Iran probe finds Raisi helicopter crash caused by weather: media
Iran's army in May similarly said it had found no evidence of criminal activity in the crash that also killed...Geostrategy
Putin in Azerbaijan for state visit amid Ukraine offensive on Russian soil
Aliyev and Putin will sign joint documents and make statements to the press, said Russian agency Ria Novosti. On Monday,...Geostrategy
Vessel reports missile attack off Yemen’s coast: security firms
Another security firm, Ambrey, said the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier "was targeted by missiles in two separate incidents" within...The incident occurred before 0400 local time (0100 GMT) in an area where Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted Red Sea shipping in recent months, UKMTO said
Houthis' attacks prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade
Israeli military says 2 hostages rescued in overnight Gaza operation
The military said in a statement that "during a joint IDF (military), ISA (Shin Bet security agency), and Israel Police...During the October 7 attacks, Palestinian fighters seized about 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel says around 130 are still in Gaza
Dozens of captives taken on October 7 were released during a one-week truce in November that also saw the release of more than 200 Palestinian captives held in Israeli jails
Iraq resumes talks with US on coalition forces exit
According to the military spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, the discussions aim to schedule a timeline for a pullout of...The US-led military coalition was set up in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group
Since October, US and allied troops have been targeted more than 165 times in the region
Hospitalized Pentagon chief hands duties to deputy
The latest health scare came weeks after it emerged that Austin, 70, had kept previous hospital stays secret and had...Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks "assumed the functions and duties" just before 5:00 pm (2200 GMT), Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said
Austin was "admitted into the critical care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for supportive care and close monitoring," the Pentagon said
More than 50 people killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah
Witnesses heard an intense series of strikes and saw smoke billowing above the city, which now hosts more than half...Israeli military said that it had conducted a series of strikes in the Gaza Strip
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his army to prepare a ground offensive on Rafah
India says Qatar freed eight ex-navy personnel
"The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained...In October, India said it was "shocked" after a Qatari court had sentenced them to death, but the sentence was reduced in December
The Hindu newspaper reported the men were spying for a "third country", while the Times of India has said that "they were accused of spying for Israel."
Saudi Arabia sends $250m to bolster Yemeni government
Saudi Arabia said it had disbursed $250 million in aid to the internationally-recognized government in Yemen. The money follows an...The Yemeni government relocated to Aden, a port city on the southern coast, after the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
In 2015 Saudi Arabia mobilized an international coalition intended to oust the Houthis.
IMF chief says Israel-Hamas war ‘devastating’ Palestinian economy
"The Palestinian economy's dire outlook is worsening as the conflict persists," managing director Kristalina Georgieva told the World Governments Summit...In the war-ravaged coastal territory, economic activity dropped 80 percent from October through December compared with a year earlier, the IMF chief said.
The IMFÂ now sees the economies of the region expanding 2.9 percent this year, a decrease of half a percentage point from its October forecast.
UN’s IMO working ‘tirelessly’ to solve Red Sea crisis: head
Yemen's Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have launched dozens of attacks against ships in the Red Sea since November, targeting...Secretary General Dominguez said IMO is working to ensure that "parties continue to talk so that the situation does not degenerate any further"
Many shipowners have decided to stop operating in the Red Sea, instead sending their ships on the longer route around the south of Africa
Climate change parches Morocco breadbasket amid policy pitfalls
Berrechid, Morocco -- Around this time every year, Moroccan wheat farmer Abderrahim Mohafid is usually preparing for his spring harvest, but...Morocco has seen only about half the rainfall it did during the same period last year, the country's water minister Nizar Baraka told AFP.
The sector accounts for 14 percent of Morocco's exports, with exported produce seen as more profitable than that sold in domestic markets.