Crunch time for Saudi-hosted drought, desertification talks
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Landmark talks on desertification are set to conclude in Saudi Arabia this week amid doubts that pledged funds...
Geostrategy
European countries suspend Syrian asylum decisions after Assad’s fall
While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Vienna signaled it would...
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Geostrategy
WHO says 9,000 patients need emergency evacuation from Gaza
"Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services, including treatment for cancer, injuries from bombardments,...
- The WHO chief Ghebreyesus said that "Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be evacuated abroad for lifesaving health services".
- "With only 10 hospitals minimally functional across the whole of #Gaza, thousands of patients continue to be deprived of health care," WHO chief said.
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Five killed in Gaza aid delivery chaos, say medics
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories - The Palestine Red Crescent said five people were killed and dozens wounded by gunfire and a...
- AFP video footage shows a convoy of trucks moving past burning debris near the distribution point in pre-dawn darkness as people shout and gunfire echoes.
- The Red Crescent said it happened after thousands of people gathered for the arrival of around 15 trucks of flour and other food.
Geostrategy
Death toll in Israeli strikes on Syria climbs to 52, says monitor
Beirut, Lebanon - The death toll in Israeli air strikes on Syria has risen to 52, including 38 government soldiers and...
- They targeted "a rocket depot belonging to Lebanon's Hizbollah" near the Aleppo airport in northern Syria, the war monitor said.
- Israeli strikes on targets in Syria have increased since Israel's war against the Hizbollah-allied Hamas group in the Gaza Strip broke out on October 7.
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Polish PM Tusk warns Europe has entered ‘pre-war era’
Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago upended European leaders' sense of unshakeable post-war peace, prompting many countries...
- War is no longer a concept from the past, It is real, and it started over two years ago, Tusk said in an interview with the European media
- It sounds devastating we have to get used to the fact that a new pre-war era has begun, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
Economy
Climate change is slowing heat waves, prolonging misery
While previous research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense, the...
- "If a heatwave is moving slower, that means heat can stay in a region longer, so that has effects on communities," senior author Wei Zhang of Utah State University told
- Researchers used climate models to determine what the results would have looked like absent human-caused climate change, and found manmade factors loomed large
Business
OpenAI unveils voice-cloning tool
It can essentially duplicate someone's speech.
- OpenAI model called "Voice Engine" can essentially duplicate someone's speech based on a 15-second audio sample, according to the San Francisco-based company
- We have implemented a set of safety measures, including watermarking to trace the origin of any audio generated by Voice Engine, OpenAI said
Economy
IMF approves US$820m as part of Egypt bailout
The IMF action, repeatedly postponed and eagerly awaited by the Egyptian government, arrives at a time of mounting difficulties for...
- The IMF validated the payment as part of a $3 billion aid program granted at the end of 2022
- The board also approved a $5 billion extension announced at the beginning of the month
Geostrategy
US pushes back against claims it eased West Bank settler sanctions
Washington, US--The US Treasury Department pushed back on Friday against claims it had eased sanctions against West Bank settlers after...
- In response to a surge in violence, the US recently sanctioned seven Israeli settlers and two farming outposts in the West Bank
- An Israeli daily reported that the Biden administration had "dramatically" softened its sanctions against these individuals
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Israel’s Netanyahu approves new Gaza ceasefire talks
The go-ahead for a new round of talks on a Gaza ceasefire came a day after the world's top court...
- Talks on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release will take place in Doha and Cairo
- Dozens of people were killed overnight, according to the health ministry in Gaza
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Turkey says Erdogan to meet Joe Biden at White House on May 9
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with US counterpart Joe Biden at the White House on May...
- The Biden administration in January approved $23 billion in F-16 warplanes for Turkey swiftly after it ratified Sweden's stalled NATO membership bib
- Some analysts additionally linked Turkey's continued delays to Erdogan's anger at Washington for its support of how Israel is pursuing its war against Hamas
Crunch time for Saudi-hosted drought, desertification talks
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Landmark talks on desertification are set to conclude in Saudi Arabia this week amid doubts that pledged funds...
Geostrategy
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HRW: Israeli strikes endanger civilians on Lebanon-Syria border
Human Rights Watch said the strikes were "impeding civilians trying to flee and disrupting humanitarian operations", adding: "The situation places...
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Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 attack
Israel began its commemorations Monday of the one-year anniversary of Hamas's deadly October 7 attack, with an outpouring of emotion...
October 7 anniversary: Hamas praises ‘glorious’ moment in its resistance, Netanyahu says ‘we will win’
Hamas called the Palestinian resistance a testament of resilience against Israeli aggression, while Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel's commitment to crush Hamas...
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Business
Casino operator Wynn wins UAE’s first commercial gaming license
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- US casino operator Wynn has received the first commercial gaming operator's license to be issued in...
- The license was issued by the General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, which was set up last year to allow for commercial gaming licenses to be issued in the Gulf Arab state
- Wynn operates casinos in Las Vegas and Boston as well as in Macau, a Chinese territory close to Hong Kong.
Geostrategy
Israeli airstrikes escalate in Lebanon as UN and Macron demand urgent ceasefire and de-escalation
As Israeli airstrikes rock Beirut, the UN demands peace and hostages’ release, and Macron criticizes Israel’s military actions, warning against...
- The UN secretary-general denounced Hamas and called for an immediate end to the "shocking violence and bloodshed" in Gaza and Lebanon
- French President Emmanuel Macron called Saturday for a halt on arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza, provoking a sharp response from Israeli PM Netanyahu
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Iran FM threatens ‘even stronger’ retaliation to any attack
"Our reaction to any attack by the Zionist regime is completely clear," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in the...
- He spoke after an Israeli military official told AFP, the army was "preparing a response to the unprecedented and unlawful Iranian attack."
- The conflict has also drawn in Iran's Lebanese ally Hezbollah, and on September 23 Israel sharply intensified its campaign against the militant group