US pitches glitzy New Gaza rebuild at Davos, drawing outrage amid ongoing humanitarian crisis
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said the so-called National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) had enlisted help from Israeli...
Geostrategy
European leaders vow ‘unflinching’ response to Trump’s plans to annex Greenland
The US president, who will address the annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday, has put the transatlantic alliance to...
Geostrategy
Business
Insurance giant Allianz signals job cuts in AI shift
Frankfurt, Germany -- German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with...
- Allianz Partners, the company's subsidiary dealing principally with travel insurance, said it was "leveraging AI" to strengthen its position and improve its services.
- Such changes could, however, "impact positions which are heavily reliant on manual processes today," it said in a statement.
Geostrategy
Robots take centre stage at Singapore ‘Olympiad’
Singapore -- The World Robot Olympiad opened in Singapore on Wednesday with hundreds of international students, some as young as...
- Organizers said 594 teams, comprising 1,571 participants from 91 countries, have registered for competitions to be held on Thursday and Friday on the theme "The Future of Robots".
- The theme "explores the way robotics can help solve global challenges and improve our lives", according to a fact sheet issued by the organizers.
Economy
How China leveraged its rare earths dominance over the US in tariff war
China's stranglehold on the rare earths industry -- from natural reserves and mining through processing and innovation -- is the...
- Rare earths are crucial for the defence sector -- used in fighter jets, missile guidance systems and radar technology -- while also having a range of uses in everyday products
- At a high-stakes meeting in South Korea late last month, Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a one-year truce in tariff war between the world's top two economies
Geostrategy
Trump sends Witkoff to Moscow in hopes of finalizing Ukraine deal
An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia's favor has been replaced by one taking in more of...
- Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that there were "only a few remaining points of disagreement" -- but European leaders were skeptical
- He also expressed hope to meet "soon" with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, "but ONLY when the deal to end this War is FINAL or, in its final stages."
Geostrategy
China’s Xi pushes Taiwan issue in call with Trump
Chinese leader Xi Jinping pressed the ever-sensitive issue of Taiwan in a phone call Monday with US President Donald Trump,...
- China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and Xi told Trump that its return was an "integral part of the post-war international order."
- Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai hit back at Xi's comments, telling reporters on Tuesday that Taiwan "is a fully sovereign state."
Arts & Culture
Fake AI videos have a new generation loving 1980s life
New York, United States - "The 1980s are calling," a teenager with a throwback hairstyle tells viewers as "Everybody Wants...
- The fake montage -- entirely generated using artificial intelligence -- has racked up more than 600,000 "likes" on Instagram and is part of an internet fad known as "AI nostalgia."
- The soft-focused fantasy land comes thanks to generative AI tools like OpenAI's Sora, Google's Veo or Luma AI's Ray that enable creation of strikingly realistic videos
Geostrategy
Hezbollah mourns top commander killed in Israel strike, Iran Guards urge revenge
Haytham Ali Tabatabai is the most senior commander from the Iran-backed group to be killed by Israel since a November...
- Haytham Ali Tabatabai is the most senior commander from the Iran-backed group to be killed by Israel since a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities
- Sunday's raid came with Israel escalating its attacks on Lebanon and Washington increasing pressure on the government to disarm the group and cut off its sources of funding
Geostrategy
Tabatabai: Hezbollah military chief who led the group in Yemen, Syria
Beirut, Lebanon - Haytham Ali Tabatabai, Hezbollah's top military chief whom Israel killed on Sunday, had taken the role after...
- He is the most important Hezbollah figure to have been killed since a November 2024 ceasefire sought to end over a year of hostilities between the militant group and Israel
- The strike hit an apartment building in Beirut's densely populated southern suburbs, where the group holds sway, killing five people, according to Lebanon's health ministry
Geostrategy
Trump peace plan: Washington, Kyiv say a peace deal must ‘fully uphold’ Ukraine sovereignty
US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his plan to end the nearly four-year conflict,...
- US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which began after Russia launched a full-scale invasion
- Kyiv was seeking changes to the draft that accepted a range of Russia's hardline demands, with the 28-point plan requiring the invaded country to cede territory, and cut its army
Geostrategy
G20 grapples with splintering world order
"Too many countries are retreating into geopolitical blocs or the battlegrounds of protectionism," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters....
- He and the other leaders at the summit -- which was boycotted by the United States -- held a searching discussion on how the G20 can survive in a fragmenting world.
- The United States is to host next year's G20 summit, with Trump planning to hold it at a Florida golf club he owns.
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US pitches glitzy New Gaza rebuild at Davos, drawing outrage amid ongoing humanitarian crisis
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said the so-called National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) had enlisted help from Israeli...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
At least 80 Yemeni separatists killed in fighting, strikes since Friday
At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, a military official from...
Geostrategy
Maduro now in New York jail as Trump says US to ‘run’ Venezuela
The US president's announcement followed a lightning pre-dawn attack in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes...
Geostrategy
Bondi shooting responders honoured at Sydney Ashes Test
Sydney, Australia -- England and Australia's cricket teams honoured at the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney on Sunday emergency service...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Norway closes in on objective of 100 percent electric car sales
Oslo, Norway -- Norway came close to its objective of selling only zero-emission cars in 2025, with electric vehicles accounting...
- Although Norway is Western Europe's largest exporter of petroleum products, it has led the shift to electric vehicles.
- A record 179,549 personal vehicles were registered in 2025, beating the previous high set in 2021, the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) said on Friday.
Geostrategy
Seven killed as Saudi coalition strikes UAE-backed forces in Yemen
Following the strikes, a military spokesman for the STC said it was in a "decisive and existential" war with Saudi-backed...
- Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen's government-run territories, but the STC's offensive has angered Riyadh and left them at loggerheads.
- The air raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to "peacefully" take control of military sites in Hadramawt.
Geostrategy
Somaliland denies it will host Palestinians, Israeli base
The breakaway region of Somaliland on Thursday denied allegations by the Somali president that it would take resettled Palestinians or...
- Israel last week became the first country to recognise Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state", triggering protests across Somalia
- Somaliland unilaterally declared independence in 1991 and has enjoyed far more peace than the rest of conflict-hit Somalia, establishing its own elections, currency and army