Iran FM holds talks with Saudi Crown Prince after Tehran’s ceasefire with Israel
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman said his country hoped the truce would contribute to regional stability, and emphasised Riyadh's position...
Geostrategy
Algeria’s Sonatrach and Italy’s ENI sign $1.35 billion deal
Algiers, Algeria - Algeria's state-run hydrocarbon company Sonatrach and the Italian energy company Eni on Monday signed a production sharing...
Business
Economy
Europe revives Syria phosphate imports, profiting Russian firm
Syrian phosphates used for fertiliser are being exported to Europe in bulk, benefitting a Russian firm and the sanctions-hit Damascus...
- The regime in Syria has since 2015 been heavily backed by Russia in its long-running civil war
- The trade is growing fast as the war in Ukraine drives up fertiliser and phosphate prices
Geostrategy
Tunisia publishes draft constitution ahead of July vote
Tunisia on Thursday published the draft of a new constitution giving vastly more powers to the president, a text set...
- The constitution provides for a presidential system in a split from the mixed presidential-parliamentary system under the country's 2014 constitution
- The president would be the head of the armed forces and be charged with naming judges, who would be banned from striking
Geostrategy
Iran remains hopeful of nuclear deal with major powers
The US, meanwhile, says it is "disappointed" that there is "no progress made" after two days of indirect talks with...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says he believes the talks had been "positive" and a deal could still be reached
- The US, meanwhile, says it is "disappointed" that there is "no progress made" in talks with Iran brokered by an EU envoy in Doha
Business
Russia warns G7 price cap on oil would increase its price
Moscow said Thursday that G7 plans to cap the price of Russian oil would lead to a shortfall on world...
- Leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations agreed at a summit this week to work on a price cap for Russian oil.
- West has already imposed multiple layers of sanctions on Russia in response to Putin's order to send troops to Ukraine.
Geostrategy
Nuke deal revival still possible despite fruitless Qatar talks: Iran
The talks aim to bring the United States back into a 2015 deal jettisoned by the Donald Trump administration in...
- US said the EU-brokered proximity talks in the Qatari capital Doha had concluded late Wednesday with "no progress made".
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said he believed the talks had been "positive" and a deal could still be reached.
Economy
US price increases held steady, consumer spending growth down: Report
The world's largest economy has been battered for months by a cresting inflation wave, made more painful by the surge...
- The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 6.3 percent compared to May 2021.
- Excluding volatile food and energy prices, PCE rose 0.3 percent in the month, the same as in April.
Geostrategy
Israel to hold fifth election in four years as Parliament dissolved
The coalition government came apart last week after some Arab lawmakers refused to renew a measure that ensures the roughly...
- The newly called election set for November 1 marks another sign that Israel remains mired in an unprecedented era of political gridlock.
- The November vote will in part be a contest between Netanyahu and Lapid, a former TV news anchor and celebrity who has surprised many.
Business
Europe’s Syria phosphate imports profiting Russian firm: Report
Syrian phosphates used for fertilizer are being exported to Europe in bulk, benefitting a Russian firm and the sanctions-hit Damascus...
- Italy, Bulgaria, Spain and Poland are among the EU states receiving Syrian phosphates.
- International sanctions do not ban the import of Syrian phosphates but key Russian and Syrian players involved in the trade are sanctioned by the US or Europe.
Geostrategy
Relief and concern in Sweden after NATO deal with Turkey
The agreement, which ends Ankara's veto of their membership bids, was signed by Finland, Sweden and Turkey in front of...
- The agreement, which ends Ankara's veto of their membership bids, was signed by Finland, Sweden and Turkey in front of news cameras
- Both Stockholm and Helsinki also confirmed they considered the PKK a terrorist organization and agreed they would "not provide support to" its allies in Syria
Geostrategy
Expanding NATO squares up to Russia as Putin slams ‘imperial’ alliance
The United States vowed to reinforce Europe's defences in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as NATO declared Moscow...
- Putin accused the alliance of seeking to assert its "supremacy", saying Ukraine and its people are "a means" for NATO to "defend their own interests."
- NATO leaders have funnelled billions of dollars of arms to Ukraine and faced a renewed appeal from President Zelensky for more long-range artillery
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Iran FM holds talks with Saudi Crown Prince after Tehran’s ceasefire with Israel
Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman said his country hoped the truce would contribute to regional stability, and emphasised Riyadh's position...
Geostrategy
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UK to ban foreign state ownership of British newspapers
London, United Kingdom--The UK announced Wednesday that it plans to bar overseas governments from owning British newspapers, a move that could...
Geostrategy
Israeli strike kills Hamas member and two others in Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon--Palestinian resistance group Hamas said one of its members was killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon on Wednesday...
Geostrategy
Biden and Trump gird for marathon White House race
Both are unpopular with large sections of a populace wary of handing the keys to the most powerful office in...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Despite post-Covid development rebound, rich-poor gap widens: UN
The rebound follows two years of decline, when, in 2021 and 2022, the global Human Development Index fell twice in...
- The 2023 estimate shows metrics in every category -- life expectancy, education and standard of living -- are projected to exceed their pre-2019 values.
- "What we're seeing is that the poorest and most vulnerable segments of our society are being left behind," head of the UNDP Achim Steiner said.
Business
European Parliament approves ‘pioneering’ rules to govern AI
Senior European Union officials say the rules, first proposed in 2021, will protect citizens from the risks of a technology...
- The AI Act focuses on higher-risk uses of the technology by the private and public sector, with tougher obligations for providers
- EU chief Ursula von der Leyen hailed the vote ushering in a "pioneering framework for innovative AI, with clear guardrails"
Geostrategy
US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passes TikTok ban bill
The measure requires TikTok's parent company ByteDance to sell the app within 180 days or see it barred from the...
- The fate of the bill is uncertain in the Senate, where some key figures are apprehensive of making such a drastic move against an app that has 170 million US users.
- China warned that the move will "inevitably come back to bite the United States." TikTok staunchly denies any ties to the Chinese government.