Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

What We're Watching

What We’re Watching:  Israel advances Gaza City takeover plan, US brokers Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal, Trump’s Russia deadline arrives

An aerial view shows damaged buildings in Gaza, July 28, 2025.

An aerial view shows damaged buildings in Gaza, July 28, 2025.

REUTERS
Make us preferred on Google

Netanyahu plans to conquer Gaza City

Rebuffing warnings from the country’s top military officials, Israel’s Security Cabinet early Friday approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City, the capital of the Gaza strip. Netanyahu has given the city’s 800,000 residents until Oct. 7 to evacuate, a deadline chosen to mark the two-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel. Netanyahu’s original plan involved occupying all of Gaza, and this remains possible unless, Israel says, Hamas returns the remaining hostages. The move has angered several Israeli allies, with Germany announcing it will halt military exports to Israel.


Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign historic peace agreement

The two South Caucasus nations will sign a US-brokered agreement at the White House today. They have been in conflict for more than 30 years, mainly over the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian separatist enclave of Azerbaijan. In 2023, Azerbaijan retook full control of it after a decisive military advance. The peace deal reportedly grants the US exclusive rights to develop a transit corridor through the energy rich region, which sits at the crossroads of Russian, Turkish, and Iranian influence. For a brief history of the conflict, see here.

Trump’s Russia deadline arrives

Trump’s deadline for Russia to strike a ceasefire deal with Ukraine, or face sanctions, is today. With the US leader set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the “coming days,” it’s unclear whether he still intends to follow through with the threat – he was evasive when asked about it yesterday, although he has already been hitting at least one of Russia’s main trade partners hard with “secondary measures.” European leaders fear that Putin’s decision to meet with Trump is just another effort to prolong the war and stave off US pressure.

More For You

​U.S. Army soldiers take part in a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise.

U.S. Army soldiers take part in a U.S.-South Korea joint river-crossing exercise, which is a part of the annual Freedom Shield joint military training, near the demilitarized zone separating South and North Korea, in Yeoncheon, South Korea, March 14, 2026.

REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
Trump puts another dent in US-South Korea relationsPresident Donald Trump announced Sunday that the US would scale back future joint military exercises with South Korea, just as the allies’ annual August drills kicked off today. In a Truth Social post, Trump cited his “good relationship” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and said Seoul had [...]
A person casts a vote at a polling station during Zambia's general elections, including a presidential election, in Lusaka, Zambia.

A person casts a vote at a polling station during Zambia's general elections, including a presidential election, in Lusaka, Zambia, August 13, 2026.

REUTERS/Jean Mandela
Zambians want their slice of the copper piePolls closed in Zambia’s presidential election on Thursday as voters in one of Africa’s most stable democracies weighed whether the country’s economic turnaround has actually affected their wallets. President Hakainde Hichilema, who is seeking a second term, has overseen a successful debt restructuring, [...]
Nearly 5,000 protesters took part in a march against illegal immigration in Pretoria.

June 30, 2026 , Pretoria, South Africa: Nearly 5,000 protesters took part in a march against illegal immigration in Pretoria. The demonstrations were reportedly organized by more than 20 anti-migrant organizations and civil society groups, including the March and March movement.

© Manash Das/ZUMA Press Wire
South Africa bills other nations for deportationsSouth Africa is asking other African countries to reimburse them for the costs of deporting their citizens, after spending nearly $18 million on a massive deportation campaign. In recent months, the government has deported or helped other nations repatriate more than 80,000 migrants as it responds [...]
Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018.

Oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018.

REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
The Strait escape Iran refused again on Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz unless the US meets its demands, flexing its leverage over the world’s most important artery for oil and gas shipping. But now, that leverage is prompting a rethink of global shipping routes. Saudi Arabia, one of the top oil producers in the world, plans to increase [...]