Will Hamas Disarm Before Israel Meets Its Gaza Commitments? - Modern Diplomacy

• The U.S. and Israel are planning joint military strikes targeting energy sites in Iran, with bombing operations potentially continuing throughout the weekend. • These plans were discussed during a cabinet meeting at Camp David, where President Trump reportedly ordered fresh strikes to force the Islamic Republic to surrender.

• The article explores whether a potential breakthrough in Gaza could serve as a catalyst for a historic diplomatic agreement between the United States and Iran. • It argues that the interconnected nature of Middle Eastern conflicts means that a durable reduction in violence in Gaza would shift strategic calculations for key regional players, including Tehran, Riyadh, and Cairo.

Whey protein, a key infant formula ingredient, is in growing demand, partly linked to rising use of weight-loss drugsThe rise of “proteinmaxxing” – a trend in which consumers try to eat as much protein as possible – could lead to higher prices for infant formula, experts warn.Whey protein, a key ingredient in infant formula, has surged in popularity over the past year as health professionals emphasise the benefits of protein. Continue reading...

World-class venue puts renewed focus on staff wellbeing under new head chef after René Redzepi stepped down and apologised for his behaviourThe Copenhagen restaurant Noma – often ranked among the world’s best – is preparing to reopen next week under new leadership for the first time since its star chef and co-founder, René Redzepi, stepped down amid accusations of physical and psychological abuse.The new executive head chef, Pablo Soto, who has worked at the restaurant for nearly a decade, said while it remained “the same Noma” there had been some significant changes. Along with a new, evolving monthly menu to replace its previous seasonal one, he said there was now a heightened focus on enabling employees to live full lives. Continue reading...

The double assassination of two Scots in the Costa del Sol may have ended the war between the Lyons and the Daniels – but the crimes haven’t gone awayIt was a warm evening in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol last year when two Scottish men met a violent end.The punters of Monaghans seafront bar had barely finished watching the Nations League final on 8 June when a car pulled up outside. A masked gunman emerged and headed to the table of 46-year-old Eddie Lyons Jr, shooting him at point-blank range. The assassin turned the gun on Lyons’ friend, the bar’s owner Ross Monaghan, 43, but it jammed. Continue reading...

Greek police throw entire homicide division at trying to explain fate of 38-year-old Elisabeth-Jane RossTwo worlds separated by sheets of corrugated iron: one, a tree-lined road, bordered by a park and the home of Greece’s oldest sports club; the other a wasteland of derelict buildings and graffiti-covered walls in what was once a car park.It is here, on the wrong side of the divide, in Kypseli, a neighbourhood in central Athens, that the body of Elisabeth-Jane Ross was found, inside a suitcase last month. Continue reading...

Exhausted firefighters wage ‘war of attrition’ against blaze that forced 200,000 people from their homes By noon it is time for a break. The temperature is about 35C, the smell of ash, cinders and burnt wood hang acrid in the air. At tables laid out in the shrinking shade on the desiccated grass and sand outside the sports centre in Le Porge, 200 men and a handful of women have gathered. Firefighters, soldiers, police, gendarmes, officials, first aid teams, foresters and volunteers sit elbow to elbow, plates of sausages, steak and potatoes in front of them.The village was evacuated just over 14 hours after the “megafire” – as it has become known in France – broke out 6km away last week. The blaze has consumed 42,000 hectares (104,000 acres) of mainly forestland west of Bordeaux. Though finally contained, there are outbreaks every day, pushing to the limit emergency services and the hundreds of amateurs who have come to their aid. Continue reading...

Exclusive: As wildfires rage, Frank Elderson says more work needed to assess risk from collapse of ecosystem servicesA senior policymaker at the European Central Bank has said the climate emergency and the breakdown of nature poses a dramatically growing risk to the global economy.Frank Elderson, a member of the ECB’s executive board, said the eurozone lender of last resort was stepping up its monitoring of the financial risks linked to the destruction of “ecosystem services”, which are nature-related processes or assets that support human activity. Continue reading...

Two members given ‘stern warnings’ after concert and barred from returning, with band also excluded from performing in Singapore again, say authoritiesBritish trip-hop band Massive Attack has been barred from performing in Singapore after an investigation found two members unfurled a Palestinian flag during a concert, police said.Singapore, known for its tough laws on public speech and assembly, bans the open display of all foreign flags, national emblems or banners without a permit. Continue reading...

Petrol now costs more than $1.90 a litre in every capital city, with diesel expected to exceed $2.40 a litrePetrol prices could surpass $2 a litre and diesel $2.40 in coming days, after the government’s 16-cent discount ends on Sunday.The 32-cent per litre reduction in fuel excise, introduced in March at the peak of the fuel price spike, was halved to 16 cents in July. Continue reading...

Treasury secretary’s notepad, photographed by Reuters on Friday morning, prompts questions over US plansDuring a cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, the US treasury secretary Scott Bessent carelessly revealed plans for the US to buy $5bn-$10bn ⁠in Japanese yen in a scribbled “to do” list left visible to a Reuters photographer.The image, taken over Bessent’s shoulder during a portion of the meeting open to journalists, showed a Camp David notepad with the underscored words “To Do” followed by “Buy Japanese Yen (JPY) $5-10 bil”. Continue reading...