Syria state media says talk of peace deal with Israel ‘premature’
Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace deal with Israel were "premature", days after Israel said...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Syria lambasts Erdogan plan to return million refugees
Syrian authorities on Friday rejected plans by Turkey to return one million Syrian refugees to a "safe zone" on the...
- Erdogan in early May said Ankara was aiming to encourage1 million Syrian refugees to return to their country by building them housing and local infrastructure.
- Turkey is today home to more than 3.6 million Syrian refugees, who fled after a civil war broke out in 2011 in Turkey's southern neighbour.
Business
Vintage Mercedes sold for $143m at auction
A 1955 Mercedes-Benz, one of only two of its kind, was auctioned off earlier this month for a whopping $143...
- The Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut was sold to a private collector, the classic car auction company said in a statement
- The car is one of just two prototypes built by the Mercedes-Benz racing department and is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut
Economy
China to cut key interest rate as it seeks to boost economy
China on Friday announced it would cut a key interest rate as the country fights to boost its virus-hit economy...
- The five-year loan prime rate (LPR) is 4.45 percent," China's central bank said on Friday
- The one-year loan prime rate, which guides how much interest commercial banks charge to corporate borrowers, remained unchanged at 3.7 percent
Geostrategy
Jewish worshipers clash with police at pilgrimage site
A crowd of Jewish worshipers broke through police barriers on Thursday at an annual pilgrimage in Israel's Mount Meron, a...
- More than 10,000 faithful had converged on the site under tightened security measures for the start of the pilgrimage on Wednesday
- The Mount Meron pilgrimage occurs on the Lag BaOmer holiday, when mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews throng the site of the tomb of revered second century rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
Geostrategy
Trawling Iraq’s threatened marshes to collect waste
The swamps, nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, are one of the world's largest inland deltas and were declared...
- The UN classifies Iraq "as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world" to climate change, having already witnessed record low rainfall and high temperatures in recent years.
- An official said that tourists have returned, but one of the main visible sources of pollution in the area are visitors who throw away their "plastic waste".
Geostrategy
Two Iran activists out on bail sent to jail again on ‘plotting supicion’
Earlier this week Tehran academic Saeed Madani Ghahfarokhi was arrested on suspicion of "maintaining links abroad and carrying out activities...
- One of the accused, Kevyan Samimi, is a veteran dissident who served jail time both before and after the Islamic revolution of 1979.
- State news agency IRNA said women's rights and labor activist Narges Mansouri was also arrested again.
Geostrategy
Israel’s government in minority after Arab MP resigns from Knesset
The MP Zoabi said: "Again and again the heads of the coalition have taken hawkish, rigid and right-wing stances regarding...
- Several opposition lawmakers, including Zoabi and members of the Arab Joint List, are bitterly opposed to the current opposition leader.
- Former PM Benjamin Netanyahu -- in office from 1996 to 1999, and again from 2009 until June 2021 -- is outspoken about his desire to topple the Bennett government.
Geostrategy
Lebanon winning independent candidates celebrate: ‘change has begun’
When Firas Hamdan was injured at a protest near Lebanon's parliament two years ago, the then activist never imagined he...
- 13 independent politicians who emerged from a mass anti-government protest movement in 2019, made it to parliament on a reformist platform at elections on Sunday.
- Youths aspiring for change in Lebanon have rejoiced at the victories of independents.
Economy
Nearly 60 mn people internally displaced worldwide in 2021
Last year, new internal displacements from conflict surged to 14.4 million marking a 50-percent jump from 2020 and more than...
- Last year, new internal displacements from conflict surged to 14.4 million marking a 50-percent jump from 2020 and more than doubling since 2012, the report showed
- More than eight million people have already been displaced within the war-ravaged country since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February
Science
Yemen’s Houthi rebels consider extending truce
Yemen's Houthi rebels said Wednesday they are considering renewing a United Nations-brokered truce with the government which expires in two...
- The two-month ceasefire, which went into effect on April 2, coinciding with the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, has made a considerable positive impact
- According to United Nations figures, more than 150,000 people have died in Yemen's war and millions have been displaced
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Syria state media says talk of peace deal with Israel ‘premature’
Syrian state media reported Wednesday that statements on signing a peace deal with Israel were "premature", days after Israel said...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Israel strike kills 3 Hizbollah-affiliated paramedics in Lebanon
According to the Hizbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, three volunteer paramedics died "due to a direct Zionist attack on an emergency...
Geostrategy
European Union slaps $1.9bn fine on Apple over violation of rules
Brussels, Belgium - The EU on Monday hit Apple with a more than 1.8-billion-euro fine ($1.9 billion) for violating the bloc's...
Business
Iran declares 41 percent voter turnout in key elections
Tehran, Iran - Iran on Monday announced a turnout of 41 percent in last week's elections for parliament and a key...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
UNRWA head seeks General Assembly support after backlash
The head of the UNRWA is set to defend his organization's work at the General Assembly, after crippling backlash over...
- The UNRWA's ability to carry out its mandate is "seriously threatened," Lazzarini said.
- The agency has been at the center of controversy since Israel accused about a dozen of its employees of involvement in the October 7 attack.
Geostrategy
Diplomacy the ‘only way’ to end Israel-Hizbollah clashes: US envoy
"A diplomatic solution is the only way to end the current hostilities" and achieve "a lasting fair security arrangement between Lebanon...
- Israel and Hizbollah movement have been exchanging near-daily fire since October, raising fears all-out conflict could spread across the region.
- Hochstein held talks with other senior officials including Prime Minister Najib Mikati and army chief Joseph Aoun in a push to halt violence along the border with Israel.
Geostrategy
Israel destroys home of Palestinian accused of killing settlers
Israel routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks, arguing that such measures act as a deterrent, while critics say it...
- The apartment of Moaz al-Masry, who was killed by Israeli forces following the April 7 attack, was demolished in the early hours
- Masry, along with two others, was accused of shooting dead Israeli settler Leah Dee and her daughters Maia and Rina