Monday, December 22, 2025

World

UN Committee says at least 21k Gaza children disabled during war

At least 21,000 children in the Gaza Strip have been disabled since the war began on October 7, 2023, a United Nations committee announced Wednesday.

Israeli military calls up reserves amid fears of low turnout and falling morale

Israel was set on Tuesday for its biggest call-up of reservists since the beginning of its war on the Gaza Strip as concerns mount over a lack of numbers and dwindling morale within the army.

Xi oversees China’s massive military parade with Putin, Kim, Pezeshkian in attendance

China has flexed its military muscle at a huge military parade in Beijing to mark 80 years since the end of World War II, displaying its latest generation of stealth fighters, tanks and ballistic missiles amid a highly choreographed cast of thousands.

Erdogan says Putin, Zelensky not ready for face-to-face meeting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that neither Russian President Vladimir Putin nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to hold direct talks at this time, according to Reuters.

France issues arrest warrant for Bashar Assad over 2012 journalist killings in Syria

French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and six other top former officials over the bombardment of a city in 2012 that killed two journalists, lawyers have stated.

EU defence spending to hit record 380bn Euros this year: Report

EU military spending is set to hit a fresh record of 381 billion euros in 2025, as the member states plough more money into warding off Russia, the bloc's defence agency announced Tuesday.

EU considers tighter rules to block Russian gas: Bloomberg

European Union countries are weighing new measures to close potential loopholes that could allow Russian gas to continue flowing into the bloc after a full ban takes effect by the end of 2027, Bloomberg has reported.

Kremlin says Putin and Trump did not agree on summit with Zelensky

No deal has been reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on the former holding talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky or on a trilateral summit, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has stated.

Belgium says to recognise Palestinian statehood, put sanctions on Israel

Belgium will recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) later this month, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prevot has stated.

Iran rejects PGCC claims over islands, reaffirms sovereignty

Iran’s Foreign Ministry firmly rejected claims made in the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) foreign ministers’ statement regarding Iran’s sovereignty over its three islands, Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, stressing that such assertions are “baseless” and “have no legal or historical validity.”

Spy agency claims about 2,000 North Korean soldiers killed in Russia deployment

Around 2,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to help Russia fight Ukraine are estimated to have been killed, South Korea's spy agency claimed Tuesday, according to a lawmaker.

Taliban appeals for global aid as rescue teams search for survivors

The Taliban has called for international aid as Afghanistan reels from an earthquake that killed hundreds of people and left thousands injured.

Over 250 media outlets protest Israel murdering Gaza journalists

More than 250 media outlets in dozens of countries have staged a front page protest highlighting the killing of more than 200 journalists in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) media freedom group announced.

US says ‘despicable’ Russian bombing campaign against Ukraine puts all sanctions options on table

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that the Donald Trump administration is considering new sanctions on Russia after President Vladimir Putin intensified strikes on Ukraine despite recent peace talks.

Gaza death toll from Israeli war tops 63,500

At least 63,557 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, as nine more people, including three children, died of starvation in the besieged enclave, the Health Ministry announced on Monday.

Modi stresses there should be no ‘double standards’ on terrorism

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to oppose “double standards” on terrorism.

European ‘war party’ hindering Ukraine peace process: Russia

A European “war party” is trying to sabotage the diplomatic process launched by the US and Russia to end the Ukraine conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has claimed.

Houthis arrest UN staff in Yemen

The Houthi group has detained at least 11 staff members in Yemen after storming United Nations offices in the capital, Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah, the UN special envoy has confirmed.

Israeli military chief threatens to assassinate Hamas leaders abroad

Israel’s Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has threatened to assassinate Hamas leaders abroad, as Tel Aviv continued its destructive war on the Gaza Strip.

Israel tells US of plans to annex occupied West Bank: Report

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Tel Aviv’s intention to annex the occupied West Bank, according to a report.

UN warns catastrophic rains, floods to trigger food shortages in Pakistan

The ongoing torrential rains and surging floods have inundated large swaths of farmlands and destroyed ready-to-reap crops across Pakistan, triggering fears of a food crisis and inflation, the Unite Nations and growers warned on Monday.

At least 800 killed as powerful quake rattles Afghanistan

An earthquake in eastern Afghanistan has killed at least 800 people and injured 3,000, a government spokesman announced, with significant damage reported across several districts in the mountainous regions.

Putin defends Ukraine invasion at SCO, slams West

Russian President Vladimir Putin sought on Monday to defend his Ukraine offensive to Moscow's allies, slamming the West for triggering the three-and-a-half year war that has killed tens of thousands and devastated much of eastern Ukraine.

Yemen’s Houthi leader condemns Israel’s ‘record of terror’ after deadly bombing

The leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, has denounced Israel and signalled defiance, praising assassinated government leaders as “the martyrs of all Yemen”, the day after the group confirmed the death of its prime minister and other cabinet ministers.

Iran urges stronger financial, peace initiatives at SCO Summit

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian called for deeper cooperation among Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to strengthen financial resilience and promote peace, during the group’s 25th summit in Tianjin, China, on Monday.

Latest news