While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Feb 20
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Palestinians carry bags of flour they grabbed from an aid truck near an Israeli checkpoint.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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US proposes UN resolution supporting temporary ceasefire in Gaza
The United States has proposed a rival draft United Nations Security Council resolution that would underscore the body’s “support for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza as soon as practicable,” according to the text seen by Reuters on Feb 19.
Washington has been averse to the word ceasefire in any UN action on the Israel-Hamas war, but the US draft text echoes language that President Joe Biden said he used last week in conversations with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US draft text also “determines that under current circumstances a major ground offensive into Rafah would result in further harm to civilians and their further displacement including potentially into neighboring countries.”
Biden willing to meet with Republican US House speaker over Ukraine aid
EPA-EFE
US President Joe Biden on Feb 19 said he is willing to meet with House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson to discuss a funding bill for Ukraine’s war against Russia, saying that Republicans are making a mistake by opposing the aid package.
The Senate in a bipartisan vote earlier this month passed a US$95 billion (S$127.91 billion) aid package that includes funds for Ukraine, but Johnson so far has declined even to bring it up for a vote on the floor of the House, which Republicans control by a narrow 219-212 margin. He has been demanding a meeting with Biden.
“Sure I’d be happy to meet with him, if he has anything to say,” Biden said.
Navalny team says investigators to hold his body for ‘at least two weeks’
AFP
Russian investigators will keep Alexei Navalny’s body for “at least two weeks” to examine the corpse, his spokesperson said Feb 19, describing it as a ploy by the authorities.
Russia reported Navalny’s death on Feb 16 and his mother has been denied access to the body, enraging supporters who have accused authorities of trying to cover up Navalny’s “murder”.
“Investigators told Alexei’s mother and lawyers that they are not handing over the body and in the next 14 days they will conduct a chemical analysis, an investigation,” Navalny spokesperson Kira Yarymsh said in a YouTube broadcast.
EU launches Red Sea mission as US ship attacked twice
EPA-EFE
The European Union formally launched a naval mission on Feb 19 to protect Red Sea shipping from Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a US-owned cargo vessel came under fire twice in the region.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been harassing the vital shipping lane since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war.
The EU aims to have the mission – called Aspides, Greek for “shield” – up and running in a “few weeks” with at least four vessels, an official said on Friday, ahead of Monday’s official launch.
Hodgson steps down as manager at struggling Palace, Glasner appointed
Action Images via Reuters
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson stepped down on Feb 19 less than a year into his second stint at the Premier League club, with Oliver Glasner appointed as his replacement.
The former Liverpool and England boss guided Palace to safety last season but results this term have not met expectations with the South London club 16th in the table.
Former Eintracht Frankfurt manager Glasner has signed a deal to become Palace boss until the end of the 2025/2026 season.
