Author: RT

Israel ‘has completed’ Gaza strikes after rocket fire – military Israel said early on Friday that it has completed a series of airstrikes on targets linked to the Islamic jihad militant group in Gaza, after rocket fire that rattled a day-old truce. The military's statement indicated that Israel was willing to abide by the ceasefire if there are no additional rocket attacks. It said Israel struck a military compound, a rocket-manufacturing site and a militant headquarters in the town of Khan Younis, AP reports. The airstrikes came after a barrage of rockets late Thursday. There were no immediate reports of casualties from either side. The situation was calm Friday morning. Hamas, the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza, stayed out of the most recent fighting as both it and I...

Turkey’s drill ship ‘Fatih’ starts operations off NE Cyprus – vice president The Turkish oil-and-gas drilling ship ‘Fatih’ has started its operations off the coast of northeastern Cyprus, Turkish vice president Fuat Oktay was quoted as saying on Friday, despite warnings from the EU for Ankara to stand down. On Monday, the EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted a framework for restrictive measures against Ankara over its drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey, a formal candidate to join the EU despite worsening ties, criticized the decision and said it would not cease drilling because it is operating on its own continental shelf or areas where Turkish Cypriots have rights. Another Turkish drillship, Yavuz, is off the west coast of Cyprus, Reuters reports. &#...

Chile to stage referendum on new constitution in response to protests Chile said on Friday it will stage a referendum to replace the country’s dictatorship-era constitution next year – a key demand of protesters after nearly a month of sometimes violent civil unrest, AFP reported. The current constitution, in force since 1980 and enacted by the former military junta of Augusto Pinochet, has been changed numerous times in the years since. However, it does not establish the state’s responsibility to provide education and healthcare - two demands made by millions of Chileans who have taken to the streets. Lawmakers in Chile’s National Congress agreed early Friday to hold the plebiscite in April 2020 after hours of negotiations between the governing coalition and opposition partie...

Pentagon chief presses S. Korea to pay more for US troops US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper pressed Seoul on Friday to pay more towards the cost of stationing US troops in South Korea and to maintain an intelligence-sharing pact with its other Asian ally Japan. Speaking after a high-level defense policy meeting with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo, Esper also said the two countries have to be flexible with their joint military drills to support ongoing diplomatic efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear program, Reuters reports. However, he stopped short of announcing any changes to exercises next month that North Korea has sharply condemned. Pyongyang said on Thursday that it had turned down a US offer for fresh talks ahead of a year-end deadline that North Korea s...