US, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt to hold talks on next phase of Gaza truce in Miami
Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern...
Geostrategy
Famed Jerusalem stone still sells despite West Bank economic woes
Sair, Palestinian Territories - Despite the catastrophic state of the Palestinian economy, Faraj al-Atrash, operator of a quarry in the...
Business
Arts & Culture
Chinese man defies demolition orders to build madcap rural home
Xingyi, China -- Surrounded by the rubble of demolished homes, Chen Tianming's ramshackle tower of faded plyboards and contorted beams...
- Authorities razed most of Chen's village in Guizhou province in 2018 to build a lucrative tourist resort in a region known for its spectacular rice paddies.
- Chen, 42, refused to leave, and after the project faltered, defied a flurry of demolition notices to build his family's humble stone bungalow higher and higher.
Arts & Culture
How are the 2026 World Cup contenders shaping up?
Only eight countries have won the World Cup in 22 editions up to the most recent tournament in Qatar, when...
- Of the eight previous World Cups held on the American continent, seven have been won by a South American team.
- There was a European winner in Brazil in 2014, when Germany edged Argentina in the final.
Geostrategy
Money, mining and marine parks: The big issues at UN ocean summit
Nice, France -- France is hosting world leaders this week to confront what the United Nations calls a global "emergency"...
- There is pressure on the UN Ocean Conference starting Monday in Nice to show that countries can unite and deliver more than just talk for the world's ailing and neglected seas.
- Several countries are expected to announce the creation of new marine conservation zones within their national waters, though how protected they really are will come under scrutiny
Business
Apple under pressure to shine after AI stumble
Apple will showcase plans for its coveted devices and the software powering them at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC)...
- The event comes a year after the tech titan said a suite of AI features it dubbed "Apple Intelligence" was heading for iPhones, including an improvement of its Siri voice assistant
- Industry insiders will be watching to see whether Apple addresses the AI stumble or focuses on less splashy announcements.
Geostrategy
Activist aid ship nears Gaza after reaching Egypt coast: organisers
Cairo, Egypt - An aid ship with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is nearing Gaza,...
- The Madleen, part of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, left Sicily last week with a cargo of relief supplies "to break Israel's blockade on Gaza."
- The Global March to Gaza plans to gather in Cairo on June 12 before travelling by bus a day later to Al-Arish near Egypt's border with Gaza
Geostrategy
Gaza rescuers say Israeli fire kills 13 including 6 near aid centre
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 13 Palestinians on Saturday, six of them in a shooting...
- Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was looking into the incident, the latest deadly fire near the Al-Alam aid point
- The GHF began operations in late May as Israel partially eased a more than two-month blockade on the Gaza Strip
Geostrategy
Iran says US travel ban reflects ‘racist mentality’
Tehran, Iran - Tehran denounced on Saturday the US travel ban on Iranians and citizens of 11 other mostly Middle...
- US President Donald Trump signed on Wednesday an executive order reviving sweeping restrictions that echo his first-term travel ban
- An Iranian foreign ministry official said that the ban was discriminatory and would "entail international responsibility for the US government."
Geostrategy
Israel admits to supporting anti-Hamas armed group in Gaza led by Yasser Abu Shabab
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel is supporting an armed group in Gaza that opposes the militant group Hamas,...
- Israeli and Palestinian media have reported that the group Israel has been working with is part of a local Bedouin tribe led by Yasser Abu Shabab
- The European Council on Foreign Relations (EFCR) think tank describes Abu Shabab as the leader of a "criminal gang operating in the Rafah area
Economy
Trump says Musk has ‘lost his mind’ as feud fallout mounts
Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump said Friday that Elon Musk had "lost his mind" but insisted he...
- The blistering public break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful is fraught with political and economic risks all round
- Trump had scrapped the idea of a call with Musk and was even thinking of ditching the red Tesla he bought at the height of their bromance, White House officials told AFP
Geostrategy
Israel warns of more Lebanon strikes if Hezbollah not disarmed, Lebanon says truce violated
Thursday's attacks on what the Israeli military said were underground Hezbollah drone factories came after an Israeli evacuation call on...
- Hezbollah sparked months of deadly hostilities by launching cross-border attacks on northern Israel in stated solidarity with Palestinian ally Hamas
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun late on Thursday voiced "firm condemnation of the Israeli aggression" and "flagrant violation of an international accord."
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
US, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt to hold talks on next phase of Gaza truce in Miami
Under the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
China accuses US of ‘double standards’ over new tariffs threat
Beijing, China -- China accused the United States of "double standards" on Sunday, after President Donald Trump threatened an additional...
Geostrategy
Tunisian activists urge closure of factory units after poisonings
Tunis, Tunisia -- Activists in Tunisia on Sunday called for the closure of facilities at a chemical factory in Gabes,...
Geostrategy
Qantas: stolen data from 5.7 million customers leaked online
Sydney, Australia -- Australian airline Qantas said Sunday that data from 5.7 million customers stolen in a major cyberattack in...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Hamas says Israeli hostages to be freed before Trump peace summit
As part of the deal's first phase, Hama will free the captives, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive,...
- Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will then chair a summit of more than 20 countries in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday afternoon.
- The meeting will aim "to end the war in the Gaza Strip, enhance efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, and usher in a new era of regional security and stability
Geostrategy
Morocco’s GenZ 212 says suspending protests temporarily
The weekend pause was "a strategic step to strengthen organisation and coordination, so the next phase of the movement is...
- GenZ 212 said its demands were unchanged, citing "accountability for the corrupt" and government responsibility for worsening social and economic conditions
- Formed in late September, GenZ 212 has built a large online following, with more than 200,000 members on the Discord platform
Geostrategy
Relief and scepticism at London Pro-Palestinian protest
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in London on Saturday, expressing scepticism and cautious hope as a ceasefire between...
- A sea or red and green, the colours of the Palestinian flag, formed along the embankment of the River Thames in central London, where the largely peaceful march began
- Protesters donned black-and-white keffiyeh scarves, carrying signs of "Stop Starving Gaza" and "Stop the genocide" and chanting "Free Palestine."