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...
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...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
European, Iranian diplomats to meet as Trump mulls joining Israel campaign
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to...
- Israel, claiming Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch-enemy a week ago, triggering deadly exchanges
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme
Arts & Culture
2,000-year-old Roman wall paintings unearthed
The plaster, which was discovered on a construction site in 2021, once decorated around 20 internal walls of a high-status...
- The plaster was found dumped in a large pit, having been smashed into thousands of pieces during Roman demolition works that took place before AD 2000.
- MOLA Senior Building Material Specialist Han Li has spent the last three months laying out the fragments and reconstructing the designs.
Economy
Trade war worsens foreign investment outlook: UNCTAD World Investment Report
Presenting the annual report at a press conference, UNCTAD chief Rebeca Grynspan said it contained a "clear and urgent" message...
- After two consecutive years of decline, the FDI outlook for 2025 remains negative due to uncertainties triggered by the tariff war waged by Trump, the UNCTAD said.
- UNCTAD said that when adjusted to strip out volatile financial flows through several European economies, FDI fell by 11% last year to $1.5 trillion.
Geostrategy
21 Palestinians waiting for aid among 72 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that six people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza...
- In northern Gaza, Bassal said that nine separate Israeli strikes killed another 51 people, updating earlier tolls provided by his agency.
- At least 300 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach aid distribution points in Gaza, which is suffering from famine-like conditions.
Economy
US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in face of Trump criticism
Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank would make better decisions if it waited a few months to...
- For now, he expects to learn more "over the summer," while officials appear increasingly divided on whether they can cut interest rates at all in 2025.
- The Fed kept the benchmark lending rate between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent at the end of its two-day meeting, with officials penciling in two rate reductions this year.
Economy
Asian stocks drop after Fed warning, oil dips with Mideast in focus
Hong Kong, China - Asian stocks fell Thursday after the Federal Reserve warned Donald Trump's trade war would likely reignite...
- With Trump increasingly calling for the bank to slash rates, Powell said: "We'll make smarter and better decisions if we just wait a couple of months."
- Hong Kong led losses, falling more than one percent, while Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also in the red
Geostrategy
Almost 3,000 Australians seek to flee Israel-Iran conflict
Australia has started evacuating almost 3,000 citizens caught up in the rapidly spiralling conflict between Israel and Iran, Foreign Minister...
- rescue efforts had been hampered by missile barrages that made it "too risky" for civilian aircraft to land in either country, Wong said
- Some 1,500 Australians had registered to be evacuated from Iran, while more than 1,200 were seeking to get out of Israel, she said
Geostrategy
Syrians watch Iran-Israel crossfire as government stays silent
For days, Syrians have watched as Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors light up the skies over their territory, but the...
- Iran was one of former ruler Bashar al-Assad's biggest backers, playing a crucial role in propping up his government by providing military advisers and the support of affiliated ar
- Israel, meanwhile, has occupied the Golan Heights since seizing it from Syria in 1967, and has kept troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone there since December
Geostrategy
Trump weighs involvement as Israel launches fresh strikes on Iran
The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday and top US diplomat Marco...
- As the war entered its seventh day, Israel's military said it was striking Tehran and other parts of Iran, but all eyes were on whether Washington would enter the fray
- Iran's supreme leader Khamenei meanwhile rejected Trump's demand for an "unconditional surrender", despite claims from the US leader that "Iran's got a lot of trouble."
Geostrategy
Khamenei vows Iran will never surrender, warns US of ‘irreparable damage’
Khamenei's speech came six days into the conflict, with US president Donald Trump saying he may or may not intervene...
- Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show "no mercy" towards Israel's leaders.
- Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said air force jets had destroyed Iran's internal security headquarters after the army announced it was striking military targets in Tehran.
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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...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Hamas says committed to Gaza truce and returning hostage remains
Responding to a call from Hamas for help locating the bodies of the 19 hostages, buried under the rubble alongside...
Geostrategy
OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon...
Geostrategy
Trump says to meet Putin in Budapest after ‘great’ call, questions Ukraine’s push for Tomahawk missiles
In his latest abrupt pivot on Russia's 2022 invasion, Trump said he expected to meet Putin in Budapest within the...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Trump speaks with Putin ahead of Zelensky visit
Donald Trump held a crucial phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin Thursday, a day before Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky meets...
- "I am speaking to President Putin now," Trump said on his Truth Social network. "The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents."
- The call comes as Trump shows mounting frustration over the Kremlin leader's refusal to end the 2022 invasion of Ukraine despite their recent summit in Alaska
Business
Nestle to cut 16,000 jobs
The company's shares shoot up 8%.
- "The world is changing, and Nestle needs to change faster," chief executive Philipp Navratil, who took the reins of the multinational in early September, said in a statement.
- The company published nine-month figures showing sales down by 1.9 percent to 65.9 billion Swiss francs ($83 billion).
Business
Billionaire Ronaldo tops Forbes footballer rich list again
Paris, France -- Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo once again topped the Forbes highest-paid footballers list for the 2025-26 season, as...
- It is the sixth time in the last decade that Ronaldo has topped the Forbes list.
- With on- and off-field earnings of an estimated $280 million, Al Nassr's Ronaldo will earn more than double that of second-placed rival Lionel Messi.