Beijing would gain a strategic beachhead under a draft security agreement with the Solomon Islands, the New York Times reports China has reportedly negotiated a secret security pact with the Solomon Islands, setting off alarm bells in the US and Australia because of the potential for Beijing gaining a South Pacific beachhead from which it…

International mediation efforts are reportedly being obstructed by the Jewish state’s offensive in Rafah Israel’s offensive on Gaza’s southern city of Rafah has set ceasefire negotiations with Hamas “backward,” the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has said, adding that the talks had reached an impasse.

Transneft says flows are restarting on Wednesday after Ukraine received transit fees Transneft, a Russian company responsible for crude supplies to the EU, said on Wednesday it is resuming pumping via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline starting 16:00 Moscow time (13:00 GMT).