Saudi, Qatar, Oman convinced Trump to ‘give Iran a chance’: senior Saudi official
Two diplomatic sources told AFP on Thursday that the security posture at Qatar's Al-Udeid Airbase had been lowered after a...
Geostrategy
Starlink services disrupted in Iran amid expanding protests and broader measures affecting internet access
Widespread jamming of the Starlink satellite internet service used by some Iranian opposition members is a likely first in peacetime but...
Geostrategy
Business
Oil prices gain, as equities extend record run higher
Oil prices have experienced choppy trading since the surprise US raid Saturday on Caracas that saw Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro...
- Brushing off geopolitical concerns, some major stock markets have begun the new year with new all-time highs, having smashed records in 2025.
- Seoul rose more than one percent Tuesday to top 4,500 points for the first time, helped by another strong rally in chip giant SK hynix.
Geostrategy
US operation in Venezuela undermined international law: UN
"States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state," Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman...
- Shamdasani said the UN rights office had spent years reporting on the "continued deterioration" in Venezuela.
- But she dismissed US justifications for its actions, saying accountability for rights violations "can't be achieved by military intervention in violation of international law".
Geostrategy
Venezuela’s interim leader names commission to handle Maduro’s release
Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez on Sunday created a commission to seek the release of president Nicolas Maduro and his...
- Rodriguez tapped her brother Jorge, president of the National Assembly, and Foreign Minister Yvan Gil to co-chair the commission
- Accused of drug trafficking and terrorism, Maduro was detained in a New York jail Saturday and is due in court Monday
Geostrategy
Netanyahu says Israel won’t let Iran restore ballistic missile programme
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel would not allow arch-foe Iran to restore its ballistic missile programme, just...
- "We will not allow Iran to restore its ballistic missile industry, and certainly we will not allow it renew the nuclear programme that we significantly damaged," Netanyahu said
- Netanyahu's threat comes days after Trump threatened to "eradicate" Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, after the two leaders met in Washington last week
Business
Volatility grips oil market as nervous investors assess Venezuela
Having spiked in an initial reaction to the military operation to apprehend Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, oil prices quickly dropped...
- But then oil recovered again as investors realized that Venezuela is in no position to make a meaningful impact on oil supply in the short run.
- Trump's promise to rebuild Venezuela's crude production capacity with the help of American companies meanwhile sent stocks in oil majors soaring.
Business
‘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...
- The 510.3 million yen price at the new year's auction was the highest since comparable data started being collected in 1999.
- The previous high was 333.6 million yen for a 278-kilogram bluefin in 2019, after the fish market moved from its traditional Tsukiji area in central Tokyo to a more modern facility
Geostrategy
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...
- "We're going to judge everything by what they do, and we're going to see what they do," Rubio told CBS News' "Face the Nation."
- US commandos snatched Maduro from a compound in Caracas on Saturday in a risky operation involving jets, helicopters, warships and ground troops
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...
- The country has the largest proven reserves in the world, with 303.221 billion barrels, according to OPEC.
- Sanctions imposed in 2019 by Trump during his first term contributed to production plunging to a historic low of 350,000 b/d the following year.
Geostrategy
At least 80 Yemeni separatists killed in fighting, strikes since Friday
At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, a military official from...
- Saudi-backed forces began on Friday operations to retake swathes of territory seized by the UAE-backed STC.
- Yemen's presidency on Saturday announced the retaking of resource-rich Hadramawt, following an apparent retreat of the STC.
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."
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Saudi, Qatar, Oman convinced Trump to ‘give Iran a chance’: senior Saudi official
Two diplomatic sources told AFP on Thursday that the security posture at Qatar's Al-Udeid Airbase had been lowered after a...
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...
AI toys look for bright side after troubled start
Las Vegas, United States -- Toy makers at the Consumer Electronics Show were adamant about being careful to ensure that...
Business
Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh met on Friday with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to...
Geostrategy
Russia joins Chinese, Iran warships for military drills off South Africa
A Russian warship arrived off South Africa's main naval base Friday to join Chinese and Iranian vessels for military exercises that...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
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...
- A spokesman from Herzog's office said the president met with Mladenov on Thursday, without providing further details
- The Times of Israel reported that Mladenov was expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Thursday
Geostrategy
US could run Venezuela, tap its oil for years, Trump says less than a week after toppling Maduro
The United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years, President Donald Trump said in an...
- Venezuela's state oil firm PDVSA said it was discussing oil sales with the United States for the "sale of volumes of oil"
- Trump and his advisors are considering a plan for the US to exert control over PDVSA, the Wall Street Journal reported
Research
Some food preservatives linked to higher cancer, diabetes risk
Paris, France -- Eating some common food preservatives is linked to a slightly higher risk of eventually developing cancer and...
- The preservatives included nitrites and nitrates, which are often used to cure ham, bacon and sausages.
- The second study, published in Nature Communications, also found a link between eating some food additives and developing type 2 diabetes.