‘We’ll be ruined’: Iranians feel strain as sanctions snap back
Tehran, Iran -- As United Nations sanctions returned in full force on Sunday, Iranians felt the strain deepen, with prices...
Geostrategy
World’s highest bridge opens to traffic in China
Beijing, China -- The world's highest bridge opened to traffic in China on Sunday, state media said, capping an engineering...
Geostrategy
Israel strikes hit near Damascus: Syrian state media
Israel has targeted Syria several times in the past weeks as regional tensions simmer over the Israel-Hamas war in the...
- Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group said the strikes targeted sites belonging to the powerful Lebanese Hezbollah group
- Israeli strikes last month put Syria's two main airports in Damascus and Aleppo out of service several times over two weeks
Geostrategy
UN chiefs reject unilateral proposals to create ‘safe zones’ in Gaza
Geneva, Switzerland - The heads of numerous United Nations agencies and other humanitarian organizations said on Thursday they would not take...
- The officials said they "will not participate in the establishment of any 'safe zone' in Gaza that is set up without the agreement of all the parties".
- They added that proposals to unilaterally create 'safe zones' in Gaza risk creating harm for civilians, including large-scale loss of life.
Business
Emirates sign deal with Airbus to buy 15 A350-900s
Dubai, UAE - Dubai-based Emirates on Thursday announced an order for 15 long-haul Airbus A350-900s, bringing to 110 the number of...
- "The A350-900s will add to our fleet mix and we are pleased to announce additional orders for this aircraft type, said Emirates official
- "We plan to deploy our A350s to serve a range of new markets including long-haul missions of up to 15 hours flying time from Dubai," he added
Geostrategy
EU chief asks Israel not to be consumed by rage in Gaza
Kibbutz Beeri, Israel - EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Thursday called for Gaza hostages to be immediately freed, but...
- Speaking at Kibbutz Beeri, whose leaders reported around 85 people killed and around 30 taken prisoner by Hamas, Borrell said "Israel has to be defended".
- Israel has bombarded targets in Gaza and sent in ground troops against Hamas, killing more than 11,500 people, local Hamas government said
Business
Siemens posts record profit
Its shares rose over 6 percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
- The company, whose businesses range from making trains to automating production processes, earned a net profit of $8.62 billion in 2022-2023.
- Sales, at $84.6 billion, rose 11 percent on the previous year while for 2024, the group expects revenue to grow in a range of between 4 and 8 percent.
The AI of war: computers and autonomous killing
Observers say Beijing is massively investing in AI, to the point where it may soon be able to change the...
- Ahead of a summit between China's Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, there had been suggestions that the two men would agree to ban lethal autonomous weapons
- The meeting appeared to produce no such accord, but experts say it's a vital topic that is already altering armed conflict -- and switching up the competition for global supremacy
Geostrategy
UN official calls for probe over human rights violations in Israel-Hamas war
Geneva, Switzerland - The UN human rights chief on Thursday decried serious allegations of international law violations in the Israel-Hamas war...
- Turk was speaking after a visit last week to the Middle East, where he warned that both sides were committing war crimes in the deadly conflict.
- He added his most important recommendation was that all parties had to acknowledge that all human lives have equal value.
Geostrategy
UN Security Council calls for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in Gaza
The resolution, prepared by Malta and adopted with 12 votes in favor, "calls for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and...
- The resolution called on all parties to comply with international humanitarian obligations "notably with regard to the protection of civilians, especially children
- It also called for the "immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, especially children." Over 230 hostages are believed to be held by Hamas
Qatar calls for international probe into Israeli raids on Gaza hospitals
Israeli forces raided and then combed through Al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, before withdrawing and redeploying around its outskirts, a journalist...
- Qatari foreign ministry in a statement called for "an urgent international investigation" including by UN to look into "the targeting of hospitals by the Israeli army"
- Qatari mediation efforts have so far led to the release of four out of around 240 hostages Israeli officials estimate were seized by Hamas fighters on October 7
Israeli opposition leader calls on Netanyahu to resign ‘immediately’
Four days after Hamas's surprise October 7 attack on Israel, Netanyahu and another opposition leader, Benny Gantz, announced an agreement...
- Lapid called for a no-confidence vote in parliament that would allow for the formation of a new government led by another member of Likud party
- In a statement posted to Telegram, Likud immediately rebuffed the call, saying such a proposal in a "time of war" was "shameful"
Most Read
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
‘We’ll be ruined’: Iranians feel strain as sanctions snap back
Tehran, Iran -- As United Nations sanctions returned in full force on Sunday, Iranians felt the strain deepen, with prices...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Warm Trump-Erdogan ties puts Turkey at heart of peace diplomacy
Turkey is deploying all-out diplomatic efforts to secure a Russia-Ukraine deal, to ease Syria's relations with the West and facilitate...
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...
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...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Trump presses Syria leader on Israel after lifting sanctions
US President Donald Trump landed in Doha Wednesday after visiting Riyadh, where he urged Syria's president to normalise with Israel...
- Trump became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader -- Ahmed al-Sharaa, an erstwhile Islamist guerrilla and jihadist who had been on a US wanted list
- Turkey and Saudi Arabia both advocated reconciliation with Syria, but the move is the latest to put Trump at odds with Israel, which has expressed deep scepticism of Sharaa
Geostrategy
Trump welcomed grandly as Saudis invest big in US arms
Under imposing chandeliers, Trump welcomed a promise by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who effectively rules the kingdom due to...
- The White House said that Saudi Arabia would buy nearly $142 billion in weapons in what it described as the largest-ever weapons deal
- The US leader will also visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, fellow oil-rich Arab monarchies with long-standing ties to the United States, and to Trump
Geostrategy
Ocalan: founder of the PKK who authored its end
Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), is an icon to many Kurds but a...
- After a decades-long insurgency against Turkey that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the PKK said on Monday it was disbanding and ending its armed struggle
- The move came after Ocalan issued a historic call on February 27 for his fighters to lay down their arms in a major step towards ending the decades-long conflict