World

Ukraine has arrested two security officials allegedly involved in a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky, which Kyiv’s state security service (SBU) claimed it foiled.

Palestinian group Hamas has stressed in a statement Israel’s military incursion into the Rafah crossing in Gaza is aimed at thwarting the continuing ceasefire talks.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has added his voice to mounting criticism against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for ignoring international demands against an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which has become a new focal point in the seven-month war.

The inauguration of Vladimir Putin, who is taking the oath of office for his fifth term as president, took place at the Kremlin in Moscow on Tuesday. He stated during his inauguration speech it is up to the West to decide if it wants to engage in dialogue with Russia or pursue endless aggression in an attempt to hamper the country’s development.

Israeli soldiers have seized control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing, cutting off a vital route for humanitarian aid and potential sanctuary for civilians.

Students at five UK universities have become the latest demonstrators to stage protest rallies to pressure their institutions into divesting funds from and ending partnerships with Israel.

A dozen US senators threatened the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if the body moves forward with an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other Israeli leaders over the war in the Gaza Strip.

A US soldier was arrested in Russia last week, the US Army and the National Security Council confirmed Monday.

A ground attack against the Southern Gaza city of Rafah would be "intolerable", United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday.

The Israeli war cabinet has unanimously decided to continue military operation in Rafah in southern Gaza Strip to pressure Hamas on the issue of releasing the hostages, the government’s press office announced on Monday.

The United States has announced it is reviewing Hamas's response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, while refusing to provide any details about the deal or what exactly the Palestinian group has agreed to.

The UK and French envoys in Moscow were summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry amid rising tensions over the Ukraine conflict.

Hamas has accepted a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt, the Palestinian group announced Monday, although Israel has yet to comment on the proposal.

The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has repeated urgent calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, warning of "new forced displacement" and an "anxiety of endless suffering" among Gazans.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi urges Iraq’s Kurdistan region to not let its soil be used by the Zionist regime’s mercenaries and anti-Iran groups as a launch-pad for actions against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The United States has ramped up its search for an alternative to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Russia’s foreign intel service (SVR). SVR added the West is extremely concerned about the dynamics of public sentiment in Ukraine, noted by increased "apathy" and "distrust of state institutions".

Nearly 2,500 people have been detained at pro-Palestinian rallies at college and university campuses across the US, according to reports.

Moscow will test its ability to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced on Monday. The drill will be conducted “in the near future” and was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the statement added.

An Iranian newspaper has slammed officials in Iran for turning a blind eye to what it calls an ‘ethnic cleansing and killing spree of Shia Muslims’ in neighboring Afghanistan under the Taliban rulers.

The Leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says Israel would not and did not have the power to show such savage behavior if it were not for the United States’ help.

The Israeli army, ignoring international outcries, has issued urgent evacuation orders to Palestinian residents and displaced individuals in several areas of eastern Rafah, urging them to immediately relocate to the town of Al-Mawasi.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has halted a shipment of ammunition bound for Israel last week, Axios reported, as pressure rises over the Israeli military’s promised invasion of Rafah in Gaza.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has strongly denounced the ongoing Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip, calling on its 57 member states to impose sanctions on the regime and halt exporing weapons to Israel.

Prospects for a Gaza ceasefire appeared slim as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in the besieged strip in exchange for the freeing of hostages, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flatly ruled that out.

Several rockets that Hamas launched at the Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing between Gaza and Israel have left three Israeli soldiers dead and 11 others wounded, according to the regime's military.