Famine threatens Yemen as malnutrition escalates, UN Warns

SEOUL, August 19 (AJU PRESS) - Acute malnutrition is rapidly worsening in Yemen, with the threat of famine looming in four districts, according to the United Nations. A report released on Sunday by the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Technical Group, focusing on government-controlled areas in Yemen, highlighted that the most severe cases are emerging along the Red Sea coast in the war-torn nation. Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arabian Pe

August 19, 2024

Pressure mounts on Netanyahu for Gaza ceasefire

SEOUL, August 16 (AJU PRESS) - Reports suggest that Israel's top defense officials are urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. The situation has grown increasingly dire since the last negotiations in Qatar, with families of Israeli hostages in Gaza seeing this as the "final chance" to save their loved ones. In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry claims over 40,000 people have been killed since the conflict began, a figure referenced by bo

August 16, 2024

Iran rejects Western calls to avoid retaliation against Israel

SEOUL, August 14 (AJU PRESS) - Iran has rejected demands from the UK and other Western nations to refrain from retaliating against Israel following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. As tensions rise, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer reached out to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a rare phone call on Monday, urging Iran to "stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack." However, Pezeshkian asserted that retaliation is a "

August 14, 2024

FBI investigates allegations of Iranian hacking targeting Trump campaign

SEOUL, August 13 (AJU PRESS) - The FBI has initiated an investigation following claims from the Trump campaign that it was targeted by hackers allegedly linked to the Iranian government. While the FBI confirmed it is looking into the matter, its brief statement on Monday did not specifically mention Trump or Iran. A representative from the Trump campaign told the BBC that the documents in question were illegally obtained by "foreign sources hostile to the United States." I

August 13, 2024

U.S. deploys missile submarine as tensions escalate

SEOUL, August 12 (AJU PRESS) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has directed a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and expedited the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the region, according to a Defense Department announcement on Sunday. These actions follow heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly after the assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. In respo

August 12, 2024

Diplomatic pressure mounts for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

SEOUL, August 9 (AJU PRESS) - Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have jointly urged Israel and Hamas to swiftly resume negotiations aimed at establishing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. This appeal follows Israel's ongoing bombardment of the region, which has resulted in the deaths of nearly 40,000 Palestinians and heightened concerns about a broader regional conflict. In a joint statement released on Thursday, the three nations called for Israel and Hamas to "urgently resu

August 9, 2024

OIC blames Israel responsible for escalating tensions with assassination in Iran

SEOUL, August 8 (AJU PRESS) - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has held Israel responsible for the recent attack that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. In a statement released after an emergency meeting of the 57-member organization on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, the OIC called the attack "a serious infringement" on Iran's sovereignty and declared Israel, as the "illegal occupying power," fully responsible. The Gambia's For

August 8, 2024

Hamas names Yahya Sinwar as its new leader

SEOUL, August 7 (AJU PRESS) - After two days of intense negotiations in Doha, Hamas has named Yahya Sinwar as its new leader, following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week. Sinwar, who has led Hamas within Gaza since 2017, now takes over the group's political wing. Hamas leadership unanimously selected Sinwar to guide the movement, a senior official informed the BBC. This decision comes amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, as Iran and its allies vow r

August 7, 2024

US urges Iran to avoid escalation in Middle East

SEOUL, August 6 (AJU PRESS) - The United States has been encouraging other nations through diplomatic channels to convey to Iran that increasing tensions in the Middle East is not in their best interest, according to a State Department spokesperson on Monday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described this period as a "critical moment" for the region, highlighting Washington's efforts to reduce tensions amid concerns that Iran might retaliate against Israel. Blinken s

August 6, 2024

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza schools kill approximately 30 children

SEOUL, August 5 (AJU PRESS) - At least 30 people were killed, and many more injured in Israeli airstrikes on two United Nations-run schools in Gaza City, according to Dr. Marwan al-Hams, the director of hospitals in the Gaza Ministry of Health. The schools, Hassan Salama and al-Nasr, were being used as shelters for displaced Palestinians. Tragically, 80 percent of the casualties were children, as reported by the Palestinian Civil Defence. Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting fro

August 5, 2024