Ceasefire talks falter as Hamas, Israel clash over conditions, Gaza sees more destruction and deaths
Hamas accuses Israel of stalling the truce with new demands on troop withdrawal and prisoner release, while Netanyahu’s office counters,...
Geostrategy
Syria authorities say armed groups have agreed to disband
Syria's new leaders announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with the country's rebel groups on their dissolution and...
Business
Saudi Aramco share sale nets $12.35 billion on investor demand
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Aramco netted $12.35 billion, $1 billion more than expected, from a secondary share sale after exercising...
- The offering announced in May was the largest in the Middle East since Aramco's record initial public offering (IPO) in 2019, bolstering Saudi's finances.
- Aramco, the jewel of the Saudi economy that remains mostly state-owned, announced on May 30 that it would sell 1.545 billion shares.
Business
Shell, TotalEnergies and BP take stakes in UAE gas project
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Energy majors TotalEnergies, Shell and BP will each take a 10 percent stake in a liquefied...
- Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co. will also acquire 10 percent of the Ruwais LNG plant, scheduled to come online in 2028, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said.
- ADNOC, the UAE's key revenue-earner, will retain a 60 percent majority stake, the firm said following a signing ceremony.
Geostrategy
Israel defense minister says “60 percent” of Hamas dead or wounded
Israel has launched major new offensives in Gaza City, even as it also embarks on contacts with international mediators on...
- Gallant reaffirmed that Israel was "determined" to meet its war goals of eradicating Hamas
- "We have eliminated or wounded 60 percent of the Hamas terrorists", he said
Business
Methanol-powered ship to set sail for Europe’s first ‘green’ route
Rotterdam, Netherlands -- The first methanol-powered ship to ply routes between Europe's busy ports was unveiled Tuesday in Rotterdam, with shipping...
- The Eco-Maestro, a 13,675-tonne container carrier will head off to Antwerp in the next few days, before plotting a course for Klaipeda in Lithuania and Riga in Latvia.
- Completed in China earlier this year, the Eco-Maestro is kitted out with the latest engines that can run on methanol -- a sustainable fuel made from decomposed organic matter.
Geostrategy
What we know about the rocky ‘roadmap’ to an elusive Gaza ceasefire
Jerusalem, Undefined - Qatari and Egyptian mediators are cajoling Israel and Hamas towards negotiations on a plan to end their war,...
- US President Joe Biden first outlined in late May what he called an Israeli initiative for a truce and hostage release deal
- Since the October 7 Hamas attacks, much of Gaza has been reduced to rubble and its 2.4 million people are surviving on sporadic aid deliveries
Geostrategy
Heavy battles in Gaza City on eve of new truce talks
Hamas has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deliberately stepping up battles in Gaza City and far-southern Rafah to...
- Troops, tanks and aircraft were fighting in Gaza on the eve of new truce talks
- Israeli forces on Monday intensified fighting and bombardment across the city
Business
China’s BYD signs deal to open electric car plant in Turkey
Istanbul, Turkey -- China's electric vehicle giant BYD on Monday signed a one-billion-dollar agreement with Turkey to open a plant in...
- The one-billion-dollar agreement would likely help China dodge new European Union tariffs.
- The BYD facility will have an annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles as well as a research and development center.
Business
Chip giant TSMC briefly joins trillion-dollar club
New York, United States -- Chip-making juggernaut Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. briefly surpassed $1 trillion in market capitalization on Monday as...
- TSMC controls more than half the world's output of chips and supplies them for everything from Apple's iPhones to Nvidia's cutting-edge artificial intelligence hardware.
- The company hit the threshold briefly after the opening bell in New York, but slipped lower in later trading.
Geostrategy
Gaza battles rage as mediators push for truce deal
Mediators Egypt and Qatar were due to host new talks this week, according to officials, as the bloodiest-ever Gaza war...
- Cairo and Doha have resumed diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting, aiming for an initial six-week ceasefire
- Hamas has signaled it would drop its insistence on a "complete" ceasefire
Geostrategy
Erdogan says may invite Syria’s Assad to Turkey ‘at any moment’
Erdogan's comments come after tensions have mounted over the past week after a mob went on the rampage, vandalising businesses...
- Turkey originally aimed to topple Assad's regime when the Syrian conflict erupted with the violent suppression of peaceful protesters in 2011
- But more recently, Ankara has shifted focus to preventing what Erdogan in 2019 dubbed a "terror corridor" from opening up in northern Syria
Ceasefire talks falter as Hamas, Israel clash over conditions, Gaza sees more destruction and deaths
Hamas accuses Israel of stalling the truce with new demands on troop withdrawal and prisoner release, while Netanyahu’s office counters,...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
‘Amazing’ AI de-ages Tom Hanks in new film ‘Here’
Arts & Culture
Divided G20 fails to agree on climate action, Ukraine war escalation dominates Rio summit talks
G20 leaders in Rio failed to resolve UN climate talks deadlock, merely stating funding for developing countries battling global warming...
UN climate chief at deadlocked COP29: ‘Cut the theatrics’
As the UN climate talks limp into a second week in Azerbaijan, the world is no closer to a finance...
Geostrategy
G20 leaders to grapple with climate, taxes, Trump comeback
G20 leaders gather in Brazil on Monday to discuss fighting poverty, boosting climate financing and other multilateral initiatives that could...
Most Read
Arts & Culture
Magritte’s ‘Empire of Light’ to fetch nearly $100m at New York auction
New York, United States -- With a Magritte painting estimated to sell for nearly $100 million, drawings by pop artist Keith...
- The seminal 1954 work is one of a series of paintings from the Surrealist master depicting the interplay of shadow and light.
- Its estimated price is $95 million, which would easily shatter the previous record for a Magritte, $79 million in 2022.
Israel escalates bombing in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires projectiles; UN warns of Gaza famine
Israel escalated strikes on Hezbollah in Beirut and Tyre, targeting strongholds, while Hezbollah launched retaliatory attacks on Haifa, hitting a...
- Israel has escalated its bombing of Lebanon since September 23 and has since sent in ground troops, following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges of fire
- Israel's military chief Hezbollah had already "paid a big price" but Israel will keep fighting until thousands of its residents displaced from the north can return safely
Geostrategy
With Trump’s presidency, expect pro-Israel policies to replace Biden’s nuanced approach in Middle East relations
Trump’s return could shift US policy on Israel, with his Republican Party's pro-Israel stance and his preference for "America First"...
- Trump, unlike every other recent president, has never committed to a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state
- He leads a Republican Party so pro-Israel that some local offices handed out Israeli flags alongside Trump yard-signs