Trump says wants ‘real end’ to Israel-Iran conflict, not ceasefire
Trump said that he wanted a "complete give-up" by Iran in return for peace, without elaborating on the outcome he...
Geostrategy
Oil prices jump after Trump’s warning, stocks extend gains
Oil prices rallied Tuesday after Donald Trump urged Tehran residents to evacuate, stoking fresh fears of all-out war as Israel...
Economy
Arts & Culture
Novel crisis: Iran’s booking shrink as US sanctions bite
The price of a book in Iran depends on the fluctuation of its currency as the country relies on paper...
- Many publishing houses in Iran have been out of business as the economic crisis deepens
- Iranian publishers slash number of titles published and cut the number of pages which they print by shrinking the font size
Economy
West Libya defends naming of new PM
An influential figure in western Libya, Mechri accused Dbeibah's government of "fueling a campaign against the parliament and the HCS".
- Libya's western-based upper house defended lawmakers' decision that "unanimously approved" former interior minister Fathi Bashagha as new prime minister
- Abdulhamid Dbeibah's interim government had to lead the country to the presidential poll on December 24 but it was cancelled due to the candidacies of controversial figures
Business
Big oil firms rebuked
Big oil companies said their 2021 profits were $66.7 billion.
- The whopping 2021 profits of Shell and BP triggered calls for a windfall tax on the profits of energy firms in the UK
- French Presidential candidate Yannick Jadot also spoke out against profits made "on the back of French men and women"
Geostrategy
US warns Ukraine attack would bring ‘severe costs’ to Russia
Efforts to defuse the crisis in Ukraine via a frenzy of telephone diplomacy failed to ease tensions on Saturday, with...
- Weeks of tensions, which have seen Russia nearly surround its western neighbor with more than 100,000 troops, intensified
- That came when Washington warned that an all-out invasion could begin "any day" and Russia launched big naval drills
Geostrategy
Putin and Biden discuss Ukraine crisis in a phone call
Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Saturday slammed Western claims of an imminent Moscow invasion of Ukraine as a "provocation" as...
- Weeks of tensions that have seen Russia surround its western neighbour with more than 100,000 troops intensified after Washington warned that an invasion could begin "any day"
- "President Biden's secure call with Russian President Putin convened" at 1604 GMT, a White House official told reporters
Business
Turkey slashes sales tax on food items as inflation surges
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday slashed sales tax on dairy products, fruit, vegetables and other basic food items...
- The rising cost of living has become a major source of public discontent in Turkey, where it is expected to feature prominently in next year's presidential election
- Inflation hit 48.69 percent in January, the highest level since Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party stormed to power two decades ago
Geostrategy
A Syrian city erupts in protest to demand better living conditions
Hundreds took to the streets of a southern Syrian city on Friday to demand better living conditions and democracy in...
- More than 300 protesters, gathering for a fifth consecutive day in Sweida after authorities cut off 600,000 families from its subsidies program
- “We want a civil, just, democratic state,” a young man told a cheering crowd of demonstrators in video footage broadcast by local media network Suwayda24
Geostrategy
Israel to withdraw diplomats’ families from Ukraine
"The foreign ministry also recommends that Israeli citizens planning to come to Ukraine consider refraining from doing so at this...
- "The foreign ministry also recommends that Israeli citizens planning to come to Ukraine consider refraining from doing so at this time," the ministry said
- It advised Israeli citizens residing in Ukraine to "avoid approaching hotspots" in view of the "worsening situation"
Economy
IMF says more work needed for Lebanon aid deal
After two weeks of talks, the IMF said Friday it has advanced efforts to secure an aid program to help...
- The Washington-based lender launched talks last month to pull the Middle Eastern country out of its deepening economic crisis
- The country will need fiscal reforms that ensure it can manage its debt load as well as measures to establish a "credible" currency system, the IMF said
Economy
Citing inflation, Fitch downgrades Turkey to ‘B+’
Fitch Ratings on Friday downgraded Turkey's debt from BB- to B+ with a negative outlook, citing high inflation and a...
- The downgrade comes after data released earlier in the month showed inflation hitting a two-decade record of nearly 50 percent in January
- The agency added that it "does not expect the authorities' policy response" to "sustainably ease macroeconomic and financial stability risks"
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Trump says wants ‘real end’ to Israel-Iran conflict, not ceasefire
Trump said that he wanted a "complete give-up" by Iran in return for peace, without elaborating on the outcome he...
Geostrategy
Company News
Bayer to cut management jobs
Business
Latest News
Czech farmer cull 140,000 birds to halt spread of bird flu outbreak
Prague, Czech Republic - Czech farmers have killed about 140,000 birds since the start of the year in a bid to...
Business
Israeli strikes kill 10 including six civilians in Syrian city of Homs
"Ten people, including six civilians and two Hizbollah fighters, were killed in Israeli strikes on a building in the Hamra...
Geostrategy
Blinken in Israel voices hope for Gaza truce deal to free hostages
"There's a lot of work to be done, but we are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
US lawmakers reject US$17.6 billion Israel aid bill
Republicans in the House of Representatives scheduled the vote after the Democratic-led Senate released a bipartisan bill Sunday pairing billions of dollars for...
- The standalone Israel bill would have provided $17.6bn in military aid for the country
- 167 Democrats voted no after Biden had threatened to wield his veto
Geostrategy
Canada announces sanctions against Hamas leaders
The move comes two weeks after Britain and the United States unveiled new coordinated asset freezes and travel bans on...
- The 11 individuals targeted by the Canadian measures include Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and its military chief Mohammed Deif
- All the sanctioned individuals were said in a statement to be "integral to the planning, funding and execution of the October 7 attacks
Business
Equinor reports 59% fall in net profit
Its earnings were US$36.2bn, half of what is was in 2022.
- The company's net profit slumped 59 percent last year to $11.9bn, dragged down by a decline in energy prices
- Anders Opedal, the company CEO, said that in 2023 the group "continued to contribute to energy security in Europe"