Lebanon ceasefire begins, violations test fragile truce
The truce, brokered by the United States, is intended to halt cross-border fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Scenes of...
Geostrategy
Millions join ‘No Kings’ protests across US
More than 3,000 rallies were held across all 50 states, with participation estimates ranging from several million to as many...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israeli air strike wounds Hizbollah official in Lebanon
Hizbollah and Israeli army have traded near-daily fire since war broke out on October 7 between Israel and the Palestinian...
- Hizbollah also said four of its fighters were killed in an Israeli strike
- Cross-border fire since the start of the Israel-Hamas war has killed at least 238 people in Lebanon
Geostrategy
UN ‘won’t be party’ to forced displacement in Gaza: spokesman
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his military to prepare for an offensive in the southern Gaza city, where...
- Israeli prime minister pledged to provide "safe passage" for civilians out of Rafah
- Guterres' spokesman said that people can't go back to areas littered with unexploded ordnance
Geostrategy
Jordan’s king urges Gaza ceasefire in talks with Biden
Speaking at the White House while US President Joe Biden stood next to him, King Abdullah of Jordan said that...
- The US has refused to call for a full ceasefire, angering allies in the Middle East
- It was Abdullah's first face-to-face meeting with Biden since the October 7 attack
Geostrategy
West Bank crisis deepens with Israeli employment ban
As the West Bank grapples with its worst economic crisis in two decades, sparked by Israel's ban on Palestinian day...
- As the West Bank grapples with its worst economic crisis in two decades, sparked by Israel's ban on Palestinian day laborers, poverty and despair escalate.
- The move, a response to security concerns after Hamas attacks, leaves approximately 120,000 Palestinian workers and their families in dire straits.
Geostrategy
Britain sanctions ‘Israeli settlers’ in West Bank
London, UK - Britain on Monday announced sanctions on four "extremist Israeli settlers" accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians...
- The curbs follow what the UK called "unprecedented levels of violence by extremist settlers in the West Bank" over the past year.
- The sanctions represent a rare move by London and Washington against Israelis, as war rages with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Economy
IMF, World Bank say Gaza and Red Sea attacks risk to world economy
World Bank President Ajay Banga said that "what's going on Gaza, but also the challenges of Ukraine... and the Red...
- The Israel-Hamas war raging since October has already hit the Middle East and North Africa region's economy, the IMF chief said.
- She said that if there are other "consequences in terms of where the fighting goes, it could be more problematic for the world as a whole".
Business
Energy transition led Saudi Arabia to halt oil expansion, says official
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Kingdom's surprise decision to halt a planned expansion of its oil production capacity reflects ambitions to...
- Aramco announced on January 30 that the energy ministry had ordered it to maintain production capacity at 12 million barrels per day.
- Officials in the world's biggest crude exporter did not explain the move, leaving analysts to speculate that it reflected lack of confidence
Geostrategy
Red Sea issue puts Yemen peace process on hold
DUBAI, UAE- As Houthi attacks roil the Red Sea and Western air raids target the rebels, moves to end Yemen's long-running...
- The Iran-backed Houthis have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, months after they seized the capital Sanaa.
- Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the fighting and from indirect causes such as disease and malnutrition.
Geostrategy
UAE defends Israel ties, calls for two-state solution
Despite maintaining its ties with Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, the UAE has been at pains to...
- The United Arab Emirates and Israel established diplomatic ties in 2020 as part of the US-brokered Abraham Accords
- UAE's ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh said her country has a field hospital in Gaza because of cooperation with Israel.
Geostrategy
Relative of freed Israeli hostages appeals for Gaza deal
Talks have been underway for weeks to secure a second truce in the four-month war, which would see more hostages...
- A special forces raid in Gaza's southern city of Rafah saw Louis Har, 70, and Fernando Simon Marman, 60, freed
- The Hostages and Missing Families Forum stepped up pressure on Israeli authorities to bring home the remaining captives
Lebanon ceasefire begins, violations test fragile truce
The truce, brokered by the United States, is intended to halt cross-border fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Scenes of...
Geostrategy
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Hezbollah vows to fight disarmament as Lebanon PM slams civil war ‘threats’
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed Friday to fight government plans to disarm his group, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam...
Geostrategy
World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground....
Geostrategy
‘Like hell’: Indoor heat overwhelms Saudi Arabia’s cooks, bakers
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Baker Eid Ahmed just can't get away from Saudi Arabia's notorious heat: he makes bread next...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief thanks Iran for ongoing support to face Israel
Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting...
- Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel
- Larijani's visit came after the Lebanese government tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year
Geostrategy
Israeli far-right minister backs contentious West Bank settlement plan
Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West...
- Israel has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition
- Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two state solution
Geostrategy
Expectations high as Trump, Putin set to meet at Alaska: What each side wants
In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk,...
- For Putin, who has faced years of isolation from the West since the invasion, the summit is an opportunity to press Russia's hardline demands for ending the conflict
- In addition to territory, Russia wants Ukraine to ensure the "rights and freedoms" of the Russian-speaking population and to prohibit what it calls the "glorification of Nazism".