Post-Assad Syria seeks peace; Erdogan pushes anti-terror agenda, US warns on Kurdish conflict
Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa of the "critical need to...
Geostrategy
Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines says to buy 200 Boeing 737 aircraft
Istanbul, Turkey -- Turkey's Pegasus Airlines said Thursday it would buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft in its largest-ever order...
Business
Israel escalates bombing in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires projectiles; UN warns of Gaza famine
Israel escalated strikes on Hezbollah in Beirut and Tyre, targeting strongholds, while Hezbollah launched retaliatory attacks on Haifa, hitting a...
- Israel has escalated its bombing of Lebanon since September 23 and has since sent in ground troops, following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges of fire
- Israel's military chief Hezbollah had already "paid a big price" but Israel will keep fighting until thousands of its residents displaced from the north can return safely
Geostrategy
With Trump’s presidency, expect pro-Israel policies to replace Biden’s nuanced approach in Middle East relations
Trump’s return could shift US policy on Israel, with his Republican Party's pro-Israel stance and his preference for "America First"...
- Trump, unlike every other recent president, has never committed to a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state
- He leads a Republican Party so pro-Israel that some local offices handed out Israeli flags alongside Trump yard-signs
Xi, Biden in Peru for APEC summit, pre-Trump face-to-face
uncertainty over Trump's next moves now clouds the APEC agenda -- as it does for the COP29 climate talks underway...
- President Vladimir Putin of APEC member Russia will not be present
- Trump has threatened tariffs of up to 60 percent on imports of Chinese goods
Business
TikTok makes AI driven ad tool available globally
San Francisco, United States - TikTok on Thursday began letting all marketers on its platform use an artificial intelligence-powered tool for...
- The news came with word that Getty Images will make its stockpile of pictures and video available to TikTok's AI‑powered video generation tool called Symphony Creative Studio
- Brands will be able to use Getty's licensed images and videos to create AI-generated ads, including marketing messages featuring characters resembling real people
Geostrategy
Lebanon economic losses top $5 billion in year of clashes: World Bank
Beirut, Lebanon -- More than a year of clashes that recently escalated into war have cost Lebanon more than $5 billion...
- The losses are "largely concentrated in the commerce and tourism and hospitality sectors... as well as in the agriculture sector", the Bank said in a report.
- "The final cost of damage and losses for Lebanon associated with the conflict is expected to significantly exceed those presented in this assessment," the report said.
HRW accuses Israel of ‘war crime’ with ‘forcible transfer’ in Gaza
Human Rights Watch said in a report released Thursday that Israel's repeated evacuation orders in Gaza amount to the "war...
- "Israel's actions appear to also meet the definition of ethnic cleansing"- HRW
- 1.9 million Palestinians were displaced in Gaza as of October 2024
Geostrategy
Nations far apart in COP29 climate finance talks
According to the latest draft of the long-sought climate finance pact, most developing countries favor an annual commitment from wealthy...
- A new agreement to boost money for climate action in developing countries is the top priority
- COP29 runs until November 22 but climate talks often run into overtime
Geostrategy
UN nuclear chief heads to Iran for crucial talks
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi is set to visit Tehran on Wednesday for crucial talks on Iran's nuclear...
- Israel has warned Iran it was "more exposed than ever" to strikes on its nuclear facilities
- Tehran has deactivated surveillance devices needed to monitor the nuclear program
Saudi Arabia appoints new CEO to drive NEOM’s mega-city project forward
In a big move, Saudi Arabia appoints Aiman al-Mudaifer as NEOM’s interim CEO, a strategic choice to advance the futuristic...
- The company said that Mudaifer brought with him a "deep and strategic understanding of NEOM" after serving as head of a property arm of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund since 2018
- NEOM is a planned futuristic megacity in northwestern Saudi Arabia meant to feature a ski resort and twin skyscrapers 170 kilometres (105 miles) long
Lebanon says 11 killed in Israel strikes across the country
Lebanon said Israeli strikes killed 11 people across the country Tuesday
- "The Israeli enemy strike on Baalshmay killed five people," the health ministry said
- Israeli strikes outside Hezbollah strongholds have often targeted buildings where displaced civilians have sought refuge
Post-Assad Syria seeks peace; Erdogan pushes anti-terror agenda, US warns on Kurdish conflict
Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa of the "critical need to...
Geostrategy
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UAE to introduce 15% tax rate on corporate profit from Jan 2025
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The United Arab Emirates, home to the regional headquarters of numerous multinational companies, said Monday it...
Business
Oil prices higher on China boost, Syria uncertainty
Major stock markets diverged as investors reacted to political crises in South Korea and France, and tracked the perspectives for...
Business
ECB to cut rates again amid bleak eurozone outlook
The European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates again this week amid a darkening outlook, with political turbulence...
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Geostrategy
UK Prime Minister to talk trade, Middle East during Gulf visit
London, United Kingdom -- Britain's leader Keir Starmer makes his first trip to the Gulf as prime minister from Sunday, seeking...
- Starmer will first visit the United Arab Emirates and then travel to Saudi Arabia, before stopping off in Cyprus on his way back to London on Tuesday.
- Starmer's trip comes after Britain last week rolled out the diplomatic red carpet for Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani who enjoyed a state visit to the UK.
Geostrategy
Trump touts tariffs, mass deportations and NATO skepticism
In his first formal television interview -- and just six weeks before he takes office -- Trump again signaled that...
- He also stressed that his campaign promises of huge tariffs -- including against top US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China -- would be enacted.
- As to whether Americans would see higher prices as a result of those tariffs, Trump said that "I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow."
Geostrategy
Celebrations erupt across Syria to mark end of 50 years of Baath party rule
Bashar al-Assad's whereabouts not clear, but his key backer Russia said he had resigned from the presidency and left Syria....
- Protests spread like wildfire in neighbouring provinces, with anti-government demonstrators toppling statues of late president Hafez al-Assad in the Jaramana suburb of Damascus
- The Israeli army said Saturday that its troops were assisting UN peacekeeping forces in the Syrian-controlled part of the Golan Heights in repelling an attack "by armed individuals