live Rubio tells allies U.S. will hold off new Iran strikes
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time bein...
White House announced on Friday the formation of a technocratic committee to oversee the transition of power in the Gaza Strip as part of President Donald Trump's 20-point plan to end the conflict in the territory.
The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will be led by Dr. Ali Sha’ath, a former Palestinian deputy minister, described as “a widely respected technocratic leader who will oversee the restoration of public services, rebuild civil institutions, and stabilise daily life in Gaza, while laying the foundation for long-term governance.”
An executive board of international figures will support the committee, including Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan; Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff; Jared Kushner; former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al-Hashimy; veteran Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi; and Egypt’s intelligence chief Hassan Rashad. A founding board to guide Trump’s Board of Peace will also include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Witkoff, Kushner, Blair, billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank head Ajay Banga, and U.S. political adviser Robert Gabriel.
The announcement follows the start of the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, which will focus on demilitarisation, technocratic governance, reconstruction, a full Israeli withdrawal, disarmament of Hamas, and deployment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF). The first phase, which began in October 2025, halted the war, enabled a partial Israeli withdrawal, facilitated hostage exchanges, and allowed limited humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Palestinians have said Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire, which followed the conflict that left more than 71,000 dead, mostly women and children, and more than 171,000 injured. Since the truce, at least 450 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,200 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 10 prisoners of war each in Belarus, Moscow's Human Rights Commissioner, Yana Lantratova, has said.
At least nine people have been killed and hundreds of tourists are missing after a massive landslide triggered catastrophic flooding near Nepal’s Himalayan border with China’s Tibet region.
Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has acknowledged that few teenagers used Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature before it became a default setting, as Meta faces a major U.S. trial over child safety.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 26th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump has formally sent a landmark nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, opening a new phase in a deal that has already sparked debate over nuclear proliferation and Riyadh's ambitions.
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