Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with...Geostrategy
Publishers fight back against US book bans
Frankfurt, Germany -- Escalating attempts to remove works featuring themes such as LGBTQ lifestyles and race relations from US bookshelves...Geostrategy
Trump announces phased ceasefire to end conflict, Iran offers to halt strikes if Israel stops
The adversaries had been swapping missile fire since Israel carried out surprise "preemptive" strikes against Iran on June 13, targeting...Trump had said the ceasefire would be a phased 24-hour process beginning at around 0400 GMT Tuesday, with Iran halting all operations. Israel would follow suit 12 hour later
Abbas Araghchi suggested that Iran had already halted its operation at 4am Tehran time (0030 GMT) -- and wanted a simultaneous end in attacks from Israel as well
Iranian ballistic missiles target US base in Qatar, the largest in Middle East
No casualties reported in the attack that came a day after the US attacked three key nuclear facilities in Iran....
EU seeks Gaza progress after Israel found in breach of cooperation deal
Brussels, Belgium -- The EU said Monday that Israel must improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or else face possible...The European Union's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said the bloc hopes to use a review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement to pressure Israel to ease suffering in Gaza.
The bloc last month launched an audit of the EU-Israel deal, which forms the basis for trade ties, under one of its articles calling for respect of human rights.
Airlines suspend or reduce flights in Middle East after Iran strikes
British Airways cancelled flights between London's Heathrow Airport and Dubai and Doha on Sunday following the US strikes on Iran....Germany's Lufthansa group, whose other airlines include Swiss, Austrian and ITA, has suspended flights to the Middle East until June 30.
Turkish airline Pegasus has scrapped flights to Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon until June 30, and Iran until July 30.
Oil prices seesaw as investors await Iran response to US strikes
US stocks edged higher while European markets retreated and Asian equities were mixed, with markets keeping a close eye on...They later dipped briefly into the red and then wobbled, standing down around one percent as European markets closed.
Iran is the world's ninth-biggest oil-producing country, exporting just under half of the 3.3 million barrels it produces per day.
Netanyahu says returning Gaza hostages will take ‘a bit more time’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday insisted gains in the conflict against Iran would help with the country's war..."Our successes in Iran are contributing to the successes in Gaza, but it will still take a bit more time," added the Israeli premier
They were constantly acting on several fronts, he added, "...but we are getting closer, step by step, to our objectives, Netanyahu said
Iran threatens US bases in response to strikes on nuclear sites
Iran on Sunday threatened US bases in the Middle East after massive air strikes that Washington said had destroyed Tehran's...International concern focused on fears that the unprecedented US attacks would deepen conflict in the volatile region after Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran
Netanyahu meanwhile said his country's military strikes will "finish" once the objectives of destroying Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities are achieved
UN’s Syria envoy outraged by Damascus church attack
The United Nations special envoy for Syria denounced Sunday's attack on a church in Damascus that killed at least 20...Syria's interior ministry said a member of the Islamic State jihadist group was behind the attack, in which dozens of people were wounded
UN envoy Geir Pedersen "condemns in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack at St. Elias Church... which killed and injured civilians who were attending mass."
Massive US bunker-buster bombs make combat debut in Iran strikes
The US military says the GBU-57 -- also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- is designed to penetrate up to 200...The 6.6-meter-long GBU-57 also has a specialized fuse as "you need an explosive that's not going to immediately explode under that much shock and pressure," Dahlgren said.
The only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 is the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber.
Risk of wider conflict flare up as US claims strikes ‘devastated’ Iran’s nuclear program
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had "crossed a very big red...People gathered in the center of Tehran to protest against US and Israeli attacks, waving flags and chanting slogans, state TV showed.
The European Union called on all sides "to step back," while stressing Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
