Ceuta’s Past and the Policy Choices Facing Spain
Ceuta’s long history, its status as an EU external border and recent migration episodes should frame Spain’s diplomatic and border-policy responses with Morocco.
Diplomacy
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Qatar says US-Iran mediation efforts continuing but no direct talks planned
The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil and gas shipments usually pass, has effectively been closed since the start of the US and Israel’s war with Iran in late February due to Iranian attacks on vessels and a US blockade of Iranian ports. In mid-June, the US and Iran signed a…
Decades on from the US’s disastrous campaign in Afghanistan, Trump is making all the same mistakes | Simon Tisdall
It’s five years this month since the chaotic retreat of US forces from Kabul. The Nato-backed invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, launched after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC, is now widely regarded as a failure. It cost the lives of more than 2,400 US and 450 British…
Trump cancels Iran strikes subject to deal being made 'rapidly'
Donald Trump says he has cancelled strikes against Iran, provided a deal is struck “rapidly” with the country. In a post on Truth Social, the US president said he had been asked by Iran and other countries in the Middle East to “hold off” on any attack as the “perimeters” of a deal had been…
Why has Trump halted Iran attacks, and what is the deal he is hinting at?
United States President Donald Trump says the US and Israel have agreed to halt new attacks on Iran, provided a deal to end the months-long conflict is reached “rapidly”. The region has been on edge, fearing that the fighting could escalate once again after Washington and Tehran traded threats of renewed heavy attacks, including against…
US and Iran pause strikes for third night to make space for talks, US ambassador says
President Donald Trump has paused attacks on Iran for the third night in a row to give diplomacy more time, the US ambassador to the UN said. Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, ambassador Mike Waltz said the president was “giving talks some space, he’s giving it a little bit of room”. An Iranian army…
From the strait of Hormuz to the North Sea, a global maritime war rages around us – and more than the price of oil is at stake | Simon Tisdall
The US military campaign to protect merchant shipping from Iranian attacks by asserting direct maritime control in the strait of Hormuz is not an idea unique to Donald Trump’s administration. Almost exactly 200 years ago, in the period 1825-27, a powerful US naval squadron led by Commodore John Rodgers was sent to the Mediterranean to…
Trump threatens to target Iran's bridges and power plants if Hormuz attacks persist
President Donald Trump has threatened that the US would destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant any time its forces attack a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Potential targets would include ones “located next to, or in,” the capital Tehran, he said in a post on Truth Social. The military response would follow any…
Beijing’s message to the world’s tourists: come here and judge China for yourselves | Zichen Wang
Walk through central Beijing today and one thing quickly becomes apparent: foreigners are back. They are taking photos outside the Forbidden City and sitting in cafes around Gulou and Sanlitun. The shift is visible online, too; YouTube is increasingly filled with videos titled “China Shocked Me” or “My First Week in China”. Most of the…
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Future President of FIFA?
Here is the complete English translation of the article, maintaining a formal, precise, and journalistic tone: Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Future President of FIFA? A Hypothesis Reflecting the Shifting Balance of Global Football Could the next president of FIFA be named Nasser Al-Khelaïfi? This question is gradually entering debates surrounding the future of international football governance. Although…