Global food prices reach 18-month high, vegetable oil cost soars
Paris, France -- Global food prices rose in October to their highest level in 18 months, with a sharp increase in...
Geostrategy
Lebanon MPs demand UN protection of heritage sites from Israel attacks
The Lebanese MPs called on Azoulay to "urgently prioritize the protection of these historic sites by mobilizing UNESCO’s authority.
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UN aid chief warns of ‘apocalyptic’ consequences of Gaza shortages
"If fuel runs out, aid doesn't get to the people where they need it, that famine, which we have talked...
- An Israeli incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, launched in the face of international outcry, has deepened an already perilous humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
- The UN said on Saturday that 800,000 people had been "forced to flee" Israel's assault in Rafah.
Business
Iraq father begins legal action against BP over son’s cancer death
Rumaylah, Iraq - Hussein Julood is taking legal action against British energy giant BP after he lost his son to...
- The bereaved father, who lives near the Rumaila field in the southern province of Basra, is demanding that the firm compensate him for his son Ali's medical expenses
- He said no amount of money would make up for his son's death. But "what I am claiming is my right", added the 55-year-old father of seven, from his modest home
Geostrategy
Oil tanker hit by missile off Yemen, no casualties
"At approximately 1 am (Sanaa time) May 18, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) into the Red Sea...
- The attack caused some flooding "which resulted in the loss propulsion and steering", CENTCOM said
- The Houthis who control much of Yemen have launched dozens of attacks on vessels in and around the Red Sea
Business
OpenAI disbands team devoted to artificial intelligence risks
San Francisco, United States -- OpenAI on Friday confirmed that it has disbanded a team devoted to mitigating the long-term dangers...
- OpenAI weeks ago began dissolving the so-called "superalignment" group, integrating members into other projects and research, according to the San Francisco-based firm.
- Company co-founder Ilya Sutskever and team co-leader Jan Leike announced their departures from the ChatGPT-maker this week.
Geostrategy
Israeli leaders split over post-war Gaza governance
Jerusalem, Undefined -- New divisions have emerged among Israel's leaders over post-war Gaza's governance, with an unexpected Hamas fightback in parts...
- After Hamas regrouped in northern Gaza, where Israel previously said the group had been neutralized, broad splits emerged in the Israeli war cabinet in recent days.
- Netanyahu came under personal attack from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for failing to rule out an Israeli government in Gaza after the war.
‘Hindu nation’: Religion trumps caste in India vote
Agra, India - Born at the bottom of the Hindu faith's rigid caste system, voters like Anil Sonkar will determine whether...
- More than two-thirds of India's 1.4 billion people are estimated to be on the lower rungs of a millennia-old social hierarchy that divides Hindus by function and social standing
- Politicians of all stripes have courted lower caste Indians with affirmative action programmes, job guarantees and special subsidies to mitigate long-standing discrimination
Geostrategy
Arab League calls for UN peacekeepers in Palestinian territories
In a concluding statement following a meeting in Manama, the 22-member grouping called for "international protection and peacekeeping forces of...
- The league also separately, called for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza and an end to forced displacement in the Palestinian territory
- Abbas told the summit his rival Hamas gave Israel "pretexts and justifications" to wage war on Gaza with its October 7 attack
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Despite international appeals, Israel to ‘intensify’ Rafah assault
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said "additional forces will enter" the Rafah area and "this activity will intensify". "Hundreds of targets...
- Israel's top ally the United States has joined other major powers in appealing for it to hold back from a full ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah.
- The 22-member Arab League, meanwhile, called for UN peacekeepers to be deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories until a two-state solution has been implemented.
Business
ADX gains $1.90bn on strong performances from bank stocks
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) extended its gains at the close of trading today, adding...
- The total market capitalization of listed shares reached AED 3.49 trillion at the end of Thursday's trading session.
- Local stocks attracted over AED1.5 billion in liquidity at the end of the session, distributed as follows: AED 1.12 billion on the ADX and AED396.3 million on the DFM.
Geostrategy
Bahrain calls for Mideast peace conference at Gaza-focused Arab League
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was addressing fellow heads of state and government at the 22-strong grouping in Manama,...
- King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was addressing fellow heads of state and government at the 22-strong grouping in Manama, more than seven months into the conflict
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the war in Gaza as "an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region"
Global food prices reach 18-month high, vegetable oil cost soars
Paris, France -- Global food prices rose in October to their highest level in 18 months, with a sharp increase in...
Geostrategy
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Lebanon may be seeing ‘largest displacement’ ever: PM
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that "the estimated number is very high and may reach one million" -- which would...
Business
Trump launches into ‘dark speech’ on illegal immigration
Anti-immigrant sentiment has been at the core of Trump's appeal in economically depressed, majority-white parts of the country ever since...
Retaliation or defeat: Hezbollah at crossroads after Nasrallah’s killing
Widely seen as the most powerful man in Lebanon before his death of Friday, Nasrallah was the face of Hezbollah...
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Biden ready to ‘adjust’ US forces in Mideast amid tensions: White House
Washington, United States - President Joe Biden ordered US forces in the Middle East to be adjusted "as necessary," the White...
- The US president, who traveled to his beach house in Delaware on Friday, had been briefed several times by his national security team, the White House added
- Biden had earlier confirmed that "the US had no knowledge of or participation in the (Israeli) action," adding in remarks to reporters that, "We're gathering information."
Geostrategy
Tens of thousands protest against Lebanon ‘bloodbath’ in Iran, Yemen
The demonstrations in Tehran and other Iranian cities were responding to a call by authorities on Wednesday to demonstrate in...
- Hezbollah is part of the "axis of resistance," Iran-aligned armed groups across the Middle East that have targeted Israel, and also US forces
- The alliance also includes Yemen's Houthi rebels who organized a demonstration by tens of thousands in the capital Sanaa on Friday a day after firing a missile at Israel
Helpless! Top EU diplomat regrets failure to ‘stop’ Netanyahu
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell voiced regret Friday that no power, including the United States, can "stop" Israeli Prime...
- EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell says no power, including the United States, can "stop" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
- "What we do is to put all diplomatic pressure to a ceasefire, but nobody seems to be able to stop Netanyahu.."