Washington hails ‘substantive progress’ after trade talks with China
Washington expressed optimism at the end of a weekend of trade talks with China aimed to de-escalate trade tensions sparked...
Economy
4th round of Iran, US talks amid enrichment concerns
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ahead of Sunday's meeting that "the negotiations are progressing and, naturally, the further we...
Geostrategy
Business
Vanke reports annual loss of $6.8 bn
The property giant attributes loss to falling sales and shrinking profit.
- Beijing has in recent years grappled with a prolonged crisis in the country's vast real estate sector, once a key pillar of the economy but now beset with sprawling debt.
- Hong Kong-listed Vanke is part-owned by the government of Shenzhen and was China's fourth-largest real estate firm by sales last year, according to research firm CRIC.
Geostrategy
Trump says ‘there will be bombing’ if Iran fails to make ‘peace deal’
Trump's language represented a sharpening of his comment a few days earlier that if Tehran refused to negotiate a new...
- It was not clear whether Trump was threatening bombing by US planes alone or perhaps in an operation coordinated with Israel
- Trump in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program
Geostrategy
Trump says ‘very angry, pissed off’ with Putin over Ukraine
"If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think...
- NBC's Kristen Welker said Trump had called her to express his fury over Putin questioning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's future as a leader
- Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian plan for a 30-day ceasefire, and on Friday suggested Zelensky be removed from office as part of the peace process
Geostrategy
Netanyahu offers Hamas leaders Gaza exit but demands group disarm amid strikes on the Palestinian territory
A senior Hamas official stated on Saturday that the group had approved a new ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators...
- Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli air strike on a house and tent sheltering displaced Palestinians killed at least eight people, including five children
- The strike in Khan Yunis came in the morning on the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan
Geostrategy
Turkey opposition pushes for early polls as Swedish reporter jailed
Istanbul, Turkey -- The Turkish opposition on Sunday worked to keep up the momentum of the protest movement triggered by...
- With Turkey entering several days of public holiday marking the end of the Ramadan, the opposition has vowed to keep up the protest movement while switching to focused events.
- Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Thursday 1,879 people had been detained in connection with the protests since March 19, with 260 of them remanded in custody pending trial.
Geostrategy
‘Day of funerals,’ Gazans mark grim Eid under Israeli strikes
At dawn, many Gazans gathered across different parts of the territory to offer traditional morning Eid prayers, an AFP correspondent...
- Many prayed beside makeshift tents sheltering tens of thousands of displaced Gazans, living in dire humanitarian conditions.
- At the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, several residents visited the graves of loved ones killed in the war.
Geostrategy
First orbital rocket launched from Europe crashes seconds after blast-off
Oslo, Norway -- The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off Sunday, in a closely watched...
- Isar Aerospace, which had said it did not expect to reach orbit with the launch, said the two-stage rocket fell into the sea, adding that "the launch pad seems to be intact".
- The 28-metre (92-foot) tall, two-meter diameter rocket has a one-ton carrying capacity, but was unloaded for the test flight.
Economy
Morocco ‘water highway’ averts crisis in big cities but doubts over sustainability
Morocco is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on tapping northern rivers to supply water to parched cities farther south...
- Morocco has spent $728 million so far on what it dubs a "water highway" to redirect the surplus flow of the Sebou River to meet the drinking water needs of capital Rabat
- Officials say the project has been a success in heading off the immediate threat to the water supply of the country's most populous region
Business
‘Something is rotten’: Apple’s AI strategy faces doubts
New York, United States - Has Apple, the biggest company in the world, bungled its generative artificial intelligence strategy? Doubts...
- Doubts arose when tech analyst John Gruber criticized Apple in a blog titled "Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino."
- The analyst admitted frustration for not questioning Apple's Siri genAI upgrade announced last June
Geostrategy
Hamas says agrees to new Gaza truce proposal received from mediators but warns its weapons a ‘red line’
The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if...
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed it had also received a proposal from the mediators and had submitted a counter-proposal in response
- The fragile truce that had brought weeks of relative calm to the Gaza Strip ended on March 18 when Israel resumed its bombing campaign across the territory
Washington hails ‘substantive progress’ after trade talks with China
Washington expressed optimism at the end of a weekend of trade talks with China aimed to de-escalate trade tensions sparked...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Global stocks mostly rise as Trump grants auto tariff relief
Stocks moved sideways on Monday after notching four straight positive sessions last week as Trump adopted a more conciliatory posture...
Economy
Tunics & turbans: Afghan students don Taliban-imposed uniforms
Kabul, Afghanistan - Since the start of the school year in March, Afghan boys have been required to wear new...
Arts & Culture
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
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Business
Emirates expects first 777X delivery in H2 2026
Boeing had pushed back the first delivery to 2026 from 2025.
- In 2024, group's chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum urged Boeing to "fix" its problems, warning the embattled aircraft-maker he was unhappy with delays to the 777X.
- Boeing had been mired in problems including safety concerns after two 737 MAX crashes within five months and another scare involving the aircraft over Alaska in Jan 2024.
Geostrategy
UN rights chief demands world act to stop Israel’s Gaza ‘catastrophe’
"As the complete blockade of assistance essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be concerted international efforts to...
- It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.
- Supplies are dwindling and the UN's World Food Programme last Friday said it had sent out its "last remaining food stocks".
Business
Meta releases standalone AI app, competing with ChatGPT
San Francisco, United States -- Social media behemoth Meta unveiled its first standalone AI assistant app on Tuesday as it...
- Zuckerberg said the app "is designed to be your personal AI" and would be primarily accessed through voice conversations with the interactions personalized to the individual user.
- The release comes as OpenAI stands as a leader of straight-to-user AI through its ChatGPT assistant that is regularly updated with new capabilities.