al-Ahli Hospital said a child had died because its treatment…

The EU has suspended the application of planned special tariffs on US products in the trade conflict with Washington until July 14. The EU published a notice in the EU Official Journal, implementing an announcement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Von der Leyen announced last week that the measure, which was earlier planned for mid-April, would be suspended for around three months. The postponement is a reaction to the actions of US President Donald Trump, who, after major turbulence on the stock and financial markets, had unexpectedly decided to grant many countries a 90-day break from certain…

Bitcoin briefly went above the $85,000 mark over the weekend, but slipped back below $84,000 by Sunday afternoon. Tariff uncertainty had pushed the price of a Bitcoin below $75,000 a week ago. Timo Emden of Germany’s Emden Research attributed the gains to Washington’s climbdown on some of the tariffs that sparked market turmoil this month. On Saturday, the US government announced exemptions from special tariffs on smartphones, laptops and other key electronics from several countries, including China. Emden said the move has raised hopes that the trade conflict may have peaked. “The US’ continued retreat from its previous trade stance…

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned a Russian missile attack that killed more than 30 people in the Ukrainian city of Sumy on Sunday. The prime minister said he was “appalled” by the attack, which saw two ballistic missiles strike Sumy as residents gathered on the morning of Palm Sunday. Ukrainian emergency services said at least 32 people had been killed in the attack, including two children, while 84 had been injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media that “only filthy scum can act like this – taking the lives of ordinary people.” Starmer said: “This latest…

At least 32 people, including two children, were killed by a Russian missile strike on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy as they were headed to church on Palm Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram. The strike also left at least 84 people injured, including eight children, according to the police. Many injured were in the street, with others in cars, on public transport and inside residential buildings, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram. Images showed lifeless bodies on the streets, burning vehicles and widespread destruction. City authorities announced that a crisis team had been set up…

French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned a Russian missile strike on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed at least 31 people, including two children on Sunday morning. The attack caused “numerous civilian casualties, including children,” Macron wrote Sunday on X. “Everyone knows that Russia, alone, wanted this war. Today, it is clear that Russia, alone, is choosing to continue it.” Macron accused Moscow of pursuing the conflict with disregard for human life, international law and diplomatic efforts, including recent initiatives led by US President Donald Trump. “Strong measures are needed to impose a ceasefire on Russia. France is…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has condemned a Russian missile attack on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy that killed at least 32 people on Sunday, calling it a “barbaric attack.” “The images from the city centre of Sumy, where Russian missiles killed innocent civilians on Palm Sunday, are horrific. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and the injured,” Scholz said in a statement on X. He added that such attacks underscore the lack of sincerity behind Russia’s claimed willingness to seek peace with Ukraine. “Instead, we are seeing Russia continue its war of aggression against Ukraine with…

NATO is concerned that Russia could soon deploy nuclear weapons in space, according to a report in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that was released on Saturday. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told the newspaper that NATO is aware that Russia is considering putting nuclear weapons into space. He called Moscow’s current capabilities in space out of date and not comparable to those of the West. That’s why, Rutte said, developing nuclear weapons in space could allow Russia to improve its capabilities, which he said is of deep concern. These so-called anti-satellite weapons are not directed at Earth but at…