World’s tiniest pacemaker is smaller than grain of rice
Paris, France -- Scientists said Wednesday they have developed the world's tiniest pacemaker, a temporary heartbeat regulator smaller than a...
Science
Turkish opposition calls for boycott over jailed students
The leader of Turkey's main opposition party has called for a boycott on Wednesday to protest the detention of students...
Geostrategy
Business
Bitcoin falls below $80,000 first time since November amid market volatility
Hong Kong, China -- Bitcoin sank below $80,000 on Friday for the first time in more than three months as...
- The digital unit fell to as low as $79,525.88 in early Asian trade -- its lowest level since November 11 and sharply down from the record above $109,000 seen just last month.
- The unit saw an eye-watering rally after Donald Trump's election victory in November after he promised on the campaign trail to free up regulations surrounding digital token.
Geostrategy
Mediators hope for end to conflict as next phase of Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo begins
Mediator Egypt say Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were already in Cairo for "intensive" talks on the next stage of...
- A hostage-Palestinian detainees swap early Thursday was the final one under the initial stage of the truce that took effect on January 19.
- Over the past several weeks, Hamas freed in stages 25 living Israeli and dual-national hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.
Geostrategy
Hamas, Israel prisoner swap advances as talks for ceasefire’s next phase loom
Israeli authorities received four hostage bodies from Hamas, while Palestinian prisoners were welcomed in Ramallah, as ceasefire negotiations involving Egypt,...
- The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed they had received the coffins of "four fallen hostages", and a process to formally identify them had started in Israel
- The ceasefire has largely halted the war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and seen 25 hostages released alive so far in exchange for more than 1,100 prisoners
Business
Billionaire Bezos announces restrictions on Washington Post opinion coverage
Washington, United States - The Washington Post will no longer run views opposed to "personal liberties and free markets" on...
- "We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets," wrote Bezos on social media platform X
- In January, an award-winning political cartoonist for the newspaper announced her resignation after a cartoon depicting Bezos groveling before Trump was rejected
Geostrategy
Deal restored: Hamas, Israel finalize exchange of Palestinian prisoners for bodies of Israeli hostages
Mediators have revived a deal for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages,...
- Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed the agreement, under Egyptian supervision, saying it was part of the first phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel
- On Sunday, Hamas accused Israel of endangering the five-week-old Gaza truce by delaying the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners
Geostrategy
UN warns of last chance for two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution
Sigrid Kaag, the UN envoy for the peace process in the region, also warned against calls for Israel to annex...
- "The people of the region can emerge from this period with peace, security, and dignity. However, this may be our last chance to achieve the two-state solution," said Kaag.
- Kaag called on Hamas and Israel to agree on the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza war and avoid a resumption of fighting.
Geostrategy
US, Russia to appoint negotiators for Ukraine talks; Kyiv protests exclusion, Europe awaits role
Washington noted European nations would have to have a seat at the negotiating table "at some point", following the first...
- Some European leaders, alarmed by President Donald Trump's overhaul of US policy on Russia, fear Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed his nation's exclusion from the Riyadh gathering, which lasted for more than four hours, saying talks should involve European nations
Geostrategy
Iran’s Khamenei: US plan to displace Gazans ‘will go nowhere’
Tehran, Iran - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday dismissed a proposal by the United States to displace Palestinians...
- Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad
- US President Donald Trump this month proposed a plan for a US takeover of the war-battered Gaza Strip and its Palestinian inhabitants to be relocated elsewhere
Geostrategy
More than one million Syrians return to their homes: United Nations
Geneva, Switzerland -- More than one million people have returned to their homes in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad,...
- The returnees include 280,000 Syrian refugees and more than 800,000 people displaced inside the country.
- Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions from their homes.
Geostrategy
Netanyahu commits to Trump’s Gaza plan as Rubio seeks Arab backing in Saudi talks
In a statement on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "committed to US President Trump's plan for...
- Arriving in the kingdom after talks in Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio - on his first visit to the Middle East - met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- A Saudi source had earlier told AFP that Riyadh would host a regional summit later this week "to discuss Arab alternatives" to President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza
World’s tiniest pacemaker is smaller than grain of rice
Paris, France -- Scientists said Wednesday they have developed the world's tiniest pacemaker, a temporary heartbeat regulator smaller than a...
Science
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Iran says it has responded to Trump’s nuclear talks letter
Iran has sent a response to a letter from US President Donald Trump that called for nuclear talks and warned...
Geostrategy
Lawyer complains Turkish student held in US ‘abducted’
A lawyer representing a Turkish university student detained in the United States and facing deportation said Thursday that his client...
Geostrategy
Palestinian sources say Hamas, mediators in new talks to revive Gaza truce, hostage release deal
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Egypt along with Qatar and the United States, have been deadlocked for weeks...
Geostrategy
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Business
Automakers lead market losses after Trump tariffs on imported vehicles
Wall Street's main indexes opened in the red, with General Motors sinking more than nine percent in early trading while...
- Among European auto firms, Volkswagen shed 2.4 percent, Porsche was down around 3.5 percent, Mercedes lost four percent and BMW fell 2.7 percent.
- In Mumbai, India's Tata Motors, which exports Jaguar Land Rovers to the United States, lost more than five percent.
Geostrategy
From cars to champagne: Trump’s expanding tariffs trigger trade war fears
Paris, France -- From champagne to steel and now cars: it is getting harder to keep up with US President...
- In early March, Trump imposed a 20 percent tariff on products from China, which has a huge trade surplus with the United States and was already his top target during his first term
- Trump announced earlier he would slap 25-percent tariffs on imports from countries buying oil and gas from Venezuela, a punitive measure that could hit China and India.
Geostrategy
Lebanon cabinet appoints Karim Souaid central bank governor
Born in 1964, Souaid officially takes over after embattled former chief Riad Salameh's term expired in July 2023 with no...
- First vice-governor Wassim Manssouri had been acting head of the bank, a post that is traditionally reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.
- Souaid is the founder and managing partner at Gulf-based Growthgate, according to his biography on the private investment firm's website.