Support us by contributing to StratNewsGlobal on the following UPI ID
ultramodern@hdfcbank
Strategic affairs is our game, South Asia and beyond our playground. Put together by an experienced team led by Nitin A. Gokhale. Our focus is on strategic affairs, foreign policy and international relations, with higher quality reportage, analysis and commentary with new tie-ups across the South Asian region.
You can support our endeavours. Visit us at www.stratnewsglobal.com and follow us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
र 500 per month
र 1000 per month
र 5000 per year
र 10000 per year
Donate an amount of your choice
र 500 per month
Donate र 500 per month
र 1000 per month
Donate र 1000 per month
र 5000 per year
Donate र 5,000 per year
र 10000 per year
Donate र 10,000 per year
Donate an amount of your choice
Donate an amount of your choice
Zelenskyy Calls For Joint Air Defence Shield With Ukraine’s Allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Ukraine proposes creating a joint air defence shield with allies to counter Russian threats, following recent airspace incursions alarming NATO’s eastern flank.
NATO leaders have said that Russia has been testing the alliance’s readiness and resolve with airspace incursions in Poland and the Baltic states, and Kyiv says its experience in dealing with aerial threats would be valuable.
“Ukraine proposes to Poland and all our partners to build a joint, fully reliable shield against Russian aerial threats,” he said in an address to the Warsaw Security Forum delivered via video link.
“This is possible. Ukraine can counter all kinds of Russian drones and missiles, and if we act together in the region, we will have enough weapons and production capacity.”
Ukraine has already said that its troops and engineers will train their Polish counterparts on countering drones.
The topic of defence cooperation with Kyiv was high on the agenda as leaders gathered in Warsaw for the annual security forum.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told the conference that “Europe’s and Ukraine’s defence industry must work together more closely and effectively”.
“The European Union must back this by providing a much more flexible regulatory framework for the defence industry in Europe.”
Following the Russian incursions into NATO airspace, countries on the alliance’s eastern flank have agreed on the need for a “drone wall” with advanced detection, tracking and interception capabilities.
However, Pistorius warned that establishing this would not be a quick process.
“We’re not talking about a concept that will be realised within the next three or four years,” he said. “We need to prioritise and recognise that we require more capabilities and capacities than previously described.”
Russian Aerial Strike
Russia early on Sunday unleashed hundreds of drones and missiles on Kyiv and other regions, killing at least four and injuring dozens in one of the capital’s most sustained assaults since the war began.
Neighbouring Poland closed its airspace near two southeastern cities and its air force scrambled jets in response until the danger had passed.
Ukraine’s military said that Russia launched 595 drones and 48 missiles overnight, and its air defences shot down 568 drones and 43 missiles. It noted that the main target of the strike was the capital Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack, which lasted more than 12 hours, killed four people, including a child, with two of the deaths occurring at a Kyiv cardiology clinic.
He said 80 people were injured in the strikes and factories, residential buildings and energy-generating sites were damaged.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday it had carried out a “massive” attack on Ukraine using long-range air- and sea-based weapons and drones to target military infrastructure, including airfields.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Kremlin Calls For Inclusion Of British, French Arsenals In Nuclear Disarmament Talks
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that while initial talks on reducing strategic nuclear weapons must occur between Russia and the U.S., British and French arsenals will eventually need to be included.
Peskov’s remarks come amid a Kremlin proposal to the U.S. this month to voluntarily maintain for a year the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in their New START arms control treaty once it expires next year if the U.S. does the same.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Putin’s proposal sounded “pretty good,” but the issue was up to U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. president has said he wants to open denuclearisation talks with Russia and China.
“Naturally, we have to start talks at the bilateral level. New START is, after all, a bilateral document,” Peskov told TASS.
“But in the long term, you cannot remain abstract with these arsenals. All the more so that these arsenals are a component of the overall problem of global European security and strategic stability.”
New START
New START was signed by then-presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, came into force a year later and was extended in 2021 for five more years after U.S. President Joe Biden took office.
In 2023, Putin suspended Russia’s participation, but Moscow said it would continue to observe the warhead limits. Putin, this month, made his offer to maintain the treaty’s limits as Ukraine tries to convince Trump to impose harsher sanctions on Russia over its February 2022 invasion of its smaller neighbour.
Russia and the U.S. have by far the biggest nuclear arsenals in the world. New START caps the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads at 1,550 and the number of delivery vehicles – missiles, submarines and bomber planes – at 700 on each side.
France and Britain, which were never a party to New START or its precursor treaties, have much smaller arsenals numbering between 250 and 300 warheads each.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Moldova’s Pro-EU Ruling Party Secures Majority In Crucial Election
Moldova’s pro-European Union ruling party decisively defeated its Russian-leaning rival in a crucial parliamentary election on Monday, signalling strong support for the country’s EU integration and distancing from Moscow.
The strong performance on Sunday by President Maia Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity against the Patriotic Bloc will be a relief for the government and its European partners, who had accused Moscow of seeking to influence the outcome.
Polls leading up to the election put PAS and Patriotic Bloc neck-and-neck, with neither likely to get close to a majority. The near-final tally by Moldova’s electoral commission allows the government to push for its goal of EU membership by 2030.
Accusations Of Russian Meddling In The Vote
It also spares Moldova the political horse trading that had threatened to invite more instability following what officials described as a Russian campaign to disrupt the vote and derail Chisinau’s course toward Europe.
Moscow has denied meddling in Moldova.
With nearly all votes counted, PAS won 50.1% versus 24.2% for the Patriotic Bloc, which had sought to steer Moldova closer to Moscow.
The buildup to an election that PAS leaders called the most consequential since Moldova’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 was marred by accusations of foul play by both sides up to and on the day of polling.
Sandu’s government warned Moldovans that Russia had attempted to sway the vote through widespread disinformation and vote-buying.
Stanislav Secrieru, Sandu’s national security adviser, said election infrastructure and government websites had come under cyber attack, and that fake bomb threats were called in to polling stations in Moldova and abroad.
On Sunday, Patriotic Bloc co-leader Igor Dodon, a former Moldovan president, called for protests the next day in front of parliament, claiming that Sandu was planning to annul the vote. He did not provide evidence.
Authorities, which had also warned of Russian-backed attempts to stir unrest after the vote, will watch closely to see if Dodon follows through on the threat, and what crowds he can command if he does.
Pulled East And West
Moldova – with a population of 2.4 million people that has been buffeted by the war in neighbouring Ukraine, alleged Russian interference and energy shortages – has long vacillated between Russia and Europe.
The Patriotic Bloc and other opposition groups had sought to tap into voter anger over economic pain and the slow pace of reforms – grievances worsened by what officials say has been widespread disinformation.
Inflation remains stubbornly high at around 7%, while Moldovans also shoulder higher costs for imported energy.
But the electoral performance by PAS suggests its platform of European integration and breaking with Russia still resonates among wide swathes of voters.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Russia Launches Massive Drone And Missile Strikes On Kyiv, Other Regions
Russia early on Sunday unleashed hundreds of drones and missiles on Kyiv and other regions, killing at least four and injuring dozens in one of the capital’s most sustained assaults since the war began.
Neighbouring Poland closed its airspace near two southeastern cities and its air force scrambled jets in response until the danger had passed.
Ukraine’s military said that Russia launched 595 drones and 48 missiles overnight, and its air defences shot down 568 drones and 43 missiles. It noted that the main target of the strike was the capital Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack, which lasted more than 12 hours, killed four people, including a child, with two of the deaths occurring at a Kyiv cardiology clinic.
He said 80 people were injured in the strikes and factories, residential buildings and energy-generating sites were damaged.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday it had carried out a “massive” attack on Ukraine using long-range air- and sea-based weapons and drones to target military infrastructure, including airfields.
Moscow has denied targeting civilians in its war against Ukraine, although thousands have been killed and residential areas extensively damaged by its attacks.
Zelenskyy Urges International Partners To Act
Zelenskyy again urged the international community to act decisively to cut off Russia’s energy revenues that fund its invasion. Ukraine has so far failed to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to impose punitive sanctions on Moscow.
“The time for decisive action is long overdue, and we count on a strong response from the United States, Europe, the G7, and the G20,” he said on the Telegram messaging app.
Speaking in his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said that while the U.N. was holding General Assembly sessions, Russia had “literally used every day, every hour, to strike at Ukraine. Vile strikes.”
Zelenskyy said it was important that further sanctions on Russia to be adopted by Europe that target Russia’s energy resources, particularly its tanker fleet.
He described the overnight attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia as “extraordinarily fierce”, with nearly 40 injured.
Kyiv awoke to loud explosions, drones flying overhead, and air defences booming. Smoke from one of the strike sites drifted across the morning sky as the air raid alert ended at 9:13 a.m. (0613 GMT), nearly seven hours after it began.
Reuters journalists visited an area in the suburbs of Kyiv, where rows of newly built homes were almost totally destroyed, and parked cars were flattened by falling debris.
Residents sifted through the wreckage of an apartment block after their windows were blown in by the force of a blast.
Some people hurried to the metro stations underground, from where they followed events on their mobile phones.
Ukraine’s Defences Stretched By Large-Scale Attacks
Attacks on such a scale have stretched Ukraine’s limited air defences throughout 2025. Zelenskiy said on Saturday an additional Patriot missile system from Israel had been deployed, and he expected two more to arrive this autumn.
He and other officials have asked international partners for more to protect Ukraine’s skies, but air defence systems are limited in availability, and other nations are keen to bolster their defences amid perceived threats from Russia.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump To Press Netanyahu On Elusive Gaza Peace Plan
Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, pressing a Gaza peace plan as Western leaders back Palestinian statehood despite U.S. and Israeli opposition.
In Netanyahu’s fourth visit since Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader will be looking to shore up his country’s most important relationship as it faces growing international isolation nearly two years into its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
He can expect a warm welcome compared to the chilly reception he received when he spoke on Friday before the U.N. General Assembly, where many delegates walked out in protest.
Netanyahu went on to deliver a blistering attack on what he called a “disgraceful decision” over the past week by Britain, France, Canada, Australia and several other countries to recognise Palestinian statehood, a major diplomatic shift by top U.S. allies.
They said such action was needed to preserve the prospect for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and help bring the war to a close.
Trump, who had criticised the recognition moves as a prize to Hamas, told Reuters on Sunday he hopes to get Netanyahu’s agreement on a framework to end the war in the Palestinian enclave and free the remaining hostages held by Hamas.
“We’re getting a very good response because Bibi wants to make the deal too,” Trump said in a telephone interview, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “Everybody wants to make the deal.”
He credited leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Jordan and Egypt for their assistance and said the deal aims to go beyond Gaza to a broader Middle East peace.
“It’s called peace in the Middle East, more than Gaza. Gaza is a part of it. But it’s peace in the Middle East,” he said.
Asked whether there is now an agreed deal for peace in Gaza, a senior Israeli official said “it’s too early to tell.” The official added that Netanyahu would give Israel’s response to the proposal when he meets Trump on Monday.
Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from the hostages’ families and, according to public opinion polls, a war-weary Israeli public.
A 21-point peace plan had been circulated to a string of Arab and Muslim countries on the U.N. sidelines last week.
It calls for the release of all hostages, living and dead, no further Israeli attacks on Qatar and a new dialogue between Israel and Palestinians for “peaceful coexistence,” a White House official said on condition of anonymity. Israel angered the Qataris and drew criticism from Trump for an airstrike against Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9.
Previous U.S.-backed ceasefire efforts have fallen apart due to a failure to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas, and Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is completely dismantled.
Gaza War Takes Centre-Stage
The White House meeting follows an annual gathering of world leaders in New York in which the Gaza war took centre-stage and Israel was often the target. Netanyahu responded that the world leaders recognising Palestinian independence were sending the message that “murdering Jews pays off.”
The most far-right government in Israeli history has ruled out acceptance of a Palestinian state as it presses on with its fight against Hamas following the militants’ October 7, 2023, rampage in Israel. Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s military response has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to local health officials, leaving much of the territory in ruins, a humanitarian crisis deepening, and hunger spreading.
The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in the Gaza war. Israel rejects the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes.
While Trump and Netanyahu have mostly been in sync and the U.S. continues to be Israel’s main arms supplier, Monday’s discussions have the potential for tensions to surface.
Some of Netanyahu’s hardline ministers have said the government should respond to growing recognition of Palestinian statehood by formally extending Israeli sovereignty over all or parts of the occupied West Bank to snuff out hopes for Palestinian independence.
On Thursday, however, Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for their state, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem.
Analysts say Israeli annexation of the West Bank could unravel the landmark Abraham Accords, a signature foreign policy achievement brokered by Trump’s first administration in which several Arab countries forged diplomatic ties with Israel.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Prabowo Defends Indonesia’s Free School Meal Program After 6,000 Food Poisoning Cases
Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto defended his free school meal program when it came under scrutiny on Monday after some 6,000 children suffered food poisoning, saying the affected percentage was small and the initiative was still in its early stages.
The food poisonings have sparked a public outcry with TV channels broadcasting images of children being treated on hospital beds.
Local non-profit organisations have called for the suspension of the programme.
The multibillion-dollar initiative, which also offers free meals for pregnant women, has rapidly expanded since its launch in January, with around 30 million recipients to date.
It aims to reach 83 million by the year’s end.
Minimum Error
Prabowo defended his school meal program saying, “Yes, there were shortcomings, food poisoning. We counted all the meals served; the deviation, the deficiency, or error represents 0.00017%,” at a political party event.
There have been some 70 separate incidents. Two-thirds of 6,000 people affected have been in incidents since August.
Prabowo said the programme, which aims to prevent childhood stunting, has improved nutrition for many children and created jobs as well as opportunities for local farmers and fishermen to sell produce.
“This doesn’t mean we’re satisfied. But a human endeavour of this magnitude has never been undertaken before, I think, in the history of the world. It took Brazil 11 years to reach 40 million recipients,” he said.
Preventive Measures
After a cabinet meeting over the weekend to discuss ways to prevent food poisoning, Prabowo ordered each kitchen in the programme to be given rapid testing equipment to check food quality, a food tray steriliser, a water filter and CCTV connected to the central government for monitoring.
The National Nutrition Agency said last week that of the 9,000 kitchens in the programme, 40 had been closed for not meeting standards.
The programme has also raised concerns that it may not be fiscally sustainable.
A budget of 335 trillion rupiah ($20 billion) has been allotted for next year, triple the estimated spending of 99 trillion rupiah for 2025.
Underscoring the sensitivity of the issue, Prabowo’s office temporarily revoked a palace reporting credential for a reporter over the weekend after she asked Prabowo how he planned to deal with the food poisoning cases.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Thailand’s New PM Presents Economic Revival Plan To Parliament
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday presented his government’s policy program to parliament, highlighting urgent steps aimed at lifting Thailand’s struggling economy, the second largest in Southeast Asia.
Anutin’s policies include measures to reduce living costs, tackle household debt and stimulate domestic tourism, with Thailand now struggling with U.S. tariffs, high household debt, weak consumption and a soaring baht.
“With limited time and a budget not prepared by this government, as well as being a minority administration, the government must urgently address the challenges currently facing the nation,” he told parliament.
Among the economic measures, the government will assist with individuals with debt not exceeding 100,000 baht ($3,103) and provide liquidity of up to 1 million baht for smaller businesses, he said.
New Schemes
On Friday, the government also announced plans to launch a 47 billion baht ($1.46 billion) co-payment scheme, in which the government will subsidise up to 60% of the costs of certain food and consumer goods purchased by qualified Thai citizens.
Other priorities include the peaceful resolution of a dispute with Cambodia, combating illegal gambling, and enhancing disaster preparedness through the use of advanced warning systems, Anutin said.
Anutin’s government has a limited window to implement its measures, with the premier last week announcing that he planned to dissolve parliament by the end of January, leading to a general election in March or early April.
A majority of Thais are undecided on who is the prime minister of their choice, but support for Anutin jumped to 20.4% from 9.6% previously.
He trails the leader of the main opposition People’s Party, Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, who received 22.8%, according to a survey by the National Institute of Development Administration published on Sunday.
After lagging regional peers with growth of 2.5% in 2024, Thailand’s economy is projected to expand by 1.8% to 2.3% this year, according to the state planning agency, with a slowdown expected in the second half of 2025 because of U.S. tariffs.
($1 = 32.23 baht)
(With inputs from Reuters)
New York Mayor Eric Adams Bows Out Of 2025 Race For Second Term
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday abandoned his re-election bid, stepping aside amid a federal bribery indictment and plunging approval ratings during his tenure as leader of the nation’s largest city.
His departure from the race, a little more than a month before Election Day, leaves the contest to become the city’s next mayor effectively between frontrunner Democrat Zohran Mamdani and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Adams had struggled to raise money and trailed far behind Mamdani and Cuomo, who is running as an independent, in public opinion polls. Mamdani holds a sizeable lead ahead of the November 4 election, while recent polls showed single-digit support for both Adams and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa.
Adams announced he was dropping out in a nearly nine-minute video that showed him walking down stairs to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” while holding up a large photo of his late mother, just as he did when he voted for himself as mayor four years ago.
“Despite all we’ve achieved, I cannot continue my reelection campaign,” he said in the video posted on X.
He declined to endorse another candidate in the race and said he will finish his term, which ends on January 1, 2026.
“I will continue to fight for this city,” he said.
Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has alarmed much of the New York business community and some within the Democratic Party with his leftist views.
The fear among Mamdani’s critics had been that Adams and Cuomo would split the opposition vote, giving Mamdani an easy victory.
President Donald Trump, a Republican who has warned about the consequences of a Mamdani win, earlier this month suggested that Adams and Sliwa pull out of the race even as the mayor swore he would remain until the end.
Trump said on Sunday he believes Cuomo will benefit from Adams’ exit.
“I think that gives Cuomo a much better chance,” the president said in a phone interview. “I do welcome it.”
Adams appeared to swipe at Mamdani in his remarks on Sunday.
“Major change is welcome and necessary, but beware of those who claim the answer to destroy the very system we built together over generations,” Adams said. “That is not change, that is chaos.”
Mamdani released a statement in response to Adams’ departure.
“On November 4th, we are going to turn the page on the politics of big money and small ideas and deliver a government every New Yorker can be proud of,” he said.
Cuomo urged voters to reject “extremist forces,” in an apparent reference to Mamdani.
“We face destructive extremist forces that would devastate our city through incompetence or ignorance, but it is not too late to stop them,” Cuomo posted on X.
Adams’ Trump Ties Angered Democrats
Adams, a former New York City police captain, has had a brutally unpopular tenure as leader of the heavily Democratic city.
An elected Democrat, he was running for a second term as an independent after his indictment on federal bribery counts made him the city’s first sitting mayor to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty and has maintained his innocence.
Trump’s Justice Department dropped the case not because of the strength of the evidence, but because officials said the prosecution was interfering with Adams’ ability to support the president’s deportation agenda.
Adams had angered many Democrats by cooperating with Trump’s aggressive enforcement of federal immigration laws.
The apparent quid pro quo prompted half a dozen senior Justice Department attorneys to resign rather than follow instructions to dismiss the charges. Adams and his attorney denied that there was any deal to secure a dismissal.
On Sunday, Adams blamed media speculation about his future and a decision by the city’s Campaign Finance Board to deny him public matching funds for his flagging performance.
Mamdani, a previously obscure state legislator, pulled off a surprising victory over Cuomo in the city’s Democratic primary election. His grassroots campaign used clever social media videos to inspire an army of volunteers.
Cuomo resigned as governor in 2021 during a sexual harassment scandal even though he denied wrongdoing.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Hopes To Push Gaza Peace Plan In Talks With Netanyahu
U.S. President Donald Trump said he hopes to finalise a Gaza peace plan in a meeting Monday with Israel’s prime minister.
The comments came as Israeli tanks advanced in Gaza City and Hamas said it lost contact with two hostages held there.
The fate of the two hostages, which has strong domestic resonance in Israel, could cast a shadow over a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump on Monday.
The Hamas military wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, called on Israel on Sunday to pull troops back and suspend air strikes on Gaza City for 24 hours so fighters could retrieve the captives.
Gaza Peace Plan
Trump told Reuters in a phone interview he had received a “very good response” from Israel and Arab leaders to the Gaza peace plan proposal and that “everybody wants to make a deal.”
Hamas said the group had not yet received any proposal from Trump nor from mediators.
Israel has launched a massive ground assault on Gaza City, flattening whole districts and ordering hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee to tented camps, in what Netanyahu says is a bid to destroy Hamas.
Nevertheless, the past few days have seen increasing talk of a diplomatic resolution to the nearly two-year-old Gaza war.
Trump’s 21-point Middle East peace plan to end the Gaza war calls for the return of all Israeli hostages, living and dead, no further Israeli attacks on Qatar and a new dialogue between Israel and Palestinians for “peaceful coexistence.”
Hamas Urges Israeli Military To Pull Back
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must lay down its arms or be defeated.
He told Fox News earlier on Sunday it is possible to have amnesty for Hamas leaders under a ceasefire agreement that would include them being escorted out of Gaza.
Hamas has so far said it will never give up its weapons as long as Palestinians are struggling for a state. It refuses any expulsion of its leaders from Gaza.
Al-Qassam Brigades called on the Israeli military to pull troops back from the Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa districts southeast of Gaza City’s centre, and suspend flights over the area for 24 hours from 1500 GMT so it could reach the two trapped hostages.
The Israeli military did not directly comment on the request but made clear it had no plans to halt its advances, issuing a statement ordering all residents of parts of Gaza City including the Sabra district to leave. It said it was about to attack Hamas targets and raze buildings in the area.
Gaza residents and medics said Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Sabra, Tel Al-Hawa and nearby Sheikh Radwan and Al-Naser neighbourhoods, closing in on the heart of the city and western areas where hundreds of thousands of people are sheltering.
Rescuers Unable To Reach Trapped Residents
The Gaza health ministry said in a statement that at least 77 people had been killed by Israeli fire in the past 24 hours.
Local health authorities said they had been unable to respond to dozens of desperate calls from trapped residents.
Gaza’s Civil Emergency Service said late on Saturday that Israel had denied 73 requests, sent via international organisations, to let it rescue injured Palestinians in Gaza City. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
The families of the two hostages identified by Hamas have requested that their names not be published by the media.
The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli territory in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Forty-eight hostages are still in Gaza, 20 of whom Netanyahu says are still alive.
Israel’s assault has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to medical authorities in the territory. Most homes have been damaged or destroyed and 2.3 million residents are living under a severe humanitarian crisis.
The Israeli military says Hamas, which ruled Gaza for nearly two decades, no longer has governing capacity and that its military force has been reduced to a guerrilla movement.
The military launched its long-threatened ground offensive on Gaza City on September 16 after weeks of intensifying strikes on the urban centre.
Over the past 24 hours, the air force had struck 140 military targets across Gaza, including militants and what it described as military infrastructure, the military said.
The World Food Programme estimates that between 350,000 and 400,000 Palestinians have fled Gaza City since last month, although hundreds of thousands remain.
The Israeli military estimates that around a million Palestinians were in Gaza City in August.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Seychelles: Runoff To Decide Presidency After First Round Stalemate
The electoral commission said on Sunday that Seychelles’ presidential election will advance to a runoff after no candidate secured an outright victory in the first round, setting up a contest between opposition leader Patrick Herminie and incumbent President Wavel Ramkalawan.
Ramkalawan had been looking to block a comeback by the party that previously dominated politics for four decades in Africa‘s wealthiest country per capita.
The western Indian Ocean archipelago is a magnet for investment and security cooperation with China, Gulf nations and India.
Ramkalawan, a former Anglican priest, says he is seeking a second five-year term to build social protections and infrastructure while defending the country’s neutrality to draw investment.
His main rival, Herminie, has said the population of 120,000 is suffering from soaring living costs, declining standards in schools, corruption, and drug abuse, problems he has promised to tackle.
Herminie, head of the United Seychelles (US) party, secured 48.8% of the vote, while Ramkalawan, of the Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS), followed closely with 46.4%, the electoral commission said.
No One Could Surpass 50% Threshold
Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold required for an outright victory in the first round of the presidential election.
The US party also made significant gains in the National Assembly, winning 15 constituency seats and an additional four seats through proportional representation, giving it a clear parliamentary majority.
LDS won 11 constituency seats and four proportional seats, leaving the ruling party behind its main rival in the legislative chamber.
In the presidential race, the two front-runners will now face off in a decisive second round scheduled to be held from October 9 to 11.
The winner will be handed a five-year mandate.
Nearly 82% of registered voters participated in the first round, which was held from Thursday to Saturday, the electoral commission said.
Long one of Africa’s top economic performers thanks to tourism earnings and governance reforms, Seychelles has bounced back strongly from the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year it was removed from the EU’s tax blacklist.
(With inputs from Reuters)