Iran claims retaliation against US as Hezbollah protests Israel-Lebanon agreement
Tehran warned of broader retaliation if attacked again as Washington defended its military action, while unrest spread to Beirut after...
Geostrategy
Oman opens temporary Hormuz shipping corridor as efforts intensify to restore maritime traffic
Muscat said the measure was intended to safeguard freedom of navigation in accordance with international maritime law and without imposing...
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Geostrategy
Hezbollah vows to fight disarmament as Lebanon PM slams civil war ‘threats’
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed Friday to fight government plans to disarm his group, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam...
- Qassem gave a televised address after meeting with Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, whose country has long backed the Lebanese militant group
- Hezbollah emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel, and the Lebanese government -- under US pressure -- has ordered the army to draw up a plan to disarm the group
Geostrategy
World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground....
- The stalemate was a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight.
- Countries voiced anger and despair as the talks unraveled, but said they wanted future negotiations -- despite six rounds of talks over three years ending in a failure.
Geostrategy
‘Like hell’: Indoor heat overwhelms Saudi Arabia’s cooks, bakers
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Baker Eid Ahmed just can't get away from Saudi Arabia's notorious heat: he makes bread next...
- In arid Saudi Arabia, summer temperatures regularly reach 50C, leaving streets empty for much of the day.
- To protect laborers, the kingdom bans work under direct sunlight and outside during the hours of most intense heat from mid-June until mid-September.
Geostrategy
At least 1,760 killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May: UN
"While 994 were killed in the vicinity of GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) sites, 766 were killed along the routes of...
- The update came as Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 23 people were killed by Israeli fire on Friday, including 12 who were waiting for humanitarian aid.
- The military intends to take control of Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, some of the most densely populated parts of the territory.
Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief thanks Iran for ongoing support to face Israel
Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting...
- Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel
- Larijani's visit came after the Lebanese government tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year
Geostrategy
Israeli far-right minister backs contentious West Bank settlement plan
Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West...
- Israel has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition
- Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two state solution
Geostrategy
Expectations high as Trump, Putin set to meet at Alaska: What each side wants
In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk,...
- For Putin, who has faced years of isolation from the West since the invasion, the summit is an opportunity to press Russia's hardline demands for ending the conflict
- In addition to territory, Russia wants Ukraine to ensure the "rights and freedoms" of the Russian-speaking population and to prohibit what it calls the "glorification of Nazism".
Geostrategy
Foreign NGOs say new Israeli rules keep them from delivering Gaza aid
According to the joint letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring...
- UK-based Oxfam said that $2.5 million worth of its supplies, including food, were barred from entering Gaza, while CARE said it had not been authorized to bring in aid since March.
- The aid groups complained that the new rules were leaving Gazans without life-saving assistance.
Geostrategy
‘Putin has only one chance:’ Trump warns of make-or-break chance with Russian leader
Putin and Trump will meet Friday at an air base in the far-northern US state, the first time the Russian...
- Putin and Trump will meet Friday at an air base in the far-northern US state, the first time the Russian leader has been permitted on Western soil since his invasion of Ukraine
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has refused to surrender territory to Russia, spoke by telephone Wednesday with Trump, as did European leaders
Geostrategy
Lebanon slams foreign interference as Iran security chief visits
Lebanese leaders firmly rejected any efforts at foreign interference during a visit by Iran's security chief Wednesday, with the prime...
- The uncharacteristically blunt remarks hinted at a changed balance of power in a country where Iran has long wielded substantial influence by funding and arming Hezbollah
- The visit by Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani comes after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise plans to disarm Hezbollah
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Iran claims retaliation against US as Hezbollah protests Israel-Lebanon agreement
Tehran warned of broader retaliation if attacked again as Washington defended its military action, while unrest spread to Beirut after...
Geostrategy
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Trump reposts suggestion that Rubio become next Cuba leader
President Donald Trump reposted a social media message on Sunday suggesting that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, born to Cuban...
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Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh met on Friday with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to...
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Russia joins Chinese, Iran warships for military drills off South Africa
A Russian warship arrived off South Africa's main naval base Friday to join Chinese and Iranian vessels for military exercises that...
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Israel president meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Thursday met with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, whom media reports say is...
- A spokesman from Herzog's office said the president met with Mladenov on Thursday, without providing further details
- The Times of Israel reported that Mladenov was expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Thursday
Geostrategy
US could run Venezuela, tap its oil for years, Trump says less than a week after toppling Maduro
The United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years, President Donald Trump said in an...
- Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA said it was discussing oil sales with the United States for the "sale of volumes of oil"
- Trump and his advisors are considering a plan for the US to exert control over PDVSA, the Wall Street Journal reported
Geostrategy
Yemen separatist leader fled to UAE: Saudi-led coalition
Aidaros Alzubidi was accused of high treason and removed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council on Wednesday, while the coalition bombed...
- Last month's STC offensive brought fresh turbulence to fractured Yemen and exposed deep rifts between Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
- The oil-rich neighbors formed the backbone of the coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who overran the capital Sanaa in 2014 and still control much of the country