Region

August 24, 2026

Saudi Crown Prince, Macron attend Esports World Cup closing ceremony in Paris

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday attended the awards ceremony for the 2026 Esports World Cup in Paris alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Grand Palais, as part of the Crown Prince’s state visit to France. Macron presented AG.AL with the Esports World Cup title following seven weeks of elite competition. The Esports World Cup was launched…
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August 23, 2026

Australia says relations with Israel ‘difficult’ after aid worker death

SYDNEY — Australia’s top diplomat Penny Wong on Thursday said relations with Israel were “difficult” after it dropped a probe into the killing of aid worker Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom and her colleagues in Gaza. Australian national Frankcom was among a group of seven World Central Kitchen staff killed in April 2024 when their aid convoy was hit by an Israeli…
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August 23, 2026

Visiting Iraq, Iran’s parliament speaker hails ‘new order’ in the region

BAGHDAD — Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Wednesday stressed the importance of strengthening the “new order” in the region, on the first stop in a three-day visit to Iraq. Ghalibaf’s trip comes at a time when Iraq is facing American pressure to disarm factions close to Tehran, which wields significant political influence in Iraq. Prime Minister Ali al…
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August 23, 2026

Syria requests to join anti-chemical weapons partnership

DAMASCUS — Syria on Friday said it had requested to join the International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons on the anniversary of a 2013 chemical attack on a suburb of the capital Damascus. In a joint statement with France commemorating the attack during former leader Bashar Al Assad’s rule on rebel-held areas, Syria announced its bid…
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August 23, 2026

Turkey issues arrest warrant for Israel’s Netanyahu

ANKARA — Turkey has issued an international arrest warrant for Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of an investigation into Israel’s interception of an aid flotilla for Gaza, Justice Minister Akin Gurlek announced Friday on X. Turkey has already issued warrants against Netanyahu and other top officials for “genocide” over Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. Turkey and Israel…
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August 23, 2026

As election looms, Netanyahu puts Turkey in Israel’s crosshairs

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — After more than two years of ordering attacks on Israel’s enemies across the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a tough re-election fight, is zeroing in on another perceived villain — Turkey. On Tuesday, warplanes bombed a base in northern Syria a short drive from the Turkish border. Netanyahu said Turkey was looking to establish a…
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August 23, 2026

Israel army chief vows in Syria to deter threats to border

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel’s army chief said Wednesday during a visit to an Israeli-occupied security zone in southern Syria that the military would not allow threats to “establish themselves” on the border. “We are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders, and we will know how to use…
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August 23, 2026

Trump vows ‘tremendous’ economic costs on Iran partners

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he was launching a major new campaign to target Iran’s economy, threatening “tremendous” punishment on any country that helps or does business with the Islamic republic. The intensified economic pressure campaign comes as the war nears its sixth month with no immediate diplomatic or military off-ramp in sight and the…
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August 23, 2026

Yemen govt warns Houthis planning to seize Bab al Mandab coast

DUBAI — A Yemeni minister has warned that the country’s Houthi rebels are plotting to seize land along the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which would allow the group to further threaten the vital shipping artery. Three Houthi military sources and a spokesman for Yemeni government forces bordering the waterway also told AFP the rebels are planning to advance. Such an assault,…
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August 23, 2026

UAE says Iran fired ballistic missiles at shipping

DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday said that Iran had fired two ballistic missiles at shipping in the Gulf, an allegation later denied by Tehran. “UAE air defences detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran toward the country, with the first falling outside the country’s territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters,” the ministry said,…
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