United States
Fox News: Texas Official Issues Warning After Rancher Killed By Cartel IED In Mexico: 'A Terrorist Attack,' Son Says
“Texas ranchers working near the southern border have been urged to exercise extreme caution when traveling through Mexico after one of their own was killed earlier this month by an improvised explosive device (IED). Antonio Céspedes Saldierna, 74, a Texas rancher who worked on both sides of the border, was driving near his ranch in Tamaulipas, Mexico, just south of Brownsville, Texas, when he was killed by an IED, KRGV-TV reported. Also killed was Horacio Lopez Peña. Ninfa Griselda Ortega, Lopez's wife, was hospitalized with injuries. In a statement, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the deadly explosion was part of a "growing threat posed by cartel activity along our southern border.””
Fox News: Maine’s Girl Athletes Paying The Price For Extremism Of State Politicians
“Maine’s education officials have reached a new level of absurdity by defying President Trump’s executive order banning biological male athletes from women’s sports. By decreeing that public schools should ignore new federal guidelines and instead follow the Maine Human Rights Act, the Maine Principals’ Association has placed the Left’s woke agenda above the welfare of our students and the dignity of our female athletes. They have undermined fair competition and blatantly violated federal guidelines meant to restore sanity, safety and fairness across the country. And now, Maine students may pay the price for it.”
Voice Of America: What's Behind Israeli, US Silence On Lebanon Blocking Iranian Flights Delivering Cash To Hezbollah?
“Israel and the United States have responded with silence to claims by Hezbollah that the two allies secretly threatened Lebanon this month into stopping the arrivals of Iranian commercial airliners delivering cash to the Lebanese terror group. The silence of the Israeli and U.S. governments on Hezbollah's allegations is typical of their low-key approaches to dealing with some regional security problems, according to U.S. and Israeli researchers who spoke to VOA in recent days. The researchers also say Lebanon's indefinite suspension of landing rights for Iranian airlines, in effect since Feb. 13, will make it harder but not impossible for Iran to airlift cash to Hezbollah, its main regional proxy force.”
Syria
Voice Of America: VOA Kurdish: US Increases Airstrikes Against Al-Qaida Affiliate In Syria
“The United States Central Command has carried out several operations in Idlib province in northwest Syria since the beginning of this year, targeting several members and leaders of the al Qaida-linked Hurras al-Din (HaD) organization.”
The New York Times: Talks On Syria’s Future Fall Short Of Promises, Participants Say
“It was billed as the first step in establishing a representative government as Syria emerged from decades of a brutal, one-family dictatorship. But for some in Syria, the highly anticipated “national dialogue” that ended on Tuesday night fell far short of those promises. Instead, the two-day conference only added to concerns about the openness of the country’s new Islamist rulers to setting up a genuinely inclusive political process. “We have a lot of objections to how this happened,” said Ibrahim Draji, a law professor at Damascus University who was among the hundreds of attendees at the conference. “There’s no transparency. There is no clear criteria for who gets invited,” he added.”
Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. Sanctions Hold Up Qatari Support For Syria, Sources Say
“Qatar is holding off providing Syria's new rulers with funds to increase public sector pay due to uncertainty over whether the transfers would breach U.S. sanctions, four sources said, a setback to efforts to revive the war-stricken economy. The delay in Qatar's plan to help pay for the increase, which Reuters reported in January, underlines the considerable challenges Syria's new Islamist authorities face as they seek to stabilise the fractured state and assure foreign powers about their leadership. While the previous U.S. administration issued a sanctions exemption on January 6 to allow transactions with Syria's governing institutions for six months, Qatar does not see this as enough to cover payments it would need to make via the central bank to finance the salary increase, the sources said.”
Afghanistan
The Guardian: Taliban Says ‘Misunderstanding’ Led To Arrest Of British Couple In Afghanistan
“A British couple were arrested in Afghanistan due to a “misunderstanding” that they had fake Afghan passports, the Taliban said on Tuesday. Peter and Barbie Reynolds, 79 and 75, were detained by the Taliban’s interior ministry on 1 February while returning to their home in the central province of Bamiyan. The couple, who run education and training programmes in Afghanistan, were arrested along with Faye Hall, a Chinese-American friend and an interpreter from their business. Taliban spokesperson Abdul Mateen Qani said the arrests were due to a “misunderstanding” that they possessed fake Afghan passports.”
Lebanon
Associated Press: Graffiti Left By Israeli Soldiers Turn South Lebanon Homes Into A Canvas Of War
“Residents of southern Lebanon have been gradually returning to their villages to find their homes heavily damaged by the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. As they scour what remains, they are discovering that the battle-scarred walls of their houses served as a canvas for Israeli soldiers and Hezbollah supporters that tell the story of the war. The scrawled messages give insight into the battles that erupted after Israel launched a ground invasion into southern Lebanon in October 2024, months after Hezbollah began firing rockets and drones at Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”
Middle East
The New York Times: Israel And Hamas Will Move Forward With Another Swap
“Hamas has agreed to release the remains of four Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli officials and the group said, resolving a dayslong impasse between the two sides. The agreement comes as the first phase of a fragile cease-fire deal draws to a close. Negotiators have yet to reach terms to extend the deal into a more comprehensive truce, raising concerns that the fighting in Gaza could resume. During the first phase, Hamas had agreed to free 25 Israeli hostages and hand over the bodies of eight more in exchange for more than 1,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel. On Saturday, Hamas released the last living captives set to be freed in the first phase, and Israel was supposed to release 620 Palestinian prisoners in return.”
Associated Press: Medics Say 6 Babies Have Died From The Cold In Gaza As Displaced People Shelter In Tents And Rubble
“At least six infants have died from hypothermia in the last two weeks in the Gaza Strip, where hundreds of thousands of people are living in tent camps and war-damaged buildings during a fragile ceasefire, Palestinian medics said Tuesday. The coastal territory experiences cold, wet winters, with temperatures dropping below 10 degrees Celsius (50 F) at night and storms blowing in from the Mediterranean Sea. The last few days have been especially cold. Yusuf al-Shinbari woke up in his family’s tent just after midnight on Tuesday to find that his 2-month-old daughter, Sham, was cold to the touch. He could feel no heartbeat.”
Somalia
Voice Of America: AU, Somalia Agree On Troop Numbers For New Mission
“The federal government of Somalia and the African Union have agreed on the number of troop-contributing countries for a new AU mission following weeks of differences between Ethiopia and Somalia, and later on between Somalia and Burundi over the number of troops coming from each country. An AU official, who requested anonymity because he does not have authorization to speak with media, told VOA that Burundian forces who have been in Somalia since 2007 will be leaving the country after the two governments disagreed on the number of troops coming from Burundi. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM, is expected to have 11,900 personnel operating on the ground in Somalia, including soldiers, police and civilian support staff, according to Somali and AU officials.”
Europe
Reuters: Slovak Investigators Seek Terrorism Charges Against Man Who Shot PM Fico
“Investigators have called for terrorism charges to be brought against a man suspected of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the country's general prosecutor said on Wednesday, after the completion of their probe. The suspect, who was 71 at the time of the incident last May, shot Fico four times at close range in the abdomen, leaving him in a critical condition. Fico, 60, four-times prime minister, later recovered and returned to work months later. The attacker, identified by prosecutors as Juraj C., has said he aimed to hurt, not kill Fico, and disagreed with his policies, court documents show.”
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