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More than 130 retired diplomats and other former senior US officials issued an open letter on Thursday criticizing a planned overhaul of the State Department that could see thousands of employees laid off. “We strongly condemn Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s announced decision to implement sweeping staff reductions and
Politics
Ethiopia moved on Thursday to reassure Egypt about its water supply after completing work on a controversial giant $4 billion dam on the Blue Nile. “To our neighbors downstream, our message is clear: the dam is not a threat, but a shared opportunity,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said. “The energy
Middle East
The US imposed sanctions on Thursday against a network that smuggles Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil, and on a Hezbollah-controlled financial institution, the Treasury Department said. A network of companies run by Iraqi-British national Salim Ahmed Said has been buying and shipping billions of dollars worth of Iranian oil
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US President Donald Trump said on Friday it would probably be known in 24 hours whether the Palestinian militant group Hamas has agreed to accept what he has called a “final proposal” for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza. The president also said he had spoken to Saudi Arabia about expanding
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An explosive drone was shot down near Irbil airport in northern Iraq on Thursday, the Iraqi Kurdistan’s counter-terrorism service said in a statement. There were no casualties reported, according to two security sources. The “Flight operations at the airport continued normally and the airport was not affected by any
Politics
The Israeli military is preparing an enforcement plan to “ensure that Iran cannot return to threaten Israel,” Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told senior military officials. He said the military must be prepared, both in intelligence and operations, to ensure Israel has air superiority and to prevent Tehran from reestablishing
Live News
A wildfire killed a second person in Türkiye’s western Izmir province on Tuesday as blazes raged for a seventh day across several regions, while a little-known group claiming ties to Kurdish militants said it was behind dozens of arson attacks. The latest casualty was a backhoe operator, Ibrahim Demir,
Politics
President Donald Trump told reporters early on Friday he is disappointed in Russian President Vladimir Putin and does not think Putin will stop the war in Ukraine. Trump also said he will speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday. Earlier on Thursday, Trump said that a phone call Putin
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Waves of drone and missile attacks targeted Kyiv overnight into Friday in the largest aerial attack since Russia’s war in Ukraine began, injuring 23 people and inflicting damage across multiple districts of the capital. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight, the country’s air force said.
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Pakistan’s army said Friday it had killed 30 militants attempting to cross the border from Afghanistan over the last three days, after 16 soldiers died in a suicide attack in the same frontier region last week. The militants belonged to the Pakistan Taliban or its affiliated groups, the military
Politics
A Kurdish militant group that has waged a long-running insurgency in Türkiye announced Thursday its fighters in northern Iraq will begin handing over their weapons, marking the first concrete step toward disarmament as part of a peace process. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, announced in May it would disband
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An Israeli drone attack hit a car on Khaldeh Road in southern Beirut at about 5 p.m. on Thursday. Initial reports suggested one person was killed and at least four injured. The drone fired two guided missiles at the vehicle, scoring direct hits. The road on which it was
Live News
Iran remains committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its safeguards agreement, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday, a day after Tehran enacted a law suspending cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog. “Our cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) will be channeled through Iran’s Supreme National
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With South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir undergoing medical tests abroad after years of rumors about his health, analysts say a long-gestating plan has been set in motion to secure his succession. Kiir returned from at least 10 days in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, with state media saying
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Improved relations between Arab Gulf countries and Iran helped contain the recent conflict with Israel, Middle East experts said on Wednesday during a discussion about regional developments. Israel attacked Iran on June 13 with airstrikes targeting its nuclear program and military sites. Iran retaliated during the 12-day conflict by launching
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A woman in her 70s was killed, and two other people injured, by falling debris from a destroyed Ukrainian drone in Russia’s southwestern region of Lipetsk, regional governor Igor Artamonov said early on Thursday. The debris fell on a residential building in the district surrounding the regional capital, killing