Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for talks on Gaza peace plan, Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, with the US president pushing to move...
Geostrategy
Israel’s recognition of Somaliland ‘threat’ to regional stability: Somali president
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has for decades pushed for international recognition. A self-proclaimed republic, it enjoys...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Pope urges Lebanese to stay in their country despite difficulties
Leo emphasized the need for peace, using the word more than 20 times during the address, without mentioning any specific...
- Urging reconciliation, Leo noted that "there are personal and collective wounds that take many years, sometimes entire generations, to heal".
- "If we do not work, for example, to heal memories, to bring together those who have suffered wrongs and injustice, it is difficult to journey towards peace," he said.
Arts & Culture
‘Dinosaur tartare’ and holograms: Dubai AI chef sparks awe and ire
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- A Dubai restaurant has opened that prides itself on having the world's "first AI chef",...
- The AI programme -- known as chef Aiman -- is trained on thousands of recipes and decades of culinary research and molecular gastronomy.
- Chef Aiman can also optimise menus and balance flavours, according to the establishment.
Geostrategy
The tiring task of repairing Gaza’s tattered banknotes
Nuseirat, Palestinian Territories - With a pot of glue, a blade and a keen eye, Manal al-Saadani repairs tattered banknotes...
- As Gaza remained blockaded for much of the Israel-Hamas war since October 2023, basic supplies were depleted, including banknotes, with no new ones supplied to its banks
- The Bank of Israel's first Series C notes featured the portraits of prominent Hebrew poets, with the 20 note in red, the 50 in green, the 100 in orange and the 200 in blue
Arts & Culture
Crowd braves rain to flock to Pope Leo’s mass in Istanbul
After two days of blue skies and sunshine, the heavens opened, but the downpour did little to dampen the enthusiasm...
- Earlier, the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque, huddled with local church leaders and met Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
- Ahead of the ceremony, the streets were filled with umbrellas as people walked through the rain towards the stadium, the crowd giving off a palpable buzz of excitement
Geostrategy
Hezbollah says has ‘right’ to respond to Israel’s killing of military commander
Hezbollah's leader on Friday said the group had the right to respond to Israel's assassination of its top military chief...
- In a televised speech, Naim Qassem called the killing of Haytham Ali Tabtabai "a blatant aggression and a heinous crime", adding that his group had "the right to respond."
- Qassem insisted that the Iran-backed group has respected the November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities with Israel
Geostrategy
Negotiations under way on Hamas fighters trapped in Gaza tunnels: sources close to talks
An Israeli government spokesperson told AFP earlier this month that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is not allowing safe passage for...
- Israeli media has reported that for weeks that between 100 and 200 Hamas militants have remained trapped in a network of tunnels under the city of Rafah
- A prominent Hamas member in Gaza told AFP that the group estimated their number to be between 60 and 80, and said they were "under siege" but would not surrender
Business
Singapore AI teddy back on sale after recall over sex chat scare
Singapore, Singapore -- A plushy, AI-enabled teddy bear recalled after its chatbot was found to engage in sexually explicit conversations...
- Singapore-based FoloToy had suspended its "Kumma" bear after a consumer advocacy group raised concerns about it and other AI toys on the market.
- The Kumma bear "looks sweet and innocent. But what comes out of its mouth is a stark contrast," researchers have said.
Geostrategy
Four European nations urge Israel to end West Bank ‘settler violence’
"We -- France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom -- strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians...
- Settler violence in the West Bank has soared since Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
- Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, mostly civilians.
Geostrategy
Trump says Afghan man shot two soldiers near White House
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that an Afghan man who fled the Taliban was the suspect in the shooting of...
- The announcement in a brief video message signaled the intertwining of three politically explosive issues -– Trump's use of the military at home, and the legacy of Afghan war
- The incident, which left two Guard members critically wounded, was "an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror," Trump said. "It was a crime against our entire nation."
Geostrategy
Israel launches major West Bank operation, raiding Tubas towns amid escalating violence
The Israeli military said the operation began with air strikes to isolate the area, which were followed by "searches" on...
- The operation, which began overnight, was taking place in predominantly agricultural Tubas, the northeasternmost of the 11 governorates in the West Bank
- Ahmed al-Asaad, governor of the Tubas region, told AFP: "This is the first time that the entire governorate is included -- the whole governorate is now under Israeli army operation
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Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for talks on Gaza peace plan, Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, with the US president pushing to move...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Billionaire Ellison offers personal guarantee for son’s Warner Bros bid
Washington, United States -- Oracle tech tycoon Larry Ellison is offering a $40.4 billion personal guarantee to back Paramount's hostile...
Business
Pressure on Morocco to deliver as Africa Cup of Nations kicks off
Morocco carry a huge weight of expectation into their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday as...
Economy
As diplomats gather in Miami, Kremlin denies three-way US-Ukraine-Russia talks in preparation
The Kremlin on Sunday denied that three-way talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States were on the cards, as...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Macron meets UAE leaders to deepen strategic partnership, discuss defense, AI, trade and drug trafficking
Macron is due to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss "strengthening the strategic partnership" between...
- The French president traditionally celebrates the end-of-year holidays with troops deployed abroad, of whom there are more than 900 in the UAE.
- France cooperates with the UAE on areas including artificial intelligence and trade, and now wants to secure the Gulf state's support in its war on drug trafficking.
Geostrategy
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...
- The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in a range of products, including smartphones and missile guidance technology.
- The flourishing industry is closely protected by Chinese authorities and media access is seldom granted.
Geostrategy
Gazans mourn six killed in Israeli shelling on shelter
Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, initially said on Friday that the Israeli...
- Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal updated the toll to six, including children, on Saturday, adding that two people were unaccounted for under the rubble.
- The director of Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told AFP the victims were a four-month old infant, a 14-year-old girl, two men and two women.