Posts

Nearly 170 people killed in attack in South Sudan’s Ruweng

-
By DENG MACHOL, Associated Press At least 169 people were killed after insurgents raided a village in a remote area of South Sudan, a local official said Monday, It’s the latest bout of sporadic violence that has left the country teetering on the verge of full-blown civil war. The victims, including 90 civilians, were attacked on Sunday in Abiemnom county, said James Monyluak, information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng. He said women and children were among the dead, in addition to dozens of combatants. The U.N. Mission in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, said in a statement that 1,000 people sought shelter at its base after the attack. “Such violence places civilians at grave risk and must stop immediately,” Anita Kiki Gbeho, a UNMISS official, said in a statement. “I urge all involved to cease hostilities without delay and engage in constructive dialogue to address their grievances.” “Our peacekeepers will continue to do everything within their capabilities to prot...
Post a Comment
Read more

War widens to include Iranian-backed militias as Israeli and American planes pound Iran

-
By JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING and SALLY ABOU ALJOUD AP  Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states and Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran as the war expanded Monday with statements of defiance and warnings  of more U.S. casualties . As the American and Israeli airstrikes continued, top Iranian security official Ali Larijani vowed defiantly on X that “we will not negotiate with the United States.” In Iraq, a pro-Iranian militia claimed a drone attack targeting U.S. troops at the Baghdad airport, the day after it said it fired at a U.S. base in Irbil in the north, and Cyprus said a drone attack targeted a British base on the Mediterranean island nation. Israel and the U.S. bombed Iranian missile sites and targeted its navy, claiming to have destroyed its headquarters and multiple warships. More than 200 people have been killed since the start of the strikes, according to Iranian leaders. As the bombardment continued, Hezbolla...
Post a Comment
Read more

Israel bombs Beirut after Hezbollah launches rocket attack

-
By Nader DURGHAM AFP Israeli forces launched strikes on Lebanon including the capital Beirut on Monday, the military said, after Tehran-backed militant group Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s supreme leader. An AFP journalist heard several loud explosions in Beirut early on Monday, the Israeli military said it had “begun striking targets of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation across Lebanon”. Residents in southern Lebanon fled on cars, some with mattresses tied to the roof, an AFP journalist saw, after Israel issued a mass evacuation warning. The Israeli strikes followed rocket and drone launches from Lebanon, the first attack on Israel claimed by Hezbollah since a November 2024 ceasefire agreement that followed more than a year of war between them. Hezbollah has been weakened from conflict with Israel, which it entered to support Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

South Korea president calls on North Korea to resume dialogue

-
 South Korea President Lee Jae Myung said on Sunday he hopes North Korea will resume dialogue as soon as possible to discuss a new era of relations between the neighbours. In a speech marking the Koreas’ 107th March 1 Independence Movement Day, Lee said he would make efforts to restart talks with Pyongyang for peace on the Korean peninsula. SOURCE: REUTERS AND AGENCIES from The Times Of Earth https://ift.tt/MoDe5Ap
Post a Comment
Read more

Residents of eastern Congo city fear disease after discovery of mass graves

-
By RUTH ALONGA and JEAN-YVES KAMALE AP Residents of Uvira in eastern Congo expressed concerns Friday that decomposing bodies might spread disease after  authorities said 171 bodies were found in mass graves  following the withdrawal of M23 rebels from the city. The governor of South-Kivu province, Jean-Jacques Purusi, said Thursday the dead bodies were found in two mass graves on the outskirts of the major city and blamed the rebels for the deaths. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims. An M23 spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Purusi said the victims would be buried only after medical examiners complete the required procedures and that the site should not be disturbed in the meantime. Flavien Kalenga Mutumishi, who lives near one of the graves, said Friday that he and several other residents discovered about a dozen decomposing bodies after the rebels’ withdrawal and alerted authorities. He raised concerns about p...
Post a Comment
Read more

US-Iran talks end with no deal but potential signs of progress

-
By Parisa Hafezi and Olivia Le Poidevin Reuters GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) – The United States and Iran made progress in talks over Tehran’s nuclear program on Thursday, mediator Oman said, but hours of negotiation ended with no sign of a breakthrough that could avert potential U.S. strikes amid a massive military buildup. The two sides plan to resume ‌negotiations soon after consultations in their countries’ capitals, with technical-level discussions scheduled to take place next week in Vienna, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X after the day’s meetings ‌in Switzerland. Badr Albusaidi will hold talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other U.S. officials in Washington on Friday, MS NOW reported late on Thursday. Neither the White House nor Oman’s embassy in Washington immediately responded to requests for comment. Any substantial move toward an elusive agreement between ​longtime foes Washington and Tehran could reduce the imminent prospects for U.S...
Post a Comment
Read more

Trump hails economic ‘turnaround’ and threatens Iran in longest ever State of the Union

-
By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press He set the record for the longest State of the Union speech, clocking in at almost 1 hour and 50 minutes, beating Bill Clinton’s record from his final address in 2000 U.S. President Donald Trump declared during Tuesday’s marathon State of the Union that “we’re winning so much,” saying he’d sparked a jobs and manufacturing boom at home while imposing a new world order abroad — hoping that offering a long list of his accomplishments can counter approval ratings that have been falling. His main objective was convincing increasingly wary Americans that the economy is stronger than many believe, and that they should vote for more of the same by backing Republicans during November’s midterm elections. In the process, he shattered his own record, going longer than the 100-minute speech he gave before a joint session of Congress last year. Trump tried at points to appeal to bipartisan patriotic sentiments, introducing a series of surprise guests that inclu...
Post a Comment
Read more