Hamas wants to amend disarmament clause in Trump plan: source close to group leaders
Hamas negotiators held discussions Tuesday with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss...
Geostrategy
Tony Blair: former UK premier central to Trump’s Gaza plan has long been a contentious figure
Tony Blair, Britain's former prime minister whose legacy was heavily tarnished by the 2003 war in Iraq, has long been...
Geostrategy
COP28 UAE
50 oil and gas companies pledge to cut operational emission in COP28 meet
DUBAI, UAE - Fifty oil and gas companies representing 40 percent of global production pledged to decarbonize their operations by 2050...
- The charter is part of a set of initiatives designed to accelerate the decarbonization of the global energy industry.
- They are voluntary commitments unlike the decisions of COP28, which are taken by consensus between nearly 200 countries.
Geostrategy
Grim cycle of death at a hospital in Gaza
Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories - A middle-aged man with a blank, shattered expression walked slowly down a ramp at the hospital,...
- After the collapse of a week-long truce between Israel and Hamas, the Nasser hospital's morgue in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, was full once again.
- Families gathered for one last look at the dead, caressing their hair, touching their hands or kissing their faces, sometimes still stained with blood
COP28 UAE
US pledges $3bn to a global climate fund at COP28 meet
Developing countries least responsible for climate change are seeking support from richer polluting nations to adapt to the increasingly ferocious...
- The amount, which must be approved by the US Congress, will go into the Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was created in 2010
- The last US contribution to the fund for developing countries was made under then President Barack Obama, who committed $3 billion in 2014
Geostrategy
Turkey’s Erdogan rejects US pressure to cut Hamas ties
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday pushed back against mounting US pressure to cut Ankara's historic ties...
- Erdogan said that Washington was well aware that Turkey does not view Hamas as a terrorist organization
- Hamas political leaders have used Istanbul as one of their foreign bases during Erdogan's two-decade rule
Business
IMF to revise regional outlook over Israel-Hamas conflict
Dubai, UAE--The IMF announced Friday that it will revise its economic outlook for the Middle East and North Africa region...
- The IMF staff wrote in a blog post that Israel-Hamas conflict will have wide-ranging consequences for "both people and economies" in the region
- The IMF officials said countries like Lebanon that are heavily dependent on tourism saw hotel occupancy rates drop by 45 percentage points in October compared to a year ago
COP28 UAE
Over 20 nations call for tripling of nuclear energy
The other countries that signed up to the declaration include Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, South Korea, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, ...
- A declaration endorsed by nations ranging from the US to Ghana to Japan and several EU countries said nuclear energy plays a "key role" in reaching the goal of carbon neutrality
- The use of nuclear energy as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels is controversial as environmental groups are concerned about safety and the disposal of nuclear waste
Geostrategy
Israeli air strikes hit near Damascus: Syrian defence ministry
Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbour since Syria's civil war began in 2011, primarily targeting Iran-backed...
- Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its northern neighbour since Syria's civil war began in 2011 primarily targeting Iran-backed forces
- Israeli air strikes on November 26 rendered Damascus airport inoperable just hours after flights resumed following a similar attack the month before
Geostrategy
US readying to impose visa ban on violent Israeli settlers: Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when they met Thursday in Jerusalem that Washington...
- The visa ban could be imposed as early as next week, he added, without disclosing the number of individuals who would be affected.
- Violence has surged in the West Bank in tandem with a war that erupted between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip nearly eight weeks ago
COP28 UAE
134 nations to put food, agriculture in national climate plans
"This declaration is the moment when food truly comes of age in the climate process, sending a powerful signal to...
- A total of 134 countries who produce 70 percent of the food eaten worldwide signed the declaration, summit hosts the United Arab Emirates said
- The 134 nations are home to 5.7 billion people and represent more than three quarters of all greenhouse gas emissions from the global food system
COP28 UAE
Dubai COP28: Record attendance marks largest ever UN climate summit
Among the host country's guests are Bill Gates and Antoine Arnault, the son of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, the second...
- Some 104,000 people, including technical and security staff, have access this year to the "blue zone" dedicated to the actual climate negotiations
- That largely exceeds the previous record at last year's UN climate summit in Egypt, COP27, which had 49,000 accredited attendees
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Hamas wants to amend disarmament clause in Trump plan: source close to group leaders
Hamas negotiators held discussions Tuesday with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss...
Geostrategy
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Turkey’s 5,000-year-old bread finds new life
Round and flat like a pancake, 12 centimeters (five inches) in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba,...
Arts & Culture
Is Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Saudi Arabia? Cryptic post fuels speculation
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Questions swirled over Cristiano Ronaldo's future in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, hours after the superstar indicated...
Arts & Culture
South East Asia, Gulf and China three-way talks ‘response to call of times’
The trade-dependent economies are looking to insulate themselves after US President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by announcing...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Israel strikes Gaza, kills 53 people as Witkoff says Hamas didn’t accept 70-day temporary ceasefire
Hamas said Monday it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff, presented by mediators, but a...
- Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive in the Gaza Strip, drawing international condemnation as aid trickles in following a monthslong blockade
- European and Arab leaders meeting in Spain over the weekend called for an end to the "inhumane" war, while humanitarian groups said the trickle of aid was not enough
Arts & Culture
Filmmaker Panahi cheered on return to Iran after Cannes triumph
Paris, France - Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was given a hero's welcome by supporters on his return to Tehran on...
- After being banned from leaving Iran for years, Panahi attended the French festival in person and sensationally walked away with the Palme d'Or for his latest movie
- With some fans concerned that Panahi could face trouble on his return to Iran, he arrived without incident in the early hours of Monday at Tehran's main international airport
Geostrategy
Iran rejects push to suspend uranium enrichment to reach nuclear deal with US
The issue has come into focus in recent weeks, with Iran staunchly defending its right to enrich uranium as part...
- The issue has come into focus in recent weeks, with Iran staunchly defending its right to enrich uranium as part of what it says is a civilian nuclear programme
- The negotiations, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the two sides since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord