Iran rejects Western accusations of overseas plots as ‘baseless’
In a statement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the claims as "baseless", calling them "an attempt to divert...
Geostrategy
World economies reel from Trump’s tariffs
The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump sees putting US exporters in a stronger position while...
Economy
Search for buried survivors after Indonesia quake kills 162
The epicenter of the shallow 5.6-magnitude quake on Monday was near the town of Cianjur in Indonesia's most populous province...
- Indonesia's national disaster mitigation agency, or BNPB, said at least 25 people were still buried under the rubble in Cianjur as darkness fell on Monday
- The devastation caused by the quake was made worse by a wave of 62 smaller aftershocks -- with magnitudes ranging from 1.8 to 4 -- that kept shaking Cianjur
Geostrategy
Turkish president threatens ground operation into Syria
Overnight, Turkey hit dozens of targets in northern Syria as well as northern Iraq, a week after a bomb attack...
- Rocket fire from Syrian territory on Monday killed at least two people, including a child, in Turkey's border town of Karkamis, top officials said
- Erdogan said "70 planes and drones" that "penetrated 140 kilometers into northern Iraq and 20 kilometers into northern Syria" carried out the weekend strikes
Messi centre stage as Argentina, France begin World Cup title bids
In recent days, Messi has twice trained apart from the rest of the squad but he moved to dispell any...
- Messi and his strongly fancied Argentina side are up first when they face Saudi Arabia in Group C
- The 35-year-old has won pretty much it all and is one of the greatest footballers of all time
Geostrategy
Egypt warms up to Turkey, lauds new ‘beginning’ in ties
Nearly ten years after their relations broke down, Egypt and Turkey are working to rebuild the ties as the Egyptian...
- Relations between Cairo and Ankara turned frosty in 2013 after Sisi deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi and outlawed his Muslim Brotherhood
- Long-standing disagreements over the countries' opposing roles in war-scarred Libya impeded moves towards a full rapprochement, until now
Business
Lufthansa to hire 20,000 employees
Lufthansa had 108,000 employees at the end of September.
- Lufthansa made huge losses when Covid brought global air travel to a halt but a rebound in demand has helped it return to profit this year.
- In the third quarter, the airline group -- which also includes Eurowings, Austrian, Swiss and Brussels Airlines -- reported a healthy profit.
Arts & Culture
Saudi football academies eye boost from World Cup
The kingdom has long been obsessed with football, but interest in playing -- not just watching -- has surged in...
- Even before World Cup fever peaked with its first edition in the Arab world, local academies were struggling to accommodate the needs of youngsters taking to the pitch.
- The French academy opened its first facility in Riyadh in January and has since added five more including in Jeddah and Dammam.
Business
QatarEnergy inks 27-year gas supply deal with China firm
The deal "marks the longest gas supply agreement in the history of the LNG industry", said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar's...
- QatarEnergy will send 4 million tons of liquefied natural gas annually from its new North Field East project to China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation.
- The Chinese company's chairman revealed that it had also requested a full share of the North Field South project that is dominated by Western energy giants.
Arts & Culture
Fearing FIFA censure, European teams won’t wear ‘OneLove’ armband
England, Germany and five other European teams at the World Cup on Monday abandoned plans to wear a rainbow-themed armband...
- The "OneLove" armband due to be warn by the likes of England captain Harry Kane and Germany counterpart Manuel Neuer is designed as part of a campaign to promote inclusivity.
- The armbands had widely been viewed as a protest against laws in host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal.
Confident Martinelli dismisses Brazil doubters at World Cup
Gunners fans that have marveled at his early season form -- five goals and two assists in 14 Premier League...
- The 21-year-old Arsenal star only made his debut for the South American giants as a substitute against Chile in March
- Brazil may be the favorites for their opening game against Serbia but fans and media alike are worried about their opponents' attacking threats
Geostrategy
UN nuclear chief denounces strikes on Ukraine power plant
There were more than a dozen blasts overnight Saturday to Sunday, some of which a team of experts from the...
- A planned campaign by Kyiv targeting logistics networks, bridges and pontoon crossings battered Russian supply lines and forced their troops to abandon Kherson
- Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his daily address, said there had been nearly 400 Russian attacks in the east of the country alone on Sunday
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Iran rejects Western accusations of overseas plots as ‘baseless’
In a statement, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei described the claims as "baseless", calling them "an attempt to divert...
Geostrategy
Company News
‘Oppenheimer’ dominates BAFTAs in major Oscars boost
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Hamas armed wing says fired ‘large rocket barrage’ at Tel Aviv
Rocket sirens blared in Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with an AFP correspondent reported hearing at least...
Geostrategy
EU hosts talks to strengthen Palestinian Authority for Gaza
A "strong" Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said...
Geostrategy
Hamas claims to have taken Israeli soldier ‘prisoner’
The armed wing of Hamas said it had taken "prisoner" at least one Israeli soldier in an ambush on Saturday....
Geostrategy
Most Read
Tunisian Jewish pilgrimage sees low turnout amid security fears
Djerba, Tunisia - Only a dozen pilgrims turned up Friday at this year's Jewish pilgrimage on Tunisia's island of Djerba...
- The pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue, Africa's oldest, usually draws thousands of pilgrims from Europe, Israel and beyond, attracting international and local tourists as well
- But on the first day of the pilgrimage event this year, only about a dozen worshippers were present - almost none of them foreigners
Modi’s struggling rivals to vote as India election resumes
New Delhi, India - India's six-week election resumes Saturday, with top rivals of Prime Minister Narendra Modi due to vote in...
- Modi, 73, remains roundly popular after a decade in office and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is widely expected to win a third term next month
- His prospects have been further bolstered by several criminal investigations into his opponents, sparking concerns from UN rights chief Volker Turk
Geostrategy
International Court of Justice orders Israel to halt Rafah offensive
The International Court of Justice also demanded the immediate release of all hostages still held by Palestinian militants, hours after...
- "The court finds it deeply troubling that many of these hostages remain in captivity and reiterates its call for their immediate and unconditional release," it said.
- Hamas gave a qualified welcome to the ruling, regretting only that it applied solely to Rafah and not the whole Gaza Strip.