Connect with us

Foreign News

Israel Targets Militant Commanders, Gaza Tunnel Network

Published

on

Share

Israel’s military said on Monday it had targeted militant commanders and the tunnel network in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinian militants continued to fire rockets towards Israel.

In spite of  international calls for a ceasefire, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the ruling authority in Gaza  is entering its second week with no sign of letting up.

Israel’s army said it had shelled the homes of nine senior commanders from the Islamist Hamas movement overnight.

Some were used as weapons caches, according to the Israeli military.

Another target, a commander of the Islamic Jihad militant group in the northern Gaza Strip was killed in a separate attack, Israel said.

Hasem Harbid apparently led an Islamic Jihad unit in the north of the strip.

More than 1,500 targets had been attacked in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Netanyahu said the operation would continue at full force.

At night, 54 fighter jets were deployed to attack the underground tunnel network in Gaza, the army said.

It said that some 15 kilometres of tunnels were destroyed.

The Palestinian side said the airstrikes were the heaviest yet in densely populated Gaza and the rocket fire from Gaza had been equally intense.

Some 3,150 rockets have been fired at Israel since last Monday, according to the Israeli military.

About 460 of the rockets never made it across the border and went down in Gaza territory, it added.

The Iron Dome missile defence system had an interception rate of about 90 per cent, it said.

By comparison, a total of 4,481 rockets were fired at Israel during the entire 51-day Gaza war in 2014.

At least 192 people have been killed in Gaza, including 58 children, according to the coastal territory’s health ministry.

On May 15, during the night, 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli army attacks on homes in Gaza, the ministry said.

In Israel, rocket fire has killed 10 people since last Monday, according to rescuers.

Israel blames Hamas, the Islamist militants in control of the Gaza Strip for any attacks from there.

The group is classified as a terrorist organisation by Israel, the U.S. and the European Union.

International diplomatic efforts to calm tensions have had little apparent effect so far.

In an unusual intervention, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Pope Francis that Palestinians would continue to be massacred, if the international community did not sanction Israel.

“The pope’s messages about and reactions to this issue are of great importance in terms of mobilising the Christian world and the international community,’’ Erdogan said in a phone call with Francis.

Around 42,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have fled their homes because of Israel’s air attacks on the coastal territory.

They have sought shelter in 50 schools run by the UN Palestinian Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza Strip, a spokesperson for the organisation said.

More than 2,500 people have been left homeless after their homes were destroyed.

Israel says it is only targeting militant positions, but some of those are in the middle of highly crowded residential areas.(dpa/ NAN)

Foreign News

Russian Army Fires Ballistic Missiles at Kiev from Crimean Peninsula

Published

on

Share

The Russian Army has hit the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, with ballistic missiles, injuring four people and damaging an uninhabited three-storey building, according to officials.

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said  that two of the injured  people were in a central neighbourhood and  had been taken to hospital.

Rocket debris also fell in two other neighbourhoods.

According to the Ukrainian air force, two ballistic missiles were fired at the city of millions, from the Russian-controlled Crimea Peninsula.

Both were shot down.

Half a dozen explosions from anti-aircraft missiles had previously been heard in the city centre.

The air raid warning was only triggered a few seconds beforehand, it said.

Ukraine has been facing  Russian invasion for over two years.

Since then, the Ukrainian air defence system has been massively reinforced with Western systems. (dpa/NAN)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Cambodia Arrests 2 Foreigners for Smuggling 2.27 kg Narcotics

Published

on

Share

Cambodian customs police at the Phnom Penh International Airport said they have arrested two South Korean nationals for an attempt to smuggle 2.27 kg narcotics to South Korea.

The duo, a man and woman, were caught Sunday night while they checked in for a ZA215 flight bound for Seoul.

The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia said in a news release on Monday.

In their body searches, our customs officials found many packs of drugs wrapped around their waists, the news release said.

“As a result, some 1.29 kg of crystal methamphetamine and 0.98 kg of ketamine were seized from the two suspects’ possession.’’

The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for a drug trafficker.

Under its law, someone found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grammes of illicit drugs could be jailed for life.

According to the country’s Anti-Drug Department (ADP), Cambodia nabbed 3,899 drug-related suspects, including 106 foreigners, in 1,659 cases from Jan. 1 to March 3, 2024.

According to the report they confiscated a total of 2.79 tonnes of narcotics.

Most of the seized drugs were ketamine, crystal methamphetamine, methamphetamine tablets, heroin, ecstasy, and cocaine. (Xinhua/NAN)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

February Ends with Extreme Heat – WMO

Published

on

Share

The UN weather agency, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), says February saw more extreme heat and unusually high temperatures in both hemispheres.

Summarising the state of the climate, it said the month ended with extreme heat in the southern hemisphere where it is summer, while high temperatures atypical of the northern hemisphere winter prevailed.

Parts of North and South America, northwest and southeast Africa, southeast and far eastern Asia, western Australia and Europe all saw record-breaking temperatures, either on a daily basis or for all of February.

“The anomalous heat is consistent with the persisting warming observed since June 2023, with seven consecutive new global monthly temperature records, including January 2024,” Alvaro Silva, a climatologist working with the WMO, said in a statement.

Global sea surface temperatures were record high. While the El Niño weather pattern “has stoked temperatures in some parts of the world, human induced climate change is the long-term major contributing factor,” he added.

Conversely, a large part of northwestern Canada, central Asia – and from southern central Siberia to southeastern China – witnessed exceptional cold during the last week of the month.

The meteorological winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the southern hemisphere finished officially at the end of February.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) raised increasing concern on Friday that more refugees would cross into Chad from Darfur in the coming weeks amid a worrying lack of food and other essentials.

Almost a year since the start of the civil war between rival militaries in Sudan, neighbouring Chad urgently needs more humanitarian aid and significant development investment, the agency reported, especially in its eastern areas which are hosting the refugee influx.

This investment will allow the country to continue its generous open-door stance towards refugees.

“Chadian officials are concerned that many more hungry Sudanese families will come in the next weeks,” said Kelly Clements, UNHCR’s Deputy High Commissioner, who is in the country to review the relief operation.

“The country is committed to keeping its borders open, despite the fragility of this region.

“But, doing so will put even more strain on Chad, which has so graciously been hosting refugees from Sudan’s war – now raging almost a year – and other refugees still here from earlier emergencies.” (NAN)

Continue Reading

Read Our ePaper

Top Stories

NEWS9 mins ago

Insecurity: Govt to Begins Boundary Demarcation Between Benue, Cameroon, others in April 

ShareFrom Attah Ede Makurdi The federal government is to commence the boundary demarcation between Benue, Taraba, Cameroon, Ebonyi and Nasarawa...

NEWS12 mins ago

Gov Alia  Swears in BSIEC Chairman, other Commissioners

ShareFrom Attah Ede Makurdi  The Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, on Thursday swore in the newly-appointed chairman of...

NEWS15 mins ago

Gov Alia shuns APC National Leadership  Peace moves in Benue, Inaugurates parallel State Secretariat, Excos 

ShareFrom Attah Ede Makurdi The crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress,APC in Benue State, on Thursday took another dimension...

Metro24 mins ago

Wike Approves Deployment of FCTA’s Pioneer Perm. Secs

ShareThe Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved the deployment of the 10 pioneer Permanent...

NEWS37 mins ago

MTN, Tier-1 Banks’ Stocks Lift NGX Gains by N157bn

ShareRenewed interest in MTN Nigeria, alongside sustained interest in Tier-one banks’ stocks on Thursday further raised the equity market higher...

NEWS40 mins ago

Naira Falls Against Dollar by 0.7%

ShareThe Naira experienced a slight depreciation at the official market, trading at N1,309.39 to a dollar on Thursday. Data from...

dailyasset-greetings dailyasset-greetings
BUSINESS45 mins ago

CBN Unveils New Minimum Capital Requirements For Banks

ShareGives Them 24 months To Recapitalise By Tony Obiechina, Abuja   Days after urging Nigerian banks to expedite action on the...

NEWS48 mins ago

ShareNAFDAC Intercepts Psychoactive Drugs, Bursts Beverage Factories in Southeast The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has...

NEWS18 hours ago

FCT HOS: Why President Tinubu Extends Atang’s Tenure By 6 Months

ShareBy Laide Akinboade, AbujaPresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved the extension of Atang Udo Samuel, as the the Head of...

NEWS18 hours ago

FGGC Benin Emerges Winner of 2023 National Senior Secondary Schools’ Debate

ShareBy Tony Obiechina, AbujaThe Federal Government Girls College, Benin has emerged overall winner of the 2023 National Senior Secondary Schools’...

Copyright © 2021 Daily Asset Limited | Powered by ObajeSoft Inc