US expands Iran sanctions as pressure campaign intensifies
The U.S. Treasury said the sanctions cover 12 entities, including companies based in the Marshall Islands, the United Arab Emirates...
Geostrategy
Oil climbs and equities diverge as progress on Middle East peace remains elusive
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, meanwhile, said it had launched missile and drone attacks against the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Morocco to reopen embassy in Syria after Assad fall
Morocco said Saturday it will reopen its embassy Damascus, closed since 2012, signalling renewed support for Syria after the overthrow...
- The decision was announced in a letter from King Mohammed VI to Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa
- The letter said Morocco backed the Syrian people "in their quest for freedom, security, and stability."
Geostrategy
A day after first direct talks between officials, Kremlin says Putin-Zelensky meeting possible only after pact
The Kremlin said Saturday a meeting between Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both...
- US President Donald Trump, who has been pressing Russia to agree a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, said later in the day that he would speak by phone with Putin on Monday.
- On Friday, the first direct talks since the spring of 2022 between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul resulted in a concrete agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each
Geostrategy
Arab summit presses for end to Gaza ‘bloodshed’ as Israel launched an expanded military offensive
Arab leaders meeting Saturday at a summit in Baghdad urged the international community to press for a Gaza ceasefire, as...
- In a joint final statement, Arab League members also called for funding to back their Gaza reconstruction plan
- It came hours after Israel's military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip."
Economy
Moody’s downgrades US credit rating on rise in govt debt
Moody's on Friday downgraded the United States's credit rating from the top triple-A level, citing rising levels of government debt...
- The downgrade to Aa1 from Aaa adds to the bad news for the US president, coming on the same day his flagship spending bill failed to pass a key vote in Congress
- Moody's decision to downgrade the United States from its top credit rating reflects a recent surge in US borrowing costs, which was further fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic
Geostrategy
Trump reshapes US Mideast policy. Can deals work instead?
The Israeli military said Saturday it had launched "extensive strikes" as part of a fresh offensive in Gaza, after rescuers...
- Trump vowed during his swing through Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that there would be no more "lectures on how to live."
- In an extraordinary rupture with his predecessors, Trump then lambasted what he called the "neo-cons" that oversaw bloody US military interventions in the region
Geostrategy
Arab League to meet in Baghdad to discuss regional crises, key leaders may give it a miss
The Arab League is meeting in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss Gaza and other regional crises, but some key leaders...
- The war in Gaza is expected to dominate the agenda, especially after Israel approved plans to expand its offensive and spoke of the "conquest" of the territory
- United Nations chief Antonio Guterres will attend the summit, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is expected to address it as a guest
Geostrategy
Israel launches ‘initial stages’ of new Gaza operation, threatens Huthi leaders after striking Yemen ports
The operation is part of "the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip, with the goal of achieving all...
- The offensive, known as "Operation Gideon's Chariots", comes as Israel faces pressure to lift a sweeping aid blockade in return for a US-Israeli hostage released by Hamas
- Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in its war against Hamas, triggered by an attack by the Palestinian group in October 2023
Geostrategy
No Israel stop for Trump on Mideast tour shows shifting ties
Jerusalem, Undefined -- US President Donald Trump's decision to skip over Israel in his Middle East tour was just the...
- The United States in early May sealed a ceasefire with Yemen's Houthi rebels that has left Israel out of the picture.
- The deal was announced just hours after a missile fired by the rebels landed within the perimeter of Tel Aviv's international airport, leading to the cancellation of flights.
Geostrategy
World Bank announces plans to restart Syria operations
Washington, United States -- The World Bank on Friday said it would restart operation in Syria following a 14-year pause,...
- The Bank's operation in Syria were halted when the civil war broke out in 2011, preventing the country from gaining access to its development loans, grants, and technical expertise
- Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia and Qatar paid off Syria's outstanding debts of around $15.5 million to the Washington-based institution.
Geostrategy
Gaza strikes kill 120 as Hamas says aid entry ‘minimum requirement’ for talks
Aid to Gaza has been cut off since March 2, a tactic Israel has said is intended to force concessions...
- Hamas warned that Gaza was not "for sale" hours after Donald Trump, on a visit to the region, again floated taking over the territory and turning it into "a freedom zone.'
- Israel's aid blockade preceded a resumption of military operations on March 18, ending a ceasefire that had largely halted hostilities since mid-January
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US expands Iran sanctions as pressure campaign intensifies
The U.S. Treasury said the sanctions cover 12 entities, including companies based in the Marshall Islands, the United Arab Emirates...
Geostrategy
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Saudi Arabia’s next play: Capital to capability
FII 2025 marked Saudi Arabia’s shift from spectacle to scaffolding — pivoting from oil power to systemic force in energy,...
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Israel says received bodies of two Gaza hostages from Red Cross
Not including the latest two, Hamas have so far given back the remains of 15 of the 28 deceased hostages...
Geostrategy
Israel hits another Gaza target after deadliest night since truce
Israel said it struck an arms dump in Gaza on Wednesday, hours after the deadliest night of bombing since the...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Israel hits dozens of targets as Gaza sees deadliest night since truce
Gaza's civil defense agency said more than 100 people were killed, including many children, but both US President Donald Trump...
- The Hamas-run territory's civil defense agency said at least 35 children were among the more than 100 killed.
- United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the report of so many dead was appalling and urged all side not to let peace "slip from our grasp".
Geostrategy
Syria attracted $28 bn in investment since Assad’s fall: president
Syria has begun the mammoth task of trying to rebuild its shattered economy, after over a decade of war saw...
- Earlier this month, the World Bank put a "conservative best estimate" of the cost of rebuilding Syria at $216 billion.
- In May, Syria signed a $7 billion energy deal with a consortium of Qatari, Turkish and US companies as it seeks to revive its crippled power sector.
Geostrategy
Pakistan says peace talks with Afghanistan ‘failed’
Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan said Wednesday that negotiations for a lasting truce with Afghanistan had "failed to bring about a...
- Pakistan and Afghanistan have been holding negotiations in Istanbul aimed at securing peace after the South Asian neighbours' deadliest border clashes in years
- The violence, which killed more than 70 people and wounded hundreds, erupted following explosions in Kabul on October 9 that the Taliban authorities blamed on Pakistan