Israel launches new military incursion into southwestern Syria amid UN condemnation
Israeli forces have reportedly advanced toward villages in southwestern Syria in a new cross-border incursion that has drawn condemnation from the United Nations. According to Syria's state news agency, soldiers moved toward the area on Sunday, set up a checkpoint at Al-Ardah and dropped leaflets warning residents not to obstruct Israeli vehicles. Shelling was also heard nearby, adding to the sense of tension along the frontier.The reported operation came as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was visiting Syria. He condemned what he described as persistent violations of Syria's sovereignty and said breaches of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement were... [Continue Reading]
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India rules out talks with Pakistan except on POK, warns of harsh response
India's defence minister has said there are no talks with Pakistan currently planned, and that any future dialogue would be limited to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. Rajnath Singh made the remarks on Sunday during Kargil Vijay Diwas at the Kargil War Memorial in Dras, in India-administered Ladakh. He also warned that India would respond harshly to any "misadventure" by Pakistan.Singh said, "Our intention is clear. There will be no talks with Pakistan." He added that if talks were ever held, they would concern only Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, which he described as part of India and illegally occupied by Pakistan. The comments came at... [Continue Reading]
New York mayor backs away from pledge to arrest Netanyahu ahead of possible U.S. visit
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has stepped back from a campaign promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city in September. Mamdani said he does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest, reversing remarks that had drawn attention ahead of the planned United Nations General Assembly period. The issue has revived questions about the reach of an International Criminal Court warrant and how it would apply in the United States.The warrant in question was issued by the International Criminal Court in November 2024 and accuses Netanyahu of alleged war crimes and... [Continue Reading]
UNESCO adds West Bank and Lebanon sites to endangered heritage list
UNESCO has placed six sites in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon on its endangered World Heritage list after a committee vote in Busan, South Korea. The decision was taken on Friday under an emergency procedure and came despite objections from Israel. The sites were added to both the main World Heritage list and the endangered list at the same time, reflecting concern about conflict-related threats.The locations include Sebastia, a biblical archaeological site on a hilltop near Nablus in the occupied West Bank, and five castles in southern Lebanon. UNESCO member states approved the listings after Israel campaigned against them,... [Continue Reading]
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Venezuela announces withdrawal from the International Criminal Court over bias claim
Venezuela has informed the United Nations that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court, accusing the tribunal of bias against countries in the Global South. The announcement was made on Friday by Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia in a social media post, and he said the decision was ordered by interim President Delcy Rodriguez. The move marks a formal break with the court after months of political and legal friction.Plasencia said Venezuela considers the court's actions to show a "demonstrated geographical bias" that has concentrated its work on African and Latin American countries. He argued that this pattern has been... [Continue Reading]
India pushes back on China's readout of Jaishankar-Wang Yi meeting in Manila
India has disputed China's account of a meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Manila, saying New Delhi did not say it respects China's sovereignty. The exchange centres on competing readouts of remarks made on July 22, when the two ministers met on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia foreign ministers meeting in the Philippines.It adds another layer of friction to a relationship that has been shaped in recent years by border tensions and efforts to stabilise ties. At a weekly briefing on Friday, the Ministry of External Affairs said Jaishankar... [Continue Reading]
Ben-Gvir joins Al-Aqsa compound incursion as regional condemnation grows
More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Thursday, according to the latest confirmed figures in the report. The incursion took place under heavy police protection and was described as one of the largest at the site this year. Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered the compound, adding to tensions at one of the most sensitive religious sites in the city.The entry coincided with Tisha B'Av, a Jewish day of mourning, and was carried out over several hours. Palestinian officials said Israeli forces imposed tight restrictions... [Continue Reading]
China and Philippines trade blame after South China Sea confrontation, as Australia criticises Beijing
Australia has criticised Beijing after China and the Philippines traded blame over a physical confrontation between their maritime forces in the South China Sea. The dispute centres on an incident on Monday involving the China Coast Guard and the Philippine Navy, which has now drawn in other major powers with interests in the region. China's foreign ministry responded by accusing Australia of exaggerating tensions and inciting confrontation.Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Wednesday that Canberra was concerned about aggression and destabilising conduct in the region, and warned that countries had a choice to make in response. Chinese foreign ministry... [Continue Reading]
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Quad foreign ministers meet in Manila to back free and open Indo-Pacific
The foreign ministers of India, the United States, Australia and Japan met in Manila on Wednesday and reaffirmed support for a free and open Indo-Pacific. The meeting brought together External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. The talks took place in the Philippines and were framed around regional stability and cooperation with Southeast Asian states.In statements after the meeting, the ministers said they would work together to keep the Indo-Pacific stable and to support the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. Jaishankar said the... [Continue Reading]
US 25% tariff on Brazilian exports takes effect, covering about 3,000 items
A new 25% additional tariff imposed by the United States on part of Brazil's exports has taken effect, marking a fresh escalation in trade tensions between the two countries. The measure began on Wednesday and applies to about 3,000 product lines entering the US market. It excludes several major Brazilian exports, including oil, coffee and beef.The tariff was confirmed by the US government last week after an investigation concluded that Brazil uses practices that "burden or restrict" trade with the United States. The investigation cited Brazil's PIX payment system and rules for digital platforms among its examples. Brazilian officials have... [Continue Reading]
Australia raises concerns with China over submarine-launched missile test in Manila meeting
Australia's foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has raised concerns with China over a test of a nuclear-capable submarine-launched missile earlier this month. She did so during a face-to-face meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting in Manila. The discussion took place as both sides also addressed wider questions of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.According to a statement from Wong's department, the meeting was their 12th. The ministers discussed ASEAN priorities and the importance of regional stability, while Wong also raised a range of consular issues. Those included the case of... [Continue Reading]
Lebanese residents return to pilot-zone villages in south as dispute over occupation continues
Dozens of displaced residents have begun returning to villages in southern Lebanon under the first phase of a US-brokered pilot-zone plan, even as local people and Lebanese security sources dispute whether the areas were ever occupied by Israeli forces. The villages named in the latest development include Froun and Ghandouriyeh, where residents started to go back on Monday after being forced out by Israeli bombardment. The move comes as the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel begins to be tested on the ground.The United States said Froun is part of the first phase of the pilot-zone plan, while Ghandouriyeh is... [Continue Reading]
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Hundreds protest at Pine Gap in largest demonstration in decades
About 300 people have protested outside the Pine Gap defence facility in Alice Springs, in what organisers described as the largest demonstration at the site in decades. Arrernte traditional owners delivered a letter to the front gates demanding the return of their land, while protesters called for the facility to be closed. The rally took place on Monday afternoon near the high-security base, which is jointly operated by Australia and the United States.Police established traffic checks several kilometres from the site and stopped people about 200 metres from the gated entrance on foot. Protesters were required to show identification before... [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]
GAS, GOD, AND GUNS: The Secret Agenda Behind the Washington Talks and the Death of the Maritime Border
The mahogany tables of the U.S. State Department are hosting a ghost today. As official delegations from Israel and Lebanon convene for a third round of high-stakes negotiations this Friday, May 8, 2026, the air in Washington is thick with the scent of a "peace" that looks increasingly like a strategic ambush. While the world watches the diplomatic theatre, the reality on the ground in Southern Lebanon tells a story of a predatory recalibration. Prime Minister Netanyahu isn’t just looking for a ceasefire; he is aiming to hit three birds with one single, devastating stone: the annexation of land, the... [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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The Mirage of the Umbrella: The Shifting Sands of the U.S.-Israel-GCC Alliance
As I sat in a recent debate at the historic Carlton Club in London, listening to Faisal Abbas, the Editor-in-Chief of Arab News, I felt a tangible shift in the room, not because a new fact had been revealed, but because an old illusion had finally lost its last breath. The old-world order has not merely changed, it has evaporated, leaving the Gulf to realize it is no longer watching a distant fire from the safety of marble towers and air-conditioned ministries, but is instead standing directly inside the smoke. The GCC today is caught in a lethal crossfire between... [Continue Reading]




