Israel to invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own independent arms industry
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel would invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own...
Geostrategy
Gazans fear renewed displacement after Israeli strikes
Residents say the strikes have targeted neighborhoods east of the so-called Yellow Line -- a demarcation established under the truce...
Geostrategy
Business
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...
- The 30-year contract covers the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Zemoul El Kbar contract area, in the Berkine Basin, 300 km east of Hassi Messaoud
- The total investments planned for exploration and exploitation in this area are approximately $1.35 billion, including $110 million allocated to research and exploration
Geostrategy
US to send ‘more weapons’ to Ukraine, after last week’s halt to shipments: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, after the White House announced...
- "We're going to have to send more weapons -- defensive weapons primarily," Trump told journalists at the White House
- "They're getting hit very, very hard," he said of Ukraine, while saying he is "not happy" with President Vladimir Putin
Geostrategy
Trump hosts Netanyahu in push for Gaza deal, says Hamas too willing to end the conflict
Netanyahu's third visit since Trump's return to power comes at a crucial time, with the US president hoping to capitalize...
- Netanyahu's third visit since Trump's return to power comes at a crucial time, with the US president hoping to build on the momentum from a recent truce between Israel and Iran
- "I don't think there is a hold up. I think things are going along very well," Trump told reporters at the start of the dinner when asked what was preventing a peace deal
Geostrategy
US revoking terrorist designation for Syria’s HTS
An armed coalition led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending half a century...
- The former fighter's rule as interim president has been cautiously welcomed in Washington, Europe and elsewhere, with Israel seeking to build ties with the new government.
- US President Donald Trump last week formally dismantled US sanctions against Syria, saying he hoped to reintegrate the war-battered country into the global economy.
Geostrategy
Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
- Nursultan Taabaldyev is one of the pioneers of the technology in Central Asia hailed as an environmentally friendly alternative to water-intensive concrete.
- They are "made of 60 percent rice husks. The rest is clay, cement and a chemical-free glue," Taabaldyev told AFP.
Geostrategy
Trump warns of 10% additional tariff for countries aligning with BRICS’ policies
BRICS leaders on Sunday described Trump's stop-start tariff wars as "indiscriminate", damaging, and illegal, drawing a quick rebuke from the...
- The 11-nation grouping -- which also includes US allies Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia -- is concluding a two-day summit in Rio de Janeiro.
- BRICS members account for about half the world's population and 40 percent of global economic output.
Geostrategy
Pro-Kurdish MPs to meet Erdogan after Ocalan talks
Lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM party were to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday for talks described by...
- DEM, Turkey's third biggest party, has played a key role in facilitating an emerging peace deal between the government and Ocalan
- On Sunday, the delegation travelled to Imrali island where Ocalan has been serving a life sentence in solitary confinement since 1999
Arts & Culture
Israel: Ultra-Orthodox conscription threatens Netanyahu’s coalition
Jerusalem, Undefined - The Israeli army announced Sunday that it would begin sending draft notices to 54,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men...
- Formed in December 2022, the coalition hinges on an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox
- Under an arrangement dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi in Hebrew, have been effectively exempted from military service
Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief says won’t surrender under Israeli threats
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli...
- His speech came ahead of a visit Monday by US envoy Thomas Barrack during which Lebanese authorities are due to respond to a request to disarm Hezbollah by year's end
- "This (Israeli) threat will not make us accept surrender," Qassem said in a televised speech to thousands of his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs
Geostrategy
Netanyahu says Trump meeting could ‘advance’ Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of Doha talks
Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: "We are working to achieve this deal that we...
- Under mounting pressure to end the war, now approaching its 22nd month, the Israeli premier is scheduled to sit down on Monday with Trump
- Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: "We are working to achieve this deal that we have discussed."
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Israel to invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own independent arms industry
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel would invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
The armed groups clashing with Hamas in Gaza
Shortly after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, clashes erupted between armed groups, some backed by Israel and others loyal...
Geostrategy
Afghanistan, Pakistan seek to firm up truce in Istanbul talks
Afghan and Pakistani negotiators were locked in talks to hammer out a lasting ceasefire Saturday, with Islamabad warning that if...
Geostrategy
Picasso portrait of Dora Maar sells for $37 mn
The Spanish master painted it on July 11, 1943 and it was acquired in August 1944 by a private French...
Arts & Culture
Most Read
Economy
China vows massive high-tech sector development in next decade
Beijing, China -- China will develop its high-tech sector on a massive scale in the next decade, top officials vowed...
- The country has poured support and investment into developing its science and technology sectors, part of ongoing efforts to present itself as a world leader in those areas.
- Domestically, China has been beset by sluggish spending, a protracted property sector crisis and a demographic crunch as its population starts to decline.
Geostrategy
Rubio seeks quick deployment of international Gaza force
He confirmed that Israel would enjoy vetoes on the force composition, amid reports Israel has objected to participation by Turkey.
- Turkey, a NATO member and one of the region's strongest militaries, was the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel.
- Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority state, has said it is ready to send troops to Gaza.
Science
Anthropic announces massive AI chip deal with Google
San Francisco, United States - Artificial intelligence giant Anthropic said Thursday it was expanding its use of Google cloud computing...
- The arrangement will include Anthropic buying as many as one million Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are integrated circuits custom-designed by Google
- The expansion promises to let Anthropic bring more than a gigawatt of new computing power online by the end of 2026, enabling it to meet "exponentially growing demand."