Shadow war: how use of proxy forces by Iran, Israel and US is driving Middle East instability

Across region there is a push to disarm militia and reinforce state authority but the temptation to use proxies remains

As Marco Rubio ended his brief visit to the Middle East on Friday, he sought to cast in the best possible light his discussions with leaders of the Gulf states. Those leaders are deeply anxious that the deal agreed earlier this month between Iran and the US fails to address their worries about continued Iranian efforts to project power and influence throughout the region.

“They’ve shared with us some very concrete concerns,” the US secretary of state admitted, and insisted that any definitive agreement will require Tehran to not only restrict its nuclear programme but also halt its support of Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, militia in Iraq and the Houthis in Yemen.

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Argentine President Javier Milei’s top aide and Cabinet chief resigns over spiraling corruption scandal – NBC News

  1. Argentine President Javier Milei’s top aide and Cabinet chief resigns over spiraling corruption scandal  NBC News
  2. Milei’s Cabinet Chief Resigns Months After Private Jet Scandal  Bloomberg.com
  3. Argentina cabinet chief resigns after corruption allegations  Reuters
  4. Javier Milei’s top aide resigns over corruption scandal in Argentina  Financial Times
  5. Argentina-Corruption-Scandal  Bluefield Daily Telegraph
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Iran war day 121: Iran attacks Bahrain, Kuwait as US strikes near Hormuz – Al Jazeera

  1. Iran war day 121: Iran attacks Bahrain, Kuwait as US strikes near Hormuz  Al Jazeera
  2. Bahrain says it was targeted by missiles, drones in ‘treacherous Iranian attacks’  The Times of Israel
  3. Bahrain slams Iran for its repeated attacks as sirens sound across country  The Jerusalem Post
  4. Saudi Arabia leads Gulf, Arab condemnation of newest Iranian attacks  Arab News
  5. Kuwait Reports Intercepting Two Ballistic Missiles  8am.media
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China Confirms Death of Pilot Who Flew Small Plane Into Beijing’s Tallest Tower – The New York Times

  1. China Confirms Death of Pilot Who Flew Small Plane Into Beijing’s Tallest Tower  The New York Times
  2. A small plane slammed into the tallest skyscraper in China’s capital. Hours later, it was like nothing had happened.  CNN
  3. Beijing investigating rare light aircraft crash which killed pilot, injured 13  Reuters
  4. Small aircraft crashes into Beijing's tallest building, eyewitnesses say  Yahoo
  5. Plane Hits Beijing Tower in Area With Tight Airspace Controls  Bloomberg.com
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Hungary holds first post-Orban Budapest Pride march – dw.com

  1. Hungary holds first post-Orban Budapest Pride march  dw.com
  2. Tens of thousands march in the first Budapest Pride since Viktor Orbán was voted out  PBS
  3. Thousands of Hungarians join first Budapest Pride march since Orban's defeat  Reuters
  4. Budapest Pride marchers push for equality after reversed ban  Yahoo
  5. ‘Many are still afraid’: hope and caution in Budapest before first Pride since Orbán  The Guardian
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Mines will hold back Strait of Hormuz shipping for months, CEO warns – Financial Times

  1. Mines will hold back Strait of Hormuz shipping for months, CEO warns  Financial Times
  2. How minesweeping in the Strait of Hormuz works: A visual guide  Al Jazeera
  3. IMO Estimates There Are 80 Mines in Hormuz’s Normal Ship Channel  Bloomberg.com
  4. US, Iran exchange attacks, Tehran claims control of Hormuz  Yahoo
  5. Dispatch 119. Mines in the Reflecting Pool  The Brooklyn Rail
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New Caledonia polls open in first local vote in the French territory since 2019

Election will determine balance of power in New Caledonia before fresh negotiations with France on the territory’s status

Polls opened in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia on Sunday for the archipelago’s first provincial elections since 2019, after the vote was delayed as talks stalled over its political future.

The election, initially planned for 2024, will determine the balance of power in New Caledonia ahead of fresh negotiations with France on the territory’s status, with independence remaining the defining political issue.

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Australia news live: auction clearance rates continue to hover under 50% as Chalmers defends tax reform plan

Follow the day’s updates live

Big tech not cooperating ‘as much as we’d like them to’: Watt

Federal cabinet minister Murray Watt, says the government knows it’s needed to take more action to ensure social media giants are complying with a ban for under 16s that came into effect in December.

These laws were brand new, never developed anywhere in the world. And what we’ve learned is that the powers that the safety commissioner has do need to be beefed up, also to give her powers across things like age assurance tools. So things that sit outside the social media platforms themselves, but compelling them to provide information so that she can do her job even better.

The pace of change is accelerating, the global and generational pressures are intensifying, and people have got legitimate concerns about where they fit in that, and then we’ve got the anger industry, and parties of the populist right trying to make that worse rather than trying to make that better.

It is a difficult time around the world to be an incumbent government, from our point of view. We are using the power of incumbency to take real action, to deliver cost-of-living help, to deliver real change. The best antidote to anger is action … The Albanese Labour government has chosen to address those concerns rather than dismiss them.

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