JD Vance voices ‘great optimism’ for Gaza truce on Israel visit, meeting with Netanyahu today
Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would...
Geostrategy
Lavrov and Rubio discuss Putin-Trump summit, Zelensky seeks invite to the meeting
Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov and US counterpart Marco Rubio discussed preparations for an upcoming summit between Vladimir Putin and...
Geostrategy
Business
Shipping insurance rates soar on Red Sea missile attacks
Maritime container transport has sunk by almost one third so far in 2024 compared with a year earlier, according to...
- The Houthis have carried out relentless attacks since November on shipping transiting the Red Sea, a maritime hub through which 12 percent of global trade usually passes
- Premiums for ships have "increased significantly" following the Houthi attacks, according to Frederic Denefle, head of Garex, a French firm specialized in marine risk insurance
Arts & Culture
Music beats the blues in Tunisian youth project
Local children and teenagers come together in the afternoon to compose and rehearse music for a creative break from their...
- The after-school music club project is called Tunisia 88 - a reference to the number of keys on a piano - and aims to get youngsters to develop their creative and leadership skills
- It has engaged 5,000 to 10,000 youths a year across Tunisia's almost 600 schools since it was founded in 2017 by US pianist Kimball Gallagher and Tunisian Radhi Meddeb
Geostrategy
Israel kills two Hizbollah fighters in drone strike
A security source said that an Israeli drone shot two guided missiles at the building in Kfar Rumman, near the...
- Hizbollah confirmed that two of its fighters had been killed by Israeli fire
- The Lebanese armed group said it had fired rockets at Israel in response
Geostrategy
Houthi missile attack damages British-owned ship off Yemen
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a British-owned cargo ship passing through the Gulf...
- The rebels, who control much of Yemen, have carried out months of attacks on merchant vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
- The Houthis said they had also "fired a number of ballistic missiles and drones at various targets of the Zionist enemy" in the Israeli Red Sea resort of Eilat
Geostrategy
Broad support among G20 for two-state solution in Middle East: Brazil
There was "virtual unanimity for the two-state solution as the only possible solution," Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told journalists...
- "Every (minister) that addressed the issue voiced support" for a two-state solution, "and it was a lot" of ministers, he said.
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had urged Vieira to use his closing statement "to explain to the world that at the G20, everybody was in favor of" a two-state solution.
Geostrategy
Islamophobia rises threefold in UK after Israel-Hamas conflict
"We are deeply concerned about the impacts that the Israel and Gaza war are having on hate crimes and on...
- Tell MAMA recorded 2,010 such cases in the four months since Hamas's deadly attack against Israel on October 7 sparked the conflict
- Some 901 cases occurred offline while 1,109 were online and most of the offline incidents took place in the British capital London
Geostrategy
Palestinian gunmen kill 1 Israeli, injure 8 others in occupied West Bank
The shooters were "neutralized", police said, and an AFP photographer later saw two bodies at the scene of the attack...
- Israel's internal security service Shin Bet identified the gunmen as Mohammed Zawahrah, 26, his brother Kathim Zawahrah, 31, and Ahmed al-Wahsh, also 31
- The attack near Maale Adumim came after two people were shot dead last Friday at a bus stop in southern Israel near the town of Kiryat Malakhi
Business
Lloyds Group profit is $6.2bn
High interest rates benefitted the British lender and banking sector as a whole.
- "The group delivered a robust financial performance in 2023, meeting our guidance," said chief executive Charlie Nunn
- Banks in the UK and elsewhere are gaining from higher interest rates as central banks, including the Bank of England
Business
Asian markets up, Tokyo hits record as US tech earnings jump
Hong Kong, China - Asian markets rose on Thursday, with Tokyo's benchmark index posting a record high after greater-than-expected earnings from...
- Highly anticipated earnings results from Nvidia beat expectations late Wednesday, with the firm reporting a quarterly profit of $12.3 billion
- Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul stocks closed higher, and markets in Taipei, Bangkok, Manila and Wellington were also up
Business
Rolls-Royce back into profit
The engine maker swung to profit of $3bn from a loss of $1.64bn in 2022.
- Shares in Rolls soared almost ten percent in afternoon trading, topping London's benchmark FTSE 100 index
- Its share price more than trebled last year but at the end of 2023 it was still only up 6.5 percent over the previous five years.
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JD Vance voices ‘great optimism’ for Gaza truce on Israel visit, meeting with Netanyahu today
Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Investments rise in data, AI, outpacing physical assets: UN
Geneva, Switzerland - The purchase of physical assets was eclipsed last year by a surge in investment in intangible items...
Geostrategy
Nvidia tops $4 trillion as US stocks shrug off latest tariffs
After Congress gave Trump a big win last week with his fiscal package, the Republican's aggressive trade posture has returned...
Business
Syrian designer Rami Al Ali to make history at Paris Couture Week
Paris, France -- As well as being optimistic about the future of his war-ravaged country, Rami Al Ali has other...
Arts & Culture
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Geostrategy
Trump holds fresh talks with Netanyahu to end Gaza ‘tragedy’
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu met for the second time in 24 hours Tuesday as the US president intensified the...
- Netanyahu's return to the White House for fresh talks came after Qatari mediators warned it would take time to seal an elusive ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas at talks in Doha
- "It's a tragedy, and he wants to get it solved, and I want to get it solved, and I think the other side wants to," Trump said as he announced that Netanyahu was coming back
Geostrategy
Iran FM holds talks with Saudi Crown Prince after Tehran’s ceasefire with Israel
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman said his country hoped the truce would contribute to regional stability, and emphasised Riyadh's position...
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said his country hoped the truce would contribute to regional stability
- Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi "expressed his gratitude" to Riyadh for its condemnation of Israel's attacks on Iran last month
Economy
Almost half of Europe and Mediterranean basin hit by drought
Paris, France - Europe and the Mediterranean basin has been hit by a long-lasting drought covering over 45 percent of...
- It is the first time since data collection began in 2012 that such an extensive part of the region has been hit by a drought for more than three consecutive months
- A series of fires broke out in Turkey and Greece at the start of the summer, where on average 72 percent and 56 percent of soils have been dry since mid-March