Jury selection begins in landmark social media addiction trial
Los Angeles, United States -- Jury selection begins Tuesday for a landmark trial that could establish a legal precedent on...
Geostrategy
Next round of Russia, Ukraine talks to begin in Abu Dhabi on February 1: US official
A next round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US to halt the war will continue in Abu Dhabi...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
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...
- Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev arrived in Miami, where Ukrainian and European teams have also been gathering for the negotiations
- The top Kremlin aide also told Russian journalists Sunday that he had "not seen" the revised US proposal to end the conflict
Geostrategy
Israel’s security cabinet approves 19 new settlements in West Bank, a move to scuttle ‘a Palestinian state’
The decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to a statement...
- The latest approvals come days after the UN said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank had reached its highest level since at least 2017.
- Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank.
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.
Geostrategy
German wheelchair user flies into space, a first
Houston, United States -- A German woman engineer on Saturday became the first wheelchair user to blast into space, taking...
- Benthaus suffered a spinal cord injury after a mountain biking accident and now uses a wheelchair.
- "After my accident, I really, really figured out how inaccessible our world still is" for people with disabilities, she said in a video released by the company.
Geostrategy
Zelensky says US mooted direct Ukraine-Russia talks on ending war in Miami
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Washington had proposed the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in...
- The last time Ukrainian and Russian envoys held direct talks was in July in Istanbul, which led to prisoner swaps
- Russian and European involvement marks a step forward from when America held separate negotiations with each side
Geostrategy
US vows Hamas disarmament in talks on next Gaza phase as regional officials met
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching...
- Hamas's Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said on Sunday the militant group had a "legitimate right" to hold weapons
- Rubio acknowledged difficulties in achieving peace in Gaza, saying that the ceasefire amounted to a "miracle".
Geostrategy
Hamas official says Miami talks must end Israel’s truce violations in Palestinian territory
A top Hamas official said Friday that talks in Miami to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must...
- The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that at least 395 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into effect
- Israel also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, with the Israeli military reporting three soldiers killed since the truce entered into force
Geostrategy
Lebanese, Israeli officials discuss Hezbollah disarmament, security in border areas: PM office
Israel said a Friday meeting involving civilian and military representatives from both Lebanon and Israel was part of broader efforts...
- Earlier this month, Lebanon and Israel agreed to send civilian representatives to the committee's meetings
- It was the second time civilian representatives from both countries had taken part in a meeting as part of the committee
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Jury selection begins in landmark social media addiction trial
Los Angeles, United States -- Jury selection begins Tuesday for a landmark trial that could establish a legal precedent on...
Geostrategy
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Yemen presidential council says Saudi coalition to lead all southern forces
The announcement comes a few days after Yemeni forces supported by Saudi Arabia recaptured large swathes of territory from the...
Geostrategy
AI toys look for bright side after troubled start
Las Vegas, United States -- Toy makers at the Consumer Electronics Show were adamant about being careful to ensure that...
Business
Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh met on Friday with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Defiant Khamenei insists ‘won’t back down’ in face of growing Iran protests
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday insisted the Islamic republic would "not back down" in the face of...
- The demonstrations represent one of the biggest challenges yet to the Islamic republic in its over four-and-a-half decades of existence
- But Khamenei struck a defiant tone in his first comments on the escalating protests since January 3, calling the demonstrators "vandals"
Geostrategy
Israel president meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Thursday met with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, whom media reports say is...
- A spokesman from Herzog's office said the president met with Mladenov on Thursday, without providing further details
- The Times of Israel reported that Mladenov was expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Thursday
Geostrategy
US could run Venezuela, tap its oil for years, Trump says less than a week after toppling Maduro
The United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years, President Donald Trump said in an...
- Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA said it was discussing oil sales with the United States for the "sale of volumes of oil"
- Trump and his advisors are considering a plan for the US to exert control over PDVSA, the Wall Street Journal reported