Pakistan says peace talks with Afghanistan ‘failed’
Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan said Wednesday that negotiations for a lasting truce with Afghanistan had "failed to bring about a...Geostrategy
Erdogan hails Eurofighter jets deal as ‘new symbol’ of strategic ties with Britain
"We regard this step as a new symbol of the strategic relations between our two close allies," he said after...Geostrategy
Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal Thursday over a story about...The Journal story says the letter featuring a sketch of a naked woman and Trump's signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003
Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker "was told directly by (White House press secretary) Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE."
Europeans tell Iran will reimpose sanctions if no progress on nuclear deal: France
Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not...The diplomats, from Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of "their determination to use the 'snapback' mechanism
They are applying pressure to convince Iran of "the urgency of returning to the diplomatic path without delay, in order to reach a robust, verifiable, and durable agreement."
Erdogan accuses Israel of using Druze as pretext to expand into Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for..."I want to state this once again, clearly and directly: Israel is a lawless, unruly, unprincipled, spoiled, pampered, and greedy terrorist state," Erdogan said
"At this stage, the biggest problem in our region is Israel's aggression... If the monster is not stopped immediately, it will not hesitate to throw first our region," he added
Baghdad and Arbil agree to resume Kurdish oil exports: government
Baghdad, Iraq -- The Iraqi government announced Thursday an agreement to resume crude exports from the autonomous Kurdistan region after...Lucrative oil exports have been a major point of tension between Baghdad and Arbil, with a key pipeline through Turkey shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues.
Oil exports were previously independently sold by the Kurdistan region, without the approval or oversight of the central administration in Baghdad, through the port of Ceyhan.
Israeli tank shell strikes Gaza’s only Catholic church, killing three
Pope Leo XIV said he was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life, which a witness said was the result...The site was sheltering around 600 displaced people, the majority of them children and 54 with special needs.
"The people in the Holy Family Compound are people who found in the Church a sanctuary," the Patriarchate said.
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
