The armed groups clashing with Hamas in Gaza
Shortly after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, clashes erupted between armed groups, some backed by Israel and others loyal...
Geostrategy
Trump heads to Asia and high-stakes meeting with Xi
US President Donald Trump embarks on a major trip to Asia this week with all eyes on a meeting with...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Russia ready to discuss Turkey’s idea about guarantors for Israel, Palestine, says Lavrov
PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - Russia is ready to discuss and consider Turkey’s initiative to establish a guarantor system in the...
- According to the Russian foreign minister, the initiative is driven by the intention to de-escalate things and bring the situation back to normal.
- He said that the Turkish initiative is rooted in the desire to ensure a balance of interests, rather than favoring one party.
Geostrategy
Biden to address nation on Israel, Ukraine as crises mount
The US president trod a tightrope on his wartime visit to Israel, with key Arab allies Jordan and Egypt calling...
- The 80-year-old, who is seeking a second term in 2024, will address the nation less than 24 hours after returning from a high-stakes solidarity trip to Israel
- The Democrat's primetime speech comes as he prepares to ask Congress for a joint $100 billion package that includes money for Ukraine and Israel
Geostrategy
Xi says China to work with Egypt to help stabilize Middle East
Xi met Egypt's Mostafa Madbouli in Beijing on Thursday, repeating China's support for a "two-state solution... to realise the peaceful...
- China has repeatedly backed a vague two-state proposal on the decades-long deadlock that preceded the war
- Relations between China and Egypt have warmed in recent months, with Cairo set to become an official member of the recently expanded BRICS group
Geostrategy
Egypt to open Gaza crossing for up to 20 aid trucks: Joe Biden
US president said the aid convoy would be allowed to go into Gaza from the Rafah crossing in a first...
- Biden said the first 20 trucks will be a test of a system for distributing aid without allowing Hamas to benefit
- The president said that the 20 trucks represented a "first tranche," and "150 or something" trucks are waiting in total.
Geostrategy
Biden backs Israel account of Gaza hospital strike, denounces Hamas
In announcing Biden's visit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel had agreed to work with the United States...
- Biden said he was encouraging Netanyahu to ensure "life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent and caught in the middle of this".
- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu hailed US President Joe Biden for paying "the first visit of an American president in Israel in a time of war".
Geostrategy
Israel to allow food, water and medicine only in Gaza via Egypt
"In light of (US) President (Joe) Biden's demand, Israel would not foil the supply of humanitarian aid via Egypt," the...
- Israel said it would allow for aid to pass through Egypt, it maintained supplies would not come from its own territory until Hamas releases all the hostages.
- Water, fuel and food supplies are running low in the Palestinian enclave, under a crippling Israeli-led blockade since Hamas took power in 2007.
Geostrategy
US vetoes UN resolution seeking ‘humanitarian pause’ in Gaza conflict
"The United States is disappointed this resolution made no mention of Israel's rights of self-defense," US Ambassador to the UN...
- Twelve out of 15 Council members voted in favor of the resolution put forward by Brazil and negotiated over several days.
- The United States was the only vote against, but as one of the body's five permanent members its vote counts as a veto.
Geostrategy
French left alliance on verge of collapse over Gaza conflict row
The Socialist Party (PS) -- a heavyweight party of government just a few years ago but now a rump of...
- Its board accused LFI of "constantly stoking conflict" within the alliance, after former presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon refused to call Hamas's Israel assault terrorism.
- Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure "is breaking up NUPES" over "a personal issue with me about Israel (and) Palestine," Melenchon wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Geostrategy
US authorizes non-essential embassy staff to leave Lebanon
Following Hezbollah's call, hundreds of demonstrators scuffled Tuesday night with Lebanese security forces outside the US embassy in the Beirut...
- US State Department raised its travel advisory for Lebanon from level three, issued in July, to the highest available level four
- Britain's foreign office has told its nationals in Lebanon to "consider whether you need to remain and, if not, leave by commercial means
Economy
China’s Xi announces over $100 billion in new Belt and Road funding
Beijing has been forced to hand out billions of dollars in bailout loans to BRI countries in recent years to...
- The Belt and Road is a central pillar of Xi's bid to expand China's clout overseas, with Beijing saying it has now inked over two trillion dollars in contracts around the world
- Xi announced on Wednesday that key Belt and Road lenders the China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank will now offer an additional $100 billion in loans
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The armed groups clashing with Hamas in Gaza
Shortly after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, clashes erupted between armed groups, some backed by Israel and others loyal...
Geostrategy
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Iran, European powers to hold nuclear talks in Turkey
The Istanbul meeting follows Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's warning of "irreversible" consequences if the European powers move to reimpose United...
Geostrategy
Trump caps Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi with dizzying investment pledges, deal worth $1.4 trn signed
US President Donald Trump on Friday capped off a Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi that has seen the securing of...
Geostrategy
Gaza air strikes kill over 100 as manhunt unfolds in West Bank
Palestinian rescuers reported more than 100 people killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a US-backed organisation said...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Warm Trump-Erdogan ties puts Turkey at heart of peace diplomacy
Turkey is deploying all-out diplomatic efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine deal, to ease Syria's relations with the West and facilitate...
- Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan took part remotely in a landmark Riyadh meeting between Trump and Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa
- Analysts say Washington has gravitated towards Turkey thanks to the personal connection between Trump and Erdogan
Geostrategy
Ukraine, Russia to hold first direct talks since 2022
War rivals Ukraine and Russia are set to go into their first direct talks in more than three years on...
- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged Putin to meet him in person in Istanbul, but the Russian delegation names only a lower-level team
- Putin's absence would diminish the importance of the first direct negotiations since a failed effort in the weeks after Russia's 2022 invasion
Geostrategy
Trump to close deal-making Gulf tour in UAE, announces big Boeing order for Qatar Airways
US President Donald Trump on Thursday closes a Middle East tour in the United Arab Emirates as he focuses squarely...
- Trump will fly to the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi after a stop in Qatar, where the president hailed what he said was a record $200 billion deal for Boeing aircraft
- He started the trip in Saudi Arabia which promised its own $600 billion in investment, including one of the largest-ever purchases of US weapons