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French-Moroccan Karim Bouamrane Eyed for Prime Minister Role

Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)
Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)
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French-Moroccan Karim Bouamrane Eyed for Prime Minister Role

Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)
Karim Bouamrane delivering a speech at the opening of “Socrates Street” in the Olympic Village, March 2024 (Getty)

If French President Emmanuel Macron chooses Karim Bouamrane, born to Moroccan parents, to form the new government, he will follow a precedent of foreign-born politicians reaching high positions in France.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy had Hungarian heritage, and former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who served under President François Hollande, was of Spanish origin from Catalonia.
Outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s grandfather was born in Tunisia. Among Moroccans, Rachida Dati and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem have also held significant positions, such as Minister of Culture and Minister of Education, respectively.
The potential appointment of a Maghreb-born politician reflects a significant change in French politics, especially given the recent strong showing of the far-right in elections. Macron is expected to announce the new Prime Minister after consulting with parliamentary leaders on Friday and Monday.
The Élysée Palace has not set a deadline for this decision, emphasizing that Macron wants a thorough and respectful consultation to ensure the new Prime Minister can build a stable majority. Macron aims to honor the Constitution and voters’ choices in this selection.
Macron has not yet confirmed whether Karim Bouamrane will be appointed as the new Prime Minister.
Bouamrane is a serious candidate, but others are also being considered. Macron might also choose an unexpected candidate.
Bouamrane’s profile has risen recently due to the parliamentary election results announced on July 7, which failed to produce a clear majority. This has delayed the appointment of a new Prime Minister.
It is noteworthy that Attal resigned on August 16, but his government is still in place.
Bouamrane, once relatively unknown, has gained significant media attention both in France and internationally. Major outlets like Der Spiegel, The New York Times, and El País have covered him.
The French media is keen to see how Macron addresses the delay in forming a new government, especially as the focus shifts from the successful Olympics to urgent political, economic, and social issues.

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World

Modi Breaks Netanyahu’s Isolation with 16 Cooperation Agreements

The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)
The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)
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Modi Breaks Netanyahu’s Isolation with 16 Cooperation Agreements

The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)
The Indian Prime Minister listens to the Israeli Prime Minister during an exceptional session of the Knesset on Wednesday (EPA)

In a move seen as breaking Israel’s relative international isolation amid its ongoing war in Gaza, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed 16 agreements with Israel during a two-day visit to the country.

Modi arrived in Israel on Wednesday for talks aimed at strengthening ties in trade and defense. The visit was marked by an unusually warm reception. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally welcomed Modi at the airport and later accompanied him to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, where lawmakers applauded and cheered.

Netanyahu hailed Modi as “a great global leader and a great friend; more than that, a great brother.”

He added: “They say India has achieved tremendous accomplishments. That is not accurate. It should be said that thanks to your leadership, your wisdom, and your determination, India has achieved its successes.”

The Israeli premier also thanked Modi for India’s assistance during the recent Gaza war, noting that New Delhi had supplied Israel with ammunition and drones.

Sixteen Agreements and a Historic Honor

The Israeli government announced the signing of 16 bilateral agreements during the visit. In a symbolic gesture, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana awarded Modi the “Knesset Medal,” marking the first time the honor has been bestowed on a visiting leader.

This is Modi’s second visit to Israel since taking office, nearly nine years after his first trip in 2017.

Beyond political symbolism, the relationship carries significant economic weight. India is Israel’s second-largest trading partner in Asia. According to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, total bilateral trade reached $3.62 billion in fiscal year 2025.

Renewed Indian Condemnation of October 7

For his part, Modi declared that “India stands with Israel at this moment and beyond.” Addressing the Knesset plenary, he offered condolences for those killed in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack launched by Hamas, describing it as a “terrorist and brutal attack.”

Modi also praised a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump that he said would safeguard Palestinian national rights.

Expanding Strategic Ties, Secrecy

Observers view the visit not merely as a reflection of improved relations, but as a major step in advancing strategic cooperation. The agreements include memoranda of understanding designed to deepen coordination across several sectors, particularly in security, with officials describing the partnership as a “distinguished strategic relationship.”

Security sources revealed that the two sides reached an arrangement establishing a “confidentiality framework,” allowing India access to previously restricted Israeli systems. These reportedly include advanced air defense systems and integration into Israel’s laser-based air defense network. India is also expected to receive licenses to manufacture certain Israeli weapons systems domestically.

The Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior political official as saying the agreement would provide greater flexibility to security agencies and enable both countries to rely on one another when necessary, calling it “a major revolution.”

Writing in the right-leaning newspaper Israel Hayom, columnist and former lawmaker Zvi Hauser, a political ally of Netanyahu, said one of the key issues Modi and Netanyahu would discuss is Iran’s future and the prospects for the fall of its regime. Hauser suggested that Israel, India, and a post-Revolution Iran could form a powerful strategic alliance in the region.

World

Cuba Says It Killed Four Gunmen on Speedboat Trying to Infiltrate from US

Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 
Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 
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Cuba Says It Killed Four Gunmen on Speedboat Trying to Infiltrate from US

Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 
Cuban coast guard ships docked at the port of Havana. (AFP) 

Cuba said it thwarted the attempt of gunmen trying to infiltrate from the United States as its coastguard opened fire on Wednesday at a Florida-registered speedboat near its shores, killing four people and wounding six.

Havana's Interior Ministry said the speedboat's passengers opened fire on a coast guard vessel that approached them near an island off the country's northern coast.

The ministry claimed the passengers were armed and intended to “carry out an infiltration for terrorist purposes.”

Handguns, assault rifles and improvised explosive devices were recovered on the speedboat, according to the statement, along with other tactical gear.

The ministry said the 10 passengers are all Cuban citizens living in the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was seeking its own facts about the shooting and would “respond accordingly.”

“We're not going to base our conclusions on what they've (Cuba) told us, and I'm very, very confident that we will know the full story of what happened here,” Rubio told reporters while on a trip to the Caribbean nation of St Kitts and Nevis. “As we gather more information, then we'll be prepared to respond accordingly.”

James Uthmeier, Florida's attorney general, said he would direct local law enforcement to investigate the incident.

“The Cuban government cannot be trusted, and we will do everything in our power to hold these communists accountable,” he said.

In an earlier statement posted on X, the Cuban interior ministry said the Florida-registered vessel was detected near Cayo Falcones, in the country's central Villa Clara province on Wednesday morning.

When a Cuban boat carrying five members of the ministry's border guard approached the vessel for identification, “the crew of the violating speedboat opened fire” and wounded the Cuban commander, the statement said.

It added that “As a consequence of the confrontation, as of the time of this report, four aggressors on the foreign vessel were killed and six injured.”

Those injured were evacuated and given medical assistance, the statement said.

In Washington, US Vice President JD Vance said the White House was “monitoring” the incident but added that he hoped it was not a serious one.

“Certainly, you know, a situation that we're monitoring, hopefully it's not as bad as we fear it could be. But can't say more, because I just don't know more,” Vance told reporters.

The confrontation comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Cuba, which lies just 160 km across the Florida Straits. It also comes as the US softened a virtual oil siege of the island imposed by President Donald Trump in January after the US ouster of top Cuba ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.

Before Maduro's capture by US forces on 3 January, Cuba had relied on Venezuela for about half its fuel needs.

Faced with an outcry from Caribbean leaders, worried that starving Cuba of oil would cause the economy to quickly collapse, the US said it would allow shipments of Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use.”

World

US Arrests Ex-Air Force Pilot for Training Chinese Military

Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)
Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)
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US Arrests Ex-Air Force Pilot for Training Chinese Military

Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)
Former Air Force pilot Gerald Brown (photo circulated on social media)

The US Justice Department announced the arrest on Wednesday of a former Air Force fighter pilot who allegedly trained Chinese military personnel without authorization.

Gerald Brown, 65, was arrested in Indiana after having recently returned to the United States from China, where he had been since December 2023, a Justice Department statement said.

He is accused of having "conspired with foreign nationals to provide combat aircraft training to pilots in the Chinese Air Force" without a required license from the US State Department, AFP quoted the statement as saying.

FBI director Kash Patel posted on X: "Major story... the FBI and our partners have arrested a former US Air Force Pilot who was allegedly training pilots in the Chinese military."

Brown had a 24-year career in the US Air Force during which he "commanded sensitive units with responsibility for nuclear weapons delivery systems, led combat missions, and served as a fighter pilot instructor and simulator instructor on a variety of fighter and attack aircraft."

He had retired from the military in 1996 and worked as a cargo pilot, the statement said, but he later began a role as a US defense contractor training pilots to fly the A-10 and state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets.

He allegedly began negotiating a contract in August 2023 with Stephen Su Bin -- a Chinese national who was imprisoned in the United States for four years beginning in 2016 over another espionage scheme -- and traveled in December 2023 to China to begin his training job.

"The Chinese government continues to exploit the expertise of current and former members of the US armed forces to modernize China's military capabilities," said Roman Rozhavsky, an official with the FBI's Counterintelligence and Espionage Division.

"This arrest serves as a warning that the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to hold accountable anyone who collaborates with our adversaries to harm our service members and jeopardize our national security," he added.