Iraq announces complete withdrawal of US-led coalition from federal territory
Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the...
Geostrategy
Iran vows fast trials over protests after Trump threatened “very strong action”
Iran on Wednesday vowed fast-track trials for people arrested over a massive wave of protests, after US President Donald Trump...
Geostrategy
Business
Nvidia expands AI empire with Groq talent grab
San Francisco, United States -- Nvidia has hired the leadership of a promising AI chip startup, a statement said Wednesday,...
- Under the agreement, Groq founder Jonathan Ross and president Sunny Madra, along with other team members, will join Nvidia to help develop and scale the Groq's technology.
- Nvidia's domination of the AI training chip market has made it the world's biggest company by market valuation.
Geostrategy
Iran Guards seize foreign-crewed oil tanker in Gulf: state media
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the Gulf carrying more than a dozen foreign crew members,...
- Iranian forces regularly announce the interception of ships it says are illegally transporting fuel in the Gulf
- They regularly target tankers that Tehran accuses of being part of the illicit trade in the Strait of Hormuz
Geostrategy
Israel to invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own independent arms industry
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel would invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own...
- In a controversial speech, Netanyahu said Israel was becoming increasingly isolated and had to adopt a "super-Sparta" approach
- In 2026, Israel will allocate about 16 percent of its public budget to defence -- around $35 billion out of an overall budget of $208 billion
Geostrategy
Libyans united in grief for army chief killed in plane crash
General Mohammed al-Haddad and his four aides died on Tuesday after a visit to Ankara, with Turkish officials saying an...
- "It will be hard to find a man of his calibre," Nasreddine al-Maghribi told AFP at a cafe in Libyan capital Tripoli.
- Until a successor is selected, Haddad's deputy, General Salaheddine al-Namroush, will stand in for him, according to the presidential council.
Business
Why metal prices are soaring to record highs
London, United Kingdom -- Precious and industrial metals are surging to record highs as the year ends, driven by economic...
- Gold has climbed more than 70 percent this year and passed $4,500 an ounce for the first time on Wednesday.
- A weak dollar is also boosting industrial metals, since commodities priced in dollars become cheaper for buyers when the currency falls.
Geostrategy
Palestinian Authority says Israel tightening control over West Bank with new settlements
The Palestinian Authority condemned on Tuesday Israel's recent approval of 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing it of...
- On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements
- The latest move brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, Smotrich's office said
Economy
“New Suez Canal on rails”: Egypt high-speed trains to connect Red Sea, Mediterranean
Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the...
- The Green Line, as it is known, is the latest of a long list of megaprojects undertaken by El-Sisi's government in the past decade
- The Green Line will run across the country's north, from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean
Geostrategy
Gazans fear renewed displacement after Israeli strikes
Residents say the strikes have targeted neighborhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line -- a demarcation established under the truce...
- Earlier this month, Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir described the Yellow Line as the "new border line" with Israel.
- For Palestinian officials, the line is seen as a tool for permanent displacement.
Business
Kuwait signs $4.1 billion deal with China to build port
Kuwait City, Kuwait -- Kuwait has signed a deal worth $4.1 billion with China to complete the construction of a...
- Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah project would "enhance Kuwait's share in the regional and international trade and global supply chain".
- Chinese acting charge d'affaires Liu Xiang said the deal "constitutes participation in the 'belt and road' initiative".
Geostrategy
Ex-Israeli PM accuses Netanyahu of ‘treason’ over alleged Qatar funding to his aides
Former Israeli premier Naftali Bennett, widely regarded as a leading contender in next year's legislative elections, called on Monday for...
- Bennet's remarks followed a report which purportedly revealed conversations between Netanyahu's advisers in connection with the case
- In April 2025, Netanyahu declared that Qatar was "not an enemy" of Israel, defending his two advisers who had been taken into custody
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Iraq announces complete withdrawal of US-led coalition from federal territory
Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Yemen separatist leader fled to UAE: Saudi-led coalition
Aidaros Alzubidi was accused of high treason and removed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council on Wednesday, while the coalition bombed...
Geostrategy
Saudi strikes Yemen after separatist leader skips talks
A Saudi-led coalition struck the home province of Yemen's UAE-backed separatist leader on Wednesday, after he failed to show up...
Geostrategy
US energy secretary says will control Venezuelan oil sales ‘indefinitely’
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that Washington will control sales of Venezuelan oil "indefinitely," a day after President...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Venezuelan parliament swears in interim president after Maduro’s ouster
Venezuela's parliament swore in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president on Monday, two days after US forces seized her predecessor Nicolas...
- Rodriguez, who has indicated she will cooperate with Washington, took the oath of office during a ceremony in the National Assembly
- Parliament denounced the capture of leftist leader Maduro while vowing support for his stand-in Rodriguez after the US military attack
Business
Oil prices gain, as equities extend record run higher
Oil prices have experienced choppy trading since the surprise US raid Saturday on Caracas that saw Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro...
- Brushing off geopolitical concerns, some major stock markets have begun the new year with new all-time highs, having smashed records in 2025.
- Seoul rose more than one percent Tuesday to top 4,500 points for the first time, helped by another strong rally in chip giant SK hynix.
Geostrategy
US operation in Venezuela undermined international law: UN
"States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state," Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman...
- Shamdasani said the UN rights office had spent years reporting on the "continued deterioration" in Venezuela.
- But she dismissed US justifications for its actions, saying accountability for rights violations "can't be achieved by military intervention in violation of international law".