US sends 11 Guantanamo detainees to Oman
Eleven Yemeni detainees have been moved from the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay to Oman. The move has left 15 detainees in the prison in Cuba - the smallest number at any point in its history. In a statement, the Department of Defense thanked Oman for supporting US efforts "focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing" the facility. (BBC, 07 January 2025)
Russia is being set aflame by hundreds of arson attacks
Russia has been victim to a number of attacks, which it blames on Ukraine. But traffic is not just one-way. In the past year Russian intelligence has almost certainly used similar methods to conduct out an arms-length arson campaign against its rival. (The Economist, 14 January 2025)
Russian economy time bomb: Putin warned of 'seismically disruptive' war debt
Russia is financing its military spending through a shadow plan that poses a "seismically disruptive" threat to an economy already buffeted by high inflation and interest rates, according to an analysis. (Newsweek, 13 Jan 2025)
Russia to sign ʹcomprehensiveʹ deal with Iran in tightening of new anti-West axis
Russia is poised to sign a “comprehensive strategy partnership” with Iran ]on 17 January] in a further strengthening of an authoritarian axis of evil. Both countries are under swathes of Western sanctions, including against their energy industries. ((The Telegraph, 13 January 2025)
Western powers warn Syria over foreign jihadists in army
U.S., French and German envoys have warned Syria's new Islamist rulers that their appointment of foreign jihadists to senior military posts is a security concern. (Reuters, 10 January 2025)
France to remember Charlie Hebdo attacks 10 years on
France is set to mark Tuesday (07 January) 10 years since an Islamist attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical newspaper. President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo are set to lead commemorations at the site of the weekly’s former offices. (AFP, 07 January 2025)
Israel targets Iran’s ‘last proxy’, Yemen’s Houthi militants
With Hamas, Hizbollah and the Islamic republic itself all weakened and humbled after 15 months of conflict with Israel, the Houthis have styled themselves as the Palestinians’ main regional defenders and the final bastion of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” still attacking Israel. "The Houthis are paying, and will continue to pay, a heavy price for their aggression against us", Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. (Financial Times, 13 Jan 2025)
IDF arrests 240 terror suspects in a Gaza hospital
The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had completed an operation against Hamas at northern Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital and the surrounding area. Some 240 suspected terror operatives were detained, including the medical centre’s director and 15 terrorists who participated in the October 7, 2023, onslaught on southern Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said the operation was launched because the hospital had "once again become a key stronghold for terrorist organizations and continues to be used as a hideout for terrorist operatives". The army said the hospital was still used by Hamas "despite repeated calls to refrain from allowing [terror operatives] to exploit hospitals for military activities". Before launching the operation, the IDF said it enabled the evacuation of 350 patients, caregivers, and medical personnel to other hospitals. (The Times of Israel, 28 December 2024)
Published in this blog: 19 January 2025
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