All events

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Iraq condemns the attack, says Prime ⁠Minister Ali al-Zaidi orders an ⁠investigation ​into ⁠those responsible.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Houthi forces seize Yemen's Red Sea coast while Saudi Arabia suspends crucial oil pipeline following drone attack.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad describes misgivings about the US handling of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

The events of September 11, 2001 spawned a new lexicon which effectively sanitised the erosion of human rights.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

It is the latest in a series of increasingly stark warnings about the safety threat posed by AI that leading industry figures have made.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

The revelations in Anthropic's threat intelligence report come after a former top researcher at the company warned of the risks of AI to humanity.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Trump drew parallels to the US's present-day war against Iran, while figures like Abdul El-Sayed called for inclusivity.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Opinion: 9/11 at 25: Has the US learned anything from its 'war on terror'? A quarter century is enough time to separate history from hysteria, consequences from intentions and reality from propaganda. On 11 September 2001, nearly 3,000 people were killed in horrific attacks that shocked the United States and the world. The attacks of 9/11 could have been treated as a grave crime requiring an international effort to identify, apprehend and prosecute those responsible. They could also have triggered a serious national debate about why such intense hostility towards the US had developed in many parts of the Muslim-majority world. Instead, the US's political establishment chose a radically different path. President George W Bush famously declared that the terrorists attacked the US because "they hate our freedoms". It was a convenient explanation because it absolved the American foreign policy establishment of any responsibility. Read more: Opinion: 9/11 at 25: Has the US learned anything from its 'war on terror'? Opinion by Sami Al-Arian Men inspect a damaged house following a US strike near a wedding gathering that Iranian officials say killed four people, in Kuhestak, southern Iran, on 4 September 2026 (Majid Asgaripour/WANA via Reu

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Report warns widespread autonomous vehicle adoption would put hundreds of thousands of private hire jobs at risk Taxes on self-driving cars should be introduced now in the UK to offset the rise in congestion and threats to jobs they pose, a thinktank has urged. The first robotaxis on London’s streets only started this month, but government projections are that up to 40% of cars sold could be capable of self-driving capability by the middle of the next decade. Continue reading...

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

The US Treasury’s sanctions on additional Iranian airlines threaten permanent damage to an already badly bruised industry, all but severing the country’s limited air connections to the rest of the world.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

The IEA forecasts Russian oil refining at around 4 million barrels per day over the next 18 months, citing cumulative damage from Ukrainian strikes and sanctions.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Twelve people were injured in a Russian strike on Dnipro that caused a fire, damaged a business and garages and shattered windows in nearby homes.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

A quarter of a century after the deadliest terrorist attacks in US history, al Qaeda’s various branches have moved away from the global jihad advocated by Osama bin Laden, focusing instead on regional insurgencies. Their actions continue to destabilise swathes of the world, from the Sahel to Afghanistan, neglected by a US administration that critics say has unlearned the lessons of 9/11.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

The league phase has begun. From Olise’s brilliance to Sabah’s pub cleaner turned quiz contestant turned manager, there was plenty to talk about The league phase has been previewed as Barcelona’s first step toward reclaiming a crown last lifted in 2015, with disappointments aplenty since. Lionel Messi claiming just one Champions League title in the last decade of his time at Camp Nou is the starkest statistic. The player anointed as Messi’s successor, Lamine Yamal, is already a European and world champion for Spain, so this is the next frontier. A soggy Wednesday evening at Camp Nou saw Hansi Flick’s team show their attacking chops remain of the highest quality in a 5-1 defeat of Feyenoord. The club presidential regime of Joan Laporta continues to pull levers to confound financial experts, with Gabriel Jesus, one of the summer’s arrivals, scoring his first Barca goal. Yamal got on the scoresheet via a scruffy free-kick after Raphinha had reminded there are further dimensions to that all-star attack, his first goal of his pair two sending Feyenoord defenders skidding. Continue reading...

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

On 11 September, the European Commission approved €6.1 billion for Ukraine as part of its overall €90 billion loan, to be used for purchasing drones and PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems, and is preparing to disburse the next tranche of €4.3 billion.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Ukraine's defence forces struck an Ozon warehouse complex in the Russian city of Saratov and the chemical plant Volgogradpromproekt on the night of 10-11 September.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Iran president says he does not favour continuing the war Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he does not support continuing the war, but he stressed that Iran needs to improve its resistance to future challenges so that it does not have to negotiate from a position of weakness. Speaking to heads of the country’s leading universities, Pezeshkian said universities should support the government across areas including the economy, management, culture and literature, ISNA reported. Pezeshkian also called for greater involvement of students in tackling national issues. “We must make sure that instead of engaging in protest, they engage in solving problems,” he said. The president said he had “no political angle with anyone”, adding, “Whoever helps us solve the country’s problems, with whatever political viewpoint, I accept. ” “Economic measures must take into account the country’s conditions, otherwise they will lead to negative results and losses instead of addressing the issues,” Pezeshkian said.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

A day after Germany blamed Russia for a failed drone attack on cargo planes at its Leipzig-Halle airport, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made a tacit admission that the continent was not responding quickly enough to the threat.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Egyptian detainees issue call for government to apply new caps to pretrial detention Submitted by Katherine Hearst on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 16:41 The new Criminal Procedure Code, adopted in November and set to take effect in October this year, promises to place limits on periods of pretrial detention A picture taken on 16 January 2022 shows the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre in Badr city, 65 kms east of the Egyptian capital Cairo (AFP/Khaled Desouki) Off Egyptian prisoners held in pretrial detention have called for the government to apply new statutory limits to their cases, which are set to be introduced next month. The new Criminal Procedure Code, adopted in November and set to take effect in October this year, promises to place limits on periods of pretrial detention. In a letter seen by MEE and addressed to the Egyptian government, the anonymous group said that they had been held in pretrial detention for “many years”, and that they welcomed the new legislation. “We hope that it will allow us once again to enjoy freedom and the rights of citizenship,” the letter reads. “And that each of us may return to making a positive contribution, with dedication and sincerity, to the advancement of our country and society in every sphere of life, within what is possible and legally permitted”. Rights defenders have backed the detainees' demands. “They’re trying to get a step ahead,” Samar Elhussieny, executive director of the Egyptian Human Rights Forum, told MEE. “They’re saying we’re committed to doing whatever you want, just don’t exclude us from the pretrial detention cap. " The letter further noted that the prisoners had “turned the page on the past and all its ambiguous and unfavourable circumstances”. A source who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, told MEE that one of the letter’s signatories is a 70-year-old doctor who has been held in pretrial detention for over six years. During that time, his health has deteriorated rapidly, having undergone open-heart surgery. “He does not leave his cell and is suffering from weakness, emaciation and difficulty moving, without the necessary medical care,” the source said. The letter was shortly followed by another statement, entitled “Enough is enough”, signed by a different cohort of prisoners from across several prisons, protesting their detention conditions. The statement demands “release for all detainees,” condemning “the imprisonment of women, prolonged pretrial, detention, the arbitrary recycling of charges (tadweer) following release orders or served sentences, the detention of children, extrajudicial arrests, and enforced disappearances”. Political researcher and former prisoner Saif Alislam Eid, who is in contact with the group, told MEE that the group intends to conduct a prison strike if their demands were not met. He added that one of the letters’ signatories is in his mid-thirties and has been in prison for 11 years. ‘High expectations’ Elhussieny said she is sceptical as to whether the changes will result in the release of the estimated 60,000 political detainees currently behind bars. “Supposedly, when the law comes into effect, they have to review everyone who has been in pretrial detention for the maximum time and then release them,” Elhussieny said, noting that this process should already have been underway prior to implementation. The fledgling legislation has already come under fierce scrutiny by rights groups, as well as the EU and the UN, who wrote letters expressing concerns regarding the draft bill. Cairo accused of ‘punishment by proxy’ after British-Egyptian woman arrested over sister's activism Read More » In September last year, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sent back an initial draft of the legislation to parliament for revision, following outcry from rights groups, the Egyptian Lawyers' and Journalists’ Syndicates, and UN experts. Critics warned it would vastly expand police and prosecutorial powers and threaten to entrench existing violations such as arbitrary detention, limiting access to legal counsel, travel bans and expedited trials. Elhussieny said that the revised version adopted by the government in November last year is similarly flawed, with the only promising amendment being the pretrial detention cap. “When Sisi sent the draft bill back we were expecting a better version. This didn’t happen,” she said. “It was more of a gesture from the president that I'm listening to your concerns. “This law was supposed to be fixing the issues in the current law, but it’s actually more problematic. " The final draft of the legislation does not address the practice of “recycling” charges against detainees- which involves the authorities filing identical or fresh charges against detainees when their prison sentence concludes, trapping them indefinitely behind bars. Additionally she said, the new code authorises police interrogations to be conducted without the presence of a lawyer. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the right to timely access to legal counsel is guaranteed “during all stages of the criminal justice process”. Prior to passing the law, between October 2024 and January 2025, the Egyptian government referred thousands of people to trial, meaning they are no longer formally categorised as “pre-trial detainees”. 'The Egyptian government for many years now has been manipulating this idea of releasing pretrial detainees' -Samar Elhussieny, Egyptian Human Rights Forum Elhussieny said the detainees’ letter is a sign of “desperation” to ensure they’re not excluded from the impending reforms. “The Egyptian government for many years now has been manipulating this idea of releasing pretrial detainees,” she said. Previous pledges by the Egyptian authorities to address the issue of pretrial detention, including the establishing of a Presidential Pardon Committee, which periodically releases batches of detainees, have had little impact. Elhussieny said the committee had facilitated “dozens” of releases while an estimated 60,000 pretrial detainees remain behind bars. While the government does not release figures relating to pretrial detainees, a 2022 US State Department estimate put Egypt's prison population at around 120,000, with pretrial prisoners thought to represent 33.3 percent of that figure. Rights groups have pointed to the lack of transparency around the pardon committee’s work, accusing its members of producing “fake pardon lists”, confirming the release of political detainees who had in reality had their detention renewed by prosecutors. Elhussieny said the new legislation was presented by Egypt to pacify concerns raised by the EU and the United Nations over its burgeoning population of pretrial detainees. “I think there are high expectations that once this law is in force, thousands of people will be released,” Elhussieny said. “I’m sceptical. " The final disbursement of an unprecedented EU payout to boost Egypt’s flailing economy is due in December this year, months after the legislation will take effect. Rights activists criticised the move, saying the EU had made a slew of concessions in order to give Cairo a “clean bill of health on human rights” and ram through the aid package aimed at stymieing migration flows to Europe. Nonetheless, Elhussieny said that the EU was likely to examine pretrial detainee numbers before making its final disbursement. A black box The letters come amid a blackout on information regarding conditions within Egypt’s prisons. Elhussieny said that, since mid-2024 following reports of hunger strikes by detainees over their conditions at Egypt’s notorious Badr prison and escalating numbers of prisoner deaths, the authorities have targeted prisoners’ rights advocates and family members of detainees. She said that since then, Egypt’s prisons have become a “black box” with scarce communication from detainees. “Lawyers don’t have any access, families of detainees that are deemed to be a risk are banned from visiting,” she said. Human Rights News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

The escalating bond selloff is driving US Treasury yields toward levels that threaten to deal a significant blow to the stock market, according to the latest Markets Pulse survey.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Battle-testing modern weapon systems can come at a steep price: a country must send its forces to war. But for China’s 4.5-generation J-10CE fighter aircraft, exports have opened another route. Pakistan provided the aircraft’s first major combat test during its four-day conflict with India in May 2025, when Islamabad’s J-10CEs were used in an air battle. Two US officials told Reuters that at least two Indian aircraft were downed, including a French-built Rafale – though the precise losses,...

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

European natural gas prices headed for their biggest weekly gain since July as the conflict in the Middle East intensified, stoking fears of deeper and longer energy supply disruptions.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

US forces have bombed somewhere every year since 2001. AJLabs maps the so-called “war on terror”.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Russia’s oil-processing is being degraded as sanctions prevent the refining industry from recovering from more intense and precise Ukrainian drone strikes, according to the International Energy Agency.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Russian forces are attacking Kyiv with jet-powered drones on the morning of 11 September, with strikes recorded at petrol stations in two districts.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Russia used 10,808 kamikaze drones and launched 2,953 strikes on Ukrainian positions and settlements as Ukrainian forces repelled 235 attacks across the battlefield.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemns Russia's deadly daytime drone attack on Pavlohrad and calls for more air defence systems, interceptors and sanctions targeting Russia's defence industry

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Russian forces launched 162 drones and an S8000 Banderol drone missile overnight, with Ukrainian air defence downing 138 Shahed, Gerbera and other UAVs.

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Araghchi welcomes US navy secretary’s Bahrain damage remarks Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said Iran appreciated Hung Cao, acting US navy secretary, for publicly admitting that Iranian attacks on a key US naval base in Bahrain had caused extensive damage during the war. Cao, who is US president Donald Trump’s pick, had reportedly said that Iranians “blew the hell out of” the US base in Bahrain. S. In a post on X, Araghchi wrote: “Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed ‘blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain’, as well as other bases supporting U. aggression. The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars. ” We appreciate the candor of Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao. S. Our powerful Armed Forces did indeed “blow the hell out of the 5th Fleet HQ in Bahrain,” as well as other bases supporting U. aggression. pic. The American people deserve better than footing the bill for Israel’s wars. twitter. com/notnk7hWUK — Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) September 11, 2026

Geopolitical · Geopolitical

Russian forces struck humanitarian aid storage facilities in Odesa on 10 September, injuring two people and causing a fire that has since been extinguished.