Unexploded bombs haunt Gazans, posing deadly risk as fragile truce halts demining efforts in ruins
After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million...Geostrategy
Trade truce in balance as Trump meets ‘tough negotiator’ Xi: ‘We’ll have a great understanding’
The world's two top economies' trade tussle -- encompassing everything from rare earths to soybeans and port fees -- has rocked...Geostrategy
Tony Blair: former UK premier central to Trump’s Gaza plan has long been a contentious figure
Tony Blair, Britain's former prime minister whose legacy was heavily tarnished by the 2003 war in Iraq, has long been...Blair brings a wealth of experience after spending eight years as the envoy for the Middle East Quartet of the European Union, United Nations, United States and Russia
Critics argue that he is ill-suited to play peacemaker, as he is reviled by many Arabs and discredited in Britain for joining the US-led invasion of Iraq
Yemen’s Huthis take responsibility for attack on Dutch cargo ship
Sana, Yemen - Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed responsibility on Wednesday for an attack on a Dutch cargo ship this week...The Iran-backed group, which holds swathes of territory in Yemen including the capital Sanaa, has said the attacks on commercial shipping are in support of Palestinians
The cargo ship MV Minervagracht was hit by a projectile on Monday, wounding two people and sparking a fire, its owner said
Trump gives Hamas ultimatum of ‘three to four days’ on Gaza deal
The plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, a disarmament of Hamas and...World powers, including Arab and Muslim nations, welcomed the proposal, but Hamas had yet to issue its response.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas's exiled leadership, said it would hold a meeting with Hamas officials and Turkey later Tuesday.
US sanctions on key Indian project in Iran take effect
US sanctions went into effect Monday on a major Indian port project in Iran, as President Donald Trump again showed...The sanctions on the Chabahar port come a day after wide UN sanctions also came back into force on Iran, as Trump, European allies and Israel have all targeted the country
The first Trump administration issued a rare exemption in 2018 to allow Indian companies to keep developing Chabahar when the United States imposed sweeping unilateral sanctions
Netanyahu apologizes to Qatar, promises no new strike, US says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling Qatar's prime minister from the White House on Monday, apologized for strikes against Hamas...Netanyahu, who had until now been defiant since ordering the strikes on September 9 in Qatar, placed the call as he was meeting with Trump about a ceasefire in Gaza
Trump, who has been wooed by Qatar -- including with a gift of a luxury plane -- had earlier said he was unhappy with Israel's strike in Qatar
Trump ‘very confident’ of Gaza deal as he hosts Netanyahu
He repeated "very confident" when asked if all parties were on board with the 21-point plan to end the nearly two-year...The US president met key Arab leaders at the United Nations last week and said Sunday on social media that "ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER."
But Netanyahu has given little reason for optimism, vowing in a defiant UN speech Friday to "finish the job" against Hamas and rejecting Palestinian statehood.
Hamas urges Israel to halt strikes as it searches for two hostages
Hamas's armed wing urged the Israeli military to temporarily halt air strikes and withdraw from part of Gaza City on...In an earlier announcement, the armed group said the loss of contact was due to Israeli military operations over the previous 48 hours in two southern Gaza City neighbourhoods
In the past, the Islamist movement announced that it had lost contact with an Israeli-American hostage, who was released a few days after that announcement
US unveils 21-point peace proposal: Israel to withdraw from Gaza, Hamas to disarm
While the plan offers several concessions to Palestinians, it also carries provisions favorable to Israel — including Hamas’ demilitarisation and...The proposal marks a significant shift in Washington’s approach as earlier this year, President Donald Trump had floated the idea of relocating Gaza’s population permanently
The new framework, however, calls for Gazans to remain in the Strip and outlines a conditional pathway toward eventual statehood
‘We’ll be ruined’: Iranians feel strain as sanctions snap back
Tehran, Iran -- As United Nations sanctions returned in full force on Sunday, Iranians felt the strain deepen, with prices...Tehran's foreign ministry urged other countries to refrain from enforcing the sanctions, vowing to "defend its national rights and interests".
The impact on prices was visible as the rial plummeted to a new low in an already squeezed economy, leaving many struggling to make ends meet.
Netanyahu to meet Trump as Israel faces isolation over Gaza war
The meeting comes days after Trump unveiled a 21-point plan aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory during...On Sunday, Trump hinted at "something special" to come in Middle East talks, adding in a post on his Truth Social platform: "WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!"
"He has no other choice but to accept" Trump's plan for a ceasefire, said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan University.
