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Washington has imposed steep tariffs on imported drones and expanded restrictions on foreign-made advanced robotic systems, citing national security concerns, as Chinese manufacturers maintain a commanding lead in global humanoid robot production. The drone tariffs take effect in September, with additional component tariffs following in 2027.
Iran has struck US military bases in Jordan and reportedly targeted an air base in the UAE with drones, retaliating after US forces bombed two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The exchange marks the first known direct US-Iran strikes since late July, raising fears of a broader conflict in the region.
The US military struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, its first direct attack on Iranian forces since late July, according to a US official. Iran's Revolutionary Guard responded by threatening retaliation, warning the strike 'would result in punishment of the aggressor.'
The United States has struck two Iranian launchers on Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the first US military action against Iran in over a month. A US official said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the strategic waterway. The IRGC confirmed the attack, reporting casualties among fighters and civilians and vowing to 'punish the aggressor'.
Donald Trump has confirmed that oil from a recent deal with Venezuela will be used to replenish the US strategic petroleum reserve, but analysts caution the agreement remains an idea rather than a reality, with questions over whether a future Venezuelan government would honour it.
Russia has stated that its forces played a role in putting down an attempted coup in Niger on Saturday, after hours of gunfire and explosions in the capital Niamey. The Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday that Nigerien forces repelled the attack “with the assistance of servicemen of the African Corps of the Russian Ministry of Defence” and that the situation is now under the control of the legitimate authorities led by President Gen Abdourahmane Tiani.
Britain has abandoned a key defence spending target, according to reports, with a former minister who quit Keir Starmer's government over the issue now acknowledging the country simply cannot find the money, exposing Britain and its allies to heightened risks in dangerous times.
Recent incidents of settler violence in the West Bank have drawn international condemnation, with the latest assault prompting rare criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials. The ferocity of Saturday's attack has heightened tensions in the region.
Al Jazeera reported on 29 August 2026 that a Russian strike on a munitions depot near Kyiv triggered deadly blasts. The report, distributed as a headline with no accompanying details in the available source, gave no casualty figures, exact location or timeline.
Six months after the outbreak of hostilities between the United States and Iran, the Islamic Republic’s leadership remains in place and Washington has not achieved its stated objectives, according to a new assessment. The conflict is increasingly viewed as a failure of US strategy, with damaging implications for American interests that are still unfolding.
The death toll from a Russian strike on a warehouse near Kyiv has risen to at least 38, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow announced plans for 'massive strikes' against Ukraine's infrastructure before winter. The attack, one of the deadliest to hit Ukraine this year, damaged dozens of residential buildings and was followed by a fresh drone and missile barrage on Kyiv that killed at least 12 more people.
A surge in piracy near Somalia has seen at least 13 ships attacked since the start of the year, including two cargo vessels seized in the Gulf of Aden within four days last week, as the US-Iran war and Houthi blockades in the Red Sea region divert international naval forces away from counter-piracy operations.
US President Donald Trump has announced a deal granting the United States majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's proven oil reserves, calling it "the biggest oil deal in world history." Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed the agreement in a televised national address, saying it would target production of 1.5 million barrels per day from 17 strategic oilfields over 25 years and generate billions in revenue for her country.
Board of Peace envoy Nicolay Mladenov has warned that the ceasefire in Gaza is at risk of collapse, saying a return to war would be 'devastating' and that Gaza could be 'gone for good' if hostilities resume.
Holly Ratchford, the former manager of a San Diego apartment complex who once hosted two of the 9/11 hijackers, has spoken publicly for the first time about Omar al-Bayoumi — the man who introduced them to her and who now stands at the centre of a $1 trillion lawsuit brought by thousands of victims' families and survivors against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
President Donald Trump has announced a new agreement with Venezuela that grants the United States majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of the country's proven oil reserves, in what he called 'the biggest oil deal in world history.' The announcement comes six months after the start of the Iran war sent global energy prices soaring, and as the Trump administration faces domestic pressure to tame petrol costs. Few specifics have been released, and analysts have expressed scepticism about whether the deal can overcome the long-standing obstacles that have deterred investment in Venezuela's oil industry.
The Trump administration is planning to cut off military aid to the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq, ending a long-standing security partnership that was critical in defeating the Islamic State group, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
Senior Western officials say Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to avoid a direct military confrontation with NATO, even as his government escalates hostile rhetoric aimed at the UK and other allies over their support for Ukraine, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow this week to hold talks with Russian intelligence officials, a visit that has generated sharply conflicting reports about its purpose amid escalating tensions over the war in Ukraine.
India’s deployment of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile on its naval platforms is prompting fresh analysis of its implications for South Asian stability, as the weapon system’s reach and precision add a new dimension to maritime security in the region.
The United Kingdom has imposed a ban on imports of goods produced in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, the most far-reaching international sanctions on settlement products to date, as settler attacks on Palestinians reach record levels, according to human rights groups and the BBC.
Six months on, Iran remains standing but economic pressure is testing the country where it is weakest and sharpening divisions within its leadership, according to a new assessment.
President Trump has signalled a harsher US response to Iran as hostilities in the Gulf region escalate, according to reports on Tuesday, marking a potential shift from an approach that analysts had said was beginning to show results just days earlier.
Six months of war between Iran and the United States have settled into attrition, with no collapse of the Iranian regime and growing economic uncertainty across Gulf Arab states, according to the latest reporting.
The risks of miscalculation and escalation are rising as Russia wages a fierce hybrid war involving sabotage and cyberattacks against Western allies, according to a report in the Financial Review.
The United States is close to finalizing a deal with Venezuela that would give Washington a stake in the country's oil fields, according to insiders familiar with the negotiations. The agreement, if completed, would significantly boost US oil supplies over the long term but may face legal challenges related to existing sanctions and asset seizure claims.
Six months into a conflict that Washington initially billed as a limited military operation, experts say the United States and Iran are locked in a grinding war of attrition with 'bleak' prospects for peace — though a diplomatic breakthrough remains theoretically possible.
Israeli settlers have surrounded a Palestinian home in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra, with at least four people trapped inside, as a siege that has now lasted three weeks is further entrenched by the installation of new Israeli gates around the area.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed Mazloum Abdi, the former commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a presidential advisor — a move that comes just three days after the SDF was formally dissolved. The appointment signals a major shift in Syria's post-war consolidation, raising questions about Kurdish autonomy, Ankara's reaction, and the future of US-backed forces in the northeast.
Iran announced on Friday that it is preparing to draft conditions to reopen the Strait of Hormuz after receiving requests from mediators, in a possible sign of de-escalation following weeks of heightened tensions that have disrupted global oil shipments and rattled energy markets.
President Donald Trump's imposition of new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports could put nearly 90,000 Canadian jobs at risk, according to a recent analysis, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing trade dispute between the two nations.
Critical minerals continue to flow out of Myanmar despite the country’s deepening civil war, according to a Foreign Policy analysis published Thursday. Authors Kristina Kironska and Jan-Sha argue that while international attention has focused on the humanitarian crisis, the opaque supply chains for tin, tungsten, and rare earths remain largely undisturbed — and accountability for human rights abuses and environmental damage is becoming harder than ever.
A devastating flood that swept through Tibet and Nepal this week has been described as a stark warning about the growing climate security risks in the Himalayan region, prompting calls for international frameworks that address both environmental threats and geopolitical sensitivities.
A Russian military serviceman was killed in a car bomb explosion in St Petersburg on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera, marking the latest in a string of attacks targeting military personnel and others linked to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The blast occurred in the second-largest Russian city, raising questions about security and the effectiveness of counterintelligence efforts.
Qatari and Iranian officials have held talks focused on reducing escalation in the Strait of Hormuz and creating “appropriate conditions” for dialogue, Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Saturday, as international observers expressed cautious hope that the discussions could revive stalled diplomacy between Tehran and Washington.
The ongoing US-Israeli military campaign against Iran is rapidly draining the US Navy budget, forcing the service to divert funds from payroll and other sources to cover combat costs, according to documents obtained by the Guardian and interviews with officials, contractors, and defense analysts.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for Washington and Beijing to ‘overcome obstacles’ in bilateral relations during a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue in Beijing on Wednesday, as preparations begin for Chinese President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to the United States next month.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced dash to Moscow last week, a journey described by security analyst Frank Gardner as 'nothing routine', sparking intense speculation about the purpose of the visit at a time when US-Russia relations are at their lowest point since the Cold War.
An Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon has killed a woman described as a 'newlywed' and wounded several other people, local officials report, underscoring the fragility of the region's security despite a recent US-brokered memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran and a separate framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon that had led to an overall reduction in hostilities.
A coordinated campaign by Israeli settlers targeting Palestinian-owned factories in the occupied West Bank is at risk of collapsing the already fragile Palestinian economy, according to a detailed investigation published by Al Jazeera. The report documents dozens of incidents in which settlers have vandalized, burned, or forcibly occupied industrial facilities, with the apparent goal of driving Palestinian workers from their land and businesses.
Al Jazeera this week marked six months of war on Iran with a new report, a day after it reported that families of children killed in a US missile strike on an Iranian school continue to grieve. The strike killed at least 170 people, most of them children, according to the network.
Russia's foreign ministry has issued a stark warning that it could target the United Kingdom in response to Ukraine firing British-supplied long-range cruise missiles at Russian territory, labeling the use of such weapons an act of 'terrorism' and a significant escalation in the West's involvement in the conflict.
Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran on Thursday, as the United States escalates its campaign of economic pressure against the Islamic Republic. The visit underscores Qatar's ongoing role as a mediator in regional conflicts and comes amid heightened tensions over Iran's nuclear program and its support for proxy groups.
Sergio Gor, President Trump's envoy to India, has sparked confusion in diplomatic circles by making statements that appear to diverge from official US policy, raising concerns about the coherence of Washington's approach to South Asia. Analysts say it is increasingly unclear whether Gor speaks for himself or the White House, complicating relations with a key regional partner.
Diplomatic efforts in the Strait of Hormuz crisis have yielded a temporary shipping agreement, even as Iran's president reveals sanctions and a US-led naval blockade have cut the country's exports and imports by nearly 35 percent. The deal, announced after Qatari mediation, comes amid warnings that British households face an energy price cap increase due to the conflict.
The United Nations' special envoy for the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, warned today that the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire agreed last October would represent a 'point of no return' for the region, as he condemned Israeli airstrikes and ongoing Hamas military activities that have eroded the 10-month-old truce.
Russia has warned it could strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in retaliation for the UK's decision to share classified technology enabling Kyiv to produce long-range Storm Shadow cruise missiles, as reports emerge that the CIA director secretly cautioned the Kremlin against attacking NATO allies.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, traveled to Tehran on Thursday as the war involving Iran nears its six-month mark, stepping into a delicate balancing act between his role as a key mediator and his country’s explicit blame of Iran for hundreds of missile and drone attacks.