Category: News
Hamas blindsides Israel with most serious attack in a generation
Israel was taken by surprise by the most ambitious operation Hamas has ever launched from Gaza. The scale of what’s been happening is unprecedented. Hamas breached the wire that separates Gaza from Israel in multiple places in the most serious cross-border attack Israel has faced in more than a generation. It came a day after the 50th anniversary of the surprise attack by Egypt and Syria in 1973 that started a major Middle East war. The significance of the date will not have been lost on the Hamas leadership. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his country is at war [Read More…]
Disney ‘s Snow White: Has the fairy tale already gone sour?
Hot on the trail of a string of Disney live action remakes, the famous film company’s new version of 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, set for release next year, has stirred controversy on social media. While debate about Disney’s reboots is nothing new, the backlash over the new Snow White (note the dwarfs have been dropped from the title) has been particularly vociferous from some quarters. Much of the furore – which has had some TikTokers up in arms – has been building in recent weeks after interviews with Rachel Zegler, who plays the new Snow White, [Read More…]
Nato’s border with Russia doubles as Finland joins
Finland has become the 31st member of the Nato security alliance, doubling the length of member states’ borders with Russia. The Finnish foreign minister handed the accession document to the US secretary of state who declared Finland a member. Then in bright sunshine in front of Nato’s gleaming new headquarters, Finland’s white-and-blue flag joined a circle of 30 other flags. Finland’s accession is a setback for Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He had repeatedly complained of Nato’s expansion before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said by attacking his neighbour, the Russian leader had triggered exactly what [Read More…]
Should China worry about its shrinking population?
China’s population has fallen for the first time in six decades, official statistics revealed earlier this week – but this trend may not spell doom for the country in the short term, experts say. Beyond 2030, however, demographic stress will be a drag on growth in what is currently the world’s second-largest economy. The number of Chinese people fell by 850,000 from the previous year to 1.4118 billion, the statistics showed. Its birth rate had been slowing for years, prompting a range of policies to try to slow this trend, including scrapping the country’s infamous one-child policy seven years ago. [Read More…]
Ukraine makes breakthrough in south against Russia
Ukrainian troops have retaken more territory in regions illegally annexed by Russia, with Kyiv’s forces advancing near the southern city of Kherson and consolidating gains in the east. Russian-installed officials in Kherson confirmed the advance, but said Moscow’s forces were digging in. Ukrainian troops also moved towards Russian-held Luhansk in the east. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said “there are new liberated settlements in several regions”. Speaking during his nightly address, President Zelensky said “fierce fighting continues in many areas”, but he did not give details. The progress of Ukraine’s counterattacks have been closely guarded and reporters have largely been kept [Read More…]
Ukrainian Forces Make Some Gains in North, South
Ukrainian forces in the north saw some gains in territory recaptured, including areas near Kharkiv, a senior Defense Department official said today. In the Ukrainian city of Kherson, Ukraine’s forces continue to press hard against the Russians, the official said. As an example, they inflicted damage on bridges used by the Russians. On Aug. 9, a series of explosions took place at an airbase in Russian-occupied territory. While the United States does not know what caused the explosions, the official said, what is clear is that they caused significant damage to Russian aircraft and munitions used to attack Ukraine. The [Read More…]
World reacts to Russia’s attack on Ukraine
Russian media reported quoting President Putin had given approval to a ‘special military operation’ in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine has been swiftly condemned by several nations. The authorisation by Putin was made at the same time as the United Nations Security Council met late on Wednesday for its second emergency meeting this week to urge de-escalation and return to diplomatic talks. Russian media reported quoting Putin he had given approval to the operation in the Donbas region of Ukraine, where Moscow earlier recognised rebel-held territories in Luhansk and Donetsk and said they had [Read More…]
