Reuters

Germany starts curbing support for Israel as Gaza faces starvation

The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Israel’s plans to expand military control over the enclave have pushed Germany to curb arms exports to Israel, a historically fraught step for Berlin driven by a growing public outcry.

Conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz, hitherto a staunchly pro-Israel leader, made the announcement on Friday arguing that Israel’s actions would not achieve its stated war goals of eliminating Hamas or bringing Israeli hostages home.

It is a bold move for a leader who after winning elections in February said he would invite Benjamin Netanyahu to Germany in defiance of an arrest warrant against the Israeli prime minister issued by the International Criminal Court.

The shift reflects how Germany’s come-what-may support for Israel, rooted in its historical guilt over the Nazi Holocaust, is being tested like never before as the high Palestinian civilian death toll in Gaza, massive war destruction and images of starving children are chipping away at decades of policy.

“It is remarkable as it is the first concrete measure of this German government. But I would not see it as a U-turn, rather a ‘warning shot’,” said Muriel Asseburg, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

It caps months of the German government sharpening its tone over Israel’s escalating military campaign in the small, densely populated Palestinian enclave, though still shying away from tougher steps that other European countries and some voices in Merz’s ruling coalition were calling for.

Read more: Thousands protest in Tel Aviv against Israel’s Gaza take over plan

The suspension of arms deliveries to Israel would affect just those that could be used in Gaza.

The move reflects a hardening mood in Germany, where public opinion has grown critical of Israel and more demanding that its government help ease a humanitarian disaster – most of the 2.2 million population is homeless and Gaza is a sea of rubble.

According to an ARD-DeutschlandTREND survey released on Thursday, a day before Merz’s announcement, 66% of Germans want their government to put more pressure on Israel to change its behaviour.

That is higher than April 2024, when some 57% of Germans believed their government should criticise Israel more strongly than before for its actions in Gaza, a Forsa poll showed.

Despite Germany helping air drop aid to Gaza, 47% of Germans think their government is doing too little for Palestinians there, against 39% who disagree with this, the ARD-DeutschlandTREND this week showed.

Most strikingly perhaps, only 31% of Germans feel they have a bigger responsibility for Israel due to their history – a core tenet of German foreign policy – while 62% do not.
Germany’s political establishment has cited its approach, known as the “Staatsraison”, as a special responsibility for Israel after the Nazi Holocaust, which was laid out in 2008 by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel to the Israeli parliament.

Reflecting that stance days before his most recent trip to Israel in July, Merz’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told Die Zeit newspaper that Berlin could not be a “neutral mediator”.

“Because we are partisan. We stand with Israel,” he said, echoing similar statements by other conservative figures in Merz’s party.

But Merz’s junior coalition partner, the Social Democrats (SPD), had already been more explicit in wanting to put sanctions against Israel on the table.

FAdis Ahmetovic, an SPD foreign policy spokesperson, said suspending weapons shipments was only the first step.

“More must follow, such as a full or partial suspension of the (European Union) Association Agreement or the medical evacuation of seriously injured children, in particular,” Ahmetovic told Stern magazine. “Furthermore, sanctions against Israeli ministers must no longer be taboo.”

August 10, 2025
Turkey says Muslim countries must be united against Israel’s Gaza takeover plan

ANKARA: Muslim nations must act in unison and rally international opposition against Israel’s plan to take control of Gaza City, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday after talks in Egypt.

Regional powers Egypt and Turkey both condemned the plan on Friday. Ankara has said it marked a new phase in what it called Israel’s genocidal and expansionist policies, while calling for global measures to stop the plan’s implementation.

Speaking at a joint press conference in El Alamein with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty, after also meeting Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Fidan said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had been called to an emergency meeting.

Fidan said Israel’s policy aimed to force Palestinians out of their lands through hunger and that it aimed to permanently invade Gaza, adding there was no justifiable excuse for nations to continue supporting Israel.

“What is happening today is a very dangerous development… not only for the Palestinian people or neighbouring countries,” Abdelatty said, adding that Israel’s plans were “inadmissible”.

Abdelatty said there was full coordination with Turkey on Gaza, and referred to a statement issued on Saturday by the OIC Ministerial Committee condemning Israel’s plan.

The OIC committee said Israel’s plan marked “a dangerous and unacceptable escalation, a flagrant violation of international law, and an attempt to entrench the illegal occupation”, warning that it would “obliterate any opportunity for peace”.

August 10, 2025
Spain’s Coll lost her bottle, notes in Euro 2025 final shootout

Aug 9: Spain keeper Cata Coll was left without her tactical notes during the penalty shootout in last month’s European Championship final, because England keeper Hannah Hampton had thrown the bottle they were written on into the stands.

Hampton replaced Coll’s bottle with her own as the 24-year-old Chelsea keeper led England to their second continental title in a row, beating the world champions 3-1 in the shootout after a 1-1 draw in Basel.

“It wasn’t hard. When she’s in the goal it’s on its own… you just pick it up,” Hampton told TalkSport.

“I just put mine in there, chucked her one into the fans and she had an empty bottle. She was looking for where it is. She was walking back and I was walking the other way. She was so confused. I was trying so hard not to burst out laughing.”

Australia keeper Andrew Redmayne did the same to Peruvian counterpart Pedro Gallese during a qualifying playoff for the 2022 World Cup. Redmayne saved the final penalty as Australia won the shootout 5-4.

Coll saved Beth Mead’s re-taken penalty as Spain took the lead, before Hampton saved two spot-kicks and Spaniard Salma Paralluelo shot wide.

Hampton said she wrote down her notes on her arm to keep them safe. “I never put it on a bottle because anyone can do that,” she added.

August 10, 2025
Portugal’s top court blocks bill restricting immigration

LISBON: Portugal’s Constitutional Court has blocked a bill approved by the right-wing parliamentary majority that was designed to limit the inflow of immigrants, citing obstacles it creates for family members in joining immigrants legally resident in Portugal.

Immediately after late Friday’s decision, President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa sent the bill back to parliament, which is on recess until September. Last month, the president told the court to check the document for potential infringements of the principles of equality, proportionality and legal security.

The bill illustrates the rightward shift in politics in much of Europe, as governments try to fend off the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.

The bill would have made hundreds of thousands of migrants legally resident in Portugal wait for two years before they could request permission for immediate family members to join them. Only highly-skilled workers and investors with special residence permits would be exempt.

The court ruled that the bill was “likely to lead to the separation of family members” of foreign citizens legally resident in Portugal, which it said would be a “violation of the rights enshrined in the constitution”.

Last year, the government scrapped a programme that allowed migrants entering Portugal on a tourist visa or waiver to stay and get residence permits if they find work.

Immigrants from the Community of Portuguese Language Countries still enjoy most such privileges but the bill would impose the requirement of a long-term work or residence visa that they would need to apply for in the country of origin.

Parliament approved the bill on July 16 with support from the centre-right ruling coalition and far-right Chega party, which emerged as the second-largest parliamentary force in a May general election.

Left-wing opposition parties have criticised the government for what they call an inhumane bill, and for allowing Chega to impose its anti-immigration agenda on the minority administration.

The government denies such accusations, arguing that immigration inflows require better controls, and has already said it intends to adjust the bill to the court’s objections.

August 10, 2025
Messi will not travel for Sunday’s match

August 9, 2025: Inter Miami superstar Lionel Messi will not travel for Sunday’s match at Orlando City due to a “minor” muscle injury in his right leg, coach Javier Mascherano said Saturday.

Messi sustained the injury during last weekend’s Leagues Cup match against Necaxa. There is no timeline for the forward’s return.

“No, Leo will not be available tomorrow,” Mascherano said Saturday, per ESPN. “Leo is OK, but obviously it would be crazy to take the risk of taking him to Orlando because of all that is ahead. We are optimistic that he will soon return with us.”

Messi, 38, entered this weekend with 18 goals, tied with Sam Surridge of Nashville SC for the lead in the chase for the Golden Boot. The Argentina native also has nine assists in 18 MLS matches (17 starts) this season.

After visiting Orlando City, the Herons will host Los Angeles FC next Saturday before facing Tigres UANL in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals on Aug. 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Football- Soccer News from Around The World

August 9, 2025
Israel signs $35 billion natural gas supply deal with Egypt

LONDON: Israel’s Leviathan natural gas field has signed the largest export agreement in the country’s history, worth up to $35 billion to supply gas to Egypt, NewMed, one of the partners in the field has said.

The deal should ease an energy crisis in Egypt, which has spent billions of dollars on importing liquefied natural gas since its own supplies fell short of demand.

Egypt’s production began declining in 2022, it has increasingly turned to Israel to make up the shortfall.

Exports from the gas field were halted during a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June but have since resumed.

Under the deal announced on Thursday, Leviathan, off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, with reserves of some 600 billion cubic metres, will sell about 130 bcm of gas to Egypt through 2040, or until all of the contract quantities are fulfilled.

The gas is pumped via pipelines, which makes it cheaper than LNG, the cost of which is inflated by the super-cooling required to make it a liquid that can be transported by ship and re-gasifying it when it reaches its destination.

Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum, which is also responsible for energy imports, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Analysts estimate the average cost of LNG at $13.5 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), compared to $7.75 for Israeli gas. That excludes the cost of leasing floating storage (FSRUs).

Under the deal, Leviathan in a first stage will supply Egypt with 20 bcm of gas starting in early 2026 after the connection of additional pipelines.

It will export the remaining 110 bcm in a second phase that will begin after completion of the expansion project and the construction of a new transmission pipeline from Israel to Egypt via Nitzana in Israel, NewMed said.

Egypt has been struggling to get its gas production up. According to latest figures, production reached 3,545 million cubic meters in May, compared to 6,133 mcm in March 2021 – a decline of over 42% in less than five years.

The Leviathan reservoir began supplying Egypt shortly after production began in 2020. The field, operated by Chevron, which holds a 40% stake, also supplies Jordan.

August 9, 2025
Ireland to pass trade ban on Israeli settlements despite US pressure

Ireland will continue to advance legislation banning the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris has said.

More than a dozen members of the US Congress had called on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to add Ireland to a list of countries boycotting Israel if the Occupied Territories Bill is passed by Dublin.

But Harris said Ireland’s government remains undeterred and “isn’t alone” in carrying out the measures.

“This week we also saw Slovenia take action in relation to trade from the occupied territories, I expect Belgium are likely to do the same and we intend to advance with our legislation,” Harris told reporters on Friday.

“People in Ireland, people in Europe and people right across the world feel extraordinarily strongly about the genocidal activity that we’re seeing in Gaza, about the starving children and we will use all tools at our disposal,” he added.

Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund will also announce changes to the handling of its Israeli investments, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday, ruling out any blanket withdrawal over the war in Gaza.

Read More: Israel approves plan to take control of Gaza

The fund itself said it would provide an update on its Israeli investments on Tuesday. The government this week launched an urgent review of the investments over ethics concerns linked to the war in Gaza and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank.

“I see several measures over time, but what can be addressed quickly, must be done quickly,” Stoltenberg told a press conference after holding his second meeting with fund officials in three days.

He did not say what these measures could be, but added that there would not be a wholesale divestment from all Israeli companies. “If we did that, it would mean we are divesting from them because they are Israeli,” he said.

August 9, 2025
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Saturday marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. military’s dropping of an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, three days after the bombing of Hiroshima ushered in the age of nuclear weapons.

Following are some facts about the bombings, the only times nuclear weapons have been used in war. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, ending its role in World War Two.

HIROSHIMA:
- At 8.15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, an American B-29 Superfortress bomber called Enola Gay dropped a 10,000-pound uranium-235 bomb, instantly killing about 78,000 people. By the end of that year, the number of dead reached about 140,000.
- The bomb, nicknamed “Little Boy”, exploded about 580 metres (1,900 feet) above the centre of the city, setting off a surge of heat reaching 4,000 degrees Celsius (7,200 degrees Fahrenheit) across a radius of about 4.5 km (2.8 miles). More than half of the city’s buildings lay in ruins.
NAGASAKI:
- At 11.02 a.m. on August 9, the United States dropped a 10,000-pound plutonium-239 bomb, nicknamed “Fat Man”.
- It exploded about 500 metres above the ground, instantly killing about 27,000 of the city’s estimated population of around 200,000. By the end of 1945, the number of dead due to acute radiation exposure reached about 70,000.
TOTAL KILLED:
- Japan has so far recognised the total number of deaths from the bombings, including from radiation illness and injuries, as 344,306 in Hiroshima (as of August 6, 2024) and 198,785 in Nagasaki (as of August 9, 2024).
August 9, 2025
Trump announces peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Friday during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump that would boost bilateral economic ties after decades of conflict and move them toward a full normalization of their relations.

The deal between the South Caucasus rivals – assuming it holds – would be a significant accomplishment for the Trump administration that is sure to rattle Moscow, which sees the region as within its sphere of influence.

“It’s a long time – 35 years – they fought and now they’re friends, and they’re going to be friends for a long time,” Trump said at a signing ceremony at the White House, where he was flanked by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous Azerbaijani region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia. Azerbaijan took back full control of the region in 2023, prompting almost all of the territory’s 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.

Trump said the two countries had committed to stop fighting, open up diplomatic relations and respect each other’s territorial integrity.

The agreement includes exclusive U.S. development rights to a strategic transit corridor through the South Caucasus that the White House said would facilitate greater exports of energy and other resources.

Trump said the United States signed separate deals with each country to expand cooperation on energy, trade and technology, including artificial intelligence. Details were not released.

He said restrictions had also been lifted on defense cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States, a development that could also worry Moscow.

Both leaders praised Trump for helping to end the conflict and said they would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump has tried to present himself as a global peacemaker in the first months of his second term. The White House credits him with brokering a ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand and sealing peace deals between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Pakistan and India.

However, he has not managed to end Russia’s 3-1/2-year-old war in Ukraine or Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Trump on Friday said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to work on ending the war.

ENDING SANCTIONS EVASION BLIND SPOT

U.S. officials said the agreement was hammered out during repeated visits to the region and would provide a basis for working toward a full normalization between the countries.

The peace deal could transform the South Caucasus, an energy-producing region neighboring Russia, Europe, Turkey and Iran that is criss-crossed by oil and gas pipelines but riven by closed borders and longstanding ethnic conflicts.

Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert and adviser to Loyola University’s Chicago School of Law, said the agreement would help the West crack down on Russian efforts to evade sanctions.

“The Caucasus has been a blind spot in sanctions policy,” he said. “A formal peace creates a platform for the West to engage Armenia and Azerbaijan … to shut down the evasion pipelines.”

Tina Dolbaia, an associate fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Friday’s signing was a big symbolic move, but many questions remained, including which U.S. companies might control the new transit corridor and how involved Armenia and Azerbaijan would be in its construction.

She said Russia would likely be irritated by being excluded from the agreement and the U.S. role in the corridor. “Now the fact that … Armenians are shaking hands with Azerbaijanis, and they are talking about US involvement in this corridor – this is huge for Russia,” she said.

Olesya Vartanyan, an independent regional expert, said the deal added greater predictability to the region, but its long-term prospects would depend on continued U.S. engagement.

“Armenia and Azerbaijan … have a much longer track record of failed negotiations and violent escalations than of peaceful resolutions,” she said. “Without proper and continued U.S. involvement, the issue will likely get deadlocked again, increasing the chances of renewed tensions.”

Senior administration officials said the agreement marked the end to the first of several frozen conflicts on Russia’s periphery since the end of the Cold War, sending a powerful signal to the entire region.

Armenia plans to award the U.S. exclusive special development rights for an extended period on the transit corridor, U.S. officials told Reuters this week. The so-called Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity has already drawn interest from nine companies, including three U.S. firms, one official said on condition of anonymity.

Daphne Panayotatos, with the Washington-based rights group Freedom Now, said it had urged the Trump administration to use the meeting with Aliyev to demand the release of some 375 political prisoners held in the country.

Azerbaijan, an oil-producing country that hosted the United Nations climate summit last November, has rejected Western criticism of its human rights record, describing it as unacceptable interference.

August 9, 2025
Mobile data service suspended in Balochistan untill August 31

QUETTA: Pakistan has suspended cell phone data services for three weeks in the province of Balochistan in a bid to block communications among miscreants behind a surge in recent attacks, an official and the government said.

In an order seen by Reuters, the government said the services would be suspended until the end of the month because of the law and order situation in the province, home to key Chinese Belt and Road projects.

“The service has been suspended because they (militants) use it for coordination and sharing information,” Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said on Friday.

Officials said there are 8.5 million cell phone subscribers in Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by size, which borders Afghanistan and Iran. But it is thinly populated, with just 15 million from a national population of 240 million.

The news follows Pakistan’s ban on road travel to Iran late last month, citing security threats.

The region is home to the Gwadar Port, built by Beijing as part of a $65-billion investment in Pakistan in the Belt and Road programme designed to expand China’s global reach.

Islamabad accuses arch-rival India of funding and backing the insurgents in a bid to stoke instability, as Pakistan seeks international investments in the region.

Read More: 33 Khawarij killed in Zhob as infiltration bid from Afghanistan foiled: ISPR

Earlier on Friday, Pakistani security forces killed 33 terrorists affiliated with the group Fitna al-Khawarij during an attempted infiltration across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, as reported by ARY News.

According to the ISPR, on the night of August 7-8, 2025, security forces detected the movement of a large group of Khawarij—linked to the Indian proxy group Fitna al-Khawarij, who were trying to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan border, in general area Sambaza, Zhob District of Balochistan.

“Own troops effectively engaged and thwarted their attempt to infiltrate. As a result of precise, bold and skillful engagement, thirty three Indian sponsored khwarij were killed. A large cache of weapons, ammunition & explosives was also recovered,” the military’s media wing said.

ISPR said that sanitization operation is being conducted to eliminate any other khwarij found in the area.

August 9, 2025