Breaking News, Latest Philippines Headlines, World, Entertainment, Politics, Weather & Video News
By Adel Zaanoun with Laurie Churchman in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 17, 2023 (AFP) – Israel’s army said Sunday it had found a vast Hamas tunnel as it pressed its offensive in Gaza despite growing international calls for a ceasefire and pleas from relatives to bring home the remaining hostages. The bloodiest ever Gaza war began with unprecedented Hamas attacks on southern Israel on October 7 and has devastated much of the Palestinian […]
BANGKOK (AFP) – Ethnic minority fighters battling Myanmar’s junta said Saturday they seized a trading hub in Shan state, days after China said it had mediated a temporary ceasefire. Clashes have raged across Myanmar’s northern Shan state since the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) launched a joint offensive late October. The three allied groups — known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance — say […]
OTTAWA, Dec 16, 2023 (AFP) – Canadian federal police on Saturday charged an Ottawa youth with directing terrorist activities against Jewish people, and giving instructions on explosives. The accused, because of their young age, cannot be identified under Canadian law. No details were released. In a statement, police said they were monitoring a “concerning trend of violent extremism and terrorist use of the Internet.” Global News reported that an explosives team was sent to the […]
By Stuart White with Adel Zaanoun in Gaza Strip JERUSALEM, Dec 16, 2023 (AFP) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday to keep up the military pressure on Hamas, despite anguished appeals from relatives of hostages held in Gaza for a return to negotiations after friendly fire killed three captives. The Israeli army revealed earlier that the three hostages were carrying a white flag and cried for help in Hebrew, when they were mistakenly […]
MOSCOW, Dec 15, 2023 (AFP) – Hungary is “defending its interests” by blocking EU aid to Ukraine, the Kremlin said Friday, after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban derailed the bloc’s new 50 billion euro aid package for Kyiv. “Hungary is a sovereign country. It has its own interests. And Hungary, in contrast to many European countries, firmly defends its interests, which impresses us,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Moscow sees Hungary as one of its […]
By Adel Zaanoun with Shatha Yaish in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 15, 2023 (AFP) – Israel pressed its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday after telling key backer the United States that the war to crush Hamas will last “more than several months”. The war began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 that Israeli officials say killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Vowing to destroy Hamas and […]
BEIJING, Dec 14, 2023 (AFP) – Beijing said on Thursday it had mediated a temporary ceasefire in fighting between the Myanmar junta and ethnic minority armed groups in the north of the country close to the Chinese border. Recent talks between Myanmar’s military and the groups, facilitated by China, resulted in several agreements “including the temporary ceasefire and maintaining the momentum of dialogue”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a statement. Clashes […]
By Max Delany and Dave Clark BRUSSELS, Dec 15, 2023 (AFP) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday blocked 50 billion euros ($55 billion) in EU aid for Ukraine, after leaders side-stepped his opposition to agree to open talks with Kyiv on joining the bloc. A crunch summit in Brussels broke up after a day of wrangling as the Hungarian authoritarian leader refused to greenlight funding to help prop up Ukraine’s government over the […]
MOSCOW, Dec 14, 2023 (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin talked up Russia’s offensive in Ukraine Thursday as he staged a marathon press conference a week after saying he plans to stay in the Kremlin until at least 2030. Clearly bolstered by Kyiv’s recent struggles on the battlefield, the 71-year-old looked relaxed as he brushed off nearly two years of Western sanctions and reaffirmed his maximalist goals in Ukraine. “There will be peace when we achieve […]
By Emil GULIYEV BAKU, Dec 13, 2023 (AFP) – Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday swapped prisoners of war, a first step towards normalising relations since Baku retook control of the long-disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in a one-day autumn offensive. It is the first time the neighbours have exchanged prisoners since the lightening September offensive. Azerbaijan’s military operation ended almost three decades of Armenian separatist control of Karabakh, forcing tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians to flee. […]
By Mai Yaghi with Rosie Scammell in Jerusalem GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories, Dec 14, 2023 (AFP) – Israel bombed Gaza on Thursday as a top White House advisor was due to arrive in Jerusalem with a rift growing over US calls for its ally to exercise restraint. The war, now in its third month, began after the October 7 attacks on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas that Israeli officials say killed 1,200 people, mostly […]
YANGON, Myanmar, Dec 13, 2023 (AFP) – Myanmar junta authorities have arrested two journalists in night raids, their outlet said on Wednesday, as the military cracks down on independent media. Since toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021, the military has waged a sweeping and bloody campaign against dissent, and at least 170 journalists have since been arrested, according to the United Nations. Local outlet Dawei Watch said two of its employees were arrested […]
