TikTok under fire: Espionage claims, election influence campaigns and controversies
The platform faces accusations of espionage in the United States, while the European Union has launched an investigation into claims...
Geostrategy
Israel approves plan aiming to double annexed Golan population, Saudi calls it ‘sabotage’ of Syria
The occupied Golan is home to about 23,000 Druze Arabs, whose presence predates the occupation and most of whom retain...
Geostrategy
Pulitzer Prizes honor coverage of war in Gaza
New York, United States - The war in Gaza featured prominently in Monday's Pulitzer Prizes, which included a special citation for...
- The New York Times won a Pulitzer in international reporting for its "wide-ranging and revelatory coverage of Hamas's lethal attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7
- Reuters meanwhile won the award for breaking news photography for its "raw and urgent" coverage of the October 7 attack and Israeli response
Geostrategy
Hamas accepts Gaza truce proposal, Israel urges Rafah evacuation
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the proposal "is far from Israel's essential demands", but the government will send...
- The Hamas announcement brought cheering crowds onto the street amid tears of happiness, chants of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest") and celebratory shooting in the air
- Israel's military meanwhile reiterated an earlier call for residents of east Rafah to evacuate as it prepares for a "ground operation" in the southern Gaza city
Geostrategy
Israel’s Rafah evacuation order heightens global alarm
The evacuation call followed disagreement between Israel and Hamas over the Palestinian group's demands to end the seven-month war, during...
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to send ground troops into Rafah regardless of any truce, defying international concerns.
- The foreign ministry in Cairo warned in a statement of "grave humanitarian risks" for more than one million Gazans sheltering there.
Business
Gaza truce talks resume in Egypt, without Israel for now
Mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States have been waiting for Hamas to respond to a proposal that, according...
- The WHO says 1.2 million people, half of Gaza's population, have sought refuge in Rafah, which has been repeatedly threatened by Israel with an invasion.
- US has reiterated its objections to a Rafah offensive, saying Israel has not presented a plan to protect the civilians sheltering there.
Hamas says delegation heading to Cairo for truce talks
The hawkish prime minister has insisted he will send ground troops into Rafah, despite strong concerns voiced by UN agencies...
- Foreign mediators have been waiting for a Hamas response to a proposal to halt the fighting for 40 days and exchange hostages for Palestinian captives
- A major stumbling block has been that, while Hamas has demanded a lasting ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue to fight
Geostrategy
EU pledges $1 bn for Lebanon, urges curbs against illegal migration
The EU Commission's spokesman said in Brussels the aid will be disbursed "in grants", with 736 million euros earmarked to...
- "I can announce a financial package of $1 billion for Lebanon that would be available from this year until 2027," the European Commission chief said
- She said the aid was designed to strengthen basic services such as education and health amid a severe economic crisis
Geostrategy
United Nations estimates rebuilding Gaza will cost $30bn to $40bn
"The scale of the destruction is huge and unprecedented... This is a mission that the global community has not dealt...
- He added that Gaza's reconstruction through the normal process could take decades, and the "Palestinian people do not have the luxury of waiting for decades".
- "It is therefore important that we act quickly to re-house people in decent housing and restore their lives to normal -- economically, socially, in terms of health and education".
Geostrategy
Blinken urges Hamas to agree truce to help Gazans
A Hamas official said the group would respond "within a very short period" to a plan proposed by mediators to...
- "Hamas needs to say yes and needs to get this done," said Blinken, who was in Israel on his seventh Middle East crisis tour since the war broke out in October
- He later added: "If Hamas actually purports to care about the Palestinian people and wants to see an immediate alleviation of their suffering, it should take this deal."
Economy
US Federal Reserve keeps interest rates at 23-year high
Washington, United States - The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady for a sixth straight meeting, keeping the...
- After a two-day gathering, the central bank decided unanimously to keep the benchmark lending rate unchanged at 5.25-5.50 percent
- For months, the US central bank has held its benchmark lending rate at a high level to cool demand and rein in price increases
Geostrategy
Hamas official insists Gaza ceasefire must be permanent
Hamas is considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the exchange of scores of hostages for larger numbers of...
- He said it was premature to say whether the Hamas envoys, who have returned from talks in Cairo to their base in Qatar, felt any progress was made.
- A source with knowledge of the negotiations said Qatari mediators expected a response from Hamas in one or two days.
TikTok under fire: Espionage claims, election influence campaigns and controversies
The platform faces accusations of espionage in the United States, while the European Union has launched an investigation into claims...
Geostrategy
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Israel and Hamas near ceasefire talks, spy chief heads to Qatar as truce momentum builds
Israel’s Mossad chief will travel to Qatar for ceasefire negotiations as Hamas signals readiness to halt fighting, contingent on Israel...
Geostrategy
Israel to send negotiators to new Gaza truce talks in Qatar
The head of Israel's Mossad spy agency, David Barnea, will head to Qatari capital Doha on Sunday, the Israeli prime...
Geostrategy
Beirut’s suburbs ravaged by Israeli air raids as Blinken urges de-escalation with Iran
Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold destroyed six buildings in the deadliest assault since the war began, despite U.S....
Geostrategy
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Updates: Israel confirms killing of Hezbollah leader’s successor as Blinken presses for Gaza truce
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, while Israeli airstrikes continued targeting Hezbollah's...
- A member of Hezbollah's decision-making body and a distant relative of Nasrallah, Safieddine was out of contact since Israeli strikes on Beirut weeks ago,
- Grey-bearded and bespectacled, Safieddine bore a striking resemblance to his distant cousin Nasrallah, but was several years his junior, aged in his late 50s or early 60s
Economy
IMF predicts slightly slower global growth in 2024 and 2025
In its new World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the International Monetary Fund also estimates that global inflation will continue to...
- "In our baseline analysis, in advanced economies (inflation) will be back at central bank targets in 2025," he said.
- The IMF expects growth in the Middle East and Central Asia to pick up slightly to 2.4% in 2024, before jumping to 3.9% in 2025 as the effect of oil and shipping disruptions fades.
Geostrategy
Is Musk’s million-dollar US voter lottery legal?
Donald Trump surrogate Elon Musk's offer of a million dollars to one registered voter in a swing state every day...
- "I think it's something that law enforcement should look at."- Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania
- Musk defends his move by saying it is a simple get-out-and-vote effort