Israel election committee votes to bar Arab parties and candidates ahead of October 27 vote
Israel's Central Elections Committee has voted to disqualify the country's two main Arab-majority political lists from next month's parliamentary election. The decision affects the Joint List and Ra'am, and also bars two individual candidates, Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh, pending review by the Supreme Court. The move could leave Palestinian citizens of Israel without their principal representatives in the Knesset if it is upheld.The committee's vote came on 26 September, ahead of the 27 October election. The Joint List is an alliance of Hadash, Balad and Ta'al, while Ra'am, also known as the United Arab List, is running separately.... [Continue Reading]
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Pakistan warns Houthi attack on Mecca or Medina would cross red line as Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani chiefs meet
Pakistan's prime minister has said any Houthi threat to Mecca or Medina would cross a red line, as military chiefs from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye met in Riyadh to discuss closer defence coordination. Shehbaz Sharif made the remarks in an address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he condemned recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. He said an attack on the Muslim holy cities would be a line that "must never be crossed".Sharif described the attacks as "deplorable" and said the group's alleged targeting of Mecca had "outraged Muslims across the globe". The Houthis, who... [Continue Reading]
Kazakh officials detained after Caspian Sea training deaths as investigation widens
Five senior military officials have been detained in Kazakhstan after 14 service members died when they were swept into the Caspian Sea during a combat training mission, authorities said. The detentions came as investigators examined decisions made during the organisation and execution of the exercise, including whether safety requirements were followed and whether weather conditions were properly taken into account. Officials said the incident happened some 43km from Aktau in south-western Kazakhstan.Those detained include the chief of staff and first deputy commander of Kazakhstan's Naval Forces, two military unit commanders, and the commanders of a marine company and a boat.... [Continue Reading]
Ethiopia conflict escalates as Tigrayan forces say they are in full-blown war
Tigrayan forces say they are in a "full-blown war" with Ethiopia's army as fighting spreads across three regions in the north of the country. The latest clashes involve Tigray, Amhara and Afar, according to the supplied material, marking the most serious escalation since the 2022 peace deal. The Tigray People's Liberation Front has also joined with former rivals to form a new opposition alliance, raising the stakes of the confrontation.The fighters say their aim is to overthrow the government in Addis Ababa, while both the federal authorities and the TPLF accuse each other of breaching the terms of the 2022... [Continue Reading]
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Italy reviews NRRP progress ahead of final EUR 28.4 billion instalment request
NRRP steering committee meeting held on 8th progress report to Parliament and fulfilment of objectives for the 10th instalment A steering committee meeting for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) was held at Palazzo Chigi today to examine the eighth NRRP progress report to Parliament and to verify fulfilment of the 156 objectives linked to the payment request for the tenth and final instalment, worth a total of EUR 28.4 billion. The meeting, called and chaired by Minister for European Affairs, the NRRP and Cohesion Policy Tommaso Foti, was attended by the Ministers and Undersecretaries in charge as well... [Continue Reading]
Israel moves to bar main Arab lists from October election
Israel's Central Elections Committee has voted to bar the country's two main Arab electoral lists from next month's election, in a move that could leave Palestinian citizens of Israel without major Knesset representation options if upheld. The decision affects the United Arab List, known as Ra'am, and the Joint List, an alliance of Arab-led parties. The committee also voted separately to disqualify Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh.The election is scheduled for October 27, and the bans are not yet final. Decisions against individual candidates require approval from the Supreme Court, while the lists themselves can... [Continue Reading]
Iraq presses ahead with plan to collect 6 million weapons despite militia pushback
Iraq says it will continue a nationwide effort to collect an estimated 6 million weapons held outside official institutions, even as it softens a key deadline and faces resistance from armed factions. The Interior Ministry said the campaign is moving ahead through negotiation rather than force. Officials say the aim is to bring weapons under state control and reduce the influence of groups operating outside the formal security system.Deputy Interior Minister Hussein al-Awadi said the September 30 deadline, which had been linked to the final withdrawal of US-led coalition forces, is now being treated as the start of a regulatory... [Continue Reading]
China expels two senior military officers as anti-corruption purge deepens
China has expelled two senior military officers from the ruling Communist Party in a further escalation of a long-running anti-corruption drive inside the armed forces. The move affects Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, both of whom held senior roles in the Central Military Commission, the body at the centre of China's defence command structure. State media said the pair were accused of corruption, political disloyalty and serious misconduct.According to the official account, the two men "seriously violated political discipline and political rules, formed cliques and factions, and were disloyal and dishonest to the party". Investigations into them were announced in... [Continue Reading]
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Russia's ruling party wins record Duma majority as war veterans enter parliament
United Russia says 49 veterans of the war against Ukraine have won seats in Russia's new State Duma, as the ruling party secured a record 355 of the 450 seats in the lower house. The figures were released after the first parliamentary election held since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The result leaves the legislature even more closely aligned with the Kremlin than before.The party's general secretary, Vladimir Yakushev, initially said 86 participants in what Moscow calls its "special military operation" would be elected, before later correcting the number to 49. United Russia's tally gives it a larger... [Continue Reading]
Dubai Property Market Faces Litmus Test as Nakheel Waterfront Investors Await Final Judicial Verdict
Hundreds of international and local investors who purchased land plots in Nakheel’s massive "Waterfront" project nearly two decades ago are holding their breath. Following the official cancellation of the project by the Dubai Land Department and its integration under Dubai Holding, a special judicial committee appointed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been tasked with resolving the liquidation and settling investor claims. ​Because the decisions of this specialized committee are legally binding and final, with no avenue for appeal, the upcoming rulings are being viewed as a critical turning point for the regulatory reputation of Dubai's... [Continue Reading]
Fear the Shia, Arm the Sunnis: The Uncomfortable Numbers Behind America’s War Narrative
“When fear is managed carefully enough, a nation can be taught to look away from the blood on the floor and stare instead at the shadow on the wall.” A friend of mine, whose name I will not reveal because he asked me not to, sat across from me over dinner and placed a question on the table that would not leave me alone. He was born into a Muslim Shia background, and for the angle of this article, that detail matters, not because I wish to reduce a man to a sect, but because sect has become one of... [Continue Reading]
The Great Uncoupling: Abu Dhabi’s Sovereign Gambit
The UAE’s decision to cut ties with OPEC is far more than a mere adjustment of energy policy, for it functions as a political telegram written in barrels and sent directly to the heart of the global order. For nearly six decades, Abu Dhabi operated within the rigid architecture of producer discipline, where it accepted the rituals of quotas, the formality of communiqués, and the heavy burden of collective restraint. It played the long game of oil diplomacy with a patient hand, balancing its own massive national ambitions against the gravity of cartel discipline and the delicate logic of Gulf... [Continue Reading]
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