Israel’s battle for Gaza
The first war aim is to destroy Hamas. Over the past three weeks that has come to mean eradicating the group’s military infrastructure and killing its leadership and as many of its foot soldiers as possible. Because Hamas undertook a mass-attack to kill Jews, Israelis can no longer tolerate the old stand-off in which Hamas
African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) programme
Agoa is scheduled to expire in two years after its validity was extended to 2025. At the Johannesburg forum, participants from both the US and Africa will discuss challenges and assess what is and isn’t working to make Agoa more impactful. Members of the US Congress and Cabinet ministers from Africa will meet next week
FTX founder acknowledges mistake
FTX founder and former billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried testified in his own defense at his fraud trial on Friday, acknowledging he made mistakes but denying he defrauded anyone or took customer funds.The crypto-currency exchange founder acknowledged that “a lot of people got hurt” when his FTX exchange collapsed. He admitted making “a number of small mistakes
Trained dolphins against Ukraine
Dolphin pens were originally found during the summer around Sevastopol, a major port in the Crimean Peninsula that has been under Russian control since 2014. The occupied Sevastopol Naval Base is home of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and, during the Soviet era, housed an aquarium to train dolphins for military objectives. This shows that
Ukraine war stalemate
The Western alliance’s military aid is the only lifeline for Ukrainian efforts to continue the war. If the United States drops out, it is hardly conceivable that Europe can fill the gap or is even willing to do so. Economies across Europe have struggled mightily in recent years, even those in leading countries such as
European Union to tax Russia assets for Ukraine
The assets have been frozen since February last year when Western allies introduced a raft of sanctions to cripple Russia’s ability to finance the war against Ukraine, most notably by blocking the Central Bank’s access to its foreign-exchange reserves.These deposits are worth €211 billion across EU territory, with over €180 billion reportedly held by Euroclear,
Russia rehearsed ‘massive’ nuclear strike
Russia and the US perform monthly nuclear readiness simulations, with Moscow often holding its own towards the end of October. This year’s drills included “delivering a massive nuclear strike by strategic offensive forces in response to an enemy nuclear strike,” according to Shoigu’s report to Putin. Putin announced earlier this month that Russia has conducted
Bitcoin Bounces back
Notoriously volatile, Bitcoin has more than doubled in value this year and shot up again after news emerged that the BlackRock Inc exchange-traded fund (ETF) for Bitcoin appeared on a list controlled by the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp (DTCC), a Nasdaq-operated clearing house for stocks and ETFs, said Mana Khanijou, head of commercial and
Mental health disorders
Mental health is an active state of mind which enables a person to use their abilities in coordination with the common human tenets of society. Mental health is the pivot of human life and it is often the least prioritised among health conditions. In the midst of an economic squeeze, many people are more likely
America’s ladder of military escalation
After a decade of tapering down its military presence in the middle east, America is back with a huge display of force. In the past few days two fighter squadrons have flown in. They follow the deployment of two aircraft-carrier strike groups, multiple air-defence systems and much aid to Israel. More units have been told