Jerusalem (AFP) May 7, 2024 The Israeli army said it took "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday and that troops were scanning the area. "Last night, IDF (army) troops managed to establish operational control of the Gazan side of (Rafah) crossing," the main entry point...

Washington (AFP) May 6, 2024 US President Joe Biden, seeking to push a Gaza ceasefire, on Monday warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against invading Rafah as Israel defiantly issued evacuation orders and carried out intense air strikes on the crowded Gaza city. The United States said it was reviewing a response from Hamas, which said...

Moscow (AFP) May 6, 2024 Russia announced on Monday that its troops stationed near Ukraine would run nuclear weapons drills and threatened to strike UK military targets outside the embattled country, citing what it said was an escalation in Western sabre-rattling. The defence ministry announced the drills and also said Russian forces had...

London (AFP) May 7, 2024 Britain's defence ministry has been the target of a large-scale cyberattack involving the names and banking details of members of the armed forces, a government minister confirmed on Tuesday. Work and pensions minister Mel Stride said the attack was on a system run by an outside firm but was still a "very significant...

Paris (AFP) May 6, 2024 French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pressed Xi Jinping at a summit in Paris on Monday to use Beijing's influence to halt the Russian war against Ukraine, also telling the Chinese leader to accept fair global trade rules. Xi's two-day state visit to France is his first visit...

Beijing (AFP) May 7, 2024 China on Tuesday urged Israel to "stop attacking Rafah", after the Israeli army said it took "operational control" of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. "China... strongly calls on Israel to heed the overwhelming demands of the international community, stop attacking Rafah,...