Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Update: Xi to attend SCO summit, pay state visit to Kyrgyzstan, Egypt

 

at 8/26/26 2:16am

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- From August 30 to September 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit 2026 in Bishkek, and pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt upon the invitation of President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Wednesday.

— Congress extends Onam, Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi greetings; Rahul Gandhi, Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi send wishes

 

at 8/25/26 10:31pm

New Delhi [India], August 26 (ANI): The Congress party, including its top leaders, extended greetings to people on the occasions of Onam and Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi on Wednesday, with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wishing people happiness, prosperity, peace and communal harmony.In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, 'Wishing e

— EGYPT-CAIRO-HERITAGE WEEK-TANOURA DANCE

 

at 8/25/26 3:45pm

(260825) -- CAIRO, Aug. 25, 2026 (Xinhua) -- A dancer performs Tanoura, a traditional Egyptian folk dance, during the second edition of Heritage Revival Week in Cairo, Egypt, Aug. 25, 2026. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

— Egypt's Smouha Club crowned champions of Fatima Bint Mubarak Academy Volleyball Cup for Ladies 2026

 

at 8/25/26 10:08am

ABU DHABI, 25th August, 2026 (WAM) -- Smouha Club from Egypt were crowned champions of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Academy Volleyball Cup for Ladies 2026 after a 3-0 victory over the Fatima Bint Mubarak Academy Volleyball Team in the final, held yesterday at the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy in Abu Dhabi.The tournament was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the 'Mother of the N

— Chinese open-source AI solves Arabic dialect puzzle

 

at 8/25/26 9:46am

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have unveiled an open-source text-to-speech artificial intelligence (AI) model that tackles the long-standing challenge of Arabic speech synthesis. The system covers more than 20 regional variants of the language under a unified technical framework.The model, named Habibi, meaning "my dear friend" in Arabic, was developed by a team of Chinese research institutions

— World Insights: Can "Economic D-Day" force Iran into concessions?

 

at 8/25/26 9:15am

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday unveiled fresh sanctions on Iran and warned countries maintaining economic ties with Tehran of possible secondary sanctions.The campaign amounts to an "Economic D-Day" targeting Iran's global financial links, designed to sever its economic lifelines and push the country toward "complete global isolation and a subsistence econo

— UAE Floating Hospital fits prosthetic limbs for 64 Palestinians

 

at 8/25/26 4:36am

AL ARISH, 25th August, 2026 (WAM) -- The UAE Floating Hospital in the Egyptian city of Al Arish has successfully fitted prosthetic limbs for 64 Palestinian amputees since the launch of the ''Step of Hope'' programme, implemented as part of Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, marking a new achievement that reflects the UAE's continued commitment to humanitarian efforts in support of the Palestinian people.The Step of

— US to block Iran’s revenue sources, warns nations to end ties

 

at 8/24/26 9:56pm

WASHINGTON. D.C./TEHRAN/BEIJING: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on August 24 that the United States was preparing new secondary sanctions aimed at cutting off all possible sources of revenue for Iran. He warned countries that they must reduce or end their economic ties with Tehran or risk facing retaliation from Washington. Iran has lived under tough US sanctions for nearly five decades. Ahead o

— Russia and China expand trade via Arctic sea route

 

at 8/24/26 4:09pm

Beijing has pledged to deepen shipping cooperation with Moscow as part of its Ice Silk Road initiativeRussia and China have expanded trade links through the Arctic, with the first Chinese container ship arriving at Russia's northern port of Murmansk via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), Rosatom announced on Monday. Beijing has described the growing cooperation with Moscow as part of its "Ice Silk Ro

— Iran denies receiving invitation to join Mecca defense pact

 

at 8/24/26 6:03am

Tehran says regional security talks have been proposed as the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani alliance elicits concern in IsraelIran has denied reports that it has been invited to join the Mecca defense pact comprising Saudi Arabia, Türkiye. and Pakistan, while confirming that proposals have been made for talks with the three countries on regional security.The clarification comes after Mehdi Rahi

— "Created new category of non-voting citizens": Chidambaram targets ECI after ex-Envoy claims "trouble" during SIR

 

at 8/23/26 9:58pm

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], August 24 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram on Monday targeted the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing it of manufacturing a new class of 'non-voting citizens'.His remarks came after former Indian Envoy to the UAE Navdeep Suri questioned if he is facing trouble in establishing his citi

— Many Iraqi oil tankers permitted by Iran to use Strait of Hormuz

 

at 8/23/26 1:58pm

TEHRAN, Iran: Iran has granted permission to several Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after repeated requests from Baghdad, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported on August 22. IRNA said special permission for Iraqi tankers was one of Iraq's main requests during Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf's visit to Iraq. Iraqi President Nizar Amedi said on August 22 that Iran

— Iran Hangs Another January Protester As Surge In Executions Continues

 

at 8/23/26 1:05am

New posts14:16Iran Warns France As Diplomatic Row DeepensIran warned France on August 23 that the expulsion of two Iranian diplomats would further damage relations between Tehran and Paris.Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei made the remarks during a joint press conference with the head of Irans Social Affairs Organization, according to Tasnim News Agency.Baqaei describ

— Iran Hangs Another January Protester As Surge In Executions Continue

 

at 8/23/26 1:05am

New postsFeatured entry10:43Iran Hangs Another January Protester As Surge In Executions ContinueIran's judiciary announced on August 23 that another protester arrested during the nationwide protests in January has been executed.According to Iranian media, Majid Adineh was arrested on January 9 in the Mohammadshahr area of Karaj.The judiciary accused Adineh of collaborating wi

— GCC, Arab-Islamic nations, Western allies condemn Israel's E1 settlement plan, warn of threat to two-state solution

 

at 8/22/26 1:01pm

Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], August 22 (ANI): The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a group of Arab and Islamic countries, and a coalition of Western nations, including the European Commission, have strongly condemned Israel's continued settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, with particular concern over the proposed 'E1' settlement project, warning that it could undermine Palestinian territorial contiguity and prospec

— Iran warns US over toughest-ever sanctions

 

at 8/22/26 12:03pm

DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Iran said on August 21 that it would respond "crushingly" to any new U.S. threats after Washington said it planned to impose the toughest financial penalties in history in an effort to topple the Iranian leadership. The United States was preparing new sanctions that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would explain on August 24. President Donald Trump had earlier warned that any count

— Major Asian exporter tests Russian Arctic shortcut to Europe

 

at 8/22/26 5:27am

South Korea has begun a trial voyage via the Northern Sea Route amid disruption to traditional shipping lanesSouth Korea has launched its first trial container ship voyage to Europe via the Northern Sea Route (NSR), as disruption to traditional shipping lanes drives growing interest in Russia's Arctic trade corridor.The NSR stretches roughly 5,600 km along Russia's Arctic coast, mostly th

— Column: Washington's fiscal dysfunction is becoming a global risk

 

at 8/22/26 5:15am

by Ahmed SallamThe U.S. national debt topping the 40 trillion-U.S.-dollar mark is no longer simply a staggering figure on the books of the federal government. It is increasingly a symptom of a deeper problem at the heart of the world's largest economy.The challenge goes well beyond the size of the debt itself, raising fundamental questions about the U.S. political system's capacity to make difficult, long

— Israel says its troops killed 5-year-old Hind Rajab, opens probe

 

at 8/22/26 4:42am

JERUSALEM/CAIRO: More than two years after her killing, Israel's military admitted that its troops had opened fire on a car carrying five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab and members of her family in Gaza in 2024. The military said it had now opened a criminal investigation, although rights groups said such investigations rarely result in convictions. Hind Rajab's killing became one of the most widely

— Chhari Mubarak, Lord Shiva's sacred mace, leaves Srinagar Akhara for Amarnath cave; to reach shrine on Raksha Bandhan

 

at 8/22/26 3:57am

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], August 22 (ANI): The sacred Chhari Mubarak of Lord Shiva left the Dashnami Akhara in Srinagar on Saturday after traditional prayers and rituals, beginning its journey towards Pahalgam as part of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage.The Chhari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva, will halt at traditional stopovers during the pilgrimage, with further religious rituals and ceremonie

— Imprisoned Imran Khan subjected to "severe injustice and torture", says his sister

 

at 8/21/26 2:57pm

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 22 (ANI): Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing severe mistreatment and solitary confinement in detention, his sister Uzma Khan alleged following a meeting with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). According to The Express Tribune, Uzma, addressing a press conference at K-P House in Islamabad, shared details o

As of 8/26/26 11:12am. Last new 8/26/26 6:20am.