Yemen’s Huthis threaten to attack US ships if it strikes Iran
Yemen's Huthi rebels threatened on Saturday to attack US vessels in the Red Sea, despite a recent truce, should Washington...Geostrategy
Israel says delayed Iran’s presumed nuclear programme by two years
Western powers have repeatedly expressed concerns about the rapid expansion of Iran's nuclear programme, questioning in particular the country's accelerated...Geostrategy
Violence in Israel, West Bank ‘must stop’: UN rights chief
"The recent operation in the occupied West Bank and car ramming attack in Tel Aviv worryingly underscore an all too...Turk said some of the methods and weapons used in the Jenin raid "are more generally associated with the conduct of hostilities in armed conflict, rather than law enforcement"
Christian Lindmeier, spokesman for the UN's WHO, said that the destruction of infrastructure, including roads in Jenin, was restricting access for medical teams
Iraqi president presses for closer trade and energy ties with Iran
Baghdad, Iraq-- Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid has emphasized the need for reinforcing partnership with Iran in the fields of...Iraq's president highlighted the importance of forging closer ties with Iran in a meeting with an Iranian delegation visiting Baghdad
He applauded Iran for the restoration of ties with countries in the Middle East and the resumption of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia
Libyan army commander warns of action over unequal oil revenue
Crude is the main revenue source for Libya, which has been torn by more than a decade of stop-start conflict,...Khalifa Haftar, military head of Libyan eastern command, said "a deadline at the end of August for this committee to complete its mission".
Haftar said a committee must be established "to put in place financial arrangements with a view to fair management of public funds" and oil revenues
France seeks answers as Macron declares riots ‘peak’ passed
At a meeting of more than 300 mayors, whose municipalities suffered damages, Macron said, "Is it a permanent return to..."I came to hear the president give us a vision, set a course. I didn't come for a group therapy session," complained Zartoshte Bakhtiari, mayor of Neuilly-sur-Marne east of Paris.
"It pays to kill a young Arab," tweeted Manon Aubry, a European Parliament deputy, reacting to online collection of $1.5m for the policeman who shot dead Nahel M.
Israeli assault: ICRC calls for protection of civilians in Jenin
Civilians and civilian objects must be respected and protected. The Israeli security forces must in particular ensure that the population...The spiral of violence seen in the first six months of 2023 has led to heightened tensions and a worrying deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the West Bank.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the Israeli forces in the West Bank needed to abide by international human rights standards on the use of force.
Egypt, Turkey appoint ambassadors after a decade
Egypt and Turkey said they had appointed ambassadors to each others' countries for the first time in a decade, in...Cairo and Ankara both issued statements announcing "the upgrading of diplomatic relations between them to the level of ambassadors".
Relations were severed a decade ago when Sisi, then Egypt's defense minister, ousted the Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, an ally of Turkey.
Urgent UN Human Rights Council session to discuss Quran burning
A Quran was burnt outside the Swedish capital's main mosque on Wednesday, triggering a diplomatic backlash across the Muslim world....The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council, which is meeting in session until July 14, will change its agenda to stage an urgent debate, following a request from Pakistan.
There are 47 members of the Human Rights Council. The UN's top rights body is currently in the second of its three regular sessions per year.
UN talks look to draw upon AI power and potential
The UN hopes to lay out a clear blueprint on the way forward for handling AI, as development of the...The summit wants to identify ways of using AI to advance the UN's lagging sustainable development goals
This summit can help ensure that AI charts the course that benefits humanity, UN chief Antonio Guterres said
Xi urges Shanghai alliance solidarity, Putin praises support
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization -- which on Tuesday welcomed Iran as its ninth member -- encompasses a vast stretch of...During the virtual meeting, Xi "called for efforts to safeguard regional peace and ensure common security", state news agency Xinhua said.
Tehran's membership will support "collective security... expanding ties and communications (and) strengthening unity", Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.
President Assad and Jordan’s foreign minister discuss refugees, drug smuggling
The focus of the discussion between the two was war refugees and a crackdown on cross-border smuggling, according to Jordan's...According to Jordan's foreign ministry, Assad and Safadi also discussed "humanitarian, security and political" steps towards a "comprehensive solution" to Syria's crisis
The ministry also said that Safadi brought up in his discussion with Assad the need for heightened cooperation between the two countries in order to curb drug smuggling
