Actor George Clooney reportedly called one of President’s Biden’s top aides last month to complain about the president’s critique of the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a case his wife, lawyer Amal Clooney, worked on. As first reported by The Washington Post, the Academy Award-winning actor called Steve Ricchetti, counselor to …
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Taliban publicly flogs 63 in Afghanistan, including women, drawing UN condemnation
The United Nations is condemning the Taliban after it publicly flogged more than 60 people at a sports stadium in northern Afghanistan. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan wrote on X that 63 people were “publicly lashed” by “Afghanistan’s de facto authorities” on Tuesday in the Sari Pul province. “UNAMA reiterates its condemnation of corporal punishment and calls for …
Read More »Weakened Hamas switches to ambush, insurgent tactics in Gaza as war drags on
Hamas has seen about half its forces wiped out in eight months of war and is relying on hit-and-run insurgent tactics to frustrate Israel’s attempts to take control of Gaza, U.S. and Israeli officials told Reuters. The enclave’s ruling group has been reduced to between 9,000 and 12,000 fighters, according to three senior U.S. officials familiar with battlefield developments, down …
Read More »US Embassy in Lebanon attacker was wearing what ‘appeared’ to be ISIS insignia, State Department says
The State Department revealed Wednesday that the shooter accused of opening fire on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon earlier today was wearing what “appeared to be an ISIS insignia.” Spokesman Matthew Miller said “one member of the embassy’s local guard force was seriously injured” and the gunman has been arrested following the attack in Beirut that unfolded around 8:30 a.m. …
Read More »UAE leader hosts Taliban official with $10M US bounty amid human rights concerns in Afghanistan
The leader of the United Arab Emirates met Tuesday with an official in the Taliban government still wanted by the United States on an up-to $10 million bounty over his involvement in an attack that killed an American citizen and other assaults. The meeting highlights the growing divide internationally on how to deal with the Taliban, who seized control of …
Read More »Attack on US Embassy in Lebanon foiled, gunman captured after shootout
The Lebanese army thwarted an attack by a gunman on the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon on Wednesday morning in Beirut. The attack took place as tensions simmered in the tiny Mediterranean country, where months of fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops has displaced thousands along the border. Local media reported that there was a gunfight involving at least one …
Read More »Iran-backed Houthis launch more missiles into Red Sea after Greece said attacks have declined
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Red Sea in the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command confirmed Tuesday, hours after Greece said attacks declined over the past week. Central Command said ASBM’s were launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen, though there were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition or commercial ships. “This continued …
Read More »2 pilots confirmed dead after military training plane crashes in central Turkey
A military plane crashed during training on Tuesday, killing its two pilots on board, Turkey’s defense ministry announced. The SF-260D training plane crashed into an agricultural field in central Turkey. The crash occurred after the plane took off from an Air Force base near the city of Kayseri. ‘NO BACKGROUND CHECK’: REPORTS SAY SMUGGLERS USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO LURE TURKISH …
Read More »Cyprus president says a buffer zone splitting the island won't become another migrant route
The president of Cyprus said Tuesday that he won’t “open another route” for irregular migration by letting through more than two dozen asylum-seekers now stranded in a U.N.-controlled buffer zone that bisects the war-divided island nation. President Nikos Christodoulides told reporters that his government is ready to provide any and all humanitarian assistance for the 27 Afghan, Cameroonian, Sudanese and …
Read More »Interfaith gathering urges peace as Hamas hostage families relate crushing fears
An interfaith conference held in New York City on Monday urged world leaders to remember the hostages still in Hamas custody and to seek a deal that will ultimately see them returned to their families. “I hope that our event yesterday can motivate other religious leaders around the country and around the world to see and speak to our shared …
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