Month: January 2024

Israel OKs Plan for Norway to Hold Gaza Tax Funds

Jerusalem — Israel’s cabinet approved a plan for frozen tax funds earmarked for the Hamas-run Gaza Strip to be held by Norway instead of transferred to the Palestinian Authority (PA), officials said Sunday. Under interim peace accords reached in the 1990s, Israel’s finance ministry collects tax on behalf of the Palestinians and makes monthly transfers to the Western-backed PA, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. But there have been constant wrangles over the arrangement, including Israel’s demand that the funds do not reach Hamas, which it and most of the West deem a terrorist group. Hamas seized control …

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Analysts: Assassination Plot Shows Extremes Iran Employs to Target Critics

Washington — A thwarted Iranian plot to assassinate two journalists working for a Persian TV network in London has renewed focus on the ways hostile governments try to target critics outside their jurisdiction. Details of the plot, uncovered by the British news outlet ITV News late last year, included a plan to kill the journalists Sima Sabet and Fardad Farahzad. The details “are a shocking reminder of the sinister lengths that the Iranian regime is willing to go to silence critical reporting from abroad,” said Jessica White, who researches transnational repression at Freedom House. “Reporters covering human rights violations by the …

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Голова ОВА повідомив про руйнування на Нікопольщині через російські удари

«Через обстріли у самому Нікополі пошкоджені дві п’ятиповерхівки і шість приватних осель. В одній із хат сталося займання… Понівечені й підприємство і три господарські споруди. Зачепило газогін і лінію електропередач» …

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Storm Isha’s Rain, Wind Expected to Batter UK, Ireland 

London — Britain and Ireland braced Sunday for powerful wind and rain from Storm Isha that were expected to batter a wide swath of the island nations and disrupt travel.  The Met Office issued an unusual blanket wind warning for all the U.K., saying gusts could reach 90 miles per hour (145 kilometers per hour) in places and threaten lives.  “There’s the potential for danger-to-life and damaging winds potentially leading to some power cuts in places, some large waves around coastal regions could bring some debris onto roads and trees could come down,” meteorologist Tom Morgan said.  Parts of the U.K. …

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French Warship Treats Around 1,000 Injured Gazans Off Egyptian Shore 

AL-ARISH, Egypt — About 1,000 people from Gaza have been treated in a French field hospital aboard a ship off the coast of Egypt, its captain said, providing care for some as health infrastructure in the war-devastated enclave collapses. The Dixmude, a French helicopter carrier, has been docked in the Egyptian port of al-Arish, 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of the Gaza Strip, since November. The vessel is equipped with wards, operating theaters and 70 medical staff. Nearly 120 injured people have been hospitalized on board, while hundreds more have been seen for outpatient consultations, including follow-ups on injuries and psychiatric …

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Russian Private Jet Carrying 6 People Believed to Have Crashed in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD — A Russian private jet carrying six people is believed to have crashed in a remote area of rural Afghanistan, authorities said Sunday. The crash happened Saturday in a mountainous area near Zebak district in Badakhshan province, regional spokesperson Zabihullah Amiri said, adding that a rescue team had been dispatched to the area.  Badakhshan police chief’s office also confirmed the report of the crash in a statement.  From Moscow, Russian civil aviation authorities said a Dassault Falcon 10 went missing with four crew members and two passengers. The plane had been operating as a charter ambulance flight on a route …

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2 British Warships Collide in Middle East Harbor, Damaging Ships

london — Two British warships collided in a harbor in Bahrain, causing damage to the vessels but no injuries, the Royal Navy said. The HMS Chiddingfold appeared to reverse into the HMS Bangor as it was at a dock, according to video posted on social media. “Why this happened is still to be established,” said Rear Admiral Edward Ahlgren. “We train our people to the highest standards and rigorously enforce machinery safety standards, but unfortunately incidents of this nature can still happen.” Ahlgren said an investigation is underway into what went wrong. The two minehunters have been based in the Middle …

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