Russia's Gerasimov says Putin ordered Ukraine buffer zone expansion in 2026
Kyiv, Dec 31 (Agencies): Russian drones targeted apartment buildings and energy infrastructure in southern Ukraine's Odesa overnight, injuring six people, including a toddler and two other children, officials said Wednesday.Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration, said four apartment buildings were damaged in the attacks. Power company DTEK reported...
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Global ‘fragmentation’ fuelling world’s crises: UN refugee chief
GENEVA, Dec 31 (AFP): The outgoing United Nations refugee chief fears an increasingly fragmented world is fuelling global conflicts and crises, and inflaming hostility towards people desperately fleeing for safety.Reflecting on his decade at the helm of the UNHCR, Filippo Grandi told AFP that one of the most worrying developments...
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UN slams ‘outrageous’ Israel suspension of aid groups in Gaza
GENEVA, Dec 31 (AFP): The United Nations rights chief described Wednesday Israel's threat to suspend dozens of aid groups from operating in Gaza from January as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course."Israel's suspension of numerous aid agencies from Gaza is outrageous," Volker Turk said in a...
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US judge blocks Trump plans to end deportation protections for S Sudanese migrants
BOSTON, Dec 31 (Arab News): A federal judge blocked plans by US President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday to end temporary protections from deportation that had been granted to hundreds of South Sudanese nationals living in the United States.US District Judge Angel Kelley in Boston granted an emergency request by...
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Taiwan stays on high alert as Chinese ships pull back after massive drills
TAIPEI/BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters): Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitored Chinese naval manoeuvres, the coast guard said.The exercises named "Justice Mission 2025" saw China fire dozens of...
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NEWS IN BRIEF__2026-01-01
Queen Camilla describes being assaulted by man as a teenagerLONDON, Dec 31: Britain's Queen Camilla has described for the first time fighting off an attack by a man on a train when she was a teenager, speaking in an interview with the BBC in which she recounted how furious the...
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