India, Pakistan and threats of a water war: what we know
India, furious after a deadly attack, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Islamabad warning any attempt to...
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel ‘will happen’: Trump
"Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham accords," Trump said, referencing the historic agreement struck at the end of his...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Trump envoy says Putin open to ‘permanent peace’ deal with Ukraine
US President Donald Trump's special envoy said Monday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was open to a "permanent peace" deal...
- Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin
- Despite a flurry of diplomacy, there has been little meaningful progress on Trump's main aim of achieving a Ukraine ceasefire
Geostrategy
Israel offers 45-day ceasefire if Hamas releases half of remaining Gaza hostages
Hamas has informed the mediators that it is willing to agree to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a...
- A Hamas official told AFP that Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war but that this crossed a "red line".
- "The proposal includes the disarmament of Hamas and all Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip as a condition for a permanent end to the war," the official added
Geostrategy
Qatar plans direct investments worth $7.5 billion in Egypt
"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari...
- Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, has taken tentative steps to emerge from its worst-ever economic crisis with prices for consumer goods rising by the day.
- The two countries, which have also led mediation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, "emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian cause as the foremost Arab issue".
Geostrategy
Qatar to invest $2 billion in Indonesia sovereign wealth fund
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Qatar is set to invest $2 billion in his country's new sovereign...
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is on a five-nation tour of the Middle East, visiting the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan to boost bilateral ties with the region.
- He said Sunday he had a "productive" meeting with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and that the country would invest in the Danantara Indonesia fund.
Economy
OPEC lowers 2025 oil demand forecast over impact of US tariffs
The Saudi-led oil cartel said in a monthly report that it now expects demand to grow by 1.3 million barrels...
- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries now sees global demand reaching at total 105.05 million bpd this year.
- Oil prices sank to a four-year low last week, dipping under $60 per barrel over concerns about the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs.
Geostrategy
China’s exports beat forecast in March despite trade war woes
China said Monday that exports soared 12.4 percent year-on-year last month, beating expectations as Beijing navigated mounting trade headwinds sparked...
- The figure was more than double the 4.6 percent predicted in a Bloomberg survey, though imports during the same period fell 4.3 percent
- China's top leaders last month set an ambitious annual growth target of around five percent, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver
Geostrategy
Trump says Russian strike on Ukraine ‘a horrible thing’
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy that killed at least...
- "I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it's a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing," Trump told
- Asked to clarify what he meant by a "mistake," Trump said that "they made a mistake... you're gonna ask them" -- without specifying who or what he meant
Geostrategy
Israel PM says Macron ‘gravely mistaken’ in promoting Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron over his plans to recognise a...
- Netanyahu was addressing Macron's remarks earlier this week in which he said that France could recognise a Palestinian state within months.
- Macron, in an interview to France 5 broadcast on Wednesday, stated that France could take the step during a UN conference in New York in June
Geostrategy
Iran says talks with US will remain ‘indirect’, to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, along with...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a first round of talks on Saturday in Muscat
- Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme
Geostrategy
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa makes first visit to UAE
Damascus, Syria -- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose war-devastated country seeks Gulf financial support, traveled to the United Arab...
- Nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad in Dec, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his government found the Islamist affiliation of Syria's new rulers "quite worrying'.
- But in mid-January Sharaa spoke by phone with the Emirati president about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region'.
India, Pakistan and threats of a water war: what we know
India, furious after a deadly attack, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Islamabad warning any attempt to...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Trump tariffs have increased financial stability risks: IMF report
The IMF's Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) was published as world financial leaders gather for meetings in Washington under the...
Economy
As world mourns, cardinals meeting to decide the date for Pope Francis’s funeral
Vatican City, Holy See - Cardinals will meet Tuesday to decide the date for Pope Francis's funeral, starting a process...
Arts & Culture
Saudi Aramco, BYD form alliance to develop low-carbon automotive innovations amid EV growth
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest producer of oil, "is exploring a number of ways to potentially optimize transport efficiency, from...
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Geostrategy
US envoy to Israel urges Hamas to sign deal so aid can enter Gaza
The new US ambassador to Israel on Monday called on Palestinian militant group Hamas to accept a deal that would...
- Huckabee's message comes after Hamas on Thursday signalled its rejection of Israel's latest truce proposal, which proposed a hostage-prisoner swap and the entry of aid
- The militants' chief negotiator said the group rejected any "partial" agreements and sought a comprehensive deal including "halting the war" and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
Business
DHL to stop global shipments worth over $800 to US consumers
Washington, United States -- Global shipping giant DHL will "temporarily" suspend the shipping of parcels worth more than $800 from...
- President Trump has launched a wide-ranging trade war, threatening friend and foe alike with steep tariffs to address US trade deficits with individual countries.
- As part of those changes, the government has also lowered the threshold at which parcels to individuals require formal entry processing by US Customs -- down to $800 from $2,500.
Business
Gold hits record, dollar drops as tariff fears dampen sentiment
With several markets still closed for the Easter holiday, business was limited ahead of a week that will see the...
- The precious metal was also helped by a weaker dollar, which has also been hit by worries about Trump's standoff with Fed boss Jerome Powell.
- Stocks had a mixed start to the week, with Tokyo weighed by the stronger yen while Taipei, Jakarta and Bangkok were also in negative territory.