World leaders gathered at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday as the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) moved into its second day. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Finland’s President Alexander Stubb were among those who arrived at the UN for the high-level debate. Wednesday’s lineup of speakers includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,...
WORLD
Israel Strikes Yemen’s Hodeidah Port
Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah Port, a strategic site controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the operation targeted military infrastructure used by the Houthis, who have been involved in missile and drone attacks against Israel and its allies. This move follows a pattern of escalating hostilities between Israel and...
GCC to activate defence mechanism; Doha summit slams Israel’s Qatar attack
An emergency summit of Arab and Islamic country leaders held in Doha has condemned Israel’s “cowardly” attack on Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, but the participants made no promises of concrete action. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s pledge to “activate a joint defence mechanism” may have been the most actionable result of the summit, which was opened by Qatari...
Trump ‘ready’ to sanction Russia if Nato nations stop buying its oil
US President Donald Trump has said he is ready to impose tougher sanctions on Russia, but only if Nato countries meet certain conditions which include stopping buying Russian oil. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said he was “ready to do major sanctions on Russia” once Nato nations had “agreed, and started, to do the same thing”....
Putin proposes Shanghai Cooperation Organisation members should issue joint bonds
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday proposed that members of the 10-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should sell joint bonds, a step that would mark a major deepening of their economic cooperation. At a summit of the group in China, Putin also floated the idea of a joint payments system for trade settlements. The SCO, set up in 2001, is...
Protesters in Israel demand hostage release, end to Gaza war
The Israeli army said its initial inquiry into the strike at the Nasser Hospital in the Gaza Strip suggests soldiers had identified a camera which, according to the army, was positioned at the hospital by Hamas to observe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activities. According to an IDF statement, the soldiers decided to act against the camera, adding that while six of...
Netanyahu Doubles Down on Gaza Offensive After Global Backlash
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel defended on Sunday his government’s plan to launch a renewed offensive against Hamas in parts of Gaza, following a wave of international condemnation from traditional allies and critics at home. The Israeli military was preparing to expand its campaign to central Gaza as well as Gaza City, Mr. Netanyahu told reporters at a news...
France wildfire is ‘catastrophe on an unprecedented scale’, says PM
French Prime Minister François Bayrou says a huge, deadly wildfire sweeping through the south of France is a “catastrophe on an unprecedented scale”. He has been visiting the Aude region, where wildfires have scorched an area larger than Paris. Bayrou said the wildfire is linked to global warming and drought. An elderly woman has been killed and at least one...
Trump doubles tariffs on India to 50%, but offers 21 days window for negotiations
Ramping up pressure on India before US negotiators are expected to reach India on August 25, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday doubled the tariffs on India to 50 per cent, but there is a 21-day window before the additional tariff of 25 per cent comes into effect, offering India a window to strike a trade deal. A White House...
Netanyahu asks Red Cross for help after ‘profound shock’ of Gaza hostage videos
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Sunday (August 3, 2025) to aid hostages in Gaza, as outrage built at videos showing two of them emaciated. The premier’s office said he spoke to the ICRC coordinator for the region, Julien Lerisson, and “requested his involvement in providing food to our...
Trump sends nuclear submarines toward Russia fires back at Putin crony’s bold threat
In a dramatic turn of global events, President Donald Trump has ordered two U.S. nuclear submarines to be strategically deployed near Russian waters. This powerful move comes after Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, former president and current deputy chairman of the Security Council, made what Trump called “foolish and inflammatory” threats, evoking Cold War-era nuclear rhetoric. The decision is not just a...
8.8 magnitude earthquake: Volcano erupts in Russia, tsunami waves reach California
A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Pacific coast, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuations of coastal areas in Hawaii and alerts along the United States’ West Coast. The intense quake — about 85 miles off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula — was one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded, and the world’s largest since 2011. In the U.S., initial...