Trump, Zelensky meet on sidelines of pope’s funeral
US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine in recent...
Geostrategy
WFP says has depleted all Gaza food stocks as Israel blocks aid
After 18 months of war, the situation in Gaza "is probably the worst" now, the United Nations' humanitarian agency OCHA...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israel PM says Macron ‘gravely mistaken’ in promoting Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron over his plans to recognise a...
- Netanyahu was addressing Macron's remarks earlier this week in which he said that France could recognise a Palestinian state within months.
- Macron, in an interview to France 5 broadcast on Wednesday, stated that France could take the step during a UN conference in New York in June
Geostrategy
Iran says talks with US will remain ‘indirect’, to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, along with...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a first round of talks on Saturday in Muscat
- Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme
Geostrategy
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa makes first visit to UAE
Damascus, Syria -- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose war-devastated country seeks Gulf financial support, traveled to the United Arab...
- Nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad in Dec, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his government found the Islamist affiliation of Syria's new rulers "quite worrying'.
- But in mid-January Sharaa spoke by phone with the Emirati president about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region'.
Geostrategy
Gaza hospital damaged in Israeli strike: civil defence
There were no reports of casualties in the strike and the Israeli military told AFP they were looking into the...
- The airstrike came "minutes after the (Israeli) army's warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions", the agency said in a statement.
- Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Geostrategy
Osaka Expo 2025 opens: World gathers amidst hope and global tensions
From quirky Hello Kitty algae sculptures to demonstrations of flying vehicles and lunar samples, the Osaka Expo offers a fascinating...
- Encircling dozens of national pavilions is the Grand Ring -- recognized by Guinness World Records as the planet's largest wooden architectural structure.
- So far 8.7 million advance tickets have been shifted, below the pre-sales target of 14 million.
Business
US exempts several consumer electronics from Trump’s import tariffs
Washington, United States -- The Trump administration has exempted a raft of consumer electronics from its punishing import tariffs --...
- US Customs and Border Protection office said smartphones, laptops, memory chips and other products would be excluded from the global levies President Donald Trump rolled out a week
- The exemptions will benefit US tech companies like Nvidia and Dell, as well as Apple, which makes iPhones and other premium products in China.
Geostrategy
US in hurry for nuclear deal, Iran says after high-stakes, rare direct talks in Muscat
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who briefly spoke face-to-face with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff during the indirect meeting in Oman,...
- The long-term adversaries, who have not had diplomatic relations for more than 40 years, are seeking a new nuclear deal after Trump pulled out of an earlier agreement
- Araghchi, a key architect of the 2015 accord, and Witkoff led the delegations in the highest-level Iran-US nuclear talks since the previous accord's collapse
Geostrategy
Turkey accuses Israel of seeking to ‘dynamite’ Syria ‘revolution’
Ankara, Turkey -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Friday of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to...
- Turkey is a key backer of Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group HTS led the rebel coalition that ousted Assad in December
- Erdogan's latest comments came as officials from Turkey and Israel began talks this week aimed at easing tensions over Syria
Geostrategy
Hamas armed wing releases video showing hostage alive
Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing a hostage alive in Gaza, whom Israeli media widely identified as...
- The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades published the more than three-minute clip showing the hostage seated in a small, enclosed space
- During a recent ceasefire that ended on March 18 when Israel resumed air strikes on Gaza, militants released 33 hostages, among them eight bodies
Science
Accord reached ‘in principle’ over tackling future pandemics: negotiating body
WHO members on Saturday reached agreement over how to tackle future pandemics after three years of discussions, the co-chair of...
- The approval came after a marathon discussion session stretching for almost 24 hours after which delegates broke into enthusiastic applause lasting several minutes
- The United States were absent from the negotiations, after Trump said on his return to the White House that his country will leave the WHO
Trump, Zelensky meet on sidelines of pope’s funeral
US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine in recent...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Trump tariffs have increased financial stability risks: IMF report
The IMF's Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) was published as world financial leaders gather for meetings in Washington under the...
Economy
As world mourns, cardinals meeting to decide the date for Pope Francis’s funeral
Vatican City, Holy See - Cardinals will meet Tuesday to decide the date for Pope Francis's funeral, starting a process...
Arts & Culture
Saudi Aramco, BYD form alliance to develop low-carbon automotive innovations amid EV growth
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest producer of oil, "is exploring a number of ways to potentially optimize transport efficiency, from...
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Geostrategy
US envoy to Israel urges Hamas to sign deal so aid can enter Gaza
The new US ambassador to Israel on Monday called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept a deal that would...
- Huckabee's message comes after Hamas on Thursday signalled its rejection of Israel's latest truce proposal, which proposed a hostage-prisoner swap and the entry of aid
- The militants' chief negotiator said the group rejected any "partial" agreements and sought a comprehensive deal including "halting the war" and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
Business
DHL to stop global shipments worth over $800 to US consumers
Washington, United States -- Global shipping giant DHL will "temporarily" suspend the shipping of parcels worth more than $800 from...
- President Trump has launched a wide-ranging trade war, threatening friend and foe alike with steep tariffs to address US trade deficits with individual countries.
- As part of those changes, the government has also lowered the threshold at which parcels to individuals require formal entry processing by US Customs -- down to $800 from $2,500.
Business
Gold hits record, dollar drops as tariff fears dampen sentiment
With several markets still closed for the Easter holiday, business was limited ahead of a week that will see the...
- The precious metal was also helped by a weaker dollar, which has also been hit by worries about Trump's standoff with Fed boss Jerome Powell.
- Stocks had a mixed start to the week, with Tokyo weighed by the stronger yen while Taipei, Jakarta and Bangkok were also in negative territory.