Russia’s Lavrov visits Beijing to discuss Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Sunday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart to discuss Ukraine and relations with the...
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Israel’s aid blockade leaves Gaza’s pregnant women hungry and at risk
Like most women at the Gaza City hospital where she attends her pregnancy check-ups, Fatima Arafa's face looks fatigued, a...
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Israel says 30% of Gaza now buffer zone, escalates offensive and maintains aid blockade
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered security chiefs and negotiators to keep pressing for the release of hostages held by...
- Prime Minister Netanyahu also ordered security chiefs and negotiators to keep pressing for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza
- The Israeli military said that it had "achieved full operational control over several key areas and routes throughout the Gaza Strip."
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WHO countries strike landmark agreement on tackling future pandemics
Geneva, Switzerland -- Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how...
- Negotiators stumbled over the agreement's Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich nations of hoarding vaccines and tests.
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US approves $825 mn Stinger missile sale to Morocco
The United States on Tuesday announced the approval of an $825 million sale of up to 600 Stinger anti-air missiles...
- The proposed sale will improve Morocco's capability to meet current and future threats, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement
- This will contribute to the Moroccan Army's goals of updating capability and further enhancing interoperability with the US and other allies, the statement added
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Netanyahu visits Gaza as Hamas warns hostages may die amid continued Israeli offensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza Tuesday, his office announced, as the military kept up the offensive it...
- Hamas said on Monday it had received a new truce offer from Israel that foresees the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire
- Another Hamas official said Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war, but said this crossed a "red line."
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Trade war to cut global oil demand: International Energy Agency
Paris, France -- Global oil demand will be lower than previously forecast this year as rising trade tensions weigh on...
- It lowered its forecast for growth in oil demand by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) -- down from just over one million bpd in its March report to 730,000.
- Trump imposed global tariffs of 10 percent this month but paused higher levies on scores of countries for 90 days.
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Syria, Lebanon leaders in Qatar for first official visits
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha. Qatar has been a key backer...
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, accompanied by foreign minister Youssef Raggi, also touched down in Doha as delegations of two countries held talks.
- Beirut and Damascus have been seeking to improve relations since the overthrow of Assad, whose family dynasty exercised control over Lebanese affairs for decades.
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Disarming Lebanon’s Hezbollah no longer inconceivable: analysts
Beirut, Lebanon - The once unthinkable disarmament of Hezbollah could finally be within reach, as the United States pushes Lebanon...
- Hezbollah was left badly weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel, beginning with the group's campaign of rocket fire at its arch-foe in support of ally Hamas
- Israel was meant to withdraw its troops, but it still remains in five points it deems "strategic" and conducts regular strikes on what it says are mostly Hezbollah targets
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Iran’s top diplomat to visit Russia after US nuclear talks
Iran's foreign minister is to visit ally Russia this week to discuss nuclear negotiations with the United States, ahead of...
- On Saturday, Abbas Araghchi held talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman -- the highest-level discussions since the 2015 nuclear accord collapsed
- Russia, a close ally of Iran and party to the 2015 deal, and China have engaged with Tehran in recent weeks over its nuclear programme
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Trump envoy says Putin open to ‘permanent peace’ deal with Ukraine
US President Donald Trump's special envoy said Monday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was open to a "permanent peace" deal...
- Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin
- Despite a flurry of diplomacy, there has been little meaningful progress on Trump's main aim of achieving a Ukraine ceasefire
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Israel offers 45-day ceasefire if Hamas releases half of remaining Gaza hostages
Hamas has informed the mediators that it is willing to agree to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a...
- A Hamas official told AFP that Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war but that this crossed a "red line".
- "The proposal includes the disarmament of Hamas and all Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip as a condition for a permanent end to the war," the official added
Russia’s Lavrov visits Beijing to discuss Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Sunday in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart to discuss Ukraine and relations with the...
Geostrategy
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Oil prices seesaw as investors await Iran response to US strikes
US stocks edged higher while European markets retreated and Asian equities were mixed, with markets keeping a close eye on...
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Netanyahu says returning Gaza hostages will take ‘a bit more time’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday insisted gains in the conflict against Iran would help with the country's war...
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Iran threatens US bases in response to strikes on nuclear sites
Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's...
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Massive US bunker-buster bombs make combat debut in Iran strikes
The US military says the GBU-57 -- also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- is designed to penetrate up to 200...
- The 6.6-meter-long GBU-57 also has a specialized fuse as "you need an explosive that's not going to immediately explode under that much shock and pressure," Dahlgren said.
- The only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 is the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber.
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Risk of wider conflict flare up as US claims strikes ‘devastated’ Iran’s nuclear program
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had "crossed a very big red...
- People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed.
- The European Union called on all sides "to step back," while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
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Saudi says ‘no radioactive effects’ detected, more US embassy staff leaves Iraq
"No radioactive effects were detected on the environment of the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf states as a result of...
- Kuwait's National Guard also posted on X that "radiation levels in Kuwait's airspace and waters are stable and the situation is normal".
- More personnel from the United States diplomatic mission departed Iraq over the weekend as part of ongoing efforts to reduce embassy staffing due to "regional tensions".