Saudi Arabia to host ATP Masters 1000 tennis event from 2028
Paris, France -- The ATP announced on Thursday the creation of a new Masters 1000 event which will take place...Business Geostrategy Sports
JD Vance voices ‘great optimism’ for Gaza truce on Israel visit, meeting with Netanyahu today
Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would...Geostrategy
Explosive-laden drones hit three oil fields in Iraq’s Kurdistan region
Kurdistan has seen a spate of unclaimed drone attacks, which have come as the regional government and the federal authorities...Production at two fields operated by the Norwegian group DNO ASA was temporarily suspended, the company said
Long plagued by conflict, Iraq frequently experiences such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles between Iran and the US
Syria says agreement reached to halt military operations in Sweida
Syria said a new ceasefire reached on Wednesday in the Druze-majority city of Sweida will bring a complete halt to...A previous truce announced on Tuesday appeared to have little effect on the ground in the southern region, where days of violence have left more than 300 dead
heikh Youssef Jarboua, a Druze spiritual leader, read out the 10 points of the accord, which also includes "the full integration of the province" of Sweida into the Syrian state
‘Strong argument’ for video in cockpit: IATA chief
Singapore, Singapore -- There is a "strong argument" for putting video cameras in airline cockpits to assist in accident investigations,...His comments followed the release of a preliminary report on last month's Air India crash, which found that the plane's engine fuel switches had been turned off.
The crash killed all but one of the 242 people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.
Summit on Palestinian statehood planned for Sept in Paris or New York
The conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, was originally planned for mid-June to revive work on the long-standing diplomatic...The meeting, which would be at ministerial level, would seek to "advance the recognition of a Palestinian state for a certain number of states who have not yet recognized it."
But it would also work "on normalization and Israel's regional integration with Arab and Muslim countries."
Israel launches strikes in Syria’s Druze area in defence of religious minority
Israel has sought to portray itself as a defender of the community, while also warning the Syrian government against maintaining...Damascus deployed troops to the area after clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes killed many people, with Syria's defence minister declaring a truce in Sweida city
Residents, however, told AFP the announcement had little discernible effect on the ground, accusing government troops and their allies of rampaging through Druze neighbourhoods
Divided EU leaves action against Israel on Gaza ‘on table,’ if humanitarian situation does not improve
The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo...EU foreign policy chief Kallas has put forward 10 potential options after Israel was found to have breached a cooperation deal between the two sides on human rights grounds
The measures range from suspending the entire accord or curbing trade ties to sanctioning Israeli ministers, imposing an arms embargo and halting visa-free travel
Drone attack shuts Iraq oil field run by US company
Arbil, Iraq -- A drone strike forced a US company to suspend operations at an oil field in Iraq's autonomous...The attack followed a similar drone strike a day earlier on an airport in neighboring Arbil province, which hosts US troops.
Long plagued by conflict, Iraq has frequently experienced such attacks, often linked to regional proxy struggles pitting Iran against the United States and its ally Israel.
Lavrov meets Xi in Beijing: Russian foreign ministry
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, Moscow said, as the top Russian...Russia's TASS news agency reported that Xi met Lavrov after the Chinese president held a "general meeting" with SCO foreign ministers
The Russian foreign minister arrived in China following a visit to North Korea, where he received assurances of support in its conflict with Ukraine
Iran says no nuclear talks if US insists it stop uranium enrichment
Washington and Tehran had been engaged in several rounds of negotiations seeking to strike a deal on the Islamic Republic's...Since the end of the hostilities, both Iran and the United States have signalled willingness to return to the table
The Omani-mediated negotiations were halted as Israel launched its surprise attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities on June 13
Trump gives Russia 50 days to make Ukraine deal or face new economic sanctions
US President Donald Trump told Russia on Monday to end its Ukraine war within 50 days or face massive new...Trump said he was "very, very unhappy" with Vladimir Putin, underlining his insistence that his patience had finally snapped with the Russian leader's refusal to end war
"We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary General
