World

NATO Summit Seeks to Keep Trump Happy and Alliance United
NATO Summit Seeks to Keep Trump Happy and Alliance United

  NATO leaders will seek to lock in US President Donald Trump's commitment to their alliance with a summit pledge to boost defence spending, as they gather Tuesday in The Hague with global attention focused on Iran. The overriding focus of the gathering, which kicks off with dinner hosted by the Dutch king, has been on keeping Trump ...

UN Condemns 'Weaponisation of Food' in Gaza
UN Condemns 'Weaponisation of Food' in Gaza

The United Nations on Tuesday condemned Israel's apparent "weaponisation of food" in Gaza, a war crime, and urged Israel's military to "stop shooting at people trying to get food". "Israel's militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution," the UN human rights office said in ...

Drones Hit Radar Systems at Iraqi Military Bases
Drones Hit Radar Systems at Iraqi Military Bases

Unidentified drones struck radar systems at two military bases in Iraq early Tuesday, security sources said. The strikes came hours after Iran launched missiles at a US military facility in Qatar --the largest US military facility in the Middle East -- in retaliation for the American bombing of Tehran's nuclear facilities. The first attack ...

Syria Announces Arrests over Damascus Church Attack
Syria Announces Arrests over Damascus Church Attack

Syrian authorities on Monday announced arrests over a suicide blast targeting a church blamed on the Islamic State group, as President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed those involved in the "heinous" attack would face justice. The shooting and suicide bombing Sunday at the Saint Elias church in the working-class Dwelaa district of the Syrian capital killed ...

Oil Prices Drop as Israel Agrees to Ceasefire Proposal
Oil Prices Drop as Israel Agrees to Ceasefire Proposal

Oil prices sank more than five percent Tuesday after Israel said it had agreed to US President Donald Trump's proposal for a bilateral ceasefire with Iran. Shares in Asia were buoyant, as fears of an energy market shock eased following 12 days of war between Israel and its arch-foe. London, Paris and Frankfurt also rose at the open. At around ...

Between the Christians of the Middle East and Tehran’s Judas
Op-edBetween the Christians of the Middle East and Tehran’s Judas

The 1994 bombing of Saydet al-Najat (or Our Lady of Deliverance Church) in Lebanon, given its historical weight and political context, remains a haunting reference point – almost a syndrome of its own. Like the Stockholm or London syndromes, the term “Our Lady of Deliverance Syndrome” is now invoked, especially by ...

Debating Tom Friedman on ‘Global Struggle’
Op-edDebating Tom Friedman on ‘Global Struggle’

I have great admiration for Thomas Friedman and have long followed his writings. He was instrumental in shaping my support for democracy when he argued that two democracies would not go to war. He supported toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, as I did, and we both believe that the nation-state is, in some ways, a defunct concept. Today, ...

Russian Drone Attacks Kill three in Northeast Ukraine
Russian Drone Attacks Kill three in Northeast Ukraine

Russian drone attacks killed three people near the northeastern city of Sumy, including a five-year-old child, local authorities said on Tuesday. It came a day after Ukraine said Russia carried out dozens of drone and missile strikes on its territory, killing 10 people in the capital Kyiv. Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war have ...

Syria’s Christians in the New Order: A Fight for Survival
ReportSyria’s Christians in the New Order: A Fight for Survival

The suicide bombing that struck Saint Elias Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday, June 22, in Damascus’s Dwelaa district has reignited deep fears among Syria’s Christian community – already alarmed by the growing influence of Islamist groups in the country. The attack, claimed by the “Saraya Ansar al-Sunna” group, killed at least 22 ...

Israel-Iran, Day 12: Daybreak Confusion, Ceasefire Claims Collide with Renewed Strikes
Israel-Iran, Day 12: Daybreak Confusion, Ceasefire Claims Collide with Renewed Strikes

At dawn on Tuesday, uncertainty still seems to master of ceremony. What was announced just hours earlier as the beginning of a ceasefire appeared anything but, as missile sirens blared across Israeli cities and explosions lit up the skies over Tehran. As U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire had taken effect Tuesday morning, ...

Iran Says \
Iran Says "No Agreement" as of Now on Ceasefire With Israel

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that there was no ceasefire agreement with Israel as of now, but if it stopped its attacks then Tehran would also stop firing. "As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations," Araghchi posted on social media, shortly after the US president announced ...

New Series of Explosions in Tehran
New Series of Explosions in Tehran

A series of powerful explosions rocked Tehran early Tuesday morning, according to AFP journalists. Warplanes buzzed overhead as explosions shook the north and centre of Iran's capital around 3:00 am (2330 GMT). The blasts occurred just hours before a staggered ceasefire was due to take effect around 0400 GMT, with Iran unilaterally halting ...