Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ‘strongly condemns’ civilian toll in Gaza
The 10-member SCO said they also strongly condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iran in June, in the statement issued...
Geostrategy
Lebanon parliament speaker calls for dialogue over Hezbollah weapons
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, an ally of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, called on Sunday for dialogue...
Geostrategy
Syrians abandon babies at mosques, under trees as war grinds on
"Only a few cases of child abandonment" were officially documented before the war broke out in 2011, according to the...
- Health department official said that 53 abandoned newborn babies had been registered in government-controlled areas in the first 10 months of last year
- Syrian President this year issued a decree creating dedicated facilities for the children, who would be automatically registered as Arab, Syrian and Muslim
Geostrategy
Three days before election, Russia hopes for Erdogan’s win
In a world where Turkey and Russia are both sceptical of Western military, political and economic dominance, Putin and Erdogan...
- The winner in Turkey will have leverage over key areas for Moscow, such as Russia's large-scale military campaign in Ukraine, the war in Syria and the Kremlin's standoff with NATO
- For the Kremlin, Erdogan is a known quantity who has collaborated closely with Putin over the past 20 years, while Kilicdaroglu has recently blamed Moscow for meddling in the vote
Economy
US debt ceiling talks ‘unnecessary’ for global economy: IMF chief
International markets have been unnerved by the battle between US President Joe Biden and opposition Republicans on US borrowing limits...
- But she added that the Washington drama was "unnecessary for a world economy that is in such high uncertainty".
- Kristalina Georgieva told the Qatar Economic Forum that central banks must keep interest rates high to tame inflation but there should be improvement in 2024.
Geostrategy
Iran appoints envoy to Saudi Arabia after seven years
The new envoy, Alireza Enayati, previously served as Iran's ambassador to Kuwait, assistant to the foreign minister and director general...
- Saudi Arabia and Iran, after years of discord, signed a surprise reconciliation agreement in China on March 10.
- Saudi Arabia had severed relations with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the second city of Mashhad were attacked.
Geostrategy
Oman’s Sultan to visit Iran on President Ebrahim’s invitation
Oman has close ties with Iran and played a mediating role between Tehran and Washington in the build-up to a...
- The visit which will kick off on Sunday follows a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran announced in March.
- The visit comes a year after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Muscat -- a trip that saw the two countries sign a string of trade deals.
Geostrategy
Libya watchers see signs of progress toward reconciliation
The discord in one of the two rival governments, based in the east and backed by Khalifa Haftar, where the...
- The political rupture in the east has reversed the fortunes of Bashagha, who a year ago launched an attack on Tripoli that was repelled after a day of deadly street fighting.
- Tripoli-based interim PM Abdulhamid Dbeibah has used the "paralysis of the eastern government to consolidate his grip on political and economic life in Libya", said an analyst.
Economy
China scammer uses AI to pose as man’s friend, steal millions
The victim, surnamed Guo, received a video call last month from a person who looked and sounded like a close...
- Guo was persuaded to transfer $609,000 after the fraudster claimed another friend needed the money to come from a company bank account to pay the guarantee on a public tender
- Realising his mistake after messaging the friend whose identity was stolen, Guo alerted police who notified a bank to stop trasaction and he managed to recover his 3.4 million yuan
Business
Netflix widens password-sharing crackdown worldwide
As growth at Netflix cooled last year, the Silicon Valley-based streaming giant set out to nudge people watching for free...
- The company told financial analysts recently that it had delayed a broad crackdown on password sharing "to improve the experience for members"
- Getting people viewing for free to sign up for the Netflix ad tier would improve its appeal to advertisers, Insider Intelligence senior analyst Ross Benes said
Geostrategy
Israel passes budget with controversial cash for ultra-Orthodox
The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent recent weeks cutting deals with his ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right coalition partners, to meet a...
- Thousands of Israelis marched through Jerusalem on Tuesday to protest the government's plans to hand more cash to the ultra-Orthodox minority
- The 2023-2024 budget of Israel was ultimately passed early Wednesday with the support of all 64 coalition lawmakers in the 120-seat parliament
Business
Honda to supply Aston Martin engines from 2026
The tie up, announced on Wednesday, comes in the run-up to this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix with Aston Martin a...
- The tie up, announced on Wednesday, represents a return to F1 for Honda, who left in 2021 but retain links with Red Bull and AlphaTauri
- Aston will continue to be powered by Mercedes power units until 2026 when there is a sizeable shift in F1's technical landscape
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Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ‘strongly condemns’ civilian toll in Gaza
The 10-member SCO said they also strongly condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iran in June, in the statement issued...
Geostrategy
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Israel PM again warns Iran after top diplomat talks of revising nuclear doctrine if more sanctions imposed
The renewed war of words between the Middle East foes came as Iran prepares to hold key nuclear talks with...
How are countries regulating the wild west of social media for minors?
Paris, France -- A handful of nations are trying to clean up social media with measures including robust privacy provisions and...
Geostrategy
OPEC+ postpones meeting amid signs of ‘discord’ on output plans
The 22-member OPEC+ group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia was due to decide on its 2025 output policy at...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Palestinian leader Abbas lays ground for succession
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas announced his replacement . Under current Palestinian law, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC)...
- Abbas, 89, still rules despite his term as head of the Palestinian Authority ending in 2009
- The decree comes on the same day that a ceasefire entered into force in Lebanon
Car-centric Saudi to open first part of Riyadh Metro
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday it is ready to open the first part of the Riyadh Metro,...
- Services will be provided by 183 trains with 448 carriages manufactured by Siemens of Germany, Bombardier of Canada and Alstom of France
- The official Saudi Press Agency published a photograph of King Salman, who served as governor of Riyadh for nearly half a century, formally declaring that the project open
Trump’s tariff threats stoke global fears, prompting retaliation warnings from allies and rivals
US President-elect Donald Trump's sweeping tariff plans target Canada, Mexico, and China, raising fears of a global trade war, with...
- The president-elect on Monday placed both allies and rivals on notice, vowing to quickly slap 25% on Canada and Mexico, and add a 10 percent tariff on China
- Following through on that threat or his campaign promise of a 10 percent levy on all US imports - will have ripple effects across the global economy, analysts say