JD Vance voices ‘great optimism’ for Gaza truce on Israel visit, meeting with Netanyahu today
Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would...
Geostrategy
Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with...
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Geostrategy
UN rights council condemns Quran burnings despite splits
Despite overwhelming condemnation of the Muslim holy book being desecrated, the vote brought more division than unity as Western nations...
- The United Nations' top rights body backed the resolution by 28 votes in favor, with 12 against and seven abstentions.
- The wording of the resolution condemns all manifestations of religious hatred, including "public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Holy Quran"
Syria’s White Helmets say volunteer killed by missile
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria,...
- The first responder was killed "while conducting inspections in areas that had been targeted by artillery shelling from regime forces", the group said
- The Observatory said that since the beginning of the year, 243 people including 16 civilians have been killed in the region despite a ceasefire
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Both sides in Sudan must be made accountable, says UN official
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Sudan's warring sides must face "accountability" for the "crimes" committed in their conflict, which risks spiraling into a...
- The fighting, which began in mid-April, risks morphing into a tribalized and ideologized conflict, head of UN mission in Sudan said.
- Around 3,000 people have been killed, and the UN has warned of possible crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur.
Geostrategy
UAE first Arab country to get observer status at money laundering group
Vancouver, Canada - The United Arab Emirates has become the first Aarb country to be granted observer status at the...
- A part of the global network of similar Financial Action Task Force-style Regional Bodies (FSRBs), the APG is the largest in terms of membership numbers and geographical size
- The APG plenary is also attended by key international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, OECD, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, etc
Abbas to make landmark Jenin visit after deadly Israeli raid
Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed in the two-day raid on Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp, a...
- Soon after the raid, several top officials of Abbas's Fatah party, including deputy chairman Mahmoud Aloul, had visited the camp only to be heckled by crowds of angry residents
- On Wednesday, Abbas was expected to visit the city as well as the camp to review "progress of work in the reconstruction of the camp and the city", his office said in a statement
Iran president Ebrahim Raisi holds talks with Kenya’s president
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani has described the three-day trip as "a new turning point" which could bolster economic...
- The visit comes as the Islamic republic tries to shore up diplomatic support to ease its international isolation, with Raisi also due to travel to Uganda and Zimbabwe
- In addition to meeting Williams Ruto, Raisi will hold talks with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa
Geostrategy
Israel’s thorny judicial overhaul: What are the proposed changes?
Opponents have accused Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charge he denies, of trying to use the reforms to...
- Parliament voted overnight Monday-Tuesday on the so-called "reasonability" clause, which will be put through second and third readings at a later stage.
- Netanyahu's coalition also wants to change the system through which judges are appointed, giving the government a de facto majority in the nomination process.
Geostrategy
United Nations fails to agree on extending vital Syria aid lifeline
Russia vetoed a nine-month extension of the agreement allowing for the conduit during a vote at the UN headquarters in...
- Many council members including the US, the UK and France have called for a full-year extension, but they backed a nine-month compromise proposed by Switzerland and Brazil.
- The proposal was vetoed by Russia, however, whose six-month offer only secured China's support. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the veto "an act of utter cruelty".
Economy
Cash-strapped Pakistan gets $2 billion deposit from Saudi Arabia
The economy has been stricken by a balance-of-payments crisis as it attempts to service crippling external debt, while months of...
- It brings state foreign reserves to a total of $6.5 billion, an almost 50 percent increase compared to last week's account balance.
- Years of financial mismanagement have pushed Pakistan's economy to the limit, exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, a global energy crisis and record floods.
NATO to discuss Ukraine bid to join at summit
German Patriot missile systems and French fighter jets were guarding the skies as NATO leaders gathered in Lithuania, on NATO's...
- Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to head to Vilnius for the two-day summit to make the case that Kyiv has earned the right to join when the Kremlin's invasion ends
- The alliance will draw up a path of reforms that Ukraine will need to undertake in order to eventually join, but without giving a "timetable", White House official said
JD Vance voices ‘great optimism’ for Gaza truce on Israel visit, meeting with Netanyahu today
Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would...
Geostrategy
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Turkey braces for fourth night of protest as mayor arrives in court
Turkey was headed for a fourth straight night of protests late Saturday, as the biggest street unrest the country has...
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Tens of thousands in France protest against racism and far-right
Tens of thousands of people in Paris and other French cities on Saturday rallied against racism and the rise of...
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Israel conducts deadly strikes on Lebanon after ‘cross-border rocket fire’ denied by Hezbollah
Israeli defence chiefs said they held the Lebanese government responsible for all hostile fire from its territory regardless of who...
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Russia hopes for ‘progress’ at upcoming Saudi talks: negotiator
Moscow has rejected a joint US-Ukraine proposal of a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, instead suggesting just to halt aerial...
- US negotiators will meet separately with Ukrainian and Russian delegations in Riyadh, in what US envoy Keith Kellogg described as "shuttle diplomacy" between hotel rooms.
- Despite the flurry of diplomacy and push from US President Donald Trump, a breakthrough has so far proved elusive.
Geostrategy
Istanbul Bar Association board dismissed over ‘terror propaganda’
The Istanbul Bar Association's executive board was dismissed Friday on grounds of "terrorist propaganda" and "publicly spreading false information", according...
- The Turkish military insists it never targets civilians but only terror groups
- The bar association issued a statement saying "targeting members of the press in conflict zones
Geostrategy
Israel defence minister threatens to annex parts of Gaza unless Hamas frees the remaining Israeli hostages
The warning came as Israel stepped up the renewed assault it launched on Tuesday, shattering the relative calm that had...
- Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 11 people on Friday -- three in pre-dawn strikes and eight more during the daytime
- Should Hamas not comply, Katz also threatened to expand buffer zones around Gaza to protect Israeli civilian population areas