Hamas says weapons are ‘legitimate right’, open to proposals that preserve it
"Resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed by international law and are linked to the establishment of a...
Geostrategy
US envoy Witkoff to meet Zelensky, Europe leaders in Berlin at weekend
US President Donald Trump's special envoy will meet with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in Berlin this weekend,...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Arab summit presses for end to Gaza ‘bloodshed’ as Israel launched an expanded military offensive
Arab leaders meeting Saturday at a summit in Baghdad urged the international community to press for a Gaza ceasefire, as...
- In a joint final statement, Arab League members also called for funding to back their Gaza reconstruction plan
- It came hours after Israel's military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip."
Economy
Moody’s downgrades US credit rating on rise in govt debt
Moody's on Friday downgraded the United States's credit rating from the top triple-A level, citing rising levels of government debt...
- The downgrade to Aa1 from Aaa adds to the bad news for the US president, coming on the same day his flagship spending bill failed to pass a key vote in Congress
- Moody's decision to downgrade the United States from its top credit rating reflects a recent surge in US borrowing costs, which was further fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic
Geostrategy
Trump reshapes US Mideast policy. Can deals work instead?
The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched "extensive strikes" as part of a fresh offensive in Gaza, after rescuers...
- Trump vowed during his swing through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that there would be no more "lectures on how to live."
- In an extraordinary rupture with his predecessors, Trump then lambasted what he called the "neo-cons" that oversaw bloody US military interventions in the region
Geostrategy
Arab League to meet in Baghdad to discuss regional crises, key leaders may give it a miss
The Arab League is meeting in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss Gaza and other regional crises, but some key leaders...
- The war in Gaza is expected to dominate the agenda, especially after Israel approved plans to expand its offensive and spoke of the "conquest" of the territory
- United Nations chief Antonio Guterres will attend the summit, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to address it as a guest
Geostrategy
Israel launches ‘initial stages’ of new Gaza operation, threatens Huthi leaders after striking Yemen ports
The operation is part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all...
- The offensive, known as "Operation Gideon's Chariots", comes as Israel faces pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade in return for a US-Israeli hostage released by Hamas
- Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in its war against Hamas, triggered by an attack by the Palestinian group in October 2023
Economy
Tehran says no objection to US investment in Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran has no objection to US companies operating in the country, including...
- "We have no ban on the economic presence of American companies in Iran," Araghchi said, attributing the lack of US business activity to primary sanctions imposed by Washington
- His remarks come after President Donald Trump said Washington was "getting close" to a new nuclear deal with Tehran to replace the one he abandoned during his first term in 2018
Geostrategy
Gaza strikes kill 120 as Hamas says aid entry ‘minimum requirement’ for talks
Aid to Gaza has been cut off since March 2, a tactic Israel has said is intended to force concessions...
- Hamas warned that Gaza was not "for sale" hours after Donald Trump, on a visit to the region, again floated taking over the territory and turning it into "a freedom zone.'
- Israel's aid blockade preceded a resumption of military operations on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities since mid-January
Geostrategy
Iran, European powers to hold nuclear talks in Turkey
The Istanbul meeting follows Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's warning of "irreversible" consequences if the European powers move to reimpose United...
- The Istanbul meeting follows Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's warning of "irreversible" consequences if the European powers move to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran
- Trump effectively torpedoed the deal during his first term in 2018, by unilaterally abandoning it and reimposing sanctions on Iran's banking sector and oil exports
Geostrategy
Trump caps Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi with dizzying investment pledges, deal worth $1.4 trn signed
US President Donald Trump on Friday capped off a Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi that has seen the securing of...
- On his first foreign tour of his second term, Trump oversaw a $200 billion order from Qatar Airways for Boeing jets and a $600 billion investment from Saudi Arabia
- Trump also expressed optimism over reaching a new agreement with Iran over its nuclear programme, and in a seismic diplomatic shift, decided to lift decades-long sanctions on Syria
Geostrategy
Gaza air strikes kill over 100 as manhunt unfolds in West Bank
Palestinian rescuers reported more than 100 people killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a US-backed organisation said...
- In the occupied West Bank, raids were ongoing and roads blocked after Israel's military chief vowed to find the perpetrators of an attack that killed a pregnant Israeli woman
- "Israel's blockade has transcended military tactics to become a tool of extermination", Human Rights Watch executive director Federico Borello said in a statement Thursday
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Hamas says weapons are ‘legitimate right’, open to proposals that preserve it
"Resistance and its weapons are a legitimate right guaranteed by international law and are linked to the establishment of a...
Geostrategy
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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...
Economy
Hamas calls for swift hostage-prisoner swap as talks set to begin
Foreign ministers of several countries, including Egypt, said the talks were a "real opportunity" to achieve a comprehensive and sustainable...
Geostrategy
Bangladesh deploys warships to protect prized hilsa fish
Dhaka, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh's defense force said it has deployed warships and patrol aircraft as part of a special surveillance...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Syria selects members of first post-Assad parliament
Damascus, Syria -- Syria will select members of its first post-Assad parliament on Sunday in a process criticized as undemocratic,...
- more than 1,500 candidates -- just 14 percent of them women -- are running for the assembly, which will have a renewable 30-month mandate.
- Sharaa is to appoint 70 representatives out of the 210-member body.
Geostrategy
Opec+ plus to raise oil production by 137,000 barrels a day in Nov
The increase was less than many analysts expected, with the cartel seeking to avoid pressuring prices amid weak demand. OPEC+...
- Opec+'s priority at the start of the year was to maintain prices high by limiting supply, but it changed strategy starting in April.
- Since April, the V8 group -- comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman -- has boosted production by 2.5 mbpd in total.
Geostrategy
Hundreds of thousands turn out at pro-Palestinian marches in Europe
Huge numbers turned out at pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to the war in...
- Organisers of the protest in Rome said hundreds of thousands of people had turned out for a fourth day running, after Israel intercepted the flotilla seeking to reach Gaza
- Elsewhere, several thousand people marched through the centre of the Irish capital, Dublin, to mark what organisers said was "two years of genocide" in Gaza