Middle East conflict may push 30 million into poverty: UNDP
According to a new UNDP policy brief, the impact is most severe in countries directly affected by the fighting and...
Geostrategy
Financial frauds cost global economy over $442bn in 2025: INTERPOL
AI-enhanced fraud is 4.5 times more profitable than traditional methods. “Agentic AI” systems can autonomously plan and execute complete fraud...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Long-shot socialist and Trump foe Mamdani becomes next New York mayor
The self-proclaimed socialist, who has been re-elected three times, forged an image that has become his trademark -- a progressive...
- Since his surprise victory in the Democratic Party primary in June, New Yorkers have become used to seeing his bearded, smiling face on television
- The 34-year-old election winner was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was seven, becoming a naturalized US citizen in 2018
Geostrategy
NATO tests war preparedness on eastern flank facing Russia
On the Mures river in central Romania, French armoured vehicles and Romanian trucks board a motorised floating bridge, part of...
- The drill -- planned for months and seen as an "integration exercise" for NATO members -- comes after Washington last week said it would pull some troops out from the area
- Romania, which shares some 650 kilometres (400 miles) of border with Ukraine, has gained in strategic importance since Russia invaded its neighbour in 2022
Geostrategy
World on track to dangerous warming as emissions hit record high: UN
Scientists are in broad agreement that warming above 1.5C relative to pre-industrial times risks catastrophic consequences, and every effort must...
- But the world is set to blow past 1.5C in a matter of years and planet-warming emissions keep rising, hitting a new record high in 2024, according to a UN report.
- With an overshoot of 1.5C now inevitable, focus has shifted to how quickly temperatures can be returned to less-risky levels.
Geostrategy
Turkey, and six of its Muslim allies say Palestinian self-rule key to Gaza future
Turkey, which played a central role in forging the now shaky three-week-old ceasefire, is pushing for Muslim nations to bring...
- Turkey, which played a central role in forging the 3-week-old ceasefire, is pushing for Muslim nations to bring their influence to bear on the reconstruction of the territory
- Brokered by US President Donald Trump, the October 10 ceasefire has been tested by fresh Israeli strikes and claims of Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers.
Geostrategy
Trump says Russia, China have secretly tested nuclear weapons
President Donald Trump alleged Sunday that countries including Russia and China have conducted underground nuclear tests unknown to the public,...
- "Russia's testing, and China's testing, but they don't talk about it," he told CBS's "60 Minutes" program, in an interview released Sunday
- "I don't want to be the only country that doesn't test," he said, adding North Korea and Pakistan to the list of nations allegedly testing their arsenals.
Geostrategy
Syrian leader to discuss sanctions, reconstruction in US visit: FM
Syria's president will discuss issues including lifting remaining sanctions, reconstruction and counter-terrorism when he becomes the country's first leader to...
- Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected in the US capital in early November, Syria's top diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani told a panel at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain
- On Saturday, US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Sharaa was heading to Washington "hopefully" to sign an agreement to join the US-led alliance against the Islamic State
Geostrategy
Death becomes a growing business in ageing, lonely South Korea
Busan, South Korea -- Rows of coffins line a university classroom in the South Korean port city of Busan, ready...
- Single-person households now account for around 42 percent of all homes in Asia's fourth-largest economy.
- A new profession has emerged reflecting that statistic: cleaners who are called in to tidy up homes after their occupants, most of whom lived alone, have died.
Geostrategy
Hundreds in south Lebanon mourn Hezbollah members killed in Israeli attacks
Nabatieh, Lebanon -- Hundreds of people gathered in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh on Sunday to mourn five Hezbollah members killed in...
- On Saturday, an Israeli strike killed four people in Kfar Rumman, Nabatiyeh district, the Lebanese health ministry and the Israeli military said.
- The men's coffins were draped in Hezbollah's flag while mourners threw petals and chanted "death to Israel, death to America".
Geostrategy
Iran vows to rebuild nuclear sites ‘stronger than before’
"By destroying buildings... we will not be set back," said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a visit to the country's...
- Pezeshkian's comments came as Oman, Iran's traditional intermediary, urged the two countries on Saturday to resume talks.
- Oman hosted five rounds of US-Iran talks this year. Just three days before the sixth round, Israel launched its strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Geostrategy
OPEC+ looks set to further hike oil output
Since April, the V8 group -- comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman...
- As in previous months, the V8 group is likely to cite "low oil inventories" worldwide to justify a further increase in production quotas.
- In late October, pressure on Russian oil supplies mounted after the United States hit the country's two biggest oil producers -- Rosneft and Lukoil -- with sanctions.
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Middle East conflict may push 30 million into poverty: UNDP
According to a new UNDP policy brief, the impact is most severe in countries directly affected by the fighting and...
Geostrategy
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US pitches glitzy New Gaza rebuild at Davos, drawing outrage amid ongoing humanitarian crisis
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner said the so-called National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) had enlisted help from Israeli...
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, six others accept Trump ‘Board of Peace’ invite: statement
Saudi Arabia and seven Muslim-majority countries including Gaza mediators Qatar and Turkey have agreed to join US President Donald Trump's "Board...
Geostrategy
European leaders vow ‘unflinching’ response to Trump’s plans to annex Greenland
The US president, who will address the annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday, has put the transatlantic alliance to...
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Geostrategy
Iraq announces complete withdrawal of US-led coalition from federal territory
Iraq said on Sunday US-led coalition forces had finished withdrawing from bases within the country's federal territory, which excludes the...
- The vast majority of coalition troops withdrew from Iraq over previous stages, with only advisers remaining in the country
- IS attacks in Iraq have massively declined in recent years, but the group maintains a presence in the country's mountainous areas
Geostrategy
Putin speaks to Israel, Iran leaders to help ‘de-escalate’ the situation: Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held calls with the leaders of Israel and Iran, the Kremlin said, offering mediation amid...
- On Friday, Russia announced Putin was in contact with both Israeli PM Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
- In his call with Pezeshkian, Putin pledged to further strengthen their countries' "strategic partnership", the Kremlin said
Geostrategy
Saudi, Qatar, Oman convinced Trump to ‘give Iran a chance’: senior Saudi official
Two diplomatic sources told AFP on Thursday that the security posture at Qatar's Al-Udeid Airbase had been lowered after a...
- The Gulf trio "led a long, frantic, diplomatic last-minute effort to convince President Trump to give Iran a chance to show good intention", the Saudi official said
- The United States has repeatedly warned it could intervene against Iranian government crackdown on protests, while Tehran has said it would retaliate with strikes