Iran vows stronger response if attacked again by US, Israel
It remains unclear how much damage was caused by the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which came after Israel...
Geostrategy
Major Israeli rights groups brand Gaza campaign ‘genocide’, a first for Israeli NGOs
Rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel have been frequent critics of Israeli government policies, but the language...
Geostrategy
Business
Hong Kong looks to legalize crypto for retail investors
Years of strict pandemic controls and a political crackdown have hammered the Asian finance hub's economy and sparked an exodus...
- In contrast to mainland China where crypto has been all but banned, Hong Kong is looking to relax regulations and claw back some of the business that has left
- A fintech conference opened on Monday and will be followed on Wednesday by a finance summit attended by some of the world's top bankers
Economy
China’s factory activity contracts on Covid curbs
The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) -- a key gauge of manufacturing in the world's second-biggest economy -- came in at...
- While activity at larger businesses expanded in October, work at small and medium-sized enterprises contracted significantly
- The economic slowdown has also been exacerbated by a crisis in the massive property sector, where a series of debt-laden developers have defaulted on loans
German eco activists glue themselves to dinosaur exhibit
over 60 million years old, holding a banner that read: "What if the government doesn't have it under control?" One...
- It was the latest such stunt by climate campaigners at a museum, after famous artworks were targeted in different ways across Europe
- The activists called on the government in Berlin to take quick steps to cut emissions, such as by setting a speed limit on motorways
Business
Qatar sets up consular facility for World Cup fans needing help
In order to help football fans who lose their passport or get arrested, Qatar has opened a World Cup consular...
- According to Mexico's ambassador, it is expecting more than 70,000 fans and will have "an important number" of diplomats on duty during the 29 day tournament
- Thousands of Saudi fans are also expected to pour across the border into Qatar, said Saudi ambassador Prince Mansour bin Khaled bin Farhan al-Saud
Economy
Twilight of the Tigris: Iraq’s mighty river drying up
The Tigris, the lifeline connecting the storied cities of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra, has been choked by dams, most of...
- The Tigris, the lifeline connecting the storied cities of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra, has been choked by dams, most of them upstream in Turkey, and decreasing rainfall
- Iraq's government and Kurdish farmers accuse Turkey, where the Tigris has its source, of withholding water in its dams, dramatically reducing the flow into Iraq
Geostrategy
Staring at drought next year, Iraq digs more than 500 wells in 2022
Al-Mishkhab, Iraq - Iraq has long drilled the desert for oil, but now climate stress, drought and reduced river flows are...
- Compounding the water stress, upstream dams, mainly in Turkey, have vastly reduced the flow of the Tigris and Euphrates.
- In a country where one in five people work in agriculture, water shortages have destroyed livelihoods and driven a rural exodus.
Geostrategy
Algeria hosts first Arab summit since Israel normalization deals
Algeria mediated a reconciliation deal in October between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. While few believe the deal will...
- The Arab League held its last summit in 2019, prior to both the pandemic and the UAE's historic US-backed normalization deal with Israel.
- The agreement, only Israel's third such deal with an Arab state, was followed by similar accords with Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Geostrategy
Ukraine blames Russian blockade for making grain export ‘impossible’
Russia's blockade of grain exports makes it "impossible" for fully loaded ships to leave port, Ukraine charged after Moscow claimed...
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed "deep concern about the ongoing situation regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
- The July deal to unlock grain exports signed between Russia and Ukraine and brokered by Turkey and the UN, is vital for easing the global food crisis.
Business
ConocoPhillips buys 6.25% in Qatar’s North Field South project
Project is part of the world's biggest natural gas reserves.
- Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said Qatar was talking with Asian nations over a share in its campaign to increase annual production by 60 percent.
- France's TotalEnergies and Britain's Shell both have 9.37 percent stakes in the field, while state-owned Qatar Energy has the remaining 75 percent.
Geostrategy
Lebanon’s Aoun vacates presidential palace as power vacuum looms
Michel Aoun was vacating Lebanon's presidential palace, amid acclaim from his supporters, a day before his mandate expires without a...
- Lebanese lawmakers have tried but failed four times in a month to agree on electing a successor after Aoun's six-year term ends.
- Lebanon is being run by a caretaker government as political divisions have prevented the formation of a new cabinet.
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Iran vows stronger response if attacked again by US, Israel
It remains unclear how much damage was caused by the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which came after Israel...
Geostrategy
Company News
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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...
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...
Geostrategy
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...
Business
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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."