Trump speaks with Xi, sees progress on TikTok, says will visit China early next year
US President Donald Trump hailed Friday what he called progress with Chinese President Xi Jinping including on selling blockbuster app...
Geostrategy
US again vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire call
The United States on Thursday again wielded its veto and thwarted a UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Gaza is an impoverished area under Israeli blockade, hit by war
PARIS, FRANCE - The Gaza Strip is an impoverished Palestinian enclave that has been under Israeli blockade since 2007. It is...
- One of the most densely populated places in the world, Gaza is home to over two million people living on a 362-square-kilometer area.
- Israel occupied Gaza during the 1967 Six-Day War and it was only fully returned to Palestinians in 2005.
Geostrategy
Two Israeli tourists, one Egyptian killed in Alexandria shooting
The policeman fired "at random" at an Israeli tour group visiting Alexandria using "his personal weapon", the state-affiliated private television...
- Egypt was the first Arab country to forge a peace deal with Israel in 1979 and has long served as a key intermediary between Israel and the Palestinians.
- On Saturday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned of a "vicious cycle of tensions threatening regional stability and security".
Geostrategy
Major airlines cancel dozens of flights to Tel Aviv
Air France-KLM group's low-cost carrier Transavia announced it was cancelling all flights from Paris and Lyon to Tel Aviv up...
- At Ben Gurion airport American Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates were among those pulling flights
- But airport authorities did not stop commercial air links with Eilat, Israel's second international airport
Economy
Death toll from Afghan quakes doubles to more than 2,000
An AFP reporter saw dozens of homes ruined near the epicenter of the quakes, which shook the area for more...
- Saturday's magnitude 6.3 quake jolted hard-to-reach areas 19 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Herat
- WHO said more than 600 houses were destroyed or partially damaged across at least 12 villages in Herat province
Geostrategy
Erdogan to open modern Turkish state’s first new church
The opening of the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church marks an important cultural and political moment for both Turkey and...
- Erdogan drew indignation for converting Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque in 2020.
- The president wavers in his speeches between defending pious Muslims and embracing Turkey's numerous communities
World reacts to Israel-Gaza war
President Joe Biden said US support for Israel was "rock solid and unwavering". "The United States stands with Israel," Biden...
- Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said: "The Kingdom calls for an immediate halt to the escalation between the two sides, protection of civilians, and self-control"
- China said it was "deeply concerned" by the weekend's dramatic escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, urging all sides to show "calm"
Geostrategy
Egypt court upholds jail sentence for prominent dissident
Cairo, Egypt--An Egyptian court on Saturday denied an appeal by prominent dissident Hisham Kassem against his jail sentence, his lawyer said,...
- Kassem's lawyer Nasser Amin wrote on Facebook that the court has decided to uphold the judgement that was under appeal
- The dissident had been sentenced to six months in prison after being convicted of defaming a former minister and contempt of officials
Economy
Putin launches Russian gas shipments to Uzbekistan
"This is the largest trilateral energy project" between the three ex-Soviet countries, Putin said, after formally launching the shipment. He...
- Despite being home to a wealth of natural resources including gas, the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has faced energy shortages
- Moscow meanwhile relies heavily on energy revenues but has seen export plummet amid since the offensive
Geostrategy
Nobel winner Mohammadi celebrates prize in jail, says family
Rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi "celebrated" her Nobel Peace Prize with fellow detainees in their Tehran prison cell, her family said....
- Mohammadi has spent much of the past two decades in and out of jail for her campaign against the mandatory wearing of a hijab.
- After the Nobel announcement, US President Joe Biden called on Iran to free Mohammadi, hailing her "unshakable courage".
Geostrategy
Putin launches Russian gas shipments to Uzbekistan
Moscow, Russia - Russian Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced the start of gas supplies to Uzbekistan via Kazakhstan, a boost for...
- Despite being home to a wealth of natural resources including gas, the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan has faced energy shortages.
- Russian gas exports decreased by 21.5 percent in 2022 - as its largest buyer the European Union drastically reduced imports.
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Trump speaks with Xi, sees progress on TikTok, says will visit China early next year
US President Donald Trump hailed Friday what he called progress with Chinese President Xi Jinping including on selling blockbuster app...
Geostrategy
Company News
‘Amazing’ AI de-ages Tom Hanks in new film ‘Here’
Arts & Culture
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Trump to visit Saudi, Qatar, UAE in May amid tensions over Iran, trade, and security
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat held talks in Washington earlier this month to lay the groundwork for a visit by Trump...
Geostrategy
Trump, Zelensky to attend Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday
Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to...
Arts & Culture
Iran says technical nuclear meeting with US postponed to Saturday
A technical, expert-level nuclear meeting between Iran and the United States will be held on Saturday, coinciding with the third...
Geostrategy
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Economy
Trump tariffs have increased financial stability risks: IMF report
The IMF's Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) was published as world financial leaders gather for meetings in Washington under the...
- GFSR's authors found that "global financial stability risks have increased significantly, driven by tighter global financial conditions and heightened economic uncertainty."
- The Fund also warned that geopolitical risk -- including military conflicts -- could raise risks to financial stability.
Arts & Culture
As world mourns, cardinals meeting to decide the date for Pope Francis’s funeral
Vatican City, Holy See - Cardinals will meet Tuesday to decide the date for Pope Francis's funeral, starting a process...
- Francis, the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, died at his home in the Vatican on Monday aged 88 after suffering a stroke
- Tributes have poured in from around the globe for Francis, a liberal reformer who took over following the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013
Saudi Aramco, BYD form alliance to develop low-carbon automotive innovations amid EV growth
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest producer of oil, "is exploring a number of ways to potentially optimize transport efficiency, from...
- The Saudi oil giant is already a partner with Renault of France and the Chinese automaker Geely in a joint venture to produce thermal engines
- Saudi Arabia is working to diversify its economy, which is dependent on oil export revenue, and wants to set up 5,000 EV charging stations by 2030