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Washington’s decision not to use its veto is an acknowledgement of its failure to lead the UN Gaza agendaDiplomacy occasionally has the capacity to surprise, and when it does it often portends a deep shifting in the landscape.Few as recently as the end of last week saw much chance that the UN security council would be able to put aside five months of division...

Washington fears loss of bases in Niger would risk the country following its neighbours and falling under Russian hegemonyUS policymakers are scrambling after the ruling military junta in Niger cancelled a mutual security pact that could lead to American forces being expelled, stirring fears of a loss of vital influence to Russia in west Africa.In a setback for Washington’s counter-terrorism strategy against jihadist groups...

Australian and UK stress ‘urgency’ over need to allow aid into Gaza and for hostages to be released; US draft resolution calls for an immediate truce as part of a hostage dealThe Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that “hundreds of worshipers” were “blocked” from reaching the al-Aqsa mosque compound by Israeli forces on Friday.According to Wafa: “Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli forces significantly increased their...

State department organizes evacuation after nearly 1,600 US citizens ask for help amid reports of continuing violence in capitalThe United States has said it was starting to evacuate its citizens out of Haiti by helicopter, amid reports of fresh fighting in the Caribbean country’s gang-dominated capital, with particularly fierce gunfire in some of the city’s wealthiest enclaves.A state department spokesperson, Vedant Patel, told reporters...

US says attack would be ‘mistake’ as Biden and Netanyahu talk by phone for first time in over a monthIsrael will send a team of officials to Washington to discuss its planned offensive on Rafah, the White House has said, as the Biden administration insists that an attack would be a “mistake” and seeks to persuade Israel to allow in more aid in the...

US embassy says ‘absurd’ to suggest Washington behind protests in Santiago de Cuba led by parents struggling to feed their childrenThe Cuban government has summoned the US ambassador, Benjamin Ziff, to its foreign ministry, accusing Washington of stoking a protest which saw hundreds of people take to the streets in the island’s second city of Santiago de Cuba.The demonstration late on Sunday was a...

Two new studies find no significant differences between US government officials suffering from condition and control groupTwo new medical studies have found that US government officials suffering from Havana syndrome symptoms did not show any discernible physical damage or alteration.One of the studies published on Monday by the federally funded National Institutes of Health (NIH) examined brain imaging, while the other looked at blood...

Calls during Yemen briefing come as missile believed to have been launched by Houthis strikes a vessel off AdenThe US and UK have called for a UN maritime inspectorate to do more to prevent Iranian missiles reaching Houthi-controlled ports in the west of Yemen.The calls during a UN security council briefing on the crisis in Yemen came as a missile believed to have been...

Ro Khanna, Biden campaign surrogate, believes US president should take tougher line with ‘insufferably arrogant’ Israeli PMJoe Biden has committed a “strategic mistake” by “bear-hugging” the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he prosecutes war with Hamas, a leading congressional progressive Democrat and Biden campaign surrogate said.“The bear-hugging of Netanyahu has been a strategic mistake,” Ro Khanna said, accusing the Israeli leader of conducting...

In State of the Union address, US president tells Israeli leadership protecting civilians in Gaza ‘has to be a priority’Full report: Biden announces US will build pier for aid on Gaza shore‘Who is going to distribute it?’: the key flaw in US’s planIsraeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories have expanded by a record amount and risk eliminating any practical possibly of a Palestinian...

President lays out plans in State of the Union speech while senior US official says ‘we are not waiting on the Israelis’US forces will build a temporary dock on the Gaza shoreline to allow delivery of humanitarian aid on a large scale, Joe Biden announced in his State of the Union speech, amid warnings of a widespread famine among the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians.“Nearly...

Foreign minister Wang Yi – speaking at the Two Sessions – said it was unacceptable some countries are at the table while others are ‘on the menu’China’s top foreign affairs official has accused the US of trying to suppress China and has vowed to deepen relations with Russia, as Beijing continues to assert the importance of what it calls a “multipolar” world order.Foreign minister...

Washington says no despite ‘frantic’ talks between diplomats, as bodies lie in street and army battles gun-toting gang membersWhat led to the Haiti jailbreak – and can democracy be restored?The United States has said it will not send troops to Haiti after a stunning eruption of gang violence seemingly designed to bring down the Caribbean nation’s enfeebled government and its unpopular prime minister, Ariel...

Decision to airdrop supplies suggests Biden has given up on being able to persuade Israel to coordinate ground-based reliefThe US will start airdrops of food and emergency supplies into Gaza in the next few days, Joe Biden has announced, amid UN warnings of famine and after Israeli troops opened fire on Gazans seeking food aid.The use of airdrops is a spectacular but inefficient way...

US president’s remarks that there could be truce by Monday are ‘premature’, says political head of Hamas in GazaMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsraeli and Hamas officials have downplayed hopes expressed by Joe Biden that a ceasefire in the war in Gaza is imminent, raising questions about whether a temporary truce can be implemented before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in two...

Secretary of state’s characterization of West Bank settlements signals return to longstanding US policy reversed by TrumpIsrael’s expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank was inconsistent with international law, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Friday, signaling a return to longstanding US policy on the issue, which had been reversed by the previous administration of Donald Trump.The Trump administration in...

Joe Biden declines to give details but says sanctions will coincide with second anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine The US will announce a major package of sanctions against Russia on Friday prompted by the death of political opposition leader Alexei Navalny but also devised as retaliation for the two-year war Vladimir Putin initiated against Ukraine, Joe Biden said on Tuesday.The US president...

Diplomatic search for ceasefire in Gaza gathers pace as threatened ground offensive in Rafah draws nearIn New York at the UN, in Brussels at the EU, in The Hague, in Cairo, in Rio and even at Westminster, a set of subtle and interrelated diplomatic dances are under way.Israel’s foremost supporters are attempting to apply the squeeze on their ally while avoiding making undiluted calls...

Two projectiles hit Belize-flagged vessel in strike that if confirmed would be a propaganda victoryMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe Houthis have claimed one of their most significant strikes since they started launching missiles at ships in the Red Sea, after two projectiles hit a Belize-flagged cargo ship.The Yemeni rebels claimed the ship was at risk of sinking, a significant propaganda victory for the...

Russian opposition leader’s death occurred on Friday, say supporters, but official cause remains disputedThe death of Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader, has been confirmed by his representatives, who are calling for the return of his body amid confusion over the cause of the death of Putin’s once most significant political challenger.Navalny, 47, died in jail on 16 February at 2.17pm local time, said...

The Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau say Congress needs to approve fresh support announced by Joe BidenPacific leaders have warned the US government that a delay in approving funding packages for the region threatens to play into the hands of Beijing, which is seeking to shift allegiances in the Pacific and draw away as many of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies as...

Jens Stoltenberg believes Congress will finally vote for package but meanwhile Russian forces are advancing near AvdiivkaThe US failure to vote through a fresh military aid package for Ukraine is already having an impact on the battlefield, Nato’s secretary general has warned at the end of a defence ministers’ meeting.Jens Stoltenberg said he still believed Congress would eventually approve the stalled $60bn (£50bn) package,...

Médecins Sans Frontières says staff forced to evacuate, ‘leaving patients behind’ after special forces entered the hospitalIsraeli forces have stormed Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, according to Al Jazeera journalist Hani Mahmoud who is reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza.In a breaking news update to the publication, Mahmoud said Israeli forces had given those in Nasser hospital until 7am (Gaza time) to evacuate and...

Talks aimed at agreeing Gaza truce with Hamas come as calls grow for Israel to call off planned assault on RafahThe latest figures from the Gaza health ministry, which is run by Hamas, said 103 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes and 145 were injured in the past 24 hours.According to the statement, at least 28,576 Palestinians have been killed and 68,291 have been...