Israeli strikes hit Yemen as Netanyahu fires warning
Israeli air strikes pummeled Sanaa's international airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday, with Huthi rebel media reporting six...
Pope calls for ‘arms to be silenced’ in Christmas appeal
Rome, Italy -- Pope Francis called Wednesday for "arms to be silenced" around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for...
Geostrategy
Hamas says Netanyahu ‘stalling’ ceasefire deal with new terms
A source with knowledge of the talks said last week that Israel's return with extra demands was "a recurring theme"...
- The statement came after Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators met with Israeli negotiators in Rome on Sunday as international pressure for a ceasefire grows
- US President Joe Biden outlined in late May what he called an Israeli initiative for a truce and hostage release deal, and this has become the basis for subsequent talks
Geostrategy
Lufthansa, Air France halt Beirut flights as Israel tensions rise
Beirut, Lebanon -- Air France and the German airline group Lufthansa said Monday they were suspending flights to Beirut after Israel...
- Lufthansa services would be halted up to and including August 5 due to "current developments in the Middle East", a group spokesman told AFP.
- Royal Jordanian also announced the suspension of flights, with at least two of its regular trips to Beirut cancelled.
Jordan’s Umm al-Jimal added to UNESCO heritage list
Amman, Jordan - Jordan's Umm al-Jimal village has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, in a move hailed on Sunday...
- The village is near the Jordanian-Syrian border, 86 kilometres north of Amman, and is known as "the black oasis" due to the prevalence of black volcanic rock in the area
- The village was first settled by the Nabataean peoples in the first century AD and later occupied by the Romans, becoming an important agricultural and commercial village
Geostrategy
Iran’s Khamenei formally grants Pezeshkian presidential powers
In a message read by the director of Khamenei's office, he said: "I endorse the vote (for) the wise, honest,...
- The endorsement ceremony was held in the capital Tehran in the presence of senior Iranian officials and foreign diplomats, and broadcast on state TV
- Following the event, acting president Mohammad Mokhber handed over official responsibilities to 69-year-old Pezeshkian
Business
AI startups swap independence for Big Tech’s deep pockets
Washington, United States -- It's the case of the vanishing startup: some of Silicon Valley's most promising names in the fast-developing...
- Critics believe these deals are acquisitions in all but name and have been especially designed by Microsoft or Amazon to avoid the attention of competition regulators.
- US, European and UK regulators on Tuesday signed a joint statement insisting that they won't let big tech companies run roughshod over the nascent AI industry.
Geostrategy
Israel vows retaliation after rocket kills 12 youths in occupied Golan Heights area
Israel's security cabinet on Sunday authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to decide on the "manner and timing" of a...
- Israel's military said Hezbollah fired the rocket from Lebanon, hitting a football pitch in the Druze town of Majdal Shams and killing the youngsters, between 10 and 20 years
- Hezbollah strongly denies involvement while the US and Israel pinned blame on Hezbollah. EU is pitching for an independent investigation into the incident
Business
US defends forcing sale of TikTok app
TikTok's suit argues this violates First Amendment rights of free speech.
- US intelligence agencies are concerned that China can "weaponize" mobile apps, justice department officials said
- A bill signed by President Joe Biden early this year set a mid-January 2025 deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a US ban.
Gaza mediators, Israel spy chief to meet in Rome: Egypt media
"A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel's intelligence chief, will...
- Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been involved in months of mediation efforts aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war
- The proposed truce deal would be linked to the release of hostages held by Gaza fighters in exchange for Palestinian captives held in Israel
Economy
Asian markets battle to recover from tech rout after reassuring US data
Asian traders struggled to fight back Friday after a tech-fuelled sell-off, taking heart from forecast-beating US growth data that reassured...
- Figures showing the US economy expanded far more than expected in the second quarter
- Attention now turns to personal US consumption expenditure figures, due later today
UAE urges ‘temporary international mission’ for post-war Gaza
Washington has said repeatedly that it opposes post-war government of Gaza by either Israel or Hamas and has called for...
- It came after Arab heads of state called at a summit in May for the deployment of UN peacekeepers across the occupied Palestinian territories, an idea strongly opposed by Israel
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said little about his plans for post-war Gaza, but he wants Israel to retain control of security matters
Israeli strikes hit Yemen as Netanyahu fires warning
Israeli air strikes pummeled Sanaa's international airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday, with Huthi rebel media reporting six...
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Trump wins White House in stunning comeback
Geostrategy
ICC issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, Deif
The court said it had found "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant bore "criminal responsibility" for war crimes
Geostrategy
Adani Group tanks after US bribery charges
India's opposition leader demands Gautam Adani's arrest; Kenya scraps airport, power deals with the Group that has significant investments in...
Business
Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million
The provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan debuted at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach...
Arts & Culture
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Hezbollah says Israel ‘cannot impose conditions’ for truce
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein announced "additional progress" in Lebanon-Israel ceasefire talks, heading to Israel to finalize an agreement amidst escalating...
- "Israel cannot defeat us and cannot impose its conditions on us," Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in an address broadcast shortly after Hochstein announced his travel plans
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a near-simultaneous statement, said any ceasefire deal must ensure Israel still has the "freedom to act" against Hezbollah
Geostrategy
US vetoes Gaza ceasefire call at UN
The resolution demanded "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" in the war between Israel and the Palestinian group, along with...
- But the wording angered Israel, with a senior US official warning ahead of the vote that the resolution had "the potential only to buoy Hamas".
- Since the beginning of the conflict, the Security Council has struggled to speak with one voice, as the United States used its veto power several times.
Geostrategy
US envoy presses Israel-Hezbollah truce bid in Lebanon visit
Hochstein said an end to the war was "now within our grasp", while Hezbollah-allied parliament speaker Nabih Berri, said the...
- The United States and France have spearheaded efforts for a truce in the conflict
- Hochstein said an end to the war was "now within our grasp"