Israeli military issues evacuation order for residents in Gaza City
Israel's military on Tuesday ordered residents to evacuate from Gaza City ahead of a new offensive to seize the Strip's largest urban centre, part of ...
The Democratic Republic of Congo and M23 rebels issued identical statements on Wednesday pledging to pursue peace after more than a week of talks in Qatar, where violence and mutual distrust dominated the agenda.
“Both parties reaffirm their commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities,” the statement read. It also condemned hate speech and intimidation, calling on local communities to uphold peace efforts.
But frustrations remain. Sources from both sides said talks were slowed by disputes over confidence-building measures—especially the release of Congo-held prisoners linked to M23 and Rwanda.
“They are asking for too much,” said a Congo government source.
“Our justice system is independent. Some people must pay.”
A source from the rebel coalition said the issue derailed efforts toward deeper negotiations. The delegations left Doha earlier this week.
Despite that, diplomats say Qatar pushed both parties to agree on the joint statement, raising faint hopes of progress in a conflict that has lasted decades.
M23 launched an unprecedented advance in January, seizing eastern Congo’s two largest cities. The offensive killed thousands and raised fears of a wider regional war.
Qatar’s mediation follows a surprise meeting it brokered last month between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Both called for a ceasefire. It was the first step toward direct dialogue between Kinshasa and M23—long dismissed by Congo as a terrorist group.
Rwanda denies backing the rebels. Congo, the UN, and Western governments say otherwise.
On Wednesday, a UN source confirmed fresh fighting in Walikale, a strategic mining hub that M23 vacated earlier this month in what it called a goodwill gesture.
“This is a crucial step towards ending the violence,” Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said.
Still, no date has been set for further talks.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Israel's military on Tuesday ordered residents to evacuate from Gaza City ahead of a new offensive to seize the Strip's largest urban centre, part of a planned takeover stirring international alarm over the fate of the entire territory.
French President Emmanuel Macron faces a deepening political crisis as he searches for his fifth prime minister in under two years, following the expected resignation of Francois Bayrou on Tuesday after parliament rejected his budget plans.
South Korea will send a chartered plane to Atlanta as early as Wednesday to bring back workers detained during a huge immigration raid last week on a car battery plant in the U.S. state of Georgia, a Korean Air spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Norway's minority Labour Party government led by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, won a second term in power on Monday while the populist right achieved its best-ever election result, official results showed, in a ballot dominated by concerns over rising living costs and wars in Ukraine and Gaza.
Nepal has lifted a social media ban following protests that resulted in the deaths of 19 people, Cabinet spokesperson and Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung said on Tuesday.
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