Pakistan encouraging US-Iran talks but says ‘time is of the essence’
Pakistan is continuing to play a behind-the-scenes diplomatic role between the United States and Iran as tensions remain high over...
Geostrategy
US slaps fresh sanctions on China-linked firms over Iran missile program
The United States on Friday announced a fresh round of sanctions targeting people and companies in China, Hong Kong, Belarus,...
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Geostrategy
Diplomatic flashpoint: US-Iran nuclear talks amid sanctions, military warnings and mutual suspicion
Iran seeks a "real and fair" agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah...
- Longtime adversaries Iran and the United States are set to hold talks on Saturday aimed at reaching a deal on Tehran's nuclear programme
- US President Donald Trump last month wrote to Khamenei urging negotiations, but warning of possible military action if Iran refuses
Geostrategy
Gaza rescuers say family of 10 killed in Israel strike
A UN rights office report also warned that expanding Israeli evacuation orders were resulting in the "forcible transfer" of people...
- Ten people, including seven children, were killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted the Farra family home in central Khan Yunis, Gaza civil defense officials said.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced Israel, saying: "If this is not barbarism, I ask you, what is it?"
Geostrategy
UN shipping body approves first global carbon pricing system
From 2028, all ships will be required to use a less carbon-intensive fuel mix, or face financial penalties -- but...
- Those who do not meet the guidelines will have to pay annually for every ton of greenhouse gas emissions that exceeds the targets set.
- A majority of members, 63 states, voted for the carbon pricing system, including the European Union, Brazil, China, India and Japan.
Geostrategy
In skies, as on land, European forces face gaps if US pulls back
Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Fighter jets from the United States, France, Finland and Germany roar into the skies from a Dutch...
- Since returning to office, US President Donald Trump has sowed doubt over Washington's commitment to underpinning European security
- But if Trump does decide to withdraw US forces, there are fears that could leave European militaries struggling to plug gaps in key areas
Geostrategy
Bridges in the Gulf: wealthy states mediate crisis after crisis
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - When US and Iranian negotiators meet in Oman on Saturday they will be just the...
- Oman is a long-established venue for Iranian talks, while promoting peace is a pillar of Qatar's foreign policy and even enshrined in its constitution
- More recently Saudi Arabia has caught on, hosting Ukraine ceasefire talks including the latest round in a lavish hotel in Riyadh last month
Geostrategy
Trump warns of military option; Iran threatens to end UN nuclear inspections before Oman talks
Last month, Trump sent a letter to Khamenei, who has the final say in matters of state in Iran, calling...
- A senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran could expel UN nuclear watchdog inspectors over "threats."
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope Thursday that the US-Iran nuclear talks in Oman this weekend could lead to "peace."
Geostrategy
European Union and UAE agree to launch trade deal negotiations
Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "and I just decided to launch negotiations on an EU-UAE free trade agreement,"...
- Sheikh Zayed said that the CEPA would create new avenues for cooperation between the UAE and EU, increase trade and investment flows.
- The EU is the UAE’s second-largest trading partner, accounting for 8.3 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil trade, which hit $67.6 billion in 2024.
Geostrategy
Turkey opposition to fight Erdogan ‘until the end’: leader tells AFP
The Turkish opposition will fight "until the end" against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the leader of the opposition CHP party...
- Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel demanded snap polls that would show the "biggest no confidence vote in history" against Erdogan
- Imamoglu's arrest sparked the biggest opposition protests to grip Turkey since 2013 although the rallies have dipped in intensity over the past 10 days
Geostrategy
US reiterates support for Morocco on Western Sahara
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday renewed US support for Morocco's sovereignty and political plan for Western Sahara, a...
- Trump, during his first term in office, in 2020 recognized Morocco's claim to the vast desert territory after the kingdom normalized relations with Israel
- Morocco mostly controls the former Spanish colony but has been challenged for decades by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front
Geostrategy
Israel seizes Gaza territory as Macron signals imminent French recognition of Palestinian statehood
French President Emmanuel Macron meanwhile said that France plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the "coming months", a move...
- Israel's Defence Minister Katz said that "large areas are being seized and added to Israel's security zones, leaving Gaza smaller and more isolated."
- Katz emphasised that Israel would keep increasing pressure on Gaza "until the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated."
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Pakistan encouraging US-Iran talks but says ‘time is of the essence’
Pakistan is continuing to play a behind-the-scenes diplomatic role between the United States and Iran as tensions remain high over...
Geostrategy
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Japan political party to install AI leader
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WTO fishing deal: the net results
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China’s power paradox: record renewables, continued coal
Bangkok, Thailand -- Call it the China power paradox: while Beijing leads the world in renewable energy expansion, its coal...
Geostrategy
Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on its nuclear programme
Iran said on Saturday that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear programme as a landmark 10-year...
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US envoy Witkoff felt ‘betrayed’ by Israeli attack on Hamas in Qatar
Washington, United States - US envoy Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's chief negotiator on the Middle East, has said that...
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Trump tells Zelensky to ‘make a deal’ as Tomahawk plea misfires
Trump said as recently as last month that he believed Ukraine could take back all its territory -- but a...
- Trump said as recently as last month that he believed Ukraine could take back all its territory -- but a day after agreeing to meet Russian President Putin for a new summit
- "It's good that President Trump didn't say 'no,' but for today, (he) didn't say 'yes'" to providing Kyiv with Tomahawks, Zelensky told US broadcaster NBC on Friday
Geostrategy
Hamas says committed to Gaza truce and returning hostage remains
Responding to a call from Hamas for help locating the bodies of the 19 hostages, buried under the rubble alongside...
- A Turkish official told AFP on Friday that dozens of disaster response specialists were at the Egyptian side of the border awaiting a green light from the Israeli government.
- The 81-member team from Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) is equipped with specialized search-and-rescue tools.
Geostrategy
OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon...
- The slain civil rights leader's estate and OpenAI said the company would pause generations depicting King while it "strengthens guardrails for historical figures."
- Videos reanimating other dead figures including Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Amy Winehouse have flooded social media since Sora 2's launch on September 30.