Israel’s security cabinet approves 19 new settlements in West Bank, a move to scuttle ‘a Palestinian state’
The decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to a statement...
Geostrategy
Zelensky says US mooted direct Ukraine-Russia talks on ending war in Miami
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Washington had proposed the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in...
Geostrategy
Economy
Algeria include son of Zinedine Zidane in AFCON squad
Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, a son of France football icon Zinedine Zidane, was named on Saturday in the Algeria squad for the...
- The 27-year-old plays for Spanish second-tier club Granada and represented France at youth level before switching his international allegiance to Algeria
- "I'm sure the players will arrive highly motivated and ready to play in this AFCON," said Algeria coach and former Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic after announcing the squad
Geostrategy
China’s smaller manufacturers look to catch the automation wave
Yancheng, China -- In a light-filled workshop in eastern China, a robotic arm moved a partially assembled autonomous vehicle as workers...
- China is already the world's largest market for industrial robots.
- The first essentially humanless factories are already in operation.
Geostrategy
Trump vows revenge after troops in Syria killed in alleged IS ambush
The deadly attack had been "an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman," who was "engaged and killed," US Central Command...
- Trump called it "an ISIS attack against the US, and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them."
- The incident is the first of its kind reported since Islamist-led forces overthrew longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December last year
Geostrategy
US envoy Witkoff to meet Zelensky, Europe leaders in Berlin at weekend
US President Donald Trump's special envoy will meet with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders in Berlin this weekend,...
- Ukrainian officials said they recently sent Washington an updated plan building on Trump's original 28-point peace proposal to end the war
- Trump's plan, publicly revealed last month, was accused of echoing Moscow's key demands, including Ukraine giving up crucial territory to Russia
Geostrategy
Erdogan pushes Putin on ‘limited ceasefire’ at ports, energy facilities in Russia-Ukraine war
Speaking on the sidelines of a summit in Turkmenistan, Erdogan told Putin that efforts to end the war were valuable,...
- Erdogan's remarks came on the heels of several attacks on Russia-linked tankers in the Black Sea, some of which were drone attacks claimed by Kyiv
- The attacks sparked harsh criticism from Ankara, which summoned envoys from both Russia and Ukraine, warning the strikes amounted to a "worrying escalation."
Geostrategy
Israel says Hamas ‘will be disarmed’ after group proposes weapons freeze
Israel said Thursday that Hamas "will be disarmed" as part of the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, after a top...
- Top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera that the militant group is open to a weapons "freeze", but rejects the demand for total disarmament
- Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister's office, said "Israel will continue to follow the 20-point plan. There will be no Hamas inside of the Gaza Strip."
Economy
US launches pact for AI supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies to face China
The United States signed an agreement on the supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies concerned about China's growing clout --...
- Dubbed the "Pax Silica," adapting the Latin terms for peace and silicon, a key material in AI, the partnership aims to secure supply chains
- China has quickly taken a dominant position in the race for resources in the fast-growing area of artificial intelligence, mining around 70 percent of key rare earths
Business
Trump demands CNN get new owners in Warner bidding war
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants to ensure CNN gets new ownership as part of the Warner...
- Warner Bros Discovery has become the center of a bidding war between Paramount — led by CEO David Ellison, son of Trump ally Larry Ellison — and streaming giant Netflix
- "I think any deal should — it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately," Trump told business leaders Wednesday at the White House
Geostrategy
Hamas proposes weapons ‘freeze’ in return for long-term truce: leader to Al Jazeera
A top Hamas leader told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the militant group is open to a...
- "This is the idea we're discussing with the mediators, and I believe that with pragmatic American thinking... such a vision could be agreed," top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said
- As for the international peacekeeping force, Meshaal said the group was open to its deployment along Gaza's border with Israel, but was against its operation inside Gaza
Business
Trump says US will allow sale of Nvidia AI chips to China
Washington, United States - President Donald Trump said Monday he had reached an agreement with President Xi Jinping to allow...
- "President Xi responded positively! $25% will be paid to the United States of America," Trump wrote, without providing details on how the payment mechanism would work
- "We applaud President Trump's decision to allow America's chip industry to compete to support high paying jobs and manufacturing in America," an Nvidia spokesperson told AFP
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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
Israel’s security cabinet approves 19 new settlements in West Bank, a move to scuttle ‘a Palestinian state’
The decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to a statement...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Biden demands assault-weapons ban after 8 killed in Texas mall rampage
Responders, distressed witnesses and police described scenes of panic and horror in Allen, where video footage shared online showed the...
Egypt ex-graft chief freed from prison, charged again: activist
A military court had found Geneina guilty in 2018 of "spreading information to harm the military", after he had said...
UN admits aid failure for Syria as quake toll hits 33,000
Supplies have been slow to arrive in Syria, where years of conflict have ravaged the healthcare system, and parts of...
At least 20 escape Syria prison holding IS inmates after quake
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it could not verify whether prisoners had escaped, but confirmed...
Musk kicks Kanye West off Twitter for ‘incitement to violence’
West has made a series of anti-Semitic comments recently, as the one-time titan of fashion and music appears to have...
Trump imposes full travel bans on seven more countries, Palestinians
Other countries newly subjected to the full travel ban came from some of Africa's poorest countries -- Burkina Faso, Mali,...
Geostrategy
Global coal demand expected to hit record in 2025: IEA
In its annual report on the coal industry, the International Energy Agency said demand was on course to rise by...
Geostrategy
Ancient cures and AI: WHO seeks evidence for traditional medicine
New Delhi, India -- The World Health Organization opens a major conference on traditional medicine on Wednesday, arguing that new...
Science
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Business
Netflix boss promises Warner Bros films would still be seen in cinemas
Netflix will continue to distribute Warner Bros. films in cinemas if its takeover bid for the storied studio is successful,...
- "We're going to continue to operate Warner Bros. studios independently and release the movies traditionally in cinema," chief executive Ted Sarandos said
- In early December, Netflix announced that it had reached an agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) to acquire most of the group for $83 billion
Economy
US unemployment rises further, hovering at highest since 2021
A deteriorating jobs market could nudge the central bank to lower rates further to boost the economy, despite some policymakers'...
- The report underscoring a labor market cooldown in the world's biggest economy said the economy lost 105,000 jobs in October.
- Hiring picked up again in November to 64,000, but this was still a slower pace than before.
Geostrategy
First European Union airline flight in 35 years lands in Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq's transport ministry said Tuesday that a flight operated by Greece's Aegean Airlines had been the first...
- European airlines have not operated direct flights to Baghdad International Airport for security reasons since the early 1990s, when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
- But, after decades of turmoil, Iraq has recently begun to regain a sense of stability and the government is striving to attract foreign investment to bolster the country's economy.