US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Israel on Monday to start a five-day Middle East tour focused on Israel s peace deal with the United Arab Emirates and pushing other Arab states to follow suit. Pompeo, wearing a face mask in the colours of the US flag, was due to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in coming days also visit Sudan, Bahrain and the UAE, the State Department said. In Jerusalem, Pompeo and Netanyahu were due to discuss "regional security issues related to Iran s malicious influence" and "establishing and deepening Israel s relationships in the region," the State Department said. Netanyahu said Sunday he and Pompeo would talk about "expanding the circle of peace in our region ... We re working on peace with more countries, and I think there will be more countries -- and in the not-so-distant future." Israel had previously only signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan. President Donald Trump s Middle East peace plan, announced in January, forsees cooperation between Israel and those Arab countries. The pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom said on Sunday that direct talks with the UAE on the wording of the deal were close to starting and that "a full agreement could be reached within a month" with a signing at the White House. Bahrain, Oman, Sudan? Under the US-brokered agreement announced on August 13, Israel pledged to suspend its previous plans to annex parts of the occupied West Bank, without saying for how long. The Palestinians have slammed the UAE s move as a "stab in the back" while their own conflict with Israel remains unresolved. The UAE ambassador to Washington, writing in Israel s Yediot Aharonot newspaper, argued that closer ties would benefit everybody and "help move the region beyond the ugly legacy of hostility and conflicts, towards a destiny of hope, peace and prosperity". Israel remains technically at war with Sudan, which for years supported hardline Islamist forces. The State Department said Pompeo would meet Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok during his tour, to "express support for deepening the Sudan-Israel relationship". Pompeo will also meet Bahrain s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa before meeting UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, it said. Saudi Arabia, in keeping with decades of policy by the majority of Arab states, has said it will not make peace deal until Israel has signed a peace deal with the Palestinians.

United States-led international coalition troops withdrew from Iraq s Taji military base on Sunday and handed it over to Iraqi security forces, Reuters witnesses and the coalition said. The base, 20 km (12 miles) north of Baghdad, had been the site of frequent rocket attacks by Iran-backed militias targeting U.S.-led troops in recent months. "The movement of coalition military personnel is part of a long-range plan coordinated with the government of Iraq," the coalition said in a statement, adding that Camp Taji has historically held up to 2,000 coalition members, most of whom have departed this summer. Remaining coalition troops will depart in the coming days after finalising the handing over of equipment to Iraqi security forces, it added. This was the eighth transfer of a coalition portion of an Iraqi base back to Iraqi forces, it said. The withdrawal came days after U.S. President Donald Trump redoubled his promise to withdraw the few U.S. troops still in the country. The United States has had about 5,000 troops stationed in the country and coalition allies a further 2,500. Iraq s parliament had voted this year for the departure of foreign troops from Iraq and U.S. and other coalition troops have been leaving as part of a drawdown. The vote came after a U.S. air strike on Baghdad airport killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama painted a unsparing portrait of American democracy on the brink if President Donald Trump wins in November, warning in a scathing, and at times emotional, address Wednesday that his successor is both unfit for office and apathetic to the nation s founding principles. “This administration has shown it will tear our democracy down if that s what it takes to win,” Obama said in unflinching remarks on the third night of the Democratic convention. He spoke from Philadelphia, where the United States Constitution was drafted and signed. Obama s address amounted to one of the most sweeping condemnations ever of a sitting president by one of his predecessors. It was aimed squarely at jolting Democrats, as well as Republicans who are skeptical of Trump, ahead of the November election, casting the contest not simply as a choice between two politicians or two parties, but as a test of the endurance of American ideals. Through much of Trump s presidency, Obama has been restrained in his public comments, hewing to the tradition of former Oval Office occupants giving space to the current commander in chief. Yet he has become more pointed in his criticism in recent months, and his remarks Wednesday revealed the full extent of both his personal disregard for the current president and his belief that Trump presents an existential threat to democracy in the United States. Obama said he had initially held out hope that Trump would grow into the job of president — but he has now concluded that Trump not only hasn t, he simply can t. Instead, he said Trump has focused on using the presidency to benefit his friends and family and turned the nation s most powerful office into “one more reality show that he can use to get the attention he craves.” Trump, who appeared to be watching in real time, responded with all-caps tweets, questioning why Obama waited until after the Democratic presidential primary was over to endorse Biden. Obama maintained throughout the primary that he would not endorse a candidate in the large field. Obama s address also amounted to a call to action to a weary and anxious nation, particularly younger Americans frustrated with a government that may often appear out of touch with their interests. Democrats see Obama as a bridge to those voters in the 2020 race, someone who can speak both to Biden s character and to the urgency of progressives pushing for more sweeping change to the nation s economic and domestic policies. He called out in particular to young people who took to the streets of American cities earlier this year to protest police brutality against Black Americans, casting them as the heirs to the legacy of civil rights leaders such as Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who died earlier this summer. “You can give our democracy new meaning,” he said. “You re the missing ingredient — the ones who will decide whether or not America becomes the country that fully lives up to its creed.” Obama cast Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, as well positioned to help that younger generation of activists power through many of the changes they seek. Yet there is an inherent tension in Obama, whose own political rise was fueled by the power of barrier-breaking, generational change, touting Biden, a 77-year-old white man who has spent a career in politics, for the presidency. Indeed, many of Obama s public comments since leaving the White House have focused on encouraging a new generation of political leaders to step up, both in America and around the world. He drew particular attention during the 2020 Democratic primary when he said many of the world s problems have been due to “old people, usually old men, not getting out of the way.” With the general election now in full swing, Obama confidants say that while the former president s support for Biden is unequivocal, he does worry about enthusiasm among younger voters, particularly younger voters of color. He s well aware that one of the reasons Trump currently occupies the Oval Office is that those voters did not show up in the same large numbers in 2016 for Hillary Clinton as they did when he was on the ballot. Obama spoke two nights after his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, headlined the opening night of the convention and delivered her own condemnation of Trump. She urged Democrats to show up to vote the way they did in 2008 and 2012, the elections that sent her husband to the White House on the strength of high turnout among young people, women and voters of color. The fact that the Obamas were headliners on two of the four nights of the Democratic celebration speaks to the crucial role they have in helping Biden try to reassemble that coalition — and the challenge the Democratic Party has in building a new bench of other leaders who can do the same. “When you think about folks who have the capacity to really unify us, there are only a few people,” said Yvette Simpson, chief executive of Democracy for America, a progressive political action committee. “Certainly Barack Obama and Michelle Obama are among them.” Indeed, the former president has enviable popularity, both among Democrats and all Americans. A Fox News poll conducted in May found 93 percent of Democrats had a favorable opinion of Obama, as did 63 percent of all registered voters. Despite that strong support, there has been some rethinking of Obama s legacy among some of his party s most liberal activists, who argue he didn t go far enough in overhauling the nation s health care system and gave too much away to Republicans in fiscal negotiations. Obama himself has acknowledged there was more he wanted to do, but argued he was hamstrung by the realities of a Republican-controlled House, and eventually Senate, for much of his tenure. But some of Obama s more recent comments have energized liberals, who see signs of him embracing some of the tactics of his party s activist wing. Progressives cheered in particular when Obama called for eliminating the Senate filibuster rules requiring 60 votes on major pieces of legislation, calling it a “Jim Crow relic” that is holding up rewriting voting rights laws. His surprise comments came during his eulogy at the funeral of the late civil rights leader and Georgia Rep. John Lewis. “That s the guy we remember from the election of 2008,” Simpson said. “It encouraged me that he might be the guy that pulls Joe Biden along a little bit.”

The son of Lebanon s slain former premier Rafik al-Hariri vowed he would not rest until the killers are punished after a U.N.-backed court on Tuesday convicted a member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group of involvement in the 2005 assassination. In central Beirut, Hariri family members and loyalists stood at his grave waiting for his son, Saad, also a former premier, to speak from outside the tribunal in The Hague. "(For) the first time in Lebanon s history of many political assassinations, the Lebanese find out the truth," Hariri said. "The importance of this historic moment is the message for those that committed this terrorist crime and those who planned it: that the age of using crimes for political aims with impunity and without paying any cost is over." Some Lebanese, including victims of the attack who waited 15 years for a verdict, voiced disbelief at the acquittal of three other Hezbollah members. The tribunal also said it found no evidence of involvement by Shi ite Hezbollah s leadership or by Damascus. "I am shocked. Instead of the network (of culprits) expanding, it is now one superman who has done all of that?" said Sanaa al Sheikh, who was wounded in the Feb. 14, 2005 bomb blast on Beirut s waterfront that killed Hariri and 21 others. She added that she had never expected such an outcome. "They should pay us back the money they got," said Mahmoud, speaking from a Sunni Muslim district of Beirut mostly loyal to the Hariris. The trial cost roughly $1 billion. Hezbollah made no immediate comment on the ruling, but it has denied any involvement in the killing. Fireworks were briefly heard in Beirut s Shi ite southern suburbs, where Hezbollah holds sway. "It was a false accusation and thank God now you see that our viewpoint has been confirmed," said Hassan Chouman, a pro-Hezbollah official in a small Beirut neighbourhood. "This has not been on our mind for a long time." SON DEMANDS PUNISHMENT The sentencing of Salim Jamil Ayyash, who was convicted while being tried in absentia for playing a central role in the execution of the attack, will be carried out later. He could face life imprisonment. Hezbollah, designated by Washington as a terrorist group, has more influence than ever on the Lebanese state governed by a sectarian power-sharing system. Christian President Michel Aoun and Shi ite Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, both political allies of Hezbollah, called for unity after the verdict. But Saad al-Hariri said he would not rest until justice had been served. "We tell everybody: nobody (should) expect any more sacrifices from us. We have sacrificed what is dearest to us ... Hezbollah is the one that should make sacrifices today," he said. "It has become clear that the executing network is from within (Hezbollah s) ranks. They think that justice will not reach them and that the punishment will not be served on them. I repeat: we will not rest until punishment is served." The head of the Christian Kataeb party, whose three lawmakers quit over the massive blast in Beirut port this month, said on Twitter: "How long will the world continue to ignore an armed group empowered from abroad and not by Lebanon?"

A U.N.-backed tribunal on Tuesday said there was no evidence the leadership of Hezbollah or the Syrian government were involved in the 2005 killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. Four members of the Iran-backed Shi ite movement Hezbollah are charged with conspiracy to carry out the massive bomb attack that killed Hariri and 21 other people. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim billionaire, had close ties with the United States, Western and Sunni Gulf Arab allies, and was seen as a threat to Iranian and Syrian influence in Lebanon. He led efforts to rebuild Beirut following the 1975-1990 civil war. "The trial chamber is of the view that Syria and Hezbollah may have had motives to eliminate Mr Hariri and his political allies, however, there is no evidence that the Hezbollah leadership had any involvement in Mr. Hariri s murder and there is no direct evidence of Syrian involvement," said Judge David Re, reading a summary of the court s decision. Hezbollah has denied any involvement in the Feb. 14, 2005 bombing. The reading of the verdict by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, which began on Tuesday is expected to take several hours, comes as Lebanese are still reeling from the aftermath of a huge explosion that killed 178 people this month and from an economic meltdown that has shattered their lives. Hariri s assassination plunged Lebanon into what was then its worst crisis since the war, setting the stage for years of confrontation between rival political forces. Even before judges began reading their 2,600 page verdict into the Hariri s killing, Lebanon s an-Nahar daily ran a headline: International Justice Defeats Intimidation . The paper published a caricature of Hariri s face looking at a mushroom cloud over the devastated city, with a caption: "May you also (get justice)", referring to an investigation that could unveil the cause of the blast. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday he was not concerned with the trial and that if any members of the group were convicted, it would stand by their innocence. Hezbollah s Al Manar TV and the pro-Damascus Al Mayadeen channel did not cover the trial, which other broadcasters in Lebanon were airing live. Beirut tour guide Nada Nammour, 54, speaking before the reading of the verdict began, said the 2005 bombing was a crime that should be punished. "Lebanon needs to see law and justice." The verdict in The Hague may further polarise the already divided country and complicate an already tumultuous situation after the Aug. 4 blast at Beirut port, where authorities say ammonium nitrate stored unsafely detonated, fuelling public outrage and leading to the government s resignation. Harri s killing removed a powerful Sunni leader and allowed the further political expansion of Shi ite power led by Hezbollah and its allies in Lebanon. Justice 15 years on The judgment had initially been expected earlier this month, but was delayed after the port explosion. The investigation and trial in absentia of the four Hezbollah members has taken 15 years and cost roughly $1 billion. It could result in a guilty verdict and later sentencing of up to life imprisonment, or acquittal. DNA evidence showed that the blast that killed Hariri was carried out by a male suicide bomber who was never identified. Prosecutors used cell phone records to argue the men on trial, Salim Jamil Ayyash, Hassan Habib Merhi, Assad Hassan Sabra and Hussein Hassan Oneissi, carefully monitored Hariri s movements in the months leading up to the attack to time it and to put forward a fake claim of responsibility as a diversion. Court-appointed lawyers said there is no physical evidence linking the four to the crime and they should be acquitted. Hariri s son Saad, who took his father s mantle and has served as premier three times, has said he was not seeking revenge, but that justice must prevail. Some Lebanese say they are now more concerned with finding out the truth behind the Beirut port blast. "I do want to know what the verdict is ... but what matters now is who did this (port blast) to us because this touched more people," said Francois, a volunteer helping victims in a ruined district.

Top Italian and European Union officials are holding talks in Tunisia on Monday to try to stem the growing numbers of migrants crossing from the North African country to Europe. Tunisia s president, whose young democracy is struggling economically, said he wants the talks to focus not only on security measures to curb migration but also on broader European aid to fight the poverty and joblessness that fuels it. The number of migrants leaving Tunisia has grown as much as fivefold this year compared to last year, for a total of about 5,700 people, according to estimates from the Tunisian Forum of Economic and Social Rights, an aid group following migration flows. More migrants landing in Italy now came from Tunisia than departed from neighboring lawless Libya, according to Italian government figures released Saturday. A total of 16,347 migrants reached Italian shores over the past year, a 149% increase compared to the previous 12-month period, but still a number much lower than in several other recent years. Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson and the EU s commissioner for neighboring countries Oliver Varhelyi were scheduled to meet Monday with Tunisian President Kais Saied and other top Tunisian officials. Lamorgese, who visited Tunisia just two weeks ago for similar talks, said the trip is aimed at boosting Europe-wide solidarity with Tunisia. Tunisia s leader said he wants to broaden the migration discussion with Italy to make it more European, according to the official news agency TAP. ``Now is the time to act together to contain the (migratory) pressure and tackle the root causes ... to help change the perception of young people of their reality and of their country and give them hope for a better life in their own country, rather than venturing into an unknown future,`` Saied said in a statement. Tunisia s unemployment rate stood at 15% before the coronavirus pandemic and has since climbed to 21%. The country has struggled to restore prosperity since protesters overthrew a longtime autocrat in 2011, unleashing Arab Spring uprisings around the world. The Italian and EU delegation is also expected to visit the Bardo Museum in Tunis, to honor victims of a 2015 Islamic extremist attack there that killed 21 people of various nationalities. The attack on one of the country s prime tourist sites damaged Tunisia s tourism industry.

The number of migrants landing on Italy s shores has more than doubled in the last year as an economic crisis in Tunisia fuels migration in boats across the Mediterranean, Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said on Saturday. More than 21,000 people reached Italy between August 2019 and the end of July, up 148% year-on-year, the minister said, speaking at an annual Aug. 15 press conference. Lamorgese said the majority of the arrivals were "autonomous landings, hard to manage... with small boats and dinghies", rather than those rescued at sea and brought ashore. Many of them land on Italy s southern Mediterranean island of Lampedusa. In the 12-month period, just over 5,000 people were rescued, mainly by ships operated by NGOs, according to data from the ministry. Over 80% of the migrants reaching Italy left from Tunisia and Libya, the data showed, with Tunisia s crisis stoking the numbers attempting the treacherous crossing. "The numbers aren t very high - they are certainly higher than last year s but we must put them into context: Tunisia is in a deep economic, social and political crisis," Lamorgese told reporters. "We have seen entire families leave to reach Italian territory." For years Italy has been the primary route into Europe for hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers and other migrants and Libya s west coast a main departure point for African migrants hoping to reach Europe. A peak was reached between August 2016 and July 2017, when almost 183,000 migrants reached Italy. Numbers started falling due to an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coastguard to intercept boats, but have picked up in 2020. Lamorgese s predecessor, head of the anti-immigrant League party Matteo Salvini, took a hardline against charity ships that rescued migrants at sea, closing Italian ports and accusing the rescue groups of de facto collaboration with human traffickers. Lamorgese said that she would meet Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday to discuss the issue, along with Italy s Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio and EU Commissioners Ylva Johansson and Olivér Várhelyi.

The French military conducted training exercises with Greek forces off the southern island of Crete on Thursday, defence sources said, as tension persisted with Turkey over disputed waters in the eastern Mediterranean. Thursday s exercise was the first manifestation of French President Emmanuel Macron s commitment to temporarily reinforce his country s presence in the eastern Mediterranean. France has called on Turkey to halt oil and gas exploration in disputed waters. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis discussed the situation in the region with Macron by telephone on Wednesday. On Thursday, the French armed forces ministry said it was sending two Rafale fighter jets and the naval frigate ‘Lafayette’ to the eastern Mediterranean. The frigate and the jets had arrived in Crete earlier on Thursday and carried out joint manoeuvres with Greek forces, the Greek defence sources said. "Emmanuel Macron is a true friend of Greece and a fervent defender of European values and international law," Mitsotakis tweeted, in French, after the call with Macron. Tensions have simmered between NATO allies Greece and Turkey in recent days over overlapping claims to hydrocarbon resources in Mediterranean waters. A Turkish seismic vessel, the Oruc Reis, has been sailing between Crete and Cyprus since Monday, despatched by Ankara days after Greece signed a maritime deal with Egypt designating an exclusive economic zone between the two nations. Turkey says it plans to open up some of the area for potential hydrocarbon exploration, and a precursor to that is collecting seismic data it can process and sell to potential bidders. Both countries lay claim to the area.

The United States on Tuesday circulated a revised resolution that would extend a U.N. arms embargo on Iran indefinitely, seeking to gain more support in the 15-member Security Council where veto-wielding Russia and China have voiced strong opposition. U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said the new draft ``takes council views into account and simply does what everyone knows should be done _ extend the arms embargo to prevent Iran from freely buying and selling conventional weapons. ``It is only common sense that the world s (hash)1 state sponsor of terror not be given the means of unleashing even greater harm on the world, she said in a statement. Council diplomats said the revised draft could be put in a final form Thursday and put to a vote Friday. The revised draft, obtained by The Associated Press, is just four paragraphs and replaces the original seven-page, 35-paragraph draft circulated in June. The original draft included several provisions that some diplomats objected to as going beyond the extension of the arms embargo, and were eliminated. One provision in the original resolution would have authorized all U.N. member states to inspect cargo entering or transiting through their territory at airports, seaports and free trade zones from Iran or heading there, if the member state had ``reasonable grounds to believe the cargo contained banned items. Another provision would have condemned a September 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia and December 2019 attacks on an Iraqi military base in Kirkuk and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, saying Iran was responsible. The new draft states that the arms embargo, notwithstanding its Oct. 18 expiration, ``shall continue to apply until the Security Council decides otherwise. It says that full implementation of the arms embargo ``is essential to the maintenance of international peace and security. Iran s U.N. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi tweeted: ``Rebuffed by UNSC (Security Council) members, US was forced to retreat from its draft resolution ... and proposed another version.`` ``The new draft is similar _ in its NATURE and GOAL _ to the previous,`` he tweeted. ``Confident that the Council will _ again _ reject this move.`` The United Nations banned Iran from buying major foreign weapon systems in 2010 amid tensions over its nuclear program. That blocked Iran from replacing its aging military equipment, much of which had been purchased by the shah before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. An earlier embargo targeted Iranian arms exports. The U.S. push to make the arms embargo permanent follows President Donald Trump s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal between six major powers and Iran, aimed at preventing Iranian development of nuclear weapons. Tehran has repeatedly insisted it has no interest or intention to produce a nuclear bomb. The 2015 U.N. Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal includes a provision lifting the arms embargo on Iran on Oct. 18. The foreign ministers of Russia and China, in separate letters to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council last month, were sharply critical of the U.S. effort to indefinitely extend the arms embargo. They gave every indication they would veto any such resolution if it got the minimum nine ``yes votes in the 15-member council, which appears unlikely. If the resolution is defeated, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested the U.S. would invoke the ``snap back mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal that would restore all U.N. sanctions on Iran. ``Snap back`` was envisioned in the event Iran was proven to be in violation of the accord, under which it received billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Trump administration of waging a politically motivated campaign against Iran and called for ``universal condemnation of the U.S. attempt to impose a permanent arms embargo on the Islamic Republic. He said Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement and now has no legal right to try to use the U.N. resolution endorsing the deal to indefinitely continue the embargo. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the arms embargo should be lifted Oct. 18. He also argued that since the U.S. is no longer a party to the nuclear deal it ``has no right to demand the Security Council to activate the rapid reinstatement of sanctions through the ``snap back provision. The five remaining signatories to the 2015 deal _ Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany _ remain committed to the agreement. Diplomats from several of these countries have expressed serious concern that extending the arms embargo would lead to Iran s exit from the deal and its speeded-up pursuit of nuclear weapons. The U.S. argues that Iran hasn t been cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency for a year and has been moving a lot of weapons to proxies in the Middle East despite the embargo. If the embargo is lifted, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency predicted in 2019 that Iran likely would try to purchase Russian Su-30 fighter jets, Yak-130 trainer aircraft and T-90 tanks. Tehran also may try to buy Russia s S-400 anti-aircraft missile system and its Bastian coastal defense missile system, the agency said.

"I don t want to die." Those were the first words Hiba s six-year-old son screamed after the massive explosion at Beirut port sent shards of glass flying around their house. The blast a week ago that temporarily displaced 100,000 children, according to a UN estimate, was so mighty it had the magnitude of an earthquake. The mental shock it caused among Beirut s youngest was just as powerful. When the boy saw blood on his feet, "he started screaming: Mom, I don t want to die ," Hiba recalled. "What is this life? Coronavirus and an explosion!," her son told her after the blast. "Imagine that!" said the mother. "A child only six years old asking this question." The 35-year-old mother of two, who asked to withhold the names of her children and their family name, said her entire building shook when the catastrophe struck on August 4. Her son, who was sitting on a living room couch just across from her, was speckled with shards of glass from a blown-out window. "The shattered glass whirled around us," Hiba said, a scene described by countless survivors. For a few seconds her son sat motionless and unscathed on the couch. She then dragged him out of the room, they boy barefoot on a carpet of splintered glass that cut bloody gashes into his feet. "My son now twitches in panic every time he hears a loud sound," she said. - Bottling up emotions - Hiba s son was not the only one left traumatised. His infant sister, born just 16 days before the explosion, lost conciousness for 20 minutes. "It took a lot of time before she began to wake up and start crying," said Hiba, so shocked herself that she has struggled to breastfeed her since. She said she now keeps her son in his room, surrounded by his toys, instead of in the living room where the television broadcasts scenes of grief and devastation all day long. "I don t know if he is bottling up his emotions," Hiba said. "But I m trying to spend a lot of time with him in case he needs to talk." The explosion that gutted swathes of the city killed at least 160 people and left 6,000 people physically wounded. Children are among the casualties and the UN children s agency UNICEF has warned that "those who survived are traumatised and in shock". In a video widely shared on social media showing plumes of smoke rising from the harbourside, the almost playful voice of a child can initially be heard in the background, saying "explosion, explosion". When the impact from the massive blast hits him, the same child also screams, in English: "Mom, I don t want to die." On Lebanese TV, the mother of a three-year-old girl killed in the blast gave an emotional testimony in which she shared her feeling of guilt about having tried to raise a child in a dysfunctional country. "I want to apologise to Alexandra," she said, "because I did not take her out of Lebanon." - Anxiety, night terrors - The Save the Children charity has warned of a severe strain on children s mental health as a result of the blast. "Without proper support, children might face long-term consequences," it said in a statement. Anne-Sophie Dybdal, the charity s senior child protection advisor, warned of "anxiety, trouble sleeping, attacks of night terror". "The impact on children can be very deep," she said. Child psychologist Sophia Maamari said traumatised children may also develop separation anxiety that could make them fear even going to the bathroom without one of their parents. Loud bangs may trigger fears of another blast and some children could go temporarily mute or tend toward self-isolation, the psychologist explained. Maamari advised that parents should make their children feel like they are allowed to be scared by telling them that they too were frightened by the explosion. This is one tip Noura picked up online when she was looking for information on how to handle her two traumatised children, aged three and four. The 34-year-old mother said she had described to her kids in detail how she was gripped by fear and panic. Her older son immediately responded to her admission by saying: "It was a big bam." Her youngest did not respond until the next day. "I was very scared too," she said the little boy whispered into her ear as soon as he woke up.

(Reuters) – As polls show Texans increasingly frustrated with President Donald Trump s response amid a massive resurgence in coronavirus cases, Democrats say they have a real chance to turn a long-held dream into reality: winning the state s presidential contest for the first time in more than four decades. In recent weeks, Joe Biden s campaign has aired television ads specifically aimed at Texans – the first time a Democratic presidential candidate has done so in a quarter-century, according to the state party – and made its first hires there. Texas is among the states targeted by a $280 million fall advertising blitz the campaign unveiled last week, part of a broader strategy aimed at putting Republican-leaning states, including Georgia, Iowa and Ohio, in play ahead of the Nov. 3 election against the Republican Trump. With polls showing Biden holding a national lead over Trump and effectively tied in Texas, Democrats say a concerted effort in the state could expand his viable paths to the White House. “Because of the pandemic, the battleground has grown,” said Democratic U.S. Representative Filemon Vela, who represents a south Texas seat. But skepticism remains about conservative Texas becoming a true swing state. Trump carried it by nine percentage points four years ago, and some strategists expect his standing to rebound as the election draws closer. Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Cotten said Democrats were “delusional” for thinking they can win Texas. “We welcome the Biden campaign to light their money on fire by investing in the Lone Star State,” she said in a statement. Texas is an expensive place to advertise on television given its size and multiple media markets, and Biden aides acknowledge the campaign is unlikely to spend the kind of vast sum a full-court press would require. At a fundraiser last week, Biden touted polls showing he is tied or ahead but said the money required to compete in Texas is a “major stretch.” If Biden wins Texas, it is virtually certain he will have already won enough other states to capture the presidency, suggesting the campaign s resources may be better spent in clear-cut swing states such as Pennsylvania or Florida. The stakes in Texas are enormous: Its 38 votes in the Electoral College, which determines the presidential winner, are second only to California in the quest for a 270-vote majority. Democratic officials argue even a modest investment could pay dividends by forcing Trump to divert money from other states, while benefiting down-ballot candidates. Democrats need to flip nine seats in the Texas state assembly to take control in 2021, when the state will redraw congressional district lines for the next decade. The state also has several hotly contested congressional campaigns as well as a potentially competitive Senate race. Democratic state officials, state lawmakers and congressional members have pressed their case with the Biden campaign, according to interviews with multiple officials. Many point to Democratic Senate candidate Beto O Rourke s unexpectedly strong finish in 2018, when he came within three percentage points of unseating Republican Ted Cruz. “There s real change happening here,” said U.S. Representative Colin Allred, a Democrat who flipped a Republican-held seat near Dallas two years ago. “I ve told them I think they should compete here.” SEIZING AN OPPORTUNITY In an interview, Biden s deputy states director, Molly Ritner, said the campaign s modest $65,000 ad buy in July was prompted by the spike in Texas coronavirus infections. “We basically saw an opportunity,” Ritner said. “We have put 17 states on the map, and on any given day, we are looking at that map and trying to preserve as many pathways to 270 as possible.” It may be a long shot for Biden, but some Republicans have sounded the alarm. Cruz told reporters on Air Force One in late July that weakening support for Trump in the suburbs has put Texas in play. Karen Perkins, 60, an Arlington resident, is a lifelong Republican but said Trump s handling of the pandemic has left her unsure of how to vote in November. “He just visited Texas, and he got off the plane without a mask,” she said of Trump. “I ve always said that I m very, very Republican, but he s starting to turn me away.” The Democrats odds in 2020 rely on a confluence of factors. In addition to the suburban shift, the state s Latino, Black and Asian populations – all of which vote heavily Democratic – have grown faster than the white population. Since 2016, more than 2 million Texans have registered to vote. A majority are minorities, and 1.6 million are under the age of 35, according to the state party. “It s a perfect storm of demographic change and suburban change all at once,” said Jessica Post, director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which aids statehouse candidates. If Biden s appeal as a moderate can reduce Trump s margins in rural areas, Democrats said, his advantage in urban and suburban districts could carry him across the finish line. Turnout, particularly among minority voters, will be key. Using data lists, the state party has targeted hundreds of thousands of people who have moved to Texas from Democratic states but have yet to register. Meanwhile, the party s Latinx outreach team is distributing online toolkits to help Hispanic voters register their friends and family. Texas does not have partisan voter registration. But the trends prove Texas Democratic transformation is inevitable, if it hasn t happened already, according to Manny Garcia, the state party s executive director. “Texas is not in play because a dramatic number of Republicans are … coming over to the Democratic Party,” Garcia said. “Texas is in play because there are more of us than there are of them.”

EDMINSTER, N.J. (Reuters) – President Donald Trump signed executive orders on Saturday partly restoring enhanced unemployment payments to the tens of millions of Americans who lost jobs in the coronavirus pandemic, as the United States marked a grim milestone of five million cases. Negotiations broke down this week between the White House and top Democrats in Congress over how best to help Americans cope with the heavy human and economic toll of the crisis, which has killed more than 160,000 people across the country. Trump said the orders would provide an extra $400 per week in unemployment payments, less than the $600 per week passed earlier in the crisis. Some of the measures were likely to face legal challenges, as the US Constitution gives Congress authority over federal spending. “This is the money they need, this is the money they want, this gives them an incentive to go back to work,” the Republican president said of the lower payments. He said 25 percent of it would be paid by states, whose budgets have been hard hit by the crisis. Republicans have argued that higher payments were a disincentive for unemployed Americans to try to return to work, though economists, including Federal Reserve officials, disputed that assertion. Trump s move to take relief measures out of the hands of Congress drew immediate criticism from some Democrats. “Donald Trump is trying to distract from his failure to extend the $600 federal boost for 30 million unemployed workers by issuing illegal executive orders,” said Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee. “This scheme is a classic Donald Trump con: playacting at leadership while robbing people of the support they desperately need.” The Democratic-majority House of Representatives passed a coronavirus support package in May which the Republican-led Senate ignored. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called the orders a “series of half-baked measures” and accused Trump of putting Social Security “at grave risk” by delaying the collection of payroll taxes that pay for the program. Trump also said he was suspending collection of payroll taxes, which pay for Social Security and other federal programs, an idea that he has repeatedly raised but has been rejected by both parties in Congress. He said the suspension would apply to people making less than $100,000 per year. His orders would also stop evictions from rental housing that has federal financial backing and extend zero percent interest on federally financed student loans. Trump initially played down the disease s threat and has drawn criticism for inconsistent messages on public health steps such as social distancing and masks. He spoke to reporters on Saturday at his New Jersey golf club, in a room that featured a crowd of cheering supporters. FAR APART Nearly two weeks of talks between White House officials and congressional Democrats ended on Friday with the two sides still about $2 trillion apart. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had pushed to extend the enhanced unemployment payments, which expired at the end of July, at the previous rate of $600 as well as to provide more financial support for city and state governments battered by the crisis. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday offered to reduce the $3.4 trillion coronavirus aid package that the House passed in May by nearly a third if Republicans would agree to more than double their $1 trillion counteroffer. White House negotiators Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows rejected the offer. The $1 trillion package that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled late last month ran into immediate opposition from his own party, with as many as 20 of the Senate s 53 Republicans expected to oppose it. Trump did not rule out a return to negotiations with Congress. “I m not saying they re not going to come back and negotiate,” he said on Saturday. “Hopefully, we can do something with them at a later date.” Democrats have already warned that such executive orders are legally dubious and would likely be challenged in court, but a court fight could take months. Trump has managed to sidestep Congress on spending before, declaring a national emergency on the US-Mexico border to shift billions of dollars from the defense budget to pay for a wall he promised during his 2016 election campaign. Congress passed legislation to stop him, but there were too few votes in the Republican-controlled Senate to override his veto – a scenario that would likely play out again with less than 90 days to go before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Lebanon mourned on Thursday the victims of the most powerful blast to hit the country that was already being crushed by an economic crisis, as rescuers searched for those missing since the explosion that flattened Beirut port and devastated the city. French President Emmanuel Macron, making the first visit by a foreign leader since Tuesday s blast which killed at least 137 people and injured 5,000, was due to arrive in Beirut later on Thursday along with specialist rescue personnel and equipment. Dozens are missing and up to a quarter of a million people were left without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades, sucked furniture out into streets and shattered windows miles inland. Officials expect the death toll to rise. Prime Minister Hassan Diab declared three days of mourning from Thursday for victims of the explosion, the most devastating ever to hit the city that is still scarred by civil war three decades ago and reeling from a financial meltdown and surge in coronavirus cases. Officials have blamed the disaster on a huge stockpile of highly explosive material held for years at the port in unsafe conditions. The government has ordered port officials to be put under house arrest, ministerial sources told Reuters. But Lebanese, who have lost jobs and watched savings evaporate in the financial crisis, blamed politicians who have overseen and benefited from decades of state corruption and bad governance. "They will scapegoat somebody to defer responsibility," said Rabee Azar, a 33-year-old construction worker who came to the port on Thursday morning to try to start repairs. "This explosion was final bullet to kill off the country." "Nothing will come of the investigation. Nobody will believe them," said Azar, speaking near the smashed remains of a grain silo where tonnes of wheat was scattered on the ground. NEGLIGENCE President Michel Aoun said 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port after it was seized. He promised a thorough investigation and to hold those responsible to account. An official source familiar with preliminary investigations blamed the incident on "inaction and negligence", saying "nothing was done" to remove hazardous material. Some local media reported sightings of drones or planes flying in the area shortly before the explosion and some Beirut residents said they saw missiles fired. But officials have denied the incident was the result of an attack. A Lebanese security source said the initial blaze that sparked the explosion was caused by welding work. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said the U.S. government had not ruled out the possibility that Tuesday s explosion was an attack and was still gathering intelligence. People who felt the explosive force said they had witnessed nothing comparable in years of conflict and upheaval in Beirut, which was devastated by the 1975-1990 civil war and since then has experienced big bomb attacks, unrest and a war with Israel. "First we heard one sound. Seconds later there was a big explosion. All hell broke loose," said Ibrahim Zoobi, who works near the port. "I saw people thrown five or six metres." He said those in the port district "were burned or charred". Health officials reported that hospitals were running out of beds and equipment to attend to the injured. Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud told Al Hadath TV total losses from the blast could reach $15 billion, including losses to businesses amid the broader fallout. Operations have been paralysed at Beirut port, Lebanon s main route for imports needed to feed a nation of more than 6 million people, forcing ships to be diverted to smaller ports. The World Bank said on Wednesday it would work with Lebanon s partners to mobilise public and private financing for reconstruction and recovery. But it was unclear what impact this would have on the country difficult negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.

Investigators began searching the wreckage of Beirut s port Wednesday for clues to the cause of the massive explosion that ripped across the Lebanese capital as the government ordered port officials put under house arrest. International aid flights began to arrive, as Lebanon s leaders struggled to deal with the aftermath of Tuesday s blast, crippled by an economic crisis and facing a public where many already blame chronic mismanagement and corruption among the ruling elite for the disaster. The explosion at the port killed at least 100 people and wounded thousands. Hospitals were overwhelmed _ one that was damaged in the blast had to evacuate all its patients to a nearby field for treatment. Buildings were damaged for miles around the city, and Beirut s governor said Wednesday that hundreds of thousands might not be able to return to their homes for two or three months. Meanwhile, an official letter surfaced online showing that the head of the customs department had warned repeatedly over the years that a huge stockpile of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar in the port was a danger and asked for a way to remove it. Ammonium nitrate is a component of fertilizer that is potentially explosive. The 2,750-ton cargo had been stored at the port since it was confiscated from a ship in 2013, and on Tuesday it is believed to have detonated after a fire broke out nearby. The resulting explosion _ hitting with the force of a 3.5-magnitude earthquake _ was the biggest ever seen in Beirut, a city blasted by a 1975-1990 civil war, bombarded in conflicts with Israel and hit by periodic terror attacks. The 2017 letter from the custom s chief to a judge could not be immediately confirmed. If authentic, it could deepen the belief already expressed by some Lebanese that widespread mismanagement, negligence and corruption among the country s ruling class is to blame for the explosion. President Michael Aoun vowed before a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the investigation would be transparent and that those responsible will be punished. ``There are no words to describe the catastrophe that hit Beirut last night, he said. After the meeting, the Cabinet ordered an unspecified number of Beirut port officials put under house arrest pending an investigation into how the ammonium nitrate came to be stored at the port for years. The government also declared a two-week state of emergency, effectively giving the military full powers during this time. State prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat ordered security agencies to start an immediate investigation and collect all reports and letters related to the materials stored at the port as well as lists of people in charge of maintenance, storage and protection of the hangar. In the letter, the customs chief warns of the ``dangers if the materials remain where they are regarding the safety of (port) employees and asked the judge for guidance on what to do with it. He said five similar letters were sent in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The letter proposes the material be exported or sold to a Lebanese explosives company. It is not known if there was ever a response. The government also said public schools will be opened to host those who lost their homes and the minister of tourism will also work on opening some hotels for use by those who lost their homes. It also promised compensation for the victims. With the Port of Beirut destroyed, the government said imports and exports will be secured through other ports in the country, mostly in the northern city of Tripoli and the southern port city of Tyre. Residents of Beirut confronted a scene of utter devastation Wednesday. Smoke still rose from the port, where a towering building of silos was half destroyed, spilling out grain. Hangars around it were completely toppled. The blast knocked out a crater some 200 meters (yards) across that filled with seawater _ it was as if the sea had taken a bite out of the port, swallowing buildings with it. Much of downtown was littered with damaged vehicles and debris that had rained down from the shattered facades of buildings. Lebanon was already on the brink of collapse amid a severe economic crisis. Many have lost their jobs and seen their savings evaporate because of a currency crisis. Food security is a worry, since Lebanon imports nearly all its vital goods and its main port is devastated. The government is strapped for cash. Lebanon s economic crisis is rooted in decades of systemic corruption by political factions that exploit public institutions for the benefit of their supporters. Decades after the civil war, residents endure frequent power outages and poor public services. French President Emmanuel Macron was to traveling to Beirut on Thursday to offer support and meet with Lebanese leaders. Lebanon is a former French protectorate and the countries retain close political and economic ties.

Nigeria s largest airline Air Peace said Tuesday it had laid off a number of pilots and cut salaries in order to cope with the impact of the coronavirus on its operations. The private carrier did not disclose the number of pilots affected, but industry sources put the figure at around 70. Air Peace serves cities in Nigeria as well as elsewhere in West Africa and in the Middle East. The group said it had "taken a very painful but rightful decision... to terminate the employment of some of its pilots" due to "the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations and financial health." "This decision was taken for the greater good of the company and its almost 3000 workforce," including the affected pilots, it said in a statement. "Anything short of what we have done may lead to the collapse of an airline as could be seen in some places worldwide during this period. Therefore, we decided to review the salaries being paid to all staff." Many other airlines in other parts of the world have taken similar measures to stay afloat. Global businesses have been hit by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic since its outbreak late last year. Nigeria recently eased the lockdowns on businesses and economic activities, but most have yet to fully recover. The virus has infected over 44,000 and killed 896 people in Nigeria since the first case in February.

Lebanon is suffering its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by an unprecedented plunge of its currency, which has left nearly half of the population in poverty. The financial collapse has led to mass layoffs and salary cuts in a country already rocked since late 2019 by mass protests against a political system seen as corrupt and incompetent. Here are the key moments in the spiralling crisis. - Dollar shortages - Anxiety about a dollar shortage flares on September 29 last year when hundreds of people take to the streets of central Beirut to protest economic hardship. Among the worst hit are petrol station owners who need dollars to pay fuel suppliers. Media report that banks and exchange offices are limiting dollar sales for fear of running out. - Tax on WhatsApp - A government proposal to tax free online messaging apps such as WhatsApp, made on October 17, is the last straw. Thousands take to the streets in Beirut and other cities, some chanting "the people demand the fall of the regime". The government of prime minister Saad Hariri scraps the tax the same day, but protests grow over the next weeks, culminating in demonstrations gathering hundreds of thousands demanding an overhaul of the entire ruling class. - New government - On December 19 little-known academic Hassan Diab, who is backed by powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, is named prime minister, replacing Hariri who resigned in late October under pressure from the street. Protesters immediately regroup to condemn the appointment which outrages members of the Sunni community. On January 21, 2020, a new government is unveiled, made up of a single political camp, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah and its allies, who have a parliamentary majority. Demonstrators respond by torching tyres and blocking several roads in mainly Sunni towns across the country. - Default - On March 7, Lebanon, whose debt burden has ballooned to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product, says it will default on a $1.2-billion Eurobond. On March 23 it says it will discontinue payments on all dollar-denominated Eurobonds. - Capital flight - On April 24, Diab says that banks have lost $5.7 billion (4.8 billion euros) in January and February in spite of restrictions on withdrawals and transfers abroad. According to official estimates, $2.3 billion were transferred out of the country last year. - Rescue plan - On April 30, after three nights of violent clashes in Tripoli, Diab says Lebanon will seek help from the International Monetary Fund, after the government approves a plan to rescue the economy. On May 13, Lebanon launches talks with the IMF. - Arrests - In May the president of the exchange offices trades union Mahmud Mrad is arrested and the director of monetary operations at the central bank Mazen Hamdan charged with "manipulation of the national currency". - Currency collapse - From June 11-13, after the Lebanese pound hits a new low on the black market, protesters take to the streets after sundown, blocking roads, including in Beirut and Tripoli. On June 29, the director general of the finance ministry involved in the negotiations with the IMF resigns, citing deep disagreements over the management of the crisis. - Out of control - On July 10, the UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet warns that Lebanon s crisis is getting out of hand, calling for urgent internal reforms coupled with international support to prevent further mayhem. - Failed state - On August 3, Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti resigns in protest at the government s mishandling of the crisis, including its unwillingness to initiate changes demanded by the IMF. He warns that Lebanon risks becoming a "failed state". He is replaced by Charbel Wahbe, a former ambassador and advisor to President Michel Aoun.

Sudan s government has welcomed remarks from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week that he would like to delist Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism, local media reported. Pompeo has repeatedly indicated that the State Department hopes to remove the designation, which severely impedes investment to Sudan, but disputes have arisen on a compensation package over the 1998 bombings of two US embassies. The US top diplomat told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday that legislation on a settlement should come before Congress "in the very, very near term". According to an English-language report by official news agency SUNA, the Sudanese transitional government on Saturday welcomed Pompeo s statement and "promised to do its level best to meet the requirements that would help the (American) administration" take "positive action". Independent online news site Sudan Tribune reported the government had said in a statement that it "is ready to continue working with the US administration to remove Sudan from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and enter into a partnership relationship that benefits both countries". Pompeo said that the fall of longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir following mass protests and the nearly year-old government of a civilian prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, marked "an opportunity that doesn t come along often". "There s a chance not only for a democracy to begin to be built out, but perhaps regional opportunities that could flow from that as well," he said. "I think lifting the state sponsor of terrorism designation there if we can... take care of the victims of those tragedies would be a good thing for American foreign policy," Pompeo said. According to SUNA, Hamdok reaffirmed "his commitment to continue exerting efforts with all friends in the United States and abroad" to bring the issue to a close and for Sudan to fully return to "be part of the international community". Bashir had welcomed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and Sudan was accused of aiding jihadists who blew up the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 people and injuring around 5,000 others. Sudan s new government has agreed to a compensation package but a dispute has arisen over higher payments to Americans than to Africans, who accounted for the vast majority of the casualties.

Tunisian parliament Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist Ennahda movement, narrowly survived a motion of no-confidence on Thursday. Only 133 MPs out of a total of 217 in the parliament attended the session. 97 MPs voted in the secret ballot for the motion and 30 voted against. A request to withdraw confidence from the speaker in the Tunisian parliament requires an absolute majority vote of 109 votes from a total of 217 MPs. The Tunisian parliament had devoted its session today to vote on the motion submitted by dozens of MPs, led by the MPs from the liberal Free Constitutional Party, to withdraw confidence from Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist Ennahda movement, but the dispute over the method of voting sparked tensions at the start of the session. The chairperson of the session was forced to adjourn this morning session during secret balloting on the confidence withdrawal motion as mayhem broke out in parliament between opposition and Ennahda MPs. The session and secret balloting were resumed shortly after. MPs from smaller opposition parties and recently resigned ruling coalition parties also supported withdrawing confidence from the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Movement, the largest bloc in parliament, charging that he violated rules of procedure and failed to run the sessions in a partial manner.

The United States on Wednesday imposed fresh sanctions aimed at depriving the Syrian government of funds, and warned that Washington would blacklist anyone doing business with President Bashar al-Assad s government until he supports a negotiated end to the country s nearly decade-long war. Among the 14 blacklisted Wednesday were Assad s son, Hafez, a Syrian businessman and nine entities a senior U.S. official accused of helping to fund the Syrian government s "campaign of terror", as well as the Syrian Arab Army s First Division unit, among others. "The steady drumbeat of designations on persons and entities that support the Assad regime will continue until the regime and its associates cease obstructing a peaceful political resolution of the conflict" as called for by the U.N. Security Council, a senior U.S. official told reporters. The sanctions, imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act and other measures, come as the Syrian leader grapples with a deepening economic crisis after a decade of war. It marks the second round of sanctions imposed by the Washington under the Caesar Act, which aims to deter "bad actors who continue to aid and finance the Assad regime’s atrocities against the Syrian people while simply enriching themselves." "It is time for Assad s needless, brutal war to end.  This, above all, is what our sanctions campaign is meant to bring about," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement. Already, U.S. and European Union sanctions have frozen the assets of the Syrian state and hundreds of companies and individuals. Washington has banned American exports to and investment in Syria, as well as transactions involving oil and hydrocarbon products. The new sanctions cover many more sectors, and they can freeze assets of anyone dealing with Syria, regardless of nationality. The measure also targets those dealing with entities from Russia and Iran, Assad’s main backers. Syrian authorities blame Western sanctions for widespread hardship among ordinary residents, where the currency collapse has led to soaring prices and people struggling to afford food and basic supplies.

Lebanon s premier condemned Tuesday a "dangerous military escalation" by Israel after a security incident at the border led the Jewish state to fire artillery across the frontier. "Israel has once again violated Lebanon s sovereignty... in a dangerous military escalation," Hassan Diab said on Twitter, in his government s first official response to Monday s shelling. "I call for caution in the coming days because I fear that things will get worse in light of severe tension at the border," he said. The Israeli army had said a group of three to five men armed with rifles crossed the UN-demarcated Blue Line in the disputed Mount Dov area, claimed by Lebanon, Syria and Israel. It said the "terrorists" had fled back to Lebanon after an exchange of gunfire and that Israeli forces had fired artillery into Lebanon "for defensive purposes". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah and the Lebanese government "carry responsibility" for the infiltration attempt. But Hezbollah, which has a presence in the area where the incident occurred, denied any involvement. It said that reports of Israel thwarting an infiltration from Lebanon are "completely false." United Nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL said it had opened an investigation into the incident. Diab on Tuesday accused Israel of trying to "change the rules of engagement," that have existed between the two countries since the end of a month-long 2006 war -- the last direct conflict between the two states. He also said that Israel was pushing to alter the mandate of UNIFIL before it expires late next month. In early May, the US ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft, called on the world body to "pursue serious change to empower UNIFIL or realign its staffing and resources," because the mission was being "prevented from fulfilling its mandate." Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah swiftly rejected the proposal which he said was an Israeli demand. The latest border incident follows a July 20 Israeli missile attack on Syrian government and allied positions south of Damascus that killed five people. Hezbollah, whose fighters back Damascus in the nine-year-old Syrian civil war, said one of its own was among the dead. Since 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes in Syria, targeting government troops and allied Iranian and Hezbollah forces with the stated aim of ending Iran s military presence in Syria.

Iran has moved a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier to the strategic Strait of Hormuz, satellite images show, suggesting it will use the look-alike vessel for target practice in war games in a Gulf shipping channel vital to world oil exports. The use of dummy American warships has become an occasional feature of training by Iran s Revolutionary Guards and its naval forces, including in 2015 when Iranian missiles hit a mock-up resembling a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and Western navies in the Gulf, frequently holds naval war games in the strategic Strait, the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea. One of the images taken on July 26 by U.S.-based space technology firm Maxar Technologies showed an Iranian fast attack boat moving toward the model U.S. carrier in the strategic waterway. Another image showed model planes lined up on the deck of the fake carrier. Tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States since 2018, when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran s 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions that has sharply dropped Tehran s oil exports. Iran s Guards in April said Tehran would destroy U.S. warships if its security is threatened in the Gulf. Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block Hormuz if Iran is not able to export oil or if its nuclear sites are attacked. There have been periodic confrontations between the Iranian Guards and the U.S. military in the Gulf in recent years. U.S. officials have said closing the Strait would be crossing a "red line" and America would take action to reopen it. Iran cannot legally close the waterway unilaterally because part of it is in Omani territorial waters. However, ships that sail it pass through Iranian waters, which are under the responsibility of the Iran s Guards naval force.