UN investigators: Israel committing genocide in Gaza to ‘destroy the Palestinians’
This is the first time a UN-mandated investigative body has concluded the country is committing genocide and it might prompt...
Geostrategy
UN rights expert says complicity with Gaza ‘genocide’ ‘shame of our time’
Albanese added that "this genocide has something different, is openly incited, cynically denied and relentlessly supported, armed and weaponized, while...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Mediator Qatar says ‘still waiting’ for Israeli response to Gaza truce proposal
Qatar and Egypt, along with the United States, have been mediating indirect ceasefire negotiations throughout the Gaza war, but despite...
- The latest proposal put forward by mediators involves an initial 60-day truce and staggered exchanges of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
- But Israel has appeared reluctant to budge from its demand that all the hostages being held at Gaza be freed at once.
Economy
25 countries suspend postal services to United States over tariffs: UN
The Trump administration said late last month that it will abolish a tax exemption on small packages entering the United...
- The move has sparked a flurry of announcements from postal services, including in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, India, Australia and Japan.
- The United Nations' Universal Postal Union said he suspensions will remain in place until there is more clarity on how US authorities plan to implement the announced measures.
Geostrategy
Amnesty urges war crimes probe into Israeli destruction in Lebanon
Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Israeli army's extensive destruction of civilian property in south Lebanon, including after a ceasefire...
- The November 27 truce largely ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that culminated in two months of open war
- The rights group's Erika Guevara Rosas said in the statement that the destruction had "rendered entire areas uninhabitable and ruined countless lives".
Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief rejects disarmament ahead of government talks with visiting US officials
Hezbollah's chief on Monday doubled down on his refusal to give up the group's weapons ahead of talks between Lebanese...
- Hezbollah was the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of "resistance" against Israel, and has always rejected the decision
- The move came after the balance of power in Lebanon shifted following more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah that left the group badly weakened
Geostrategy
Israeli rights group accuses general of war crimes in West Bank
A leading Israeli rights organisation said Monday that it had requested a military investigation into a senior commander over suspected...
- The request comes days after Major General Avi Bluth, head of the Israeli military in the West Bank, appeared in a video in which he called for encirclement of Palestinian villages
- In a letter to the military advocate-general, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) urged an inquiry into Bluth, citing his comments and actions
Geostrategy
Syrian religious leader demands ‘separate’ region for Druze
A prominent Druze leader in southern Syria demanded on Monday the creation of a separate region for his minority community,...
- The week of bloodshed in Sweida province began on July 13 with clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin, but rapidly escalated
- Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, one of three prominent Syrian Druze spiritual leaders, said Monday that the violence "sought to eliminate us as a Druze sect".
Research
Electric cars are more eco-friendly even in US, study finds
Paris, France -- Electric vehicles are less harmful to the environment than their petrol-guzzling counterparts even in the United States,...
- The research concluded the CO2 generated by producing an electric vehicle was largely balanced out during the rest of its lifetime.
- On average, an electric vehicle with a range of 300 miles (480 kilometers) will cause 30 percent less emissions over its life cycle than a plug-in hybrid car.
Science
Human ancestor Lucy gets first European showing in Prague
Prague, Czech Republic --The 3.18-million-year-old bone fragments of human ancestor Lucy, which rarely leave Ethiopia, went on display in Prague...
- The ancient remains of the Australopithecus afarensis were discovered in Ethiopia in 1974.
- The find was, at the time, the most complete ever made and revolutionized the understanding of humanity's ancestors.
Geostrategy
Five journalists among 20 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital
According to the media watchdogs Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, around 200 journalists have been killed in...
- The civil defense's Bassal said an Israeli explosive drone targeted a building at the hospital, followed by an air strike as the wounded were being evacuated.
- A spokesperson for Qatar-based TV network Al Jazeera said on Monday that one of its photojournalists and cameramen, Mohammad Salama, was killed in the attack.
Economy
Egyptian farmers behind world’s perfumes face climate fight alone, yield drops by half
For years, Egyptian jasmine picker Wael al-Sayed has collected blossoms by night in the Nile Delta, supplying top global perfume...
- As temperatures rise the flowers bloom less and daily harvest has dropped from six kilograms to just two or three in the past two years
- With the Nile Delta also vulnerable to the rising Mediterranean water levels, which affect soil salinity, jasmine farmers are on the front line of a heating planet
UN investigators: Israel committing genocide in Gaza to ‘destroy the Palestinians’
This is the first time a UN-mandated investigative body has concluded the country is committing genocide and it might prompt...
Geostrategy
Company News
Oracle shares up 35%
Business
Latest News
UK’s Starmer hosts Israeli president for tense visit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with the visiting head of...
Geostrategy
Russian drones in Poland put NATO to the test
The intrusion of Russian drones into Poland -- whether deliberate, as Ukraine's European allies contend, or accidental -- is a...
Geostrategy
Martian rocks offer clues that might indicate ancient life
Washington, United States - Colorful, speckled rocks found on the surface of Mars have offered among the most encouraging evidence...
Science
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Business
Stock markets strike records despite geopolitical unrest
Gains for oil prices were relatively modest, while gas futures were unmoved after Israel's strikes Tuesday against Hamas in gas-rich...
- Wall Street had notched fresh highs Tuesday as markets digested weak US jobs data that added to expectations that the Fed will lower US interest rates at their next meeting.
- Tokyo's stock market ended at an all-time high, as did Seoul where traders were hopeful the government will not implement plans to lower the capital gains tax threshold for stocks.
Geostrategy
Israeli strikes shake quiet Qatar, strain US ties
It also cast serious doubt on Qatar-mediated Gaza ceasefire talks and undermined security reassurances to the Gulf from key ally...
- The attacks, which killed six people, occurred while Hamas officials were meeting to discuss a new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza.
- Despite hosting a major U.S. airbase, Qatar's security assurances were breached, leading Gulf nations to question the reliability of Washington's protection.
Business
Oracle shares up 35%
Huge AI contracts lead to the surge.
- About 40 minutes into trading, shares were at $337.02, up nearly 40 percent, lifting the company's market valuation to around $950 billion.
- The surge will significantly boost the wealth of Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, who could potentially surpass Elon Musk as the world's richest person.