Iran voices ‘serious doubts’ over Israel commitment to ceasefire
"We have serious doubts over the enemy's compliance with its commitments including the ceasefire, we are ready to respond with...
Geostrategy
Israeli forces kill 37 Gazans, including nine children, some of them waiting for food aid
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 35 people were killed in seven Israeli drone and air strikes in various locations,...
Geostrategy
Economy
EU to propose phasing out Russian oil in new sanctions wave
The EU will propose a phased-out ban on Russian oil imports as part of a fresh round of sanctions against...
- EU foreign policy chief said Russia's continued attacks in Ukraine make new sanctions "absolutely essential”
- Earlier, European commission banned coal imports from Russia, but Poland and the Baltic states called for an oil embargo as well
Geostrategy
Qatar calls on Chad to delay national peace dialogue
Qatar, which has been leading tense mediation between Chad’s military government and opposition rebels for six weeks, on Sunday called...
- More than 40 opposition groups and the military government have had delegations in Doha since March 13 when the preliminary talks officially opened
- Opposition groups are demanding that Deby rule himself out of the elections that the military leader has said will be held this year
Arts & Culture
Murals bring ‘joy’ to Baghdad concrete jungle
Baghdad's infrastructure was laid to waste by a 13-year international embargo against the regime of late dictator Saddam Hussein.
- Baghdad's infrastructure was laid to waste by a 13-year international embargo against the regime of late dictator Saddam Hussein
- Artist acknowledges that much needs to be done to rehabilitate the city, which once stood as a beacon of Arab culture
Geostrategy
Palestinians warn against plans to weaken their UN agency
A proposal by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees to delegate some services to other United Nations agencies has sparked...
- The agency has long been a target of Israeli criticism, with accusations it has fuelled the conflict in part by teaching anti-Zionist messages at its schools
- The agency tasked with assisting Palestinians who were forced from their homes during the war surrounding Israel's creation has faced a funding crunch for years
Dust storm hits Iraq once again, grounding flights at airports
Iraq on Sunday was yet again covered in a thick sheet of orange as it suffered the latest in a...
- Flights were grounded due to poor visibility at airports serving the capital Baghdad and the Shiite holy city of Najaf
- Iraq was hammered by a series of such storms in April, grounding flights and leaving dozens hospitalized with respiratory problems
Economy
Oil propels Saudi GDP growth to near 10 percent in first quarter
The preliminary results come after the world's biggest oil exporter resisted US entreaties to raise output in an attempt to...
- Growth in the oil sector reached 20.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, while the non-oil sector expanded 3.7 percent year-on-year, Saudi statistics authority said.
- The Ukraine war and the resulting rise in crude prices has been a boon to oil-producing states like Saudi Arabia, whose GDP is expected to grow by 7.6 percent in 2022.
Business
NBA, NFL stars invest in Indian cricket franchise
US basketball star Chris Paul and American football players Larry Fitzgerald and Kelvin Beachum have invested in Indian Premier League...
- The three US athletes will be minority investors in the Royals, who won the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 tournament in 2008
- The IPL has grown to be the most popular franchise-format league for Twenty20, the shortest form of cricket
Economy
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to discuss extending term of $3 bn loan
The latest sign of support follows a visit to Saudi Arabia by new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who has inherited...
- In recent years, Saudi has provided Pakistan with $4.2 bn of support in the form of the $3 bn loan deposited with the central bank as well as $1.2 bn in deferred oil payments.
- Saudi Arabia also pledged "to further enhance the financing of petroleum products" at a time when the South Asian country is suffering from frequent power cuts.
Geostrategy
Afghan supreme leader makes rare appearance at Eid prayers
Afghanistan's supreme leader appeared publicly for only the second time in six years on Sunday, telling worshipers celebrating Eid al-Fitr...
- Speaking just two days after a bomb ripped through a mosque in Kabul, an atmosphere of heightened security surrounded the man introduced as Hibatullah Akhundzada
- Dozens of civilians have been killed in the primarily sectarian attacks -- some claimed by the Islamic State group -- targeting members of the Shiite and Sufi Muslim communities
Geostrategy
Iraq seizes more than 6 million captagon pills in drug bust
Iraqi security forces said Saturday they had broken up a drug trafficking ring and seized more than six million pills...
- Iraq's northwestern neighbor Syria is the Middle East's main captagon producer, and its southern neighbor Saudi Arabia the main consumer.
- Trade in captagon in the Middle East grew exponentially in 2021 to top $5 billion, posing an increasing health and security risk to the region, a report said earlier this month.
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Iran voices ‘serious doubts’ over Israel commitment to ceasefire
"We have serious doubts over the enemy's compliance with its commitments including the ceasefire, we are ready to respond with...
Geostrategy
Company News
Pfizer set to acquire Seagen
Business
Latest News
Biden faces backlash in Michigan primary over Gaza ceasefire stance
Though Biden handily won the vote, the uncommitted ballots, representing 13 percent of votes cast Tuesday, sent a "clear and...
Geostrategy
India, US at loggerheads over WTO reform at Abu Dhabi talks
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- A US-led push to reform the World Trade Organization's embattled dispute settlement system sparked divisions...
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia’s PIF announces tennis partnership with ATP
In a joint statement, the two bodies said the partnership marked "a significant shared commitment to enhancing global tennis". The...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Business
Meta chief discusses AI risks with Japan PM during Asia tour
The 39-year-old mixed business with pleasure while in Japan, going skiing with his family and learning about sword-making from a...
- Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg is on a mini-tour of Asia that includes stops in Japan, India and South Korea, where he travelled on Tuesday night
- He and Kishida met and discussed a broad range of topics including the status of AI's technological advancement and the risk surrounding generative AI
Business
Apple drops electric car plans
It had dedicated nearly 2,000 workers for the program.
- According to media reports, the target of "Project Titan" began around 2014 to develop a fully autonomous car
- The company has never publicly disclosed its EV plans, despite a steady drip of media leaks over the years
Geostrategy
US, Qatar hope for Israel-Palestine truce within days
Netanyahu has faced increasing public pressure over the fate of the remaining hostages. Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel's far-right national security...
- A Hamas source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the proposed 42-day truce could potentially be "renewed" and would see one Israeli hostage released every day
- Instead of a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza - a demand rejected by Netanyahu - the source said the military may leave "cities and populated areas"