JERUSALEM, Dec 5, 2023 (AFP) – As Israel marked Tuesday the 60th day that nearly 140 hostages are held by Gaza militants, a group of former captives met the country’s prime minister to urge him to secure the release of those left behind. A one-week truce in fighting between Israel and Palestinian armed group Hamas saw 105 hostages return from the Gaza Strip, including 80 Israelis — mostly women and children — exchanged for 240 […]
Middle East
Israeli troops battle Hamas militants in southern Gaza
By Adel Zaanoun with Sebastien Berger in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 5, 2023 (AFP) – Israeli troops battled Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday after expanding their offensive deeper into the besieged territory, with warnings that an “even more hellish scenario” was unfolding for trapped civilians. Israel had initially focused its offensive on the north of the territory, but the army is now also dropping leaflets on parts of the […]
US, UK, Australia defense chiefs tout deep space radar, AI in joint deal
By Josh EDELSON MOUNTAIN VIEW, United States, Dec 2, 2023 (AFP) – The defense chiefs of the United States, Australia and Britain met in California on Friday, touting high-tech co-operation on deep space radar, AI and quantum computing systems aimed at bolstering their armed forces in the face of growing global threats, including from China. The three men huddled in Silicon Valley — the heart of the US tech sector — to build on the […]
Israel strikes Gaza as pressure mounts to protect civilians
By Adel Zaanoun with Sebastien Berger in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 3, 2023 (AFP) – Israel carried out deadly bombardments in Gaza on Sunday as international calls mounted for greater protection of civilians and the renewal of an expired truce with Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Israeli army said it had conducted more than 400 strikes in Gaza since a ceasefire collapsed on Friday, with the Hamas government saying at least 240 people […]
Living in extraordinary times! Eagle News International – December 2, 2023
Walkout, no-shows at COP28 as Israel-Hamas war resumes
By Talek HARRIS and Sahar AL-ATTAR DUBAI, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Iran’s delegation walked out and Israel’s president cancelled his speech as tensions over the Gaza war spilled over at the UN COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Friday. As deadly air strikes resumed after a week-long truce, several of the world leaders gathered to discuss climate change took the chance to lament the Israel-Hamas war that has left thousands dead. “It is impossible […]
US ‘intensely focused’ on hostages despite end of Gaza truce: Blinken
DUBAI, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – The United States remains “intensely focused” on freeing hostages held in Gaza despite the resumption of the Israel-Hamas war after a week-long truce, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday. “We remained intensely focused on getting everyone home, getting hostages back, something that I also worked on today,” he said, after meeting Arab foreign ministers in Dubai. Blinken met with the top diplomats of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, […]
King Charles urges ‘genuine’ climate action at COP28
By Laurent Thomet, Nick Perry and Talek Harris DUBAI, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – King Charles III told world leaders Friday that the UN’s COP28 talks in Dubai must be a turning point in the fight against climate change, as tough negotiations on fossil fuels began. King Charles kicked off two days of speeches by heads of state and government in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates, with a stark warning. “We are carrying out a […]
‘Hard blow’ for Israeli hostage families as truce ends
TEL AVIV, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – The families of hostages still being held in Gaza on Friday said the end of a truce that saw 80 kidnapped Israelis freed was a “very hard blow” to bear. Under an agreement between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel, the hostages were being released at a rate of 10 each day, forcing the families to endure an agonising waiting game. But as the pause in the conflict […]
World Bank to operate ‘loss and damage’ climate fund
DUBAI, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – The World Bank will “operate” an ambitious new climate change fund, but donors and recipients will likely control how the money is actually spent, the head of the development lender said Friday. More than $400 million has been pledged initially to the new “loss and damage” fund for countries impacted by climate change since it was approved by nations attending the UN’s COP 28 climate summit in Dubai on […]
2023 shatters climate records, set to be hottest year ever: UN
GENEVA, Nov 30, 2023 (AFP) – This year is set to be the hottest ever recorded, the UN said Thursday, demanding urgent action to rein in global warming and stem the havoc following in its wake. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization warned that 2023 had shattered a whole host of climate records, with extreme weather leaving “a trail of devastation and despair”. “It’s a deafening cacophony of broken records,” said WMO chief Petteri Taalas. […]
Developing story: Deadly fighting resumes in Gaza as truce expires
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 1, 2023 (AFP) – Fighting resumed in Gaza on Friday immediately after the expiry of a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas, with the first fatalities reported minutes later, according to health officials in the Palestinian territory. An AFPTV livecam showed a heavy cloud of grey smoke rolling over northern Gaza, and apparent sounds of automatic weapons fire and explosions within the first 90 minutes after the truce expired at […]