Category: International Conflict
Israeli jets attack military airfield in southern Syria — TV
On March 10, Israeli planes attacked the area of the 89th artillery regiment of the former Syrian army in the southern province of Deraa
Trump says imposing 50-percent tariffs on Canadian steel, aluminium
President Donald Trump says increased tariffs come in response to Ontario’s surcharge on electricity exports to US. US President Donald Trump has announced he will double planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium imports to 50 percent, escalating a trade war with the United States’s northern neighbour. In a social media post on Tuesday morning, Trump said the increased tariffs come in response to a decision by the province of Ontario to put a 25-percent surcharge on electricity exports to…
US has suspended all military aid to Ukraine, White House official says, in wake of Trump-Zelenskyy row
The Trump administration has suspended delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine, a White House official has said, blocking billions in crucial shipments as the White House piles pressure on Ukraine to sue for peace with Vladimir Putin. The decision affects deliveries of ammunition, vehicles, and other equipment including shipments agreed to when Joe Biden was president. It comes after a dramatic blow-up in the White House on Friday during which Donald Trump told Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he was…
Trump’s ‘bald power grab’ could set US on path to dictatorship, critics fear
Unusually for him, Donald Trump made no great fuss as he signed one drily worded executive order last Tuesday. Public attention was distracted that day – by the headline-grabbing drama of Elon Musk bludgeoning his way through the federal bureaucracy, by immigrants deported to Guantánamo Bay, and by the torrent of other directives Trump has issued since his inauguration last month. But Trump’s 69th executive order of his second presidency, under the deceptive title of “Ensuring accountability for all agencies”,…
Trump, Vance engage in brutal ‘schoolyard bully’ attacks on Zelensky, on TV
Video: Trump and Vance teamed up to goad Zelenskyy into a feud in the Oval Office. But it was Vance that snaked his way in first, riling up the Ukrainian president by telling him that he was leading “propaganda tours” of the destruction wrought by Russia’s invasion.
Car plows into crowd in Israel, injuring 14
/TASS/. A car rammed into pedestrians in Israel, leaving 14 people injured, the Ynet news website reported. The incident happened at a bus stop outside the city of Pardes Hanna. One of the casualties, a 17-year-old girl, is in critical condition. Two more people are in serious condition and another person in medium-severity condition. The others suffered light injuries. The police classified the incident as a terrorist attack. According to the police, the driver of the car that plowed into…
Israel’s refusal to withdraw from Philadelphia Corridor violates deal -Hamas
CAIRO, February 27. /TASS/. Israel’s unwillingness to leave a section on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt – the so-called Philadelphia Corridor – violates the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, said the Palestinian movement Hamas demanding that the mediators force Israel “to fulfill all the terms of the deal.” “The statements that Israel plans to turn the border between Gaza and Egypt into a buffer zone represent a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement and an attempt to create…
Seized, settled, let: how Airbnb and Booking.com help Israelis make money from stolen Palestinian land
The villa is stunning. The private swimming pool; the lush, landscaped terrace with firepit; the long dining table with its expansive balcony view; the pingpong table; the piano. But the jewel in the crown, according to the Airbnb listing, is the experience of watching the sun rise over the nearby mountains from the luxury of the generous master bedroom. The villa with views of the Judean mountains is in a settlement located on land seized from Palestinians and considered illegal…
Putin advises Gazprombank to partner with Musk
MOSCOW, February 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Deputy CEO of Gazprombank Dmitry Zauers that the company should partner with billionaire entrepreneur and the current head of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk to develop technology. Zauers told the Russian President about domestically-produced batteries used in aerospace applications and neurochips. They are “our answer to Elon Musk,” the banker said, as the US businessman is himself a giant in these industries. “Join forces with Musk,” Putin said….
Hungary suggests European liberals step aside, let Russia, US negotiate peace — Szijjarto
BUDAPEST, February 21. /TASS/. Hungary suggests that European liberals stand down and let Russia and the United States negotiate a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine, said Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. “We consider any proposal that could interfere with the upcoming US-Russian agreement to be extremely harmful. We consider any proposal that goes against peace efforts to be harmful and dangerous, and that is why we urge the wailing and shouting European liberals to step aside and let…
Israeli Freight Forwarder Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Violating Export Restrictions Imposed on Russia
Gal Haimovich, 49, of Israel, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiracy to illegally ship aircraft parts and avionics from U.S. manufacturers and suppliers to Russia, including for the benefit of sanctioned Russian airline companies. In addition, Haimovich paid the full forfeiture amount of $2,024,435.44 at today’s sentencing. As part of his plea agreement, Haimovich admitted that his scheme involved deceiving U.S. companies about the true destination of the goods at…
EU Slaps Fresh Sanctions on Russia, Targeting Aluminum and ‘Shadow Fleet’ Ships
EU countries have agreed on a new round of sanctions against Russia, diplomats said Wednesday, as the bloc looks to maintain pressure on Moscow ahead of the third anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The wide-ranging package, which includes a ban on imports of Russian aluminum, will be formally adopted by EU foreign ministers on Monday. “The EU is clamping down even harder on circumvention by targeting more vessels in Putin’s shadow fleet and imposing new import and export…
Tens of thousands of Palestinians forced to flee West Bank as Israeli military operation deepens
By car and on foot, through muddy olive groves and sniper sight lines, tens of thousands of Palestinians in recent weeks have fled Israeli military operations across the northern West Bank — the largest displacement in the occupied territory since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. After announcing a widespread crackdown against West Bank militants on Jan. 21 — just two days after its ceasefire deal with Hamas in Gaza — Israeli forces descended on the restive city of Jenin, as they have dozens…
Russia raises diplomatic property dispute with US during talks in Riyadh — Lavrov
MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Russia addressed the issue of its diplomatic property located in the US during negotiations with the American delegation in Riyadh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated. “We handed over a list of issues which should be resolved with regard to the work of our diplomatic representatives. Among these problems is, of course, the property issue,” Russia’s top diplomat said at a media session following a plenary session of the State Duma. Lavrov clarified that during the…
‘You should have never started it’: Trump blames Kyiv for war
President Donald Trump this week falsely blamed Ukraine for starting the war that has cost tens of thousands of Ukrainian lives, causing outrage and alarm in a country that has spent nearly three years fighting back a much larger Russian military. Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “ a dictator without elections” and claimed his support among voters was near rock-bottom. Zelenskyy said Wednesday that the disinformation is coming from Russia, and some of what Trump has said does echo Russia’s own narrative of the conflict….
Trump calls Zelensky ‘a dictator,’ marking new low for fragile U.S.-Ukraine relationship
The relationship between the United States and Ukraine, which has helped Kyiv fend off the Russian invasion for the past three years, appeared on the verge of collapse Wednesday as the presidents of the two countries publicly traded insults. The furor has the potential to leave Ukraine – which is already losing ground along the front line – without the support of its biggest ally, as U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukraine’s future existence into question. The relationship between Mr….