Intervention

• The African Union convened emergency sessions Friday in Addis Ababa to address military coup concerns in three Sahel nations and coordinate response to deteriorating security conditions affecting 180 million people across West Africa. • Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have experienced military takeovers since 2020, with suspended AU memberships and international sanctions creating governance vacuums exploited by extremist groups and destabilizing the entire region. • The AU proposed conditional reinstatement frameworks for suspended nations contingent on democratic transition timelines, though France and Western partners expressed skepticism about implementation feasibility given entrenched military leadership.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a bombshell speech from the Kremlin warning against Western military intervention in Iran, marking a significant strategic pivot and directly challenging Trump administration foreign policy. • The address has dramatically escalated geopolitical tensions and prompted immediate reactions from global capitals assessing implications for international security and the balance of power in the Middle East. • Putin's declaration signals Russia's strategic commitment to the region amid the ongoing US-Iran crisis and fragile ceasefire negotiations.

John Feeley says US president was ‘flush with victory’ of Maduro capture and could make same mistake in CubaDonald Trump is “reaping the bitter fruit” of erroneously thinking that the capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, offered a blueprint for toppling the Iranian regime, according to one of the US state department’s most respected former Latin America experts.John Feeley, a Marine helicopter pilot who later served as the US ambassador to Panama, believed Trump had been “flush with the victory from Venezuela” when he made the ill-fated decision to attack Iran in February, leaving a trail of destruction across the Middle East and dealing a hammer blow to the global economy. Continue reading...

• The U.S. has initiated measures to secure Venezuela's gold reserves as American geopolitical influence in the region intensifies. • The effort reflects Washington's strategy to expand economic leverage and control over Venezuelan assets during the nation's ongoing political and economic crisis. • The move signals escalating U.S. intervention in Venezuela's internal affairs with significant implications for regional power dynamics.

Families of those accused of sharing images of conflict in region say ministers are too fearful of offending EmiratesMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesThe families of UK citizens held in the United Arab Emirates over allegations that they shared images of the conflict with Iran have voiced frustration at the British government’s failure to help.Several British citizens are among more than 100 foreign nationals who have been detained under draconian Emirate rules that outlaw publishing or sharing material that could “disturb public security”. Continue reading...