Feb 08 Blinken ends latest Middle East trip after Israel's rejection of proposed Gaza cease-fire plan By Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken left the Middle East on Thursday after getting a virtual slap in the face from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said the war would continue until Israel is completely victorious and appeared to reject… Continue reading
Feb 08 PHOTOS: Icelandic volcano begins erupting again, spewing lava and cutting off heat and hot water By Marco Di Marco, Associated Press A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Thursday for the third time since December, sending jets of lava into the sky. Continue reading
Feb 08 Ukraine's Zelenskyy fires top general, appoints ground forces commander as new leader of army By Illia Novikov, Associated Press In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he thanks Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi for his two years of service and discussed possible replacements for the top military job. Zelenskyy said: "The time for such a renewal is now."… Continue reading
Feb 08 Israel kills 13 in Rafah, southern Gaza town where many Palestinians have fled By Najib Jobain, Wafaa Shurafa, Kareem Chehayeb, Associated Press More than half of Gaza's population has fled to Rafah, on the mostly sealed border with Egypt. It is also the main entry point for humanitarian aid. Continue reading
Feb 08 Ex-Pakistani leader Nawaz Sharif expresses confidence in vote marred by violence and rival's imprisonment By Riazat Butt, Munir Ahmed, Associated Press A day before the election, at least 30 were killed in bombings at political offices, and sporadic attacks on Thursday appeared aimed at disrupting the balloting. Continue reading
Feb 08 An antiwar politician is trying to run against Putin. Russian election officials just rejected his bid By Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press The move by the Central Election Commission provides an even smoother path for President Vladimir Putin to win a fifth term in power. Continue reading
Feb 07 Residents flee as they fear Congo rebel group will again seize key eastern city of Goma By Ruth Alonga, Jean-Yves Kamale, Associated Press The M23 rebels claim they have no intention to seize Goma again but warn that attacks targeting its forces "will be dealt with at their source."… Continue reading
Feb 07 Thousands of Spanish farmers stage a 2nd day of tractor protests over EU policies By Ciarán Giles, Raf Cassert, Associated Press Spanish farmers blocked highways and caused traffic jams to demand changes in European Union farming policies. They are also calling for more funds and measures to combat production cost hikes and severe drought. Continue reading
Feb 07 Drone strike in Baghdad kills high-ranking militia leader linked to attacks on American troops, U.S. military says By Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani, Associated Press The precision blast came amid roiling tensions in the region, and will likely further anger Iraqi government leaders, who U.S. officials said were not notified in advance of the strike. Continue reading
Feb 07 Watch 10:44 Experts discuss Gaza cease-fire negotiations as Netanyahu rejects Hamas' latest terms By Nick Schifrin Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a counterproposal from Hamas that would have paused the war in exchange for releasing Israeli hostages over the next few months. The U.S. has hoped a pause could spark broader regional diplomatic progress. Nick… Continue watching