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☆ A pro-Trump European leader predicts he will abandon Ukraine: 'The Americans will quit this war'
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He said that the US "will quit" the war and there's a "military defeat in Ukraine," per reports. AdvertisementHungary's leader, Viktor Orbán, has a chilling forecast: the US will abandon Ukraine under President-elect Donald Trump. Orbán's forecast comes as world leaders hold key meetings this week, in part to discuss the war in Ukraine. European leaders are convening at a European Council summit in Budapest on Friday, where they are expected to discuss security and geopolitics in Ukraine. Orbán was among the first European leaders to congratulate Trump on his victory.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, —, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's, Trump, Kamala Harris, Keith Kellogg, Fred Fleitz, Orbán, Axel Springer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Trump's, Service, Reuters, European Union, Trump, White, NATO, Street, National Security, Political Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Budapest, Europe

☆ A new way for Russia to cement its hold on Ukraine: dirt-cheap mortgages
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A major Russian bank launched a 2% mortgage rate that is available only in occupied Ukraine. The incentive is in keeping with other Russian attempts to cement its hold on occupied Ukraine. AdvertisementRussia is debuting a rock-bottom mortgage rate with a catch: it's only available if you live in a warzone. "The aim is to consolidate Russia's long-term presence — through 30-year loans, which is highly unusual in Russia — in the occupied Ukrainian regions," she told Business Insider. Ukraine says Russia has offered financial incentives, up to 5 million rubles or $51,000, to Russians who move there.

Persons: —, VTB, Agathe Demarais, topsy Organizations: Service, Russia's VTB Bank, NATO, geoeconomics, European Council, Foreign Relations, Reuters Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Russia, Luhansk, Donetsk, Ukrainian

☆ Georgian president calls for protests after ruling party wins disputed election; U.S., allies call for probe
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-28 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Georgian Dream Party supporters celebrate the exit poll results in Tbilisi on Saturday. Diego Fedele / Getty ImagesPresident Salome Zourabichvili spoke the day after the vote, which the electoral commission said the ruling party had won. The Georgian Dream party clinched nearly 54% of the vote, the commission said, as opposition parties contested the result and vote monitors reported significant violations. Georgian Dream has become increasingly authoritarian over the past year, adopting laws similar to those used by Russia to crack down on speech. Despite that, Georgian Dream has adopted Russia-style laws and many Georgians fear the government is distancing the country from the West and into Moscow’s orbit.

Persons: Diego Fedele, Salome Zourabichvili, Georgia’s, ”, Zourabichvili, Antonio López, White, Charles Michel, “, Irakli Kobakhidze, ” Hungary’s Victor Orbán, Tiko Gelashvili, Natia Seskuria Organizations: European Union, Georgian Dream Party, Getty, European, Sunday, Georgian, The United National Movement, Regional Institute for Security Studies, AP Locations: United States, Russia, Europe, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russian, Brussels, South Caucasus, ”, Georgia, Tiko, Georgia’s, Moscow, Soviet Union, Javakheti

☆ Iran is weighing how to respond to Israel's attack. Here's what may happen next.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-27 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel launched "precise strikes" on Iran on Saturday, killing four soldiers. The Israel Defense Forces said it carried out "targeted and precise strikes" on Iranian military sites on Saturday. Four soldiers were killed following the attack, Iran's military said, according to the IRNA state news agency. Voller said that should Iran choose to respond, it could turn to its proxies to defend its nuclear program. He added that Israel's targeting of Iran's military sites, including its air defense system, would allow it to launch further air attacks if Iran were to escalate the conflict.

Persons: Israel, —, Joe Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Jonathan Panikoff, Yoel, Voller, Panikoff, Ellie Geranmayeh, Israel shouldn't, Netanyahu, Geranmayeh, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Service, Israel Defense Forces, University of Kent, Security Initiative, The New York Times, Institute for National Security Studies, Iranian, REUTERS, European Council, Foreign Relations, Times Locations: Iran, Iranian, Here's, Israel, East, Tehran, Tel Aviv, North Africa

CNN —Armed assailants launched a deadly “terror” attack on Turkey’s state-run aerospace company near the capital Ankara on Wednesday, government officials said. At least five people were killed and 22 injured in the “terrorist attack” on the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAS) headquarters in the outskirts of Ankara, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The attack occurred while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in the Russian city of Kazan to attend the annual BRICS summit. Turkish Aerospace IndustriesTurkey is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “An attack on a major Turkish defense contractor, a public company, but also the crown jewel of Turkey’s defense industry, is going to be a huge trauma,” she said.

Persons: ”, Ali Yerlikaya, –, Cevdet Yılma, Yasar Guler, Guler, “, ” Yerlikaya, Mehmet Demiroglu, TUSAS, Ragip, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vladimir Putin, Erdogan, Mark Rutte, Mansur Yavas, Yilmaz Tunc, Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, “ It’s, ” Aydıntaşbaş, Tal Rifa’at, Farhad Shami, Mazloum Abdî, Serdar Ozsoy, Kamiran Hassan, Asos, Ebubekir Şahin, Netblocks, Putin, ” Putin, Turkey “ Organizations: CNN, Turkish Aerospace Industries, Turkish, Turkish Defense, Kurdistan Workers ’ Party, European Union, Social, Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party, Reuters, Anadolu, Turkey’s Ministry of Industry, Technology, TUSAS, Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, European Council, Foreign Relations, Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, ISIS –, of Communications Center, ” Broadcasters, Television Supreme, Facebook, YouTube, US State Department Locations: Ankara, Turkey, United States, Syria, Iraq, Ragip Soylu, Russian, Kazan, Turkish Aerospace Industries Turkey, Turkish, Kurdish, Kobani, Tal, Aleppo, Mawat, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq’s Kurdistan, Turkey’s

☆ Washington’s Arab allies engage with Iran as US efforts to stem Middle East violence falter
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-22 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Abu Dhabi, UAE CNN —Growing unease over the United States’ inability to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East is prompting some of Washington’s closest Arab allies to significantly increase engagement with its primary regional adversary: Iran. Arab nations that had spent decades brawling with Iran for regional influence are now opting to engage with it again. Despite seeing an opportunity to weaken Iran’s regional influence, Arab nations are now signaling neutrality. “The Gulf (Arab) monarchies’ priority is not to be directly involved in a proper regional conflagration. Still, regional states rely heavily on their military relationship with the US.

Persons: State Anthony Blinken, Yahya Sinwar, Israel, Blinken’s, Hassan Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Prince Mohamed bin Salman, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hitler, ”, Abbas Araghchi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Abdel Fattah Al, ” Araghchi, Crown Prince Sabah, Cinzia Bianco, ” Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh, ” Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al, Hamad Al, ” Hasan Alhasan, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Anwar Gargash, Joe Biden’s, Abu, ” Bianco, Jake Sullivan Organizations: UAE CNN, State, Saudi Arabia’s, Iranian, Saudi, Bahraini, Crown, CNN, European Council, Foreign Relations, ” Kuwaiti Crown, Kuwait News Agency, Reuters, Middle, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Israeli, United Arab Emirates, US, US National, Atlantic Festival Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, United States, Washington’s, Iran, Republic, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Tehran, Riyadh, Tehran’s, Amman, Egypt, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, Cairo, Doha, Muscat, Manama, Crown Prince, Crown Prince Sabah Al, Sabah, Kuwait City, Islamic Republic, ” Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Washington, Yemen, China, Washington ,

☆ Israel’s ties with Europe strained by wars in Gaza and Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Adding impetus to their effort is the fact Israeli military strikes are now hitting UN peacekeeping bases in southern Lebanon, which house European troops. European reproach of Israel reached new levels when Israeli military strikes began hitting posts of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon. The UN has said Israel’s military has fired on its peacekeepers multiple times in recent weeks, injuring more than a dozen. ‘We have blocked everything’Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also condemned Israel’s actions in Lebanon, including an Israeli military strike that hit a UN peacekeeping base where around 1,100 Italian troops are stationed. In an earlier move that protested Israel’s war in Gaza, Spain, Ireland and Norway formally recognized Palestinian statehood in May.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, ” Hugh Lovatt, Josep Borrell, Ali Moustafa, ” Lovatt, ”, Biden, It’s, ” Borrell, Lovatt, Israel, Maya Sion, Netanyahu, António Guterres, Emmanuel Macron, “ Netanyahu, Macron, Carl Court, ” Macron, ” Netanyahu, Borrell, Guterres, Giorgia Meloni, ” Meloni, Meloni, Tzidkiyahu, Keir Starmer, of National Security Itamar Ben, Bezalel Smotrich, David Cameron, Ben Gvir, Smotrich, ” Ben Gvir’s, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Israel “ Organizations: CNN, UN, EU, North Africa, Foreign Relations, Hamas, European Union, Red Crescent, Reuters, UNIFIL, Europe, Agence France, Presse, United Nations Interim Force, AFP, Israel, UK, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Foreign Affairs Council, Getty, of National Security, Finance, Sky News, DPA, Nazi Locations: CNN — Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Israel, East, Berlin, Rafah, Egypt, United States, “, Iran, Spain, Ireland, Italy, France, Tzidkiyahu, Jerusalem, Paris, AFP, Marjayoun, Vichy, Stockholm, Germany, United Kingdom, Irish, Sion, Norway, Britain, Lebanese, Khiam, Palestine

☆ Putin says Zelenskyy's nuclear comments were a 'dangerous act of provocation' at meeting with BRICS group journalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-19 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's nuclear comments. The Ukrainian president had suggested that Kyiv would seek nuclear weapons if it could not join NATO. AdvertisementRussian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's comments about nuclear weapons earlier this week were a "dangerous act of provocation." Advertisement"Either Ukraine will have nuclear weapons and that will be our protection or we should have some sort of alliance. Responding to Zelenskyy's comments on Friday, Putin said: "Any step in this direction will meet an adequate response."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's, Zelenskyy, —, Putin, Mark Rutte Organizations: NATO, Service, European, United Locations: Brussels, Budapest, Ukraine, Russia, Brazil, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia

☆ Moldova faces a tug of war between Russia and the West in two crucial votes
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Voters in Moldova will cast their ballots Sunday in two crucial votes, which have been billed as the most consequential in the country’s post-Soviet history. Alongside a more sophisticated misinformation campaign, Shor has resorted to cruder methods to meddle with Moldovan politics. Home to a Romanian-speaking majority and large Russian-speaking minority, many Moldovans had long viewed Russia as a benign big brother. “It reflects the loss of the national allure of Russia in Moldovan society,” he said. “There’s limits (to what can be achieved).”But even if Sandu prevails in both the presidential vote and the EU referendum, he expects the Kremlin’s campaign to continue.

Persons: Ilan Shor, Shor, ”, Dumitru Doru, Maia Sandu –, –, She’s, ” Vadim Pistrinciuc, Maia Sandu, Ursula von der Leyen, Elena Covalenco, Sandu, Nicu Popescu, Moldova’s, ” Popescu, “ Moldova can’t, ‘, Sandu’s, Daniel Mihailescu, Alexandr Stoianoglo, Stoianoglo, Maksim Samorukov, ” Samorukov, “, Viorel Cernauteanu, ” Cernauteanu, Dmitry Peskov, Pistrinciuc, ” Pistrinciuc, Lenin, Peter Dench, Samorukov Organizations: CNN — Voters, eventual, Union, Kremlin, Authorities, Western, World Bank, Party, Action, Solidarity, Communist, Institute for Strategic Initiatives, CNN, Getty, European Council, Foreign Relations, Gazprom, “, CBS, AXA, Russian Party of Socialists, EU, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Reuters Locations: Moldova, Russian, Moldovan, Russia, Chisinau, Shutterstock Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Transnistria, Soviet Union, Harvard, Romanian, Odesa, Moldova’s, Europe, AFP, Western Europe, Gazprom, “ Moldova, Bardar, ”, Moscow, Tiraspol

The Israeli military said Thursday it is "checking the possibility" that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, accused of being the architect of the Oct. 7 terror attack, was among three militants killed in Gaza during its operations in the enclave. If Sinwar is indeed dead, his killing would be a major coup for Israel and its war in the Gaza Strip. A senior Israeli official told NBC News that troops identified Sinwar as probably being among three militants killed during a "heavy gun battle" in Gaza on Wednesday. Ali Jadallah / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images fileU.S. officials have been in close contact with Israeli officials throughout the morning on all of this, one of the U.S. officials said. They did not expand on how they were killed, but said they were investigating whether one of the three was Sinwar.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Ali Jadallah, Shin Bet, “, Yoav Gallant, John Kirby, Frank Lowenstein, Barack Obama, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Israel Katz, Mohammed Al, Deif, Marwan Issa, Avichay Adraee, Basem Naim, Hamas ’, ” Sinwar, Gilad Shalit, Thomas Hand, Emily Hand Organizations: Hamas, Israeli, NBC News, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency, IDF, National Security, NBC, Israeli Foreign, ISIS, Wall Street, European Council, Foreign Relations, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, U.S, Tehran, Iran

☆ Who was Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar?
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Kara Fox | Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, believed to be one of the architects of the militant group’s October 7, 2023, terror attack and Israel’s most wanted man, was killed in Gaza on Wednesday, according to the Israeli military. He was also viewed as a pragmatic political leader by some: In 2017, Hamas elected Sinwar as the political chief of its main decision-making body, the Politburo, in Gaza. At one of the protests, Sinwar applauded those facing “the enemy who besieges us.”As the group’s political leader, Sinwar focused on the group’s foreign relationships, forging important ties with regional Arab powers. Yahya Sinwar, center, with the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, left, take part in the funeral of senior militant Mazen Fuqaha in Gaza City on March 25, 2017. The talks involved senior figures from Israel, Hamas, the United States, Qatar and Egypt.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, ”, Khan Younis, bunkering, Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas ’, Majdal –, Ashraf Amra, Shutterstock Sinwar, Gilad Shalit, “, –, Mazen, Mohammed Salem, Mohammed al, Masri, Mohammed Deif, Al, Marwan Issa Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Islamic University, Open University, European Council, Foreign Relations, Israel, Brigades, US Department of State, European Union Locations: Gaza, Tehran, Al, Ashkelon –, Aqsa, Palestine, Gaza City, Israel, Israeli, Italian, Islam, Iran, United States, Qatar, Egypt, United Kingdom, France

☆ Iran is threatening to break its fragile truce with Saudi Arabia: reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Iran has threatened to attack Saudi oil sites if the Gulf state supports an Israeli attack. AdvertisementThe fragile truce between longtime regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia could unravel if Gulf states allow Israel to use their airspace to strike Iran. He reportedly told the officials that Iranian-backed militias in Iraq or the Houthi militia in Yemen could be deployed against Saudi Arabia. It named Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, all of which host US military bases, as countries Iran has threatened with reprisals. GetyAn Iranian attack would likely upend the truce brokered between Iran and Saudi Arabia by China in 2023 that saw the longtime rivals establish diplomatic contacts.

Persons: Abbas Araghchi, —, Ali Shihabi, Jordan, Naftali Bennet, they'd, Mohammed bin Salman's, may've, hasn't, Brent, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: Iranian Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Service, Iran, Foreign, Saudi, Street, United Arab, Hamas, European Council for Foreign Relations, Opec Locations: Iran, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Riyadh, Islamic Republic, Iraq, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, Gulf, Iranian, China, Ukraine

His supporters have dubbed Marwan Barghouti the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela” in the hope that after more than two decades behind bars, he can emulate the late South African leader and make the journey from prisoner to national unifier. At that time, Palestinian militants carried out deadly suicide bombings and shootings inside both Israel and the Palestinian territories, targeting buses, restaurants and hotels. “He’s someone who creates something out of nothing, and he believes in education for the Palestinian people,” Arab Barghouti added. Palestinian protesters wave flags and placards bearing portraits of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in 2015. “Ami Ayalon and others have said Marwan Barghouti may be the one leader who can be an effective partner for peace,” he said.

Persons: Yasser Arafat, Marwan Barghouti, Nelson Mandela ”, Ami Ayalon, Mahmoud Abbas, Yahya Sinwar, “, ”, Arab, Barghouti, Father Germanos, masterminding, Arafat, Fatah, William Campbell, Marco Longari, Abbas, ” Mira Al, he’s, Osama Hamdan, Abbas Momani, Ayalon, Shin, I’m, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, “ Ami Ayalon, Israel, Gilad Shalit, They’re, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Barghouti’s, Fadwa, ‘ I’m, ’ Organizations: Bank, West Bank, Palestinian Center, Policy, Survey Research, Hamas, American Embassy, NBC News, U.S . Office, Palestinian Affairs, Prosecutors, European Council, Foreign Relations, Brigades, Fatah, ., “, Getty, West, Palestinian Authority, State Department, Senate Foreign Relations, NBC, National Organization of Locations: RAMALLAH, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Israel, Gaza, American, Tel Aviv, Fatah, West Bank, Kobar, Aqsa, AFP, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, ”, Palestine

☆ Pro-Russian posters appear on billboards across Italy
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Rome CNN —Hundreds of posters have appeared on billboards across Italy this summer, bearing the slogan: “Russia is not our enemy” and depicting a handshake in the colors of the Italian and Russian flags. In Rome, the posters drew ire from the mayor’s office because they featured both the city’s name and its official symbol. In a decree to local police and the advertising company that owns the billboards in Rome, it ordered the removal of all posters. Earlier this month, they met at the European House’s Ambrosetti Forum in Cernobbio, northern Italy. The Russian propaganda posters have not caused notable outcry among the Italian public, in part because they started appearing during the summer months, when most Italians take their vacations.

Persons: Rome, Sovranita Popolare, Piazza Mazzini, Giorgia Meloni, Volodymyr Zelensky, Silvio Berlusconi –, Vladimir Putin, Matteo Salvini Organizations: Rome CNN, Nations, CNN, European Union, Putin, European Council of Foreign Relations Locations: Italy, Russia, Rome, Ukraine, Israel, Verona, Modena, Parma, Pisa, Calabria, Ukraine’s, Eternal, ”, Europe, Cernobbio, Red, Greece, Bulgaria, Russian

☆ Hamas announces Yahya Sinwar as new political head following Ismail Haniyeh assassination
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas on Tuesday announced Yahya Sinwar as the militant group’s new political head following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. Haniyeh was killed last week when an airstrike hit his residence in Tehran, where the Hamas leader had participated in the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. "Hamas announces the selection of brother leader Yahya Sinwar as head of the movement’s political bureau, succeeding the late leader Ismail Haniyeh, may God have mercy on him," the group said in a statement Tuesday. Sinwar has been in hiding since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking around 240 hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Israel has since declared war in Gaza and has killed over 40,000 people in the enclave, according to officials there.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Haniyeh's, Avichay Adraee, Israel, Mohammed Al, Deif, Marwan Issa, Adraee, Israel Katz, Daniel Hagari, Sinwar, Gilad Shalit, Fatah Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, ISIS, Foreign, European Council, Foreign Relations, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank Locations: Tehran, Israel, Gaza, Israeli, Egypt

☆ Hamas announces Yahya Sinwar as head of political bureau
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Kareem Khadder | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Hamas announced Tuesday that its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, will replace Ismail Haniyeh as the head of its political bureau, it said in a statement. The Iranian government and Hamas say that Israel carried out the assassination. A longtime figure in the Islamist Palestinian group, Sinwar was responsible for building up Hamas’ military wing before forging important new ties with regional Arab powers as the group’s civilian and political leader. He was elected to Hamas’ main decision-making body, the Politburo, in 2017 as the political leader of Hamas in Gaza branch. However, he has since become the Politburo’s de facto leader, according to research by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, ” Israel, ”, Haniyeh, Israel, Sinwar Organizations: CNN, Israel, Hamas, ’, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Gaza, Tehran, Israel

☆ After Haniyeh’s Death, Who Are Hamas’s Most Prominent Leaders?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed on Wednesday in Iran, was among the most senior members of Hamas’s leadership, a group that is tightly coordinated despite being scattered inside and outside Gaza. Hamas’s leaders, especially those in Gaza, have repeatedly been targets of Israeli assassination attempts, but the group has swiftly replaced those who have been killed. The group’s leadership structure is often opaque, but here is a look at what we know about some of Hamas’s most prominent leaders who are either believed to be alive or whose fate is unclear. Mr. Sinwar is believed to be hiding in the group’s tunnel network beneath Gaza. A number of Hamas’s leaders in Gaza, including Mr. Sinwar, are seen as more radical than Mr. Haniyeh, the leader who was killed in Iran.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Sinwar, Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Marwan Issa, Haniyeh, “, ”, Hugh Lovatt Organizations: Mr, European Council, Foreign Relations Locations: Iran, Gaza

☆ With a NATO war and Ukraine's knack for shooting down planes in mind, Russia is holding back its airpower and most advanced jets
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Read previewRussia has kept much of its airpower and some of its most advanced aircraft out of the war in Ukraine. But Baum and other air warfare experts have warned Russia's air force should not be underestimated and cautioned that NATO should be ready. AdvertisementRussia's air force is weaker than NATO's airpower, but Russia's war in Ukraine shows it can still cause a lot of damage. Russia's air force has suffered high attrition rates from Ukraine's ground-based air defenses when operating in the country. Related storiesHe said that Russia "has a lot of trouble replacing lost advanced aircraft," only making a few a year.

Persons: —, John Baum, Su, Andrew Curtis, Curtis, Michael Clarke, Christopher Cavoli, it's, Clarke, Evelyn Hockstein, Baum, Peter Layton, Layton, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Jens Büttner, Russian Sukhoi Su, Nicola Marfisi, Russia's, There's, Sukhoi Su, Aleksey Nikolskyi, REUTERS George Barros, Jake Epstein, Gustav Gressel, Tim Robinson, Russia's Su, Robinson, Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix Organizations: Service, NATO, Mitchell Institute, US Air Force, Business, UK Ministry of Defense, Russian Air Force, Royal Air Force, REUTERS, Ukraine, Griffith Asia Institute, Royal Australian Air Force, Russian, Getty Images Air, Getty Images, it's, Sukhoi, Sputnik, European Council, Foreign Relations, UK's Royal Aeronautical Society, Getty Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Washington, NATO, Russian Sukhoi, Ukrainian, Moscow, Kremlin, AFP

☆ Ukraine's US-provided Bradley armored fighting vehicles are turning heads in tough battles against Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-26 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewIn a snowy landscape near Stepove in eastern Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian armored vehicles went head-to-head in what appeared to be a mismatched fight. The Russian tank's turret starts spinning, and then the tank veers off course and crashes into a tree. Advertisement"So armored vehicles dash in, fulfill their combat mission, and then withdraw as fast as they can," said Gressel. Only weeks later, a Bradley took out two BTR-82 Russian armored troop carriers in the same region. AdvertisementParakilas, the RAND analyst, said that the Pentagon is modifying the Bradley vehicles to better defend them against the drone and air attacks that proved devastating against the western-supplied armored vehicles in summer 2023.

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin, Bradley, IFV, Gustav Gressel, Jacob Parakilas, Gressel, Scott Peterson, they've, Abrams Organizations: Service, 47th Mechanized Brigade Bradley, Business, Bradley, Ukraine, Russia, European Council, Foreign Relations, RAND Corporation, CNN, Washington Post, American, LB, Getty, RAND Locations: Stepove, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Russian, Russia, Zaporizhzhia, Baghdad, Adviikva

☆ EU moves high-level meetings out of Budapest to protest Orbán’s Ukraine war stance
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( Caitlin Danaher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“I can say that all member states, with one single exception, were very much critical about this behavior,” he added. “European Union policy is not a pro-war policy. Borrell’s decision comes after European Council President Charles Michel firmly hit back at Orbán’s claim that the EU has led a “pro-war policy” in a letter published last week. “Russia is the aggressor and Ukraine is the victim exercising its legitimate right to self-defense. Russia is leading a war of aggression in blatant violation of international law, Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with the UN Charter,” Michel wrote.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, ” Borrell, “, ’, ” Borrel, Putin, Borrell’s, Charles Michel, ” Michel, Orbán, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Orban, Ursula von der Leyen, ” Orban, Niamh Kennedy, James Frater, Amy Cassidy, Jennifer Hansler Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Union, European, EU, UN, Ukraine “, CNN Locations: Budapest, Brussels, Hungary, Ukraine, Hungary’s, Hungarian, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, Florida

☆ Russia is spending millions to create a new generation of militant Putin clones
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-20 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewFor years, Russia's youth has been fed hardline nationalistic ideology as the Kremlin has sought to engineer a new generation of Putin clones. AdvertisementState-run youth groups have also dramatically increased in size since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The group's head said it had opened around 40,000 offices across Russia as of December 2023, per Russia's state-run TASS news agency. DMITRY KOSTYUKOV/AFP via Getty ImagesThe various Academics fraternity cells are largely similar in style, though some display more extreme behavior than others. It's all part of "a much bigger campaign to target the next generation of Russian youth."

Persons: —, Putin, Sergei Novikov, Vladimir Putin, Ian Garner, Garner, Mikhail Komin, frat, Nikita Izyumov, Konstantin Malofeyev, Izyumov, Komin, DMITRY KOSTYUKOV, David Lewis, Izymov, Lewis, ALEXANDER NEMENOV, Young Organizations: Service, Kremlin, Business, RBC, Russia, European Council, Foreign Relations, Fraternity, West, Academics, Getty, University of Exeter, Ministry of Defence, UK's MoD, Fraternity of Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Rome, Moscow, Constantinople, AFP, Chelyabinsk

☆ Germany's plan to halve military aid to Ukraine is a gift to Trump, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA draft budget approved by Germany's government shows the country is planning to halve its military aid to Ukraine next year. The draft budget slashes the amount promised to Ukraine to $4.35 billion in 2025, compared to the roughly $8.14 billion it is receiving this year, Reuters reported. There are fears that Trump will scale back or even totally halt US aid to Ukraine. Germany is the second-biggest donor country by volume of military aid to Ukraine and is Europe's biggest economy. As such, the draft budget is a "moral hazard" for the country, Loss said.

Persons: —, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Rafael Loss, Donald Trump, Mary, Trump, he's, MAGA, JD Vance, there's, Olaf Scholz, Scholz Organizations: Service, Reuters, German, Business, European Council, Foreign Relations, Ukraine, Politico, Trump Loss, NATO Locations: Ukraine, Germany, Berlin, Europe

☆ Israel-Hamas War and Gaza Fighting: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Settlers are governed by Israeli civil law while their Palestinian neighbors are subject to Israeli military law. “Settler soldiers are actually an armed militia.”Image Israeli army reservists near the settlement of Tekoa in the West Bank in October. From the perspective of some in the Israeli military, settler violence is a threat to Israel’s security. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli forces have killed more than 530 West Bank Palestinians since the war in Gaza began, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which tracks West Bank violence on a weekly basis.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Hagit, ’, ” Ms, Ofran, Tamir Kalifa, Bezalel Smotrich, Smotrich, Yehuda Fox, “, ” Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Sheikh Ahmad Organizations: West Bank, The European Union, European Council, United, State Department, “, The New York Times, Mr, Israel’s, Command, Palestinian, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: United States, Peace, Israel, Jordan, Gaza, West, Palestinian, ”, Tekoa, Al Bireh, Ramin, Deir Abu Mash’al, Ramallah

☆ Trump ready to be ‘peace broker’ on Ukraine, Orban tells skeptical European leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban has told European leaders leaders that Donald Trump is “ready to act as a peace broker” between Russia and Ukraine if elected president, according to a letter seen by Reuters, amid concerns across the continent that Trump would attempt to force Kyiv into ceding territory to Moscow. Orban’s letter, addressed to European Council President Charles Michel and sent to all European Union leaders, was written in the wake of his controversial meetings with former President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “I can […] surely state that shortly after his election victory, he will not wait until his inauguration, [Trump] will be ready to act as a peace broker immediately. But his visits with Putin, Xi and Trump have gone down poorly with EU lawmakers, who have accused Orban of vitally “misrepresenting” and “undermining” the EU’s stance on foreign policy. A letter signed by 63 European lawmakers, addressed to the three EU chiefs, said Orban had “caused significant damage” through his meetings.

Persons: CNN —, Viktor Orban, Donald Trump, Trump, Charles Michel, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, “, ” Orban, Orban, pare, ” Trump, Joe Biden, Russia –, Orban –, ”, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump’s, Xi, Ursula von der Leyen, Roberta Metsola Organizations: CNN, CNN — Hungary’s, Reuters, European, European Union, Ukraine “, EU, Ukrainian, ”, European Council Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Hungarian, Beijing, Florida, Kyiv, Hungary

☆ China's Xi greets EU Council president ahead of EV tariffs taking effect
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's President Xi Jinping made a congratulatory call on Thursday to incoming European Council President Antonio Costa, Chinese state media said, a few hours before European Commission curbs on Chinese electric cars are scheduled to take effect. China's President Xi Jinping made a congratulatory call on Thursday to incoming European Council President Antonio Costa, Chinese state media said, a few hours before European Commission curbs on Chinese electric cars are scheduled to take effect. The Commission is set to confirm provisional import tariffs of up to 37.6% on Chinese-manufactured electric vehicles, after the bloc accused the world's No.2 economy of providing its firms with heavy state subsidies. Xi said he "attaches great importance to the development of China-EU relations" as Europe braces for retaliatory measures from Beijing and the possible opening up of a new front in the West's tariff war with the $18.6 trillion economy. EU trade policy has turned increasingly protective over concerns that China's production-focused development model could see it flooded with cheap goods as Chinese firms look to step up exports amid weak domestic demand.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Antonio Costa, Xi Locations: China, Beijing

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