Author: ALJAZEERA

Latest pressure campaign comes as US says peace plan cannot move forward if Red Sea attacks persist, Bloomberg reports.The United States and its allies are increasingly seeking to block funds from reaching Yemen’s Houthi group, a push that could jeapordise United Nations-led efforts to end the civil war in the country, Bloomberg News has reported. According to the report published on Thursday, Washington is looking to block major parts of a UN peace plan that the warring parties in Yemen adopted in December unless the Houthis cease their attacks on international shipping lanes. That includes $1.5bn to be paid by…

Biden administration imposes penalties on West Bank-based Lions’ Den, accusing it of threatening ‘peace and stability’.Washington, DC – The United States has imposed sanctions on a Palestinian group in the occupied West Bank based on a White House executive order previously used to penalise violent Israeli settlers. The US on Thursday targeted the Lions’ Den, an armed group that emerged out of Nablus in 2022 and has claimed several attacks against Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank. “The United States condemns any and all acts of violence committed in the West Bank, whoever the perpetrators, and we will use…

Tens of thousands of mostly young, right-wing Israelis marched through occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City on Wednesday, brandishing Israeli flags and anti-Palestinian slogans at the people living in the Muslim Quarter. The Old City was braced for the violence it has sadly become accustomed to during past marches, when marchers have physically attacked people, including Palestinian market-goers and journalists, in an attempt to enforce what they perceive as Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory. But this year, standing in the way of the far-right marchers in an effort to protect innocent bystanders were around 60 activists of the Jewish-Palestinian…

Exit poll projections of big wins by Modi’s alliance sent stock markets surging a day before votes were counted.Opposition Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has demanded a parliamentary investigation into sharp stock market moves towards the end of the just-ended national elections, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave misleading investment advice. Gandhi made his comments on Thursday. Modi’s alliance won the vote with a surprisingly slim majority, well below the landslide forecast by the weekend exit polls. Projections made by Saturday’s exit polls sent stock markets surging on Monday with the NSE Nifty 50 and S&P BSE Sensex…

The Yemeni group says military operations launched jointly with Iraqi groups, but Israel denies attacks.Yemen’s Houthis have launched two joint military operations with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq against ships at Israel’s Haifa port, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree says in a televised speech. “The first targeted two ships carrying military equipment in the port of Haifa while the second targeted a ship that violated the decision to ban entry to the port,” Saree said on Thursday. “The two operations were carried out with a number of [drones], and the strikes … were accurate.” The Israeli military was quick…

Madrid, Spain – After Spain recognised Palestinian statehood, Pedro Sanchez met with his Palestinian counterpart, Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, and leading officials from several Middle Eastern countries in Madrid. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Jordan were among the group that later posed for a photo on the steps of the Moncloa Palace in the Spanish capital. “On behalf of President [Mahmoud] Abbas and the government of Palestine, the people of Palestine, we warmly welcome Spain’s recognition of the state…

Wad Madani Resistance Committees has shared photos of ‘mass grave’, claims army did not heed villagers’ calls for help.An attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in central Sudan has killed “up to 100” people, according to local pro-democracy activists. The Wad Madani Resistance Committees reported on social media late on Wednesday that the RSF, which has been at war with the regular army for more than a year, attacked the village of Wad al-Noura in Gezira state “in two waves”, deploying heavy artillery. The committees shared photos of dozens of bodies wrapped for burial in what they…

An Israeli air attack on a UN-run school sheltering displaced Palestinians in central Gaza’s Nuseirat camp killed at least 40 people, mainly women and children, according to local government officials. The raid on Thursday came after the military announced a new ground and air assault in several refugee camps in central Gaza. The Palestinian news agency Wafa said thousands of displaced Palestinians were sheltering at al-Sardi school, which is linked to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), when it came under attack. Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, condemned the predawn attack as a “horrible massacre”.  …

Truong My Lan accused of illegally transferring $4.5bn in latest development in country’s biggest-ever fraud case.A Vietnamese real estate tycoon sentenced to death for her role in the country’s biggest-ever fraud case is facing new charges for crimes including money laundering. Truong My Lan, the head of developer Van Thinh Phat, was found by police to have illegally transferred some $4.5 bn in and out of the country, state media said on Thursday. The Ministry of Public Security recommended that Lan be prosecuted for money laundering, fraudulent appropriation of property, and illegal transport of currency, the state-run Thanh Nien newspaper…

Brussels, Belgium – Elections for the European Parliament traditionally focus on issues such as the cost of living, farm policies, climate change and the European Union’s migration policy. But as the continent prepared for this week’s critical votes, a new topic surged to the forefront – Palestine. How EU politicians are addressing Israel’s war on Gaza, violence in the occupied West Bank and the future of Palestine has become a central theme driving political discourse and voters’ choices in the 27-nation bloc. “Personally, I perceive it [Palestine] as a crucial factor that allows voters to see the true colours of…