Israel expands Gaza campaign ahead of Netanyahu’s US visit
The intensified operations came after days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump -- whom Netanyahu...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Morocco’s Atlantic gambit: linking restive Sahel to ocean
Dubai, UAE -- A planned trade corridor linking the landlocked Sahel to the Atlantic is at the heart of an...
- The "Atlantic Initiative" promises ocean access to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger through a new $1.3-billion port in the former Spanish colony.
- The Moroccan initiative aims to "substantially transform the economy of these countries" and "the region", said King Mohammed VI when announcing it in late 2023.
Research
AI is learning to lie, scheme, and threaten its creators
In one particularly jarring example, under threat of being unplugged, Anthropic's latest creation Claude 4 lashed back by blackmailing an...
- Meanwhile, ChatGPT-creator OpenAI's o1 tried to download itself onto external servers and denied it when caught red-handed.
- For now, this deceptive behavior only emerges when researchers deliberately stress-test the models with extreme scenarios.
Geostrategy
Yemen’s Huthi rebels say fired missile at Israel
Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they fired a ballistic missile towards Israel on Saturday, in response to Israel's conduct towards...
- In Israel, warning sirens sounded in several areas, before the army announced the "missile was most likely successfully intercepted."
- It was the first missile launch against Israel announced by the Huthis since the June 24 ceasefire between Israel and Iran which followed their 12-day war
Geostrategy
Iran holds state funeral for top brass slain in Israel war
Iran held a state funeral Saturday for some 60 scientists and commanders killed in its war with Israel, after its...
- State television aired footage of thousands of black-clad mourners chanting "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" as they held aloft photographs of the dead
- "Boom, boom, Tel Aviv," read one banner, referring to the retaliatory missile fire launched by Iran against Israel during their 12-day war
Geostrategy
Iran extends access to airspace for overflights after ceasefire
Iran has expanded access to its airspace for international overflights following a ceasefire with Israel, though flight restrictions remain in...
- Flights to and from airports in the north, south and west of the country, including Tehran's Mehrabad and Imam Khomeini international airports, remained suspended
- The move comes after Iran reopened its eastern airspace on Wednesday, following a ceasefire that ended 12 days of fighting with Israel
Geostrategy
Qatar urges Israel, Hamas to seize ‘window of opportunity’ for Gaza truce
US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about a new ceasefire in Gaza saying an agreement involving Israel and...
- US President Donald Trump voiced optimism on Friday about a new ceasefire in Gaza saying an agreement involving Israel and Hamas could come as early as next week
- Mediators have been engaged in months of back-and-forth negotiations with the warring parties aimed at ending 20 months of war in Gaza
Geostrategy
Putin says Russia, Ukraine peace proposals “absolute contradictory”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia and Ukraine's demands for peace were "absolutely contradictory", after two rounds of...
- Russian and Ukrainian negotiators swapped memorandums outlining their visions for how to end the three-year conflict at peace talks in Istanbul this month
- But other than large-scale prisoner exchanges, the talks have failed to result in any progress toward ending the fighting, triggered by Russian military offensive in February 2022
Geostrategy
Doctors’ aid group slams US-backed Gaza relief scheme over deadly roll-out
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began operating last month and has largely replaced established humanitarian organisations, "is degrading Palestinians by...
- The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began operating last month and has largely replaced established humanitarian organisations
- Starting in March, Israel blocked deliveries of food and other crucial supplies into Gaza for more than two months, leading to warnings of famine across a territory
Geostrategy
Israel FM says world has ‘obligation’ to stop Iran getting nuclear bomb
Israel's foreign minister said Friday the world was obliged to stop Iran developing an atomic bomb, days after Israel claimed...
- "Israel acted at the last possible moment against an imminent threat against it, the region and the international community," Gideon Saar wrote on X
- The conflict erupted on June 13 when Israel launched a bombing campaign that it said aimed to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon - an ambition Iran has consistently denied
Geostrategy
Iran says IAEA chief request to visit bombed sites suggests ‘malign intent’
Iran on Friday rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and...
- IAEA director general "Grossi's insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless, Iranian foreign minister said
- Araghchi again hit out at Grossi personally for not speaking out against the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, describing it as " betrayal of his duties."
Company News
Saudi Arabia to host Italian Super Cup in December
Arts & Culture
Latest News
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...
10 killed in Aleppo building collapse: Syria state media
The five-story building collapsed in the Ferdaws neighbourhood of Aleppo. Civil defence and local authorities evacuated residents from nearby buildings...
Gaza rescuers say Israeli forces kill 48 as ceasefire calls mount
The swift resolution of Israel's 12-day war with Iran has revived hopes for a halt to the fighting in Gaza,...
Geostrategy
Iran decries ‘destructive’ conduct by IAEA chief
"The action taken by parliament members... is a natural response to the unjustified, unconstructive, and destructive conduct of the Director...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Iran-Israel war opens ‘new road’ for Mideast: US envoy to Turkey
The Iran-Israel war has opened the way to a "new road" for the Middle East in which Turkey will have...
- "The Middle East is ready to have a new dialogue, people are tired of the same old story," he said, saying it was essential for decades-long enmities to be reframed
- Barrack also said he believed there would be a ceasefire soon in the deadly Gaza war which would also speed up a shift in regional thinking
Geostrategy
Netanyahu eyes hostage breakthrough as Gaza families mourn victims
His comments lifted hope for a new ceasefire in the devastating conflict in the Palestinian territory, after US President Donald...
- His comments lifted hope for a new ceasefire in the devastating conflict in the Palestinian territory, after Trump said he hoped a truce could be sealed within a week
- Netanyahu said that after his country's recent "victory" over Iran in their 12-day war, "many opportunities have opened up... first of all, to rescue the hostages."
Geostrategy
Iran voices ‘serious doubts’ over Israel commitment to ceasefire
"We have serious doubts over the enemy's compliance with its commitments including the ceasefire, we are ready to respond with...
- The 12-day war erupted on June 13, when Israel launched a bombing campaign in Iran that killed top military commanders and scientists linked to its nuclear programme
- The fighting derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, which later joined its ally Israel's campaign with strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities