Iraq
60 Die In Shopping Plaza Fire
More than 60 persons have died in an inferno at a shopping plaza in the Iraqi city of Kut.
The plaza opened five days earlier and authorities say they have arrested the owner for questioning.
At press time, the cause of the fire had yet to be determined, but it was understood that a probe was already underway to establish what caused the fire and why the casualty figure was unusually high.
The inferno has now been brought under control.
America
Trump Thumbs Up As Coca-Cola Begins Use Of Cane Sugar At American Plant
The management of Coca-Cola soft drinks in America has announced its decision to begin the use of cane sugar in its production process.
The move will affect only the non- dietary variant of the product.
It laid no predicate for its decision in its terse statement to this effect.
But the move, for which many stakeholders had stridently campaigned, elated President Donald Trump, who, in a social media post, described it as a right move.
Trump, an ardent consumer of the brand, expressed the hope that the move would make the product better.
Though the formula for the brand has largely remained a secret since it was first produced in 1886, health experts had held that the use of artificial sugar and other sweeteners could predispose frequent consumers to certain health conditions, including obesity.
Syria
Shaky Truce After Israel Pounds Syria
… Authorities Cede Security In Troubled Suwaydan To Tribal Elders
A shaky truce has been enpanelled in the troubled Syrian region of Suwaydan( also spelt Suweida) after Israeli military pounded Damascus and other parts of Syria with aerial assaults overnight.
The truce, the third in as many days, was brokered by American and Arab interests following the resurgence of fatal violent clashes between the militia of the minority Druze community and those of Bedouin tribesmen in the locality .
As the militias fought, remnants of the Syrian Army, under the control of Interim President Ahmed Al- Sharaa, were deployed to the area to try and restore control and order.
And that was when Israel got militarily involved, as it pounded both the Syrian troops and their kits, including ferret cars, carriers and battle tanks.
The Israeli assaults included strikes in core public assets including those near the Presidential Palace in Damascus.
Officials say three persons died in the attacks in Damascus.
Fearing a major escalation of the crisis, America, Turkiye and unnamed other Arab states, waded in diplomatically to reach a truce between all parties.
The truce compels the interim president to withdraw Syrian troops away from Suwaydan, while the militias are to keep their guns silent.
Besides, security in the troubled area has been ceded to elders of the community.
Addressing his countrymen after the truce, the interim president criticised Israel for its attacks and assured that his administration would protect all stakeholders in the Syrian project, including the minority Druze community.
He affirmed that Syria was not afraid of war, in a deft reference to the prospects of military engagement with Israel, but had opted for truce in the overall interest of stakeholders.
Syria, since the fall of the Assad regime late last year, has been caught in the throes of mounting ethnic and sectarian crises that occasionally proved fatal.
Israel, which has a long standing relationship with the minority Druze community, and has held to the Syrian Golan Heights for decades, insists that its border with Syria ,including the Suwaydan area, must be demilitarized.
More than 350 persons were killed in the recent clashes in Suwaydan.
Russia
Moscow Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Russia said that more than 120 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight following what is believed to be one of the single largest assaults by Ukraine in recent times.
It said that three of the drones were downed over Moscow, its capital, marking a new reality for the country.
Ukraine had not directly targeted Moscow in its recent war efforts.
Other regions attacked included Belgorod and Kursk.
It gave no details of casualties, nor of other non- human damage caused by the assault.
However, the development comes only days after American President, Donald Trump, okayed the resumption of the shipment of military hard wares to Ukraine via the European Union (EU).
The kits to be delivered to Ukraine include the Patriot Missile, which is the only available equipment capable of downing Russia ‘s cruise and ballistic missiles.
Palestine
Israel Kills Two In Gaza Catholic Church Attack
Two women have been killed in an Israeli strike on a Catholic Church in Gaza.
The assault on the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic Church in the embattled in the enclave,also left the priest wounded and had to be taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment..
The church is very close to the former head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, who had daily personal communication contact with its priests since Israel launched its war on Gaza.
Elsewhere, more than 23 other Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Israel has released nine Palestinians it abducted from across the strip over the past year.
They were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which took them back to Gaza where they were taken to a hospital for check up.
Kiev
Ukraine Receives Bodies of Fallen Troops
Ukraine and Russia have exchanged bodies of their fallen troops.
The exchange , the third in the series of recent, took place at an undisclosed place.
Officials later said that Ukraine received the bodies of 1,000 fallen troops, while Russia got 19.
Since the exercise began about two months ago, thousands of bodies have been exchanged between both countries which have been at war since February 2022 when Russia invaded its smaller neighbour.
The exchange exercise is a direct result of the talks between officials of both countries held in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Russia has taken either full or partial control of four of the regions of Ukraine.
