Author: France 24

Issued on: 13/02/2024 – 11:38Modified: 13/02/2024 – 12:27 01:45 Catherine Norris Trent, February 13, 2024. © France 24 Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has hailed the rescue of two hostages yesterday as “a perfect operation”, and he went to meet with some of the Special Forces involved, FRANCE 24 Senior Reporter Catherine Norris Trent tells us from Jerusalem. “Here in Israel, it [the hostage rescue] was seen as a boost for morale [. . .] but it was accompanied by air support, which means air strikes, which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says killed some 67 people.” Read more…

Armenia said on Tuesday that four of its soldiers were killed by Azerbaijani fire along the heavily militarized border, the first fatal incident since they began negotiating a deal to end more than 30 years of intermittent war last year.  Issued on: 13/02/2024 – 12:06Modified: 13/02/2024 – 12:09 2 min Fatal exchanges have been common along the closed, roughly 1,000 km (621 mile) frontier since 1988 when Armenia and Azerbaijan first went to war over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but the situation had calmed amid peace talks in recent months.Tuesday’s incident was the biggest since hundreds died when Azerbaijan…

Russia has put Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on a wanted list, an official register showed Tuesday, as tensions soar between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Issued on: 13/02/2024 – 11:32 1 min Kallas’ name appeared on the Interior Ministry’s register of people wanted in connection with criminal charges. It didn’t specify what charges Kallas was facing.It is the first time the ministry has put a foreign leader on a wanted list. Kallas has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, spearheading efforts to increase military assistance to Kyiv and tighten sanctions against Russia.She also has angered Moscow by pushing for…

Brussels (AFP) – Soaring food costs, economic stagnation and deteriorating living standards risk pushing voters into the far right’s arms in European elections later this year, which could shake up the political agenda in Brussels. Issued on: 13/02/2024 – 08:03Modified: 13/02/2024 – 08:01 3 min EU citizens are reeling from multiple crises. Just as the European Union’s economy was recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022, forcing Europe to search for new energy sources.That scramble led to higher gas and electricity prices, hurting households and businesses.Amid the cost-of-living crisis, Europe’s far right has prospered, with the 2022…

A top Emirati diplomat on Monday defended her country’s decision to maintain ties with Israel despite its mounting concern over the war in Gaza. Issued on: 12/02/2024 – 15:59Modified: 12/02/2024 – 19:48 2 min The United Arab Emirates and Israel established diplomatic ties in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords, making it one of the few Arab countries to recognise Israel.Despite maintaining its ties with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the UAE has been at pains to express solidarity with Palestinians as anger mounted in the Arab world over the conflict.Speaking at the World Governments…

Back to homepage / Middle East Israel-Hamas war The US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar are expected to meet in Cairo on Tuesday to work on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas which would bring a six-week pause in the fighting. Speaking after talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House Monday, US President Joe Biden said: “A major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than 1 million people sheltering there”. Read our liveblog for the latest developments on the Israel-Hamas war. Issued on: 13/02/2024 – 05:51Modified:…

House Speaker Mike Johnson late Monday sharply criticised a $95.3 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other countries, casting serious doubts about the future of the package just as Senate leaders were slowly muscling it ahead in hopes of sending a message that the US remains committed to its allies.  The Republican speaker said the package lacked border security provisions, calling it “silent on the most pressing issue facing our country.” It was the latest — and potentially most consequential — sign of opposition to the Ukraine aid from conservatives who have for months demanded that border security policy be included…

French government officials on Monday accused Russia of operating a long-running online manipulation campaign against Ukraine’s Western backers in the lead up to the second anniversary of Moscow’s military invasion of its neighbour. Issued on: 13/02/2024 – 02:25 1 min  French foreign ministry officials said in a media briefing that Russia has stepped up efforts to manipulate information and spread deception, targeting Kyiv’s allies in the West, including Poland, Germany and France. They referred to messages on social media platforms such as X, formerly Twitter, and websites like Sputnik as “massive in scope” and “complex in structure.”The aim of Russia’s disinformation campaign…

Issued on: 12/02/2024 – 22:21Modified: 12/02/2024 – 22:43 08:43 South Africa’s goalkeeper Ronwen Williams repeatedly stunned football fans throughout AFCON, saving at one point four penalties in Bafana Bafana’s shootout against Cape Verde, and has been crowned Best Goalkeeper for his dazzling performance in Ivory Coast. A captain who credits his achievements to the strong bond that helped South Africa reach its biggest success since 2000. Read more on related topics: Source link

The governments of Poland, France and Germany vowed Monday to make Europe a security and defence power with a greater ability to back Ukraine, as fears grow that former US president Donald Trump might return to the White House and allow Russia to expand its aggression on the continent.  Issued on: 12/02/2024 – 22:37 4 min The foreign ministers of the three countries met in the Paris suburb of La Celle-Saint-Cloud to have talks about Ukraine, amid other issues. They discussed reviving the so-called Weimar Triangle, a long dormant regional grouping that was designed to promote cooperation between France, Germany…