Ukraine hails ‘real progress’ in Zelensky’s talks with US envoys to end the war with Russia
Kyiv's negotiator Rustem Umerov wrote on social media that the marathon diplomacy in the German capital had been "constructive and...
Geostrategy
China’s smaller manufacturers look to catch the automation wave
Yancheng, China -- In a light-filled workshop in eastern China, a robotic arm moved a partially assembled autonomous vehicle as workers...
Geostrategy
Economy
Trump fires new 50% tariff threat at EU, drawing stiff response
Washington, United States - President Donald Trump rekindled the US trade war on Friday, threatening to impose a 50 percent...
- If they come into effect, the new duties on Brussels would dramatically raise Washington's current baseline levy of 10 percent
- The US president has also introduced sector-specific measures on automobiles, steel and aluminum not produced in the United States
Israeli embassy staffers shot in Washington: how it unfolded
Elias Rodriguez faces murder and other charges after allegedly gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum...
- Elias Rodriguez, 31, traveled to Washington from Chicago on Tuesday with a legally purchased gun in his checked baggage
- The suspect walked past Lischinsky and Milgrim, then turned to shoot them in their backs, "firing several times," the complaint said
Geostrategy
Israeli director Nadav Lapid decries ‘blindness’ over Gaza
Cannes, France - Director Nadav Lapid said his new film "Yes" about a musician asked to re-write the Israeli national...
- Lapid has previously dissected his country's ills in "Synonyms", which won the Golden Bear in Berlin in 2019, and "Ahed's Knee" (2021)
- In "Yes", he portrays a society buried under its own "dark side" since Palestinian militants Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023
Geostrategy
Why Israel gets support from central, eastern Europe
Their solidarity came to the fore on Wednesday, when Austria and Germany broke ranks with European Union peers to argue...
- EU diplomats have said 17 of the bloc's 27 nations wanted to re-examine the pact, which has been in force for 25 years, to pressure Israel over its war in Gaza.
- But Austria and Germany broke ranks with European Union peers to argue against a review ordered by Brussels of an EU-Israel cooperation deal
Geostrategy
Iran, US to hold new round of nuclear talks in Rome
The talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the foes since the United States quit the 2015...
- Since returning to office, Trump has revived his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran, backing talks but warning of military action if diplomacy fails
- US envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington "could not authorise even one percent" enrichment -- a position Tehran called a red line, citing its rights under the NPT
Geostrategy
Gazans mourn at dawn after night of intense Israeli strikes
Gaza's civil defence agency said that more than 20 air strikes hit Khan Yunis and its surroundings overnight, with the...
- First responders have reported dozens of deaths daily since Israel intensified its attacks in the coastal territory, home to 2.4 million Palestinians
- Every morning, the civil defence agency has provided death tolls for overnight air strikes that often hit houses in rural areas or apartment buildings
Geostrategy
Rubio sees more Arab states normalizing with Israel this year
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Wednesday that more Arab nations could forge ties with Israel this year, as...
- Saudi Arabia was in advanced talks on normalization, backed by then-president Joe Biden's administration, before the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel
- Saudi Arabia is considered the ultimate prize by Israel considering the kingdom's role as the guardian of Islam's two holiest shrines and its influence within the Arab and Islamic
Geostrategy
US accepts Boeing jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted the Boeing 747 that the Gulf emirate of Qatar offered to President Donald...
- "The Secretary of Defense has accepted a Boeing 747 from Qatar in accordance with all federal rules and regulations," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement
- The US Constitution prohibits government officials from accepting gifts "from any King, Prince or foreign State," in a section known as the Emoluments Clause
Geostrategy
Iran says talks with US unlikely to ‘lead to any outcome’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Iran could have civilian nuclear power while importing enriched uranium but that...
- "We don't think it will lead to any outcome. We don't know what will happen," said Khamenei during a speech, adding that denying Iran's right to enrich uranium was "a big mistake".
- Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead
Geostrategy
EU to lift all economic sanctions on Syria to help the war-torn country
EU countries agreed Tuesday to lift all their remaining economic sanctions on Syria in a bid to help the war-torn...
- The move from the European Union comes after US President Donald Trump announced last week that Washington was lifting its sanctions against Syria.
- The country's new rulers have been clamouring for relief from the crushing international punishment imposed after Assad's crackdown on opponents
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
Ukraine hails ‘real progress’ in Zelensky’s talks with US envoys to end the war with Russia
Kyiv's negotiator Rustem Umerov wrote on social media that the marathon diplomacy in the German capital had been "constructive and...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
OpenAI signs multi-billion dollar chip deal with AMD
New York, United States -- OpenAI signed a multi-year partnership Monday with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices as the ChatGPT-maker continues...
Business
Indirect talks on ending Gaza war begin in Sharm El-Sheikh: Egypt media
Behind closed doors and under tight security, negotiators will speak through mediators shuttling back and forth, only weeks after Israel...
Geostrategy
What are regulatory T-cells? Nobel-winning science explained
Paris, France -- The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded on Monday to three scientists for discovering how a particular...
Science
Most Read
Arts & Culture
Turkey bans Oct 7 Robbie Williams concert over ‘safety concerns’
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish authorities have banned a Robbie Williams concert scheduled for October 7 in Istanbul over "safety concerns"...
- The concert would have occurred on the anniversary of the devastating Hamas-led attacks in Israel that triggered war in Gaza and a global protest movement against it
- The British singer Williams, whose wife is Jewish, performed in Israel in 2015 and 2023 despite calls from pro-Palestinian activists to boycott the country
Geostrategy
Iran says cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog ‘no longer relevant’
Iran's top diplomat said Sunday that cooperation with the United Nations nuclear watchdog was no longer relevant following the reimposition...
- "The Cairo agreement is no longer relevant for our cooperation with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said
- The deal had set up a framework to resume cooperation and allow the watchdog to inspect Iranian sites, after Tehran suspended cooperation following Israeli and US strikes
Economy
Vietnam defies US tariffs with 8.2% growth in third quarter
Hanoi, Vietnam -- Vietnam recorded economic growth of 8.2 percent in the third quarter, among the highest increases in more...
- Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said the figure -- excluding the surge in 2022 driven by a post-Covid recovery -- was "the highest quarterly growth since 2011".
- The Southeast Asian manufacturing hub achieved growth of 7.96 percent in the second quarter.