Israel’s Mossad tells Iranian protesters ‘we are with you’
Israel's Mossad spy agency issued a direct call urging Iranians to press on with protests, saying it was supporting them...
Geostrategy
“Hell to pay”: Trump warns Hamas after Netanyahu talks, threatens Iran with fresh strikes
US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have "hell to pay" if it fails...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground....
- The stalemate was a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight.
- Countries voiced anger and despair as the talks unraveled, but said they wanted future negotiations -- despite six rounds of talks over three years ending in a failure.
Geostrategy
‘Like hell’: Indoor heat overwhelms Saudi Arabia’s cooks, bakers
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Baker Eid Ahmed just can't get away from Saudi Arabia's notorious heat: he makes bread next...
- In arid Saudi Arabia, summer temperatures regularly reach 50C, leaving streets empty for much of the day.
- To protect laborers, the kingdom bans work under direct sunlight and outside during the hours of most intense heat from mid-June until mid-September.
Geostrategy
At least 1,760 killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May: UN
"While 994 were killed in the vicinity of GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) sites, 766 were killed along the routes of...
- The update came as Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 23 people were killed by Israeli fire on Friday, including 12 who were waiting for humanitarian aid.
- The military intends to take control of Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, some of the most densely populated parts of the territory.
Economy
Trump says semiconductor tariffs coming soon
"I'll be setting tariffs next week and the week after, on steel and, I would say, chips. Chips and semiconductors,...
- Trump said the levy rate would be "lower at the beginning" but "very high after a certain period of time," as a way to encourage businesses to relocate operations to the US.
- On August 6, Trump announced a 100 percent tariff on semiconductors from firms that do not invest in the United States.
Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief thanks Iran for ongoing support to face Israel
Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting...
- Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel
- Larijani's visit came after the Lebanese government tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year
Geostrategy
Israeli far-right minister backs contentious West Bank settlement plan
Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West...
- Israel has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition
- Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two state solution
Economy
Oil prices rise ahead of US-Russia summit as stocks digest inflation data
New York, United States - Wall Street stocks finished little changed Thursday as markets absorbed a disappointing inflation report, while...
- The producer price index rose 0.9 percent on a month-on-month basis, much greater than analysts expected following benign consumer pricing data earlier this week
- Among individual companies, Intel surged 7.4 percent following a Bloomberg News report that Trump is considering an investment in the beleaguered chip company
Geostrategy
Expectations high as Trump, Putin set to meet at Alaska: What each side wants
In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk,...
- For Putin, who has faced years of isolation from the West since the invasion, the summit is an opportunity to press Russia's hardline demands for ending the conflict
- In addition to territory, Russia wants Ukraine to ensure the "rights and freedoms" of the Russian-speaking population and to prohibit what it calls the "glorification of Nazism".
Business
Stocks diverge as bitcoin hits record high
Bitcoin hit a new peak at $124,514.59 in Asian trading, before cooling to around $121,500. The world's biggest cryptocurrency is...
- Bitcoin is also winning investor support thanks to strong backing for the cryptocurrency sector from Trump.
- Most European equity indices climbed after major Asian peers ended lower.
Geostrategy
Foreign NGOs say new Israeli rules keep them from delivering Gaza aid
According to the joint letter, whose signatories include Oxfam and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), at least 60 requests to bring...
- UK-based Oxfam said that $2.5 million worth of its supplies, including food, were barred from entering Gaza, while CARE said it had not been authorized to bring in aid since March.
- The aid groups complained that the new rules were leaving Gazans without life-saving assistance.
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Israel’s Mossad tells Iranian protesters ‘we are with you’
Israel's Mossad spy agency issued a direct call urging Iranians to press on with protests, saying it was supporting them...
Geostrategy
Company News
Nvidia to take stake in Nokia
Business
Latest News
Demand for air con set to triple by 2050, warns UN
Geneva, Switzerland -- Global demand for air conditioning could more than triple by 2050, the United Nations warned on Tuesday,...
Geostrategy
Sharaa’s US visit: Syria joins alliance against Islamic State after White House talks
Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, was the first Syrian leader to visit the...
Geostrategy
US mediator Kushner and Netanyahu hold talks on the second round of Gaza ceasefire
Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump who helped broker the ceasefire, met Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday as...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
The Sudanese who told the world what happened in El-Fasher
Port Sudan, Sudan -- "Sixteen killed." "Seven killed." "Thirty-one killed." "People are eating cowhide to survive." "The bombs are getting...
- AFP's Sudan correspondent documented the grim siege of El-Fasher through civilians like doctors and activists who relayed vital, dangerous updates.
- These brave sources, including Dr. Ismail and Sheikh Moussa, have all been killed while documenting the ongoing war between the army and the RSF.
Geostrategy
UAE ‘probably’ won’t join Gaza stabilization force: senior official
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The United Arab Emirates is not planning to join the international stabilisation force for Gaza because...
- The US-coordinated international force has been seen as likely to include troops from Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, as well as the UAE.
- Last week, US President Donald Trump said he expected the force to be in Gaza "very soon", as a fragile ceasefire holds following two years of war.
Science
No link between paracetamol and autism, major review finds
Paris, France -- There is no clear link between pregnant women taking the common painkiller paracetamol and autism in their...
- In September, the US president sparked outrage among the medical community by claiming that paracetamol -- also known as acetaminophen -- was associated with higher rates of autism
- The umbrella review called for better research, pointing out that there has been a "historical and ongoing underinvestment in women's health research".