France issues arrest warrant for Syria’s Assad over 2012 journalist killings: lawyers
Paris, France -- French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six other top...
Geostrategy
Hamas rejects reported plan for US takeover of Gaza and relocation of its residents
Hamas denounced on Monday a plan reportedly being considered by US President Donald Trump for the United States to take...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Suez Canal traffic resumes after broken down tanker tugged away
Traffic in both directions returned to normal after a brief disruption when the Malta-flagged Seavigour experienced a "machinery malfunction" while...
- Brief disruptions caused by ships breaking down or running aground are common in the waterway, through which about 10 percent of global maritime trade passes.
- The canal is a major source of much-needed foreign currency for cash-strapped Egypt, earning it $8 billion in transit fees in 2022.
Economy
Human extinction threat ‘overblown’ says AI sage Marcus
In March, alarmed that ChatGPT creator OpenAI was releasing its latest and more powerful AI model with Microsoft, Marcus signed...
- Instead of putting the focus on more far-fetched scenarios where no one survives, society should be putting attention on where real dangers lie, Marcus surmised
- At a US Senate hearing in May, seated beside OpenAI's Altman, Marcus argued for the creation of a national or international agency responsible for AI governance
Economy
OPEC+ looks to slash production to rein in weak prices
The UAE energy minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei said he expected the outcome of meeting to "balance the market and...
- The 13-member OPEC is due to consult with 10 other oil-producing nations, including Russia, to review the grouping's future output policy
- An output cut of 700,000 bpd to one million bpd was one of the options being discussed, a source told AFP, stressing that nothing was set in stone
Geostrategy
Volunteers bury 180 unidentified bodies as Sudan war rages
Volunteers have buried 102 unidentified bodies in the capital's cemetery and 78 more in Darfur, ever since the fighting between...
- According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, more than 1,800 people have been killed in the fighting
- The UN says 1.2 million people have been displaced within Sudan and more than 425,000 have fled abroad
Geostrategy
Cabinet lineup unveiled as Erdogan starts third term as Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has begun his third term as Turkish president, vowing to serve "impartially". Despite an economic crisis and...
- Erdogan names Mehmet Simsek as the finance minister and Hakan Fidan as the foreign minister
- The Turkish leader pledges to serve 'impartially' and to uphold the secular principles of the republic
Geostrategy
Three Israeli, Egyptian dead in cross border firing
Three Israeli soldiers and a member of Egypt's security forces were killed in a rare exchange of fire near the...
- An army statement identified the assailant as an Egyptian policeman, saying he was killed by Israeli troops after being found "in Israeli territory".
- Hours before the deadly shooting, Israeli soldiers had foiled an attempted drug smuggling operation at the border, seizing contraband goods.
Geostrategy
Dane, two Austrian-Iranian citizens released by Tehran arrive home
One Dane and two Austrian-Iranian citizens released from detention by Tehran arrived in their home countries, after the latest in...
- Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib welcomed them at the airport along with Danish and Austrian diplomats.
- The trio's release, as well as that of a Belgian aid worker a week earlier, were part of a prisoner swap.
Business
US firms to pay $1.2bn to clear claims of contaminating water sources
Three major chemical manufacturers announced that they will pay nearly $1.2 billion to settle claims that they contaminated water sources...
- Chemours would contribute $592 million, DuPont $400 million and Corteva $193 million to the settlement fund.
- The group of chemicals known as PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, have been found to cause cancer and other health problems.
Geostrategy
Erdogan commences third term today amid economic crisis, West tensions
Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been sworn in for a third term as president, promising to serve "impartially" after winning...
- Despite the devastating February earthquake and economic crisis, Erdogan secures 52.18 percent of the vote
- Erdogan's economic policy, including his unconventional approach to interest rates, is under scrutiny
Geostrategy
US secretary of state Antony Blinken to visit Saudi Arabia
Blinken's June 6-8 trip comes as both the United States and Saudi Arabia are seeking to broker a durable cease...
- He will participate in a ministerial meeting on Wednesday with the Gulf Cooperation Council, and on Thursday in a meeting in Riyadh of the coalition of countries fighting the ISIS.
- Blinken's trip follows a recent visit to Saudi Arabia by White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and nearly a year after President Joe Biden visited the country.
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France issues arrest warrant for Syria’s Assad over 2012 journalist killings: lawyers
Paris, France -- French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six other top...
Geostrategy
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OPEC+ expected to extend oil supply cuts to avoid drop in prices
Without a new agreement, the eight countries which have been making voluntary additional production cuts of 2.2 million barrels per...
OECD warns of protectionism weeks before Trump return
While the organization raised its 2025 global growth forecast to 3.3 percent, it cautioned that "greater trade protectionism, particularly from...
Economy
France, Saudi Arabia to co-chair June meet on creating Palestinian state: Macron
The French president said they want to involve both European and non-European allies who are ready to move in this...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Iran says ready to study any Syrian request for troops
Tehran, Iran - Iran will consider any request from its Syrian ally for troops to help tackle a sweeping rebel offensive...
- Iran and Syria have been close allies for decades and Iran has long provided military advisors to the Syrian armed forces
- The Iranian government has been portraying the rebel assault as a US-Israeli plot to destabilise the Middle East
Qatar to invest 1 bn pounds in climate technologies with UK
London, United Kingdom - The British government said Wednesday that it has agreed to a partnership with Qatar that will see...
- British industrial group Rolls-Royce, which manufactures aircraft engines, will receive investments for programs dedicated to energy efficiency, the statement said
- Qatar's investments in the British economy are estimated at over 40 billion pounds and the emirate indicated in 2022 that it intends to invest another 10 billion pounds by 2027
Business
Tech firms aiming for smaller, leaner AI models
Smaller AI models save energy, reduce costs, and enhance data security but work alongside large models for advanced solutions.