Afghanistan, Pakistan seek to firm up truce in Istanbul talks
Afghan and Pakistani negotiators were locked in talks to hammer out a lasting ceasefire Saturday, with Islamabad warning that if...
Geostrategy
Anthropic announces massive AI chip deal with Google
San Francisco, United States - Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic said Thursday it was expanding its use of Google cloud computing...
Science
Reincarnation and realpolitik: Dalai Lama’s succession dilemma
Tibetan activists are keenly aware that his death will mark a major setback in his push for more autonomy for...
- The 88-year-old spiritual leader, Tenzin Gyatso, has shown no indication of serious health issues, and has said that his dreams suggest he could live until he is 113
- But as Tibetans mark on Sunday the 65th anniversary of the failed uprising against China, the question of who will succeed their ageing leader is in sharp focus
AI tools still permitting political disinfo creation, NGO warns
The success of ChatGPT, from Microsoft-backed OpenAI, has over the last year ushered in an age of popularity for generative...
- The non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) tested various AI models with directions to invent images
- Using programs such as Midjourney, ChatGPT, DreamStudio and Image Creator, researchers found that "AI image tools generate election disinformation
Geostrategy
US vows to hold Houthis ‘accountable’ for deadly strike
The Houthi rebels have been defiantly hitting ships in vital commercial waters in professed solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel...
- Houthi ship strikes "have not just disrupted international commerce but now tragically killed a number of them," State Department spokesman said
- Matthew Miller said that US was also encouraging other countries to make clear to the Houthis that "these attacks are irresponsible"
Geostrategy
China top diplomat terms war in Gaza a ‘disgrace for civilisation’
The foreign minister said that the catastrophe in Gaza once again reminded the world that "the fact that the Palestinian...
- Wang Yi said that no reason can justify the continuation of the conflict
- He also said China supports "full" UN membership for a Palestinian state
Geostrategy
Envoys push for Gaza truce before Ramadan begins next week
While negotiators in Cairo tried to surmount tough stumbling blocks, fighting again raged in Gaza where the UN warns famine...
- US President Joe Biden called on Hamas to accept the truce plan
- Hamas has insisted on a complete halt to the fighting in Gaza
Geostrategy
Bulk carrier hit by missile from Yemen, crew says three dead
An anti-ship ballistic missile struck the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned M/V True Confidence, after which its crew reported "three fatalities, at least...
- The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting merchant vessels transiting the vital Red Sea trade route for months and have previously hit ships in the area
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media that the True Confidence was targeted with multiple missiles "after the ship's crew rejected warning messages."
Geostrategy
Israel to start building 3,500 settler homes in occupied West Bank
The administrative step forward comes after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich last month vowed to expand settlements, in response to Palestinian...
- Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now said there were 3,426 homes advanced through a planning committee, across Maale Adumim and Kedar, east of Jerusalem, and Efrat.
- Despite opposition abroad, Israel has in recent decades build dozens of settlements across the West Bank, which are illegal under international law.
Geostrategy
18 killed in suspected IS attack on Syria truffle hunters: Monitor
Beirut, Lebanon - Gunmen thought to be linked to the Islamic State group in Syria killed 18 people searching for truffles...
- The gunmen attacked the group with machine guns, said the Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources inside Syria
- More than 50 people remained missing after the attack that saw heavy clashes with pro-government forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said
Geostrategy
US all set for Biden-Trump rematch as Haley bows out of race
Pointedly declining to endorse the man she has portrayed as chaotic and mentally incompetent, former UN ambassador Haley said Trump...
- Impeached twice, beaten by seven million votes in 2020 and facing 91 felony charges in four trials, Trump has a profile unlike any US presidential election candidate in history
- Biden is now expected to use his State of the Union speech in less than 48 hours to paint the election as a stark choice between himself and an existential threat to the country
Science
Man vaccinated for Covid 217 times shows no side effects
Paris, France - A German man who deliberately got vaccinated for Covid-19 a whopping 217 times did not report any side...
- The immune system of the 62-year-old man from the central German city of Magdeburg -- who has not been named -- is still firing on all cylinders, the researchers said
- They said the man voluntarily received so many shots against all medical advice, and warned against jumping to far-reaching conclusions from this single case
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
Afghanistan, Pakistan seek to firm up truce in Istanbul talks
Afghan and Pakistani negotiators were locked in talks to hammer out a lasting ceasefire Saturday, with Islamabad warning that if...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
How are the 2026 World Cup contenders shaping up?
Arts & Culture
Gulf Air orders 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliners for $4.6 billion
San Francisco, United States -- US aviation giant Boeing on Thursday signed a contract worth billions of dollars to sell...
Business
Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
Washington, United States - US President Donald Trump threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal Thursday over a story about...
Geostrategy
Europeans tell Iran will reimpose sanctions if no progress on nuclear deal: France
Top European diplomats told their Iranian counterpart on Thursday they were determined to reactivate UN sanctions if Tehran does not...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Erdogan accuses Israel of using Druze as pretext to expand into Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday accused Israel of using the Druze minority in Syria as a pretext for...
- "I want to state this once again, clearly and directly: Israel is a lawless, unruly, unprincipled, spoiled, pampered, and greedy terrorist state," Erdogan said
- "At this stage, the biggest problem in our region is Israel's aggression... If the monster is not stopped immediately, it will not hesitate to throw first our region," he added
Business
Global markets rise as Trump weighs future of Fed boss
US indices were near record highs two hours into the Wall Street session with all eyes on an incoming earnings...
- The rises came on the back of a better-than-expected US retail sales report and a round of mostly solid corporate earnings.
- Market observers have been carefully watching reports that US President Donald Trump, fresh from unveiling new tariff threats, could sack Powell.
Geostrategy
Baghdad and Arbil agree to resume Kurdish oil exports: government
Baghdad, Iraq -- The Iraqi government announced Thursday an agreement to resume crude exports from the autonomous Kurdistan region after...
- Lucrative oil exports have been a major point of tension between Baghdad and Arbil, with a key pipeline through Turkey shut since 2023 over legal disputes and technical issues.
- Oil exports were previously independently sold by the Kurdistan region, without the approval or oversight of the central administration in Baghdad, through the port of Ceyhan.