Rio Tinto told BIRN it had invited “various bidders” to take part in a tender to create a brand campaign in response to what it called a “disinformation campaign against the project in Serbia”. It confirmed hiring ESBR Consulting. Asked about Eisin’s connection to Vucic, the company said only that …

Investigators have documented the use of foreign exchange offices in Albania to move drug money, either in crypto or via a centuries-old, trust-based system called Hawala. The area is known as Dollari – a narrow row of currency exchanges opposite Albania’s central bank in downtown Tirana. Here, cash is king, …

“We work here as psychotherapists, you know. You have to know their problems at work, conflicts with their wife, their dreams,” says Branko*. “You talk to them about how long they work, what they plan to do with the money, what their children do and what school they go to. …

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues his campaign to expand Turkey’s influence across the Middle East. Last week, he wrapped up a rapid tour of Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, aiming to secure trade, investment, energy, and defense deals. But beyond commercial agreements, Erdogan’s top priority was to rally Arab backing for …

The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip was achieved at a time when Iran and the “Axis of Resistance” which it leads are facing significant challenges at home and in the region, especially in light of the weakening of the axis and the consequences of the “12-Day …

According to a report by Israel’s KAN News, Hamas has already selected half of the technocratic government’s members, including figures sympathetic to the terror group, while the Palestinian Authority, headed by Mahmoud Abbas, chose the other half. Mediators, including Egypt, presented the full list to Hamas to ensure its approval, …

Toplines The Israel-Lebanon ceasefire monitoring committee has agreed to meet more frequently, likely to encourage greater dialogue between Israel and Lebanon. The US-led, five-member committee was established as part of the November 2024 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement and is responsible for monitoring Israel and Lebanon’s compliance with the agreement.[1] US, French, …

Youssef Salameh, former Lebanese cabinet minister, said in an October 21, 2025 interview with Transparency News on YouTube that the Lebanese should be brave enough to sign a peace accord with Israel, stating that anything less than that would be meaningless. He added that Lebanon had always been a pioneer …

In a September 30, 2025 interview with the Iranian Tabnak website, reformist Sadeq Zibakalam, professor emeritus of political science at Tehran University, expressed criticism unusual for the Iranian political landscape. He attributed direct responsibility for the tensions in the region to the Iranian revolutionary regime instead of to its traditional …

Toplines An X account attributed to Mossad claimed on October 30 that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Political and Security Affairs, Ali Asghar Hejazi, and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour have sidelined Khamenei and are “making decisions independently.”[1] CTP-ISW cannot …