07/08/2025

THURSDAY | AUG 7, 2025

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UN warns of catastrophic consequences o Gaza occupation a trap, says army chief and unconditional release of our hostages,” he said.

US, Cook Islands begin seabed mineral talks WASHINGTON: The United States has begun talks with the Cook Islands for research on seabed mineral exploration and development. The Cook Islands lie halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and are made up of 15 islands and atolls. Western nations that traditionally held sway in the Pacific Islands have become increasingly concerned about China’s plans to increase influence after Beijing signed defence, trade and financial deals with Pacific countries in recent years. “The Government of the United States of America has begun discussions with the Government of the Cook Islands to support the research necessary to inform seabed exploration and responsible development within the Cook Islands’ Exclusive Economic Zone,” the US State Department said in a statement. US-linked firms “sit at the forefront” of deep seabed mineral research and exploration in the Cook Islands, it said. In June, New Zealand suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands after its prime minister signed partnership agreements with China without consulting Wellington. Those agreements committed them to deepening cooperation in seabed mining as well as education, the economy, infrastructure, fisheries and disaster management. New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday it was aware of the new arrangement with the US. – Reuters GUNMEN ABDUCT 60 IN NORTHERN NIGERIA ABUJA: Gunmen abducted at least 45 women and children in a raid on five villages in northwest Nigeria, witnesses said, in the second mass kidnapping in the area within days. The attackers returned to Sabongarin Damri on Monday and raided nearby villages including Sade, Tungar Tsalle, Tungar Sodangi and Tungar Musa Dogo, in an assault that lasted until dawn, Shehu Musa, the traditional head of Damri, told Reuters by phone late on Tuesday. The incident followed a separate mass abduction in Sabongarin Damri, in Zamfara state, on Saturday in which 70 people were taken. “The attackers invaded the communities and kidnapped no fewer than 45 people from the five neighbouring villages,” Musa said. – Reuters DRESDEN CLEARED FOR WWII BOMB DEFUSAL BERLIN: Large parts of Dresden’s old town were evacuated yesterday as experts sought to defuse an unexploded World War II bomb found during clearance work for a collapsed bridge. Some 17,000 people were asked to leave their homes in the eastern German city, authorities said. The affected area includes the famous Frauenkirche, a church that was rebuilt brick-for-brick after being destroyed in the war, as well as several hotels. The Carola Bridge, one of Dresden’s main Elbe river crossings, partly collapsed in the middle of the night last September. – AFP

reports in the Israeli media in recent days suggested that Zamir is opposed to a government plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip. “It is the right and duty of the chief of staff to express his position in the appropriate forums, and after decisions are made by the political echelon, the (army) will execute them with determination and professionalism ... until the war’s objectives are achieved,” Katz wrote. Zamir has made no public statements on the matter but reportedly expressed his opposition to a full military occupation of Gaza at a meeting between Netanyahu and security chiefs on Tuesday. According to public broadcaster Kan 11, Zamir warned such an occupation would be a “trap”. Media reported that Netanyahu would gather his security Cabinet today to make a final decision on next steps in the war. – AFP

Jenca called during the meeting for “all hostages held in Gaza to be immediately and unconditionally released”, while also highlighting the insufficient amount of aid that is entering Gaza. “Israel continues to severely restrict humanitarian assistance entering Gaza, and the aid that is permitted to enter is grossly inadequate,” he said. “Hunger is everywhere in Gaza, visible in the faces of children and in the desperation of parents risking their lives to access the most basic supplies.” In Tel Aviv, Defence Minister Israel Katz said army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir could “express his views”, but that the military would ultimately have to “execute” any government decisions on Gaza. Katz’s statement on X came after

NEW YORK: A top UN official warned on Tuesday that expanding Israeli military operations inside Gaza would risk “catastrophic consequences”, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly considered total occupation of the Palestinian territory. A widening of the war “would risk catastrophic consequences for millions of Palestinians and could further endanger the lives of the remaining hostages in Gaza”, Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, told a Security Council meeting. “There is no military solution to the conflict in Gaza or the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Jenca said.

During a visit to an army training facility earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu said: “It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.” Over the 22 months of war, Israeli forces have devastated large parts of the Gaza Strip, where repeated warnings of famine have increased pressure on Netanyahu’s government to halt the fighting. Speaking ahead of the Security Council meeting about the conditions faced by hostages held in Gaza, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he came to the UN “to put the issue of the hostages front and centre”. “I came to call for the immediate

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What remains of a UN clinic in Gaza City bombarded on Tuesday night. – REUTERSPIC

White House special envoy meets Putin

MOSCOW: US envoy Steve Witkoff held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin yesterday, two days before the expiry of a deadline set by President Donald Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Witkoff flew to Moscow on a last minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russian state TV showed a brief clip of him shaking hands with Putin at the start of their meeting. Trump, increasingly frustrated with Putin over the lack of progress

ceasefire and a leaders’ summit were required. “The war must stop and for now this is on Russia,” he said. Putin is unlikely to bow to Trump’s sanctions ultimatum because he believes he is winning the war and his military goals take precedence over his desire to improve relations with the US, said three sources close to the Kremlin. “The visit is a last-ditch effort to find a face-saving solution,” said Gerhard Mangott, an Austrian analyst and member of a group of Western academics and journalists who have met regularly with Putin over the years. – Reuters

well short of the full and immediate ceasefire that Ukraine and the US have been seeking for months. But it would offer some relief to both sides. Since the two sides resumed direct peace talks in May, Russia has carried out its heaviest air attacks of the war, killing at least 72 people in the capital Kyiv alone. Trump last week called the Russian attacks “disgusting”. Ukraine continues to strike Russian refineries and oil depots, which it has hit many times. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said yesterday that a full

towards peace, has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports. He is exerting pressure on India, which along with China is a huge buyer of Russian oil. The Kremlin says threats to penalise countries that trade with Russia are illegal. It was not clear what Russia might offer to Witkoff to stave off Trump’s threat. Bloomberg and independent Russian news outlet The Bell reported that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine. Such a move, if agreed, would fall