Saudi Arabia may be planning sea, land assault on Houthis, Yemeni sources claim - report

According to the sources, the attack is intended to break the chokehold the Houthis currently have on oil shipping in the Red Sea.

Oil spill from Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker spreading off Oman

The area's monsoon season, which usually peaks in July and August, can bring severe weather conditions that could rapidly spread the crude oil, experts warned.

Read the full text of the deal for Hamas to disarm and Israel to leave Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a deal for Hamas to disarm and Israel to withdraw its forces from Gaza. Hamas has told The Associated Press that it agreed to the deal. Israel has yet to comment. Here is the full text of the deal: A Roadmap for Completing the Implementation of President Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan in Gaza Principles: 1. All parties reaffirm their commitment to President Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to achieve peace in Gaza, which constitutes, together with the UN Security Council Resolution no. 2803 (2025), the agreed upon international framework guiding the implementation of this process. Through this process, the parties aim at ending the cycle of destruction, securing the complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip, restoring normal life, enabling Palestinian governance, reconstruction, security, recovery and economic development, rehabilitating damaged sectors and facilitate launching a credible political path that achieves self-determination and...

Algerian bus plunges into a ravine near Algiers, killing at least 25 and injuring 44

At least 25 people have been killed and 44 injured in a bus accident in Algeria

Malaysia’s Israel Ban Policy is not Washington’s to Dictate

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently made it clear that any Israeli nationals found in Malaysia would be deported immediately. This comes after reports emerged that Israelis using second passports had entered the country to participate in activities linked to the Network School in Forest City, Johor. Malaysian authorities are now investigating whether dual citizenship was used to bypass long-standing restrictions on Israeli passport holders. Instead of respecting Malaysia’s sovereign right to investigate potential breaches of its immigration laws, eight US Democratic lawmakers—Greg Landsman, Josh Gottheimer, Jimmy Panetta, Dan Goldman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz, Brad Sherman and Jake Auchincloss reacted by urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to review security and economic ties with Malaysia. They even proposed suspending Malaysia’s […]

Around 25,000 migrants returned to Morocco after mass border crossing into Ceuta

Some 25,000 of the roughly 60,000 people who crossed illegally into Ceuta since the early hours of Friday have already been returned to Morocco.

Pakistan fears its own ‘CJP moment’, minister says ‘these cockroaches can overturn everything’

US nears full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in Kurdistan region face attacks from Iran, proxies

Patriot air defense systems that detect and shoot down incoming missiles, drones and other airborne enemy equipment have already been removed, sources told Al-Monitor.

Differences in Kerala’s ruling front over PM SHRI out in the open

A day after UDF convener Adoor Prakash mentioned the government’s decision to go ahead with the scheme, P.K. Kunhalikutty of the Indian Union Muslim League says no discussions were held in the UDF on the issue; Adoor Prakash too backtracks on his statement, says decision depends on subcommittee’s report

Trump convenes cabinet meeting at Camp David on Iran war, as Republicans threatened by gas prices

Unlike some past presidents, Trump has largely stayed away from the mountaintop presidential redoubt in western Maryland, preferring to spend time at his golf resorts when not at the White House.

EU races to contain new migrant crisis as thousands cross into Spanish territory of Ceuta

The European Union on Friday sought to contain a major migrant crisis after around 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta in just days, overwhelming local authorities and triggering diplomatic tensions across the bloc.

No, this video does not show a drone attack on ships in Egypt

Following reports of a drone attack on a US-owned gas storage vessel at Egypt’s Damietta port, a video purporting to show the incident began circulating online. The footage, however, is unrelated to the conflict in the Middle East. FRANCE 24 found that the footage instead shows a Ukrainian drone striking a Russian ship in the Black Sea.

North Sea oil fields set to be reopened by Burnham would profit blacklisted Israeli company

North Sea oil fields set to be reopened by Burnham would profit blacklisted Israeli company Submitted by Fleur Hargreaves on Thu, 07/30/2026 - 00:32 Rosebank oil field stakeholder Ithaca is majority owned by Israeli firm Delek, named by the UN for supporting West Bank settlements A man holds a placard against the Rosebank oil field project in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland during a protest outside the Department For Energy Security And Net Zero in London on 22 July 2026 (Justin Tallis/AFP) Off Campaigners say reopening North Sea oil and gas fields in the UK would be in breach of international law over a stakeholder company’s links to illegal West Bank settlements. Reports suggest that new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to “move quickly” to green light more oil and gas drilling as one of his first moves since taking office last week, despite concerns some of the profits would flow to a company blacklisted by the UN. The two oil and gas fields in question are Rosebank, off Shetland in the North Atlantic, and Jackdaw in the North Sea coast of Scotland, which were approved by the previous Conservative government in 2022 and 2023, but then overturned in 2025 after a legal challenge. Delek Group, an Israeli energy conglomerate, is the majority shareholder of Ithaca Energy, which owns 20 percent of Rosebank. The UN human rights commissioner lists Delek on a database of firms whose activities in facilitating illegal West Bank settlements raise “particular human rights concerns”. Delek also holds a contract worth hundreds of millions of pounds to provide fuel for the Israeli military whilst it commits genocide in Gaza. Analysis from an investigation by The Ferret showed that Delek has already raked in over $1bn in dividends from Ithaca’s stake in six of the UK’s ten largest oil and gas fields since 2020, and would be set to receive over £200m more if Rosebank is approved. Karla McLaren, Amnesty International UK’s government and political relations manager, told Middle East Eye that “it would totally fly in the face of the UK’s international legal responsibilities for the UK to be granting concessions or contracting with any company that has enabled, facilitated or profited from the construction of Israel’s settlements, which are war crimes.” The decision also comes amid record heatwaves in Europe, and follows a joint intelligence report that was suppressed by the government in 2025 showing that the UK faces a severe national security threat from the climate crisis. Drill baby drill The move was welcomed by US President Donald Trump, who wrote in a post to Truth Social that Burnham’s decision to open up the North Sea oil fields would turn the UK “from a Poverty Stricken Disaster, to one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World!” Trump was critical of Starmer’s reluctance to reopen the fields, saying in an interview with The Telegraph in April that “all Starmer wants is costly windmills that are driving your energy prices through the roof” and called on him to “drill baby drill”. The decision had been blocked by former Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, but he faced mounting pressure to approve it when he was removed from the position and appointed to foreign secretary in Burnham’s cabinet reshuffle. A handout picture taken on March 9, 2018, released by BP and received in London on November 22, 2018, shows an oil platform in the Clair Ridge oilfield in the North Sea (AFP) The White House said it was “deeply concerned” by the appointment of Miliband, who Trump had previously accused of “net zero zealotry”. One of the first things Burnham did when he took office on 20 July was to call Trump to assure him that securing shipping in the Strait of Hormuz was “at the top of his agenda” and two days later approved the continued use of UK bases for US strikes on Iran. “How Andy Burnham responds to this pressure will be one of the defining tests of his premiership,” Rudy Schulkind, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK, told MEE. “Caving to demands from Donald Trump and the fossil fuel lobby by backing Rosebank would signal that powerful corporate interests still hold more sway than the public interest - it would also undermine the UK's climate commitments and contradict Burnham's own pledge to uphold international law in Palestine, given Rosebank's links to Israeli energy company Delek." ‘Actions speak louder than words’ Earlier this month, Burnham issued an apology for Labour’s “initial response” in its approach to Gaza, claiming “we need to do better”. Previous party leader Keir Starmer received widespread criticism for saying in October 2023 that Israel “has the right” to cut off water and electricity from Gaza – a method of collective punishment which is illegal under international law. 'A lot of our political class are bought by the oil and gas lobby' - Patrick Galey, Global Witness Starmer avoided calling for a ceasefire when Israel began its most aggressive onslaught on the territory after 7 October, while Burnham, who was the mayor of Manchester at the time, joined mayor of London Sadiq Khan to go against their party leader and call for a ceasefire. But while Burnham acknowledged the “unbearable suffering” in Gaza as “a scar on our collective conscience,” he fell short of calling it a genocide, saying that it is “for the international courts to determine”. The move, intended to signal a shift in the government’s attitude on the Palestine issue, comes after a study revealed that Gaza factored into the decision of over half of former Labour voters who moved to a centre or left-wing party. Patrick Galey, head of investigations at climate charity Global Witness, told MEE that Burnham seems to think the issues that brought down Starmer “can be fixed with a comms intervention”, but “actions speak louder than words”. Galey explained that many in the government consider opening up the North Sea as a “bone to throw the oil and gas industry” - which he says tracks with a party that believes such interests “can be appeased, and will stop once their demands are met”. In 2024, investigative platform DeSmog revealed that major oil and gas firms are represented by lobbyists that have given more than £300,000 in donations to Labour. The opposition Conservative Party received 40 percent of its donations from fossil fuel interests in the first week of its 2024 election campaign. Global Witness's Galey added that “a lot of our political class are bought by the oil and gas lobby” and therefore their “understanding of climate change is filtered by their proximity to fossil fuel lobbyists,” which explains why Burnham is still talking about growth as his number one priority while large parts of France and Spain are currently burning down. Stella Swain, the youth and student officer of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) told MEE that the move would make a "mockery" of Burnham’s recent apology for Labour's previous stance on Gaza, while Mothin Ali, the deputy leader of the Green Party, reiterated to MEE that “Burnham's half-baked apology for Labour's complicity in the genocide in Gaza is meaningless if he refuses to back it up with concrete actions.” Profiting from destruction Although the decision to reopen the oil fields has been framed as a means of alleviating the cost of living crisis and maintaining national energy security amid a global shortage caused by the Iran war, Galey said that the only people profiting from the decision will be “foreign companies and their shareholders”. Because the oil and gas produced is sold on the international market, Galey explained that what sets the price is “things like whether Donald Trump wants to pursue a biblically promised war in the Middle East ” – which the UK is aiding and abetting through the use of its bases. Cop29: Saudi Arabia fights to derail pledge to transition away from fossil fuels Read More » Since Brexit, Galey explained, the UK has become much more dependent on the US for energy imports; meanwhile,

Gaza administration committee says it is ready to govern enclave after ceasefire progress

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) welcomed progress announced on the roadmap for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire on Friday, saying it is fully prepared to assume responsibility for administering the enclave, Anadolu reports. In a statement posted on X, the committee described the development as “an important milestone” for Gaza’s residents after years of conflict, destruction and uncertainty, and said the priority is to translate the progress into practical measures that improve daily life. The NCAG said it has completed “extensive institutional and operational preparations” in recent months to take over Gaza’s administration, restore essential public services, strengthen the rule of law, facilitate humanitarian aid delivery, and lead recovery and reconstruction. It said rebuilding […]

Nearly 49,000 migrants from Morocco recently entered Spanish enclave Ceuta, estimates show

Around 49,000 irregular migrants from Morocco entered Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta in recent days, initial estimates released Friday indicated, according to EFE news agency, Anadolu reports. According to the news agency, the figure is a provisional estimate for the moment as government sources said that there are no official figures yet. Meanwhile, public broadcaster RTVE reported that the government confirmed the estimated figures. Spanish daily El Pais said that the estimate represents an almost 50% increase in the enclave’s population, which officially stands at more than 80,000. READ: Algeria arrests 18 Moroccan nationals over alleged international migrant smuggling network Meanwhile, thousands of migrants who entered Ceuta irregularly in recent hours reportedly began returning to Morocco. El Pais noted that the […]

Turkey urges Iran to halt attacks on Kurdish groups

Turkey urges Iran to halt attacks on Kurdish groups Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Fri, 07/31/2026 - 12:07 Ankara fears further Iranian strikes could push Kurdish opposition groups closer to Israel and undermine Turkey’s peace process with the PKK Members of Komala, an Iranian Kurdish opposition party, attend the funeral of Peshmerga fighter Ghazal Moulai at Sheikh Ahmed Hindi cemetery in Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan, on 16 April 2026 (Shwan Mohammed/AFP) Off When Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz landed in Tehran earlier this month to attend the funeral of late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he received a warm welcome from officials of the Islamic Republic. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also hosted Yilmaz and his delegation during the visit. Pezeshkian thanked Turkey for helping to prevent an Israeli plan to foment an armed insurrection by Kurdish groups in western Iran, a source familiar with the visit told Middle East Eye. Senior Turkish officials had sought to convince their US counterparts that the plan, devised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was unrealistic and could threaten Turkey’s national security. US President Donald Trump indirectly suggested on several occasions that Ankara had even considered entering the war to prevent the emergence of another Kurdish separatist entity on its borders, following its experience in Syria. Several people familiar with the matter told MEE that Ankara had also conveyed another message to Tehran: stop attacking Kurdish groups in the region. They said Ankara was concerned that, following the failure of the Kurdish insurgency plan, further Iranian action against Kurdish groups in Iran and Iraq could push them into Israel’s arms. It was relatively easy for Turkey to convince Washington that arming the Kurds was a bad idea. Senior Trump aides were highly sceptical of Netanyahu’s regime-change proposal at the White House, including the notion that Kurdish forces could mount a ground invasion of Iran. The CIA director reportedly used one word to describe Netanyahu’s regime-change scenarios: “farcical”. “In other words, it’s bullshit,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly said. But now, Ankara is deeply invested in its peace talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and further Iranian action in Iraq where the group is present could undermine the sensitive process. Fears of Iraqi Kurdistan spillover The Turkish government plans to introduce draft legislation in parliament on Monday that would pave the way for former PKK militants to return to Turkey within six months. The partial pardon would offer non-violent PKK cadres an opportunity to reintegrate into society. Maintaining calm across the region is essential to implementing this roadmap peacefully. When the US reached out to Iraqi Kurdish leaders earlier this year to join an armed insurrection against Tehran backed by Mossad and the CIA, they found themselves in a quandary. 'The extension of the Iran-Israel rivalry into Iraqi Kurdistan and the re-emergence of the Kurdish card at the centre of the regional power struggle would directly undermine Turkey’s long-term security calculations' - Mehmet Alaca, Turkish expert on Iraq The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the ruling party in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, is led by the Barzani family and has a sister organisation in Iran, the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), which was reportedly set to lead the proposed effort. However, Kurdish leaders had little reason to trust Washington after what had happened to the Kurds in Syria, who were abandoned by the US in favour of a new Damascus government earlier this year. Kurdish sources told MEE that the US-Israeli plan also envisaged the Peshmerga, military forces of the autonomous region of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional National Authority, joining the uprising because Washington did not trust the PDKI’s capabilities. Erbil, however, was not enthusiastic. Mehmet Alaca, a prominent Turkish expert on Iraq, said increased Iranian military pressure could inadvertently push Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, such as the PDKI, Komala and the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), closer to the West, particularly Israel. “The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which has hosted these groups for many years, would bear the greatest cost of such a development,” he told MEE. “Besides risking the transformation of the region into a new front in the Iran-Israel rivalry, this scenario could make the balance between the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) [in Iraq], the party led by the Talabani family, even more fragile. It could also provide Tehran with a justification for further expanding its influence in the region on security grounds.” Iran has bombarded PDKI camps in northern Iraq since the war began in late February. Alaca said Turkey had sought to minimise the destabilising impact of Iranian influence in northern Iraq by courting the traditionally pro-Iranian PUK, which normalised relations with Ankara earlier this month through an official visit to Turkey. “Following the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, the KDP and PUK, despite their intense rivalry on numerous issues, adopted a common position that Iranian Kurdish opposition groups should not become involved in the Iran conflict,” he told MEE. “For Turkey, the most critical dimension is the peace process and the new security architecture it is seeking to build for the post-PKK era. “The extension of the Iran-Israel rivalry into Iraqi Kurdistan and the re-emergence of the Kurdish card at the centre of the regional power struggle would directly undermine Turkey’s long-term security calculations.” Kurds Ankara News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Supreme Court accepts PTI founder’s chamber appeal, orders fixation of case before bench

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday accepted a chamber appeal moved by former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan and ordered early fixation of the case before an apex court bench as early as possible. Imran had filed a petition before the SC, requesting that he be shifted to Islamabad’s Shifa International Hospital and granted access to his family and personal physicians. Through the chamber appeal, Imran challenged the SC Registrar’s order that returned petitions seeking his transfer to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, as well as access to his personal physicians, family and counsel, and the provision of medical details to his family. The SC Registrar had returned the petition on the grounds that no signed power of attorney had been attached to the petition. On Friday, Advocate Uzair Karamat Bhandari appeared before the chamber of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi to plead the case. Consequently, the objections earlier raised by the Registrar’s Office were removed after being declared null and void. The counsel was also directed to furnish a signed power of attorney, and the office was ordered to assign a case number to Khan’s petition. The SC also ordered that the petition moved by Dr Uzma Khan, the sister of Imran, be heard along with the case. The chamber appeal argued that the Registrar had exceeded his administrative authority, as the Registrar’s Office was primarily vested with administrative and procedural powers relating to the filing and processing of cases. It said determining maintainability, particularly where constitutional or statutory interpretation was involved, was a judicial function requiring legal reasoning and consideration of rival submissions. The petition also sought to convert the present petition into an appeal and direct that a medical examination of the petitioner be arranged by physicians of his choice, including Dr Khurram Mirza, Dr Asim Yusuf, Dr Faisal Sultan and Dr Samina Niazi, at the earliest. Moreover, the petition also sought the immediate transfer of the petitioner to Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad, for treatment and a comprehensive medical examination, along with continued access to his physicians, family members and counsel during his incarceration and treatment. Likewise, Dr Uzma had also challenged before the SC the Islamabad High Court’s ruling refusing to shift him to Shifa International Hospital, allow access to his personal physicians, family and counsel, and provide medical details to the family. The petition explained that Imran and his wife were currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, while his two sons lived abroad. As his sister and a doctor by qualification, the applicant had natural love and affection for her brother and was seriously concerned about his health and well-being, which, it alleged, were being jeopardised by the official acts and omissions of the respondents. It maintained that the appellant was Imran’s closest relative in Pakistan and therefore had the legal standing to file the appeal.

Beyond the optics: Is the Netanyahu-Trump rift real, or are they still aligned on Iran?

NATIONAL AFFAIRS: The choreography surrounding the Netanyahu-Trump meeting has fueled speculation about a widening rift - and whether Israel and the US remain coordinated on Iran.

Britain reviews Saudi maritime coalition for Red Sea navigation

The Saudi Defence Ministry announced that 14 countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, support the formation of the maritime coalition.

Islamic Jihad says reported deal between Palestinian factions, Israel ‘inaccurate’

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement said Friday that the announced agreement between Palestinian factions and Israel was “inaccurate,” adding that it has reservations over the deal in its current form, Anadolu reports. In a statement, the movement’s spokesperson said: “What has been announced regarding an agreement between the Palestinian factions and the enemy (Israel) is inaccurate, and we have reservations about it in its currently circulated form.” The Palestinian group’s statement came after US President Donald Trump announced that an agreement had been reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, with Israeli forces set to withdraw in phases as the process moves forward. READ: Israel rejects mediators’ Gaza proposal, insists on Hamas disarmament: Yedioth Ahronoth […]