China’s rare earths El Dorado gives strategic edge
Ganzhou, China -- Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of...
Geostrategy
Hamas official says Miami talks must end Israel’s truce violations in Palestinian territory
A top Hamas official said Friday that talks in Miami to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israeli strikes kill 27 in Gaza in spite of fragile truce, follows attacks targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon
The strikes were among the deadliest in Gaza since the truce entered into force last month, and came as Israel...
- Fourteen people were killed Wednesday in Gaza City in the north and 13 in the Khan Yunis area in the south, according to the territory's civil defence agency
- The highest daily toll registered since the truce took effect was on October 29, when more than 100 people were killed in Israeli strikes, according to civil defence figures
Geostrategy
COP30 dragged into clash over gender language
Negotiators say the effort -- by Paraguay, Argentina, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia as well as the Holy See -- seeks to...
- The issue has become so sensitive that COP30's Brazilian presidency has elevated it from technical negotiations to a higher political level.
- At stake is a revamped Gender Action Plan (GAP) meant to guide work for the next decade, including efforts to mainstream gender across climate programs.
Business
Italy’s Leonardo launches joint venture with UAE defence firm
Milan, Italy -- Italian defense group Leonardo said Wednesday it had agreed to launch a joint venture next year with...
- Details of the sectors covered by the joint venture have yet to be announced.
- But it will cover a range of Leonardo's solutions "spanning sensors, system integration, and platforms", the Italian group said in a statement.
Business
Flydubai inks $13bn Boeing deal for 75 jets as city’s airlines build up
State-owned flydubai and its long-haul partner airline, Emirates, have been the chief deal-makers at this week's Dubai Airshow, the largest...
- Dubai, the UAE's commercial jewel, will soon start work on a new airport with capacity for a world-leading 150 million passengers a year, slated to open in 2032.
- Dubai's current international airport announced a record quarter of 24.2 million passengers. The facility has been the busiest for international passengers for the past 11 years.
Business
Nvidia, Microsoft invest $15 billion in AI startup Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot
Nvidia and Microsoft announced Tuesday investments totaling $15 billion in AI startup Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot, amid frenzied...
- AI chip powerhouse Nvidia committed up to $10 billion while Microsoft—which owns 27 percent of Anthropic rival OpenAI—pledged up to $5 billion to the maker of Claude AI models
- The deal was part of an agreement that saw Anthropic commit to buying $30 billion in Microsoft's cloud computing capacity and adopt the latest versions of Nvidia's chip technology
Geostrategy
UN Security Council votes for international force for Gaza, path to a future Palestinian state
Trump posted on social media that the vote "acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by...
- There were 13 votes in favor of the text, which US President Trump claimed would lead to "further Peace all over the World," with only Russia and China abstaining -- but no vetoes
- But Hamas, which is excluded by the resolution from any governance role in Gaza, said the resolution did not meet Palestinians' "political and humanitarian demands and rights."
Science
Turkey seeks to host next COP as co-presidency plans with Australia falter
Turkey wants to host next year's UN climate change talks and is ready to organise the event alone if there...
- Australia and Turkey are locked in a stalemate over who should host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in 2026
- The host is selected by consensus, so unless Australia or Turkey withdraws or the countries agree to share the conference, both will miss out
Science
Cervical cancer vaccine push has saved 1.4 million lives: Gavi
Geneva, Switzerland - A three-year campaign to bring vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) to low-income countries has prevented 1.4 million...
- Cancer caused by HPV disproportionately affects low-income countries, which often lack screening services and access to treatment
- These countries accounted for 90 percent of the 350,000 cervical cancer deaths recorded in 2022, according to Gavi
Geostrategy
UN Security Council set to vote on Trump’s Gaza plan, deployment of international force
The draft, which has been revised several times as a result of high-stakes negotiations, "endorses" the plan, which allowed for...
- The draft, which has been revised several times as a result of high-stakes negotiations, "endorses" the plan, which allowed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to take hold
- The latest version of the text authorizes the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police
Arts & Culture
Rory McIlroy wins seventh Race to Dubai title
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Rory McIlroy was on Sunday crowned the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai champion for...
- At the Earth course of Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday, Fitzpatrick (66) made a birdie on the 72nd hole of regulation play to set the mark at 18-under par.
- It is Fitzpatrick’s third DP World Tour Championship title (2016 and 2020) and a 10th DP World Tour victory in 195 starts.
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China’s rare earths El Dorado gives strategic edge
Ganzhou, China -- Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Erdogan pushes Putin on ‘limited ceasefire’ at ports, energy facilities in Russia-Ukraine war
Speaking on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan, Erdogan told Putin that efforts to end the war were valuable,...
Geostrategy
Israel says Hamas ‘will be disarmed’ after group proposes weapons freeze
Israel said Thursday that Hamas "will be disarmed" as part of the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, after a top...
Geostrategy
US launches pact for AI supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies to face China
The United States signed an agreement on the supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies concerned about China's growing clout --...
Economy
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Geostrategy
Hamas proposes weapons ‘freeze’ in return for long-term truce: leader to Al Jazeera
A top Hamas leader told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the militant group is open to a...
- "This is the idea we're discussing with the mediators, and I believe that with pragmatic American thinking... such a vision could be agreed," top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said
- As for the international peacekeeping force, Meshaal said the group was open to its deployment along Gaza's border with Israel, but was against its operation inside Gaza
Business
Trump says US will allow sale of Nvidia AI chips to China
Washington, United States - President Donald Trump said Monday he had reached an agreement with President Xi Jinping to allow...
- "President Xi responded positively! $25% will be paid to the United States of America," Trump wrote, without providing details on how the payment mechanism would work
- "We applaud President Trump's decision to allow America's chip industry to compete to support high paying jobs and manufacturing in America," an Nvidia spokesperson told AFP
Geostrategy
UNRWA chief denounces Israeli police’s seizure of agency’s Jerusalem assets
The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January, when the law banning its operations...
- "Today in the early morning, Israeli police accompanied by municipal officials forcibly entered the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem," Philippe Lazzarini said on X
- Lazzarini has been declared persona non grata by Israeli authorities, who banned his agency from operating inside the country early this year