Author: WTX News

Ageing design, rising competition and controversy around Elon Musk seen driving reversal of Tesla sales.Tesla’s European sales dropped 49 percent year on year in January and February, despite rising registrations of electric vehicles (EVs). New Tesla registrations in the European Union fell to 19,046 in the first two months of the year from at least 37,000 in the same period of 2024, according to a report published by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) on Tuesday. The lobby group noted that the United States-based EV manufacturer is struggling to keep pace with competitors while the political controversy around owner Elon…

Journalists at the Voice of America’s (VOA) Kurdish service face uncertainty after the Trump administration froze funding to the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). [Getty]Journalists at the Voice of America’s (VOA) Kurdish service face uncertainty after the Trump administration froze funding to the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), leaving the broadcaster and its staff in limbo. The decision has sparked widespread criticism internationally and locally, seen as an attack on independent journalism, particularly in regions with limited press freedoms. Established in 1992 after the first Gulf War, VOA Kurdish provides news and cultural programmes to millions of Kurds…

Sudan has been locked in a civil war since April 2023 when fighting broke out between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [Getty]Three civilians including two children were killed Sunday in an artillery attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Omdurman, part of the Sudanese capital, a medical source told AFP. Eyewitnesses in the area reported seven rounds of shelling rocking residential neighbourhoods controlled by the army, which in recent days regained most of central Khartoum’s government district from the RSF. “Two children and a woman were killed and eight others injured in the shelling,” said the medical…

World number three Carlos Alcaraz said “he was not feeling great” as he suffered a shock early exit from the Miami Open with Belgian veteran David Goffin fighting back for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 win. The 34-year-old Goffin beat Alcaraz three years ago in Astana in their last meeting, and, sensing the Spaniard was far from his best in the opening set of their encounter at Hard Rock Stadium on Friday, he went on the attack. The 55th-ranked Goffin, whose world ranking reached No.7 in 2017, struck some glorious winners while Alcaraz was struggling with unforced errors. The slightly built…

Tunisian pro-Palestine activists have long been calling for a ban on companies with ties to Israel operating in Tunisia. [Getty]In Tunisia, pro-Palestine protesters were physically attacked by alleged workers at the global shipping giant Maersk, which has been accused of facilitating Israel’s war on Gaza. On 18 March, members of the Coordination for Joint Action for Palestine marched to Maersk’s offices in the capital, Tunis, as part of a global wave of protests against the Danish company which its US subsidiary Maersk Line, Limited has been accused of shipping arms to the Israeli army amid its genocide on Gaza. Chanting…

Demonstrators hold signs as they protest the deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Rasha Alawieh of Brown University at the State House in Providence, Rhode Island, on 17 March 2025. [Getty]US President Donald Trump has repeatedly been bringing up the Alien Enemies Act. For many US citizens, it is their first time, since before Trump ran for public office, hearing about a law from 1798. However, it has now become part of the regular lexicon of daily news broadcasts in the coverage of Trump’s mass deportation efforts. It is part of the Alien and Sedition Acts, a set of…

CHP calls Imamoglu’s detention a ‘coup’ as the mayor vows to challenge diploma invalidation, barring him from the presidency.Turkish police have arrested Istanbul’s mayor as part of what they say are investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on Wednesday morning, with the state-run Anadolu Agency saying prosecutors issued detention warrants for the mayor and roughly 100 other people. Imamoglu posted a video saying, “We are facing great tyranny, but I want you to know that I will not be discouraged.” He accused the government of “usurping the…

Over 300 Palestinians have been killed in fresh Israeli strikes, ending the ceasefire [Getty]A massive Israeli bombardment of Gaza has killed an Israeli captive and wounded at least two others, a senior Hamas leader told The New Arab’s Arabic language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed. At least 326 Palestinians were killed and hundreds of others wounded in overnight Israeli strikes on Gaza as Hamas slams Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of sabotaging a ceasefire deal. The captive, who has not yet been identified, was killed after an Israeli jet targeted the site where they were held in Gaza. The Hamas official explained that…

Yemen’s Houthis announced on Monday that they had struck a US carrier operating in the region as Washington said it would continue conducting airstrikes against the group until it ceases attacks on some international shipping. On Monday the Houthis said they attacked the USS Harry Truman and its accompanying naval vessels with a barrage of missiles and drones following Sunday’s deadly US strikes against the group that killed 53. The US has yet to comment on the claims. The escalation in the Red Sea comes following a Houthi announcement that it would resume a blockade of shipping in the Red…

NASA’s Crew-10 mission marks the long-awaited return of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams after being stuck for nine months on the International Space Station.A SpaceX Dragon capsule transported four astronauts to the International Space Station as part of a NASA crew-swap mission, paving the way for the return of two NASA astronauts stranded for nine months. The Crew-10 astronauts’ SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked to the ISS at 12:04am ET (04:04 GMT) on Sunday about 29 hours after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They were welcomed by the station’s seven-member crew, which includes Butch Wilmore and Suni…

Israeli strikes killed five Palestinians in northern Gaza in what was the latest in a string of ceasefire violations by the Israeli military. Four died in a drone strike in Gaza City while a fifth was killed on the coast by the Israeli navy. Tank and gunfire have also been reported in Rafah in southern Gaza. No casualties have been reported from the south. The latest attacks come amid a continuing standoff between Hamas, and the US and Israel over how to proceed with the ceasefire. The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed to ‘bridge’ the current phase of the ceasefire…

The US and Israel have reached out to officials of three East African governments to discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians forcibly displaced from the Gaza Strip under President Donald Trump’s plan for the devastated territory, American and Israeli officials say. The contacts with Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somalia known as Somaliland reflect the determination by the US and Israel to press ahead with a plan that has been widely condemned and raised serious legal and moral issues. Because all three places are poor, and in some cases wracked by violence, the proposal also…

NewsFeedSecurity forces in Pakistan say they have killed all 33 separatist fighters behind a deadly attack on a train carrying soldiers and civilians. Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder says the security services are facing questions about how it happened.Published On 13 Mar 202513 Mar 2025

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gather at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, on 4 September 2024. [Getty]Chloe Daikh fought tears as she began her speech on the sprawling campus of Georgetown University on a crisp March day. Standing before dozens of students and faculty, she started her speech by saying that she was there, in part, because she’s a US citizen and she thinks it’s important for US citizens to be more vocal in public. She spoke against the growing surveillance on US campuses as part of what she and many others see as a crackdown on immigrants and on education. The gathering…

Crown Prince Mohammed and Zelensky said in their meeting they will boost investment relations between the two countries in sectors including energy, food industries and infrastructure [GETTY]Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed efforts to achieve “sustainable fair, and comprehensive” peace in Ukraine, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday by the Saudi state news agency, SPA. Zelensky and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been visiting the kingdom since Monday, and Ukrainian and US officials are set to meet for crunch talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to find a path towards…

Balanced calmly on top of what was once a refrigerator door, fisherman Khaled Habib uses a makeshift paddle to propel himself through the waters of Gaza City’s fishing port. More than 15 months of Israeli bombardment has destroyed most of the boats in the harbour, wrecking the fishermen’s means of making a living. “We’re in a very difficult situation today, and struggling with the fishing. There are no fishing boats left. They’ve all been destroyed and tossed on the ground,” said Habib. “I made this boat from refrigerator doors and cork, and thankfully it worked.” To continue feeding his family,…

The Trump administration rescinded a waiver on Saturday that had allowed Iraq to pay Iran for electricity, as part of President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran, a State Department spokesperson said. The decision to let Iraq’s waiver lapse upon its expiration “ensures we do not allow Iran any degree of economic or financial relief,” the spokesperson said, adding that Trump’s campaign on Iran aims “to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program and stop it from supporting terrorist groups.” Trump restored “maximum pressure” on Iran in one of his first acts after returning to office in…

Israel’s defence minister has threatened to return to open war with “unseen intensity” [Getty]Israeli forces killed three Palestinians in southern Gaza on Saturday as Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government continues to unwind the fragile ceasefire with Hamas. Two people were killed in a drone strike in Rafah and a third died in Israeli army fire in a neighbourhood east of the city, according to local reports. Israeli tank fire was reported close to the Rafah border crossing. This is the latest in a string of ceasefire violations committed by Israel since the truce came into effect seven weeks ago. On Sunday…

NewsFeedThe armed wing of Hamas has warned renewed Israeli attacks on Gaza will endanger the lives of captives. The US envoy Steve Witkoff has hinted the US could join Israel in direct military action if the captives are not released.Published On 7 Mar 20257 Mar 2025

It’s unclear what aspect of the protests Trump considers “illegal”, as the right to free speech, assembly and protest are protected by the First Amendment. [Getty]Despite threats coming from the White House, a second major pro-Palestinian demonstration in two weeks at Barnard College in New York emerged and resulted in a police crackdown over an alleged bomb threat. On Wednesday, police were called to Barnard to respond to an alleged bomb threat at the college’s Milstein Library, where pro-Palestinian students had been staging a sit-in. That afternoon, dozens of students, wearing keffiyehs, holding signs and beating drums, had entered the library…

The world is increasingly rejecting the impunity long granted to Israel, and America’s benefactors, with the global majority leading the charge for accountability and justice, writes Samar Saeed & Layth Malhis. [GETTY]Following the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuance of arrest warrants for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity,  the reactions by US leaders are emblematic of American exceptionalism. Senator Lindsey Graham said, “the Rome Statute does not apply to Israel, or the United States, or France, or Germany, or Great Britain, because it was not conceived to come after us. We have…

NewsFeedPope Francis’ over two-week battle on pneumonia still persists, amid rosary prayers that were held in the Vatican City. The Vatican stated that the Pope was put back on a noninvasive ventilation after a setback from his recovery.Published On 4 Mar 20254 Mar 2025

The resignation of Mohammad Javad Zarif signalled Tehran’s rapid retreat from its outreach to the West as US President Donald Trump intensifies sanctions on the country [GETTY]A former Iranian foreign minister who was key to the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers reportedly tendered his resignation on Monday from the government of reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, caving in to pressure from hard-liners. The resignation of Mohammad Javad Zarif signalled Tehran’s rapid retreat from its outreach to the West as US President Donald Trump intensifies sanctions on the country. Zarif has served as vice president to Pezeshkian and has long…

Israel has restarted its siege on the Gaza Strip, banning entry of goods and aid into the enclave, after phase one of the ceasefire ended without an agreement to move into the second phase of the deal. Israel instead said it would extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in a US-backed plan that proposed the release of half the remaining Israeli captives for the extension. Hamas rejected the extension, reiterated its demands to move onto the second phase of the ceasefire, which would see a permanent end to the war, and labelled the siege on the enclave “cheap…

On Wednesday, the State Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina handed down a one-year jail sentence to Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik and banned him from holding political office for six years. The court found Dodik guilty of undertaking actions in July 2023 for the purpose of obstructing the implementation of decisions of the high representative in Bosnia, the top international peace envoy in the Balkan country. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) oversees the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Accords, which were signed in 1995 and ended the war in Bosnia. This office has been…