Ukraine and allies boycott Paralympics opening over Russia and Belarus athletes
Ukraine’s National Paralympic Committee has announced it will boycott the opening ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympics in Verona on 6 Mar...
Israel has launched a series of airstrikes on Gaza, following the collapse of negotiations to extend a ceasefire. The strikes have resulted in significant casualties, while efforts to resume peace talks remain stalled.
Israel has confirmed it launched its most intense airstrikes on Gaza since the January ceasefire, conducting at least 35 strikes overnight. Palestinian health officials report more than 100 fatalities, with many others injured, as truce extension negotiations collapsed.
The Israeli military stated it targeted "terror sites" linked to Hamas. The Palestinian civil emergency service confirmed that at least 35 airstrikes hit multiple locations, with medics reporting significant civilian casualties, including children. This marks the largest wave of airstrikes since the ceasefire ended on 1 March.
Eyewitnesses described the destruction, with one Gaza resident, holding a baby, saying that almost their entire family was killed and their house collapsed.
Israel accuses Hamas of failing to release hostages, warning of intensified military actions against the group. Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire. As a result, the fate of 59 hostages in Gaza remains uncertain.
Hamas previously released 33 hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 prisoners, but talks for a second phase of the ceasefire to release 60 more hostages and end the conflict have stalled. U.S. proposals to extend the ceasefire have also failed, with both sides at an impasse. Mediators from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are working to revive the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to resume the war and stop food and aid deliveries to Gaza. Hamas has stated it will only release hostages if Israel lifts its blockade, withdraws from a strategic corridor, and frees more Palestinian prisoners.
So far, the ongoing conflict has claimed over 48,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The war escalated following the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed more than 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of 251 hostages.
Israel is preparing for the possibility of receiving a green light from the United States to launch strikes against Iran’s ballistic missile system, according to Israel’s public broadcaster KAN.
Aghdam’s Qarabag FK experienced a 6–1 defeat to England’s Newcastle United in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off tie in Azerbaijan's capital Baku Wednesday evening (18 February).
U.S. President Donald Trump’s 'Board of Peace' will hold its first leaders’ meeting on Thursday (19 February) in Washington, D.C., launching an initiative aimed at stabilising Gaza and addressing global conflicts. It's drawn support from regional powers but refusals from several EU countries.
The Board of Peace will be "looking over the United Nations," said U.S. President Donald Trump at the inaugural Washington meeting, where representatives from over 20 countries gathered to unveil plans for Gaza’s reconstruction and coordinate international support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in the Kremlin on Wednesday, telling him that new restrictions imposed on the communist-run island were unacceptable.
Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev has held a series of high-level meetings in the U.S. aimed at strengthening bilateral economic and strategic ties between the two countries.
Türkiye has signalled readiness to contribute to a proposed Gaza stabilisation force during the inaugural Board of Peace meeting on Thursday (19 February), but according to former Turkish diplomat Mehmet Öğütçü, the decisive factor will be whether Israel and the United States agree on Ankara’s role.
Türkiye is prepared to contribute troops to a proposed international stabilisation force for Gaza, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Thursday.
Iran has warned it will respond “decisively” if subjected to military aggression, saying U.S. President Donald Trump’s rhetoric signals “a real risk of military aggression”.
The U.S. government has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan to secure better access to the Central Asian country's critical minerals, as U.S. President Donald Trump moves to counter China's dominance of crucial resources and their supply chains.
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