Global flashpoints: from arms talks to mine collapses
Trump proposes three-way arms-control talks; a Colombian mine collapse kills 14; and a JFK-Tel Aviv flight declares an emergency.
Global flashpoints: from arms talks to mine collapses — US President Donald Trump said on Monday he is open to three-way arms-control talks with the leaders of China and Russia as soon as next month [^1]. The statement, made outside the White House, signals a potential shift in diplomatic posture — but the timeline is ambitious, and neither Beijing nor Moscow has yet confirmed participation. The offer comes as commentators from Jordan and Kuwait warn that Russian contacts in Tehran may be the last stop before an escalation against Iran [^2]. Whether the arms-control overture is linked to a broader effort to manage great-power tensions alongside the Iran file remains unstated. In Colombia, 14 people were killed and seven others injured following the collapse of an illegal gold mine in the rural Chambero sector of the Santa Barbara de Iscuande municipality, Nariño province [^3]. Local authorities reported the incident on Monday. The death toll underscores the persistent danger of unregulated mining across Latin America, where safety oversight is often absent. Separately, a flight that took off this morning from JFK Airport in New York en route to Israel declared an emergency over the Atlantic Ocean, performed a U-turn, and began descending [^4]. The aircraft is expected to land in Canada; the nature of the emergency has not been disclosed. In Australia, independent MP Helen Haines, 65, lost one of her legs following an assassination attempt outside her office in Wangaratta, Victoria, yesterday [^5]. The suspect, Brendan Newgent, 43, a resident of Traralgon, was arrested at the scene after a civilian subdued him. The attack has shaken the country, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reportedly briefed. The motive remains unclear, but the targeting of a federal MP in a regional town has prompted renewed debate about security for elected officials. Meanwhile, in a separate development, a Board of Peace official told The Times of Israel that up to 500 Moroccan personnel have undergone training for deployment with the International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, beginning around late August [^6]. The figure suggests a substantial Moroccan commitment to the mult