Iraqis face tough homecoming a decade after IS rampage
Hassan Shami, Iraq - A decade after Islamic State group extremists rampaged through northern Iraq, Moaz Fadhil and his eight children...
Geostrategy
Nations far apart in COP29 climate finance talks
According to the latest draft of the long-sought climate finance pact, most developing countries favor an annual commitment from wealthy...
Geostrategy
World Economic Forum
Women’s health gap costs US$1trn worldwide: report
Women spend a quarter more of their lives suffering from poor health than men, a disparity that includes an unequal...
- The gender health gap causes around 75 million years of life lost due to poor health annually
- WEF officials say analysis proves "investing in women's health must be a priority for every country"
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Deal reached for Gaza hostages to receive medicines
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari told QNA "the medications and aid will leave Doha tomorrow to the city of...
- Netanyahu's office confirmed the deal and saying the medicines will be forwarded by Qatari representatives in the Gaza Strip to their final destination
- The drugs are intended for 45 hostages, according to the French presidency, which said 83 were initially identified as needing medication in November
Geostrategy
Pakistan says two children killed by Iran air strike
The statement did not say where the strike took place, but various Pakistani social media accounts reported blasts in Balochistan...
- "This violation of Pakistan's sovereignty is completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement.
- Tehran and Islamabad frequently accuse each other of allowing militants to operate from the other's territory to launch attacks
Geostrategy
Maritime firm says missile hits Greek ship off Yemen
Dubai, UAE - A missile hit a Greek-owned cargo ship off Yemen, a maritime risk management company said on Tuesday, following...
- "A Malta-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carrier was reportedly targeted and impacted with a missile while transiting the southern Red Sea northbound," said firm
- The ship, which has visited Israel since the outbreak of war in Gaza and was headed to the Suez Canal, changed course and headed to port after the incident, it said
Geostrategy
Washington seeks ‘de-escalation’ in Middle East, says top US official
Davos, Switzerland - The United States wants a "de-escalation" in the Middle East despite its strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen,...
- "We seek to stop the spread of conflict and to create the conditions for de-escalation," Sullivan said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
- Sullivan said the course of the conflict with the Iranian-backed rebels depended on "those with influence in Tehran and influence in other capitals in the Middle East".
Geostrategy
WTO hopes to finalize fishing agreement
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The head of the World Trade Organization's fisheries talks voiced optimism  on Tuesday about striking an agreement on...
- The 164 WTO members kicked off a month of negotiations this week at the global trade body's headquarters in Geneva.
- The draft text is intended to help members reach agreement on a so-called "clean text" for submission to ministers in Abu Dhabi.
Geostrategy
Shell halts Red Sea shipments over attack fears, say report
WASHINGTON, US - British oil giant Shell has paused transit through the key Red Sea shipping route indefinitely, over fears of...
- The worries of escalation grew after United States and United Kingdom strikes on scores of sites in rebel-held Yemen.
- The Houthis have been targeting what they deemed Israeli-linked vessels, but after the strikes, they declared US and British interests "legitimate targets."
World Economic Forum
In Davos, Chinese premier takes aim at trade ‘barriers’
Li's remarks came as the World Economic Forum's (WEF's) 54th annual conference is preoccupied with a slew of global risks,...
- Li did not name any countries but Beijing has tussled with the United States and the European Union over trade in recent years, particularly on high-tech and clean energy.
- US-China trade tensions soared under the presidency of Donald Trump and have continued under President Joe Biden.
Iraq recalls Iran envoy in rebuke to ally over deadly strikes
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had destroyed the "Zionist regime's spy headquarters in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." The strike...
- Iraq challenged Iran's claim that the strikes targeted Israel's intelligence services in response to recent Israeli assassinations of Iranian and pro-Iranian commanders
- Iran defended its missile strikes in Iraq and Syria, saying they were a "targeted operation" and "just punishment" against those who breach the Islamic republic's security
Geostrategy
Intensive phase of war in south Gaza ‘will end soon’: Gallant
Israel had four divisions operating in Gaza before Monday's announced withdrawal, though it was unclear how many soldiers were involved...
- The army had stepped up military operations in the Khan Yunis and Rafah in recent weeks
- It said an entire division of soldiers had completed their withdrawal from Gaza on Monday
Iraqis face tough homecoming a decade after IS rampage
Hassan Shami, Iraq - A decade after Islamic State group extremists rampaged through northern Iraq, Moaz Fadhil and his eight children...
Geostrategy
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Israeli strike in South Lebanon kills one
An Israeli strike targeting a motorcycle in Lebanon killed one person and wounded another, according to the National News Agency...
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Trump warns jail time could be ‘breaking point’ for supporters
In an interview aired Sunday on Fox News, the former president and current Republican White House hopeful acknowledged the possibility...
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12 pro-regime fighters killed in Israeli strike near Syria’s Aleppo: NGO
The Syrian Ministry of Defence said in a statement that "after midnight... the Israeli enemy launched an air attack from...
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Gaza mediators urge Israel, Hamas to accept truce plan
Rafah, Palestinian Territories - Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators called on Israel and Hamas Saturday to "finalise" the truce deal outlined...
- Fighting has raged in the besieged Gaza Strip since Biden said Israel was offering a new roadmap towards a full ceasefire
- But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since insisted his country would pursue the war until it had achieved all its aims
Geostrategy
Hamas says Israel’s Gaza ceasefire proposal ‘positive’
The US president urged Hamas to accept the Israeli offer. "It's time for this war to end, for the day...
- But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted the army would continue fighting until it had "eliminated" Hamas's capacity to rule Gaza and pose a military threat
- Biden's address came as Israeli troops pushed into central Rafah, escalating the war with Hamas despite international objections to any assault on the southern Gaza city
Geostrategy
Houthis launch fresh drone, missile attacks from Yemen: US
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis launched several drones and two ballistic missiles on Friday, the US military said,...
- US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it intercepted four drones launched by the Houthis - three over the Red Sea and another over the Gulf of Aden - while a fifth drone crashed
- The Houthis also launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles, according to CENTCOM, which said no injuries or damage were reported from US, coalition or commercial ships