US–Iran tensions escalate toward war as Gulf military buildup and Israeli preparations intensify
Indirect talks in Geneva have yielded what officials call “guiding principles” for a possible agreement, but the framework remains skeletal...
Geostrategy
Geneva talks loom as Trump backs regime change and redeploys second US carrier
The Pentagon confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford is being moved from the Caribbean toward the Middle East, a...
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Leaders gather in China for SCO summit ceremony, Xi slams ‘bullying’ behaviour in world order
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus -- with 16 more countries affiliated...
- The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus -- with 16 more countries affiliated as observers
- More than 20 leaders including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan are attending the bloc's largest meeting since its founding in 2001
Geostrategy
Putin and Modi in China for summit hosted by Xi
President Xi Jinping gathered the leaders of Russia and India among dignitaries from around 20 Eurasian countries on Sunday to...
- The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus -- with 16 more countries affiliated as observers
- Russian President Vladimir Putin touched down in Tianjin on Sunday with an entourage of senior politicians and business representatives
Geostrategy
Director Jarmusch ‘disconcerted’ over Mubi’s links to Israel military
Venice, Italy -- American director Jim Jarmusch said Sunday he was "disappointed" that arthouse film streaming platform Mubi had accepted...
- Mubi, a rival to Netflix, is one of the distributors of Jarmusch's latest film "Father Mother Sister Brother", which premieres at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday.
- The group accepted $100 million from Silicon Valley firm Sequoia Capital, which includes Israeli defense firm Kela in its portfolio, sparking a petition signed by Jarmusch.
Geostrategy
Lebanon parliament speaker calls for dialogue over Hezbollah weapons
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called on Sunday for dialogue...
- Lebanon's government this month tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year.
- Hezbollah strongly opposed the decision and Shiite ministers, including representatives from the group and Berri's Amal Movement
Geostrategy
Hamas confirms death of Gaza chief Mohammed Sinwar
Pictures released by the Palestinian group on Saturday showed him alongside other political and military leaders described as "martyrs of...
- Mohammed Sinwar was the younger brother of Yahya Sinwar, accused by Israel of masterminding the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
- He reportedly led the Al-Qassam Brigades' military council after the death of commander Mohammed Deif.
Geostrategy
Aid flotilla with Greta Thunberg set to sail for Gaza
The vessels will set off from the Spanish port city to "open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide...
- The flotilla is expected to arrive at the war-ravaged coastal enclave in mid-September.
- Organizers say that dozens of other vessels are expected to leave Tunisian and other Mediterranean ports on September 4.
Geostrategy
Yemen’s Huthis say PM killed in Israeli strike, the most senior Huthi official to have died so far
Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials in the Israeli attack on...
- Ahmed Ghaleb Nasser Al-Rahawi, who was appointed last year, was killed along with other officials in the Israeli attack on Thursday, the Iran-backed Huthis said.
- Israel has been striking Huthi targets in response to missile attacks by rebels, who claim solidarity with the Palestinians and have also been harassing shipping in Red Sea
Geostrategy
Red Cross warns against evacuation of Gaza City as Israel tightens siege
The Red Cross warned on Saturday that any Israeli efforts to evacuate Gaza City would put residents at risk, as...
- After nearly 23 months of devastating war, Israel is under increasing pressure to end its offensive in Gaza, where the United Nations has declared a famine
- But despite the calls at home and abroad for an end to the war, the Israeli army is readying itself for an intensified operation to seize the Palestinian territory
Geostrategy
US to deny visas to Palestinian officials at UN summit as France pushes statehood recognition
The extraordinary step further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which adamantly rejects a Palestinian state and has...
- The extraordinary step further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which adamantly rejects a Palestinian state
- Veteran Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas had been due to attend the UN meeting, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, told reporters
Geostrategy
Turkey bars Israeli ships and flights from its territory
Ties between Turkey and Israel have been shattered by Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, with Ankara accusing Israel of...
- Turkish officials have repeatedly insisted that all trade ties with Israel have been cut, vowing there would be no normalization as long as the Gaza war continues.
- In November, Turkey refused to let the Israeli president's plane cross its airspace, forcing him to cancel a planned visit to the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan.
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US–Iran tensions escalate toward war as Gulf military buildup and Israeli preparations intensify
Indirect talks in Geneva have yielded what officials call “guiding principles” for a possible agreement, but the framework remains skeletal...
Geostrategy
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US envoy Witkoff to meet Zelensky, Europe leaders in Berlin at weekend
US President Donald Trump's special envoy will meet with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in Berlin this weekend,...
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Erdogan pushes Putin on ‘limited ceasefire’ at ports, energy facilities in Russia-Ukraine war
Speaking on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan, Erdogan told Putin that efforts to end the war were valuable,...
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Israel says Hamas ‘will be disarmed’ after group proposes weapons freeze
Israel said Thursday that Hamas "will be disarmed" as part of the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, after a top...
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UNRWA chief denounces Israeli police’s seizure of agency’s Jerusalem assets
The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January, when the law banning its operations...
- "Today in the early morning, Israeli police accompanied by municipal officials forcibly entered the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem," Philippe Lazzarini said on X
- Lazzarini has been declared persona non grata by Israeli authorities, who banned his agency from operating inside the country early this year
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US-Israel-Qatar meeting seeks to salvage Gaza peace deal amid strain over Israeli strike on Doha
Axios also reported White House envoy Steve Witkoff hosted the meeting, with Mossad spy chief David Barnea representing Israel and...
- Two sources told US news outlet Axios it was "the highest level meeting between the countries since the deal to end the war in Gaza, for which Qatar served as a key mediator."
- Axios also reported White House envoy Steve Witkoff hosted the meeting, with Mossad spy chief David Barnea representing Israel and an unnamed senior Qatari official in attendance
Geostrategy
Trump says Putin wants to end war, US to hold new talks with Ukraine
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner huddled into the early hours with Putin in the Kremlin but reached...
- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner huddled into the early hours with Putin in the Kremlin but reached no breakthrough on halting Europe's worst conflict since World War II
- The Kremlin said afterward it found parts of the US plan to end the war unacceptable, even though the proposal includes Ukraine ceding parts of the eastern Donbas region