Jailed Istanbul mayor in court over ‘falsified degree’
Istanbul's jailed opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu went on trial Friday on charges of falsifying his university degree.Geostrategy
UN Security Council to meet over drone raid in Poland blamed on Russia
The UN Security Council announced it would hold an emergency meeting Friday to discuss discuss violations of Poland's airspace, a...Geostrategy
UNRWA chief says Gaza aid airdrops will not stop ‘starvation’, solve food shortages
The humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory has gravely deteriorated in recent days, with international NGOs warning of soaring malnutrition..."Airdrops will not reverse the deepening starvation. They are expensive, inefficient & can even kill starving civilians," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X
An Israeli official told AFP on Friday that aid drops in Gaza would resume soon, adding they would be conducted by the United Arab Emirates and Jordan
Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to ‘contain escalation’
Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the...Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting in support of the religious minority
On Thursday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack had said he held talks with unspecified Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris
Trump says Hamas ‘didn’t want’ Gaza ceasefire deal as talks break down
The US president argued that the Palestinian militant group was not ready to hand over the remaining captives in Gaza...An Israeli official meanwhile told AFP air drops of aid would resume soon over the Gaza Strip, where aid groups warned of surging numbers of malnourished children
After US and Israeli negotiators quit indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Trump said that "it was was too bad. Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die."
Gaza civil defence says Israeli forces kill 28 people
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli military operations killed at least 23 people on Friday across the Palestinian territory, with...Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed in a strike on Gaza City that hit a school building sheltering Palestinians displaced by the war
Bassal said five others were killed when an Israeli strike hit a tent used by displaced Palestinians also in Gaza City, in the territory's north
Hamas accuses US mediators of reneging on Gaza talks positions
"The negative statements of the US envoy Witkoff run completely counter to the context in which the last negotiations were...Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire have reached an impasse, more than two weeks after they began.
Naim accused Witkoff of backtracking, saying the US envoy had considered the discussions "positive" only a few days ago.
UK starts online checks to stop children accessing harmful content
London, United Kingdom -- New UK age verification measures to prevent children accessing harmful online content came into force on...Around 6,000 pornography sites have agreed to implement the curbs, according to Melanie Dawes, chief executive of British regulator Ofcom.
Around 500,000 youngsters aged eight to 14 encountered pornography online last month, according to Ofcom.
UN chief blasts ‘lack of compassion’ for Palestinians in Gaza
United Nations, United States -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday slammed the international community for turning a blind eye..."I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community -- the lack of compassion," he said.
"This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience. We will continue to speak out at every opportunity."
Syrian, Israeli ministers meet US envoy in Paris: senior diplomat
The US special envoy for Syria said he held talks with Syrian and Israeli officials in Paris on Thursday on..."I met this evening with the Syrians and Israelis in Paris. Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that," said the envoy, Tom Barrack, on X
This was the first meeting between the two countries that have technically been at war since 1948, and Israel has occupied the Golan Heights from Syria since 1967
Macron says France will recognise State of Palestine, angering Israel, US
At least 142 countries now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally -- though Israel...At least 142 countries now recognise or plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, according to an AFP tally -- though Israel and the United States strongly oppose the move
Several countries have announced plans to recognise statehood for the Palestinians since Israel launched a bombardment of Gaza nearly two years ago
Iran defends ‘unshakable’ right to enrich uranium ahead of key talks
Iran on Thursday reaffirmed its right to enrich uranium, saying it was "unshakable", on the eve of key talks with...Friday's meeting, set to take place in Istanbul, will be the first since Israel's mid-June attack targeting key nuclear and military sites in the Iran sparked a 12-day war
The hostilities between Iran and Israel broke out just two days before Tehran and Washington were set to resume negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme
