Israel president meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Thursday met with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, whom media reports say is...
Geostrategy
US energy secretary says will control Venezuelan oil sales ‘indefinitely’
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that Washington will control sales of Venezuelan oil "indefinitely," a day after President...
Geostrategy
Investigation
Drones dive into aviation’s deepest enigma as MH370 hunt restarts
Washington, United States - Nearly 12 years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished with 239 people on board, the search...
- Armed with cutting-edge deep-sea robots, US investigators are scouring the seabed for clues that have eluded governments
- The Malaysian government has given the green light for a fresh attempt led by Texas-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity
Geostrategy
Israel’s Mossad tells Iranian protesters ‘we are with you’
Israel's Mossad spy agency issued a direct call urging Iranians to press on with protests, saying it was supporting them...
- Protests that began on Sunday with Tehran shopkeepers rallying against Iran's worsening economy have spread to other cities
- The Iranian rial has dropped against the US dollar and other world currencies, forcing up import prices and hurting retail traders
Business
SoftBank lifts OpenAI stake to 11% with $41bln investment
Tokyo, Japan -- Japanese tech investor SoftBank said Wednesday that its stake in OpenAI is now around 11 percent after...
- Having made colossal profits as well as losses on previous investments, flamboyant founder Masayoshi Son has pivoted SoftBank towards artificial intelligence (AI).
- SoftBank had announced in April its planned investment of up to $40 billion in Open AI, and on Wednesday it said that the second tranche of $22.5 billion was completed.
Business
TSMC says started mass production of ‘most advanced’ 2nm chips
Taipei, Taiwan -- Taiwanese tech titan TSMC has started mass producing its cutting-edge 2-nanometre semiconductor chips, the company said in...
- TSMC is the world's largest contract maker of chips, used in everything from smartphones to missiles, and counts Nvidia and Apple among its clients.
- The chips will be the "most advanced technology in the semiconductor industry in terms of both density and energy efficiency", the company said.
Geostrategy
Israel to ban 37 organizations operating in Gaza, aid flow under threat
Apart from MSF, some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are the Norwegian Refugee Council, World...
- In a territory with 2.2 million inhabitants, "1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support," the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark and several other nations said.
- On Wednesday, the United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's decision as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.
Economy
Syria reveals new post-Assad banknotes
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa unveiled on Monday new banknotes replacing those showing ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and his family, hoping...
- Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, the pound has plunged from 50 to around 11,000 against the greenback
- The removal of the zeros, which does not impact the currency's value, was done to make transactions easier
Geostrategy
“Hell to pay”: Trump warns Hamas after Netanyahu talks, threatens Iran with fresh strikes
US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have "hell to pay" if it fails...
- Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu, Trump threatened to "eradicate" any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program
- Trump also downplayed reports of tensions with Netanyahu over the Gaza ceasefire, saying Israel had "lived up" to its commitments
Business
Meta buys China-founded AI agent Manus
Singapore, Singapore -- Facebook owner Meta has agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded...
- However, analysts warned the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
- Exceeding the capabilities of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, AI agents can autonomously perform complex tasks for users, and are seen as having huge potential.
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia condemns ‘dangerous’ UAE moves in Yemen after striking shipment
Riyadh also backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for Emirati forces to withdraw from the country within 24 hours,...
- In recent weeks, separatists backed by the UAE seeking to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen have made sweeping territorial gains in a lightning offensive.
- The UAE said "the shipment in question did not contain any weapons, and the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party."
Geostrategy
Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for talks on Gaza peace plan, Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, with the US president pushing to move...
- Netanyahu is also expected to try to shift some focus onto Iran, amid reports he will call for more US strikes on the Islamic republic
- He will bring up the "danger Iran poses not only to the region of the Middle East, but the United States as well," Israeli spokeswoman said
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Israel president meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Israel's President Isaac Herzog on Thursday met with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, whom media reports say is...
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...
‘Tuna King’ pays record $3.2 mn for bluefin at Tokyo auction
Tokyo, Japan -- A Japanese sushi entrepreneur paid a record $3.2 million for a giant bluefin tuna Monday at an...
Business
US to work with current Venezuela leaders if they make ‘right decision:’ Rubio
The United States is ready to work with Venezuela's remaining leaders if they make "the right decision," Secretary of State...
Geostrategy
The US and Venezuela’s vast oil reserves: key questions amid sanctions, geopolitics and energy
After a US military operation that seized Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said he wants to allow American oil companies...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Maduro now in New York jail as Trump says US to ‘run’ Venezuela
The US president's announcement followed a lightning pre-dawn attack in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes...
- Trump said he was "designating people" from his cabinet to be in charge in Venezuela, but gave no further details.
- In another surprise, Trump indicated US troops could be deployed, saying Washington is "not afraid of boots on the ground."
Geostrategy
Bondi shooting responders honoured at Sydney Ashes Test
Sydney, Australia -- England and Australia's cricket teams honoured at the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney on Sunday emergency service...
- The on-field guard of honour ahead of the clash was accompanied by loud applause from the sold-out crowd.
- The biggest cheer came when hero Ahmed al Ahmed, who ran towards one of the attackers and wrestled the gun from him, walked out.
Geostrategy
Yemen separatists announce two-year transition towards independence in south
Yemen's UAE-backed separatists on Friday announced the start of a two-year transitional period towards declaring an independent state after their...
- The Southern Transitional Council (STC), whose forces came under fire from deadly Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Friday, said the process would include dialogue and a referendum
- SCT forces seized large swathes of Yemen's south, run by a fractious government with competing agendas, in a lightning and largely unopposed offensive last month