US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told several allied foreign ministers that Washington does not expect to launch new strikes against Iran “for the time being,” signaling a shift toward economic and maritime pressure, Axios reported.   Citing a US official and a second source with knowledge of the matter, Axios said Rubio reportedly…

If a referendum on Armenia becoming a member in the European Union (EU) or staying in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) were held in the near future, those in Russia would be very upset by how the population of Armenia would respond, Alen Simonyan, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, stated during an interview…

Mélanie Joly, Canada’s minister of industry, rebuffed President Trump’s warning to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” on Tuesday, saying Canadians will “always call it Lake Ontario,” The Hill reports.   “We’re proud of our Great Lakes,” Joly told reporters during a Tuesday press conference. “We’ve navigated the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes, for thousands…

Iran’s Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh said Tehran is fully prepared to confront US sanctions, declaring that Washington “will not be able to cut our financial arteries.”   “We have been preparing for these days for a long time,” Madanizadeh told state television, saying Iran had been aware of American plans and that the government had…

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has met with Israeli intelligence officials in Jordan, according to Syrian state media, as the two sides work to de-escalate tensions following an Israeli attack on a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border, Al Jazeera reports.   Syria’s Sana news agency, citing a diplomatic source, said the talks were mediated…

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk has said that Moscow is ready to begin constructive dialogue with Armenia on phytosanitary controls, TASS news agency reported.   “The issue is not whether Armenia will ‘come to its senses or not,’ but that phytosanitary control requirements must be met. And, naturally, we are ready for such constructive…

 French President Emmanuel Macron has promised to accelerate the delivery of new French equipment to Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday, following a call in ​which they discussed Kyiv’s shortage of air defences, Reuters reports.   Zelenskiy said he had spoken for almost two hours with Macron, who ‌expressed his willingness to intercede…

Some countries have expressed interest in joining the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. An adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh said the country is ready to consider joining the alliance, taking into account national interests and the changing international situation.   Earlier, the Syrian Foreign Minister said that the…

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday that its forces continued to strike ports and ships being used in support of the Ukrainian military, while Ukraine said it had attacked a Russian oil refinery and an airbase, Reuters reports.   According to the ministry, Russian drones struck a military depot in the port of Reni,…

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have decided to return to the United Kingdom for an extended stay starting this fall, but they won’t resume their roles as working members of the royal family, The Associated Press reports.   The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, have already enrolled at British schools…

Defense Minister Israel Katz says that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “dragging Turkey into dangerous adventures in Syria,” after the IDF bombed a Syrian air base this week due to what it says was a Turkish military buildup at the site, a claim both Damascus and Ankara have denied, The Times of Israel reports….

Irakli Kobakhidze met with the Turkish Ambassador to Georgia Mustafa Turker. According to the Georgian government, the meeting discussed issues related to the strategic partnership between the two countries and the possibilities for deepening relations.   They touched upon joint regional programs and the importance of strengthening trade and economic ties. The importance of ensuring…

Ukraine’s parliament approved ​the appointment of ‌Yevhenii Khmara as new ​defence minister ​on Wednesday, Reuters reports.   President Volodymyr ⁠Zelenskiy nominated ​Khmara, whom ​he had earlier appointed as acting ​minister, ​after the ousting of ‌Mykhailo ⁠Fedorov in July. Նյութերը գեներացվում են տարբեր կայքերից արհեստական բանականության միջոցով

US President Donald Trump is pushing his aides to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as soon as this fall, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.   The report, citing US officials, said Trump has privately discussed meeting Kim in person during his next trip to Asia, which could take place…

The President of Azerbaijan received the newly appointed Ambassador of Great Britain. Duncan Norman welcomed the efforts to establish peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the progress achieved.   He also noted that work on a new strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Great Britain continues. The Ambassador emphasized that this, among other things, will allow…

More than 600 drones targeted the city of Moscow on the night of 17-18 August, with 180 reportedly “destroyed” over Moscow Oblast.   After 02:30 Kyiv time, Sobyanin began reporting drones “flying towards Moscow” being shot down.   In less than an hour, Russian authorities reported 23 such drones.   Russian authorities and media outlets…

Ukraine is already officially purchasing a new guided aerial bomb for the Armed Forces, while simultaneously developing nearly a dozen similar weapons that could change the balance in the skies, Colonel Vladyslav Voloshyn, head of the Central Directorate for Innovation Activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said in a comment to Ukrinform.   After…

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if the Gulf country “gets in the way” of Washington’s efforts to strike a peace deal with Iran, FT reports.   Fox News reported on Monday that the president had delivered the threat in response to questions from a reporter, as tensions between Washington and Tehran…

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, has announced a further expansion of the sanctions list against Russia.   In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt on Monday, she announced that the number of sanctioned Russian entities would increase by a third under the new European sanctions package.   “This…

The death toll from an earthquake that struck Indonesia on August 15 has risen to 38, The New York Times reported.   According to the newspaper, data from the US Geological Survey showed that the earthquake struck north of the island of Flores, about 1,000 miles east of the country’s capital, Jakarta.   Indonesia’s Meteorology,…

US President Donald Trump said he plans to soon declare the Strait of Hormuz “a territory of the United States” as he once again asserted U.S. control of the critical waterway amid the war in Iran, USA Today reports.   Trump made the extraordinary remark as he touted the success of an American naval blockade…

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he will impose tariffs on imports of drones and their components, including from some key U.S. allies, with the Trump administration saying the country was “too reliant” ​on foreign sources of drones, Reuters reports. A proclamation signed by Trump imposes a 100% ad valorem ​tariff on drones of…

Reuters/CCTV. U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that the United States had “total control” over the Strait of Hormuz and will “keep it.”   Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. naval blockade of the waterway had been described as a “wall of steel” and said Iran lacked the capability to challenge it….

Reuters/CCTV. Thousands of volunteers and rescuers are racing against time to find survivors trapped under the rubble in Cali, western Colombian, as the critical 72-hour rescue window nears its close following Monday’s devastating earthquake.   Rescue workers raised their arms to call for silence upon hearing signs of life beneath the rubble, bringing all activity…

Despite publicly pledging his support for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has largely avoided sending Chechens to the front en masse, The Economist reported on Aug. 11, citing a source close to the republic’s leadership.   Kadyrov does not want to sacrifice Chechnya’s population for the “Russian world,” the…

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened retaliation for Western seizures of its commercial vessels, describing them as “piracy.”   Speaking on a visit to a Russian warship that was taking part in a naval exercise in the Pacific, Putin described the Western moves to detain vessels linked to Russia as a breach of international…

The United States and 40 other nations have called for at least 24 hours’ notice before long-range ballistic missile launches, following a rare Chinese missile test in the Pacific last month that they said raised concerns over accidents and military miscalculation.   In a joint statement released by the US State Department on Tuesday, the…

Reuters. A Syrian court sentenced ousted leader Bashar al-Assad to death on Tuesday (August 11) after a trial in absentia, convicting him of crimes including killings, torture, and arbitrary arrest during the country’s nearly 14-year war.   It was the first conviction against Assad, who was ousted in a rebel offensive in December 2024 that…

Reuters. Turkey’s parliament passed a law on Monday (August 10) establishing a legal framework for the disbandment of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a major step toward ending a decades-old conflict that has killed tens of thousands.   The legislation provides legal protections for many former militants who have not committed specific crimes and…

Reuters/CCTV. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that “we are only semi-negotiating” with Iran, noting that he is prepared to allow economic pressure on Iran to mount — as opposed to ordering a new military offensive, Axios reported.   “We are low keying it,” Trump told Axios during a brief phone call, arguing that…