By Andre Pienaar A quiet meeting ten blocks from the UN On 24 September, on the 43rd floor of a Manhattan office tower, officials from the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Kazakhstan sat down together for the first time since January 2023. Ten blocks away the UN General Assembly was busy with its annual theatre of resolutions and walkouts. The Abraham Accords countries had chosen a quieter room. The gathering was hosted by the N7 Foundation, the philanthropic vehicle of the hedge fund manager Jeffrey Talpins, with Under Secretary of State Allison Hooker leading the…

Donald Trump’s energy adviser is calling for new oil export routes across the Gulf to reduce reliance on the Strait of Hormuz after months of disruption to energy supplies during the Iran war. The push comes as Washington and Tehran resume negotiations over ending the conflict, with Iran proposing a ceasefire of up to 60 days and the phased reopening of the strait. Jarrod Agen, head of America’s Energy Dominance Council, says Gulf states should develop alternative corridors capable of carrying energy exports without passing through Hormuz. Agen said: “We need to de-emphasise the strait [Hormuz].” He said: “When Europe had…

The International Monetary Fund has called on Britain, the United States and other advanced economies to rein in debt as the Middle East energy shock adds to inflationary pressures and pushes up government borrowing costs. Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, says a series of global shocks have been “pushing debt levels up like a staircase not to heaven” while governments have taken “no action to contain that service cost”. “[It’s] time to take that action,” she said, adding that “courage” was needed from politicians to make difficult decisions. Speaking during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Georgieva…

Britain’s Chagos deal has been put on hold after Donald Trump refused to support the plan, describing it as “terrible”. Ministers have admitted the controversial and politically sensitive agreement over the strategically important islands cannot go ahead without American backing. Andy Burnham, the prime minister, agreed to review the plans to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Trump described the deal as “terrible” and “ridiculous” during their first face-to-face meeting. Wes Streeting, the defence secretary, confirmed on Wednesday that the plans were on hold, adding: “We’re not going to go ahead without the Americans.” Trump and Burnham…

Britain will begin refuelling Saudi fighter jets defending the kingdom from Houthi attacks as Andy Burnham meets Donald Trump for talks on the widening conflict in the Middle East. An RAF Voyager tanker will provide air-to-air refuelling for Saudi aircraft following a request for military assistance from Riyadh. The deployment is expected to begin within days as Houthi forces intensify missile and drone attacks against Saudi Arabia. Burnham is due to meet Trump in New York on Tuesday during the UN General Assembly, where the conflict and efforts to reduce tensions with Iran are expected to feature in discussions. The…

China has accused Britain and the United States of breaching nuclear non-proliferation rules by supplying Australia with highly enriched uranium for its future submarine fleet. The claim was rejected by the British government at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, where a British diplomat described Beijing’s allegations as “politically motivated” and “false”. The dispute centres on the Aukus security agreement, under which Australia will acquire conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarines using British and American technology. Chinese officials have repeatedly placed the issue before the IAEA’s board of governors and argue that supplying weapons-grade nuclear material to Australia, a non-nuclear-weapon state,…

By Ben Farmer Seven armed Ethiopian groups have formed an alliance to topple the government, amid fears the country is sliding towards a resumption of one of the bloodiest wars in recent years. The new alliance brings together ethnic groups fighting on several fronts across the country in what they call an Alliance for Survival to overthrow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. The new grouping includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and the Amhara Fano National Movement, as well as groups from the Oromia, Afar and Benishangul-Gumuz regions. “We, the peoples’ forces concerned with the survival of Ethiopia’s ‌peoples,…

Turkey has offered to meet Saudi Arabia’s military needs under a new three-way defence pact with Pakistan following Houthi attacks on the kingdom. The Houthis said they had targeted “sensitive sites” in Riyadh on Saturday. Saudi-led coalition forces said a ballistic missile fired at the capital was intercepted and destroyed. The group also attempted to strike targets in Bisha, Taif, Farasan and Yanbu, according to the coalition. Turkey said it was prepared to provide military assistance under the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan last month. The pact treats an armed attack against one of…

Ukraine has launched its biggest drone attack of the war on Moscow, striking a major oil refinery and killing three people. The attack came as Russians voted in parliamentary elections presented by Vladimir Putin as a test of support for the war. Hundreds of drones swept towards the Russian capital in an unprecedented overnight bombardment, overwhelming air defences and setting part of the Moscow Oil Refinery ablaze. Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, said Russian forces had destroyed more than 1,600 drones since Saturday, including 450 heading towards the capital. Several nevertheless broke through, hitting the refinery and a residential…

Saudi Arabia has proposed a two-week ceasefire with Yemen’s Houthis and direct talks with the group’s leadership after the United States refused requests for military support against the Iran-backed group. The proposal, delivered through Oman, would halt fighting for two weeks while Saudi and Houthi representatives discuss humanitarian measures before attempting to reach a broader settlement. Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper reports that the initiative follows Saudi contacts with the United States, Egypt, Pakistan and Oman as Riyadh seeks international assistance in responding to the renewed Houthi offensive. According to the report, Saudi Arabia wants the ceasefire to allow the two sides…

King Charles has warned about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence as technology executives and researchers call for greater safeguards around increasingly advanced AI systems. The King said: “Those who have created these technologies are now increasingly warning that AI risks developing darker capacities – perhaps even to take life.” He said there was an “urgency” in “adequately considering the existential dangers of such technologies falling into the wrong hands, and being used in potentially catastrophic ways”. He added: “The task before you is not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of…

The United States has blocked Iran’s nuclear chief from attending a major UN atomic energy conference in Vienna as the Trump administration prepares a $2.8 billion weapons package for Israel containing more than 40,000 heavy bombs. The developments come as a Pentagon report reveals that US military operations against Iran had already cost an estimated $33.4 billion by the end of June, including more than $22 billion in munitions. Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, had been due to attend the International Atomic Energy Agency’s General Conference in the Austrian capital this week. Eslami is subject…