While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 18
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A man walks with bags of freshly bought bread in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Some 1.4 million people have fled to Rafah, amid Israel's military action in Gaza.
PHOTO: AFP
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Mediator says Gaza truce ‘not promising’
Mediator Qatar acknowledged on Feb 17 that prospects for a new pause in Israel’s war with Hamas were “not really promising” as Israel rejected appeals to hold off on a threatened assault on the Gaza city of Rafah.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that foreign countries calling on Israel to spare the city, where 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge, were effectively telling the country to “lose the war” against Hamas.
Truce efforts had intensified this week as Qatar and fellow mediators Egypt and the United States scrambled to secure a ceasefire before Israeli troops enter Rafah, the last major population centre in the Gaza Strip still untouched by Israeli ground troops.
But despite a direct appeal from US President Joe Biden earlier this week, Mr Netanyahu insisted the operation would go ahead regardless of whether further releases of Israeli hostages were agreed with Hamas. “Even if we achieve it, we will enter Rafah,” he told a televised news conference on Feb 17.
Zelensky urges leaders to send arms, as Ukraine loses Avdiivka
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies at a global security conference on Feb 17 to plug an “artificial” shortage of weapons that is giving Russian forces the upper hand on the battlefield and said stalled US aid was imperative.
Addressing the gathering of politicians, diplomats and military officials from around the world, who gave him a standing ovation, Mr Zelensky mixed gratitude for the support shown by Western countries with urging them for more.
He spoke at a critical juncture in Russia’s nearly two-year-old invasion of Ukraine, with his troops forced to withdraw from the devastated eastern town of Avdiivka.
Senior official says he helped rig Pakistan elections
AFP
A senior bureaucrat said on Feb 17 he helped rig Pakistan’s elections, a week after polls marred by allegations of manipulation returned no clear winner.
Mr Liaqat Ali Chattha, commissioner of the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where the country’s powerful military has its headquarters, said he would hand himself over to police.
There have been widespread allegations of rigging after authorities switched off the country’s mobile phone network on election day and the count took more than 24 hours.
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Bukhov seizes world title, slams Russia
Vladyslav Bukhov sprung a surprise as he claimed his first world swimming title in Doha on Feb 17, and then said Russia should “absolutely not” be allowed at the Paris Olympics.
After the 21-year-old edged the two previous world champions to the wall to win the men’s 50m freestyle, he said his preparation had been tough.
“It’s hard, really hard,” he said. “We train while Russian rockets are flying round the swimming pool. You never know if you stay alive or not. It’s difficult. For all Ukrainians.”
Iga Swiatek captures third straight Qatar Open crown
Top seed Iga Swiatek overcame a gritty challenge by world number four Elena Rybakina to take home the Qatar Open title for the third straight year with a 7-6(8) 6-2 victory in the Feb 17 final.
The 22-year-old Pole, who raced to her 12th consecutive match win in Doha, became the first player to capture a singles title at an event in three successive years since Serena Williams triumphed in Miami from 2013-15.
The win also improved her head-to-head record over Rybakina to 3-2, having lost on all three occasions in 2023.
