US imposes sanctions to curb Iran oil despite talks
The United States said Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on seven companies involved in selling Iranian oil, tightening pressure despite...
Geostrategy
Syria FM says wants to ‘strengthen relations’ with China
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed on Monday his government's willingness to build a "strategic partnership" with China, a key...
Geostrategy
Economy
China says opposes new US tariffs, vows ‘countermeasures’
China on Thursday said it "firmly opposes" sweeping new US tariffs on its exports and vowed "countermeasures to safeguard its...
- US President Donald Trump has ignited a potentially ruinous global trade war after imposing 10 percent levies on imports from around the world
- Beijing responded to those tariffs with levies of up to 15 percent on a range of US agricultural goods including soybeans, pork and chicken
Geostrategy
US university calls for release of detained Turkish student
New York, United States - Tufts University on Wednesday publicly backed its student Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish national detained by...
- Video of Ozturk's arrest by masked agents on a sidewalk has sparked outrage online
- This has added to concerns about freedom of speech and respect for due process under Trump
Geostrategy
Israel’s Netanyahu arrives in Hungary, defying ICC warrant
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest early Thursday on his first trip to Europe since 2023 and in...
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban extended an invitation to Netanyahu last November, a day after the ICC issued the arrest warrant over alleged war crimes in Gaza
- Orban vowed the EU member would not execute the warrant, despite being an ICC member, saying the court's decision "intervenes in an ongoing conflict... for political purposes".
Geostrategy
Military confrontation ‘almost inevitable’ if Iran nuclear talks fail, says French foreign minister
Western countries including the United States have long accused Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has denied, insisting...
- "Our confidence and our conviction remain intact," Barrot said. "Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons."
- "Our priority is to reach an agreement that verifiably and durably constrains the Iranian nuclear program," he added.
Science
World’s tiniest pacemaker is smaller than grain of rice
Paris, France -- Scientists said Wednesday they have developed the world's tiniest pacemaker, a temporary heartbeat regulator smaller than a...
- While still years away from being tested in humans, the wireless pacemaker was hailed as a "transformative breakthrough" that could spur advances in other areas of medicine.
- Millions of people across the world have permanent pacemakers, which stimulate hearts with electrical pulses to ensure they beat normally.
Geostrategy
Israel says expanding Gaza offensive to seize ‘large areas’
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel would bolster its military presence in the Palestinian territory to "destroy and clear the...
- An Israeli group representing the families of hostages still held in Gaza said they were "horrified" by Katz's announcement of expanded military operations.
- Meanwhile, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Wednesday, drawing condemnations.
Business
Tesla Q1 sales sink 13 percent
The dip occurred amid lower production during factory upgrades.
- Musk's electric vehicle company delivered 336,681 autos in the quarter ending March 31, missing analyst expectations.
- Tesla shares fell more than six percent in early trading after the deliveries fell by more than expected from the year-ago stretch. Shares later partially rebounded.
Geostrategy
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
Washington, United States - A Democratic US lawmaker shattered a record for the longest speech in Senate history Tuesday, staying...
- Senator Cory Booker's display of endurance recalled the famous scene in Frank Capra's 1939 film classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
- The longest Senate speech on record before Tuesday was delivered by South Carolina's Strom Thurmond, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against Civil Rights Act of 1957
Business
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in Q1
The company suffered from boycotts against the policies of Elon Musk.
- Sales of Tesla's electric cars in France fell 36.8 percent in March from a year ago amid a slight drop in the overall electric car market
- In Sweden, Tesla sales declined 63.9 percent in March and 55.2 percent in the first three months of the year, according to Mobility Sweden
Geostrategy
Turkish opposition calls for boycott over jailed students
The leader of Turkey's main opposition party has called for a boycott on Wednesday to protest the detention of students...
- 301 students have been arrested for taking part in the protests against the detention on March 19 of Imamoglu, Erdogan's greatest political rival
- Imamoglu's arrest on corruption charges, which he denies, have set off a wave of popular protests unseen in Turkey for more than a decade
US imposes sanctions to curb Iran oil despite talks
The United States said Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on seven companies involved in selling Iranian oil, tightening pressure despite...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
India and Pakistan rivalry boils after Kashmir attack
India took a raft of punitive diplomatic measures against arch-rival Pakistan on Wednesday, accusing Islamabad of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after...
Boeing says China not accepting planes over US tariffs
New York, United States -- Boeing's CEO confirmed Wednesday that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the US-China...
Business
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Geostrategy
Germany, France, UK say Israel’s Gaza aid blockade ‘must end’
Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute...
- After 18 months of devastating war and an Israeli blockade on aid since March 2, the UN has warned of a dire humanitarian situation for the 2.4 million inhabitants
- The heads of 12 major aid organisations warned last Thursday that "famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts" of the coastal territory
Geostrategy
Trump to visit Saudi, Qatar, UAE in May amid tensions over Iran, trade, and security
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat held talks in Washington earlier this month to lay the groundwork for a visit by Trump...
- It will be his second foreign trip since returning to office, following his planned attendance at the Vatican for Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday
- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, promised in January to pile $600 billion into US trade and investments
Arts & Culture
Trump, Zelensky to attend Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday
Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to...
- The Argentine pontiff, 88, died on Monday after a stroke, less than a month after returning home from five weeks in hospital battling double pneumonia
- Francis died in the Casa Santa Marta, the Vatican residence where he lived during his 12-year papacy, and his body was laid out in its chapel on Monday evening