Lavrov meets Xi in Beijing: Russian foreign ministry
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, Moscow said, as the top Russian...
Geostrategy
Mediators working to bridge gaps in faltering Gaza truce talks
The indirect negotiations in Qatar appear deadlocked after both sides blamed the other for blocking a deal for the release...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
ASEAN ministers warn Taiwan tensions could spark ‘open conflicts’
A furious Beijing kicked off its biggest-ever exercises around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit this...
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is attending the summit along with his US counterpart Anthony Blinken
- Beijing, which considers Taiwan a part of its territory to one day be reclaimed, by force if necessary, was enraged by the trip by Pelosi
Economy
Oil prices tumble on demand worries as global stocks mostly rise
The drop in oil prices came despite a move by the OPEC+ oil cartel, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia,...
- Oil prices finished about four percent lower following US energy data that showed unexpectedly weak gasoline demand
- Gasoline demand last week was 8.5 million barrels per day, down almost 13 percent from the year-ago period, which is part of the peak summer driving season
Two years after blast, Lebanese still strive for justice
The portside blast of haphazardly stored ammonium nitrate, one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever, killed more than 200 people,...
- Several heavily damaged grain silos that became a grim symbol of the disaster collapsed last week, and more are dangerously close to coming down, experts warn
- Amnesty, HRW and other groups Wednesday relaunched an appeal to the United Nations to send a fact-finding mission on Beirut blast
Business
Lufthansa posts $263m profit
In 2020 a government bailout saved airline from bankruptcy.
- CEO Carsten Spohr said that airline was back in the black, terming the pandemic as most serious crisis to hit the company
- Lufthansa will start hiring some 5,000 employees to cope with growing chaos at airports
Economy
Inflation-fighting BoE poised to unleash big rate hike
The BoE is tipped to lift its main rate by 0.50 percentage points the biggest amount in more than a...
- The BoE, granted operational independence from the government over monetary policy in 1997, will reveal its latest rate decision at 1100 GMT on Thursday
- Economists meanwhile argue that a large rate hike damages the nation's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and risks the prospect of recession
Geostrategy
US NSA terms China military drills near Taiwan ‘not responsible’
A top US official on Wednesday called China's military drills in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to...
- US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told NPR that what China is doing here is 'not responsible'
- Pelosi, the second in line to the US presidency, departed Taiwan Wednesday morning, having defied a series of increasingly stark threats from Beijing
Economy
OPEC+ agrees small oil output rise despite Biden plea
The cartel led by Saudi Arabia and Russia decided to raise production by 100,000 barrels per day for September, much...
- Biden made a controversial trip to Saudi Arabia in July in part to convince the kingdom to loosen the production taps to curb rampant inflation
- Saudi Arabia faced a balancing act between its old ally, Washington, and its OPEC+ partner Moscow, which has been hit by Western sanctions over the Ukraine invasion
Geostrategy
Iraq’s Sadr demands new polls as political crisis escalates
Nearly 10 months on from the last elections, the country still has no government, new prime minister or new president,...
- Parliament can only be dissolved by a majority vote, according to the constitution
- In multi-confessional Iraq, government formation has involved complex negotiations
Business
Airbus cancels A350 aircraft contract with Qatar Airways
European aircraft maker Airbus has cancelled its contract to deliver 19 A350 planes to Qatar Airways, a source close to...
- Airbus had already cancelled a multi-billion-dollar order of 50 planes from Qatar Airways, a major customer, earlier in the year.
- Qatar Airways has been locked in dispute with Airbus over degradation of exterior fuselage surfaces on some of its A350 planes.
Economy
France warns companies might have to cut energy use this winter
The French government warned Wednesday that companies might have to reduce energy use this winter even with the country's natural...
- Moscow has slashed its exports to Europe in response to punishing Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.
- France is less reliant on Russian supplies than other EU countries, but its industrial sector still relies on gas and millions of people use it.
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Lavrov meets Xi in Beijing: Russian foreign ministry
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with China's leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday, Moscow said, as the top Russian...
Geostrategy
Company News
In Davos, Chinese premier takes aim at trade ‘barriers’
World Economic Forum
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China looks to woo back global elites at Davos forum
World Economic Forum
Libya to continue Tunisia border closure till end of smuggling
Tripoli, Libya - Libya's shutdown of its main border crossing with Tunisia this week will remain in force until authorities put...
Geostrategy
Israel seizes 800 hectares of land in West Bank on Blinken’s arrival
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared as "state lands" the area in the northern Jordan Valley. Israeli settlement watchdog Peace...
Geostrategy
Finland to resume funding to UN agency for Palestinian refugees
Australia, Canada and Sweden, which were among those states, announced earlier this month they were resuming aid. Ten percent of...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
UK, Australia call for ‘immediate cessation of fighting’ in Gaza
Adelaide, Australia--Britain and Australia declared the need for an "immediate cessation of fighting" in Gaza, as diplomatic pressure built on Israel...
- The allies issued a statement that stressed the "urgency of an immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released"
- The UK's call for an "immediate cessation of fighting" is a sign that Britain is also growing anxious about the toll of what Israel calls Operation Swords of Iron.
Blinken heads to Israel to press for ‘immediate’ truce in Gaza war
After talks in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Blinken flies to Israel on Friday, his sixth trip to the region since...
- United States said it would submit for a vote on Friday a draft to the Security Council on the need for an "immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal."
- Fighting in Gaza this week has centered around Al-Shifa hospital, with Israel also vowing to launch a new ground assault in overcrowded Rafah
Business
Italy’s Enel doubles net profit
Its net profit spiked to US$3.7 billion in 2023.
- Enel said that before exceptional items, profit rose 21 percent to $7.04 billion, in line with the company's objectives
- The company's revenue fell 32 percent to $103.62bn as prices declined as part of a "normalization of the energy sector"