MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that it was “extremely hard to believe” that Daesh would have had the capacity to launch an attack on a Moscow concert hall last Friday that killed at least 140 people.At a briefing with reporters, Zakharova instead doubled down on Moscow’s assertions, for which it … Read more
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to punish those behind the “barbaric terrorist attack” on a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130, saying four gunmen trying to flee to Ukraine had been arrested. Kyiv has strongly denied any connection, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Putin of trying to shift the … Read more
TEL AVIV: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday that Israel risked further global isolation if it attacks the Palestinian city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Blinken met one-on-one with Netanyahu during a peace mission to the Middle East at a time of strain in relations over … Read more
DHAKA: Saiful Islam Shanto started his adventure with hiking and long-distance trails when he was still in school, exploring on foot all the sites he could reach in his native Cumilla in eastern Bangladesh. Over a decade and thousands of kilometers later, the passion grew stronger, culminating with the beginning of his solitary walk around … Read more
NEW YORK CITY: The UN Security Council on Monday condemned “in the strongest terms” Houthi strikes against international maritime traffic in the Red Sea and demanded that all such attacks “cease immediately.” The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November and say their assaults will … Read more
GAZA STRIP, Palestinian Territories: Israel’s military on Monday called on Gazans to evacuate the area in and around the territory’s largest hospital as battles raged at the complex crowded with patients and displaced people. “In order to maintain your security, you must immediately evacuate the area,” army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on social media platform … Read more
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday urged Russians to vote for him at a “difficult” time for the country, hours before polls open and as Kyiv launched a barrage of deadly attacks on Russian border regions. The former KGB agent is set to extend his rule by another six years this weekend in a … Read more
NEW YORK CITY: The EU’s foreign affairs chief on Tuesday condemned the lack of aid entering Gaza as “man-made” disaster in which starvation is being used as a weapon of war.“When we condemn this happening in Ukraine, we have to use the same words for what’s happening in Gaza,” Josep Borrell told the UN Security … Read more
‘Israel must do more’ to aid Palestinians, US says as UN again warns famine is imminent in Gaza NEW YORK CITY: The US on Tuesday urged Israel to ensure existing border crossings into Gaza remain open so that humanitarian aid can enter the territory, facilitate the opening of additional crossings to meet the growing humanitarian … Read more
RAFAH, Gaza Strip: Homeless, hungry Palestinians fearing an Israeli assault on their last relatively safe haven in Gaza said they were desperate for a lasting ceasefire as the United States said a temporary truce could be agreed soon.A proposed deal from the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in early March could stop … Read more