Ukrainian air defenses said they downed 18 out of 24 kamikaze drones that Russia launched in a pre-dawn attack on Thursday.
In a statement, Kyiv city administration said that all missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital for the third time in four days, have been destroyed.
“The Russians have attacked Kyiv using Shahed loitering munitions and missiles, likely the ballistic type,” the administration said.
Out of 15 Shahed kamikaze drones fired at the Black Sea coastal city of Odesa, air defenses destroyed 12, while three struck a university compound. There were no casualties, the Ukrainian southern military command said.
Russia has regularly bombarded Ukraine since October last year, striking at a variety of targets. The latest blasts were reported less than 24 hours after Kyiv said 21 people died in a Russian strike on the city of Kherson.
Ukrainian air defenses destroy 18 out of 24 Russian drones overnight
https://arab.news/b9dre
Ukrainian air defenses destroy 18 out of 24 Russian drones overnight
- Russia has regularly bombarded Ukraine since October last year, striking at a variety of targets
Trump selects a new Tesla on White House driveway to show support for Elon Musk
- It was the latest — and most unusual — example of how Trump has demonstrated loyalty to Musk
- Musk is the world’s richest person, with billions of dollars in government contracts
“Wow,” Trump said as he eased his way into the driver’s seat of a Model S. “That’s beautiful.”
Musk got in on the passenger side and joked about “giving the Secret Service a heart attack” as they talked about how to start a vehicle that can reach 60 miles (95 kilometers) per hour in a few seconds.
Trump told reporters that he would write a check for the car, which retails for roughly $80,000, and leave it at the White House so his staff can drive it. The president also said he hopes his purchase will boost Tesla, which is struggling with sagging sales and declining stock prices.
“It’s a great product,” he said. Referring to Musk, Trump said “we have to celebrate him.”
It was the latest — and most unusual — example of how Trump has demonstrated loyalty to Musk, who spent heavily on his comeback campaign last year and has been a key figure in his second administration. Tesla’s stock price increased nearly 4 percent on Tuesday after dropping almost 48 percent since Trump took office in January.
The Republican president announced on social media overnight that he was going to buy a new Tesla as “a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American.”
Musk continues to run Tesla — as well as the social media platform X and the rocket manufacturer SpaceX — while also serving as Trump’s adviser.
“Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Trump wrote. “But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.”
Others have also rallied to Musk’s defense. Alex Jones, a prominent conspiracy theorist, said that he bought a customized version of a Cybertruck that he’ll give away to a customer of his online store next month.
In addition to Tesla’s struggles, Musk has faced other challenges too. He said X was targeted by a “massive cyberattack” that disrupted the social media platform on Monday, and the last two test launches of his Starship rocket ended in explosions.
Presidents almost never drive for security reasons. Joe Biden got behind the wheel of an electric truck while promoting domestic manufacturing, and Barack Obama took a spin with Jerry Seinfeld in the White House driveway for a comedy show.
But regardless of the practicality of Trump’s purchase, his overnight announcement about buying a Tesla represented another step in how the president has blurred lines between private and public interests.
During his first term, top adviser Kellyanne Conway urged people to show their support for Trump’s daughter Ivanka by purchasing her retail products.
“Go buy Ivanka’s stuff,” she said. “I’m going to give it a free commercial here.”
Trump’s wealth and business savvy is core to his political appeal. The president promoted his products while running for office last year, and he attached his name to a cryptocurrency meme coin that launched shortly before he took office.
However, it’s rare to see Trump use his own money to support an ally, no matter how important they are.
Musk is the world’s richest person, with billions of dollars in government contracts. He’s also exerting sweeping influence over Trump’s administration through the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and traveling frequently with the president.
During an interview with the Fox Business Network on Monday, host Larry Kudlow asked Musk “how are you running your other businesses” while also advising Trump.
“With great difficulty,” he said.
“But there’s no turning back, you say?” Kudlow responded.
“I’m just here trying to make government more efficient, eliminate waste and fraud,” Musk said.
Tesla has recently faced protests and vandalism. Police are investigating gunshots fired at a dealership in Oregon, and fire officials are examining a blaze that destroyed four Cybertrucks at a Tesla lot in Seattle.
At times, the White House has needed to play cleanup for Musk, who had never worked in public service before and has admitted that he’ll make mistakes along the way.
For example, Musk presented inflated estimates of fraud in government benefits like Social Security on Monday, leading Democrats to argue that he was planning cuts to the popular programs.
“Most of the federal spending is entitlements,” Musk said in the interview. “That’s the big one to eliminate.”
The next morning, a White House account on X criticized news organizations as “lying hacks” and told Democrats to “spare us the fake outrage” about reducing benefits.
“He was clearly talking about the WASTE in the programs,” the White House posted.
Pope ‘stable’, out of imminent danger as talk turns to return home
- “It is clear that the situation remains stable... and with these slight improvements within a framework for doctors that remains complex,” the Vatican said
- A Vatican source on Monday said that Francis still had pneumonia but confirmed there was “no imminent danger” to his life
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis remains stable after almost four weeks in hospital with pneumonia, the Vatican said on Tuesday, declining to speculate on when he might go home, the day after doctors indicated he was no longer in danger.
The 88-year-old head of the world Catholic Church has been in Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February 14 with pneumonia in both lungs, suffering several respiratory crises that sparked real fear for his life.
But on Tuesday evening — a day after indicating that he was out of imminent danger — the Holy See said that the pope’s condition continued to be stable.
“It is clear that the situation remains stable... and with these slight improvements within a framework for doctors that remains complex,” the Vatican said.
On Monday, following a week of steady improvements in Francis’s condition, the Vatican said his prognosis was no longer considered “reserved,” or uncertain, meaning his life is no longer at imminent risk.
But his condition remained complex and he would require hospital treatment for “several more days,” it said on Monday — with the implication that afterwards, he could go home to the Vatican.
A Vatican source on Monday said that Francis still had pneumonia but confirmed there was “no imminent danger” to his life.
Despite the improving scenario, the Vatican on Tuesday said that it was still unknown when exactly Francis might be released from hospital.
The source denied reports that preparations were under way for Francis’s return to the Santa Marta residence.
Francis missed the start of the Lent religious period last week but there are hopes he might be able to participate in celebrations for Easter, the holiest period in the Christian calendar, which culminates on April 20.
Outside the Gemelli hospital, an employee of the Santa Marta, Simonetta Maronge, urged the pope to come home soon.
“May he return to Santa Marta soon. We love him deeply and Santa Marta is empty without him,” she told AFP.
The Vatican source said on Tuesday that the pope’s spirits were “good.”
The press office said he had that morning prayed in the private chapel next to the papal suite on the 10th floor of the hospital, and that he had taken part remotely in Vatican prayers and meditation.
“The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by blood tests and clinical objectivity and the good response to pharmacological therapy,” the Vatican said in a statement on Monday evening.
“For these reasons, the doctors have decided today to lift their reserved prognosis,” it added, although the Vatican said Francis still would need “pharmacological treatment in a hospital setting for several more days.”
The pontiff has been doing some work off and on during his hospital stay, making calls and having occasional visitors, according to the Vatican.
Several of the children being treated in Rome’s Bambino Gesu hospital, which is also run by the Vatican, sent Francis messages and drawings offering other ideas for passing the time.
“Dear Pope, I suggest you get someone to give you a PlayStation,” young Alex wrote, according to the artwork released by Bambino Gesu.
Pilgrims visiting Rome for the 2025 Jubilee holy year celebrations have been praying every night for the pope, while special services have been held in churches around the world.
“We are praying for the pope, for his recovery and that he will soon be with us, safe and well, so he can bless us all,” Jose Ochoa, 69, from Mexico, told AFP at the Vatican.
Mimmo Laundando, an Italian pensioner praying outside the Gemelli hospital, said: “I am hopeful.”
Laundando added that he had always dreamt of being the pontiff’s chauffeur.
Pope Francis will on Thursday mark 12 years as leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics.
Despite his incipient recovery, his hospital stay — the longest and most serious of his papacy — has revived questions about his future.
The Jesuit pontiff has always held open the possibility of resigning like his predecessor, the German Benedict XVI, although he also insisted he has no intention of quitting.
The EU wants to increase deportations and supports ‘return hubs’ in third countries
- Only 20 percent of people with a deportation order are effectively removed from EU territory, according to the European Commission
- The proposal aims to set a standard for all 27 members of the bloc
STRASBOURG, France: The European Union wants to increase deportations and is opening the way for “return hubs” to be set up in third countries for rejected asylum-seekers, according to a new migration proposal unveiled Tuesday.
Only 20 percent of people with a deportation order are effectively removed from EU territory, according to the European Commission, which presented the “European System for Returns” in Strasbourg as a potential solution.
The proposal aims to set a standard for all 27 members of the bloc and allow national authorities from one country to enforce the deportation order issued by another. Such rules were missing from the EU’s migration and asylum pact approved last year.
“The European system needs to be clear that when someone is issued a return decision they are being told to leave, not just the country but the entire European Union,” said Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration, who called the current 20 percent removal rate unacceptable.
“Any figure would be an improvement, but we don’t want to pin down any specific figures,” he added.
For the proposal to work, however, the EU needs to get countries of origin to readmit their citizens. Brunner acknowledged that the commission and member states are still working on improving that.
The “return hubs,” a euphemism for deportation centers, would apply only to people whose asylum requests have been rejected and exclude unaccompanied minors, Brunner said. He added that any future deal would have to include safeguards to ensure international law and human rights are respected.
The EU wouldn’t set up or manage such centers, which could be in Europe or elsewhere, but would create the legal framework to allow states to negotiate with non-EU countries willing to take the rejected asylum-seekers.
This differs from the existing but so-far ineffective deal signed by Italy with Albania to offshore the asylum processing of migrants rescued at sea. At the time, the contentious plan was applauded by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as an “out-of-the-box” solution to manage irregular migration but courts in Italy have repeatedly blocked it.
Brunner reiterated the need for “innovative” solutions to manage irregular migration and asylum — a highly politicized issue that the far right has used across the continent to gain votes.
While the potential “return hubs” were the most striking aspect of the proposal, it also included stricter punishments for those absconding deportations and extends the detention of rejected asylum-seekers posing a flight or security risk from 18 months to 24 months. The commission did not provide any data on how many people currently pose a “security risk.”
European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen, who presented the new migration reform alongside Brunner, said the proposal was tougher but fair and would encourage migrants to leave voluntarily before they had to be forcibly removed.
Migrant rights groups criticized the proposed reform saying it undermined the right to asylum and would lead to more detentions.
“We can likely expect more people being locked up in immigration detention centers across Europe, families separated and people sent to countries they don’t even know,” said Silvia Carta of the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.
The proposal will now be sent to the European Parliament and member states for approval.
Goodwill Caravan raises thousands during London’s Ramadan iftar to help Sudan, Palestine
- Donations will support Sallam Center in Cairo, which provides emergency assistance to displaced people
- Palestinian envoy to UK says event is ‘a testament to the depth of support (Palestinians) have in the British public’
LONDON: Goodwill Caravan, a UK-based humanitarian charity, raised thousands of dollars during a Ramadan iftar event in London to support refugees from Palestine and Sudan living in Egypt.
The charity has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years for emergency food and aid campaigns in countries affected by armed conflicts.
Hanan Ashegh, founder of Goodwill Caravan, told Arab News that the charity hopes to raise £150,000 ($194,000) by the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which concludes in March.
Donations will support the Sallam Center in Cairo, which provides emergency assistance to displaced people from war-torn regions, including Sudan and the Gaza Strip, offering food, shelter, legal support, and medical aid.
Ashegh said that an auction and iftar event raised £55,000 this week. Last year, the charity raised £120,000 during a single Ramadan iftar to help Palestinians in Gaza by sending 16 trucks loaded with aid to the coastal enclave.
The charity is planning to open the Sallam Center in Libya to help those in need and support sub-Saharan refugees and trafficking survivors in the North African country that has experienced over a decade of political schism and instability.
Ashegh said that the charity employs a “holistic model” to address the issues faced by refugees, helping with food, shelter, and integration into a country “that may not readily accept them.”
Event is a testament to the depth of support Palestinians have in the British public
Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to the UK
Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, told Arab News that such fundraising events are “a testament to the depth of support (Palestinians) have in the British public, and particularly among those who really want to support the Palestinian cause not only by words but by deeds.”
Between October 2023 and the summer of 2024, around 110,000 Palestinians were forced to flee to Egypt as Israel bombed Gaza, killing tens of thousands of people.
Zomlot added that it was essential to support displaced Palestinians in Egypt and in other countries, and to ensure that “until they return back to their home, rebuild their lives, they also have lives wherever they are.”
Goodwill Caravan, founded in 2015, manages refugee and anti-trafficking projects in Greece and the UK, and has helped hundreds of Palestinian families from Gaza at its Sallam Center in Egypt.
Myriam Francois, a British journalist, filmmaker, and writer, said that refugees are frequently demonized not only by British and US tabloids but also worldwide.
“Refugees are represented as some sort of existential threat to our societies,” she told Arab News.
Francois said that charitable acts are vital to provide refugees with “the tools to be able to get back on their feet.”
She added that Ramadan is a special time to “recalibrate ourselves in the rhythm of our faith” and help those in need.
Philippine president says Duterte has left on jet bound for ICC
- Duterte could become Asia’s first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC
- A copy of the warrant said Duterte is accused of criminal responsibility for the murder of at least 43 people between 2011 and 2019
MANILA: Former Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte left Manila on a jet on Tuesday bound for The Hague, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said, hours after he was arrested at the request of the International Criminal Court over a “war on drugs” that defined his presidency.
Duterte, a firebrand ex-mayor and former prosecutor who led the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, was arrested at a Manila airport early on Tuesday, in a major step in the ICC’s investigation into thousands of killings in an anti-drugs crackdown that caused shock and condemnation around the world.
“I am confident the arrest was proper, correct and followed all necessary legal procedures,” Marcos told a press conference confirming Duterte had left the country bound for the Netherlands.
“We did not help the International Criminal Court in any way. The arrest was made in compliance with Interpol.”
The “war on drugs” was Duterte’s signature campaign platform that swept the mercurial crime-buster to power and he soon delivered on promises he made during vitriolic speeches to kill thousands of drug pushers and users.
Duterte has long insisted he instructed police to kill only in self-defense and has always defended the crackdown, repeatedly telling his supporters he was ready to “rot in jail” if it meant ridding the Philippines of drugs.
Veronica Duterte, the 79-year-old’s youngest daughter, said on Instagram her father had boarded the jet but the family had not been informed of its destination.
“The airplane used to kidnap my dad just left minutes ago,” she posted.
Duterte could become Asia’s first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.
Rights groups
His arrest follows years of him rebuking and taunting the ICC since he unilaterally withdrew the Philippines from the court’s founding treaty in 2019 as it started looking into allegations of systematic murders of drug dealers on his watch.
The ICC, a court of last resort, is probing alleged crimes against humanity and says it has jurisdiction to investigate alleged crimes that took place while a country was a member.
Duterte and his family and allies expressed fury at the arrest, calling it unlawful.
A lawyer petitioned the Supreme Court on Duterte’s behalf on Tuesday seeking a temporary restraining order to prevent authorities from complying with the ICC’s request.
A copy of the warrant, seen by Reuters, said Duterte is accused of criminal responsibility for the murder of at least 43 people between 2011 and 2019, which would include time when he served as mayor of southern Davao City.
Human rights groups and families of victims said his detention was a key step toward accountability for the killings of thousands of people in the Philippines, where police investigations have moved at a snail’s pace. Duterte has not been charged with any crimes locally.
According to police, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations under Duterte’s presidency that they say ended in shootouts. But activists say the real toll of the crackdown was far greater, with many thousands more slumland drug users, some named on community “watch lists,” killed in mysterious circumstances.
The prosecutor of the ICC has said as many as 30,000 people may have been killed by police or unidentified individuals.
Police have rejected allegations from rights groups of systematic murders, staged crime scenes and fabricated incident reports.
