Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters
More than $50 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and the West Bank after the 15-month Israeli war on Gaza, according to an assessment released by the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank on Tuesday. The Interim Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment said that $53.2 billion is needed for recovery and reconstruction over the next ten years, with $20 billion needed in the first three.
A lasting settlement in Ukraine is “impossible” without addressing the wider issue of European security, the Kremlin said Tuesday, as the US and Russia held the first high-level talks since Moscow’s offensive against Kyiv. Before launching its offensive in February 2022, Moscow had asked NATO to pull out of central and eastern Europe. “A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, responding to a question by AFP. He also said Moscow would not stop Ukraine from joining the European Union repeated that it remained opposed…
China condemned tariffs launched or threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump at a World Trade Organization meeting on Tuesday, warning that such “tariff shocks” threaten to upend the global trading system and could risk a global recession. Trump has announced sweeping 10% tariffs on all Chinese imports, prompting Beijing to respond with retaliatory tariffs and to file a WTO dispute against Washington in what could be an early test of Trump’s stance towards the institution. “These ‘Tariff Shocks’ heighten economic uncertainty, disrupt global trade, and risk domestic inflation, market distortion, or even global recession,” China’s ambassador to the WTO Li…
Pope Francis has shown the onset of bilaterial pneumonia and his respiratory infection “continues to present a complex picture”, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The 88-year-old pontiff has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14.
Lebanon will consider any remaining Israeli presence on its lands an occupation and has the right to use any means to ensure an Israeli withdrawal, a spokesperson for the Lebanese presidency said on Tuesday. Tuesday marks the latest deadline for a withdrawal of Israeli troops under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted last year’s war with Hezbollah. Under the November truce, Israeli troops were granted 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon where they had waged a ground offensive against fighters from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since early October. That deadline was extended to February 18, but Israeli and Lebanese officials…
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed plans for Gaza during a meeting on Monday, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. Rubio is visiting the Middle East after President Donald Trump infuriated the Arab world with a proposal for the Palestinian residents of the war-torn strip to be resettled in other Arab nations and for the U.S. to lead reconstruction of the enclave. “The Secretary underscored the importance of an arrangement for Gaza that contributes to regional security,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout of the meeting between Rubio and…
Palestinian medic and ambulance worker Tarek Rabie Safi, freed from an Israeli jail as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, said he was underfed and abused during almost a year in captivity. Safi, a 39-year-old father of two, was released along with 368 other Palestinian detainees on Saturday, after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages from Gaza. Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages have both complained of harsh treatment in the hands of their captors. “I was held by the Israeli army in the Gaza ‘envelop’, which is Sde Teiman where I stayed for four months (and I was…
A Russian court has fined Alphabet’s Google 3.8 million roubles ($41,530) for hosting content on YouTube that included videos instructing Russian soldiers how to surrender, Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Monday. Russia has for several years ordered foreign technology platforms to remove content it deems illegal, such as what it calls “fakes” about the war in Ukraine, issuing small but persistent fines when it sees failures to comply. Google did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Critics accuse the Russian authorities of deliberately disrupting YouTube’s download speeds to prevent Russians from viewing content on it which…
Pope Francis, who is being treated for a respiratory infection, had a peaceful night, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Monday, citing sources close to the hospital. The pontiff, 88, has been suffering from bronchitis for more than a week and was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday morning. The Vatican said on Saturday that the Pope would remain in hospital for as long as his treatment required. Francis is not expected to be discharged until the middle of the week, according to ANSA The Pope was unable to deliver his regular prayer to pilgrims in St Peter’s Square…
The European Union must be involved in negotiations with Russia over the end of the Ukraine war in order to map out Europe’s ‘future security architecture’, EU Council President Antonio Costa told the Financial Times in an interview published on Monday.