Feb 15 Trump says Board of Peace members promise $5 billion for Gaza rebuild By Aamer Madhani, Associated Press Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes in Gaza and frequently fire on Palestinians despite a ceasefire deal. Trump did not detail which member nations were making the pledges for reconstruction. Continue reading
Feb 15 Israel's plan to install West Bank regulations denounced as illegal 'mega land grab' By Melanie Lidman, Associated Press The move would pave the way for the resumption of “settlement of land title” processes, which had been frozen in the West Bank since the Mideast War in 1967. Continue reading
Feb 15 Iran's state media reports foreign minister will attend indirect talks with the U.S. By Associated Press Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his delegation left for the Swiss city of Geneva after the first round of indirect talks took place in Oman last week. Continue reading
Feb 15 Ukraine drone strike hits Russian Black Sea port ahead of peace talks By Associated Press Meanwhile, falling debris from Russian drones damaged civilian and transport infrastructure in Ukraine’s Odesa region, officials said, causing disruption to the power and water supply. Continue reading
Feb 15 U.S. forces board another sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean By Associated Press The Defense Department says U.S. forces boarded the Veronica III overnight. It is a Panamanian-flagged vessel under U.S. sanctions related to Iran, according to the website of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Continue reading
Feb 15 Europeans reject U.S. claims after Rubio's address in Munich By Emma Burrows, Geir Moulson, Associated Press A top European Union official has rejected the notion that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” pushing back at criticism of the continent by the Trump administration. It came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a somewhat reassuring… Continue reading
Feb 14 Four astronauts arrive at International Space Station to replace NASA crew By Marcia Dunn, Associated Press Last month’s medical evacuation was NASA’s first in 65 years of human spaceflight. One of four astronauts launched by SpaceX last summer suffered what officials described as a serious health issue, prompting their hasty return. Continue reading
Feb 14 Bangladesh's PM-elect vows to work for democracy after landslide victory By Sheikh Saaliq, Julhas Alam, Associated Press Tarique Rahman's Bangladesh Nationalist Party won a majority in Thursday’s election in the 350-member Parliament. An 11-member alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami party, the country’s largest Islamist party, is poised to form the opposition. Continue reading
Feb 14 Thousands demonstrate for change in Iran following deadly crackdown By Stanislav Hodina, Associated Press About 250,000 people have demonstrated against Iran’s government on the sidelines of a gathering of world leaders in Germany. The giant protest in Munich on Saturday answered a call from Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. Continue reading
Feb 14 African Union summit begins as discontent spreads among young people By Evelyne Musambi, Chinedu Asadu, Associated Press Africa has the youngest population in the world, with more than 400 million people aged 15 to 35 years old. But it is also home to several of the oldest and longest-serving leaders — a paradox that has contributed to… Continue reading