Negotiations under way on Hamas fighters trapped in Gaza tunnels: sources close to talks
An Israeli government spokesperson told AFP earlier this month that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is not allowing safe passage for...
Geostrategy
Israel returns 15 bodies to Gaza after hostage remains identified
It came after Israel announced that a body handed over by Hamas on Tuesday was that of Dror Or, one...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Lavrov, Rubio pledge to restore dialogue and work on settling Ukraine conflict, says Moscow
The call came ahead of an expected summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin amid mounting concern from Ukraine and...
- The call came days after the US president's call to Putin ended almost three years of no contact between Moscow and Washington during the Ukraine conflict
- According to Moscow, Lavrov and Rubio pledged to "maintain a channel of communication to resolve the accumulated problems in US-Russian relations".
Business
OpenAI board rejects Elon Musk-led $97.4 billion buyout offer
San Francisco, United States -- OpenAI's board chairman on Friday said it has unanimously rejected an Elon Musk-led offer to buy...
- Musk filed court documents saying he will withdraw the offer to buy OpenAI if its board returns the artificial intelligence pioneer to a non-profit "charity" model.
- OpenAI currently operates a hybrid structure, as a non-profit with a money-making subsidiary.
Geostrategy
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...
- The hostages due for release Saturday are Israeli-American Sagui Dekel-Chen, Israeli-Russian Sasha Trupanov and Israeli-Argentinian Yair Horn
- The January 19 ceasefire has been under massive strain since US President Donald Trump proposed a takeover of the territory
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia to host Arab summit on Trump’s Gaza plan, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE to attend
Trump sparked a global outcry with his proposal for the United States to "take over" the Gaza Strip and to...
- Arab countries have come together in a rare united front, outraged by the idea of displacing the Palestinians en masse
- For Palestinians, any forced displacement evokes memories of the mass displacement of their ancestors during Israel's creation in 1948
Geostrategy
Hezbollah supporters protest banning Iranian planes from landing in Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah supporters blocked the Beirut airport road and burned tyres on Thursday to protest a decision barring two...
- Some of the young men raised Hezbollah's yellow flag and held pictures of Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli strike in September
- Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using Lebanon's only airport to transfer weapons from Iran
Geostrategy
Trump eyes summit with Xi-Putin, shaking up world order, Macron warns against ‘capitulation’
US president's remarks on Russia and China mark a seismic shift after more than a decade of US policy which...
- With Kyiv and European capitals still stunned by Trump's surprise call with Putin, the US president also said he would "love" to have Russia back in the G7
- Trump - who has cast himself in his second term as a global peacemaker - also said he would consider a summit with Putin and China's Xi Jinping "when things calm down."
Business
Stocks mostly rise, oil falls as Trump fans Ukraine peace hopes
London, United Kingdom -- Major stock markets mostly rallied and oil prices retreated Thursday on hopes for an end to the...
- London was a rare faller owing to sharp losses to share prices of big companies, including Unilever, Barclays and British American Tobacco.
- With Russia being a major producer of oil, crude futures fell heavily on easing supply concerns, while the dollar lost some of its safe-haven support.
Arts & Culture
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 Biennale features as its centrepiece segments of the "kiswa", the black cloth embroidered with gold and silver that covers the Kaaba
- Under his "Vision 2030", Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sought to transform the kingdom's image
Geostrategy
Israel says could fulfil Trump’s Gaza displacement plan if hostages not freed, Hamas says truce deal ‘fragile’
Hamas has said it would postpone the release citing Israeli violations, and hours later, Trump warned that "hell" would break...
- The remarks by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz came shortly after Palestinian group Hamas said it would not bow down to US and Israeli threats
- The truce has largely halted more than 15 months of fighting and seen Israeli captives released in small groups in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody
Business
UAE to launch DeepSeek-inspired AI models: Faisal Al Bannai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The United Arab Emirates is planning to launch new artificial intelligence models inspired by China's DeepSeek,...
- The UAE is betting big on the transformational technology as part of its push to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels.
- The UAE launched Falcon in 2023, a large language model that compared favorably with industry leaders including OpenAI's ChatGPT.
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Negotiations under way on Hamas fighters trapped in Gaza tunnels: sources close to talks
An Israeli government spokesperson told AFP earlier this month that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is not allowing safe passage for...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
US Fed poised for first rate cut of 2025 as political tension mounts
The Fed's likely move would follow a monthslong push from President Donald Trump to slash rates, and comes amid growing...
Economy
Lab-grown diamonds robbing southern Africa of riches
Johannesburg, South Africa -- Botswana and southern African peers that built much of their prosperity on diamonds are scrambling for...
Business
Arab, Muslim leaders to meet in Qatar to denounce Israeli attack
Qatar said Saturday it will host a summit of Arab and Muslim leaders to denounce Israel's attack on Hamas officials...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Israel army says 250,000 left Gaza City for their “safety” since stepping up operations
The United Nations estimated in late August that about one million Palestinians lived in and around Gaza's largest urban centre,...
- The United Nations estimated in late August that about one million Palestinians lived in and around Gaza's largest urban centre
- The world body and members of the international community have urged the military to abandon its plans to capture the city
Geostrategy
Suspect in Charlie Kirk killing caught, widow vows to carry on fight
The widow of prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk pledged Friday to carry on her husband's work, after US authorities announced...
- Investigators had appeared to be making slow progress in the hunt for whoever gunned down Donald Trump's close ally, until they released security camera images of a young man
- The 31-year-old Kirk was hit by a single bullet while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University in the town of Orem on Wednesday
Geostrategy
Russia says Ukraine peace talks with Kyiv on pause as NATO bolsters defences
Russia said Friday that peace talks with Kyiv were on "pause" as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his Russian counterpart...
- Despite Trump forcing the warring sides to hold direct talks and hosting Putin in Alaska, there has been no significant progress towards ending the war
- Russia's army has gained territory and Putin has vowed to carry on fighting if his peace demands -- including Ukraine ceding yet more land -- are not met