Eastern

An Omani co-pilot accused of plotting to hijack a flight from Dubai has said the plan was intended as an attack carried out in exchange for something related to Gaza, according to News18 reporting. The stated motive links the alleged plot to anger over the situation in Gaza, and the case has drawn wide attention across Indian and Middle Eastern audiences as details of the co-pilot's explanation emerge.

NATO has laid out a plan to protect Ukraine's European allies from potential Russian aggression, according to a New York Times report. The alliance's blueprint focuses on defensive arrangements for countries on NATO's eastern flank that border Ukraine and Russia. The details and scope of the protections were not specified in the headline, and reaction from member states or Russia has not yet been reported.

Egypt's armed forces, widely regarded as Africa's most powerful, have launched a crackdown on illegal gold prospecting in the country's Eastern Desert. The campaign targets unlicensed miners operating in the mineral-rich region, where informal excavation has grown. Authorities are moving to secure state control over gold resources, though details on arrests and enforcement measures remain limited.

Trump's envoy to NATO has called for relocating US military forces further east in Europe, as the Pentagon conducts a review of American troop deployments on the continent. The proposal signals a potential shift in US posture toward NATO's eastern flank, where countries near Russia have long pressed for a stronger allied presence. Details of the review and the envoy's precise recommendations remain limited.

A senior NATO general has outlined how the alliance would respond militarily to any Russian attack, describing such a move as foolish. The comments come amid heightened tensions between NATO and Russia over the war in Ukraine, with alliance officials stressing readiness and deterrence on its eastern flank.