February 13, 2025

Egyptian, Jordanian leaders stress 'unity' of positions on Gaza "Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II reaffirmed their united stance on Gaza, emphasising the urgent need for a full ceasefire, continued hostage releases and humanitarian aid. The joint statement came a day after Jordan's king met with US President Donald Trump in Washington. Both leaders also pushed for a swift reconstruction plan for Gaza, opposing Trump's plan, which the US president suggested rooting out Palestinians from their lands." UN warns Israel's genocidal acts in Gaza could be repeated in West Bank "Israel's genocidal acts in Gaza could spread to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, warns UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Speaking to Anadolu in the Netherlands, she said Israeli attacks have escalated, with 830 Palestinians killed and over 300 detained from October 2023 to October 2024. Many detainees have faced torture, rape and even death in custody, she noted. Albanese condemned unchecked settler violence and urged the world to act: Even if you don’t conclude that this is genocide, doesn’t matter. There’s an obligation to prevent a genocide." Trump says he will likely meet Putin in Saudi Arabia "US President Donald Trump says he will probably meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Saudi Arabia—a step towards ending the Ukraine conflict. ""I'll be dealing with President Putin, largely on the phone, and we ultimately expect to meet. In fact, we expect that he'll come here, and I'll go there, and we're going to meet also, probably in Saudi Arabia,"" he told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump downplayed Ukraine’s NATO membership and cast doubt on its full territorial recovery. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed Trump’s interest in achieving peace, insisting that global unity can pressure Russia into ending the war. " North Korea demolishes war reunion center: South Korea "North Korea is tearing down the Mount Kumgang Reunion Center, a site that once brought together families separated by the Korean War. South Korea has condemned the demolition as ""inhumane"" and demands an immediate halt. Since 1988, over 133,600 South Koreans have registered as separated families, yet only a fraction have reunited. As of 2025, around 36,000 are alive, according to official data. The last meeting between the two was in 2018. Pyongyang now labels Seoul a “hostile state.”" NASA warns astronomers about asteroid's updated trajectory "NASA's latest update has astronomers on high alert: Asteroid 2024 YR4, a 90-meter-wide rock, now has a 2.3 percent chance of striking Earth on December 22, 2032. While the risk remains low, the increase from 1.3 percent has sparked renewed focus on its trajectory. Experts assure there is no immediate threat but emphasize the importance of planetary defence. If it were to hit, the asteroid could cause severe seismic activity and regional climate disruptions. Ongoing research and improved tracking methods aim to refine predictions and mitigate potential risks."