Iranian President to Attend BRICS Summit Amid Rising Tensions, Venezuela Arrests Foreign Nationals, and the Passing of Lebanese Novelist Elias Khoury
Iranian President to Sign Cooperation Deal with Russia Amid New Sanctions from the West
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will attend the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia from October 22 to 24, 2024, where he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement. This visit comes amid new sanctions from the US, Germany, Britain, and France against Iran for allegedly supplying ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.
Switching gears to Venezuela, authorities detained three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen on September 15, 2024, alleging a plot to destabilize the country following the disputed July 28 presidential election. President Nicolas Maduro's government claims the detainees had international support and even seized over 400 rifles, although the US and Spain deny any involvement.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin's warnings about NATO being "at war" with Moscow if Ukraine receives long-range weapons as mere "bluster." This comes as US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are deliberating on whether to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weaponry, with a decision deferred until the next United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Over in Ukraine, a missile strike by Russia on the Black Sea port city of Odesa killed two people and wounded another on September 15, 2024. While Ukraine's air force managed to intercept most of the attacking drones and missiles, the ongoing drone warfare intensified, with Russia also claiming to have downed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight.
In other news, the literary world has lost a giant with the passing of Elias Khoury, a renowned Lebanese novelist and fervent advocate for Palestinian rights, at the age of 76. Known for influential works like "Little Mountain" and "Gate of the Sun," Khoury was a strong critic of Middle Eastern dictatorships and a voice for freedom of speech.
Lastly, in Jordan, King Abdullah II has appointed Harvard-educated Jaafar Hassan as the new prime minister after accepting the resignation of Bisher Khasawneh's government on September 15, 2024. This change follows parliamentary election gains by the Islamist opposition and is seen as a typical political maneuver in Jordan after elections.
Switching gears to Venezuela, authorities detained three Americans, two Spaniards, and a Czech citizen on September 15, 2024, alleging a plot to destabilize the country following the disputed July 28 presidential election. President Nicolas Maduro's government claims the detainees had international support and even seized over 400 rifles, although the US and Spain deny any involvement.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy labeled Russian President Vladimir Putin's warnings about NATO being "at war" with Moscow if Ukraine receives long-range weapons as mere "bluster." This comes as US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are deliberating on whether to ease restrictions on Ukraine's use of Western-supplied weaponry, with a decision deferred until the next United Nations General Assembly meeting.
Over in Ukraine, a missile strike by Russia on the Black Sea port city of Odesa killed two people and wounded another on September 15, 2024. While Ukraine's air force managed to intercept most of the attacking drones and missiles, the ongoing drone warfare intensified, with Russia also claiming to have downed 29 Ukrainian drones overnight.
In other news, the literary world has lost a giant with the passing of Elias Khoury, a renowned Lebanese novelist and fervent advocate for Palestinian rights, at the age of 76. Known for influential works like "Little Mountain" and "Gate of the Sun," Khoury was a strong critic of Middle Eastern dictatorships and a voice for freedom of speech.
Lastly, in Jordan, King Abdullah II has appointed Harvard-educated Jaafar Hassan as the new prime minister after accepting the resignation of Bisher Khasawneh's government on September 15, 2024. This change follows parliamentary election gains by the Islamist opposition and is seen as a typical political maneuver in Jordan after elections.
