Category: 2. World

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday nominated United States President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, the highest-profile international award given to an individual or organisation deemed to have done the most to “advance fellowship between nations”.

In his letter to the Nobel Committee, which he shared online, Netanyahu said Trump had “demonstrated steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world”.

Trump, who is trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, has been nominated before. Pakistan said in June it would recommend Trump for the prize for his work in helping to resolve the conflict with India.

Netanyahu’s nomination of Trump has generated scepticism in some quarters, including from former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt, who said on X that Netanyahu was seeking to flatter Trump.

If Trump won the prize, he would be the fifth US president to do so, after Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

Here is a look at how the award works:

Who is eligible to win?

According to the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, the prize should go to the person “who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses”.

All living persons or active institutions are eligible.

In an introduction on the Nobel website, Chair of the Peace Prize Committee Jorgen Watne Frydnes says, “In practice, anyone can be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. The history of the prize shows clearly it’s given to people from all layers of society from all over the world.”

The Nobel Prizes are announced in October each year, but nominations close the previous January, meaning Netanyahu’s nomination of Trump could not be considered this year.

Who can nominate?

Thousands of people can propose names: members of governments and parliaments; current heads of state; university professors of history, social sciences, law, and philosophy; and former Nobel Peace Prize laureates, among others. You cannot nominate yourself.

Nominee lists are kept secret for 50 years, though there is nothing to stop those who make nominations from disclosing their choices.

Who decides the winner?

The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which consists of five individuals appointed by the Norwegian parliament, is the arbiter. Members are often retired politicians, but not always. The current committee is led by the head of the Norwegian branch of PEN International, a group defending freedom of expression.

They are all put forward by Norwegian political parties and their appointments reflect the balance of power in Norway’s parliament.

How does the committee decide the winner?

The first meeting of the committee takes place in February of each year, when committee members can make their own nominations to add to the list.

Last year, there were 286 nominees, and in 2025, there are 338 candidates nominated for the prize — 244 individuals and 94 organisations.

The committee whittles the nominations down to make a shortlist, and each nominee is then assessed by a group of permanent advisers and other experts.

The committee aims for unanimity but can decide by majority vote. A final decision is often only made a few days before the prize is announced.

Controversies

The Nobel Peace Prize has often been seen as having a political message. The Nobel website says some recipients have been “highly controversial political actors”, while the prize has also increased public focus on international or national conflicts.

Obama won the award just a few months after taking office. Two members of the committee stepped down over the decision in 1973 to award the Peace Prize to US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Vietnamese politician Le Duc Tho for negotiating an end to the Vietnam War.

One member quit in 1994 when Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat shared the prize with Israel’s Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.

What does the Laureate get?

A medal, a diploma, 11 million Swedish crowns ($1.15m) and immediate global attention, if they are not already famous.

When are the announcement and the ceremony?

The announcement of this year’s prize will be made on October 10 at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.

The ceremony will take place at the Oslo City Hall on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death.

Audio recordings analysed by the BBC suggest Bangladesh’s fugitive ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered a deadly crackdown on protests last year, allegations for which she is on trial.

Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations, when Hasina’s government ordered a crackdown on protesters in a failed bid to cling to power.

Hasina, 77, fled to India at the culmination of the student-led uprising and has defied orders to return to Dhaka, where her trial in absentia for charges amounting to crimes against humanity opened on June 1.

The BBC Eye Investigations team analysed audio alleged to be of Hasina — and which forms a key plank of the evidence for the prosecution — which was leaked online.

In the recording, dated July 18, 2024, a voice alleged to be Hasina is heard authorising security forces to “use lethal weapons” against protesters and that “wherever they find [them], they will shoot”.

The BBC said audio forensics experts had found no evidence that the speech had been edited or manipulated, and that it was “highly unlikely to have been synthetically generated”.

Bangladesh police have also matched the audio with verified recordings of Hasina.

‘Denies the charges’

Protests began on July 1, 2024, with university students calling for reforms to a quota system for public sector jobs.

Student ambitions to topple Hasina’s iron-fisted rule seemed a fantasy, just months after she won her fourth consecutive election in a vote without genuine opposition.

But protests gathered pace and a fuse was lit when police launched a deadly crackdown on July 16.

Hasina’s state-appointed lawyer — who says they have not been in contact with her — has sought to throw out the charges.

Her now-banned Awami League party said it “categorically denies the charges that its senior leaders, and the prime minister personally, directed the use of lethal force against crowds during the protests of last summer”.

It instead said that “breakdowns in discipline among some members of the security forces on the ground in response to instances of violence led to (a) regrettable loss of life”.

Hasina was already convicted of contempt of court in a separate case on July 2, receiving a six-month sentence. She remains in India.

Illicit Infrastructure Funding the Regime’s Elite and the IRGC-QF

WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating 22 entities based in Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Türkiye for their roles in facilitating the sale of Iranian oil that benefits the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).  The IRGC-QF is Iran’s most powerful paramilitary force and a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). 

The IRGC-QF primarily leverages front companies outside of Iran, which use offshore accounts to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in profits derived from Iranian oil sales to circumvent sanctions and funnel funds toward IRGC-QF terrorist activities.  Refineries purchasing Iranian oil transfer payments to these front companies, which then move the funds to other front company accounts also controlled by the IRGC-QF.  Iran uses these proceeds to fund its weapons programs and support its terrorist proxies and partners across the Middle East. 

“The Iranian regime relies heavily on its shadow banking system to fund its destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile weapons programs, rather than for the benefit of the Iranian people,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.  “Treasury remains focused on disrupting this shadowy infrastructure that allows Iran to threaten the United States and our allies in the region.”

Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, and marks the second round of sanctions targeting Iran’s “shadow banking” infrastructure since the President issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, directing a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.  On June 6, OFAC designated over 30 individuals and entities tied to Iranian brothers who collectively laundered billions of dollars through the international financial system via Iranian exchange houses and foreign front companies under their control.  The IRGC-QF was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 25, 2007 for its support to multiple terrorist organizations, and its parent organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 13, 2017 for its support to the IRGC-QF. 

irgc-qf oil PAYMENTS AND SHADOW BANKING

In 2024, Türkiye-based Pulcular Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi (Pulcular Enerji) purchased multiple shipments of Iranian oil from IRGC-QF oil allocations, worth hundreds of millions of dollars.  Pulcular Enerji coordinated its purchases with both Hizballah-owned oil brokerage Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore and IRGC-QF officials. Pulcular Enerji paid for the Iranian oil using wire transfers handled by primarily Hong Kong-based front companies and through couriered cash transfers.  Hong Kong-based Amito Trading Limited was used as a cover company to facilitate Pulcular Enerji’s Iranian oil purchases, and in mid-2024, it received millions of dollars on behalf of the IRGC-QF from Hong Kong-based Peakway Global Limited.

In early 2024, IRGC-QF officials used Hong Kong-based JTU Energy Limited, a cover company for the U.S.-sanctioned Iranian Gardeshghari Bank, to receive tens of millions of dollars in payments related to the shipment of liquefied petroleum gas to Lebanese Hizballah-controlled company Talaqi Group and Pakistan-based company Alliance Energy.  In late 2024, Hong Kong-based Shelf Trading Limited and Cetto International Limited were used to facilitate bank transfers with sanctioned Iranian exchange houses from Pulcular Enerji to the IRGC-QF.  As recently as early 2025, IRGC-QF officials used Cetto International Limited to transfer millions of dollars between front companies. 

Pulcular Enerji, Amito Trading Limited, Shelf Trading Limited, Cetto International Limited, Peakway Global Limited, and JTU Energy Limited are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF.  Concepto Screen SAL Off-Shore was designated on May 25, 2022 pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for support to Hizballah.

direct involvement of irgc-qf officials 

In mid-2024, now deceased IRGC-QF official Behnam Shahriyari used Hong Kong-based Ventus Trade Limited to facilitate millions of dollars in transfers, including to Hong Kong-based Marmerth Limited.  IRGC-QF officials further used Hong Kong-based Future Resource Trading Limited to sell tens of millions of dollars in petrochemicals and receive tens of millions of dollars in revenue from Iranian oil sales through Hong Kong-based Moon Imp & Exp Co., Limited.  The officials then facilitated the transfer of funds to the National Iranian Oil Company.

In 2024, IRGC-QF associates used Hong Kong-based Radix Trade Limited to sell Iranian crude oil.  In mid-2024, Hong Kong-based Macera International Limited was used to facilitate transactions worth millions of dollars, also involving Hong Kong-based front company Queens Ring Limited, on behalf of the IRGC-QF.  Queens Ring Limited also received more than $50 million in payments from other IRGC-QF front companies, including Hong Kong-based Star OilGlobal Limited. 

In 2024, IRGC-QF officials received millions of dollars in the account of Hong Kong-based GAH Petrochemical Trading Limited and Metallex Limited.  Hong Kong-based Mist Trading Co., Limited also sent tens of millions of dollars on behalf of the IRGC-QF.  Additionally, in 2024, Hong Kong-based cover company Enka Trading Limited facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transfers for an IRGC-QF oil broker to IRGC-QF cover company Finesse Global Trading Limited for oil shipments.  Enka Trading Limited was previously designated on June 12, 2024 pursuant to E.O. 14024 for operating or having operated in the technology sector of the Russian Federation economy. In 2024, UAE-based Bright Spot Goods Wholesalers L.L.C, a front company controlled by the IRGC-QF, transferred tens of millions of dollars on behalf of the IRGC-QF to Finesse Global Trading Limited and Lavida Corporation Limited.

In total, Finesse Global Trading Limited received hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions, and Lavida Corporation Limited facilitated more than $100 million in money transfers benefitting the IRGC-QF.  Turkiye-based Golden Globe Demir Celik Petrol Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi (Golden Globe) is a cover company for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ oil headquarters, handling hundreds of millions of dollars in oil sales annually.  Golden Globe’s oil deals involved multiple tankers including the designated URI (IMO 9248497; formerly known as the BOREAS), LUNA PRIME (IMO 9174220), ETERNAL PEACE (IMO 9259745), and TITAN (IMO 9293143; formerly known as the KASPER).

Enka Trading Limited, Finesse Global Trading Limited, Bright Spot Goods Wholesalers L.L.C, Lavida Corporation Limited, Macera International Limited, Queens Ring Limited, Ventus Trade Limited, Marmerth Limited, Future Resource Trading Limited, Moon Imp & Exp Co., Limited, Radix Trade Limited, GAH Petrochemical Trading Limited, Mist Trading Co., Limited, Star OilGlobal Limited, and Metallex Limited are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, the IRGC-QF. Golden Globe is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, the IRGC.

SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC.  In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.  Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons.

Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons.  OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis.  OFAC’s Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC’s enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions.  In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities with designated or otherwise blocked persons.  The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions.  OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority.

The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law.  The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.  For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC’s guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List.

Click here for more information on the persons designated today.

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Any analysis of Donald Trump’s current thinking on Russia risks getting out of date very quickly.

Read too much into an individual tweet, post or off-the-cuff comment by the US president, and the danger is that your conclusions will be contradicted by tomorrow’s tweet, post or off-the-cuff comment.

Believe me. I’ve been there.

As today’s edition of the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper put it: “The US president blows hot and cold…he changes his mind on key issues as easily as he changes shoes.”

Recently, though, when it comes to Russia, the White House does appear to have been blowing more cold than hot, which explains the headline in today’s edition of Moskovsky Komsomolets: “The Russian-American Chill.”

Following Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s most recent telephone conversation on 3 July – their sixth this year – President Trump revealed that the two leaders “didn’t make any progress” towards ending the war in Ukraine.

“I’m not happy about that,” he added.

Four days later, President Trump threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on any country aligned with the BRICS, the group of nations that includes Russia.

On Tuesday, his frustration boiled over with some of his strongest language so far: “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” President Trump said at a cabinet meeting.

“He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”

Today I asked for the Kremlin’s reaction.

“We are pretty calm about this,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told me on a Kremlin conference call for journalists.

“Trump’s way of talking is generally quite harsh…we plan to continue our dialogue with Washington to mend our broken bilateral relations…we hope that Trump and his team will continue their efforts to get the peace process back to the realm of diplomacy.”

The Kremlin was trying, at least, to sound diplomatic.

The Russian press? It wasn’t even trying.

In Komsomolskaya Pravda, a political pundit accused Donald Trump of “an absence of geopolitical achievements”.

The tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote about President Trump’s “mercurial temperament, his propensity for sudden moods and chaotic changes of direction”.

This week’s edition of Arguments and Facts mocked Donald Trump over Elon Musk’s new America Party.

“Now every time the US president says ‘Make America Great Again’ he’ll be inadvertently promoting Musk’s party,” the paper wrote.

This is a sea-change from the previously positive coverage in Russia of the Trump administration. Back in March, a political scientist told Izvestia that “America now has more in common with Russia than Washington does with Brussels or Kyiv”.

In May, the business daily Kommersant declared: “Donald Trump’s stance couldn’t be more advantageous to Moscow.

“He refused to strengthen sanctions against Russia and confirmed his determination to develop large-scale trade with Russia.”

The optimism was understandable. Earlier this year, the White House was publicly criticising President Zelensky (not President Putin) and exerting pressure on Kyiv (not Moscow).

The US and Russia had launched bilateral talks to boost their relations.

What’s more, President Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff was a frequent visitor to Russia for talks with President Putin. At one of their meetings the Kremlin leader gave him a present to take back for Trump: a portrait of the US president.

It seemed as if Moscow and Washington were destined to forge a new relationship.

But it’s been more than two months since Witkoff’s last visit. And, in June, Russia announced that the US had cancelled the next round of talks between the two countries aimed at restoring the operations of diplomatic missions.

Meanwhile, President Trump has, it seems, been growing increasingly frustrated by Russia’s refusal to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine.

“The Kremlin believes that Trump offers Russia too little and, therefore, the continuation of a ‘good quarrel’ is better than a ‘bad peace’ from the point of view of Russia’s long-term national interests,” wrote Moskovsky Komsomolets today.

In other words, on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wants more than Trump has been prepared to offer.

More in terms of territory, more in terms of concessions from Kyiv on the future size of Ukraine’s army, more in terms of cutting back Western arms supplies to Kyiv.

And, to borrow a Trumpian expression, Vladimir Putin clearly believes that “he holds the cards” right now and can hold out for a better deal.

Is he right? Or is Moscow miscalculating?

Much will depend on what President Trump does next: on the scale of future US military assistance to Ukraine, and on whether the White House decides to strengthen sanctions against Russia.

But keep in mind my caveat.

And that vivid image, in Komsomolskaya Pravda, of Donald Trump changing his shoes.

Only a week ago Russian commentators were celebrating the US government’s decision to freeze some military assistance to Ukraine.

So, follow closely. Not only what Donald Trump says on Russia and Ukraine, but the action he takes.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has dismissed rumours circulating in local and international media regarding the granting of lifetime Golden Visas to certain nationalities.

Earlier, several media outlets ran news reports claiming that lifetime Golden Visas could be obtained for certain nationalities through a simplified process.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) clarified that these claims were not accurate, emphasising that the categories, conditions, and regulations for the Golden Visa are clearly outlined in accordance with the UAE’s official laws and ministerial decisions.

The ICP urged individuals seeking Golden Visas to refer only to official sources, such as the authority’s website or smart application, for accurate information. It reiterated that all applications for Golden Visas must go through authorised government channels within the UAE and that no external consultancy entity is recognised as an official party in the application process.

The clarification came after a consultancy office in another country suggested that lifetime Golden Visas could be obtained via commercial entities outside the UAE under simplified conditions.

Read: Here’s the most popular way to get Dubai’s Golden Visa

The ICP firmly rejected these claims, asserting that they had no legal basis and had not been coordinated with the relevant UAE authorities.

In response to these misleading reports, the ICP warned that legal action would be taken against those attempting to exploit individuals by promoting false information and charging fees for non-existent services.

The Authority also cautioned against paying any fees or submitting personal documents to unauthorised parties claiming to provide Golden Visa services.

The UAE stressed its commitment to providing a transparent and secure environment for applicants, reminding the public to always verify information through official channels, such as the ICP’s website or its 24/7 call centre at 600522222.

What is the UAE’s Golden Visa?

The UAE’s Golden Visa is a long-term residence visa designed to allow foreign talents to live, work, or study in the UAE while enjoying several exclusive benefits.

This visa provides an entry permit for six months, allowing multiple entries to proceed with residence issuance. Once issued, the Golden Visa is renewable and is valid for either five or ten years.

One of the key advantages of the Golden Visa is that holders do not require a sponsor, making the process more flexible for residents.

Additionally, Golden Visa holders are permitted to stay outside the UAE for longer than the usual six-month period without invalidating their visa. The visa also offers the ability to sponsor family members, including spouses and children, regardless of their ages.