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
Geostrategy
‘Enough’: Israeli protesters demand Gaza truce
Large protests, also demanding elections, have taken place across Israel's commercial hub every Saturday night, with smaller ones throughout the...
- The demonstrators want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a truce and hostage-release deal or else step down
- The nationwide "disruption day" began at 6:29 am to correspond to the start of Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel that started the war
Geostrategy
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says 16 killed in strike on school
The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said two of its workers were killed in a strike at Al-Bureij in...
- The ministry, which condemned the strike as an "odious massacre", said another 50 injured were taken to hospital from Al-Jawni school at Nuseirat in central Gaza
- Israel has carried out a military offensive that has killed at least 38,098 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to data from the Gaza health ministry
Geostrategy
Calling for better ties with West, Iran reformist wins presidency
In the mausoleum of Imam Khomeini in southern Tehran, Pezeshkian gave a speech thanking his supporters, saying their votes have...
- Pezeshkian received more than 16 million votes, around 54 percent, and Jalili more than 13 million, roughly 44 percent, out of about 30 million votes cast
- The death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash necessitated the election, which was not due until 2025
Geostrategy
Israel says negotiators to hold fresh Gaza truce talks next week
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israel said Friday that "gaps" remained with Hamas on how to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release...
- There has been no truce in the nine-month-old war in Gaza since a one-week pause in November saw 80 Israeli hostages freed in return for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons
- The United States, which has worked alongside Qatar and Egypt in trying to broker a deal, had talked up the significance of Netanyahu's decision to send a delegation to Qatar
Early returns show reformist Pezeshkian leading Iran runoff vote: interior ministry
Iran held the first round of its snap presidential election last week which was marked by a record low turnout....
- Officials have so far counted more than 11 million ballots for Pezeshkian and around 9 million for Jalili, electoral authority spokesman Mohsen Eslami was quoted by IRNA
- Only 40 percent of Iran's 61 million eligible voters cast their ballots in the first round - the lowest turnout in any presidential election since the Islamic Revolution of 1979
Geostrategy
Is Artificial Intelligence a major drain on the world’s energy supply?
Paris, France -- When Google announced this week that its climate emissions had risen by 48 percent since 2019, it pointed...
- The International Energy Agency (IEA) said in a report earlier this year that data centers in general used roughly 40 percent of electricity on computing and 40 percent on cooling.
- Big tech firms have been rushing to pack all their products with AI ever since OpenAI launched its ChatGPT bot in late 2022.
Geostrategy
Reformist faces ultraconservative as Iran votes for president
In a contest between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, the election comes amid heightened regional tension
- The election follows a first round marked by a historically low voter turnout last week
- Regardless of the result, Iran's next president will be in charge of applying state policy outlined by the supreme leader
Business
Airbus nets satellite deal
The $2.5bn contract was awarded by the German army.
- The contract was awarded for next generation SatcomBw 3 military communications satellites, the European aerospace firm said.
- The contract, for deployment by the end of the decade, includes the prime contractor of two satellites "as well as the ground segment (receiving stations.
Business
European Union slaps Chinese electric cars with tariffs of up to 38%
Brussels, Belgium -- The European Union on Thursday slapped extra provisional duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric car...
- A European Commission probe launched last year concluded that state subsidies for Chinese EV manufacturers were unfairly undercutting European rivals.
- The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the EU slammed the tariffs, coming on top of current import duties of 10 percent, as "politically-motivated" and "protectionist".
Geostrategy
Lebanon’s Hezbollah rains rockets on Israel as Gaza war rages
Fire and smoke billows after rockets fired from southern Lebanon hit areas in northern Israel on July 4, 2024. (AFP).
- The Israeli military said its forces were "striking launch posts in southern Lebanon"
- UN chief Antonio Guterres is "very worried about the escalation of the exchange of fire"
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
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‘Amazing’ AI de-ages Tom Hanks in new film ‘Here’
Arts & Culture
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Egypt’s middle class cuts costs as IMF-backed reforms take hold
Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt's economy has been in crisis for years, but as the latest round of International Monetary Fund-backed reforms...
Economy
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...
Arts & Culture
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...
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Xi, Biden in Peru for APEC summit, pre-Trump face-to-face
uncertainty over Trump's next moves now clouds the APEC agenda -- as it does for the COP29 climate talks underway...
- President Vladimir Putin of APEC member Russia will not be present
- Trump has threatened tariffs of up to 60 percent on imports of Chinese goods
Business
TikTok makes AI driven ad tool available globally
San Francisco, United States - TikTok on Thursday began letting all marketers on its platform use an artificial intelligence-powered tool for...
- The news came with word that Getty Images will make its stockpile of pictures and video available to TikTok's AI‑powered video generation tool called Symphony Creative Studio
- Brands will be able to use Getty's licensed images and videos to create AI-generated ads, including marketing messages featuring characters resembling real people
Geostrategy
Lebanon economic losses top $5 billion in year of clashes: World Bank
Beirut, Lebanon -- More than a year of clashes that recently escalated into war have cost Lebanon more than $5 billion...
- The losses are "largely concentrated in the commerce and tourism and hospitality sectors... as well as in the agriculture sector", the Bank said in a report.
- "The final cost of damage and losses for Lebanon associated with the conflict is expected to significantly exceed those presented in this assessment," the report said.