Rubio meets UAE president as US-Iran technical talks set to resume next week
Rubio and Sheikh Mohamed reviewed strategic cooperation between the UAE and the US and discussed regional developments, with particular focus...
Geostrategy
Iran talks: Washington, Tehran agree mechanisms for Lebanon ceasefire, Hormuz security
Qatar and Pakistan, which mediated the negotiations at a lakeside resort in Switzerland, said in a joint statement that Washington...
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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
Geostrategy
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
Geostrategy
Gaza war deepens Israel’s divides, sets friends, families against one another
Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the...
- Hostage families and peace activists want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to secure a ceasefire with Hamas and free the remaining captives
- Right-wing members of Netanyahu's cabinet, meanwhile, want to seize the moment to occupy and annex more Palestinian land, at the risk of sparking further international criticism
Geostrategy
Iran says US accountability for attacks on nuclear sites part of any future talks
Iran said Monday it would hold the United States accountable for attacks on its nuclear sites in any future negotiations,...
- The United States struck key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, briefly joining a war launched by Israel that had derailed talks on Tehran's atomic programme.
- In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented attack targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, but also hitting residential areas over 12 days of war
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Rubio meets UAE president as US-Iran technical talks set to resume next week
Rubio and Sheikh Mohamed reviewed strategic cooperation between the UAE and the US and discussed regional developments, with particular focus...
Geostrategy
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US operation in Venezuela undermined international law: UN
"States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state," Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman...
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Venezuela’s interim leader names commission to handle Maduro’s release
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday created a commission to seek the release of president Nicolas Maduro and his...
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Netanyahu says Israel won’t let Iran restore ballistic missile programme
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would not allow arch-foe Iran to restore its ballistic missile programme, just...
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The US and Venezuela’s vast oil reserves: key questions amid sanctions, geopolitics and energy
After a US military operation that seized Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said he wants to allow American oil companies...
- The country has the largest proven reserves in the world, with 303.221 billion barrels, according to OPEC.
- Sanctions imposed in 2019 by Trump during his first term contributed to production plunging to a historic low of 350,000 b/d the following year.
Geostrategy
At least 80 Yemeni separatists killed in fighting, strikes since Friday
At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, a military official from...
- Saudi-backed forces began on Friday operations to retake swathes of territory seized by the UAE-backed STC.
- Yemen's presidency on Saturday announced the retaking of resource-rich Hadramawt, following an apparent retreat of the STC.
Geostrategy
Maduro now in New York jail as Trump says US to ‘run’ Venezuela
The US president's announcement followed a lightning pre-dawn attack in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes...
- Trump said he was "designating people" from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela, but gave no further details.
- In another surprise, Trump indicated US troops could be deployed, saying Washington is "not afraid of boots on the ground."