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
Sweeping UN sanctions return to hit Iran after nuclear talks fail
The sanctions, three months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran, bar dealings related to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic...
Geostrategy
Business
Meta, TikTok challenge incoming EU digital market law
Brussels, Belgium - Tech giants Meta and TikTok are contesting the scope of an EU law that from March will set...
- As with the Digital Services Act, which came into force in August, and the 2016 General Data Protection Regulation, the DMA comes with sharp teeth.
- Companies found infringing the DMA expose themselves to fines that could go as high as 20 percent of their global turnover, or even orders to be broken up.
Business
US chip curbs disturb Chinese firms AI projects
Shanghai, China - US restrictions on advanced computer chips are forcing China's tech giants to rethink their ambitious AI-powered projects, analysts...
- E-commerce titan Alibaba on Thursday became the latest Chinese firm to admit to feeling the bite of US sanctions
- The curbs now target cloud computing to prevent Chinese companies from accessing powerful AI chips hosted elsewhere
Geostrategy
Germany, Turkey leaders hold divergent views on Israel-Hamas war
BERLIN, GERMANY - Germany and Turkey's leaders traded barbs on Friday over Israel's war on Hamas, with Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressing the...
- Turkey’s President Erdogan is on a controversial visit to staunch Israel defender Germany, made more tricky by his accusations directed at Tel Aviv.
- Erdogan has been increasingly critical of Israel's war against Hamas, triggered by the group's attack that Israel said killed around 1,200 people.
Business
Tajikistan plans to link up with China’s telecom network
Dushanbe, Tajikistan - Tajikistan announced plans Friday to link with China's telecommunications network in order to improve the mountainous, landlocked country's...
- Tajikistan has one of the slowest internet services in the world despite improvements in recent years, with all traffic going through a center controlled by a government monopoly
- The project will be carried out alongside the construction of a highway linking Dushanbe, the country's capital in the west, with a town on its border with China
Geostrategy
Gaza faces shortage of flour due to Israel-Hamas war
KHAN YUNIS, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - One of the last grain warehouses in the Gaza Strip has been damaged by Israeli strikes...
- Of the five flour mills in the densely populated Palestinian territory, at least two have been hit since the war began on October 7.
- Humanitarian aid arriving via Egypt has done little to remedy the shortages, made worse by power cuts and a lack of fuel for generators.
Geostrategy
24 die at Gaza hospital due to power outages caused by Israeli siege
The announcement came shortly after Israel agreed to a US request to allow two fuel trucks a day into Gaza,...
- The UNRWA earlier said its aid trucks were unable to enter Gaza from Egypt for a second straight day due to the lack of fuel and a near-total communications blackout.
- More than half of Gaza's hospitals are no longer functional, and Israel's raid on Al-Shifa left extensive damage to the radiology, burns and dialysis units.
IBM pulls ads from Elon Musk’s X over pro-Nazi posts
In the year since taking over Twitter, now rebranded as X, Musk has gutted content moderation, restored accounts of previously...
- The move came as X owner Elon Musk faced criticism for endorsing an unfounded antisemitic conspiracy theory on the service
- Nonprofit Media Matters reported that it found Apple, Oracle and IBM ads displayed next to posts touting Hitler and the Nazi Party on X
Sudan armed conflict expanding to other regions, warns UN
Despite the difficulties, some 4.1 million people have received humanitarian aid in the last seven months -- but that amounts...
- The deadly unrest in Sudan includes outbreaks of interethnic violence and attacks against women, according to the global body
- UN assistant secretary-general for Africa expressed alarm over the deteriorating crisis in a Security Council meeting
US concerned over hospital strikes after Jordan’s Gaza facility hit
Washington, which provides significant military aid to Israel, has given unwavering support to its top Middle East ally since the...
- Blinken spoke by telephone with Jordanian Foreign Minister "to share his deep concern for the Jordanian medical personnel injured outside Jordanian field hospital in Gaza"
- Antony Blinken, who was attending an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco, "reiterated that civilians and medical personnel at hospitals must be protected," a statement said
Alibaba shares dive more than 7% after cloud service called off
Alibaba is a key player in China's expansive digital economy and the operator of a major online shopping platform. The...
- The firm's stock dived 7.13 percent soon after the starting bell in Hong Kong, tracking a collapse in its New York-listed shares
- Washington has moved to bar the shipment to China of powerful chips, including those from California-based Nvidia
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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
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
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Gaza air strikes kill over 100 as manhunt unfolds in West Bank
Palestinian rescuers reported more than 100 people killed Thursday in Israeli strikes on blockaded Gaza, where a US-backed organisation said...
Geostrategy
Trump says urged Apple to manufacture in US not India
Doha, Qatar - US President Donald Trump said Thursday he urged Apple to manufacture its products in the United States...
Business
Trump says getting close to deal to avoid Iran action
US President Donald Trump said Thursday a deal was close on Iran's nuclear programme that would avert military action, sending...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Ukraine, Russia to hold first direct talks since 2022
War rivals Ukraine and Russia are set to go into their first direct talks in more than three years on...
- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged Putin to meet him in person in Istanbul, but the Russian delegation names only a lower-level team
- Putin's absence would diminish the importance of the first direct negotiations since a failed effort in the weeks after Russia's 2022 invasion
Geostrategy
Turkey eyes legal steps after Kurdish militant group PKK disbands
Ankara, Turkey - After the decision by the Kurdish militant group PKK to disband, Turkey was eyeing Wednesday a raft...
- The pro-Kurdish DEM party urged Ankara on Tuesday to take "confidence-building steps" such as freeing political prisoners
- So far, Turkish officials have said little but the government is working on a proposal that could ease prison sentences in general
Geostrategy
Gaza rescuers say 80 killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza rescuers said at least 80 people were killed in Israeli bombardment across the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, as Israeli...
- AFP footage from the aftermath of a strike in Jabalia, northern Gaza, showed mounds of concrete rubble and twisted metal from collapsed buildings
- Footage of mourners in the north of the territory showed women in tears as they kneeled next to bodies wrapped in bloodstained white shrouds