Phoenix Daily News

The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a ""precision"" strike in the center of Kabul, the Afghanistan capital. Zawahiri, an Egyptian surgeon with a $25 million bounty on his head, helped coordinate Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Zawahiri was killed when he came out on the balcony of his safe house in Kabul on Sunday morning and was hit by ""hellfire"" missiles from a U.S. drone.

Three spokespeople in the Taliban administration in Kabul declined to comment on Zawahiri's death. Zawahiri succeeded bin Laden as al Qaeda leader, but his lack of charisma and competition from rival militants of the Islamic State hobbled his ability to inspire devastating attacks on the West.

Source: Reuters

A ship carrying grain left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon on Monday under a safe passage agreement, the first departure since the Russian invasion blocked shipping through the Black Sea five months ago. Ukraine's foreign minister called it "a day of relief for the world."

The sailing was made possible after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain-and-fertilizer export agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to a worldwide food and energy crisis, and the United Nations has warned of the risk of multiple famines this year. Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of global wheat exports.

Despite the breakthrough in grain shipments, the war on the ground remains.

Source: Reuters

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s approval rating took a hit in July, with 41.5 percent in Turkey saying they approve of the leader’s performance as president.

Erdoğan’s disapproval rating for the same month measured at 53.7 percent, up from 51 percent compared the previous month. The survey arrives as Turkey is reeling from the effects of runaway inflation, which accelerated to 78.6 percent, marking a 24-year high. President Erdoğan has refused to hike interest rates promptly to cool inflation. That has translated into considerably less spending power for the average citizen.

Soaring consumer prices have hit Turkey’s 84 million population hard, with little hope for improvement as citizens are faced with high energy and food prices and a sharply depreciating lira.

Source: Ahval

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said there is more optimism than ever about reaching a deal to delineate the country's maritime border with Israel via U.S. mediation.

It is important to note that the U.S. official mediating the dispute, Amos Hochstein, arrived in Beirut over the weekend for talks with Lebanese officials.

The delineation of the shared maritime border would help determine which oil and gas resources belong to which country and pave the way for more exploration. Hochstein met Israeli negotiators in June and updated them on the results of a visit to Lebanon earlier that month.

Source: Reuters

Thousands of followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed into Iraq’s parliament for the second time this week, protesting government formation efforts of an alliance of Iran-backed groups. The alliance showed signs of internal division, with some calling for counter-protests while others later urged for dialogue.

Iraqi security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to repel the demonstrators. Once inside, the protesters declared an open-ended sit-in and claimed they would not disperse until their demands are answered. By late afternoon, the Ministry of Health said that 100 protesters and 25 members of the security forces were injured.

Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi suspended future sessions until further notice.

Source: The Washington Post

Advanced Navigation will become the first Australian company to deploy technology to the moon in a new bid set to "take all the risk out" of future landings.

The technology uses low-powered laser sensors to determine objects relative to spacecraft and will be integrated into future rocket launches.

The new system from Advanced Navigation will be phased into Intuitive Machines projects as the technology develops.

The technology, set to touch down on the moon for the first time in 2025, will be used in other applications like aviation in the meantime.



Source: 9News