Israeli drone attacks have reportedly killed two people in southern Lebanon as conflict spirals between the bordering states, Al Jazeera reports.   The Israeli attack was the first lethal action following a rocket attack on Saturday that Israel says killed 12 children and youths in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The strike has increased concern that…

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski expressed doubt about Hungary’s membership in the EU and NATO after controversial remarks by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s about Poland, the Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported on July 28.   Giving a speech at the Tuscanos Summer University on July 27, Orban had criticized Poland’s “hypocrisy,” as…

Ukrainian diplomats in the United States are working to increase the extent of F-16 fighter pilot training and training of aircraft maintenance personnel, Ukrinform reports.   Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, announced this on Ukrainian television, commenting on what might be transferred to Ukraine shortly from the military aid package announced by…

Hungary borrowed €1 billion — the largest loan ever taken out by Budapest — from three Chinese banks this spring, data from the government’s debt agency website revealed, Politico reports.   The loan, provided by the China Development Bank, the Export-Import Bank of China and the Hungarian branch of the Bank of China, was fully…

California’s largest active fire exploded in size on Friday evening, growing rapidly amid bone-dry fuel and threatening thousands of homes as firefighters scrambled to meet the danger, AP reports.   The Park Fire’s intensity and dramatic spread led fire officials to make unwelcome comparisons to the monstrous Camp Fire, which burned out of control in…

“Belgium welcomes the Council’s decision to support Armenia through the European Peace Facility.” It was mentioned in the X microblog of the Belgian MFA.

The Council appointed Magdalena Grono as EUSR for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia. Ms Grono succeeds Toivo Klaar whose tenure of over 6 years comes to an end on 31 August. She will take up her duties on 1 September 2024 for an initial period of 12 months.   As new EUSR,…

Former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Army General Dmitry Bulgakov who was in charge of troop logistics support has been apprehended on corruption charges and taken into Moscow’s Lefortovo pretrial detention facility, the press office of the Federal Security Service (FSB) told TASS on Friday.   “The Federal Security Service jointly with the Interior Ministry and…

Vice President Kamala Harris met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (July 25) in her ceremonial office at the White House, Reuters reports.   The meeting will be closely watched for signs of how Harris, who was the first top U.S. official to call for a ceasefire, could shift American policy toward Israel if…

The question of who will govern Gaza has plagued efforts to end Israel’s nine-month war to destroy Hamas. Some U.S., Israeli and Arab officials are pushing to empower a former Palestinian security chief who himself once tried to crush the militant group, was later exiled from the West Bank and now lives in Abu Dhabi. …

Reuters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sketched a vague outline of a plan for a “deradicalized” post-war Gaza in a speech to Congress on Wednesday (July 24) and touted a potential future alliance between Israel and America’s Arab allies.   While dozens of Democrats boycotted his remarks and thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated nearby, Netanyahu…

President Joe Biden framed the decision to end his re-election campaign as a “defense of democracy” in an Oval Office address Wednesday night, NBC News reports.   “I revere this office, but I love my country more. The defense of democracy is more important than any title,” Biden said. “I draw strength and find joy…

Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad in the Kremlin.   “Dear mister president, I am very happy to see you,” Putin said.   “We have the opportunity to talk about the entire set of our relations. We have not seen each other for a while,” the Russian leader added….

Ukraine will do everything possible to achieve the internationally recognised borders of 1991, there is a plan for the de-occupation of Crimea, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky said, Interfax-Ukraine reports.   In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, the colonel general said that Kyiv has a plan to return…

The European Commission has warned Slovakia that it will launch immediate legal action if the government pushes ahead with a proposed law requiring NGOs that receive funding from abroad to label themselves “organisations with foreign support”, Reuters reports. “I was in Bratislava and I was very clear,” European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova said ahead…

The United States and Iraq are on the verge of reaching a landmark agreement that would see the gradual withdrawal of American-led coalition forces from the Middle Eastern nation, The National reports.   According to Jawad al-Bulani, a member of the Iraqi delegation in Washington, both sides are at the “final stage” of concluding the…

The information of the State Security Service is disturbing, concerning a terrorist act. Some individuals dislike the standpoint of the Georgian government about the war. In these conditions, there are threats, said Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze at the briefing echoing the statement of the State Security Service of Georgia (SSG), Georgian Public Broadcaster reports….

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris opened up a marginal two-percentage-point lead over Republican Donald Trump after U.S. President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and passed the torch to her, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. That compares with a marginal two-point deficit Biden faced against Trump in last week’s poll before his exit from the race…

Member of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau praised the EU Council decision regarding Armenia.    “For the first time, the EU is providing support from the European Peace Facility to Armenia. Happy about this decision, for which I have been advocating for months”, Loiseau said in a post on X. 

Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum welcomed the EU Council decisions regarding Armenia.   “We welcome EU decision to start visa liberalisation talks with Armenia. When completed, this will allow Armenians to travel to the EU for short term visits visa-free. An important milestone in the relations between the EU and Armenia, bringing the Eastern Partnership…

Reuters. A government official in Ethiopia’s Gofa District said rescuers searching for victims of landslide got trapped themselves, pushing up the death toll which was still growing as of Monday (July 22).   At least 150 bodies were pulled from the mud on Monday following two landslides in southern Ethiopia, local authorities said.   Meskir…

Caspar Veldkamp Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands referred to the EU Council decisions on Armenia.    “I welcome the EU Council’s adoption of this assistance measure in support of the Armenian Armed Forces. This is the first time the EU has decided to support Armenia via the European Peace Facility….

Azerbaijan responded to the EU decision on military assistance to Armenia. Press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Aykhan Hajizadeh, answering the question about military aid to Armenia within the framework of the European Peace Facility, said.   “The decision of the EU to arm Armenia with multifunctional armored vehicles ‘Bastion’ and self-propelled artillery…

The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power shared a video summarizing the results of her two-day visit to Armenia, where she indicated the directions in which Armenian-American relations are developing day by day. “I am always eager to hear directly from our local USAID staff who know the issues that…

The Annan Plan proposed the establishment of a United Republic of Cyprus, a federation of two states. It was put to a referendum in 2004 and was approved by 65% of Turkish Cypriots in the north but overwhelmingly rejected by Greek Cypriots in the south, Euronews reports.   Türkiye’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has poured…

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that fighter jets struck Houthi military targets in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in western Yemen on Saturday, in an X (formerly Twitter) post. The IDF say the strikes are “in response to the hundreds of attacks” carried out by the Iran-backed group against Israel over the…

At the Shushi Global Media Forum, Ilham Aliyev referred to the peace negotiations with Armenia, noted that there is progress in the peace treaty, and 80-90 percent of the text has been agreed upon.   According to the President of Azerbaijan, there are unresolved issues. First, Armenia does not agree to some proposals. It refers…

We are witnessing historical changes in the South Caucasus, the President of Azerbaijan announced at the Shushi Global Media Forum. Ilham Aliyev noted that traditional alliances have weakened and new forms of cooperation have emerged.   “Geopolitical changes are taking place in the region. Enough of the conflicts and confrontations,” he added.   Aliyev referred…

Israeli airstrikes have killed 11 people in the central and northern Gaza Strip, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera TV channel reports.   According to the broadcaster, six people were killed in Israeli attacks on a residential building and a group of civilians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Another airstrike targeted a private house…

US President Joe Biden is looking forward to “getting back on the campaign trail next week”, fortifying his commitment to stick in the race as more Democrats on Friday called for him to step aside as the party nominee, BBC reports.   “The stakes are high, and the choice is clear. Together, we will win,”…