Category: International Conflict

LOS ANGELES – Leonard Francis, the Malaysian military contractor known as “Fat Leonard”, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Nov 5 for his role in the US Navy’s worst-ever corruption scandal. Francis, 60, was also ordered to pay US$20 million (S$26.3 million) in restitution to the US Navy by a federal judge in San Diego and to forfeit…

AIN EL DELB, Lebanon (AP) — It was Sunday, family time for most in Lebanon, and Hecham al-Baba was visiting his sister. She insisted he and their older brother stay for lunch, hoping to prolong the warm gathering in stressful times. The brother declined. Like many in Lebanon, he hadn’t been sleeping because of Israel’s intensifying airstrikes, so he left…

ROME (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in seven Italian cities on Saturday calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, Ukraine and all global conflicts. Peaceful rallies were held in Rome, Turin, Milan, Florence, Bari, Palermo and Cagliari, with the support of hundreds of associations committed to peace, disarmament and human rights. The…

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The United States has approved $2 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including the first-time delivery to the self-ruled island of an advanced surface-to-air missile defense system, in a move sure to anger China. Taiwan’s presidential office on Saturday thanked Washington for greenlighting the potential arms sales. Under the island’s new president, Lai Ching-te, Taiwan has…

Global financiers are poised to flock to Saudi Arabia’s annual flagship investment conference next week as a tightening of the kingdom’s purse strings and a deepening of regional conflict cloud the outlook. Among those expected to descend on the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh are top CEOs, including Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon, BlackRock’s Larry Fink, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and…

ROME – Italy’s right-wing government is facing criticism over its celebration of a major World War II battle, after the defence ministry said the defeated fascist soldiers of dictator Benito Mussolini had died for the country’s freedom. In a social media post on Oct 23 commemorating the anniversary of the 1942 battle of El Alamein in Egypt, the ministry described…

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Oct. 22 issued a decree to liquidate medical examination commissions for determining the severity of disabilities by Dec. 31. The decree was released after a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), which on Oct. 22 discussed violations at medical examination commissions and the fraudulent acquisition of disability status by officials through corruption schemes. Obtaining disability status…

BERLIN, October 16. /TASS/. Russia is concerned with the rhetoric being thrown around inside the German government saying that the country should prepare for war with Russia, which is not threatening anyone, the Russian embassy in Berlin said. “Russia is deeply concerned by the unconstructive rhetoric of German officials, special agencies and some individual politicians, calling for preparing for war…

New Delhi says Canada’s accusations against Indian diplomats and their expulsion is a politically driven move to show action amid criticism Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned a blind eye to foreign interference. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs says the move is strategically timed to coincide with Trudeau’s appearance at the Foreign Interference Commission, which has been mainly focused…

Former President Donald Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday that Israel needs to “finish the job” in Gaza and pledged to restore the Israel Lobby’s power over Congress if elected. He also said that unnamed people are telling him the October 7th attack “never happened” and compared them to “Holocaust deniers.” Trump says Israel needs to finish…

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The EU Court of Justice upheld on Wednesday its ban on the provision of legal advice to Russian entities and individuals. The measure was first introduced in 2022 by the European Union as part of sweeping sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The ruling came after the Dutch bar association of Brussels, the…

Gaza’s health ministry says at least 51 people have been killed and another 82 wounded in a large Israeli air and ground operation in the southern city of Khan Younis. The European Hospital in Khan Younis said it received the bodies after heavy Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in the city. Hospital records show that seven women and 12 children…

The U.S. is sending additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be…

On Friday, December 15, Al Jazeera journalists Samer Abudaqa and Wael Dahdouh were reporting at the Farhana school in Khan Younis when Israel struck from the air. Dahdouh took shrapnel to his upper arm but was able to apply pressure to the wound and escape to a nearby hospital for help. But Abudaqa was unable to move. Rescue teams tried to…

Defence Minister Minoru Kihara calls on the Russian government to prevent a recurrence. Japan has protested to the Kremlin after a Russian patrol plane entered its airspace three times, Defence Minister Minoru Kihara says. “We confirmed today that a Russian Il-38 patrol aircraft has violated our airspace over our territorial waters north of Rebun Island, Hokkaido, on three occasions,” Kihara…

Israeli soldiers have raided the Al Jazeera office in the occupied West Bank and ordered the bureau to shut down amid a widening campaign targeting the Doha-based broadcaster. Al Jazeera aired footage of Israeli troops storming its bureau in Ramallah on Sunday and ordering the office to be shut for 45 days. This follows an order issued in May that…