Syria Foreign Minister in Saudi Arabia, hopes the visit opens ‘new, bright page’
Last week, in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, Sharaa said Saudi Arabia "will certainly have a large role...
Cambridge study warns of perils in AI-driven ‘intention economy’
London, United Kingdom -- Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) tools may soon "covertly influence" users' decision making in a new commercial frontier...
Business
Business
Honda shares soar 16%
The surge came after the auto giant announced a $7bn buyback.
- The buyback announcement came as Honda and its struggling rival Nissan agreed on Monday to launch talks on a merger.
- Honda will buy back its own shares worth up to 1.1 trillion yen, or 23.7 percent of the total issued shares, to improve "efficiency of its capital structure".
Business
Musk’s AI startup raises $6bn more, Saudi and Qatari funds among investors
Paris, France -- Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk's startup xAI said it had raised $6 billion from investors in its latest...
- The firm, whose flagship product is the Grok chatbot, garnered support from US venture capitalists, chipmakers NVIDIA and AMD.
- It also garnered support from investment funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar among others.
Asian stocks mostly up after US tech rally
Asian stocks were mostly higher on Tuesday after a tech rally on Wall Street, but their gains remained modest in...
- Hong Kong stocks were "consolidating before the long holiday"
- Honda shares soared 16 percent after announcing a buyback of up to $7 billion
Geostrategy
Netanyahu tells Israel parliament ‘some progress’ on Gaza hostage deal, defence minister admits to killing Haniyeh
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Netanyahu said, however, said he was not going to agree...
- In recent days, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US took place in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement that has proven elusive
- Negotiations have faced multiple challenges since a one-week truce in November 2023, with the primary point of contention being the establishment of a lasting ceasefire
Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
Honda and Nissan were poised Monday to announce the start of talks on a merger to help the Japanese giants...
- Their collaboration would create the world's third-largest automaker
- Honda and Nissan's partnership could include a manufacturing tie-up
Geostrategy
Pope again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Israeli strikes on Gaza
"And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of...
- The mounting criticisms of Israel appear to mark a change in the pope's tone in recent weeks. He has consistently called for peace since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war
- At the end of September, the Pope also criticized Israel's "immoral" use of force in Gaza and in Lebanon
Geostrategy
Tunisia women herb harvesters struggle with drought and heat
In Tunisia's highlands, women harvest wild herbs to earn a living, but drought is making their work harder, shrinking incomes...
- Tunisia produces around 10,000 tons of aromatic and medicinal herbs each year, according to official figures.
- Rosemary accounts for more than 40 percent of essential oil exports, mainly destined for French and American markets.
Geostrategy
Post-Assad Syria seeks peace; Erdogan pushes anti-terror agenda, US warns on Kurdish conflict
Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa of the "critical need to...
- On a recent tour to the region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had stressed the need to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State group (IS) jihadists
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who backed Assad's opponents, has stressed reconciliation and restoration of Syria's territorial integrity and unity
Geostrategy
UAE says will not arm Sudan paramilitary RSF: White House
Washington, United States -- The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will not arm paramilitaries in Sudan's...
- Two US lawmakers said the UAE pledged to address their concerns and that, as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in arms sales.
- The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it has fought Yemen's Houthi rebels. Trump has shown a greater willingness to sell weapons to the UAE
Geostrategy
Biden cancels $4.28 bn more in student debt before leaving office
Washington, United States -- US President Joe Biden said Friday he was canceling student loans for an additional 55,000 Americans, which...
- The beneficiaries include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have given back to their communities.
- In the United States, colleges can often cost anywhere between $10,000 and $70,000 a year, leaving some graduates with crushing debt as they enter the workforce.
Syria Foreign Minister in Saudi Arabia, hopes the visit opens ‘new, bright page’
Last week, in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, Sharaa said Saudi Arabia "will certainly have a large role...
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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’Â
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...
Move over Mercedes: Chinese cars grab Mexican market share
Mexico City, Mexico -- The growing popularity of Chinese sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks has shaken up Mexico's luxury car...
Business
Global stocks rise as Japan led Asia gains on a weaker yen
Seoul was an outlier in Asia with shares plunging as South Korea's political crisis deepened with a second impeachment vote....
Business
Israeli strikes hit Yemen as Netanyahu fires warning
Israeli air strikes pummeled Sanaa's international airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday, with Huthi rebel media reporting six...
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Economy
Turkey lowers interest rate to 47.5% as it battles double-digit inflation
The bank's monetary policy committee decided to reduce the policy rate from 50 percent to 47.5 percent, with a statement...
- The central bank began to raise interest rates last year to battle soaring prices, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropped his opposition to orthodox monetary policy.
- The central bank now expects inflation to reach 44 percent at the end of 2024, up from a previous estimate in August of 38 percent.
Syrian war monitor says 17 dead in clashes in Tartus province
17 people were killed Wednesday in clashes in Tartus province after security forces sought to arrest an officer under deposed...
- 14 interior ministry personnel were killed and 10 others wounded
- Clashes in Tartus province erupted after residents refused to allow their houses to be searched
Geostrategy
Ceasefire talks falter as Hamas, Israel clash over conditions, Gaza sees more destruction and deaths
Hamas accuses Israel of stalling the truce with new demands on troop withdrawal and prisoner release, while Netanyahu’s office counters,...
- Indirect negotiations mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have taken place in Doha in recent days, rekindling hope for an agreement between the two warring parties
- On Wednesday, both sides accused the other of throwing up roadblocks, while Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged the country's leadership to move towards a deal