US sanctions on key Indian project in Iran take effect
US sanctions went into effect Monday on a major Indian port project in Iran, as President Donald Trump again showed...
Geostrategy
Hamas urges Israel to halt strikes as it searches for two hostages
Hamas's armed wing urged the Israeli military to temporarily halt air strikes and withdraw from part of Gaza City on...
Geostrategy
Business
From Changpeng Zhao to Do Kwon: The fallen kings of crypto
Seoul, South Korea - Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period...
- Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance -- the largest crypto exchange in the world -- after he and the company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sweeping US money laundering violations
- A celebrity in the crypto world with 8.7 million followers on X, Zhao became the richest known figure in the industry, and his net worth peaked at around $65 billion in 2022
Geostrategy
‘First good news’: World welcomes Gaza hostage deal
US President Joe Biden thanked the leaders of Qatar and Egypt for their "critical leadership" in reaching the deal. "I...
- The Kremlin said "it is only on the basis of these kinds of pauses that some outlines of future attempts at a sustainable settlement can be built."
- Beijing hoped "that it will help ease the plight of the humanitarian crisis, de-escalate the conflict and ease tensions", said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
Economy
Afghan border trade resumes after Pakistan suspends new visa rule
Commercial traffic ground to a halt Tuesday when Pakistan began requiring the crew of commercial vehicles to have passports and...
- The media office of the governor of Nangarhar province in Afghanistan confirmed that cross-border trade had resumed
- Landlocked Afghanistan is heavily dependent on its neighbor for imports, both locally made goods and foreign items
Business
Binance to pay billions in US in money laundering case
Binance's guilty plea is part of coordinated action including with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Office of...
- Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program
- Binance's agreements with the Treasury Department's agencies include a civil money penalty of $3.4bn
Business
European banks lack transparency on green finance: NGO
ShareAction said banks amplify "green credentials to their customers and shareholders" but there is a "structural" lack of transparency on...
- Only four banks have demonstrated how they have calculated green finance targets
- The study questioned some decisions being counted towards meeting green finance targets
Business
OpenAI announces Sam Altman to return as CEO
In a letter released to media, the vast majority of the company's 770-strong staff suggested they would follow Altman unless...
- OpenAI's board sacked Altman last week, with Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella announcing soon after he was hiring Altman
- But in the fast-moving sequence of events, Altman said Tuesday he had the support of Nadella for his return as OpenAI's CEO
Iraqis haunted by war battle mental health issues
Ravaged by war and rocked by Islamic State group attacks, Iraq's demand for mental health professionals is great, but help...
- The World Health Organization estimates that in a country of 43 million, there are just two mental health workers for every 100,000 Iraqis
- Baghdad's Al-Rashad psychiatric hospital has only 11 psychiatrists for its 1,425 patients, aged between 14 and 70, its director Firas al-Kadhim said
Displaced Gazans search for warm clothes as cold draws in
When Khulud Jarboueh and her children fled their home in the northern Gaza Strip under Israeli bombardment in early October,...
- On a road lined with stalls, hundreds of Palestinians held up items to check sizes or compare fabrics
- Adel Harzallah, who runs a clothes shop, said his stock of winter pyjamas sold out in two days
Geostrategy
Israel, Hamas agree four-day truce, 50 hostages to be released
Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed the deal, saying that "a number of Palestinian women and children detained in Israeli prisons" would...
- Under the Qatar-brokered deal, Palestinian militants will release 50 women and children kidnapped during their October 7 raids
- A senior US official said three Americans, including three-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, were among the 50 earmarked for staggered release from Thursday
Business
Northvolt says it develops new sodium-ion battery
Stockholm, Sweden - Battery group Northvolt said on Tuesday it had developed a new sodium-ion battery, a technology using less critical...
- Sodium-ion batteries are viewed as a cheaper and in some respects safer alternative to the lithium-ion batteries.
- While sodium-ion technology has been around for decades, it has lagged lithium-ion batteries in performance.
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Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
US sanctions on key Indian project in Iran take effect
US sanctions went into effect Monday on a major Indian port project in Iran, as President Donald Trump again showed...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Norway nears 100% goal of all-electric cars
Geostrategy
Joe Biden diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer
Former US president Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer that has spread to his...
Science
China factory output beats forecasts, weathering tariffs
Beijing, China - Factory output in China grew at a faster rate than expected last month, official data showed Monday,...
Economy
Trump to hold call with Putin in push for Ukraine truce
Trump also said he would speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO officials, expressing hope that a "ceasefire will...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Morocco to reopen embassy in Syria after Assad fall
Morocco said Saturday it will reopen its embassy Damascus, closed since 2012, signalling renewed support for Syria after the overthrow...
- The decision was announced in a letter from King Mohammed VI to Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa
- The letter said Morocco backed the Syrian people "in their quest for freedom, security, and stability."
Geostrategy
A day after first direct talks between officials, Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky meeting possible only after pact
The Kremlin said Saturday a meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both...
- US President Donald Trump, who has been pressing Russia to agree a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, said later in the day that he would speak by phone with Putin on Monday.
- On Friday, the first direct talks since the spring of 2022 between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul resulted in a concrete agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each
Geostrategy
Arab summit presses for end to Gaza ‘bloodshed’ as Israel launched an expanded military offensive
Arab leaders meeting Saturday at a summit in Baghdad urged the international community to press for a Gaza ceasefire, as...
- In a joint final statement, Arab League members also called for funding to back their Gaza reconstruction plan
- It came hours after Israel's military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip."