Saudi, Turkey, Pakistan forge defence pact as regional tensions deepen
The agreement comes as Gulf states seek closer defence coordination following months of conflict with Iran that disrupted shipping through...
Geostrategy
Trump says US will hold off Iran strikes if Hormuz, nuclear deal reached
Meanwhile, eight Palestinians, including two children, were killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza. The killings came despite Trump's announcement...
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Israel arms exports to UAE, Bahrain, Morocco rise sharply after 2023
Sales to countries considered part of the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco who signed groundbreaking...
- Israel's defense ministry said that its arms exports hit an all-time high of more than $14.7 billion in 2024, despite international criticism of ongoing Gaza onslaught.
- A majority -- 56.8 percent -- of the deals signed were "mega-deals" valued at at least $100 million each, the ministry said, adding that "operational achievements" in the Gaza war.
Geostrategy
Trinity College Dublin university to cut links with Israel over Gaza violations
Dublin, Ireland -- Ireland's prestigious Trinity College Dublin said on Wednesday that it would cut all links with Israel in...
- The university also said that it would "enter into no further mobility agreements with Israeli universities".
- The board also said that the university "should not submit for approval or agree to participate in any new institutional research agreements involving Israeli participation".
Geostrategy
Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep hajj pilgrims safe
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have...
- The technology has proven pivotal to track the overwhelming amount of footage from more than 15,000 cameras in and around the holy city of Makkah.
- Software is also used to help guide more than 20,000 buses deployed to transport pilgrims between holy sites during one of the world's biggest annual religious gatherings.
Geostrategy
27 killed as Israeli army opens fire near Gaza aid point
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable", and the world body's rights...
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable."
- Israel has stepped up its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war
Geostrategy
Israel army says shelling Syria after projectiles launched
The Israeli military said it was shelling targets in Syria on Tuesday in response to a pair of projectile launches,...
- Syria's foreign affairs ministry denied firing the projectiles and said the country "has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region".
- Israeli media said Tuesday's strikes were the first fired from Syria into Israeli territory since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December
Geostrategy
Saudi hosts urge pilgrims to stay indoors during hajj high point
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the hajj to remain in their tents for several hours...
- Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday.
- The "Day of Arafat" traditionally marks the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah.
Geostrategy
New WEF report reveals how tech convergence will reshape industries
Geneva, Switzerland – The World Economic Forum today released a new report examining how emerging technology combinations are reshaping industries...
- AI is a key enabler, making many emerging tech synergies commercially viable across industries.
- Digital twins, enhanced by AI and sensors, are expanding efficiency in sectors from aerospace to healthcare.
Geostrategy
Erdogan proposes new Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting in Turkey, Trump ready to attend
Trump, who wants a swift end to the three-year war, is "open" to a three-way summit "if it comes to...
- Putin has so far refused such a meeting, but Zelensky has said he is willing, underlining that key issues can only be resolved at leaders-level
- Trump is "open" to a three-way summit "if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together.'
Geostrategy
Father of six killed ‘for piece of bread’ during Gaza aid distribution
Cries of grief echoed across southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital Monday as dozens came to mourn Hossam Wafi, after the father...
- Israel faces growing condemnation as famine looms and aid seekers are killed in Gaza
- The UN says the GHF-run aid centres contravene basic humanitarian principles and risk civilian lives
Geostrategy
UN chief calls for probe into deaths near Gaza aid site
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people and wounded 176 near the aid distribution site...
- "I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday," Guterres said.
- "I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable."
Saudi, Turkey, Pakistan forge defence pact as regional tensions deepen
The agreement comes as Gulf states seek closer defence coordination following months of conflict with Iran that disrupted shipping through...
Geostrategy
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Zelensky to meet Trump in Florida on Sunday for talks on how to end the Russian invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is to meet US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday for talks on how to...
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China’s high-speed rail network passes 50,000km mark
Beijing, China -- China's sprawling high-speed rail network passed 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) in total operating distance with the opening...
Geostrategy
Yemen separatists say Saudi air strikes will not deter them
A Yemeni military official said around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were amassed near the Saudi border -- but were not given...
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Saudi Arabia urges Yemen separatists to cede seized territory
The Kingdom said the military movements in the governorates of (Hadramawt and Al-Mahra), recently conducted by the Southern Transitional Council,...
- "These movements resulted in an unjustified escalation that harmed the interests of the Yemeni people with all of its segments," it added.
- The 11-year war in Yemen has pitted the Iran-backed rebels against the internationally-recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE.
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Iran Guards seize foreign-crewed oil tanker in Gulf: state media
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday seized an oil tanker in the Gulf carrying more than a dozen foreign crew members,...
- Iranian forces regularly announce the interception of ships it says are illegally transporting fuel in the Gulf
- They regularly target tankers that Tehran accuses of being part of the illicit trade in the Strait of Hormuz
Geostrategy
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...
- In a controversial speech, Netanyahu said Israel was becoming increasingly isolated and had to adopt a "super-Sparta" approach
- In 2026, Israel will allocate about 16 percent of its public budget to defence -- around $35 billion out of an overall budget of $208 billion