English

Gavin Blackburn

Lebanon

Lebanon's government approves US proposal for Hezbollah to disarm

Hezbollah officials have said the group will not discuss giving up its remaining arsenal until Israel withdraws from five hills it is occupying inside Lebanon and stops almost daily air strikes.

Syria

Turkish FM meets Syria's president in aftermath of Suwayda clashes

Last month, Syria requested Turkey’s support to strengthen its defence capabilities following violence that increased tensions in the country and drew an Israeli military intervention.

Thailand

Thai prosecutors indict dozens linked to deadly building collapse

An investigation by police and other officials found design and structural flaws were behind the building's collapse and that some of the officially approved designs were not implemented.

Ukraine

Trump tells European leaders he will meet with Putin and Zelenskyy

Vladimir Putin held talks with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, days before the White House's revised deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal or potentially face severe economic penalties.

ADVERTISEMENT

Pakistan

Pakistan extends Afghan refugee deportation deadline to 1 September

Afghans have fled to Pakistan over the past four decades to escape war, political instability and economic hardship in their homeland.

Belarus

Belarus targets dozens of government critics with raids, activists say

Mass arrests and convictions of government critics have continued since Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth term as president in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.

Italy

Italy greenlights €13bn project to build suspension bridge to Sicily

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said the project will boost development in southern Italy, but it has raised security and environmental concerns.

Culture news

Ozzy Osbourne died of heart attack, death certificate shows

Osbourne died at home surrounded by his family on 22 July at the age of 76, just weeks after his farewell concert in Birmingham.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh's interim PM says elections will take place next February

In a televised address, Muhammad Yunus said he would request the Election Commission to organise the vote before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Turkey

Turkish parliamentary committee begins work on PKK peace initiative

The PKK had waged an armed insurgency against Turkey since 1984, initially with the aim of establishing a Kurdish state in the southeast of the country.

India

At least four killed in flash floods in northern India, officials say

Sudden, intense downpours over small areas known as cloudbursts are increasingly common in Uttarakhand, a Himalayan region prone to flash floods and landslides during the monsoon season.

USA

US Coast Guard: OceanGate's flawed practices caused Titan sub tragedy

Family members of two of the victims from the 2023 implosion are demanding tougher regulations following the damning report released on Tuesday.

Pakistan

Pakistan resumes expulsions of Afghan refugees despite UN concerns

Repatriations on such a massive scale have the potential to destabilise the fragile situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban government came into power in 2021.

Haiti

At least eight people missing after gunmen storm orphanage in Haiti

At least 175 people in Haiti were reported kidnapped from April to the end of June of this year, with 37% of those cases occurring in Port-au-Prince.

Israel

Netanyahu holds talks with officials over Gaza occupation plans

Netanyahu reportedly told ministers this week that he would seek security cabinet backing for a plan to fully occupy Gaza, despite objections from within the IDF.

France

Eurostar should be running normally from Tuesday morning, SNCF says

The widespread disruption on one of Europe's busiest international railway routes on Monday happened during the peak summer travel season.

Travel News

Amber wind warning in place as Storm Floris hits Scotland

Authorities in Scotland have cancelled trains and closed parks as Storm Floris brings destructive winds of up to 137 km/h, posing significant risks to lives and property.

USA

Trump orders two nuclear subs moved near Russia after Medvedev spat

In a social media post, Trump said the deployment was in response to threats from the country’s former President Dmitry Medvedev.

Europe News

Kyiv holds official day of mourning for 31 killed in Russian strikes

The youngest victim in Thursday's strikes was two years old and 16 of the injured were children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Europe News

Italian, Turkish and Libyan leaders meet to talk migration to Europe

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said that in 2021, 32,400 refugees and migrants had made the crossing from Libya to Europe, more than twice as many as in 2020.

ADVERTISEMENT