PARIS, 01 February 2023, (TON): The Battle of Stalingrad, which turned the tide of World War II 80 years ago when German forces capitulated to the Red Army, remains a powerful symbol of patriotism in Russia as it presses its war in Ukraine.

One of the largest battles in history, the fighting raged for more than six months in 1942 and 1943 before the Russians defeated Nazi soldiers trapped in the ruined city in the depths of winter.

By the time it was over, on February 2, 1943, between one and two million people had died.

The first-ever surrender by the Nazis was glorified in Russia as the event that rescued Europe from Adolf Hitler.

SANTIAGO, 01 February 2023, (TON): German Chancellor Olaf Scholz s bid this week to rally support for Ukraine in the face of Russia s invasion during his first South American tour fell flat, with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reiterating his view both parties shared blame.

Scholz has sought to project unity on Ukraine during his whistlestop three-day tour, thanking all three countries he has visited – Argentina, Chile and Brazil – for condemning Russia s invasion at the United Nations General Assembly last year.

But the fallout of the war and harsh sanctions on Russia, such as soaring food and energy prices, have hit the region particularly hard, raising questions over the West s approach. Skepticism also abounds about interventionism and sanctions given its own past.

KYIV, 01 February 2023, (TON): Ukraine’s push for fighter jets to help beat back Russia’s invasion force risks straining the unity of Ukraine’s Western allies, amid fears that the move could escalate the nearly year-long conflict and draw them deeper into the war.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov was due in Paris where discussions about the possible delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine was expected to be on the agenda.

Kyiv officials have repeatedly urged allies to send jets, saying they are essential to challenge Russia’s air superiority and to ensure the success of future counteroffensives that could be spearheaded by tanks recently promised by Western countries.

DUBAI, 01 February 2023, (TON): Iran and Russia have connected their interbank communication and transfer systems to help boost trade and financial transactions, a senior Iranian official said, as both Tehran and Moscow are chafing under Western sanctions.

Since the 2018 reimposition of US sanctions on Iran after Washington ditched Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the Islamic Republic has been disconnected from the Belgium-based SWIFT financial messaging service, which is a key international banking access point.

Similar limitations have been slapped on some Russian banks since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year.

“Iranian banks no longer need to use SWIFT with Russian banks, which can be for the opening of Letters of Credit and transfers or warranties,” Deputy Governor of Iran’s Central Bank, Mohsen Karimi, told the semi-official Fars news agency.

CAPE TOWN, 31 January 2023, (TON): Gunmen opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday at the weekend in a township in South Africa, killing eight and wounding three others, police said.

“The owner of the house was celebrating his birthday when two unknown gunmen entered the yard” on Sunday evening in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, “and started shooting at the guests,” police said in a statement.

The unknown gunmen “randomly shot at guests,” police said, adding “eight people died while three others are still fighting for their lives in hospital. The home owner is among the deceased”.

WASHINGTON, 31 January 2023, (TON): Israel appears to have been behind an overnight drone attack on a military factory in Iran, a US official said.

Iran claimed to have intercepted drones that struck a military industry target near the central city of Isfahan, and said there were no casualties or serious damage.

The extent of damage could not be independently ascertained. Iranian state media released footage showing a flash in the sky and emergency vehicles at the scene.

VATICAN CITY, 31 January 2023, (TON): Pope Francis on Sunday condemned a resurgence of violence in the Middle East, calling on both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to engage in a “sincere search for peace.”

“The death spiral that increases day by day only closes the few glimmers of trust that exist between the two peoples,” said the pope following his traditional Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

Francis, 86, cited 10 Palestinians, including a woman, killed in an Israeli army raid on a refugee camp in the West Bank, and an attack Friday by a Palestinian gunman that killed seven Israelis outside a synagogue in East Jerusalem.

The pope said “since the beginning of the year, dozens of Palestinians have been killed in clashes with the Israeli army.”

NEW DELHI, 31 January 2023, (TON): India’s Supreme Court will consider petitions next week against a government order blocking the sharing of clips of a BBC documentary that questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership during riots in 2002 in the western state of Gujarat.

The government has dismissed as a biased “propaganda piece” the film released last week, titled “India: The Modi Question”, and blocked the sharing of any clips from it on social media.

The Supreme Court will take up the petitions next week, Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said in court on Monday.

A New Delhi-based lawyer, M L Sharma, opposed the government’s move in one of the petitions to the Supreme Court.

BAKU, 31 January 2023, (TON): Azerbaijan said on Monday it was suspending work at its embassy in Iran, days after a gunman stormed the mission, killing one guard and wounding two others.

Iran has said the attack on Friday was motivated by personal reasons but Baku labelled it an act of terrorism.

“The operation of Azerbaijan’s embassy in Iran has been temporarily suspended following the evacuation of its staff and their family members from Iran,” Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesman Ayxan Hacizada told media.

In a phone call on Saturday with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he hoped “this violent act of terror would be thoroughly investigated.”

ANKARA, 31 January 2023, (TON): Turkiye’s opposition vowed on Monday to crimp the president’s powers and broadly expand democratic rights if they seize power in May 14 presidential and parliamentary polls.

The six parties that are united against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also pledged to agree to a joint candidate for the crucial vote widely seen as Turkiye’s most consequential in generations.

The opposition’s long-awaited election program aims to roll back many of the powers Erdogan has amassed over his two-decade rule.