Exclusive: Russia has secret war drones project in China, intel sources say Russia has established a weapons programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones for use in the war against Ukraine, according to two sources from a European intelligence agency and documents reviewed by Reuters. IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned…
Lebanese prime minister believes ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah possible Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed hope that a ceasefire can be reached soon to end fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah that has shaken his country and raised fears of a ground invasion. The United States, France and several allies called for an immediate 21-day ceasefire…
Hezbollah’s tunnels and flexible command weather Israel’s deadly blows Hezbollah’s flexible chain of command, together with its extensive tunnel network and a vast arsenal of missiles and weapons it has bolstered over the past year, is helping it weather unprecedented Israeli strikes, three sources familiar with the Lebanese militant group’s operations said. Israel’s assault on…
UN adopts pact that aims to save global cooperation The United Nations General Assembly adopted a “Pact for the Future” on Sunday, which U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as a landmark agreement that is a “step-change towards more effective, inclusive, networked multilateralism.” The pact, opens new tab, which also includes an annex on working toward a responsible and…
Sri Lanka’s new president Anura Kumara Dissanayake promises change Sri Lanka’s leftist leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office as president on Monday, promising change in the island nation long led by powerful political families which is emerging from its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades. Millions of Sri Lankans had voted for the opposition…
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy heads to US with ‘victory plan’ at perilous moment President Volodymyr Zelenskiy travels to the United States to set out a “victory plan” to his closest ally this week, in an urgent attempt to influence White House policy on Ukraine’s war with Russia no matter who wins the U.S. elections in November. The Ukrainian leader…
Iran’s Guards ban communications devices after strike on Hezbollah Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. One of the security…
Deadly floods add to fiscal strains in central Europe Just a week ago, before deadly floods swept through central Europe, the Czech Republic looked on track to become the first country in the region since COVID-19 to pull its budget deficit firmly below the 3% of GDP cap set by European Union rules. Now that small victory…
Israel and Hezbollah trade fire after heaviest airstrikes yet U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon urged immediate de-escalation as hostilities rumbled on at the Lebanese-Israeli border on Friday, following Israel’s most intense airstrikes in nearly a year of conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel’s military said on Thursday it had struck hundreds of Hezbollah rocket launchers that had been set to…
Cuban dissident leader wins Norwegian human rights award A Norwegian human rights foundation gave its annual prize on Thursday to jailed Cuban dissident leader Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara for his “fearless opposition to authoritarianism through art”. Four past laureates of the Rafto prize — Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, East Timor’s Jose Ramos-Horta, South Korea’s…
