Russia brushes off talks after largest ever drone and missile barrage on Ukraine
Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling...
Geostrategy
Iran announces opening of its airspace after war: state media
Iran announced Thursday that it has reopened its airspace, including over Tehran, after closing it on June 13 due to...
Geostrategy
Business
Meta spending big on AI talent but will it pay off?
New York, United States - Mark Zuckerberg and Meta are spending billions of dollars for top talent to make up...
- OpenAI boss Sam Altman recently lamented that Meta has offered $100 million bonuses to engineers who jump to Zuckerberg's ship, where hefty salaries await
- A few OpenAI employees have reportedly taken Meta up on the offer, joining Scale AI founder and former chief executive Alexandr Wang at the Menlo Park-based tech titan
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
Business
Trump metal tariffs wreak havoc on US factory
Belcamp, United States -- In the sweltering US summer, metal containers decorated with snowmen and sleighs are taking shape --...
- At Independent Can's factory in Belcamp, Maryland northeast of Baltimore, CEO Rick Huether recounts how he started working at his family's business at age 14.
- Huether, now 73, says he is determined to keep his manufacturing company afloat for generations to come. But Trump's tariffs are complicating this task.
Business
Indonesia begins $5.9 bn EV battery project despite environment fears
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesia broke ground Sunday on a $5.9 billion megaproject for EV battery production backed by Chinese giant...
- Indonesia is the world's largest nickel producer and it is trying to capitalize on its vast reserves.
- The EV battery project will include a $4.7 billion investment on the eastern island of Halmahera and a $1.2 billion investment in West Java.
Arts & Culture
Star-studded Al-Hilal defense highlights Saudi club’s rise
Miami, United States -- The main appeal of the Club World Cup so far has been the chance to see...
- Saudi club Al-Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, went unbeaten in the group stage, drawing with Real Madrid impressively.
- Al-Hilal’s defense includes former City full-back Joao Cancelo and ex-Napoli center-half Kalidou Koulibaly, both experienced internationals.
Economy
G7 to exempt US multinationals from global minimum tax
The deal will see US companies benefit from a "side-by-side" solution under which they will only be taxed at home,...
- Nearly 140 countries struck a deal in 2021 to tax multinational companies, an agreement negotiated under the auspices of he Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- That agreement, deeply criticized by Trump, includes two "pillars," the second of which sets a minimum global tax rate of 15 percent.
Geostrategy
Israeli forces kill 37 Gazans, including nine children, some of them waiting for food aid
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 35 people were killed in seven Israeli drone and air strikes in various locations,...
- He said the dead included three children who were killed in an air strike on a home in Jabalia, in northern Gaza.
- Bassal said at least six more children died in a neighborhood in the northeast of Gaza City, including some in an air strike near a school where displaced people were sheltering.
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.
Russia brushes off talks after largest ever drone and missile barrage on Ukraine
Russia on Friday said that it sees no immediate diplomatic way out of the war in Ukraine, hours after pummelling...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Sudanese journalists form union to safeguard press freedom
The journalists' syndicate held elections on Saturday, the first since ousted president Omar al-Bashir dissolved independent unions after rising to...
Morocco bus crash leaves 23 dead, scores injured
An average of 3,500 deaths and 12,000 injuries have been recorded annually in Morocco, according to the National Road Safety...
Tunisia train accident leaves nearly 100 passengers injured
A head-on collision between two passenger trains injured 95 people on Monday morning in the south of the Tunisian capital,...
Iranian jet fighter crashes, three killed, reports state TV
Jet fighter crashed in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz.
Beyonce, Jay-Z, Grande, and Billie Eilish shortlisted for Oscar
Iran's Asghar Farhad is among a select group of auteurs to have won multiple foreign film Oscars previously again makes...
Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for...
Geostrategy
Hamas says discussing Gaza ceasefire proposals from mediators
It said it sought "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israel from Gaza)...
Geostrategy
Microsoft laying off several thousand employees
San Francisco, United States -- Microsoft on Wednesday said it was slashing a little less than four percent of its...
Business
Most Read
Science
‘Writing is thinking’: do students who use ChatGPT learn less?
Paris, France -- When Jocelyn Leitzinger had her university students write about times in their lives they had witnessed discrimination,...
- The ChatGPT users scored significantly worse than the brain-only group on all levels. The EEG showed that different areas of their brains connected to each other less often.
- And more than 80 percent of the ChatGPT group could not quote anything from the essay they had just written, compared to around 10 percent of the other two groups.
Geostrategy
US halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
The White House said Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden...
- Stopping the delivery of munitions and other military aid including air defense systems likely would be a blow to Ukraine as it contends with Russia's missile and drone attacks
- The curtailment of military aid signals a possible shift in the priorities of US President Donald Trump, who has pressed for Russia and Ukraine to speed up stalled peace talks
Geostrategy
Mamdani confirmed as Democratic candidate for New York mayor
Rising star of the American left Zohran Mamdani is now officially the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City,...
- The 33-year-old self-declared democratic socialist defeated his nearest rival, winning 56% to former New York governor Andrew Cuomo's 44% in the third round of vote counting
- Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, New York state assembly man Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of the heavily Democratic city if he wins the election in November