By Daphne Psaledakis and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday warned all parties in the Middle East against escalation as tensions between Iran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah and Israel remained high, saying Washington’s priority is to find a diplomatic solution. “We will continue to stand by Israel’s right to defend itself, but we don’t want to see any party escalate this conflict, period,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a regular briefing. […]
Other News
Lavrov vows Russia to defend its Arctic interests
(Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov vowed in an interview published on Friday that Moscow would defend its interests in the Arctic both in diplomatic and military terms. Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying in a series of documentaries that Russia was resolved to counter a drive by the United States and its NATO allies to stage an increasing number of military exercises in the Arctic region. “We see how NATO is intensifying […]
China says carrier accused of entering Japanese waters was on routine training
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Thursday its Liaoning aircraft carrier had been on a routine training mission in the western Pacific and dismissed charges by Tokyo that the vessel and its escorts had entered Japanese waters. In the latest incident in a drawn-out dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over maritime activities, Japan’s defence ministry said on Wednesday the carrier and two accompanying destroyers had sailed between Japan’s southern Yonaguni and Iriomote islands in waters […]
Israeli security services arrest Israeli man over alleged Iranian-backed assassination plot
By James Mackenzie JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli security services said on Thursday they had arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot targeting prominent people including the prime minister. A statement said the person was a businessman with connections in Turkey who had attended at least two meetings in Iran to discuss the possibility of assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant or the head of the Shin Bet […]
Portuguese police arrest 14 suspected arsonists over wildfires
By Patricia Vicente Rua LISBON (Reuters) – Portuguese police have arrested 14 suspected arsonists this week, who may have set some of the dozens of deadly wildfires raging across the country, contributing to the fire risks stemming from climate change and rural depopulation. The blazes have claimed at least seven lives and destroyed houses, factories and tens of thousands of hectares of forest. Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Tuesday promised tough “repressive action” against such […]
Russia is ramping up drone production to 1.4 million, Putin says
MOSCOW (Reuters) -President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia was ramping up drone production by around ten times to nearly 1.4 million this year to ensure the Russian armed forces grab victory in Ukraine. “In total, about 140,000 unmanned aerial vehicles of various types were delivered to the armed forces in 2023,” Putin said. “This year, the production of drones is planned to increase significantly. Well, to be more precise, almost 10 times.” “Whoever […]
Argentina grains ships load less cargo as river levels hit near-record lows
By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Huge grains ships loading up with soy and corn at Argentina’s major inland river ports around Rosario are taking on less cargo as water levels drop to near record lows due to a major drought upstream in Brazil, pushing up costs and transport times. The Parana River, which carries almost 80% of Argentina’s grains and oilseeds for export, is at the second lowest level for this time of […]
Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region hit by new floods as storm moves west
ROME (Reuters) -A storm system that has wreaked havoc across central Europe brought devastating floods to the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna on Thursday for the second year in a row, forcing people to leave their homes and schools to close. A low-pressure system named “Boris” caused the worst flooding in more than two decades from Romania to Poland over the past week, killing at least 24 people before moving west. “I have to say […]
Lebanon bans pagers, walkie-talkies from flights
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese authorities on Thursday banned walkie-talkies and pagers from being taken on flights from Beirut airport, the National News Agency reported, after thousands of such devices exploded during a deadly attack on Hezbollah this week. The Lebanese civilian aviation directorate asked airlines operating from Beirut to tell passengers that walkie-talkies and pagers were banned until further notice. Such devices were also banned from being shipped by air, the Lebanese state news agency […]
US FBI disrupts second Chinese hacking group, director says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. law enforcement has disrupted a second major Chinese hacking group nicknamed “Flax Typhoon” and wrested thousands of compromised devices from its grasp, FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday. Wray, at a cybersecurity conference in Washington, said Flax Typhoon was being run by a Chinese company called the Integrity Technology Group that posed as an IT firm but also “collected intelligence and performed reconnaissance for Chinese government security agencies.” In an advisory […]
Blinken subpoenaed to appear next week before House committee over Afghanistan
(Reuters) -The U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to appear before it on Sept. 24 over the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. “If Secretary Blinken fails to appear, the chairman will proceed instead with a full committee markup of a report recommending the U.S. House of Representatives find Secretary Blinken in contempt of Congress for violating a duly issued subpoena,” according to a statement […]
Hezbollah devices explode again in Lebanon, raising fears of wider Israel conflict
By Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon’s south, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions hit the group’s pagers. Lebanon’s health ministry said 14 people were killed and about 450 injured on Wednesday in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, while the death toll from Tuesday’s explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured. Israeli […]
