Trump’s Board of Peace drops full Gaza recovery plan in favour of tiny pilot schemeThe pilot camp envisaged in the current blueprint would consist of portable cabins for tens of thousands of displaced people in Gaza and would be set up in the buffer zone along the ceasefire line near Rafah. Israeli troops would withdraw from the line and security at the crossing between Hamas-run Gaza and the camp would be overseen by the ISF and a specially trained Palestinian police force, officially vetted by NCAG and the ISF – though in reality Israel is expected to have a decisive say in who is recruited.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/16/trumps-board-of-peace-drops-full-gaza-recovery-plan-for-tiny-pilot-schemeUS launches seventh straight night of strikes on IranFive explosions were heard in the early hours of Saturday in Yazd, in central Iran, the state news agency IRNA reported. Iranian state television also said three explosions were heard in the southern city of Sirik, as another news agency, Mehr, said blasts were heard “in several provinces in the south”.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/17/us-launches-seventh-straight-night-of-strikes-on-iranhttps://archive.ph/oFpEQ Iraq and Syria sign deal to rehabilitate Mediterranean pipeline, bypass Strait of Hormuz After MEE's exclusive, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times reported on the expected deal. The agreement was signed during the US-Iraq Business Council meeting in Washington, DC, by Bassem Abdul Karim Nasr, head of the Basra Oil Company, on behalf of Iraq; and Youssef Qablawi, CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, on behalf of Syria. US Energy Secretary Chris Wright oversaw the signing.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/iraq-and-syria-sign-deal-rehabilitate-mediterranean-pipeline-bypass-strait-hormuz Venice protests greet U.S. Ambassador Fertitta's arrival on superyacht A few hundred people in Venice protested on Friday against U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta as he arrived in the lagoon city aboard his superyacht, drawing criticism of President Donald Trump's policies. Activists also objected to the heightened security measures put in place by local authorities as Venice prepares for one of its most important festivals.
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2026/07/venice-protests-greet-us-ambassador-fertittas-arrival-superyachtGermany may make it illegal to deny Israel's right to exist According to the Bundesrat's proposal, "anyone who publicly, or at a public assembly, denies the State of Israel's right to exist or calls for its destruction" would be subject to criminal penalties. However, the offense would be punishable only where the conduct in question is capable of encouraging antisemitic acts of violence or other forms of discriminatory treatment. According to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the bill, the existing provisions of German criminal law — including those addressing incitement to hatred and the use of symbols associated with terrorist organizations — are insufficient.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-may-make-it-illegal-to-deny-israels-right-to-exist/a-77980283https://archive.ph/3Cwe0Far-right Alternative for Germany sets out blueprint for power in Saxony-AnhaltWith the exception of the Left Party split-off, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), all parties have so far ruled out governing in coalition with the far right. But a change to this position has long been under discussion. Should several parties fail to clear the 5 percent threshold required for entry into the state legislature, it is mathematically possible that the AfD could win an absolute majority even if it only polls just above 40 percent of the vote.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/07/17/ooql-j17.html ‘Trumpian politics’: Abortion battle flares over law pushed by Madrid conservatives Under the new law, expectant parents in Madrid will be able to apply for certain benefits linked to household size before their baby is born. Large-family benefits that normally begin with the birth of a third child will also be available to families with two children after the 14th week of pregnancy.
https://www.politico.eu/article/spain-abortion-peoples-party-law/https://archive.ph/kA1JACommunists contest Edinburgh pollsThe Communist Party of Britain will stand candidates in both the Southside/Newington and Portobello/Craigmillar wards. A party spokesperson said: “Our candidates are standing to address the city’s growing housing crisis, its underfunded public services, and the rising cost of living. “We are offering voters a distinct socialist alternative to the mainstream political parties.”
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/communists-contest-edinburgh-polls‘Our bodies contain poison’: Landmark trial in Argentina probes dangers of agrochemicalsTrial over agrochemical spraying in the city of Pergamino has set an unprecedented legal benchmark: for the first time, a federal court placed the entire agricultural production chain in the dock, from farmers and agronomists to public officials. Trial ends in acquittal for nearly all those excused, except two municipal employees.
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/our-bodies-contain-poison-landmark-trial-in-argentina-probes-dangers-of-agrochemicals.phtmlhttps://archive.ph/iRnicUS to impose new 25 percent tariffs on some Brazilian importsThe new tariffs on Brazil were announced late on Wednesday by the US trade representative. These mark the first set of tariffs under the White House’s new trade strategy using Section 301, a provision in existing US trade law that allows for investigations into so-called unfair trade practices, which the US then uses to justify levies imposed against a country.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/7/16/us-to-impose-new-25-percent-tariffs-on-some-brazilian-importshttps://archive.ph/EQyV3