Rubio to begin Israel visit in aftermath of Qatar strike
Jerusalem, Undefined -- Top US diplomat Marco Rubio begins a visit to Israel on Sunday, after expressing the Trump administration's...
Geostrategy
Russia says Ukraine peace talks with Kyiv on pause as NATO bolsters defences
Russia said Friday that peace talks with Kyiv were on "pause" as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his Russian counterpart...
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Geostrategy
UN chief calls for Sudan ceasefire as death toll in fighting touches 185
Calling on warring parties in Sudan to immediately cease hostilities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that any further escalation...
- The UN's special representative to Sudan told reporters that the violence raged for a third day through Monday, with the death toll increasing to at least 185 people
- The fighting broke out between the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo
Geostrategy
Best chance for peace in Yemen in eight years, says UN envoy
Yemen faces its best chance to strike a peace deal since the country's civil war started over eight years ago,...
- The Arabian Peninsula country is one of the poorest in the Middle East, and has been devastated by the war, which started in 2014.
- The government and the rebels have exchanged nearly 900 prisoners in recent days, as hopes grow for peace.
Geostrategy
Air France, Airbus acquitted over 2009 Rio-Paris crash
PARIS, FRANCE - Air France and plane manufacturer Airbus were acquitted Monday over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight after...
- The two companies went on trial in October to determine their responsibility for the worst aviation disaster in Air France's history.
- If convicted, Air France, Airbus would have risked a fine of US$250,000 as well as significant reputational damage.
Geostrategy
Cementing ties: Iran invites Saudi Arabia’s king to visit Tehran
The two countries had severed ties seven years ago after Saudi Arabia executed a revered Saudi shia cleric Sheikh Nimr...
- The two Middle East powerhouses had held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement to mend ties on March 10 in China.
- Saudi delegation to visit Iran to discuss the reopening of the embassy and consulate. Iranian officials say diplomatic mission likely to open before May 9.
Geostrategy
After major Yemen prisoner swap, another 104 released: ICRC
A day after a major prisoner exchange, more than 100 prisoners of war were flown from Saudi Arabia to Yemen...
- The exchange and the truce negotiations come a month after Gulf heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic ties
- The release of 104 captives, days before the major Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr, takes the total number to 973 freed since Friday
Geostrategy
US raid in Syria targets senior IS leader: Centcom
Beirut, Lebanon--A US helicopter raid on Monday targeted a senior Islamic State group leader in Syria suspected of plotting attacks in...
- A US Central Command statement said that the target of the strike was "responsible for planning terror attacks in the Middle East and Europe"
- The strike, according to the Observatory, a Britain-based war monitor, killed the main target and two other fighters
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More than 40 people killed in Syria attacks blamed on IS
The Observatory, which has a wide network of sources on the ground in Syria, said fighters riding motorbikes also attacked...
- Since February, more than 240 people have been killed in IS attacks targeting truffle hunters or by landmines left by the extremists
- Remnants of explosives laid by all sides in the conflict are now claiming more lives in Syria than anywhere else in the world, says the UN
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UN denounces Sudan clashes, demands ‘swift justice’ over killings
Denouncing clashes in Sudan that have left dozens of civilians dead including three workers of the World Food Program, UN...
- The UN Security Council, according to diplomatic sources, is planning to discuss the situation in Sudan at a closed-door meeting on Monday.
- FIghting between the Sudanese armed forces and a rival paramilitary, the Rapid Support Forces, have left at least 56 civilians dead
Geostrategy
10 Iranian soldiers sentenced for downing of Ukrainian plane
Iran's judiciary had said in November 2021 that a trial had opened in Tehran for 10 military members in connection...
- A commander received 10 years in prison and nine others were sentenced to between one and three years.
- Iranian forces shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 shortly after its takeoff from Tehran on January 8 that year.
Geostrategy
WFP stops Sudan operation after three members killed in violence
The UN's food agency said it was suspending work in Sudan after three staff were killed in the Darfur region,...
- "While we review the evolving security situation, we are forced to temporarily halt all operations in Sudan," said a WFP official.
- Fighting in Sudan raged for a second day in battles between rival generals who seized power in a 2021 coup.
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Rubio to begin Israel visit in aftermath of Qatar strike
Jerusalem, Undefined -- Top US diplomat Marco Rubio begins a visit to Israel on Sunday, after expressing the Trump administration's...
Geostrategy
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Trump launches into ‘dark speech’ on illegal immigration
Anti-immigrant sentiment has been at the core of Trump's appeal in economically depressed, majority-white parts of the country ever since...
Retaliation or defeat: Hezbollah at crossroads after Nasrallah’s killing
Widely seen as the most powerful man in Lebanon before his death of Friday, Nasrallah was the face of Hezbollah...
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Death of Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut an inflection point in the Middle East conflict
Rarely seen in public, Nasrallah enjoyed cult status among his supporters and was the only man in Lebanon with the...
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Tens of thousands protest against Lebanon ‘bloodbath’ in Iran, Yemen
The demonstrations in Tehran and other Iranian cities were responding to a call by authorities on Wednesday to demonstrate in...
- Hezbollah is part of the "axis of resistance," Iran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East that have targeted Israel, and also US forces
- The alliance also includes Yemen's Houthi rebels who organized a demonstration by tens of thousands in the capital Sanaa on Friday a day after firing a missile at Israel
Helpless! Top EU diplomat regrets failure to ‘stop’ Netanyahu
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell voiced regret Friday that no power, including the United States, can "stop" Israeli Prime...
- EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell says no power, including the United States, can "stop" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
- "What we do is to put all diplomatic pressure to a ceasefire, but nobody seems to be able to stop Netanyahu.."
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Israel defies ceasefire calls and vows to keep battling Hezbollah
"There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organization with all...
- Israeli bombing of Iran-backed Hezbollah strongholds around Lebanon has killed hundreds of people this week, while the militant group has retaliated with rocket barrages
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had "not even responded" to the truce proposal, and that he had ordered the military to continue fighting