Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to ‘contain escalation’
Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the...
Geostrategy
Hamas accuses US mediators of reneging on Gaza talks positions
"The negative statements of the US envoy Witkoff run completely counter to the context in which the last negotiations were...
Geostrategy
Economy
US President terms UK PM’s abandoned tax plan a “mistake”
Reacting to British PM Liz Truss's abandoned tax cut reform, US President Joe Biden has termed it a "mistake" as...
- Truss is set to sit down on Sunday with new finance minister Jeremy Hunt, who said she and Kwarteng had erred on September 23 in trying to cut taxes for the highest earners
- Hunt said that some taxes will not be cut as quickly as people want and that some of the taxes will go up
Geostrategy
Tunisian protestors demand president’s resignation
Demanding his resignation, tens of thousand of demonstrators in Tunis denounced a power grab by President Kais Saied, chanting "Down,...
- Ali Laarayedh, Tunisia's former prime minister and a senior Ennahdha official, told AFP that the protest was an expression of "anger at the state of affairs under Kais Saied"
- In public remarks, Saied has argued he was working to "correct" economic troubles he had inherited from Tunisia's post-Ben Ali leadership
Geostrategy
Oil depot hit and on fire in Russia’s Belgorod, says governor
An oil depot in Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine is on fire after being shelled, the governor said, as strikes...
- One of the shells hit the oil depot in the Belgorod region, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
- State-run news agency TASS cited a source in the emergency services saying the burning depot was located in the village of Razumnoye-71
Economy
TotalEnergies’ workers pledge to continue their strike
The hard-left CGT union, which launched the industrial action three weeks ago, said that workers at three TotalEnergies sites had...
- Four of France's seven refineries and one fuel depot were out of action, after strikers rejected a pay offer from the hydrocarbon industry leader.
- The blockages have caused queues outside petrol stations, and worry across all sectors of the economy, from mobile healthcare workers to farmers.
Geostrategy
Moqtada Sadr’s group refuses to join new government in Iraq
Iraqi firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr's movement announced its refusal to join a new government being formed by prime minister-designate Mohammad Shia...
- The announcement of not joining the government came two days after lawmakers elected Abdul Latif Rashid as Iraq's new president.
- Snap elections were held last year in Iraq following nationwide protests that erupted in October 2019.
Geostrategy
Iran refutes allegations of providing weapons to Russia
Iran has rejected allegations that it has supplied Russia with weapons "to be used in the war in Ukraine", its...
- Kyiv and many of its Western allies have accused Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks.
- On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Iranian drones were used in Russian attacks on energy infrastructure.
Geostrategy
New UN Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily starts work in Tripoli
Tripoli, Libya—The United Nations' new Libya envoy, Abdoulaye Bathily, took up post in Tripoli Friday, vowing to work towards elections in...
- The envoy's inauguration comes months into a power struggle between two rival governments in the latest constellation of Libya's complex conflict
- Prime minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, a tycoon who took office in 2021 as part of a UN-led peace process that followed the last major fighting, is based in Tripoli
Geostrategy
Tunisian protestors clash with police after young man’s death
Tunis, Tunisia— Tunisian mourners clashed with security forces on Friday after the death of a young man from injuries sustained during...
- Protestors threw rocks at security forces after Malek Sellimi's funeral in the working-class neighborhood of Upper Omran on the edges of Tunis
- The Tunisian Human Rights League says 14 young men have been killed in recent years in incidents involving the police, adding that officials rarely face justice
Economy
Russia war ‘most important’ factor slowing growth: IMF committee chair
The fund trimmed its world growth forecast to 2.7 percent in 2023, and its chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas cautioned that...
- Nadia Calvino's remarks came as finance ministers and central bankers gathered in Washington for the IMF and World Bank annual meetings
- There has been a "very strong call" throughout the week for Russia to stop its war against Ukraine, said Calvino
Economy
Saudi Arabia announces US$400m aid for Ukraine
Continuing with the kingdom's role to support "everything that will contribute to de-escalation," Saudi Arabia has announced $400 million in...
- Saudi Arabia last month played an unexpected role in facilitating a prisoner-of-war swap between Moscow and Kyiv
- The kingdom has come under growing criticism from Washington after the Saudi-led OPEC group of oil exporters agreed on a drastic production cut with Russia and other allies
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Syria says meeting with Israeli officials sought to ‘contain escalation’
Syrian diplomatic source said Saturday that a US-mediated meeting with Israeli officials in Paris this week sought to "contain the...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Norway wealth fund earns $109bn on gain in tech stocks in Q1
Oslo, Norway -- Norway's sovereign wealth fund, the world's largest, posted a gain of more than $100 billion in the...
Business
Lebanon’s Hizbollah targets Israel base, wounding 14 soldiers
Hours after the strike on Arab al-Aramshe, an Arab-majority village in northern Israel near the border, Israeli forces hit targets...
Geostrategy
Climate impacts set to cut 2050 global GDP by nearly a fifth
But slashing greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible remains crucial to avoid even more devastating economic impacts after mid-century,...
Geostrategy
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Dubai roads, airport reel from floods after record rains
Power outages were reported around Dubai, which was dotted with flooded areas and submerged and abandoned cars. One road tunnel...
- Power outages were reported around Dubai, which was dotted with flooded areas and submerged and abandoned cars
- One road tunnel near the airport was completely flooded to a depth of several metres
Geostrategy
UN Security Council to vote this Thursday on full Palestinian membership
Against the backdrop of the grinding conflict in Gaza, a city largely devastated by more than six months of war...
- The Palestinians formally revived this April an application first made to the world body in 2011
- Statehood requires a defined territory, a permanent population, a government and the ability to enter into international relations
Geostrategy
US, EU to impose fresh sanctions on Iran following recent missile attack on Israel
The United States announced Tuesday that it was preparing new sanctions on Iran's missile and drone program after last weekend’s...
- Washington would impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone program
- EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Brussels is working on expanding sanctions against Iran's supplies of weaponry