Kazakh oil exports fall as Kyrgyzstan faces rising fuel prices
Kazakhstan’s oil exports through its main pipeline route fell sharply in July after Black Sea disruptions, as neighbouring Kyrgyzstan faced r...
Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on Wednesday that the U.S. had “clearly made a mistake” in launching strikes on Iran, arguing Washington misjudged the resilience of the Iranian regime.
“What I see is that the United States clearly made a mistake, thinking the Iranian regime would fall within a few days. It has not fallen. The Iranian regime is extremely strong,” she told France Inter radio.
Le Pen criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s war aims as “erratic”, questioning the overall objective of the campaign and adding that “no one knows” what he seeks to achieve.
She warned the conflict has destabilised parts of the Gulf and disrupted global energy supplies, creating wider economic uncertainty.
The RN leader also reiterated her support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, describing him as a “symbol of resistance” to the European Commission, while insisting her engagement in Hungary was limited to backing political allies during elections.
Her remarks come amid heightened regional tensions following a joint U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran launched on 28 February. The escalation has reportedly killed more than 1,300 people, including Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as countries hosting U.S. military assets, including Jordan, Iraq and several Gulf states, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting aviation and global markets.
Separately, Le Pen’s RN recently underperformed in France’s municipal elections, failing to secure control of major cities - an outcome seen as a setback ahead of future national contests.
Le Pen is awaiting a ruling in her appeal against an embezzlement conviction, which could affect her eligibility to run in future elections.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 injured in Ukraine in July, according to UN investigators, marking the highest monthly civilian casualty toll since March 2022.
Record rainfall in Japan killed eight people and stranded thousands of travellers at Tokyo's Narita Airport on Friday, as flooding disrupted transport and cut power to 20,000 homes.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 14th of August, covering the latest developments.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or rerouted at Catania Airport over the past week as ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing eruption continues to disrupt air travel in Sicily.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Ebola outbreak has spread to a sixth province. A man died of the virus in Bas-Uélé in the north, the African Union’s health agency said.
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