Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure
Tunis, Tunisia - Prominent Tunisian opposition figures including Rached Ghannouchi said Friday they would go on hunger strike in solidarity...
Geostrategy
Kazakhstan to join Abraham Accords as Trump pushes Mideast peace
Washington, United States - Kazakhstan said Thursday it will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and mainly Muslim nations, in...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Gaza hospital chief says tortured in Israel detention
Israel's military has accused Hamas of using hospitals in the Gaza Strip as a cover for military operations. It has...
- Al-Shifa hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya was among dozens of Palestinians released and returned to Gaza for treatment
- Abu Salmiya said he and other prisoners were put through "severe torture" in Israeli prisons
Business
Boeing offered 737 MAX plea deal, lawyer of crash victims’ families says
Washington, United States - The US Justice Department is offering Boeing a plea deal that will allow it to avoid a...
- In May, the DOJ concluded that Boeing could be prosecuted for violating a previous DPA reached following the two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019
- Under that three-year deal, Boeing agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle fraud charges related to the certification of the 737 MAX
Geostrategy
Fighting rages in Gaza City’s Shujaiya for fourth day
A Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, confirmed that the Islamist movement had received the latest proposal but said it...
- Months of on-and-off talks towards a Gaza truce and hostage release deal have meanwhile made little progress
- Hamas said Saturday that there was "nothing new" in a revised plan presented by US mediators
Geostrategy
Short fuses in Egypt as blackouts stretch into sweltering summer
Cairo, Egypt -- At least once a day, the hum of every fan, air conditioner and fridge across Egypt goes quiet....
- A decade ago, Egypt faced similar power cuts, which helped fuel popular discontent and protests against the short-lived presidency of late Mohamed Morsi.
- The present-day blackouts come as Egyptians face the worst economic crisis of their lives, with inflation and currency devaluations shredding savings and leaving families strugglin
Geostrategy
Israel carrier says Turkish workers refused to refuel plane
Jerusalem, Undefined -- Israel's national carrier El Al said Sunday its Warsaw to Tel Aviv flight was not allowed to refuel...
- The plane then took off to Rhodes in Greece where "it will refuel before taking off to Israel", the airline said.
- Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, with all direct flights between the two countries cancelled since.
Economy
China factory activity contracts for second straight month
Beijing, China - Factory activity in China shrank for a second straight month in June, data showed Sunday, underscoring the country's...
- The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) registered at 49.5 in June, identical to May's figure, according to the National Bureau of Statistics
- Policymakers are due to convene in the capital Beijing in mid-July for a highly anticipated political gathering expected to focus on economic recovery
Geostrategy
Hamas official says ‘nothing new’ in US Gaza proposals
Hamas insists on a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. Hamdan said the...
- A plan presented last month by President Biden, which he said was proposed by Israel, included a six-week truce accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he will continue the war until Hamas is totally defeated and all hostages are freed
Geostrategy
Fighting for third day in north Gaza as thousands displaced
Palestinian Territories -- Explosions, air strikes and gunfire rattled northern Gaza on Saturday, the third day of an Israeli military...
- An AFP correspondent reported ongoing explosions from the Shujaiya area near Gaza City, with a resident saying bodies were visible on the streets.
- The United Nations humanitarian agency OCHA estimated that "about 60,000 to 80,000 people were displaced" from the area this week.
Geostrategy
European Union chief in Egypt for joint investment conference
"At this conference, European companies are signing over 20 new deals ... which are worth over 40 billion euros," Ursula...
- The strategic partnership deal provides the financial support in exchange for boosting energy sales to Europe and stemming migration.
- Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, is in dire need of financial help as it weathers a severe economic crisis marked by rapid inflation.
Reformist hopes for breakthrough as Iran goes to polls
Tehran, Iran - Iranians voted in a presidential election on Friday marked by a lone reformist's bid to break through against...
- The ballot in 58,000 polling stations comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions over the Gaza war and discontent over the state of Iran's sanctions-hit economy
- If no candidate wins 50 percent of the vote, a second round will be held on July 5, for only the second time in Iranian electoral history after the 2005 vote went to a runoff
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure
Tunis, Tunisia - Prominent Tunisian opposition figures including Rached Ghannouchi said Friday they would go on hunger strike in solidarity...
Geostrategy
Company News
Egypt grand museum delay puts tourism hopes on hold
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit, to pursue full peace accord
Prior to the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump...
Geostrategy
Made-for-TV pageantry as Trump brings Putin in from cold
Anchorage, United States - Stepping foot on Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine,...
Geostrategy
Trump, Putin meeting ends in areas of agreement, a renewed friendship but without Ukraine deal
"There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said after emerging from a meeting with Putin. offering warm words but...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Business
Larry Fink, André Hoffmann take interim helm at WEF, pledge renewed push for global cooperation
The World Economic Forum has named BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Swiss entrepreneur André Hoffmann as interim co-chairs, with both...
- “We are honored to take on this leadership role on an interim basis at a pivotal time for the World Economic Forum,” Fink and Hoffmann said in a joint statement
- The two leaders stressed that the WEF is uniquely positioned to bridge divides a time when the world more fragmented and complex than ever
Geostrategy
World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground....
- The stalemate was a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight.
- Countries voiced anger and despair as the talks unraveled, but said they wanted future negotiations -- despite six rounds of talks over three years ending in a failure.
Geostrategy
‘Like hell’: Indoor heat overwhelms Saudi Arabia’s cooks, bakers
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Baker Eid Ahmed just can't get away from Saudi Arabia's notorious heat: he makes bread next...
- In arid Saudi Arabia, summer temperatures regularly reach 50C, leaving streets empty for much of the day.
- To protect laborers, the kingdom bans work under direct sunlight and outside during the hours of most intense heat from mid-June until mid-September.