US and Iran set for new nuclear talks in Istanbul to revive stalled diplomacy
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has announced that he has instructed diplomats to pursue negotiations with the United States, signalling a...
Geostrategy
Turkey to offer mediation in US-Iran showdown during Iran foreign minister’s Friday visit
Friday's visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi comes after US President Donald Trump threatened a military strike on Iran...
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Geostrategy
Tourists drawn to Oman’s giant sinkholes
The sinkholes are marketed as a tourist attraction in Dhofar, whose temperate climate draws many visitors from the Gulf during...
- One of the sinkholes is one of the world's biggest: the yawning Kahf Teiq, 211 meters (692 feet) deep and 150 meters wide.
- At the Tawi Atair sinkhole, tourists potter around on concrete paths and stairways.
Geostrategy
Lebanon’s Hezbollah rejects cabinet decision to disarm it, terms it a grave sin
Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did...
- The government said its decision came as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah
- Israel has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah and other targets despite the November truce, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group has been disarmed
Geostrategy
Only 1.5% of Gaza farmland usable, reveals latest satellite survey published by FAO
The survey, which dates from July 28, found that 8.6 percent of Gaza's farmland was accessible, but only 1.5 percent,...
- In its previous survey, published at the end of May, the FAO had indicated that less than five percent of Gaza farmland was both accessible and undamaged
- The Israeli offensive has killed at least 61,158 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Gaza health ministry, which are considered reliable by the UN
Geostrategy
Israel bars Jerusalem’s top Muslim cleric from Al-Aqsa: lawyer
Israeli authorities have banned Jerusalem's top Muslim cleric from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for six months over a recent...
- Muhammad Ahmad Hussein, the grand mufti of Jerusalem, will be prevented from entering the holy site in the Israeli-annexed Old City until January 2026, according to lawyer Khaldoun
- Hussein's lawyer said that the ban was due to a Friday sermon the mufti gave at Al-Aqsa -- Islam's third-holiest site -- in late July, "which contained nothing inappropriate."
Geostrategy
Full occupation of Gaza looms as Israel orders army to execute any decision
The Israeli press, citing officials, has predicted an escalation of operations, including in densely populated areas where hostages are believed...
- Media reports in Israel have said Netanyahu and his cabinet may order a full military occupation of Gaza, allegedly sparking dissension from armed forces chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir.
- On Tuesday, Netanyahu held a three-hour meeting with security chiefs including Zamir to discuss options for the continuation of the war, the premier's office said in a statement.
Geostrategy
Netanyahu says Israel must complete defeat of Hamas to free hostages, secure Israel
Israeli media said the premier was considering ordering the total occupation of the Palestinian territory, with public broadcaster Kan reporting...
- "It is necessary to complete the defeat of the enemy in Gaza, to free all our hostages and to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel," Netanyahu said
- Netanyahu's office said he held a three-hour "security discussion" on Tuesday with army chief Eyal Zamir, but did not disclose any new war plans
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UN experts call for Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to be dismantled
"The GHF ... is an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical...
- On July 22, the UN rights office said Israeli forces had killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the GHF started operations.
- The joint statement was signed by Francesca Albanese, the UN's special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
Geostrategy
Meta says working to thwart WhatsApp scammers
San Francisco, United States -- Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in...
- Meta on Tuesday said it shut nearly seven million WhatsApp accounts linked to scammers in the first half of this year.
- Meta on Tuesday began prompting WhatsApp users to be wary when added to unfamiliar chat groups by people they don't know.
Geostrategy
UN starts new bid to forge plastics treaty amid ‘global crisis’
Geneva, Switzerland -- Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of UN talks told negotiators from 180 countries...
- Three years of negotiations hit the wall in Busan, South Korea in December when oil-producing states blocked a consensus.
- Key figures steering the negotiations at this new attempt said they were not expecting an easy ride this time, but insisted a deal remained within reach.
Geostrategy
‘Projectile’ fired at Israel from Yemen: Israeli military
Jerusalem, Undefined - A "projectile" fired towards Israel from Yemen was intercepted, but not before air-raid warnings sounded across the...
- "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF," the military posted on social media
- The Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital Sanaa and large swaths of the country, are part of an alliance against Israel established by Iran, includes groups such as Hamas
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US and Iran set for new nuclear talks in Istanbul to revive stalled diplomacy
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has announced that he has instructed diplomats to pursue negotiations with the United States, signalling a...
Geostrategy
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Saudi prince, eyeing defense pledge, to meet Trump after long US absence
Saudi Arabia is unlikely to agree to normalization with Israel at this stage, with Prince Mohammed's priority set for firmer...
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Rubio says US ‘optimistic’ for UN resolution on Gaza, backing an international force
US Secretary of State said the United States was speaking with different countries on ways to "balance their interests here,...
Geostrategy
Google denies removing W.Sahara border for Morocco users
The dotted lines illustrating the border between Western Sahara and Morocco, indicating the former's disputed territory status, have never been...
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Demand for air con set to triple by 2050, warns UN
Geneva, Switzerland -- Global demand for air conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday,...
- The UN Environment Programme said demand could surge due to increases in population and wealth around the world, combined with more extreme heat.
- Rising demand for more polluting and inefficient cooling systems "would almost double cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions over 2022 levels", said UNEP.
Geostrategy
Sharaa’s US visit: Syria joins alliance against Islamic State after White House talks
Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the...
- Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the US since the country's independence in 1946
- According to the official, Syria will also be allowed to resume diplomatic relations with Washington "to further counterterrorism, security, and economic coordination."
Geostrategy
US mediator Kushner and Netanyahu hold talks on the second round of Gaza ceasefire
Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump who helped broker the ceasefire, met Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as...
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said Israel would enforce the ceasefire in Gaza as well as one in Lebanon with an "iron fist".
- The truce in Gaza, in effect for exactly a month now, has largely halted the war that erupted after Hamas's surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023