Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh met on Friday with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to...
Geostrategy
Yemen separatist leader fled to UAE: Saudi-led coalition
Aidaros Alzubidi was accused of high treason and removed from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council on Wednesday, while the coalition bombed...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
GCC seeks travel ease with Schengen visa exemption
GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi calls for visa-free travel to Europe, aiming to simplify the journey for Gulf citizens to...
- GCC Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi is advocating for visa-free travel to Europe, aiming to simplify the journey for Gulf citizens to the continent.
- With plans for a Unified Tourist Visa and streamline travel safety measures, the GCC is paving the way for a more interconnected and accessible world.
Geostrategy
Former US treasury secretary says preparing buyout of TikTok
Washington, US - Former US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday said he is putting together a team of investors to...
- Mnuchin, former US Treasury Secretary, said that TikTok was "a great business and I’m going to put together a group to buy" the embattled app.
- "This should be owned by US businesses. There’s no way that the Chinese would ever let a US company own something like this in China," Mnuchin said.
Geostrategy
US sanctions five Israeli entities including three settlers in West Bank
Washington, US - The United States sanctioned three Israeli settlers and two farming outposts on Thursday, accusing them of being involved...
- "Today, we are taking further action to promote accountability for those perpetuating violence and causing turmoil in the West Bank," a US official said.
- The US Treasury Department website showed that the three sanctioned individuals, Zvi Bar Yosef, Neriya Ben Pazi and Moshe Sharvit were Israeli citizens in West Bank.
Geostrategy
Leader of US Senate calls for election in Israel
The leader of the US Senate called for Israel to hold new elections in the most strident criticism yet by...
- “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may,” Chuck Schumer said.
- He said that Netanyahu was one of four "major obstacles" to a two-state solution.
Geostrategy
UAE, Hungary ink pact to enhance trade, investment ties
ABU DHABI, UAE – The United Arab Emirates and Hungary have signed an economic cooperation agreement aimed at stimulating trade...
- The UAE-Hungary economic cooperation agreement aims to deepen bilateral ties between the two nations and drive growth.
- The agreement between the two countries also aims to boost non-oil trade, which has seen a significant increase in recent years.
Geostrategy
Israeli lawmakers approve revised wartime budget
The new budget passed by a vote of 62 lawmakers to 55. It modifies the budget passed in May 2023,...
- Parliament had already voted in December for an increase to the 2023 budget for the war against Hamas, boosting the previously approved spending figure by 30 billion shekels
- Israel's retaliatory military campaign to eliminate Hamas has killed at least 31,272 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the territory's health ministry
Geostrategy
China to take ‘all necessary measures’ to protect interests after US TikTok vote
Beijing, China--China on Thursday slammed the approval of a US bill that would ban TikTok unless it severs ties with its...
- The app has soared in popularity worldwide but its ownership by Chinese tech firm ByteDance has fuelled concern in Western capitals
- The US House of Representatives approved a bill that would force TikTok to divest from its parent company or face a nationwide ban
Geostrategy
UK to ban foreign state ownership of British newspapers
London, United Kingdom--The UK announced Wednesday that it plans to bar overseas governments from owning British newspapers, a move that could...
- A government spokesperson said the move would "deliver additional protections for a free press, a pillar of our democracy"
- British media suggested that minority interests in newspapers and magazines by foreign governments might be allowed
Geostrategy
‘Multilateral approach needed to address Gaza crisis’
The 'Amalthea' initiative, recently announced by Cyprus, is crucial for the efforts to launch the maritime corridor and the UAE...
- A concerted international effort is underway to open humanitarian corridors to Gaza, with a focus on a maritime corridor for urgent aid delivery.
- The 'Amalthea' initiative, aiming to safely ship aid from Cyprus to Gaza by sea, marks a critical step in international efforts to alleviate the crisis.
Geostrategy
Israeli strike kills Hamas member and two others in Lebanon
Beirut, Lebanon--Palestinian resistance group Hamas said one of its members was killed in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon on Wednesday...
- The Palestinian resistance group said the man killed in the strike was Hadi Mustafa, a member of its armed wing in Lebanon
- Lebanon's official National News Agency said three people were killed in the strike, including a Syrian passing by on a motorcycle
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Palestinian VP meets diplomat expected to serve on Trump’s Gaza peace board
Palestinian vice president Hussein al-Sheikh met on Friday with former UN Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who is expected to...
Geostrategy
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Putin and Zelensky set for peace summit after Trump’s talks with him, alongside European leaders
Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday but the talks failed to yield any breakthrough on a...
Geostrategy
Dubai police retrieve stolen diamond worth $25 million
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a...
Geostrategy
Hamas accepts new Gaza truce proposal from mediators Qatar and Egypt
"The movement has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators' new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire...
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Geostrategy
Iranians struggle with GPS disruption after Israel war
Tehran, Iran - The streets of Tehran have become a confusing maze for driver Farshad Fooladi amid widespread GPS disruption,...
- "For weeks I have been unable to work," said Fooladi, who uses Iran's homegrown ride-hailing app Snapp to find customers
- Iran's communications ministry has said the disruptions were necessary for "security and military purposes", without giving further explanation
Geostrategy
Israel says targeted Huthi energy site in Yemen
Israel said Sunday it targeted an energy infrastructure site in Yemen's capital Sanaa, linked to the Iran-backed Huthi rebels behind...
- A military statement said Israeli forces "struck... deep inside Yemen, targeting an energy infrastructure site that served the Huthi terrorist regime."
- The Huthis' Al-Masirah TV, citing a civil defence source, reported "an aggression targeting the Haziz power station" south of the city
Geostrategy
Syrian president says unifying country ‘should not be with blood’
Damascus, Syria -- Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said the battle to unify his country after years of civil war...
- His remarks, released by state TV on Sunday, came as hundreds demonstrated in south Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province.
- At the protest in Sweida, some demonstrators waved the Israeli flag and called for self-determination for the region.