"The Islamic Republic believes it can score points by showing strength," Middle East expert and veteran journalist Menashe Amir told DW. However, "the strategy of demonstrating strength could backfire on Iran this time," he added. Amir said that Iran has lost much of its regional influence, with Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi rebels, and proxy groups in Iraq and Syria all significantly weakened. If the Iranian leadership is not prepared to at least publicly distance itself from its confrontational policy toward the West, this could make another war inevitable, he warned.
The main Palestinian factions have said they have agreed that an independent committee of technocrats would take over the running of Gaza after Hamas said it had received clear guarantees from mediators that the war has effectively ended. A joint statement published on the Hamas website said the groups had agreed in a meeting in Cairo to hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a temporary Palestinian committee composed of independent technocrats', which will manage the affairs of life and basic services
In an article last week, Gu Jianyi, a researcher at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, said China could consider developing a new industrial ecosystem inspired by successful US firms such as SpaceX, Palantir and Anduril. Such an ecosystem would be defined by Silicon Valley-style innovation, software-centric design, agile development and civil-military integration.
US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Russia's top oil firms, Rosneft and Lukoil, on Wednesday in an effort to pressure Putin to reach a ceasefire in his country's invasion of Ukraine. Trump's sanctions carried the threat of risks to foreign financial institutions that do business with these firms a warning that could make it harder for countries like India to continue to buy oil from Moscow.
For decades, USAID was one of the greatest tools America had to promote democratic values in Russia. The agency extended humanitarian assistance while fostering political reform, and in doing so endeared the United States to Russians even as it undercut the Kremlin's authoritarian ambitions. It was a supreme example of soft power: working "through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion," as the political scientist Joseph S. Nye Jr. defined the term.
Afghanistan and Pakistan will begin peace talks on October 18 in the Qatari capital of Doha after border clashes and attacks raised fears of an all-out war between the two countries. Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend their 48-hour truce late on October 17 for the duration of the Doha talks, as they aim to resolve the worst violence between the two countries since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021.
TOKYO Japan's former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who was known for his 1995 "Murayama statement" apologizing to Asian victims of his country's aggression, died Friday. He was 101. Murayama died at a hospital in his hometown Oita, southwestern Japan, according to a statement by Mizuho Fukushima, the head of Japan's Social Democratic Party. As head of what was then known as the Japan Socialist Party, Murayama led a coalition government from June 1994 to January 1996.
United States President Donald Trump has expressed optimism about ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as he hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. On Friday, Trump also told reporters that Zelenskyy will be in touch during upcoming negotiations in Hungary, where the US president will meet with Russia's Vladimir Putin. list of 3 itemsend of list But direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders are unlikely, according to Trump, who reemphasised there's a lot of blood between the two presidents.
Earlier this week, Hamas and Israel agreed to a ceasefire that included the release of the twenty living hostages who remained in Gaza and some two thousand Palestinians who are held in Israeli jails. The success of the exchange has raised hopes that the devastating war may really be coming to an end. President Donald Trump, who took credit for the deal after pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept it, now wants both sides to implement his twenty-point peace plan,
Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto thought he was having a private word with US president Donald Trump at the Gaza peace summit in Egypt this week. Instead what unfolded was a hot-mic slip up, with Prabowo heard asking Trump to line up a call with his son Eric, or his son Don Jr, who both serve as executives at the Trump organisation.
The United States is lurching toward neo-fascism with alarming speed, courtesy of President Donald Trump, who is using all the resources of the repressive apparatus of the U.S. state to stifle dissent and crush opposition to his extreme agenda. He is so keen on imposing his dystopian vision on the country that he has sought to criminalize anti-fascist struggle itself. How do we fight back?
Over the past several years, the committee has dedicated quite a bit of work to increasing the source taxation of cross-border services, including the creation of article 12AA, which combines two previous treaty articles - 12A and 14 - and allows for the gross basis taxation of cross-border services. Another such measure is article 12C, which addresses the taxation of insurance premiums, and was created by the previous committee.
So there's a lot of respect, and I think you'll see some tremendous progress, both in the Middle East. This country is doing very well. It has good leadership, Trump said of Sisi, who came to power following a coup in 2013 and has since been accused of widespread oppression and anti-democratic tactics. Trump continued: It's about leadership, and it's really nice when you say, How is your crime situation? and they don't even know what you're talking about.
US President Donald Trump has told the Israeli parliament that Monday was "a day of profound joy" and a day to give praise to the "God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." "The hostages are back; it feels so good to say it," he said. "This is the end of an age of terror and death" and the beginning of turning the Middle East into "a truly magnificent region, Trump went on.
My friends, this is only a partial list, but it's enough to affirm what I've said time and again. Donald Trump is the greatest friend that the state of Israel has ever had in the White House.
This past July, I bought eggplants at the farmers' market, intending to make my grandmother's signature maqlubeh: the cinnamon-and-allspice-scented rice dish layered with fried eggplants and chicken, cooked in a pot, then flipped onto a serving platter, forming a golden dome. Before I had the chance to peel the eggplants, stripe by stripe, and drop them into hot oil, a WhatsApp message came in from my mother-a single, waving-hand emoji at an unusual hour.
Former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan hasn't just taken the mask off; he's taunting those who were ever fooled by it. While the civilized world is celebrating the peace deal between Israel and Hamas brokered by President Donald Trump, Hasan is worried about it. Why? Because Hamas is set to give away its leverage, which happens to exist in the form of Jewish lives.
