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France Denounces Iran's Seizure of Two Greek Tankers

The seized oil tanker Pegas is seen anchored off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Vassilis Triandafyllou/File Photo
The seized oil tanker Pegas is seen anchored off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Vassilis Triandafyllou/File Photo
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France Denounces Iran's Seizure of Two Greek Tankers

The seized oil tanker Pegas is seen anchored off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Vassilis Triandafyllou/File Photo
The seized oil tanker Pegas is seen anchored off the shore of Karystos, on the Island of Evia, Greece, April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Vassilis Triandafyllou/File Photo

Iran's seizure of two Greek-flagged oil tankers in Gulf waters is "a serious violation of international law", France's foreign ministry said Sunday, calling for the immediate release of the ships and their crews.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized the Greek tankers in the Gulf Friday, days after Athens confirmed it would deliver to Washington Iranian oil it had seized from a Russian tanker.

"We call on Iran to immediately release the crews and vessels," AFP quoted a French foreign ministry spokesperson as saying in a statement.

"France reiterates its commitment to the rules of international law protecting the freedom of navigation and maritime safety. We call on Iran to immediately cease its actions that contravene these rules," the statement concluded.

Iran said Saturday the crews of two Greek oil tankers were in "good health" and not under arrest.

But Greece has condemned Tehran's detention of the two ships as "tantamount to acts of piracy" and warned its citizens not to travel to Iran.

The Revolutionary Guards -- the ideological arm of Iran's military -- had said it seized the tankers "due to violations", without elaborating further.

Greece said one of the tankers had been sailing in international waters, while the second was near the Iranian coast when it was seized.

Nine Greeks are among the crews, the Greek foreign ministry said, without specifying the number of other sailors on board.

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Arab World

Israeli Tanks Push Back into Northern Gaza, Warplanes Hit Rafah, Say Residents

A man mourns over the bodies of relatives who were killed the previous night during Israeli bombardment, at Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 16, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A man mourns over the bodies of relatives who were killed the previous night during Israeli bombardment, at Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 16, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Israeli Tanks Push Back into Northern Gaza, Warplanes Hit Rafah, Say Residents

A man mourns over the bodies of relatives who were killed the previous night during Israeli bombardment, at Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 16, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A man mourns over the bodies of relatives who were killed the previous night during Israeli bombardment, at Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on April 16, 2024 amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Israeli tanks pushed back into parts of the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday which they had left weeks ago, while warplanes conducted air strikes on Rafah, the Palestinians' last refuge in the south of the territory, killing and wounding several people, medics and residents said.

Residents reported an internet outage in the areas of Beit Hanoun and Jabalia in northern Gaza. Tanks advanced into Beit Hanoun and surrounded some schools where displaced families have taken refuge, said the residents and media outlets of the armed Palestinian group Hamas.

"Occupation soldiers ordered all families inside the schools and the nearby houses where the tanks had advanced to evacuate. The soldiers detained many men," one resident of northern Gaza told Reuters via a chat app.

Beit Hanoun, home to 60,000 people, was one of the first areas targeted by Israel's ground offensive in Gaza last October. Heavy bombardment turned most of Beit Hanoun, once known as "the basket of fruit" because of its orchards, into a ghost town comprising piles of rubble.

Many families who had returned to Beit Hanoun and Jabalia in recent weeks after Israeli forces withdrew, began moving out again on Tuesday because of the new raid, some residents said.

Palestinian health officials said an Israeli strike had killed four people and wounded several others in Rafah, where over half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are sheltering and bracing for a planned Israeli ground offensive into the city, which borders Egypt.

Later on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials and Hamas media said an Israeli air strike had killed 11 Palestinians, including children, in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"My brothers were sitting by the door, my brother was injured, and his cousin too, and I lost my son, I do not have a house, nor a husband, nor anything anymore," said Wafaa Issa al-Nouri, whose son Mohammad and husband were killed in the strike.

"He was playing by the door, we didn't do anything, I swear we didn't do anything," she said.

Gunmen targeted

After six months of fighting, there is still no sign of any breakthrough in US-backed talks led by Qatar and Egypt to clinch a ceasefire deal in Gaza, as Israel and Hamas stick to their mutually irreconcilable conditions.

The Israeli military said its forces continued to operate in the central Gaza Strip and that they had killed several gunmen who attempted to attack them.

"Furthermore, over the past day, IDF fighter jets and aircraft destroyed a missile launcher along with dozens of terrorist infrastructure, terror tunnels, and military compounds where armed Hamas terrorists were located," it added.

In Al-Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, residents said Israeli planes had bombed and destroyed four multi-storey residential buildings on Tuesday.

Israel is still imposing "unlawful" restrictions on humanitarian relief for Gaza, the UN human rights office said on Tuesday, despite assertions from Israel and others that barriers have eased.

The amount of aid now entering Gaza is disputed, with Israel and Washington saying aid flows have risen in recent days but UN agencies say it is still far below bare minimum levels.

Israel is under international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, especially northern areas where famine is expected by May, according to the United Nations.

Israel's military said it had facilitated the entry of 126 trucks into northern Gaza late on Monday from the south.

It also said it was working in collaboration with the World Food Program (WFP) to facilitate the opening of two more bakeries in northern Gaza after the first began operations on Monday with WFP help.

The Palestinian health ministry said more than 33,000 Palestinians have so far been killed by Israeli fire since Oct. 7, including 46 in the past 24 hours.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after fighters of the Hamas group that has been running the territory attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages according to Israeli tallies.

Arab World

Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Kill 3 Including Hezbollah Commander, Sources Say

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes in Lebanon Kill 3 Including Hezbollah Commander, Sources Say

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Zoun, on April 15, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed three people including a Hezbollah field commander, Lebanese security sources said, an uptick in violence after at least a week of relative calm in more than half a year of hostilities.

The Israeli military said Ismail Baz, killed in a strike on a car near the southern town of Ain Ebel, was the commander of Hezbollah's coastal sector and was involved in planning rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on Israel.

Hezbollah issued a statement mourning Baz's death but did not elaborate on his role in the organization.

Separate Israeli strikes on two vehicles near the southern town of Chehabiyeh killed at least two Hezbollah members, a security source and a civil defense official said.

Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire in parallel to the Gaza war in the most serious hostilities since they fought a major war in 2006.

The fighting has claimed the lives of at least 370 Lebanese, including more than 240 Hezbollah fighters and 68 civilians, according to a Reuters toll and has fueled concern about the potential for further escalation between regional enemies.

Eighteen Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed.

Those concerns have mounted following Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel with hundreds of explosive drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles launched on Saturday night to which Israeli officials have vowed to respond.

Iran called the barrage retaliation for an Israeli strike that flattened a building in its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 and killed two of its generals and several other officers.

World

Ukrainian President Signs Controversial Law to Boost Conscription to Fend Off Russia’s Aggression

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media during the doorstep of the Three Seas (3SI) Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, 11 April 2024. (EPA)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media during the doorstep of the Three Seas (3SI) Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, 11 April 2024. (EPA)
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Ukrainian President Signs Controversial Law to Boost Conscription to Fend Off Russia’s Aggression

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media during the doorstep of the Three Seas (3SI) Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, 11 April 2024. (EPA)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the media during the doorstep of the Three Seas (3SI) Summit at the Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, Lithuania, 11 April 2024. (EPA)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a controversial law Tuesday, days after it was passed by parliament, potentially helping Kyiv to boost conscription to replenish depleted forces to fend off Russia's continued aggression.

The mobilization law, published on Ukraine’s Parliamentary website, is expected to take effect in a month and make it easier to identify every draft-eligible man in the country. Many have dodged conscription by avoiding contact with authorities.

The law also provides soldiers with incentives, such as cash bonuses or money toward buying a house or car, which according to analysts Ukraine can’t afford.

Ukraine has been struggling to fend off the Russian advance.

Since the full-scale invasion began in Feb.2022, Russia has captured nearly a quarter of Ukraine, which is outnumbered, outgunned and in desperate need of more troops and ammunition, as doubt increases about Western military aid.

The signed law was watered down from its original draft. It didn't include a provision that would rotate out troops who had served 36 months of combat. Authorities said a separate bill on demobilization and rotation would be prepared in the coming months. But the delay caused public outrage among Ukrainians whose relatives have been fighting without breaks for two years.

Exhausted soldiers have no means of taking a break from front-line work because of the current scale and intensity of the war.

Ukraine already suffers from a lack of trained soldiers capable of fighting, and demobilizing soldiers on the front lines now would deprive its forces of the most capable fighters.

In December, Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s military wanted to mobilize up to 500,000 more troops. Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has since conducted an audit of the military and said soldiers could be rotated from the rear to the front line. The number was revised but has not been disclosed.

Technology

AMD Introduces AI Chips for Business Laptops and Desktops

A smartphone with a displayed AMD logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. (Reuters)
A smartphone with a displayed AMD logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. (Reuters)
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AMD Introduces AI Chips for Business Laptops and Desktops

A smartphone with a displayed AMD logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. (Reuters)
A smartphone with a displayed AMD logo is placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken March 6, 2023. (Reuters)

Advanced Micro Devices unveiled a new series of semiconductors for artificial intelligence-enabled business laptops and desktops on Tuesday as the chip designer looks to expand its share of the lucrative "AI PC" market.

These chips are expected to be available in platforms from HP and Lenovo starting in the second quarter of 2024, AMD said in a press release.

AI-enabled PCs are capable of running large-language models and apps powered by the technology directly on the device, instead of the cloud.

AMD said its latest Ryzen PRO 8040 Series was built for "business laptops and mobile workstations" while its AMD Ryzen PRO 8000 Series was a desktop processor for business users.

Its shares were up more than 2% in early trading.

Experts have pinned a possible recovery in the PC market on the introduction of AI PCs, as consumers look to upgrade their systems with the new capabilities.

The advent of generative AI technology has led to towering demand for advanced semiconductors that can be used to develop and run complex AI programs.

In the market for AI PCs, AMD faces intense competition from Intel and AI chip front-runner Nvidia, hailed as a leader for graphics processing units (GPUs).

AMD introduced the Ryzen 8000G Series of desktop chips in January, targeted towards the heavy workloads that come along with AI-based tasks.

On the same day, Nvidia unveiled its own AI PC chips - the "GeForce RTX SUPER" desktop GPUs - saying Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung will release AI laptops featuring its technology.

Intel also said in January it expects to "ship approximately 40 million AI PCs in 2024 alone".

Business

Yellen Says Iran’s Actions Could Cause Global ‘Economic Spillovers’, Warns of More Sanctions

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference amid the IMF-World Bank Group spring meetings, at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC on April 16, 2024. (AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference amid the IMF-World Bank Group spring meetings, at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC on April 16, 2024. (AFP)
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Yellen Says Iran’s Actions Could Cause Global ‘Economic Spillovers’, Warns of More Sanctions

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference amid the IMF-World Bank Group spring meetings, at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC on April 16, 2024. (AFP)
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a press conference amid the IMF-World Bank Group spring meetings, at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC on April 16, 2024. (AFP)

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned Tuesday of potential global economic damage from rising tensions in the Middle East and pledged that the US and its allies won't hesitate to use their sanctions powers to address Iran's "malign and destabilizing activity" in the region.

She made her remarks ahead of this week's spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, saying Iran's weekend missile attack on Israel "underscores the importance of Treasury’s work to use our economic tools to counter Iran’s malign activity."

She added: "From this weekend’s attack to the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Iran’s actions threaten the region’s stability and could cause economic spillovers."

Iran's missile attack on Israel early Sunday came in response to what it says was an Israeli strike on Iran's consulate in Syria earlier this month. Israel’s military chief said Monday that his country will respond to the attack, while world leaders caution against retaliation, trying to avoid a spiral of violence.

As the IMF and its fellow lending agency, the World Bank, hold their spring meetings this week, high on the agenda are the fast-rising tensions between Iran and Israel and what escalation could spell for the global economy.

Israel and Iran have been on a collision course throughout Israel’s six-month war against Hamas in Gaza. The war erupted after two armed groups backed by Iran led an attack on Oct. 7 that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. An Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed over 33,000 people, according to local health officials.

"We’ve targeted over 500 individuals and entities connected to terrorism and terrorist financing by the Iranian regime and its proxies since the start of the Administration," Yellen said, citing sanctions against Iran’s drone and missile programs, Hamas, the Houthi militias, Hezbollah, and other Iraqi militia groups.

"Treasury will not hesitate to work with our allies to use our sanctions authority to continue disrupting the Iranian regime’s malign and destabilizing activity," she said. "I fully expect we will take additional sanctions actions against Iran in the coming days."

The annual gathering will take place as other ongoing conflicts, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine, threaten global financial stability.

Yellen in February offered her strongest public support yet for the idea of liquidating roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets and using them for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction.

She said Tuesday that the US is "continuing to work with our international partners to unlock the economic value of immobilized Russian sovereign assets and ensure that Russia pays for the damage it has caused."

Yellen added that she will meet with Group of Seven finance leaders Wednesday to continue discussions on the topic and will look at "a series of possibilities, ranging from actually seizing the assets to using them as collateral."

Another major issue for this year's meetings on the US side, Yellen said, will be ongoing conversations about Chinese industrial policy that poses a threat to US jobs and the global economy. She traveled to Guangzhou and Beijing earlier this month, to hold "difficult conversations" with counterparts over what she describes as China's overcapacity in its wave of low-priced Chinese green tech exports that could overwhelm factories in the US and make it impossible to compete.

Yellen said she plans to meet later this week with her Chinese counterparts for a fourth meeting of the US-China Economic and Financial Working Groups, "to share information, identify potential areas of cooperation, and, when we disagree, frankly communicate concerns."

US Treasury and China’s Ministry of Finance launched the economic working groups in an effort to ease tensions and deepen ties between the nations.

Varieties

EU Pledges 3.5 Bln Euros to Protect the Ocean

In this Monday, May 25, 2020 photo, medical staff in a dinghy leaves from the Aegean Sea island of Milos to Sikinos island, Greece. (AP)
In this Monday, May 25, 2020 photo, medical staff in a dinghy leaves from the Aegean Sea island of Milos to Sikinos island, Greece. (AP)
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EU Pledges 3.5 Bln Euros to Protect the Ocean

In this Monday, May 25, 2020 photo, medical staff in a dinghy leaves from the Aegean Sea island of Milos to Sikinos island, Greece. (AP)
In this Monday, May 25, 2020 photo, medical staff in a dinghy leaves from the Aegean Sea island of Milos to Sikinos island, Greece. (AP)

The European Union will spend 3.5 billion euros ($3.71 billion) to protect the ocean and promote sustainability through a series of initiatives this year, the EU's top environment official said on Tuesday.

The EU's 40 commitments, announced during the annual "Our Ocean" conference held in Athens this week, range from fighting marine pollution to supporting sustainable fisheries and investments in the so-called blue economy - sustainable use of marine and freshwater resources for economic activity.

"The ocean is part of who we are, and it is our shared responsibility," said EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevicius.

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said last month that ocean temperatures hit a record high in February, according to data that goes back to 1979. Overfishing and plastic pollution are also major threats to oceans.

The biggest part of the EU funds will be used to support 14 investments and one reform in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Spain. Other EU initiatives are directed to helping African countries develop their blue economy.

In total, more than 400 new commitments amounting to $10 billion will be announced during the conference, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.

Greece will spend 780 million euros on 21 commitments which include a ban on bottom trawling in all of the country's marine protected areas, he added.

The country also pledged to create two more marine parks, one in the Aegean Sea for the protection of seabirds and one in the Ionian Sea for the protection of sea mammals, which will cover more than 4,000 square kilometers of areas protected under the EU's Natura 2000 network of sites.

"Mitigation and adaptation are not enough. We must also focus on protection and restoration to insulate land and seas from harmful human activity and to give space to nature to heal," said Mitsotakis.

The marine park in the Aegean Sea has irritated neighboring Türkiye, which said last week that it was not willing to accept a possible "fait accompli on geographical features whose status is disputed". In response, Greece accused Türkiye of "politicizing a purely environmental issue".

Environmental groups have also urged Greece to halt its gas exploration plans in the Ionian Sea.

The "Our Ocean" conference has mobilized more than 2,160 commitments worth approximately $130 billion since its launch in 2014.

World

Israeli War Cabinet to Hold Third Meeting on Response to Iran’s Attack

This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli army vehicles driving along the border with the Palestinian territory on April 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli army vehicles driving along the border with the Palestinian territory on April 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Israeli War Cabinet to Hold Third Meeting on Response to Iran’s Attack

This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli army vehicles driving along the border with the Palestinian territory on April 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
This picture taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli army vehicles driving along the border with the Palestinian territory on April 16, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

Israel's war cabinet was set to meet for the third time in three days on Tuesday, an official said, to decide on a response to Iran's first-ever direct attack, amid international pressure to avoid further escalating Middle East conflicts.

Military chief of staff Herzi Halevi had promised that Saturday night's launch of more than 300 missiles, cruise missiles and drones from Iran at Israeli territory "will be met with a response," but gave no details.

While the attack caused no deaths and little damage, thanks to the air defenses and countermeasures of Israel and its allies, it has increased fears that violence rooted in the Gaza war is spreading, with the risk of open war between long-time foes Iran and Israel.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for an airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1 attributed to Israel, but signaled that it did not seek further escalation.

President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekend that the United States, Israel's main protector, would not participate in an Israeli counter-strike.

Together with European allies, Washington instead strove on Tuesday to toughen economic and political sanctions against Iran in an attempt to dissuade Israel from violent retaliation.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he was "leading a diplomatic attack," writing to 32 countries to ask them to place sanctions on Iran's missile program and follow Washington in proscribing its dominant military force, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a terrorist group.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the US would use sanctions, and work with allies, to keep disrupting Iran's "malign and destabilizing activity".

She told a news conference in Washington that all options to disrupt Iran's "terrorist financing" were on the table, and that she expected further sanctions against Iran to be announced in coming days.

European Union foreign ministers scheduled a video meeting on the Middle East for Tuesday.

Last autumn, Germany campaigned with France and other EU partners to extend the bloc's existing sanctions regime against Iran that targets drone production.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday that several EU members had now promised to look again at extending those sanctions, announcing that she would head to Israel within hours to discuss how to prevent an escalation.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday the Group of Seven major democracies was working on a package of measures against Iran; Italy, which has the G7 presidency, suggested any new sanctions would target individuals.

IRAN PROMISES RESPONSE 'IN SECONDS, NOT DAYS'

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani had told state TV on Monday night that Tehran's response to any Israeli counterattack would come in "a matter of seconds, as Iran will not wait for another 12 days to respond".

The prospect of Israeli retaliation has alarmed many Iranians already enduring economic pain and tighter social and political controls since major protests in 2022-23.

Since the war in Gaza began in October, clashes have erupted between Israel and Iran-aligned groups based in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Israel said four of its soldiers were wounded hundreds of meters inside Lebanese territory overnight, the first known Israeli ground penetration into Lebanon since the Gaza war erupted, although it has regularly traded fire with the heavily armed Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby declined on Monday to say whether Biden had urged Netanyahu in talks on Saturday night to exercise restraint in responding to Iran.

"We don't want to see a war with Iran. We don't want to see a regional conflict," Kirby told a briefing, adding that it was for Israel to decide "whether and how they'll respond".

Some analysts said the Biden administration is unlikely to seek to sharpen sanctions on Iran's oil exports due to worries about a big spike in oil prices and angering top buyer China.

In a call between the Chinese and Iranian foreign ministers, China said it believed Iran could "handle the situation well and spare the region further turmoil" while safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity, according to Chinese state media.

Iran's weekend attack caused modest damage in Israel and wounded a 7-year-old girl. Most missiles and drones were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome defense system and with help from the US, Britain, France and Jordan.

In Gaza itself, where more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive according to Gaza health ministry figures, Iran's action drew applause.

Israel began its campaign against Hamas, the Iranian-backed Palestinian group that runs Gaza, after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, by Israeli tallies.

Iran's attack prompted at least a dozen airlines to cancel or reroute flights, with Europe's aviation regulator still advising caution in using Israeli and Iranian airspace.

Arab World

Putin Tells the Middle East to Pull Back from a Catastrophic Clash

07 December 2023, Russia, Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) ahead of their meeting at Kremlin. Kremlin/dpa
07 December 2023, Russia, Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) ahead of their meeting at Kremlin. Kremlin/dpa
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Putin Tells the Middle East to Pull Back from a Catastrophic Clash

07 December 2023, Russia, Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) ahead of their meeting at Kremlin. Kremlin/dpa
07 December 2023, Russia, Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands meets Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (R) ahead of their meeting at Kremlin. Kremlin/dpa

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged all sides in the Middle East to refrain from action that would trigger a new confrontation which he warned would be fraught with catastrophic consequences for the region, the Kremlin said.

Putin, who has forged much closer ties with Tehran since sending troops into Ukraine in 2022, spoke to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi by phone about what the Kremlin called "retaliatory measures taken by Iran."

Iran launched drones and missiles at Israel late on Saturday in retaliation for an Israeli strike on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that killed seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two senior commanders.

Putin, in his first publicly aired comments on Iran's attack, said the root cause of the current instability in the Middle East was the unresolved conflict between Palestinians and Israel.

"Vladimir Putin expressed hope that all sides would show reasonable restraint and prevent a new round of confrontation fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region," the Kremlin said.

"Ebrahim Raisi noted that Iran's actions were forced and limited in nature," the Kremlin said. "At the same time, he stressed Tehran's disinterest in further escalation of tensions."

Tehran gave a slightly different readout of the call, with state media quoting Raisi as declaring that Iran would respond more severely, extensively, and painfully than ever to any action against Iran's interests.

Iranian state media quoted Putin as characterizing Tehran's response to Israel as the best way to punish the aggressor and a manifestation of the wisdom of Iran's leaders.

Russia has repeatedly scolded the West for ignoring the need for an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

"Both sides stated that the root cause of the current events in the Middle East is the unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict," the Kremlin said of the call with Raisi.

"In this regard, the principled approaches of Russia and Iran in favor of an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, easing the difficult humanitarian situation, and creating conditions for a political and diplomatic settlement of the crisis were confirmed."

Putin, who in 2022 visited Khamenei, congratulated Raisi and all Muslims on the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Top US generals say the growing partnerships between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea pose one of the most dangerous challenges to the United States in the past four decades.

Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and drones that Moscow has used in Ukraine.

Fashion

Dr. Martens Dour US Revenue Outlook for the Year Sends Stock of Iconic Bootmaker Plunging

A Dr. Martens boot inspired by Elton John's famous Pinball Wizard outfit is shown at a promotional event in London, March 20, 2023. (AP)
A Dr. Martens boot inspired by Elton John's famous Pinball Wizard outfit is shown at a promotional event in London, March 20, 2023. (AP)
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Dr. Martens Dour US Revenue Outlook for the Year Sends Stock of Iconic Bootmaker Plunging

A Dr. Martens boot inspired by Elton John's famous Pinball Wizard outfit is shown at a promotional event in London, March 20, 2023. (AP)
A Dr. Martens boot inspired by Elton John's famous Pinball Wizard outfit is shown at a promotional event in London, March 20, 2023. (AP)

Chunky bootmaker Dr. Martens is warning of a tough year ahead.

Dr. Martens shares plunged more than 30% Tuesday after the iconic British brand forecast wholesale revenue in the US, its largest market, would decline by double-digits compared with last year.

Trading in Dr. Martens stock was temporarily halted on the London Stock Exchange early Tuesday as it sank to a record-low 0.64 pounds, according to FactSet.

That could translate into a sizeable hit to profits, with the company pointing to a base projected impact of 20 million pounds ($24.9 million) on pretax earnings year-over-year. In-season orders from wholesale customers could help ease US revenue expectations, the company noted, but those are difficult to predict.

Beyond weakening revenue, Dr. Martens anticipates other hefty expenses related to the company's employee retention plans as well as single-digit inflation in its cost base. Unlike years past, the brand does not plan to increase prices to offset those costs.

Dr. Martens also announced a leadership shakeup on Tuesday. After six years at the helm of the company, CEO Kenny Wilson will step down. Ije Nwokorie, Dr. Martens’ chief brand officer, will take his place before the end of the current fiscal year.

In a prepared statement regarding 2025's financial outlook, Wilson acknowledged the challenges ahead, saying that Dr. Martens is focused on its plans to "reignite boots demand, particularly in the USA.”

Still, Wilson said that the brand “remains strong.” Dr. Martens said it saw a pick-up in direct to consumer growth during the fourth quarter.

Shares for Dr. Marten are down more than 56% over the last 12 months, per FactSet.

Fashion

LVMH's First Quarter Sales Growth Slips to 3% on Luxury Slowdown

A logo of Louis Vuitton is displayed on a Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, March 30, 2024. (Reuters)
A logo of Louis Vuitton is displayed on a Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, March 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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LVMH's First Quarter Sales Growth Slips to 3% on Luxury Slowdown

A logo of Louis Vuitton is displayed on a Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, March 30, 2024. (Reuters)
A logo of Louis Vuitton is displayed on a Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, March 30, 2024. (Reuters)

LVMH reported a 3% rise in first quarter sales on Tuesday, marking a slowdown as rising prices prompted more shoppers who aspire to own its handbags and other luxury goods to hold back on splashing out thousands of dollars.

The slower quarterly sales growth reflected comparisons with the same period in 2023, when sales were boosted by the lifting of COVID-19 curbs in LVMH's key market of mainland China and comes amid worries about a prolonged global slowdown which has knocked luxury companies' shares over the past year.

The world's largest luxury group, owner of Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, said sales for the quarter ending in March were up 3% year-on-year on an organic basis to 20.69 billion euros ($22 billion), matching analyst expectations.

LVMH, which is Europe's second-largest listed company and worth nearly 400 billion euros, is the first luxury goods maker to report quarterly earnings, setting the tone as worries grow about demand in China, the world's No. 2 economy.

Gucci-owner Kering last month issued a surprise warning that first quarter sales would slump 10%, with sharp declines in Asia, casting uncertainty for the sector's outlook.

Sales at LVMH's fashion and leather goods division, which includes Louis Vuitton and Dior, climbed 2%, also matching expectations.

Sales in the division, which sells small Lady Dior handbags priced at 5,400 euros and roomy Louis Vuitton Speedy bags for 10,000 euros, had risen by 9% year-on-year the previous quarter.

Chief Financial Officer Jean-Jacques Guiony told journalists that LVMH was "quite happy" with demand from Chinese shoppers.

He said purchases of Louis Vuitton products by Chinese buyers globally grew by around 10%, with an increasing proportion taking place outside mainland China as they resume travelling, particularly in Japan and to some extent in Europe.

LVMH, a conglomerate spanning spirits, jewellery, cosmetics and fashion which is regarded as a bellwether for the wider luxury goods industry, does not give a breakdown for its brands.