Assad’s fall reshapes Middle East politics, redefining power dynamics across the region
The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels shocked the world by swiftly seizing Aleppo and Damascus, overshadowing global focus on the...
Turkey confirms Syria talks with Russia and Iran
A meeting was expected on the forum's sidelines between Turkey, and Damascus allies Iran and Russia.
Geostrategy
Business
Nasdaq edges to record
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8 percent.
- All three indices finished at records the last two days, on the back of Wednesday's Federal Reserve meeting
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8 percent to 39,475.90, retreating from a serious drive at the 40,000-point level
UN chief to visit Gaza border as Israel vows to go ahead with Rafah attack
On Saturday, UN chief Guterres plans to meet with aid workers on the Egyptian side of Rafah, just across the...
- During his visit, Guterres plans to reiterate his call for ceasefire, though international pressure has so far failed to dissuade Israel from the planned ground offensive in Rafah
- Despite warnings that such an invasion would cause mass civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis, Netanyahu said he must press ahead with the attack
Death toll climbs to ‘more than 60’ in Moscow concert attack: Agencies
Meanwhile, the fire at a Moscow concert hall has been "mostly eliminated", the Russian capital's governor said on Saturday. "There...
- President Vladimir Putin wished a speedy recovery to the wounded victims of the deadly attack, Russia's deputy prime minister said on Saturday after meeting with him
- The United States warned Russian authorities earlier in March about a terrorist attack possibly targeting "large gatherings" in Moscow, the White House said Friday
Geostrategy
UN official urges $4bn humanitarian aid for cash-strapped Syria
Beirut, Lebanon - A UN official on Friday appealed for about $4 billion in humanitarian assistance for Syria, warning funding was...
- "In 2024, we are appealing for $4.07 billion to provide lifesaving aid to 10.8 million Syrians, out of 16.7 million people assessed to be in need of assistance," he said
- Abdelmoula also noted "Syria's vulnerability to climate shocks", exacerbated by conflict, warning of water scarcity and "heatwaves impacting agriculture and livestock"
Geostrategy
Iraqi PM to visit Washington for troop talks
Washington, US – President Joe Biden will welcome Iraq's prime minister on April 15 for talks on the US troop presence,...
- The visit will mark the first trip to Washington by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, who took office in October 2022.
- Sudani in the past has called for an exit of US forces, redeployed nearly 10 years ago as part of a campaign to defeat the Islamic State
Geostrategy
EU to tell big tech firms to curb election risks or face fines
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – The EU will put more pressure on the most popular online platforms, like X and TikTok, to tackle...
- The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is expected to adopt new guidelines.
- They will come under the EU's mammoth content moderation law, the Digital Services Act.
Economy
Russia’s central bank holds rates amid high inflation
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russia's central bank held interest rates unchanged on Friday as Moscow's military offensive on Ukraine has led to...
- Russia’s central bank raised rates to 16 percent in a series of hikes last year to cool the pace of price rises.
- "Current inflationary pressures are gradually easing but remain high," the bank said in a statement.
Arts & Culture
The unexplained: Giant Swedish archive logs paranormal phenomena
The Archives for the Unexplained (AFU) claims to be the world's biggest library of paranormal phenomena, with 4.2 kilometers of...
- The archives are in the process of being digitalized and many of the documents can already by consulted on a server.
- The study of UFOs has long been stigmatized, but is becoming a more accepted field of scientific research.
Geostrategy
US, Israel hold talks as Gaza truce plan fails at UN
Israel plans to send troops into Gaza's Rafah even without US support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Antony Blinken, as...
- US has repeatedly blocked ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council but tried to pass a text mentioning an "immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal".
- World leaders including staunch allies of Israel backed the renewed diplomatic push.
Geostrategy
UNSC to vote on new Gaza truce resolution after Russia, China veto US bid
The draft resolution, seen by AFP, "demands an immediate ceasefire" for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan that leads...
- Three European nations -- Malta, Slovenia and Switzerland -- are co-sponsoring the resolution, along with Mozambique, Guyana and Sierra Leone.
- Russia and China had vetoed a US-led draft resolution saying it did not pressure Israel, as Moscow accused Washington of a "hypocritical spectacle."
Assad’s fall reshapes Middle East politics, redefining power dynamics across the region
The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels shocked the world by swiftly seizing Aleppo and Damascus, overshadowing global focus on the...
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Saudi economy to register losses until 2027, says finance ministry
Saudi Arabia anticipates a budget deficit of 2.3 percent of GDP in 2025. Estimates put total government revenues for 2025...
Israeli special forces in ‘limited’ Lebanon ground operations, says United States
Israeli forces have launched limited incursions in Lebanon, the United States said on Monday, while Lebanon's national army, dwarfed by...
Two-thirds of Gaza buildings destroyed or damaged: UN
Updating its damage assessment, the UN Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) said very high-resolution imagery collected on September 3 and 6 showed...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Lebanon urges DNA tests to identify missing in Israel strikes
Families should head to centers affiliated with the Judicial Police "to conduct DNA tests", the police said in a statement....
- Israel has heavily bombed Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut suburbs
- Health Minister Firas Abiad said bodies and body parts were still under the rubble
Geostrategy
Israel targets Palestinian group in first strike on Beirut center
Israel hit a Beirut apartment block on Monday, killing three members of a Palestinian armed group in its first strike...
- AFP journalists reported drones flying over the Lebanese capital throughout Sunday
- Well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon and over 50,000 have fled to Syria
Geostrategy
Israel and Hezbollah: A complex history of decades-long conflict and tensions
Nicosia, Cyprus - Israel and Lebanon's Shiite Muslim movement Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike...
- Hezbollah - the "Party of God" - was born in the wake of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon in the country's eastern Bekaa area, and overseen by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps
- In 1985 Hezbollah emerges from the shadows, establishing its armed wing the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon as the spearhead in the fight against Israel