Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar, the first of its kind on Qatari territory
Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted the...
Geostrategy
UN rights chief denounces Israeli ‘genocidal rhetoric’ on Gaza
Volker Turk said "shocking and dehumanizing language" has been used by a number of high-level officials, stressing that "this is...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Iraq to hold first provincial elections in a decade on Nov 6
The provincial councils, created by the 2005 constitution following the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, carry relatively significant power in...
- Iraqi parliament confirmed Monday date of the elections through a statement as its members agreed on it overnight.
- The elections are scheduled to be held in 15 provinces, while three provinces in Kurdistan region will be left out.
Geostrategy
$7.5bn pledged for Turkey, Syria quake aid at EU conference
Aid groups urged donors to step up their commitments after the UN complained of the poor level of response to...
- Turkey's President Recep Erdogan warned that "regardless of its economic standing, it is impossible for any country to fight a disaster of this scale on its own."
- The UN had said the appeal for Turkey has so far only been 16 percent fulfilled, while the figure for Syria stands at 72 percent.
Science
‘Rich nations must achieve net zero carbon by 2040’
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on wealthy countries to move up their goals of achieving carbon neutrality as close...
- Most rich countries have set their goal at 2050 but some are more ambitious, like Finland (2035), or Germany and Sweden (2045).
- Leaders in emerging economies must commit to reaching net zero as close as possible to 2050, he said without naming any specific nation.
Geostrategy
Iraq PM to hold talks with Turkey on water, Kurd rebels
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani will visit Turkey on Tuesday for talks including on scarce water resources...
- The rivers Tigris and the Euphrates both have their sources in Turkey and Baghdad has long accused Ankara of withholding water in dams.
- As per official Iraqi statistics from last year, the level of the Tigris entering Iraq has dropped to 35 percent of its average over the past century.
Geostrategy
China urges ICC to respect immunity for heads of state after Putin warrant
China has urged the International Criminal Court to respect immunity for heads of state and to avoid what it called...
- Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin exhorted the court to "avoid politicisation and double standards"
- Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday to hold talks with Putin and sign an accord before heading back to Beijing
Geostrategy
Iran proposes three locations to Saudi Arabia for foreign ministers’ meeting
Dubai, UAE - Saudi Arabia and Iran are taking more steps to consolidate their ties following the rapprochement between them...
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has already "welcomed" invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman to visit the kingdom following the reconciliation deal between the two countries
- Iranian foreign minister also said that his country hoped steps would be taken to normalize its ties with Bahrain, a Saudi ally that had also severed ties with Iran in 2016
Geostrategy
Japan PM arrives in India to widen trade, technology ties
New Delhi, India--Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in India on Monday for talks expected to focus on deepening trade and...
- Japan PM's visit comes in the wake of Australian PM's trip to India, which also saw talks centering around China and trade
- India and Japan are expected to announce initiatives on clean energy, digital trade and infrastructure
Geostrategy
Putin visits Mariupol in occupied Ukraine territory, his first visit invasion
Just hours after Putin visited Crimea to mark the ninth anniversary of the peninsula's annexation, video distributed by the Kremlin...
- The visit triggered an angry reaction from Ukraine, with a presidential aide blasting its "cynicism" and "lack of remorse."
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters the visit took place "very late" on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday
Geostrategy
West Bank shooting injures Israeli as talks in Egypt seek ‘calm’
The attack in Huwara came three weeks after the fatal shooting of two Israeli settlers, also in the same occupied...
- Officials from Egypt, Jordan and US attended the "extensive discussions on ways to de-escalate tensions between the Palestinians and Israelis" in Sharm al-Sheikh
- Sunday's talks took place as "a terrorist opened fire toward an Israeli vehicle" at a junction in Huwara town, who was later arrested, the Israeli army said in a statement
Economy
Egypt’s president meets Russian envoy in Cairo in sign of closer ties
Renewing their commitment to "continuing to strengthen bilateral relations", Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with a senior Russian delegation...
- The Russian delegation's visit came two days after the Hague-based International Criminal Court announced an arrest warrant for Putin on the war crimes
- Before the outbreak of war, which has entered its second year, 85 percent of Egypt's wheat imports were sourced from both Russia and Ukraine
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Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar, the first of its kind on Qatari territory
Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted the...
Geostrategy
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Israel kills top Palestinian militant as Gaza truce talks stumble
The Israeli military killed a senior Palestinian militant in Lebanon on Wednesday, leading to accusations from the Fatah movement that...
Geostrategy
Iran probe finds Raisi helicopter crash caused by weather: media
Iran's army in May similarly said it had found no evidence of criminal activity in the crash that also killed...
Geostrategy
Blinken presses Hamas to back Gaza truce but sees gaps with Israel
Doha, Qatar - Top US diplomat Antony Blinken appealed Tuesday to Hamas urgently to accept a ceasefire plan to ease suffering...
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Geostrategy
Blinken says Israel backs US proposal in ‘last’ chance for Gaza truce
Blinken, on his ninth visit to the Middle East since Hamas's October 7 attack triggered the war with Israel, said...
- Ahead of those talks, Hamas called on mediators to implement a framework outlined in late May by US President Joe Biden, rather than hold more negotiations
- The movement on Sunday said the bridging proposal "responds to Netanyahu's conditions" and leaves him "fully responsible for thwarting the efforts of the mediators."
Geostrategy
Blinken in Israel as under-pressure Netanyahu blames ‘obstinate’ Hamas
Making his ninth trip to the Middle East since the Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel in October, the...
- Ahead of Blinken's visit, the foreign ministers of Britain and France were on Friday also in Israel to stress the urgency of a Gaza deal
- Ahead of the truce talks in Doha last Thursday and Friday, Hamas called on mediators to implement the Biden framework rather than holding more negotiations
Geostrategy
Putin in Azerbaijan for state visit amid Ukraine offensive on Russian soil
Aliyev and Putin will sign joint documents and make statements to the press, said Russian agency Ria Novosti. On Monday,...
- His visit to the Caucasus country, a close partner of Moscow, comes against the backdrop of an unprecedented Ukrainian military offensive on Russian soil
- Putin is due to hold talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on bilateral relations and "international and regional problems," the Kremlin said