Global Pulse

分类： world

  • West Bank settlers attack AFP journalists

    West Bank settlers attack AFP journalists

    On a Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, a violent confrontation left international news agency Agence France-Presse (AFP) bearing the brunt of unprovoked aggression from Israeli settlers, with at least five people wounded and multiple vehicles heavily damaged, according to on-the-record accounts from the reporting team and local medical personnel.

    The three-person AFP crew had traveled to Jannatah, a small Palestinian village located just south of Bethlehem, to cover an ongoing local conflict. The assignment centered on Israeli left-wing activists who organize regular solidarity visits to Palestinian communities that have faced consistent harassment from settler groups, who had recently blockaded a key public road in the area.

    Tensions boiled over into open scuffling between the visiting activists and local settlers, prompting Israeli military forces to arrive on scene and order all journalists to evacuate the area, which they designated a “closed military zone.” Almost immediately after the order was issued, two additional vehicles packed with more settlers arrived to join the confrontation.

    Witnesses confirmed that many of the settlers involved in the attack were minors, who launched a barrage of stones toward both the AFP team and the Israeli activists. One AFP reporter, who managed to dodge an incoming stone, was subsequently struck in the chin by a stick wielded by a young settler, resulting in minor bleeding that required medical attention.

    When the violence subsided, the AFP team returned to their parked vehicles to discover extensive damage to both cars: the rear windshields had been completely smashed in, and multiple tires had been punctured. Vehicles belonging to the solidarity activists suffered identical damage in the attack.

    The Palestine Red Crescent Society confirmed that five people received medical treatment for injuries sustained during the confrontation. AFP reporters on site observed at least one injured Israeli activist being transported to a care facility in a Palestinian ambulance. During the chaos of the clash, an Israeli soldier temporarily seized the professional camera belonging to an AFP video journalist, though the equipment was returned before the team left the area.

    In an official statement following the incident, an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that the temporary confiscation of the camera is now the subject of an internal review. Israeli law enforcement joined military personnel at the site to collect physical evidence related to the vehicle damage, and the spokesperson confirmed that a full police investigation into the attack has been launched.

    The incident unfolded against a long-running backdrop of territorial tension in the West Bank. Israel has occupied the territory since the 1967 Six-Day War, and it is currently home to roughly three million Palestinian residents and more than 500,000 Israeli settlers who have built communities across the area. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current right-wing government has pushed forward with aggressive expansion of settler construction in the months ahead of national elections scheduled for October 27. Independent observers and humanitarian groups have also noted that acts of settler violence against Palestinian communities and their supporters have spiked dramatically since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israeli targets from the Gaza Strip.

  • As Ukraine hits Russia’s refineries, Russia targets Ukraine’s petrol pumps

    As Ukraine hits Russia’s refineries, Russia targets Ukraine’s petrol pumps

    Since the start of April this year, Russia has dramatically ramped up targeted strikes against civilian fuel filling stations across Ukraine, a campaign that has killed and injured dozens of civilians, rendered key transport routes without operational fuel infrastructure, and forced widespread changes to daily life for Ukrainian motorists, new data from independent analysts and think tanks confirms. As of late August, at least 246 Ukrainian petrol stations have been hit by Russian drone and missile attacks, according to Oleksandr Sirenko, an energy analyst at Kyiv-based think tank Nafto Rynok (Oil Market).

    The frequency of these attacks has accelerated sharply in recent months. Open-source non-profit organization the Centre for Information Resilience verified 114 confirmed strikes on filling stations in July alone, a 72% increase from the 66 attacks recorded in June. The targeting strategy has also evolved: initial strikes relied on small, remote-controlled drones, but Russian forces have increasingly deployed larger, far more destructive Iranian-made Shahed drones in recent months. Each Shahed drone costs an estimated $20,000 to $50,000, a cost that outstrips the value of many small regional filling stations. Sirenko told the BBC that one petrol station was hit by five separate Shahed attacks, a striking example of the resources Russia has committed to this campaign.

    The human and logistical costs of the strikes have been felt acutely in frontline regions across the country. On Monday, two drone attacks on petrol stations in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city in the country’s northeast, wounded two civilians. Just one week prior, a similar strike on a filling station outside Kryvyi Rih killed three people. In response to the growing threat, Ukrainian law enforcement has issued urgent public guidance: motorists must leave filling stations immediately and even abandon their vehicles if air raid sirens sound, with authorities emphasizing that safety outweighs property. “You can fix your car, but you won’t get your life back,” a Dnipropetrovsk region police force noted in its public warning.

    Large swathes of critical infrastructure have already been knocked offline. The major highway connecting Kharkiv and Dnipro, two of Ukraine’s largest cities, now has no functioning petrol stations left. All filling stations surrounding Opishnya, a large village in Poltava region, have been destroyed. Local village chief Mykola Riznyk laid out Russia’s clear strategic goal in a public video posted to Facebook: “You can see our enemy’s strategy. They want to deprive us of fuel.” In response, local authorities have begun stockpiling small caches of fuel scattered across multiple hidden locations to avoid further targeted losses. In the partially occupied Kherson region, almost half of all filling stations in Ukrainian-controlled territory have ceased operations, and remaining sites face near-daily drone attacks, according to deputy regional administration head Oleksandr Tolokonnikov. In Trostyanets, a 20,000-person town near Ukraine’s northeastern border with Russia, every petrol station has been destroyed. Local authorities have adapted by dispensing fuel directly from mobile tanker trucks that change locations constantly to avoid detection.

    Ukrainian civilians have rapidly adapted to the new threat, with widespread compliance with safety guidance. “Fill up quickly and move on,” Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov advised local drivers, a rule that most motorists now follow strictly. Oleksandr Melnychuk, head of strategic marketing at major Ukrainian fuel chain BRSM Nafta, told reporters that customer behavior has shifted dramatically: “Clients aren’t browsing the aisles anymore, looking at what we’ve got on our shelves. They fill up and are keen to get on their way as soon as possible.” BRSM Nafta has lost eight stations to attacks and is rebuilding two more, and has implemented a series of protective measures for remaining locations: building concrete customer shelters at forecourts, installing anti-drone netting, reducing working hours, and cutting on-site staff numbers to minimize casualties if an attack occurs. Southern Ukrainian resident Kateryna Stokolya, a driver based in Mykolaiv, said most civilians have accepted new restrictions that close filling stations during air raids, with no signs of panic buying or public unrest. “Security comes first. If you can’t fill up now, you’ll fill up later. There are no queues or panic buying,” she explained. Stokolya echoed other analysts in noting that Russia’s core goal for the campaign is to erode public morale: “[They want] terrorising the public so we force the government to capitulate or accept agreements that do not favour Ukraine.”

    Despite the widespread disruption and loss of civilian life, the campaign has so far failed to achieve its goal of crippling Ukraine’s overall fuel supply, analysts and official data show. The National Bank of Ukraine estimates that only 4% of the country’s total filling stations have been damaged or destroyed, and the impact on national fuel markets has been minimal. Increased sales in regions further from the front line and border have fully offset losses from destroyed and damaged sites, the bank’s report found. Unlike Russia, which relies on large, vulnerable domestic oil refineries, Ukraine imports nearly all of its fuel via road tankers, and its market is structured around a dense network of independent filling stations that provide alternatives when individual sites are hit. “You curse and drive on to another petrol station. OK, you travel for 10km more than you bargained for, but that’s not such a big problem,” Sirenko explained. He added that most attacks leave the most valuable infrastructure — underground fuel tanks — intact, and that geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Iran have had a far larger impact on domestic fuel prices in Ukraine than Russian strikes.

    Ironically, while Russia’s campaign against Ukrainian filling stations has had limited strategic impact, Ukraine’s own campaign of drone strikes against Russian oil refinery infrastructure has triggered widespread fuel shortages across almost all regions of Russia. Last week, major Russian newspaper Izvestia reported that only 28% of Russian filling stations currently have available petrol for sale, a crippling shortage that has disrupted domestic economic activity across the country.

  • Prominent Sikh separatist says FBI has warned him of new threat on his life

    Prominent Sikh separatist says FBI has warned him of new threat on his life

    NEW YORK – A high-profile Sikh separatist advocate has confirmed that U.S. and Canadian law enforcement agencies have alerted him to a new, verified threat against his life, coming months after an Indian national pleaded guilty to involvement in a 2023 plot to kill him.

    Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who serves as general counsel for the advocacy group Sikhs For Justice and holds dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship, said FBI agents visited him at his location last Thursday to deliver the warning. Per Pannun, the FBI advised him to avoid unnecessary travel until the threat is fully investigated and neutralized, and require advance notification to the agency if any travel is necessary. A day later on Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) also contacted Pannun by phone to reiterate the threat alert. Neither law enforcement body has released any specific details about the origins or scope of the newly uncovered plot, and requests for comment from the FBI and RCMP had not received a response as of Tuesday.

    Pannun explained that the warning was issued in compliance with U.S. federal “Duty to Warn” regulations, which legally require American intelligence and law enforcement agencies to alert individuals when they uncover credible, specific threats of murder, severe bodily injury, or kidnapping.

    This new alert comes as Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national who pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in a Manhattan court in February of this year, prepares for a scheduled sentencing on November 20. Gupta was charged for his role in a coordinated 2023 plot to assassinate Pannun alongside co-conspirators. FBI investigations have confirmed that Gupta was directed to carry out the killing by a serving employee of the Indian government. When Gupta attempted to hire a contractor to carry out the assassination, he unknowingly negotiated with an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a professional hitman. Federal sentencing guidelines currently recommend a minimum prison term of 20 years for Gupta.

    Pannun, who publicly campaigns for the creation of an independent sovereign Sikh state of Khalistan – a position that has led the Indian government to designate him as a terrorist – said in a Tuesday phone interview that he remains undeterred by repeated attempts to silence his work.

    “I’m not afraid of their death threats,” Pannun stated. He went on to call on the administrations of U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to directly address the threats with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, arguing that such plots violate the territorial sovereignty of both the United States and Canada. “The Modi government is proceeding under the Trump administration without fear of any consequences,” he added.

    Pannun has long framed his work as that of a Sikh human rights lawyer, arguing his campaign seeks to establish a region in Punjab where all religious communities are guaranteed equal legal and social rights.

    He also drew a parallel to the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the former leader of the Canadian wing of the Khalistan Referendum movement. Pannun confirmed that Canadian law enforcement had also issued a “Duty to Warn” advisory to Nijjar in the weeks before he was fatally shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

    Far from intimidating him, Pannun said the ongoing threats reinforce his belief that his advocacy is effective. “The continued threats give me courage and confidence that my campaign and outspokenness is working,” he said. “I’m going to continue, even at the cost of a bullet.”

  • Activists urge Mamdani to cancel Hindu nationalist event in New York City

    Activists urge Mamdani to cancel Hindu nationalist event in New York City

    A coalition of human rights organizers and community leaders is escalating pressure on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to scrap a high-profile weekend event at Madison Square Garden headlined by Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of India’s far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

    Protesters are set to gather outside New York’s City Hall on Tuesday to call for the event’s cancellation and to draw public attention to the RSS’s expanding ideological footprint across the United States. In a formal statement ahead of the rally, Sravya Tadepalli, deputy executive director of the advocacy group Hindus for Human Rights, emphasized that Bhagwat does not speak for the global Hindu community. Tadepalli framed the RSS as an extremist movement that has systematically incited violence, systemic exclusion, and collective fear against India’s religious minority groups.

    “New York should not provide the RSS with a platform to rebrand religious nationalism as a message of unity,” Tadepalli said. “We will gather at City Hall to defend a genuinely pluralistic vision of an India where no faith is used to determine who belongs or who holds power.”

    Tuesday’s demonstration builds on an open letter signed by dozens of human rights organizations, community groups, and two prominent New York local officials: Comptroller Brad Lander and City Council member Shahana Hanif. Notably, two Indian-American New York elected officials — state assembly member Steven Raga and City Council member Shekar Krishnan — have declined to add their signatures to the demand. Middle East Eye attempted to reach out to Mayor Mamdani, Raga, and Krishnan for comment on the controversy, but received no response before publication.

    Founded in 1925 in Nagpur, India, by Hindu nationalist ideologue Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, the RSS is widely recognized as the ideological foundation of the global Hindutva movement, which advocates for a Hindu supremacist political order in India. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is widely documented as the political wing of the RSS. From its earliest years, the organization maintained ideological ties to 20th-century European fascist movements, and its founding thinkers also expressed open alignment with the Zionist movement in Palestine. Scholars draw parallels between Hindutva and Zionism, noting both frameworks seek to establish a state structured around the political and cultural dominance of a single religious community.

    Edward Anderson, an academic specializing in Hindu nationalism and the Indian diaspora, told Middle East Eye that while hosting the RSS leader at a major New York venue like Madison Square Garden may seem unexpected, the organization has actively cultivated support among diaspora communities across the globe since India gained independence. Anderson explained that the choice of high-profile venue serves two key strategic purposes for the movement. First, it aligns with the RSS’s public narrative of growing power and national pride, projecting an image of success to both domestic and international audiences. Second, footage and images from the event can be circulated back to audiences in India to reinforce the movement’s global standing.

    This is not the first time a top figure linked to the RSS-BJP ecosystem has headlined a major event at Madison Square Garden: just months after his first election as prime minister in 2014, Modi drew a crowd of roughly 18,000 adoring supporters to the arena, where he laid out his vision for a “India of your dreams.” The Los Angeles Times famously described the atmosphere as a “rock-star reception” for the new prime minister. Anderson noted that Bhagwat’s upcoming event fits into a broader deliberate strategy by the RSS to boost its international legitimacy, counter widespread international criticism that frames the group as a paramilitary anti-minority movement.

    Since Modi took office in 2014, documented hate crimes against religious minority communities in India have surged sharply. Muslim communities have been targeted in public lynchings by Hindu vigilantes over unsubstantiated claims of cow slaughter or beef consumption, and prominent Hindu religious leaders have repeatedly publicly called for the mass murder of Muslims, rarely facing legal or social consequences. Systemic exclusion has also infiltrated India’s electoral system, where Muslim voters are disproportionately removed from official voter rolls. In recent years, hate crimes against India’s small Christian minority have also risen dramatically.

    Mayor Mamdani has a well-documented public record of criticizing the rise of Hindu nationalism in India, most recently in public comments in 2024. Four months before he took office as mayor, Mamdani co-signed a letter calling for the removal of a Hindu nationalist float from New York’s annual India Day parade. The float depicted a Hindu temple constructed on the site of the demolished 16th-century Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, a project that has become a core symbol of Hindutva political ambition. At the time, then-state assembly member Mamdani told media outlet Maktoob Media: “For the BJP and associated Hindu nationalist groups, India’s Muslim population isn’t only an obstacle to their political goals, it is anathema to their definition of the nation.”

    Despite this past criticism, Mamdani has faced prior scrutiny from progressive activists who argue that many of his high-profile public stances — including his positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — amount to symbolic political positioning rather than actionable policy change.

  • Iranians queue for petrol after US announces new sanctions

    Iranians queue for petrol after US announces new sanctions

    Just hours after the United States unveiled a sweeping new round of economic sanctions targeting Iran, long lines of vehicles snaked out of petrol stations across the Iranian capital of Tehran on Tuesday, as residents braced for deeper economic pain amid a months-long military stalemate that has already shut down critical shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

    Six months into a conflict that has left peace negotiations deadlocked, Washington is doubling down on economic coercion to force Iran into policy concessions. On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the administration’s strategy of what he called “economic asphyxiation”, framing the goal as cutting off every financial and trade lifeline that supports Iran’s ruling government.

    For Iranians, who have already weathered decades of successive US sanctions, the latest measures have stoked immediate anxiety over rising costs and supply shortages. Even as Tehran’s leadership has dismissed the new sanctions as nothing new, everyday residents across the capital are already feeling the impending squeeze. “People are being hurt, both those who are financially well-off and those who are financially weak,” 55-year-old realtor Mehdi Yazdian told reporters, calling on Iranian authorities to implement price controls to cushion the blow. He added, “Yes, these sanctions are having an effect, but naturally, our people are resilient.”

    Iran’s economy was already grappling with crippling sky-high inflation long before the current conflict broke out, conditions that fueled a nationwide anti-government protest movement that reached its peak in January. Iranian authorities responded to the unrest with a harsh crackdown that foreign human rights groups estimate has killed thousands of people. Tehran has repeatedly blamed the violence on what it calls “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

    Many Iranians worry the added economic pressure from new sanctions could reignite the mass unrest that swept the country earlier this year. “I personally am not afraid of war at all because this is our land,” said 45-year-old English teacher Kia Farahani. “But I think that this war will be more economic and will cause people to feel a lot of pressure, and now maybe there will be protests again.”

    The Trump administration has condemned Tehran’s crackdown on protestors, with former President Donald Trump saying Iran is “killing protesters, even when they are not protesting, at levels not seen before.” Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the situation “a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions, and must be stopped, NOW.” Iran has also carried out dozens of executions linked to the winter protest movement, drawing further international condemnation.

    The new petrol rationing announcement from Iranian officials compounded public anxiety this week. Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei, chief of staff to Iran’s president, confirmed to state television that the country would cut official petrol quotas while leaving subsidized prices unchanged; consumers who want to purchase more fuel than their allotted quota will have to pay a higher market rate. The announcement came just hours after the US sanctions reveal, prompting the long lines seen at Tehran filling stations on Tuesday.

    The expanded US sanctions cast a wide global net, targeting entities across the Middle East, Asia and Europe. The new measures impose expanded secondary sanctions on Iran’s digital assets sector, technology industry, gold trade, aviation and shipping networks, affecting entities based in the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and multiple European nations. In his announcement, Bessent warned that any country that refuses to back Washington’s economic pressure campaign would “share in the isolation” of Iran, and did not rule out eventually targeting Chinese financial institutions for non-compliance.

    China, which remains one of Iran’s largest and most steadfast oil customers, rejected the new sanctions Tuesday, saying it would “take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its own rights and interests.”

    Tehran has remained outwardly defiant in the face of the new measures, with senior officials predicting the US effort will end in “another defeat” for Washington. “We’ve been waiting for these plans for a long time, and the government is and was ready and has a two-year plan to manage these events,” said Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh.

    Tehran-based independent economic analyst Saeed Laylaz noted that the new sanctions align with the Trump administration’s long-running “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran. “The United States of America has nothing that it can do that it had not done before,” Laylaz told AFP, pointing out that decades of international isolation have forced Iran’s economy to build greater self-sufficiency over time. Still, he expressed skepticism about Iranian authorities’ ability to address longstanding domestic economic challenges, including persistent runaway inflation.

    Global oil markets responded to the latest developments with growing stability, with international benchmark Brent crude falling roughly 3 percent to below $90 a barrel on Tuesday, marking the second consecutive day of declines. Traders judged that the risk of direct military strikes between the US and Iran had receded in recent weeks, even as the ongoing conflict has disrupted one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints. When Iran first blockaded the Strait of Hormuz at the start of the conflict, crude prices spiked dramatically, sending shockwaves through the global economy. As of Tuesday, Iran and neighboring Oman, another key coastal state for the strait, have been working to negotiate a framework to reopen navigation. The two countries’ foreign ministers met in Tehran Tuesday, confirming after their talks that they had agreed to a plan to establish a joint temporary navigation corridor through the strait and launch a joint demining project to clear the waterway for commercial traffic.

  • Mass arrests in global crackdown on West African cyber-crime networks

    Mass arrests in global crackdown on West African cyber-crime networks

    A major coordinated global law enforcement sweep targeting transnational West African organized cyber-crime rings has concluded with 58 arrests and the identification of more than 260 suspects across 22 nations spanning six continents, global policing body Interpol has announced.

    Led by Interpol, Operation Jackal IV — the latest in a series of anti-crime operations launched in 2022 targeting these networks — focused on dismantling criminal infrastructure behind pervasive romance scams, fraudulent investment schemes, and a range of other cyber-enabled financial frauds. The operation ran from November 2025 through June 2026, investigators probing not only how frauds including cryptocurrency scams and business email compromise attacks were carried out, but also how criminal groups laundered their illegal proceeds across international borders.

    Authorities specifically targeted networks linked to the notorious Nigerian criminal syndicate Black Axe, a transnational organization Interpol says is responsible for a large portion of global cyber-enabled financial fraud. Beyond traditional financial scams, the investigation uncovered alarming emerging criminal trends: syndicates are increasingly using sextortion tactics to target vulnerable minors, with victims as young as 14 years old. Most of the financial scams commonly target retirees residing in English-speaking countries, per Interpol findings.

    Operation Jackal IV underscores the critical impact of cross-border law enforcement collaboration to counter transnational organized crime, agency officials emphasized. “By following illicit financial flows across borders, we are attacking the very lifeblood of organised crime and making it increasingly difficult for criminal networks to profit from their activities,” explained Tomonobu Kaya, director of Interpol’s Financial Crime Centre, in an official statement. “Operation Jackal IV demonstrates the power of international co-operation.”

    Over the course of the operation, Interpol facilitated cross-border coordination, shared real-time intelligence between participating nations, and delivered specialized training and investigative support for anti-money laundering probes. While many components of the investigation remain ongoing, early results show major law enforcement actions across Argentina, Italy, Romania, and South Africa.

    South Africa recorded some of the most significant outcomes of the sweep. Local law enforcement carried out raids on seven facilities tied to a romance and investment scam syndicate in Johannesburg, with Interpol investigators on-site to support local authorities. The action resulted in 39 arrests, the seizure of $2.67 million in illegal assets, and the freezing of 257 compromised bank accounts.

    Beyond cyber-enabled fraud, Interpol confirmed that the West African criminal networks targeted in the operation are also involved in a range of other violent and high-level criminal activity. Black Axe, the most prominent syndicate targeted, operates global trafficking, prostitution, and even targeted killing operations, with its primary recruitment base in Nigeria. The group often inducts new members during their time in university, with many of its operatives holding advanced degrees, law enforcement officials have documented.

    This operation marks the fourth iteration of Interpol’s Jackal series of anti-crime campaigns. The previous operation, Jackal III carried out in 2024, resulted in the arrests of more than 300 people tied to Black Axe and its affiliated criminal networks across the globe.

  • Spanish government says sorry to people of Ceuta for migrant crisis

    Spanish government says sorry to people of Ceuta for migrant crisis

    Weeks after a historic mass migration event that put unprecedented strain on Spain’s North African exclave of Ceuta, the Spanish national government has issued a formal apology to local residents and announced sweeping changes to the country’s immigration and asylum legislation to address long-standing systemic gaps.

    In testimony before a parliamentary committee, Defence Minister Margarita Robles delivered the official apology on behalf of the Socialist government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. “I want to apologise to all those who may have felt, or who even still feel, abandoned or not sufficiently cared for,” Robles stated, adding that she had directly observed the widespread anxiety, sense of abandonment, and insecurity that has gripped the local community since the crisis unfolded.

    The emergency began on July 30 and 31, when more than 72,000 migrants crossed the border from Morocco into Ceuta, a small Spanish territory located on the northern coast of Africa. Most migrants bypassed the fortified border barrier by swimming around it, according to official accounts. Ceuta Mayor Juan Jesús Vivas has confirmed that at least 100 migrants died during the dangerous mass crossing, a death toll that has drawn international attention to the risks migrants face attempting to reach European territory.

    While the vast majority of those who crossed returned to Morocco within hours of entering Ceuta, several thousand remain in the exclave to this day. Among those still in Ceuta are many unaccompanied children, and the majority of the remaining migrants lack formal shelter, forcing them to sleep in open-air public spaces including beaches and city streets. With Ceuta’s total permanent population standing at just 84,000, local residents and Ceuta’s regional government have repeatedly complained that the ongoing presence of thousands of unhoused migrants is completely unsustainable, piling mounting political pressure on Sánchez’s national government to take decisive action.

    In response to the crisis, the Sánchez administration has formally declared a national security emergency in Ceuta, centralizing all crisis management efforts under national control. The government has appointed Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres to lead and coordinate the national response, removing the Ceuta local government from its previous leadership role in managing the emergency.

    Parallel to the emergency management restructuring, the government has announced a comprehensive overhaul of Spain’s migration and asylum laws, designed to bring Spanish policy fully into alignment with updated European Union regulations. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that the reforms are intended to create a migration process that is orderly, efficient, and maintains all possible legal and humanitarian guarantees for migrants.

    Key changes to the legislation include cutting the maximum period of time undocumented migrants can be held for medical screenings, biometric data collection, and initial legal evaluation from the maximum allowed seven days under EU rules to just three days. The reforms will also introduce a two-tiered processing system for asylum claims, which is designed to speed up consideration of cases classified as urgent.

    Despite the flurry of government action, the response has left critical questions unresolved, most notably a public contradiction between top cabinet officials over advance warnings of the mass crossing. Robles told parliament that Spain’s CNI intelligence agency shared information with security forces about a possible imminent large-scale crossing shortly before the event occurred, but Grande-Marlaska appeared to directly contradict this account. “There was no report that hinted that on 30 July what eventually happened was going to happen,” he said. Robles later clarified that the advance information was not shared via a formal written report, leaving uncertainty over how thoroughly the threat was communicated to on-the-ground security teams.

    Sánchez has publicly blamed human trafficking networks and viral social media content encouraging migration for the mass crossing. But many political opponents and analysts have pointed the finger at the Moroccan government, which has a long history of controlling migration flows through the Ceuta and Melilla borders to exert political pressure on Madrid and the European Union.

    Speaking during questioning of Robles in parliament, Esther Muñoz, a lawmaker with the conservative opposition People’s Party, argued that the crisis was years in the making. “The crisis in Ceuta didn’t begin on 30 July,” Muñoz said. “It’s been brewing for years and you know it, because you know that [the Moroccan authorities] have spent years sizing us up, sizing up our ability to respond and our willingness to do so.”

    The emergency has also amplified long-simmering geopolitical tensions over territorial claims to Ceuta and its sister exclave Melilla. Just last week, Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi reaffirmed his country’s claim to the territories, stating Morocco holds “historical and geographical right” to the cities and calling for formal bilateral negotiations with Spain on the issue.

    Robles rejected the claim outright during her parliamentary testimony, stating that she would not allow “any minister from any government, in this case Morocco, to question the Spanish status of Ceuta and Melilla.”

  • Trump’s ‘economic D-Day’ tests Iran’s trading ties across the region

    Trump’s ‘economic D-Day’ tests Iran’s trading ties across the region

    A dramatic escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran has sent shockwaves across the Persian Gulf region, after Washington unveiled sweeping new economic sanctions targeting Tehran just one week after a 60-day negotiation window for a new peace deal and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz expired.

    With the U.S. having ruled out direct military intervention to resolve its long-running conflict with Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the new measures on Monday, designed to fully isolate Iran’s already battered economy. While Bessent stopped short of rolling out the harshest possible penalties, he issued a stark warning: any nation or entity that continues to trade with Iran faces the risk of being locked out of the U.S. dollar-dominated global financial system. Notably, the Treasury did not release specific details of compliance timelines or the full scope of penalties for non-compliance, leaving global markets and trading partners in a state of uncertainty.

    Under the new executive action, the U.S. Treasury has blacklisted 60 distinct entities, individuals and vessels linked to Iranian trade, while also suspending a series of general licenses that previously permitted limited activities including certain cross-border remittance payments to Iran. The department also confirmed it is coordinating with international allies to dismantle illicit financial and trade networks that Tehran has relied on to generate revenue in the face of previous sanctions rounds.

    Tehran has struck a defiant public posture in response, with Iranian officials claiming the country’s long-standing trading partners will push back against U.S. pressure. But the reality of Iran’s economic outlook grows more dire by the day: just last week, the governor of Iran’s Central Bank confirmed that crude oil exports – the country’s primary source of government revenue – have dropped to zero amid an ongoing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. This collapse has pushed an already crippled economy to the brink.

    For years, a handful of regional and global powers including China, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and several Gulf states have maintained limited commercial ties with Iran, even as the Trump administration, which began its second term in 2025, has imposed sanctions on more than 1,000 individuals, vessels and aircraft linked to Tehran. Data from 2025 compiled by analytics firm Kpler shows China purchases more than 80 percent of all Iranian crude oil shipped globally. Notably, the new sanctions announced Monday do not target any Chinese financial institutions accused of facilitating this oil trade, and Bessent declined to comment on whether such measures are being considered for the future.

    While Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh insists the country is “fully prepared” to weather the new punitive measures and that trading partners will resist U.S. pressure, ordinary Iranian citizens are already bracing for deeper hardship. State data published by Iran’s Energy Optimisation Organisation shows the country currently faces a daily gap of 15 million litres of petrol, against a total national demand of 135 million litres. “For ordinary Iranians, this is no longer merely a question of declining living standards or rising poverty, but a daily struggle to afford food, medicine, housing and other basic necessities,” explained Mehran Haghirian, executive director of research at UK-based think tank Bourse and Bazaar, in an interview with Middle East Eye.

    The core question now hanging over the region is whether this new round of economic pressure will force Iran’s leadership to make concessions at the negotiating table, or push the country toward open military confrontation with the U.S. and its regional allies. In anticipation of the U.S. sanctions announcement, Mohsen Rezaei, the newly appointed secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a blunt threat of retaliation over the weekend: Tehran is prepared to target U.S. oil and commercial firms operating in the Persian Gulf and beyond. Rezaei also warned Gulf Arab states against joining Washington’s “economic war”, warning that if they align with the U.S. campaign, “not a single drop of oil will leave the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz” – a disruption that would send shockwaves through global energy markets.

    Washington’s strategic bet is that intensified economic pressure will weaken the Islamic Republic, force it back to nuclear and security negotiations, and break its control over the critical Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s daily oil shipments pass. But Tehran has made clear it is prepared to accept direct military confrontation rather than concede to U.S. demands. This dynamic has created what experts call an extremely dangerous spiral for the entire region. “This creates a dangerous dynamic in which the US tries to regionalise Iran’s economic isolation while Iran tries to further regionalise the costs of that same isolation,” explained Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Policy.

    Even as Tehran maintains a defiant military posture, some top Iranian officials have acknowledged that economic collapse threatens the future of the republic more than military confrontation. Last week, following reports that oil exports had ground to a halt, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf acknowledged: “No matter how much military power we possess, if the people are hungry and we lack financial turnover, economic growth, and national production, we will not survive.” For Iran’s new leadership, the core challenge remains striking a delicate balance between making strategic concessions to win sanctions relief and preserving the country’s security priorities, all while preventing further economic collapse that could threaten domestic stability.

    The escalating tensions have already prompted a key shift from one of Iran’s most important trading partners: the United Arab Emirates. Just days before the U.S. announced its new sanctions, the UAE declared it would suspend “all activities, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions” with Tehran until further notice. According to World Trade Organization data from 2024, the UAE accounted for 30.6 percent of all Iranian imports and was Iran’s third-largest export market, absorbing 12 percent of Iranian exports worth more than $7 billion annually, putting total bilateral trade at an estimated $20 billion per year.

    The Emirati foreign ministry only cited “regional escalation” as the reason for the move, which came shortly after the UAE defence ministry claimed Iran launched two ballistic missiles toward Emirati territory – an allegation Tehran has repeatedly denied. Analysts say the suspension is likely a signal that Abu Dhabi is aligning more closely with Washington as it ramps up pressure on Iran, though repeated attacks on commercial shipping operated by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in the Strait of Hormuz likely also played a role.

    Abu Dhabi has long attempted to balance engagement with Tehran and alignment with Washington, using a mix of incentives and pressure to encourage de-escalation. Justin Alexander, director of Khalij Economics, notes that the suspension is likely to be phased in, and could be reversed if Iran agrees to guarantee safe passage for Emirati shipping through the Strait. Still, the move has sparked speculation that it could mark a permanent shift in the UAE’s posture toward Iran.

    Tensions between Tehran and Abu Dhabi rose dramatically after the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran in February 2025, when the UAE faced more than 2,700 Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in retaliation. While an April ceasefire eased open hostilities, the UAE has continued to deepen its security and economic ties with both the U.S. and Israel in the months since. Javad Heiran Nia, director of Persian Gulf Studies at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University, argues that the UAE’s long-term approach to Iran will depend on the final terms of any peace agreement between Washington and Tehran, but could point to a more hostile long-term posture. “In such a scenario, the UAE will try to position itself within a security buffer beyond the reach of Iran and its affiliated armed groups in the region, while quietly advancing its cooperation with Israel regarding Iran,” he explained. Ultimately, the new U.S. sanctions have raised the stakes for all parties, leaving the region on the edge of a new and unpredictable phase of conflict.

  • Trump says all mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz

    Trump says all mines cleared from Strait of Hormuz

    Conflict in the Middle East has entered a dangerous new phase, with the United States imposing sweeping new economic sanctions on Iran after negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz collapsed following the expiration of a 60-day truce deadline. The strategic waterway, which carried roughly 20% of the world’s total oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before the outbreak of hostilities, has been largely closed by Iran since the war began on February 28, when US and Israeli air strikes targeted Iranian positions.

    In a post published to his Truth Social platform, former US President Donald Trump announced that the US Navy has cleared all explosive mines from the Strait of Hormuz, adding a stark warning for Tehran: “Iran has been notified that any ship or boat placing new mines will be immediately and systematically destroyed.” To date, Iranian officials have not issued any public response to Trump’s statement or the mine clearing operation.

    The closure of the strait has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, triggering extreme volatility in international oil prices. While Trump has repeatedly claimed US forces maintain full control over the waterway, Iran has fired on vessels it accuses of attempting to traverse the strait without formal authorization from Tehran. Beyond closing the strategic passage, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against Israeli targets, US military bases across the Middle East, and American Arab allies in the Gulf region.

    A temporary ceasefire, designed to create space for diplomatic negotiations to end the broader conflict, has already collapsed, leaving intermittent cross-fire between US and Iranian forces as the new normal. This week’s announcement of fresh sanctions marks a significant escalation of economic pressure on Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a blunt warning that any country engaging in financial cooperation with Iran will face international isolation.

    The collapsed negotiations stem from a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding signed by the US and Iran back in June, which set a 60-day deadline to reach a preliminary agreement on Strait of Hormuz access, ahead of broader talks to resolve longstanding disputes over Iran’s nuclear program. The US and Western allies have long alleged Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons capability, a claim Tehran has consistently and categorically denied. With the 60-day deadline now expired and talks stalled, Washington has moved forward with the new sanctions package, which Trump has predicted will bring about the collapse of the Iranian regime.

    Iran has operated under sweeping US sanctions for most of the period since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and Iranian Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh has insisted Tehran is fully prepared to weather the new restrictions. He framed the new sanctions as another strategic misstep that will end in defeat for Washington. Still, Iran’s economy has already been hit hard by the ongoing conflict, compounded by a weeks-long US naval blockade of Iranian ports that has halted most of the country’s international trade.

    China, the world’s largest importer of Iranian crude oil, has issued a firm rejection of the new measures, calling them illegal unilateral sanctions. On Tuesday, Beijing announced it would take all necessary measures to protect its legal economic and trade rights with Iran. The US announcement comes just weeks ahead of scheduled high-level talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, leaving Washington bracing for potential retaliation from Beijing. China controls the processing of the vast majority of the world’s rare earths and other critical minerals, which are essential components for manufacturing everything from consumer electronics to advanced military technology. Beijing already implemented tightened export controls on rare earths during previous trade negotiations with the US, creating widespread supply chain disruptions.

    For its part, Iran has stated it intends to assert full sovereignty and control over the Strait of Hormuz, a position that directly contradicts the stance of the US and most of the international community, which considers the strait international waters where unimpeded transit must be maintained. Until the collapse of the June MoU talks, Iran had been holding negotiations mediated by Oman, a US ally in the region, to establish a new administrative framework for the strait. Those talks have yet to produce a breakthrough, and last week Trump issued an extraordinary threat to bomb Oman if the country interfered with his administration’s negotiations with Iran over the strait issue. With Washington now moving to a new, more confrontational phase of the conflict, it remains unclear whether the Iran-Oman diplomatic talks will continue.

  • Nigeria’s president orders manhunt after kidnappers upload victim video

    Nigeria’s president orders manhunt after kidnappers upload victim video

    A wave of coordinated, deadly violence targeting remote communities in Nigeria’s northwestern Niger state has sparked a national manhunt, after armed attackers killed dozens and abducted hundreds of residents last Friday. In a formal statement released by his spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu has issued a direct order for security forces to track down the perpetrators, condemning the assault on unarmed civilians as an act of barbarism against peace and humanity.

    According to local accounts, the attackers simultaneously struck four villages – Dekara, Gidan Zana, Sabon Gida, and Masaka – while congregations gathered for prayers at multiple mosques across the communities. Witnesses report the gunmen were clad in military-style uniforms when they launched their assault. A local youth leader, who chose to remain anonymous out of safety concerns, has claimed the abduction total could be as high as 500 people, though this figure has yet to be independently verified by official authorities.

    Days after the attack, the kidnappers published a video to social media showing dozens of people they claim to be holding captive, gathered in a dense forest location. Reviewing the footage, the anonymous youth leader confirmed he was able to recognize multiple residents from his own community, including an elderly man from Gidan Zana who is a well-known community elder. For many families who spotted their missing loved ones on the video, the confirmation that their relatives are still alive has brought a small measure of relief amid widespread uncertainty. “At least they know where their loved ones are and hope they may be rescued, unlike those who still have no information about missing relatives,” the leader added.

    Official casualty figures remain preliminary, but police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun confirmed that more than 40 people were killed in the attacks, though the exact death toll has not been finalized. Local officials add that the attackers left improvised explosive devices planted across affected communities as they forced abductees into the forest. One teenage boy attempting to escape was killed when one of these hidden explosives detonated, according to the local official account.

    No formal ransom demands have been issued by the attackers as of yet, and Nigerian authorities have previously categorized such groups operating in the region as criminal bandit gangs that carry out kidnapping and looting operations to extract ransom payments. That said, local officials have grown increasingly concerned in recent months over overlapping expansion of jihadist extremist groups into northwestern Nigeria and the border region with Benin, with reports that fighters have entered local communities to impose strict religious restrictions on residents.

    In the wake of the violence, thousands of local residents have fled their homes, seeking safety in neighboring Nigerian states or across the international border in Benin. Injured survivors are currently receiving medical care at local hospitals, with multiple people being treated for life-threatening wounds.

    President Tinubu’s statement reiterated that all those responsible for the attack will be held accountable and will not escape justice, adding that the presidency extends its deepest condolences to the families of all those killed. The assault marks the latest escalation of a growing security crisis in the Borgu local government area, which shares borders with Kebbi state, Kwara state, and Benin. Earlier this month, Nigerian security forces announced the rescue of 145 people who had been abducted from four separate villages in the same region.