Israel’s recognition of Somaliland ‘threat’ to regional stability: Somali president
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has for decades pushed for international recognition. A self-proclaimed republic, it enjoys...
Geostrategy
Zelensky to meet Trump in Florida on Sunday for talks on how to end the Russian invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for talks on how to...
Geostrategy
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...
- "Nothing prepares you for the realization that you are part of a society committing genocide. This is a deeply painful moment for us," B'Tselem executive director Yuli Novak said.
- The reports from B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel argue that the war's objectives go further.
Economy
Tunisia plastic collectors spread as economic, migration woes deepen
Tunis, Tunisia - A towel draped over his head, Hamza Jabbari sets bags of plastic bottles onto a scale. He...
- The 40-something-year-old said he starts the day off at dawn, hunching over bins and hunting for plastic before the rubbish trucks and other plastic collectors come
- "It's the most accessible work in Tunisia when there are no job offers," Jabbari said, weighing a day's haul in Bhar Lazreg, a working-class neighbourhood north of Tunis
Geostrategy
Syria sets date for new transitional parliament, local bodies to elect two-thirds of lawmakers
Syrian autorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- dissolved the former longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's rubber-stamp legislature and adopted a...
- In June, a presidential decree established a 10-member committee to supervise the formation of local electoral bodies to select a new batch of lawmakers
- State news agency SANA reported on Sunday that committee head Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad had met with Sharaa to discuss the process
Geostrategy
The UN, the Palestinians, Israel and a stalled two-state solution
Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked...
- In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 dividing Palestine - which was then under British mandate - into Jewish and Arab states
- Israel declared independence in May 1948, triggering the Arab-Israeli war which was won convincingly by Israel the following year
Arts & Culture
Godzilla fans fete the monster as it turns 70
San Diego, United States - Godzilla has morphed over the years, but one constant is the devotion of its fans,...
- The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda
- As the story of Godzilla goes, a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific
Geostrategy
Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel says opening aid routes
UN's World Food Programme said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 people...
- Since Israel imposed a total blockade on aid entering Gaza, the situation inside the territory has deteriorated sharply. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of "mass starvation".
- Humanitarian officials are deeply skeptical airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis.
Geostrategy
Humanoid robots embodiment of China’s AI ambitions
Shanghai, China -- Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World...
- The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States.
- Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" -- AI agents modelled on real people.
Economy
US says tariff deadline of Aug 1 is firm, no extensions
Washington, United States -- The US deadline of August 1 for imposing tariffs on its trading partners is firm and...
- After the levies kick in, President Donald Trump -- who was negotiating with European Union officials -- is still willing to keep talking, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said
- Britain, Vietnam, Indonesia the Philippines, and Japan have struck deals with the Trump administration ahead of the Friday deadline.
Geostrategy
Israel declares Gaza fighting pause amid deepening hunger crisis
Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on March 2 after ceasefire talks broke down. In late May, it began...
- There was no immediate official response from the UN or non-governmental aid agencies operating in Gaza.
- And privately skeptical humanitarian sources said they were waiting to see the results on the ground of the Israeli announcement.
Arts & Culture
Iraqi women table tennis players chase Paralympic dreams
Diwaniyah, Iraq -- Iraqi table tennis player Nur al-Huda Sarmad adjusts her wheelchair before striking the ball into play, braving...
- With no dedicated training facility, the team often has to share the three second-hand tables at the public community center with visitors.
- In the scorching Iraqi summer they cannot turn on the fans, which would disrupt the movement of the balls.
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 recognition of Somaliland ‘threat’ to regional stability: Somali president
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has for decades pushed for international recognition. A self-proclaimed republic, it enjoys...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Iran vows to rebuild nuclear sites ‘stronger than before’
"By destroying buildings... we will not be set back," said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a visit to the country's...
Geostrategy
High price of gold inspires new rush in California
El Dorado Hills, United States -- Matt James has collected gold nuggets for years from the hills and riverbeds of...
Business
OPEC+ looks set to further hike oil output
Since April, the V8 group -- comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
UN Security Council backs Morocco plan for W. Sahara autonomy
The UN Security Council voted Friday in favor of a resolution backing Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara as the...
- Western Sahara is a vast mineral-rich former Spanish colony that is largely controlled by Morocco but has been claimed for decades by the pro-independence Polisario Front
- The Security Council had previously urged Morocco, the Polisario Front, Algeria and Mauritania to resume talks to reach a broad agreement
Geostrategy
Unexploded bombs haunt Gazans, posing deadly risk as fragile truce halts demining efforts in ruins
After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million...
- After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million Palestinians, are littered with military debris
- In the streets of Gaza City, children play with rocket parts and the tail fins of mortar shells, oblivious to or unbothered by the danger
Business
AI giants turn to massive debt to finance tech race
New York, United States -- Meta raised $30 billion in debt on Thursday, as tech giants flush with cash turn...
- Meta raised $30 billion in debt and demand for its bonds was reportedly four times greater than supply.
- The $30 billion in bonds scheduled to be repaid over the course of decades is intended to provide money to continue a breakneck pace of AI development.