Pope again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Israeli strikes on Gaza
"And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of...
Geostrategy
Honda and Nissan in merger talks as electric vehicle competition intensifies
Tokyo, Japan --Japanese auto giant Honda and its struggling rival Nissan will reportedly begin talks on a merger to boost their...
Business
Geostrategy
Saudi crown prince demands Gaza, Lebanon ceasefires at Arab summit
Prince Salman also called on Israel not to attack Iran, highlighting improving ties between Saudi Arabia and its former regional...
- Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the international community must "immediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon".
- A draft resolution for the summit stresses "firm support" for "national rights" for the Palestinian people, "foremost among which is their right to freedom".
Economy
COP29 opens with Trump climate withdrawal looming
he COP29 climate talks open Monday in Azerbaijan, under the long shadow cast by Donald Trump's re-election. Trump has pledged...
- Fears of an imminent US departure from the landmark Paris Agreement
- US$100 billion-a-year target to help developing nations prepare for worsening climate impacts
Arts & Culture
Portraits of pain: smuggled Palestinian art shows trauma of Gaza
Smuggled art pieces from Gaza are on display in an exhibition in Amman showcasing pain, suffering and a strong resolve...
- The paintings document the brutality of war and massacres… carrying pain and sorrow and also a strong resolve and determination
- The exhibition in Jordan features 79 artworks crafted from improvised materials including medicine wrappers
Geostrategy
Saudi hosts Muslim nations to discuss war in the Middle East with Trump in the equation
Arab and Muslim leaders are gathering in Saudi capital city Riyadh to discuss Israeli war against Gaza and Lebanon in...
- Summit in Saudi Arabia is an opportunity for Muslim leaders to show signal what they want and expect from the incoming Trump administration
- Israeli strikes on Sunday killed dozens in Gaza and Lebanon as US deadline for Israel to improve aid delivery is on Wednesday
Geostrategy
Arab, Muslim leaders fly to Saudi Arabia for talks on Gaza, Lebanon
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Arab and Muslim leaders have begun arriving in Saudi Arabia for a summit scheduled for Monday that...
- The Saudi foreign ministry announced the summit in late October during the first meeting of an "international alliance" pushing for a two-state solution.
- The 57-member OIC and 22-member Arab League include countries that recognize Israel and those firmly opposed to its regional integration.
Business
Bitcoin hits $80,000 for the first time on Trump return optimism
London, United Kingdom -- Bitcoin soared to a new record high on Sunday, as traders bet that Donald Trump's return to...
- It has been rising since Republican candidate Trump won last Tuesday's US presidential election over sentiment that he will ease regulations on digital currencies.
- During his first presidency Trump referred to cryptocurrencies as a scam, but has since radically changed his position, even launching his own platform for the unit.
Qatar halts Gaza mediation efforts amid stalled talks on ceasefire and hostage release
The Gulf emirate, which has hosted Hamas's political leadership since 2012 with US blessing, has been involved in months of...
- Talks, also mediated by Cairo and Washington, have repeatedly hit problems since a one-week truce in November 2023 -- the only one so far
- One crucial hurdle has been Hamas's insistence that Israel withdraw completely from Gaza, something Israeli officials have repeatedly rejected
Geostrategy
Global food prices reach 18-month high, vegetable oil cost soars
Paris, France -- Global food prices rose in October to their highest level in 18 months, with a sharp increase in...
- The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in international prices of a basket of food commodities, reached 127.4 points last month, a 2% increase from September.
- It was the highest since April 2023 but still 20.5 percent lower than the peak reached in March 2022 following Russia's invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine.
Geostrategy
Buried for 14 hours after Israeli strike, Lebanese toddler makes recovery
The strike flattened an apartment complex and killed 15 people, many of them relatives
- "Ali is the sole survivor of his family," said his father's uncle
- "He emerged from the rubble, barely breathing, after 14 hours"
Geostrategy
UN probe says women, children comprise the majority of Gaza war dead
In a fresh report, the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) detailed a raft of violations of international law. Many...
- "Civilians in Gaza have borne the brunt of the attacks, including through the initial 'complete siege' of Gaza by Israeli forces," the UN said.
- "Conduct by Israeli forces has caused unprecedented levels of killings, death, injury, starvation, illness and disease."
Pope again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Israeli strikes on Gaza
"And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of...
Geostrategy
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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...
Assad’s fall reshapes Middle East politics, redefining power dynamics across the region
The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels shocked the world by swiftly seizing Aleppo and Damascus, overshadowing global focus on the...
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...
Geostrategy
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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
Syria: Assad faces stunning setbacks as rebels seize Daraa, Hama, and Aleppo in quick succession
While Aleppo and Hama, the two other main cities taken from government control in recent days, fell to an Islamist-led...
- Since a rebel alliance led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched its offensive on November 27, the government has lost Aleppo and subsequently Hama in central Syria
- Syria's civil war, which began with Assad's crackdown on democracy protests, has killed more than 500,000 people and forced more than half the population to flee their homes
Geostrategy
Turkey confirms Syria talks with Russia and Iran
A meeting was expected on the forum's sidelines between Turkey, and Damascus allies Iran and Russia.
- Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan "will meet with the Russian and Iranian ministers"
- The so-called Astana process involving the three countries was launched by Kazakhstan in 2017