Israel accuses Australia of forgetting ‘Hamas’s culpability’ for Gaza war as ministers consider UNRWA funding (www.theguardian.com)
As an Australian, no we didn’t. We just had it put in context. Jews around the world are great people, the Israeli government and the hardline supporters are absolute monsters. I hope the Australian government tells them as much. Israel deserves no support and everything that may happen when it’s withdrawn.
The far-right Bundestag aide and his rapping FSB case officer (theins.ru)
Vladimir Sergienko, 52, is the Ukrainian-born adviser to Eugen Schmidt, a Bundestag deputy with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The Insider and Der Spiegel reported in August that Sergienko had fallen under suspicion in Germany after his email and text message correspondence with a suspected FSB operative known only as...
Senior BBC Schedule Co-Ordinator Facing Disciplinary Action Over Antisemitic Facebook Posts That Referenced The “Holohoax” (deadline.com)
Queva’s posts, which have still not been taken down, are of a rambling and vitriolic nature, and she refers to the “holohoax” and “AshkeNazis”, the latter of which is a play on the word ‘ashkenazi’, meaning Jews who descend from those who lived in Central or Eastern Europe....
S. Korea’s military service controversy: ‘Senior Army’ as a solution? (www.chosun.com)
As South Korea faces a military manpower shortage due to its low birth rate issue, opinions have emerged suggesting the recruitment of women or the male individuals aged 55 to 75 to fill the gap. However, public opinion in Korea remains divided on these proposals, and debates surrounding military service are expected to...
Mass Grave in Gaza Points to “Execution-Style” Killings by Israeli Forces (www.democracynow.org)
More video and eyewitness info on Al Jazeera so far...
US Pushes for Defence Pact Ahead of Presidential Election - and Asks for an End to the War in Gaza (www.straitstimes.com)
I appended the end of the title because I actually found the contents of the article much more impactful than the original title.
No evidence of antisemitic 'gas' chant at pro-Palestinian Sydney protest, police find (www.sbs.com.au)
Edited footage of protesters chanting "gas the Jews" at a rally outside the Sydney Opera House in October was shared on social media, but NSW Police said an extensive investigation found no evidence of it happening.
Ukraine says it sank Russian warship off coast of Crimea and unleashed ‘massive’ missile barrage on peninsula (www.cnn.com)
Ukraine’s military intelligence says it sank a Russian warship off the coast of Crimea overnight into Thursday, landing the latest in a series of blows to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet after mounting a “massive” missile attack on the occupied peninsula hours earlier....
US Approves $4B Sale of MQ-9B Drones, Hellfire Missiles to India (www.thedefensepost.com)
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of 31 MQ-9B Sky Guardian drones to India....
Taiwan elects parliament speaker ruling party views as pro-China (www.asahi.com)
TAIPEI–Taiwan’s parliament on Thursday elected a former presidential candidate for the largest opposition party as its new speaker, who will be responsible for hosting visiting foreign lawmakers and who the ruling party has said is pro-China....
Centuries-old mosque torn down in New Delhi (www.dhakatribune.com)
The Masjid Akhonji in New Delhi, which its caretakers say is around 600 years old...
Ukraine support package worth €50bn agreed by EU leaders (www.bbc.com)
All 27 EU leaders have agreed a €50bn (£42bn; $54bn) aid package for Ukraine, after Hungary stopped blocking the deal....
‘You singled us out’: women accuse Biden-Harris staff of Islamophobia for barring them from event (www.theguardian.com)
Two women wearing hijabs denied entry to Democratic campaign event (www.aljazeera.com)
Israel's road to recovery starts with relinquishing Netanyahu's lies (www.haaretz.com)
As fate would have it, in order to halt the discussion over the justification for Israel's right to exist, Israel has to approach the dustbin of history and pull out the "occupation," the "two-state solution," "peace in exchange for territories" – all those terms his royal genius threw away in his megalomaniac hubris. We need...
To Avoid a Wider War, Ceasefire Now in Gaza (www.democracynow.org)
Demands for an immediate ceasefire are growing, and, despite promises of indefinite war from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the United States, as Israel’s principal weapons provider, could shut down the bombardment with one phone call.
[S Korea] Defense ministry says is not considering female conscription (en.yna.co.kr)
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) – The defense ministry said Tuesday it is not considering conscripting women for the country’s mandatory military service after the issue received renewed attention in a campaign pledge ahead of the April general elections....
PA launches reforms aimed at revitalization, but structural changes remain elusive (www.timesofisrael.com)
Under international pressure to tee up to rule Gaza, Ramallah announces package to restructure various branches of its administration, but some see the step as merely cosmetic...
US orders reprisal strikes against Iranian-backed militia (www.theguardian.com)
The US has ordered a series of reprisal strikes to be launched over more than one day against an Iranian-backed militia, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said....
Macron calls for farming reform as food producers hurl eggs at European parliament (www.theguardian.com)
Europe’s farming sector is facing a big crisis and must “profoundly” change its rules, Emmanuel Macron has said after a European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels was overshadowed by protesting farmers hurling eggs, dumping manure and lighting fires....
Russia’s New Threats to Exiles: Seized Assets and Forced Returns (www.nytimes.com)
In Bangkok this week, members of an antiwar Russian-language rock group were fighting deportation to Russia, detained in what supporters described as a cramped, hot, 80-person immigration holding cell....