Israeli military kills Hamas spokesman as Gaza assault continues
Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua was killed when Israeli fighters jets bombed his tent shelter in northern Gaza. A Hamas spokesperson has been killed by an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza, news outlets have confirmed, as Israel’s army continues its renewed assault on the besieged enclave. Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua was killed when Israeli fighter jets bombed his tent shelter in the northern city of Jabalia in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Al-Aqsa television and the Shehab News Agency. Several more people were wounded in the strike, including children, according to Hind Khoudary, an Al Jazeera correspondent in Gaza. Khoudary said the attack was one of several carried out by the Israeli military across the Strip over recent hours, including a strike on a home in the as-Saftawi area of Gaza City, which killed six members of the same family. On March 18, Israel abruptly ended a fragile two-month ceasefire as it resumed its intense bombing campaign and ground operations in Gaza. Israel has since killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians in an attempt to pressure Hamas into freeing the remaining captives held in the war-torn enclave. Advertisement Several senior Hamas officials have also been killed over the past week. On Sunday, an Israeli air strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza killed five people, including Ismail Barhoum, the head of finances and institutions within Hamas’s political office. That same day, Israeli fighter jets also bombed tents housing displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. Salah al-Bardaweel, a prominent Hamas political leader and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was killed in that attack alongside his wife. Both men were part of Hamas’s political office – a 20-member decision-making body, 11 of whom have been killed since the start of the war in late 2023, according to the Reuters news agency. Palestinian protesters demanding an end to Israel’s war on the enclave gather in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza where they also chanted anti-Hamas slogans, on March 26, 2025 [Reuters) Hamas still holds 59 of the roughly 250 captives the group took during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas assault while the Israeli military has now killed at least 50,183 Palestinians and wounded 113,828 others since launching its ground and air assault on the Palestinian enclave. About 830 people have been killed since Israel resumed attacks 10 days ago, according to statistics from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, with women and children making up more than half of the casualties. The United Nations’ humanitarian agency (OCHA) also announced on Tuesday that 142,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced by the Israeli military since March 18, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation caused by Israel’s ongoing restrictions on aid entering Gaza. Advertisement The rising death toll in Gaza comes amid weeks of slow-moving and fractious ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Mediators – the United States, Qatar and Egypt – have failed to secure an extension to the first stage of the three-phase agreement, which expired on March 1. Hamas has accused Israel of intentionally jeopardising truce discussions, aimed at bringing about a permanent end to fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed he ordered Israeli forces to renew attacks on Gaza after Hamas rejected proposals to secure an extension. On Wednesday, Netanyahu repeated threats that Israel would seize territory in Gaza if Hamas failed to release the remaining captives. Adblock test (Why?)
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un oversees tests of new AI-equipped suicide drones
North Korea’s leader oversaw tests of his country’s latest military innovations involving the use of artificial intelligence. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has personally supervised his country’s testing of new AI-equipped suicide and reconnaissance drones and called for unmanned aircraft and artificial intelligence to be prioritised in military modernisation plans. State-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Thursday that Kim oversaw the testing of “various kinds of reconnaissance and suicide drones” produced by North Korea’s Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex. The new North Korean drones are capable of “tracking and monitoring different strategic targets and enemy troop activities on the ground and the sea”, while the attack drones will “be used for various tactical attack missions”, KCNA said, noting that both drone systems have been equipped with “new artificial intelligence”. Kim agreed to expand the production capacity of “unmanned equipment and artificial intelligence” and emphasised the importance of creating a long-term plan for North Korea to promote “the rapid development” of “intelligent drones”, which is “the trend of modern warfare”. Advertisement Pictures from the tests, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, were said to show attack drones successfully striking ground targets, including military vehicles. In this undated photo released on March 27, 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a newly developed unmanned reconnaissance aircraft at an undisclosed location in North Korea [KCNA via KNS/AFP] Kim was pictured walking with aides near a newly developed unmanned aerial reconnaissance aircraft, which appeared to be larger than a fighter jet, and was seen boarding an airborne early warning and control (AEW) aircraft, according to pictures released by KCNA. The photos mark the first time such an aircraft was unveiled by the North, which was equipped with a radar dome on the fuselage, similar to the Boeing-manufactured Peace Eye operated by the South Korean air force. North Korea’s efforts to create an early warning aircraft were previously reported by analysts who had used commercial satellite imagery to discover Pyongyang was converting a Russian-made Il-76 cargo aircraft into an early-warning role. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in a report last year that an AEW aircraft would help augment North Korea’s existing land-based radar systems, though just one aircraft would not be enough. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un boards an early warning and reconnaissance aircraft in this photo released by North Korea’s KCNA on March 27, 2025 [Handout/KCNA via Reuters] During his visit to the test site, Kim was also briefed on intelligence-gathering capabilities as well as electronic jamming and attack systems newly developed by the country’s electronic warfare group, KCNA said. Advertisement The government of South Korea and analysts have repeatedly warned about the potential transfer of sensitive Russian military technology to North Korea in return for Kim’s provision of thousands of North Korean troops and weapons to support Russia’s war with Ukraine. Seoul’s military said on Thursday that North Korea has so far this year supplied Russia with an additional 3,000 troops as well as missiles and other ammunition. “It is estimated that an additional 3,000 troops were sent between January and February as reinforcements,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, adding that of the initial 11,000 North Korean soldiers dispatched to Russia in 2024, 4,000 are believed to have been killed or wounded. “In addition to manpower, North Korea continues to supply missiles, artillery equipment, and ammunition,” according to a report by the JCS. “So far, it is assessed that North Korea has provided a significant quantity of short-range ballistic missiles [SRBMs], as well as about 220 units of 170mm self-propelled guns and 240mm multiple rocket launchers,” it said. The JCS also warned that “these numbers could increase depending on the situation on the battlefield”. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump reiterates US must ‘have’ Greenland ahead of JD Vance visit
US president said ‘we have to convince them’, as he claimed taking control of Greenland was essential for US national security. United States President Donald Trump has re-asserted his desire for Washington to take control of Greenland, in advance of a controversial planned visit to the Danish autonomous territory by Vice President JD Vance. “We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it,” Trump said in an interview on Wednesday. “I hate to put it that way, but we’re going to have to have it,” he said. Since returning to the White House in January, President Trump has repeatedly insisted he wants to take control of Greenland for national security purposes. Trump has refused to rule out the use of military force to bring the Arctic territory under Washington’s control, despite it being ruled by NATO-ally Denmark for six centuries. “We have to have that land because it’s not possible to properly defend a large section of this Earth, not just the United States, without it,” Trump said. “It’s an island that from a defensive posture, and even offensive posture, is something we need, especially with the world the way it is, and we’re going to have to have it,” he said. Advertisement Located between North America and Europe, Greenland is of geo-strategic importance at a time of rising US, Chinese and Russian interest in the Arctic. The territory also holds massive untapped mineral and oil reserves – though exploration is currently banned – that could significantly shift the dynamics of global trade. Asked by the interviewer if he thought Greenlanders were eager to join the US, Trump said he did not know, but “we have to convince them”. Greenland has repeatedly declared its stated goal of eventual independence from Denmark. Earlier this month, the centre-right opposition Demokraatit party – which is described as pro-business and in favour of a slow approach to independence – won parliamentary elections in the territory. In light of the Trump administration’s increasingly assertive overtures, 85 percent of the semi-autonomous Arctic territory’s population has also expressed their opposition to coming under Washington’s rule. Trump’s latest incendiary remarks come as Vice President Vance is set to accompany his wife, Usha, on a visit to Greenland this Friday. An initial itinerary, which included a visit to a dogsled race, caused anger among Greenlandic officials and the general public. Vance, his wife and other Trump administration officials will now visit a US military base in Greenland instead. The territory’s acting head of government, Mute Egede, had labelled the uninvited trip a “provocation” and “foreign interference” in its affairs. Posting on Facebook, the outgoing Greenlandic government said it had not “extended any invitations for any visits, neither private nor official”. Advertisement Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also accused the US of exerting “unacceptable pressure” on Greenland and Denmark through the trip. “It is pressure that we will resist,” she told Danish media on Tuesday. “This is clearly not a visit that is about what Greenland needs or wants.” Responding to the backlash, the White House later announced that the Vances will now visit the US-run Pituffik Space Base in Greenland in lieu of the dogsled race, where an anti-US demonstration was reportedly planned. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed the decision to limit the visit to the US base. “I think it’s very positive that the Americans have cancelled their visit among Greenlandic society. They will only visit their own base, Pituffik, and we have nothing against that,” he said. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said visiting the military base was a “much wiser decision” than interfering in “what is happening in Greenlandic politics”. Adblock test (Why?)
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Why were Meerut murder accused Sahil Shukla’s long hair chopped off? Know rules on hair and beard in prisons
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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,127
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,127 Here is the roundup of key events as of Thursday, March 27. Fighting Russian forces launched a mass drone attack on Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, injuring nine people and causing considerable damage, according to emergency services and Ukrainian officials. A Russian drone attack also triggered fires in the central city of Dnipro, according to regional governor Serhiy Lysak. No casualties were immediately reported. The mayor of Ukraine’s southern port of Mykolaiv said there were emergency power outages early on Wednesday in the city, following an attack by Russian drones. The Ukrainian military said its air defence units shot down 56 of 117 drones launched by Russia. A Russian military court handed long prison sentences to 12 members of Ukraine’s Azov regiment, which led the defence of the city of Mariupol in the early months of the war. The defendants – charged with terrorist activity and with violently seizing or retaining power – were sentenced to between 13 and 23 years in prison. Russian state TV journalist Anna Prokofieva was killed and her cameraman Dmitry Volkov was seriously injured by a landmine allegedly laid by the Ukrainian military in Russia’s Belgorod region. Advertisement Ceasefire Ukraine and Russia accused one another of flouting a truce on attacks against energy facilities brokered by the United States after Washington announced separate agreements on Tuesday to pause strikes in the Black Sea and against energy targets. Senior Ukrainian presidential official Ihor Zhovkva said Russia has attacked at least eight Ukrainian energy facilities since March 18, when Moscow says it halted such attacks. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a moratorium on attacking energy infrastructure in Ukraine is being fulfilled by Russia’s armed forces, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov claimed. The Ukrainian military rejected as false Russian accusations that it carried out strikes on energy facilities in Russia’s Kursk and Bryansk regions, as well as in Russia-occupied Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the US told Kyiv that the truce deals with Russia were effective as soon as they were announced. But the Kremlin said the Black Sea ceasefire agreement would not enter force until a sanctioned Russian state bank was reconnected to the international payment system, Swift. European leaders said this would not happen until Russia withdraws from Ukraine. Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris in advance of a European summit to discuss Ukraine, President Zelenskyy said he hopes Washington has enough power to press Russia into an unconditional ceasefire after Moscow put forward its conditions for the Black Sea truce. I want to highlight France’s efforts in helping us defend against Russian strikes. In particular, your “Mirages”—combat aircraft made in France—have performed very well. I am particularly grateful for them—they have already become a part of our air shield and are helping us… pic.twitter.com/ccHbSvWTKM — Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 26, 2025 Advertisement The Kremlin said Moscow was continuing its intensive contact with the US and was pleased with how talks with Washington had gone so far. “We are satisfied with how pragmatically and constructively our dialogue is developing and by how it is yielding results,” Kremlin spokesman Peskov said. The US will evaluate demands made by Russia after it agreed “in principle” to a US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine in the Black Sea to allow safe navigation, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Rubio said US officials would work to “more fully understand what the Russian position is, or what they’re asking in exchange”, and then “present that” to US President Donald Trump to make a decision. Trump said in an interview that he thought Russia wanted to end its war with Ukraine, but acknowledged that Moscow could be “dragging its feet”. The Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine could come back online within months of a ceasefire, but it would take more than a year to restart all six reactors, the UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said. Ukraine has accused Moscow of being incapable of managing safety at the plant after what it said were reports of a huge spillage of diesel. Russia has dismissed the reports as “fake”. Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock welcomed US mediation efforts but warned against being misled by President Putin, saying genuine dialogue cannot occur when ceasefires are continually tied to new demands and concessions. An agreement on freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to ensure the protection of civilian vessels and port infrastructure “will be a crucial contribution to global food security and supply chains”, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. Advertisement Military aid President Macron said France will provide some two billion euros ($2.15bn) in extra military aid to Ukraine, as he accused Russia of reinterpreting and rewriting recent limited ceasefire deals. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned the US and Europe against any temptation to “go it alone” on security, amid increased tensions over the future of the transatlantic alliance and diverging views on Russia. Rutte also said Europe could still trust the US administration after it emerged a journalist was included in a group Signal chat among national security aides to coordinate military strikes on Yemen. Rutte cautioned there will be no normalisation of relations with Russia even after the war in Ukraine is over, saying it “will take decades” due to a “total lack of confidence”. European efforts to create security arrangements for Ukraine are shifting from sending troops to other alternatives as they face political and logistical constraints, and the prospect of Russia and the US opposing their plans, unnamed European officials told the Reuters news agency. Economics US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News that Ukraine may sign an economic deal next week and President Trump will not hesitate to raise sanctions on Russia if the need arises. Relations between Kyiv and Washington are “back on track”, said Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff to Ukraine’s president, after a fraught Oval Office encounter last month between the US and Ukrainian leaders. Italian water heating firm
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Carole Keeton Strayhorn, first woman to serve as Texas comptroller, dies at 85
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