Europe

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Turkey announces decision to join South Africa in genocide lawsuit against Israel at The Hague

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Turkey announces decision to join South Africa in genocide lawsuit against Israel at The Hague

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Wednesday that Turkey has decided to officially join South Africa's lawsuit against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. The lawsuit accuses Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“We presented the results of our assessments today to our president, and in accordance with the political decision that was made, I would like to announce for the first time that we have decided to intervene in the case filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice,” Fidan said at a press conference, alongside the Indonesian foreign minister.

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Borrell: At least 5 EU countries to recognize Palestinian state

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Borrell: At least 5 EU countries to recognize Palestinian state

(April 30, 2024 / JNS) At least five European Union countries will unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state by the end of May, the E.U.’s top diplomat revealed on Monday.

Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Slovenia and Malta are expected to make the move, Josep Borrell said on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.

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Hamas leaders meet with Erdoğan in Turkey amid considerations to leave Qatar

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Hamas leaders meet with Erdoğan in Turkey amid considerations to leave Qatar

The wealthy Gulf State of Qatar has hosted the Hamas terror organization's top political leadership for years, including Khaled Mashaal and Ismail Haniyeh, and has also been a major financial supporter of Hamas and its acts of terrorism.

Despite these close ties, Hamas leaders are now considering leaving Qatar and looking for an alternative residence, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

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Oil prices surge, world leaders call for calm amid fear of escalation after Israeli strike in Iran

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Oil prices surge, world leaders call for calm amid fear of escalation after Israeli strike in Iran

Numerous world leaders warned against an escalation of the situation in the Middle East on Friday, after Israel struck an Iranian military site in the city of Isfahan earlier in the morning.

Fears of a regional escalation caused oil prices to surge by several percent following reports of the Israeli strike, while several markets in Asia dropped, and European stock exchanges like the German DAX started trade with significant drops on Friday.

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Bible prophecy says the world will turn against Israel in the ‘last days’ — is it happening now?

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Bible prophecy says the world will turn against Israel in the ‘last days’ — is it happening now?

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — Prior to October 7, the future seemed so bright for Israel.

We had just signed our sixth Arab-Israeli peace and normalization agreement.

We seemed to be on track to sign a seventh agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Our economy was booming, tourism was hitting record levels, and Israel was building increasingly close and warm ties with nations and governments all over the globe.

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Security Council to discuss Palestinian bid for full UN membership

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Security Council to discuss Palestinian bid for full UN membership

The Palestinians’ long-dormant application for full United Nations membership will be given a fresh look on Monday.

The United Nations Security Council is set to meet, first in closed consultations, then in an open format, to consider the 2011 application—a move officially requested in a letter from Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Mansour last Wednesday.

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Kremlin says Russia and NATO are now in "direct confrontation"

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Kremlin says Russia and NATO are now in "direct confrontation"

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia and NATO are now in "direct confrontation", the Kremlin said as the U.S.-led alliance marked its 75th anniversary on Thursday.

NATO's successive waves of eastern enlargement are a fixation of President Vladimir Putin, who went to war in Ukraine two years ago with the stated aim of preventing the alliance from coming closer to Russia's borders. Instead, the war has galvanised NATO, which has expanded again with the entry of Finland and Sweden.

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Spain to recognize Palestinian statehood by July, its PM says

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Spain to recognize Palestinian statehood by July, its PM says

Spain will recognize Palestinian statehood by July, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told journalists during a Middle East tour, according to several reports published on Tuesday in Spanish media.

State news agency EFE and newspapers El Pais and La Vanguardia cited Sanchez as making the informal remarks to the traveling press corps late on Monday in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on the first day of visits to Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

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Polar vortex is 'spinning backwards' above Arctic after major reversal event

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Polar vortex is 'spinning backwards' above Arctic after major reversal event

The polar vortex circling the Arctic is swirling in the wrong direction after surprise warming in the upper atmosphere triggered a major reversal event earlier this month. It is one of the most extreme atmospheric U-turns seen in recent memory.

In the past, disruptions to the polar vortex — a rotating mass of cold air that circles the Arctic — have triggered extremely cold weather and storms across large parts of the U.S.

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Russia escalates military expansion amid NATO concerns

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Russia escalates military expansion amid NATO concerns

"We plan to create two joint armies, 14 divisions, and 16 brigades,\" Sergei Shoigu announced, outlining Russia's military expansion plans. While the generals present simply nodded, Western experts view this move as highly dangerous. Despite potential equipment shortages, Russia's indifference towards human casualties heightens concerns.

"Alarms are sounding... Vladimir Putin is boosting war economy spending, possibly aiming to confront NATO by 2026 or 2027,\" Andrzej Duda recently cautioned. Jacek Siewiera of the National Security Bureau stressed that NATO's eastern members should brace themselves within a three-year timeframe.

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US, UK, French military shoot down Houthi drones after attack on bulk carrier, destroyers

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US, UK, French military shoot down Houthi drones after attack on bulk carrier, destroyers

CAIRO, March 9 (Reuters) - U.S., French and British forces downed dozens of drones in the Red Sea area overnight and on Saturday after Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis targeted bulk carrier Propel Fortune and U.S. destroyers in the region, the U.S. military said in a statement.

The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

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Lithuania reports significant Russian military buildup in the Baltic

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Lithuania reports significant Russian military buildup in the Baltic

According to Lithuanian intelligence, Russia is gearing up for a prolonged confrontation with NATO. The Baltic Sea region is a focal point in this scenario. Since Finland's accession to NATO in 2023, Russia has been systematically bolstering its presence in the Baltic vicinity.

The most recent report from Lithuanian intelligence, released on Thursday and focusing on national security matters, indicates that the Kremlin has initiated significant reforms of its armed forces. These modifications are designed to enhance Russia's military capabilities, particularly in the Baltic Sea area.

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Europe gets ready for war

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Europe gets ready for war

More ammunition, more weapons production, more investment and coordination in defense capabilities. Europe is on the warpath. EU member states are increasing their spending in defense and the European Union — a project aimed at maintaining peace without a military component — is now metamorphosing into a model with a strong focus on defense, as it aims to protect itself from external threats in turbulent times.

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Newly enlarged NATO starts drill in Finland, Norway and Sweden in defense of its Nordic turf

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Newly enlarged NATO starts drill in Finland, Norway and Sweden in defense of its Nordic turf

HELSINKI (AP) — NATO kicked off an exercise on Monday to defend its newly expanded Nordic territory when more than 20,000 soldiers from 13 nations take part in drills lasting nearly two weeks in the northern regions of Finland, Norway and Sweden.

With over 4,000 Finnish soldiers taking part, the Norway-led Nordic Response 2024 represents the NATO newcomer's largest ever participation in a foreign exercise, according to Finland's military.

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German fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near Latvian territorial waters for first time

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German fighter jets intercept Russian aircraft near Latvian territorial waters for first time

German fighter jets took off from the Latvian military base Lielvārde on 1 March to intercept Russian aircraft near Latvian territorial waters.

Source: Latvian Air Force, reported by European Pravda

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Ukraine Gets Defense Boost from Israel

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Ukraine Gets Defense Boost from Israel

Israel will provide Ukraine with an early warning system against missiles as part of an aid package for Kyiv, as it condemned aggression from Russia

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, told the General Assembly on Monday that his country had provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the start of Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion because it was "the moral thing to do."

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Scientists warn that a crucial ocean current could collapse, altering global weather

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Scientists warn that a crucial ocean current could collapse, altering global weather

Scientists are sounding the alarm that a crucial component of the planet's climate system is in gradual decline and could one day reach a tipping point that would radically alter global weather patterns.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, is a system of ocean currents that circulate water in the Atlantic Ocean like a conveyor belt, helping to redistribute heat and regulate global and regional climates. New research, however, warns that the AMOC is weakening under a warming climate, and could potentially suffer a dangerous and abrupt collapse with worldwide consequences.

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France opens door to recognizing Palestinian state

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France opens door to recognizing Palestinian state

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said, alongside Jordan's King Abdullah II, that recognition of a Palestinian state was "no longer a taboo" for France. "We owe it to the Palestinians, whose aspirations have been trampled on for too long, he stated."

"We owe it to the Israelis who lived through the greatest antisemitic massacre of our century. We owe it to a region that longs to escape the promoters of chaos and the those who sow revenge," added Macron.

Government declares a state of emergency as region faces the ‘worst drought in modern history’ — here’s what you need to know

Government declares a state of emergency as region faces the ‘worst drought in modern history’ — here’s what you need to know

While areas with extreme drought are suffering shortages of water all over the world,  northeastern Spain is experiencing its “worst drought in modern history,” according to the Guardian. Catalonia’s president said some areas of the autonomous region — home to Barcelona, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the European Union — haven’t seen rain in over three years.

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A new report says the world faces a 'dangerous decade' as instability and military spending rise

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A new report says the world faces a 'dangerous decade' as instability and military spending rise

LONDON (AP) — The world has entered an era of increasing instability as countries around the globe boost military spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Hamas attack on Israel and China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

That’s the conclusion of a new report Tuesday from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which also highlighted rising tensions in the Arctic, North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and the rise of military regimes in the Sahel region of Africa as contributing to a “deteriorating security environment.” The London-based think tank has compiled its annual estimate of the global military situation for the past 65 years.