February 7, 2024

*) Saudi Arabia says no normalisation with Israel without Palestinian state Saudi Arabia has told the US that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognised as per the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Saudi foreign ministry in a statement called for a halt to “aggression” in besieged Gaza. Earlier, the White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said the Biden administration received positive feedback that Saudi Arabia and Israel were willing to continue normalisation discussions. *) Yemen’s Houthis launch missiles on ships in Red Sea Yemen’s Houthi group launched six missiles toward two merchant ships, reportedly causing light damage to one of the vessels, the US military said. US Central Command said in a statement that “Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired six anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.” The missiles targeted Marshall Islands and Barbados flagged vessels owned and operated by Greece and the UK respectively. *) Opposing Ukraine aid bill is playing into Putin’s hands: Biden President Joe Biden has said that Congress will be doing the Kremlin’s bidding if it fails to renew funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia. The US president blamed Donald Trump for playing politics with US national security. Biden called out Trump for pressuring Republican lawmakers not to pass a $118 billion bill that would fund Ukraine’s military in return for strict US immigration curbs, a Republican demand. *) EU agrees on first law tackling violence against women EU member countries and lawmakers have reached an agreement on the bloc’s first rules to tackle violence against women, the European Parliament and officials said. The law seeks to protect women in the 27-nation European Union from gender-based violence, forced marriages, female genital mutilation and online harassment. The text criminalises cyberstalking, cyberharassment and cyber incitement to hatred or violence across the European Union. *) Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson says will interview Putin ‘soon’ Tucker Carlson, a firebrand American talk show host, has said he was in Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin. The announcement makes Carlson the first American media personality to land a formal interview with Putin since the Russia-Ukraine conflict began. Carlson, known for conservative opinions that have garnered a vast right-wing following, did not specify when the interview would be broadcast but mentioned that it would be free to watch on his personal website.