57,059 events tracked
military · geopolitical
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, commenting on the planned changes at the Defence Ministry, has acknowledged that Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi have been unable to work together effectively and that problems on the battlefield, in military brigades and with mobilisation remain unresolved.
military · geopolitical
JD Vance says Epstein had connections to CIA and Mossad Submitted by Oscar Rickett on Thu, 07/16/2026 - 11:59 US vice president tells podcaster Joe Rogan there is an 'extremely well-funded' Israel-linked campaign to derail Iran negotiations US Vice President JD Vance speaks at This is the Turning Point Tour at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, US, April 14, 2026 (Reuters) Off The paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein was connected to the “highest levels” of US and Israeli intelligence, JD Vance said on Monday. “He clearly had connections to the upper, the highest levels of American intelligence,” the US Vice President told podcaster Joe Rogan, in relation to Epstein. “He clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence.” Told by Rogan that “most people think he was Mossad”, Israel's external intelligence agency, Vance replied: “Mossad or CIA or some other deep state, whether in America or Israel or some other country… or both.” The vice president, who describes himself as “an OG Epstein conspiracy theorist”, said that Epstein’s connections were to what he described as “elements of the Israeli deep state that were left of centre”, most notably former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak. “It wasn’t like he was super connected to the right of centre of Israeli politics,” Vance said. There has been much speculation about whether Epstein was working for Israeli, US or even Russian intelligence. The convicted sex offender, who hosted a slew of rich and powerful people on his private island and was connected to former US president Bill Clinton, pro-Israel billionaire Les Wexner, British politician Peter Mandelson and Queen Elizabeth’s son Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, appeared to have accumulated a vast amount of compromising information over many years. 'There are certain influencers in America who are being paid in order to attack the deal [with Iran]' - JD Vance Asked earlier this year whether they considered Epstein to have been a Mossad asset, an advisor to the Indian government told Middle East Eye: “100 percent”. There is, though, no categorical proof that Epstein worked actively for an intelligence agency. The Epstein files do, however, document the financier’s funding of Israeli groups, including Friends of the Israeli Defence Forces, and the settler organisation the Jewish National Fund, as well as his ties to members of Israel’s overseas intelligence services. An FBI memo produced by the bureau’s Los Angeles field office in October 2020 reported that one of its sources had come to believe Epstein “was a co-opted Mossad agent”. According to the document, the disgraced paedophile was described as having been “trained as a spy” for Israel’s intelligence service. Israel-backed campaign to derail US-Iran deal In his interview with Rogan, Vance – who appeared to be positioning himself as a successor to Donald Trump and a presidential candidate in 2028 - described a “very discreet extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation and try to derail the derail the deal” with Iran. Vance has spearheaded negotiations with Iran, resulting in the memorandum of understanding signed by the two counries last month. The deal has fallen apart and the US and Iran are once more exchanging strikes. “There are certain influencers in America who are being paid in order to attack the deal,” he said, mentioning funding that came from Israel. The vice president referenced a Time magazine article from this week that details an “Israeli influence operation targeting the MAGA base”. Brad Parscale, a digital advisor on Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign, is reportedly being paid $1.5m a month to run this operation. According to Vance, the Time article “lists a bunch of people who have quite literally been paid by a former Trump campaign person, who is himself paid by certain elements within the Israeli government, and those people are attacking me quite viciously.” “They want to continue the military campaign.” Speaking to Joe Rogan, US Vice President JD Vance said that some officials within the Israeli government are trying to manipulate American public opinion to derail the peace negotiations and prolong the war on Iran “indefinitely” pic.twitter.com/gFxuj8OL08 — Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) July 16, 2026 “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said. The vice president said that "that are people... who are super-hawkish in the American sysetem who have attacked the deal and frankly in some ways tried to derail the deal. And what I always say to those people is, what is your proposal?" Vance described himself as “the reasonable moderate” in “this massive pro-Israel, anti-Israel debate in the United States of America. He said he had been widely accused of being an antisemite, “which is insane”. When asked if he thought the US would have engaged in the most recent war with Iran were it not for Israeli influence, Vance said, “yes, yes I do.” “I think the president, separate from any influence from Israel, believes very strongly, and again I agree with this, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said. “The idea that Donald Trump is being blackmailed is crazy to me,” he said, when asked by Rogan if Israel was using the Epstein files – or some other compromising information – to get Trump to do what they wanted. Epstein Files News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
social demographic · sports
It will be Argentina defending its title in the World Cup final on July 19 in the United States. Lionel Messi captained his team to victory over England with Argentina scoring in the final moments of the match. It’s a story that keeps repeating itself for England the inventors of football — who haven’t reached a World Cup final since 1966.
geopolitical · geopolitical
The French Prime Minister along with a retinue of officials has arrived in Morocco. The choice for his first overseas trip is significant - as Paris looks to turn a diplomatic rapprochement into a broader strategic partnership with Rabat. If all goes well - Morocco's Mohammed VI could potentially visit France. New French investments and partnerships — particularly in the defence and civil nuclear sectors— are on the table.
natural disaster · natural disaster
🇨🇦 A video that went viral on social media showed a Canadian train surrounded by flames near Armstrong, #Ontario. 🔥 Around 835 active fires were burning in #Canada on Wednesday and 112 were considered out of control, according to the government.
social demographic · culture
The ex-head of Italy's motorway operator Giovanni Castellucci was handed a 12-year term over the 2018 bridge collapse.
military · geopolitical
Iran strikes US base in Jordan as American bombardment continues Iran 's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck a US base in Jordan as American strikes continued to hit the country. The IRGC said it carried out the Jordan attack in retaliation for a strike launched from the base that hit "the vicinity of a children's cancer hospital". US bases and facilities in Kuwait , Bahrain and Jordan were also targeted by Iranian drone strikes. Meanwhile, seven hours of US raids on Wednesday hit dozens of targets, with the Iranian army saying seven personnel had been killed in a missile strike at a barracks close to the southeastern city of Iranshahr. An Iranian military spokesman warned that Iran would "crush" regional infrastructure if the United States attacks Iran's key facilities. Read more: Iran strikes US base in Jordan as American bombardment continues Aircraft fly in formation over the USS George HW Bush in the Arabian Sea on 30 June (US Navy/AFP)
geopolitical · geopolitical
The defending champions strike again. Led 1-0 after Anthony Gordon opened the score for England, Argentina kept believing and turned the game on its head. Guided by Lionel Messi, Lionel Scaloni's men sealed a 2-1 victory after an injury-time winner saw them book a spot against Spain in the final. England manager Thomas Tuchel opted to defend after taking the lead, a choice that backfired as the Three Lions' time in the United States comes to an end.
geopolitical · geopolitical
French lawmakers on July 19 adopted a bill that will create a legal right to assisted dying for adults with incurable illnesses, capping an intense ethical and political debate. The law would enable patients suffering from incurable and life-threatening illnesses to request lethal medication under strict medical supervision. The text will now be presented to the constitutional court, which has up to a month to approve it.
geopolitical · geopolitical
In Japan, a new generation of office workers is reviving a bygone corporate culture. Around the world, Gen-Z has garnered a reputation as delicate, even reticent employees. A growing cohort of young Japanese salarymen - and women - are embracing a work culture some are calling "corporate machismo" - a hard-charging, zealous approach to business that some see as the key to the country's post-World War 2 economic boom.
geopolitical · geopolitical
Palestinians are inspecting the damage in Nuseirat after Israeli strikes reduced their homes to rubble.
social demographic · sports
Scotland have named an almost entirely changed team for Saturday's Nations Championship game against Fiji at Murrayfield.
social demographic · culture
A US decision to redeploy half a dozen small coastguard ships from the Middle East to the South China Sea is unlikely to alter the balance of power in the disputed waters, Chinese analysts said. In a statement on Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said it had moved its Expeditionary Cutter Squadron to the western Pacific to conduct “maritime security operations and cooperative maritime activities with allies and partner nations in the region, in response to national security...
social demographic · culture
The Kremlin is following what’s going on in and around Ukrainian politics amid the ongoing special military operation, Dmitry Peskov said
economic · economic
Since being sworn in as US Federal Reserve chairman on May 22, Kevin Warsh has struck a distinctly hawkish tone. At his first press conference at the helm of the world’s most important central bank on June 17, Warsh made a solemn vow to curb inflation. He said members of the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee were “unambiguous and unanimous. This committee will deliver price stability”. Bond investors who questioned Warsh’s inflation-fighting credibility – given that he built his candidacy...
geopolitical · geopolitical
EU foreign ministers issued a joint assessment of the risks posed by China, warning that Beijing threatens not only the bloc’s economy but also its security, while highlighting the shared ambition of China and Russia to assert regional dominance.
natural disaster · natural disaster
Israeli opposition tops new poll as Netanyahu allies explore voting restrictions Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 07/16/2026 - 11:31 PM's allies look to restrict flights into Israel potentially carrying anti-Netanyahu voters ahead of 27 October election Gadi Eizenkot, former Israeli army chief of staff, at the launch of the Yashar party's election campaign in Hod Hasharon, central Israel, on 30 June 2026 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off A bloc of Israeli parties seeking to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would secure the narrowest possible parliamentary majority in October’s election, a new poll has found. The Channel 13 survey, broadcast on Wednesday, gave the opposition 61 of the Knesset’s 120 seats – the first major poll in more than a month to show the opposition capable of forming a government without relying on Palestinian -majority parties. The election will take place on 27 October. Former Israeli army chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party was projected to win 21 seats, placing it just behind Netanyahu’s Likud on 22. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Together alliance would follow with 15 seats, while Yair Golan’s Democrats were forecast to win 11 and Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu 10. A new alliance led by Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper would take the remaining four seats needed to give the opposition its majority. Netanyahu’s far-right and ultra-Orthodox coalition fell well short. United Torah Judaism was projected to receive eight seats, with Shas and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Jewish Power forecast to win seven each. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party was forecast to win six. Palestinian parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am would win five and four seats respectively, on this polling. Balad and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White failed to cross the electoral threshold. Channel 13 did not disclose the poll’s sample size or margin of error. Despite opposing Netanyahu, Eisenkot's previous comments suggest little change in policy with regards to Gaza . In 2024, during the Gaza genocide, Eisenkot – then a member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet – discussed plans to withhold air from Palestinians while they were being starved by Israel. Netanyahu later implemented a plan that pushed Gaza's population into a famine. Netanyahu won't stop until all Arab political parties are gone Read More » The new poll results emerged as Netanyahu’s allies explored measures that could restrict access to the ballot. Haaretz reported that senior officials in Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s office discussed limiting incoming flights immediately before the election, including restricting charter services. Officials believed tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad could return to vote against Netanyahu. A Knesset committee also advanced a measure ending the provision of polling stations in retirement and assisted-living facilities. The change could affect up to 37,000 people – roughly the number of votes needed for one Knesset seat – from an age group that largely opposes Netanyahu. Successive polls indicate that his coalition could face defeat, although Israel’s fractured political system could still complicate efforts to remove him. Inside Israel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
geopolitical · geopolitical
Deputy air force commander resigns as president faces backlash over decision
geopolitical · geopolitical
Also in today’s newsletter: New York’s data centre crackdown and the new era of critical mineral diplomacy
social demographic · culture
Levy is part of a deepening rift between Washington and Brasília ahead of South American presidential election
social demographic · sports
American drivers are once again paying more than $5 a gallon for diesel, with a fresh round of hostilities in the Middle East raising the specter of more war-induced inflation.
military · geopolitical
The Ukrainian army lost roughly 1,450 troops in battles with Russian forces in all the frontline areas over the past 24 hours
social demographic · culture
Hat-trick against Fiji insufficient to promote No 8 Borthwick expects ‘fantastic atmosphere’ for game England have opted not to start the in-form Henry Pollock against Argentina on Saturday and have instead retained an unchanged starting lineup. The only alterations from last week’s 73-8 win over Fiji are among the replacements where Ben Spencer and the uncapped Northampton loosehead Emmanuel Iyogun come into the matchday 23. Even an eye-catching hat-trick of tries in Liverpool has proved insufficient to earn Pollock a promotion from the bench for this month’s third and final round of Nations Championship fixtures. The head coach, Steve Borthwick, has chosen to stick with Ben Earl at No 8 and Guy Pepper at openside flanker, with Bristol’s Benhard van Rensburg and Saracens’ Noah Caluori once again handed roles as impact subs. Continue reading...
social demographic · culture
The Egg, Bath The beloved children’s perennial is the basis for a celebration of craft, creativity and the beauty of the natural world in this charming puppetry production The Egg theatre celebrates its 20th anniversary with Tom Wentworth’s thoughtful but fitful adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved book . As Mary and her friends nurture their secret garden, animal puppets play amid the audience and flowers pop up across a green-washed stage. It’s all very charming – particularly when Cat Rock’s beautiful puppets skip, soar and dart around the theatre. There’s a plucky robin, a majestic owl and a ridiculously lovable fluffy lamb. All the puppets are frayed around the edges with the original fabric exposed; a celebration of craft and creation just as much as the beauty of the natural world. The puppets are complemented by a striking design from Kat Heath and evocative music from composer Ben Osborn. The Yorkshire Moors around Misselthwaite Manor, where Mary is sent after being orphaned, are brought to life using curtains of fabric and giant gloves with long spindly fingers, worn by actors and swaying wildly in the wind. It’s quite unusual work, which sometimes makes the young audience giggle but gradually takes a hold of the imagination. Continue reading...
geopolitical · geopolitical
Whether you’re climbing peaks or taking the family to the local park, we’ve found the best sleeping bags for every temperature, budget, and camping expedition.
geopolitical · geopolitical
Iran claims strikes on US bases, warns of wider attacks on region
natural disaster · natural disaster
The air quality in large parts of Michigan, Minneapolis and Minnesota is deemed "hazardous" by authorities.
social demographic · sports
It might feel like the last thing anyone wants right now - but here is why, actually, you do want to watch the World Cup's third-place play-off.
geopolitical · geopolitical
An animal welfare charity has apologised after facing a backlash for asking Hong Kong police to help remove videos of a dog and its pups being killed in mainland China, with the group accused of undermining efforts to raise public awareness of the case. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) issued the apology on Wednesday night after social media users argued that taking down the videos would suppress evidence. The footage circulating online appeared to show at least four...
natural disaster · natural disaster
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday vowed to replant Fontainebleau forest after devastating wildfires blazed through at least 10% of the 20,000 hectare demain and forced hundreds of residents to flee. The historic forest, just south of Paris, draws hikers, climbers and nature lovers from all over the world every year.