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Hezbollah Warns Of Dire Consequences If Lebanon Acts Against It
Hezbollah on Friday warned that Lebanon would face ‘no life’ if the government attempted to confront or dismantle the Iran-backed group, raising the spectre of civil war.
The government wants to control arms in line with a U.S.-backed plan following Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, which was founded four decades ago with the backing of Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards.
But the group is resisting pressure to disarm, saying that cannot happen until Israel ends its strikes and occupation of a southern strip of Lebanon that had been a Hezbollah stronghold.
“This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together – or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us,” its leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech.
Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in the last two years, killing many of its top brass, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah and 5,000 of its fighters, and destroying much of its arsenal.
The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with confining weapons only to state security forces, a move that has outraged Hezbollah.
Qassem accused the government of implementing an “American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife.”
Dialogue Possible
However, he said Hezbollah and the Amal movement, its Shi’ite Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests while there was still scope for talks.
“There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants,” Qassem said.
“But if it is imposed on us, we are ready, and we have no other choice … At that point, there will be a protest in the street, all across Lebanon, that will reach the American embassy.”
The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins, erupted in October 2023 when the group opened fire at Israeli positions along the southern border in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.
Hezbollah and Amal still retain influence politically, appointing Shi’ite ministers to the cabinet and holding the Shi’ite seats in parliament. But for the first time in years, they do not hold a “blocking third” of the cabinet, enabling them to veto government decisions in the past.
Hezbollah retains strong support among the Shi’ite community in Lebanon, but calls for its disarmament across the rest of society have grown.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Travels To Alaska For ‘High Stakes’ Summit With Putin On Ukraine Ceasefire
U.S. President Donald Trump set off for Alaska on Friday, describing his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “high stakes.” The summit is aimed at discussing a potential ceasefire agreement for Ukraine, in hopes of bringing an end to the deadliest conflict Europe has seen since World War Two.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict and recognising – if only informally – Russian control over one fifth of Ukraine.
Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them at a table,” he said.
Face-To-Face Talks
Both the U.S. and Russian presidents, due to meet at a Cold War-era air force base in Alaska’s largest city, are seeking wins from their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House.
Trump, who casts the war as a “bloodbath” fraught with escalatory risk, is pressing for a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war that would bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
For Putin, the summit is already a big win as he can use it to say that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow has retaken its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy.
The summit, the first between a U.S. and Russian leader since 2021, was set to start at 11 a.m. Alaska time (1900 GMT).
Trump, who once said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher nut to crack than he thought. He said that if Friday’s talks went well, quickly arranging a second three-way summit with Zelenskyy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin.
“It’s time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Friday, adding that the Trump-Putin meeting should open the way for a “just peace” and three-way talks with him included.
‘Smart Guy’
Of Putin, Trump said on Friday: “He is a smart guy, been doing it for a long time but so have I… We get along, there’s a good respect level on both sides.” He also welcomed Putin’s decision to bring a lot of businesspeople with him to Alaska.
“But they’re not doing business until we get the war settled,” he said, repeating a threat of “economically severe” consequences for Russia if the summit goes badly.
One source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs that Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine given that Putin understood Russia’s economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war.
It was previously reported that Putin might be willing to freeze the conflict along the front lines, provided there was a legally binding pledge not to enlarge NATO eastwards and to lift some Western sanctions.
Russia, whose war economy is showing signs of strain, is vulnerable to further U.S. sanctions – and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India.
“For Putin, economic problems are secondary to goals, but he understands our vulnerability and costs,” the Russian source said.
On the eve of the summit, Putin held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants – a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February next year.
Common Ground?
The source familiar with Kremlin thinking said it looked as if the two sides had been able to find some common ground.
“Apparently, some terms will be agreed upon… because Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse (due to sanctions pressure),” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.
Putin has so far voiced stringent conditions for a full ceasefire, but one compromise could be a truce in the air war. Putin has said he is open to a ceasefire but has repeatedly said the issues of verification need to be sorted out first.
Zelenskyy has accused Putin of playing for time to avoid U.S. secondary sanctions and has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory.
Beyond territory, Ukraine has been clear in talks with Western allies that it needs a security guarantee backed by Washington. It is unclear how that guarantee could work – and what part the U.S. would play in it.
Ukrainians in central Kyiv on Friday said they were not optimistic about the Alaska summit.
“Nothing good will happen there, because war is war, it will not end. The territories – we’re not going to give anything to anyone,” said Tetiana Harkavenko, a 65-year-old cleaner.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Intel Rises Nearly 4% Amid US Funding Hopes
Intel shares jumped nearly 4% on Friday amid reports that the US government may buy a stake in the struggling chipmaker, raising hopes of fresh financial support for its turnaround efforts.
The Bloomberg News report followed a meeting between CEO Lip-Bu Tan and President Donald Trump on Monday after Trump demanded the new Intel chief’s resignation over his “highly conflicted” ties to Chinese firms.
Unprecedented Approach
Trump, who called the meeting “very interesting,” has taken an unprecedented approach to corporate interventions, including a deal that would make the Department of Defence the largest shareholder in rare-earth producer MP Materials.
In the latest move, Trump’s administration is considering using funds from the 2022 CHIPS Act, signed into law by his predecessor Joe Biden, to take a stake in Intel, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
Intel last year secured nearly $8 billion in subsidies, the largest outlay under the act, to build new factories in Ohio and other states as former CEO Pat Gelsinger bet on them to restore the company’s manufacturing edge.
Tan, however, pared back such ambitions, slowing construction in Ohio. He plans to build factories based on demand for the services, which analysts have said could put him at odds with Trump’s push to shore up American manufacturing.
Intel and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Potential ‘Game Changer’?
Federal backing could give Intel more time to revive its loss-making foundry business, analysts said, but it still faces a weak product roadmap and trouble attracting customers for new factories.
It could be a “game-changer”, said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown. But he warned “government support might help shore up confidence, but it doesn’t fix the underlying competitiveness gap in advanced nodes.”
Past Giant
Intel lost its competitive edge years ago to Taiwan’s TSMC. It has virtually no presence in the booming AI chips market dominated by Nvidia and is losing market share in PCs and datacenters to AMD.
Its latest 18A manufacturing process is facing quality issues, Reuters has reported, as only a small share of chips produced are good enough for customers, while it remains partly dependent on TSMC to make Intel in-house designed chips.
“Intel also needs capability; can the US government do anything to help here?” Bernstein analysts said.
“Without a solid process roadmap the entire exercise would be economically equivalent to simply setting 10s of billions of dollars on fire.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Spain Battles 14 Major Wildfires That Kill Seven, Scorch 150,000 Hectares
Spain is battling 14 major wildfires as authorities on Friday warned of ‘unfavourable conditions’ to contain blazes that have killed seven people and scorched over 150,000 hectares (579 square miles).
A 12-day heatwave and southerly winds meant firefighters were facing another challenging day in one of the worst summers for fires in the past 20 years, said Virginia Barcones, director general of emergency services.
“In the western part of the country, the situation is extremely worrying,” Barcones said on RTVE.
In Galicia, several fronts had joined together to form an even bigger blaze, forcing the closure of highways and rail services to the region.
The national weather agency AEMET warned of extreme fire risk in the north and west of the country, as temperatures expected to reach as high as 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on the north coast were set to add fuel to the flames.
“Today will be another very difficult day, with an extreme risk of new fires,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X.
Firefighters have been battling to put out wildfires across southern Europe, with the flames stoked by the extended heat wave gripping the region.
Avincis, the largest operator of emergency aerial services in Spain and Europe, said it had registered a 50% increase from last year in flight hours dedicated to firefighting operations in Spain and Portugal so far this season.
A fire near Molezuelas de la Carbellada in the Castile and Leon region, that was one of the largest in Spain’s history, hadn’t advanced since Thursday, said Angel Sanchez, head of the region’s forest fire service.
“We will continue working to stabilise it,” he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Ben-Gvir Threatens Barghouti Amid West Bank Tensions
Israel’s far-right national security minister stirred controversy by visiting jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, declaring “you will not win”, just a day after another hardline minister vowed to “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.
Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared the video on his X account, also telling Barghouti – a potential unifying figure among Palestinians who has been jailed for more than two decades – that anyone who threatens Israel would be eliminated.
The prison visit took place earlier this week but became public after ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday work would start on a settlement that would bisect the West Bank and further cut it off from East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as a capital for a future state.
“This reality finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state. Simply because there is nothing to recognise and no one to recognise,” Smotrich said at a news conference on Thursday.
‘You Will Not Win’
In the video clip on Ben-Gvir’s X which showed Barghouti looking thin and weak, the minister told him: “You will not win. Anyone who messes with the people of Israel, anyone who murders our children, anyone who murders our women – we will wipe him out.”
“You have to know this, throughout history,” he said in the 13-second clip which cut out Barghouti’s reply.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment and a spokesman for Ben-Gvir declined to comment.
Fatah Legend
The Palestinian Authority described Ben-Gvir’s remarks as a “direct threat” to the 66-year-old. Barghouti is a senior member of the Fatah movement that runs the authority, which exercises limited civic rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the solitary confinement sections of Rimon Prison by extremist Minister Ben-Gvir and his direct threat to brother and leader Marwan Barghouti,” it said in a statement.
Barghouti was sentenced in 2004 to five life sentences and 40 years in jail after a court convicted him of orchestrating ambushes and suicide attacks on Israelis during the second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising.
Israel regards Bargouthi as a dangerous militant over his part in the uprising, in which around 1,000 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians were killed. He has long denied the charges against him.
Top Contender
His wife addressed him in a post on Facebook. “They are still, Marwan, chasing you and pursuing you, even in the solitary cell you’ve been living in for two years,” she said of the visit.
Supporters of Barghouti say he is a top contender to succeed 89-year-old Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian president one day, portraying him as a Nelson Mandela-like figure who could galvanise and reunite their divided political landscape.
A poll by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research published on May 6 showed he would secure 50% of the vote on a likely turnout of 64% in a three-way presidential race against Abbas and former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal.
Elections for the Palestinian Authority presidency have not been held since 2005.
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Most world powers support the idea of a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict, with an independent Palestinian state encompassing the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem existing alongside Israel.
The last round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations broke down more than a decade ago and the Palestinians say increasing settlement expansion is eroding the viability of a future state by fragmenting the territory they seek for it.
The prospect of a two-state solution has receded further after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel which triggered the Gaza war.
Hamas says it is fighting for a Palestinian state but does not recognise Israel and its founding charter calls for Israel’s elimination; Israel has the most far-right government in its history and the West Bank leadership is discredited among Palestinians for failing to halt settlement expansion.
The United Nations has ruled the settlements illegal, a view disputed by Israel. Smotrich’s announcement on Thursday drew a chorus of international criticism.
Residents of West Bank village Atara said on Friday that their village was attacked by Israeli settlers who set fire to three cars and scrawled threatening graffiti on a wall. The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident.
(With inputs from Reuters)
UK Politician Cleared After ‘Cut Throats’ Remark, Right-Wing Cries Bias
A British councillor was acquitted on Friday of inciting violence after controversially stating that far-right rioters should have their throats cut — a verdict that has sparked outrage among right-wing politicians, who allege a “two-tier” justice system in the country.
Ricky Jones made the comments at a counter-protest in London after three girls were murdered in the north English town of Southport and was suspended by the ruling Labour party.
Misinformation on social media said the teenager who committed the murders at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event was an Islamist migrant, fuelling days of violent riots including attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers.
‘Disgusting Nazi Fascists’
Jones, 58, was cleared by a jury following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He had made the remarks to a crowd gathered near an immigration advice centre in London after reports that far-right supporters were planning a protest.
“They are disgusting Nazi fascists … We need to cut all their throats and get rid of them all,” he said, running a finger across his throat.
Jones gave evidence that he did not intend his words to be taken literally and said his comments referred to far-right stickers with hidden razor blades found on a train.
Lucy Connolly Sentencing
Right-wing politicians and activists said his case was an example of how Britain had an unfair police and justice system, with those who voice concerns about immigration treated differently to those who support liberal or left-wing causes.
They contrasted Jones’ treatment with that of Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed for 31 months for inciting racial hatred for a post urging mass deportation of migrants and the burning of their hotels.
Unlike Jones, she had pleaded guilty to the offence.
‘Alarming’
Chris Philp, the opposition Conservative Party’s home affairs spokesperson, said on X: “The development of two-tier justice is becoming increasingly alarming.”
Zia Yusuf, from the populist right-wing Reform UK party which is leading in opinion polls, also compared Jones’ acquittal to Connolly’s sentence.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was labelled “two-tier Keir” by some opponents last summer after claims some ethnic groups were policed more leniently than others, a suggestion that has been rejected by senior ministers, police chiefs and prosecutors.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Kinnaur: Army’s HADR Op
Oil Prices Slip As Markets Await Trump-Putin Summit In Alaska
Oil prices slipped on Friday as traders awaited talks between United States President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska, amid expectations the meeting could ease sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine war.
Brent crude futures fell 50 cents, or 0.8%, to $66.34 a barrel by 0923 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures declined 57 cents, or 0.9%, to $63.39.
At Friday’s meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, a ceasefire in Ukraine is at the top of the agenda. Trump has said he believes Russia is prepared to end the war in Ukraine. However, he is also threatening to impose secondary sanctions on countries that buy Moscow’s oil if the peace talks don’t advance.
“The market is watching out for whether there is a ceasefire or not. An expectation of a ceasefire translates into more Russian production,” said Giovanni Staunovo, commodity analyst at UBS.
“The question is, will there be escalation or de-escalation?”
Even if there is a deal, it would likely take longer to ease sanctions on Russia because that would have to go through the U.S. Congress, Staunovo said.
For the week, WTI is set to drop 0.7% while Brent is set to rise 0.4%.
Also out on Friday was weaker economic data from China, which spurred worries about fuel demand.
Factory Output Growth Slumped
Chinese government data showed factory output growth slumped to an eight-month low and retail sales growth expanded at its slowest pace since December, weighing on sentiment despite stronger oil throughput in the world’s second-largest crude user.
Throughput at Chinese refineries rose 8.9% year-on-year in July; however, that was down from June levels, which were the highest since September 2023. Despite the increase, China’s oil product exports last month were also up from a year ago, suggesting lower domestic fuel demand.
Forecasts of a growing oil market surplus also weighed on sentiment, as did the prospect of higher-for-longer U.S. interest rates.
Bank of America analysts said in a Thursday note they were widening their forecast for the oil market surplus, citing growing supplies from OPEC+, a group consisting of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other allies.
The analysts now project an average surplus of 890,000 barrels per day from July 2025 through June 2026.
That forecast follows predictions earlier this week from the International Energy Agency saying the oil market looks “bloated” after the OPEC+ increases.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Rescue Efforts Continue After J&K Floods Kill 60, Leave 200 Missing
A day after sudden floods from heavy rains killed at least 60 and left 200 missing, rescuers in Jammu and Kashmir used shovels and earthmovers on Friday to search for survivors beneath boulders and debris.
Gushing mudslides and floodwaters inundated the village of Chasoti on Thursday, washing away pilgrims who had gathered for lunch before trekking up the hill for a popular religious site, in the second such disaster in the Himalayas in a little over a week.
“We heard a huge sound, and it was followed by a flash flood and slush. People were shouting, and some of them fell into the Chenab River. Others were buried under the debris,” said Rakesh Sharma, a pilgrim who was injured.
Bags, clothes and other belongings, caked in mud, lay scattered amid broken electric poles and mud on Friday, as rescue workers used ropes and crossed makeshift bridges in an attempt to extricate people from the debris.
60 Killed, Hundreds Missing
At least 60 people were killed, more than 100 injured, and another 200 still missing, Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah told reporters on Friday.
The Himalayas are prone to floods and landslides, but some scientists say the intensity and frequency of these events are increasing due to climate change.
The Machail Yatra is a popular pilgrimage to the high-altitude Himalayan shrine of Machail Mata, one of the manifestations of the Goddess Durga. Pilgrims trek to the temple from Chasoti, where the road for vehicles ends.
Dharali Flash Floods
Thursday’s incident comes a little over a week after a similar flood and mudslide engulfed an entire village in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand.
“Nature has been testing us. In the last few days, we have had to deal with landslides, cloudbursts and other natural calamities,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the start of a nearly two-hour speech on the country’s 79th Independence Day.
A cloudburst, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, is a sudden, intense downpour of over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain in just one hour that can trigger sudden floods, landslides, and devastation, especially in mountainous regions during the monsoon.
Floods In Nepal, Pakistan
In neighbouring Nepal, at least 41 people have died, 21 are missing, and 121 others were injured in floods, heavy rains, landslides and hailstorms since early monsoon rains started in June this year, according to data provided by the country’s disaster management authority.
And more than 50 people were killed overnight in rain-related incidents across the mountainous north of Pakistan, rescue officials said on Friday. Flooding and the collapse of the roofs of houses caused the deaths.
In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where eight people were killed – including six members of a family buried in the debris of their home – evacuation operations were ongoing for stranded domestic tourists.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Half Of Starlink Terminals Sent To Ukraine End Up In Russian-Held Areas: Watchdog
A report by the internal watchdog of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reveals that the agency failed to track 5,175 Starlink terminals sent to Ukraine, with nearly half ending up in areas controlled fully or partially by Moscow.
USAID’s inspector general found that the agency failed to keep track of the terminals of Elon Musk’s satellite internet service because it had accepted a higher risk of misuse due to “the complex wartime environment” and Ukraine’s urgent need for them.
“As a result, USAID did not know where the terminals were or how they were used,” said the report dated August 11 that was reviewed by Reuters.
‘Unprecedented Emergency’
In response, USAID said it was impractical to track the terminals once they were handed to Ukraine because of the dangerous wartime conditions and the “unprecedented emergency” created by Russian strikes on communications systems.
“The primary objective was to restore life-saving connectivity for critical public services, such as healthcare, municipal emergency shelters, and local governance,” said a USAID letter included in the report.
The findings were first reported by Bloomberg.
The report did not examine Ukraine’s use of the terminals for military operations, including drone flights, artillery targeting and communications.
Starlink Terminals
After Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, USAID partnered with Musk’s SpaceX company to provide 5,175 Starlink terminals to Ukraine to sustain critical civilian services and internet connectivity, the report said.
USAID delivered to Kyiv 1,508 terminals that it purchased and 3,667 units donated by SpaceX, said the report.
It found that USAID did not “fully mitigate” the risk of the terminals being misused, and that more than half of the “active” units were “present in territories that Russia fully or partially occupied.”
The report did not say how those terminals ended up in those areas, who had them or the purposes for which they were used.
Kyiv last year charged that Russian occupation troops had been using thousands of Starlink terminals acquired from private Russian firms, allegations denied by the Kremlin and by Musk.
(With inputs from Reuters)