Three Gaza hostages set for release after ceasefire crisis abates
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said Friday it had received the names of three hostages to be freed by militants in exchange...
Geostrategy
Second edition of Saudi art biennale seeks to modernize Islamic tradition
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - Under a vast canopy of tents in the Saudi city of Jeddah, religious artefacts are on display...
Arts & Culture
Lebanon says nine killed in Israeli strikes on southern villages
Many strikes on villages in southern Lebanon on Monday, after Israel said it was taking aim at dozens of Hezbollah...
- Israel has carried out a near-daily series of strikes in southern Lebanon since the ceasefire
- On Monday, the Lebanese army said an Israeli drone wounded a soldier
QatarEnergy inks gas supply deal for China with Shell
Doha, Qatar - Qatar has agreed to supply three million tonnes of gas a year to China in a deal...
- The liquefied natural gas deliveries would begin in January as part of a "new long-term sale and purchase agreement."
- Qatar is one of the world's top gas producers alongside the United States, Australia and Russia
Geostrategy
Israel vows ‘harsh response’ to Hezbollah attack
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed a "harsh response" to a Hezbollah rocket launch targeting a military position on Monday
- At least two people were killed on Monday in Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon
- The ceasefire came into effect on November 27 and stipulates that Israel will not carry out offensive military operations
Geostrategy
Macron to hold talks with Crown Prince Salman on Saudi visit
Macron is beginning the first state visit by a French president to Saudi Arabia since Jacques Chirac in 2006, cementing...
- Macron's three-day stay also coincides with a flare-up of violence in Syria, where anti-government rebels have seized Aleppo, the second largest city.
- The fighting in Syria comes after France helped to broker a fragile ceasefire in neighboring Lebanon, where Israel has been fighting Iran proxy Hezbollah.
Desertification talks open in Saudi Arabia as experts fire warning
UN talks aimed at halting the degradation and desertification of vast swathes of land start in Saudi Arabia. Forest loss...
- 3.7 billion acres must be restored by decade's end to combat crises
- Forest loss and degraded soils were reducing resilience to climate change and biodiversity loss
Plastic pollution talks South Korea fail to reach landmark deal
Busan, South Korea - Deeply divided negotiators failed on Sunday to reach a landmark global treaty to curb plastic pollution, missing...
- For a week, delegates from nearly 200 nations meeting in South Korea have wrestled with how to stop millions of tonnes of plastic waste entering the environment each year
- Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peak, in the deepest ocean and throughout almost every part of the human body
Geostrategy
US President Biden pardons son Hunter before White House exit
Washington D.C. -- US President Joe Biden on Sunday issued an official pardon for his son Hunter, who is facing...
- Hunter Biden was convicted earlier this year of lying about his drug use when he bought a gun - a felony
- Bill Clinton pardoned his half-brother for cocaine charges and Trump pardoned the father of his son-in-law for tax evasion
Geostrategy
Bashar Al Assad of Syria seeks support from allies as extremist rebels take over key city of Aleppo
Extremist-dominated rebel alliance, including ISIS supporters, runs over Syrian city of Aleppo allegedly backed by Turkey. Russia and Iran push...
- Extremist rebels' offensive saw Syrian government forces lose control of Aleppo for the first time since the start of the country's civil war
Geostrategy
Gulf summit in Kuwait urges ‘immediate ceasefire’ for Gaza
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah called on the international community to implement "an immediate ceasefire, providing international protection for...
- Sheikh Meshal hit out at what he characterized as the "double standards in the application of relevant international laws, charters and resolutions."
- The Kuwaiti ruler spoke in support of Saudi Arabia's work to form a global body pushing for an independent Palestinian state.
Geostrategy
Trump threatens 100% tariff on BRICS countries over currency plans
Washington, United States -- President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose a 100 percent tariff on the BRICS group nations...
- The statement comes after a BRICS summit held last month in Kazan, Russia, where the countries discussed boosting non-dollar transactions and strengthening local currencies.
- The BRICS group has expanded significantly since its inception in 2009, and now includes countries such as Iran, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates
Three Gaza hostages set for release after ceasefire crisis abates
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said Friday it had received the names of three hostages to be freed by militants in exchange...
Geostrategy
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Former US president Jimmy Carter dies aged 100
Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia -- the same small town...
Indian workers replace Palestinians in Israel’s construction sector amid post-war labour void
Indians, long employed in Israel as caregivers, diamond traders, and IT professionals, are now increasingly recruited for the construction sector...
Economy
20-day-old baby Jumaa al-Batran dies from ‘severe cold’ in Gaza
Marwan al-Hamas, head of field hospitals in Gaza, confirmed the death. He said it brought to five the total number...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Israeli raid puts last major Gaza health facility out of service: WHO
The World Health Organization said the operation had put the "last major health facility in north Gaza out of service"....
- The WHO said 60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition, including some on ventilators, reportedly remained in Kamal Adwan Hospital.
- Patients in less severe condition were forced to evacuate to the destroyed, non-functioning Indonesian Hospital, the UN health agency said.
Geostrategy
New Dawn over Damascus: Residents reclaim Mount Qasyun after years of curbs under Assad’s rule
Mount Qasyun, once closed due to war, reopens as a vibrant community space where Damascus residents gather to reclaim joy,...
- Through the long years of Syria's civil war, which began in 2011 with a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, people were not allowed access to the mountain
- When night falls, long queues of vehicles slowly make their way up a twisting road to a brightly lit corniche at the summit
Business
Move over Mercedes: Chinese cars grab Mexican market share
Mexico City, Mexico -- The growing popularity of Chinese sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks has shaken up Mexico's luxury car...
- Mexicans are increasingly switching from traditionally dominant sedans to Chinese vehicles due to a combination of comfort, technology and price.
- It is no small feat in a country home to factories of foreign brands such as Audi and BMW, and where until a few years ago imported Chinese cars were stigmatized.