US expands Iran sanctions as pressure campaign intensifies
The U.S. Treasury said the sanctions cover 12 entities, including companies based in the Marshall Islands, the United Arab Emirates...
Geostrategy
Oil climbs and equities diverge as progress on Middle East peace remains elusive
Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, meanwhile, said it had launched missile and drone attacks against the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth...
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UN chief to visit Gaza border as Israel vows to go ahead with Rafah attack
On Saturday, UN chief Guterres plans to meet with aid workers on the Egyptian side of Rafah, just across the...
- During his visit, Guterres plans to reiterate his call for ceasefire, though international pressure has so far failed to dissuade Israel from the planned ground offensive in Rafah
- Despite warnings that such an invasion would cause mass civilian casualties and worsen the humanitarian crisis, Netanyahu said he must press ahead with the attack
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UN official urges $4bn humanitarian aid for cash-strapped Syria
Beirut, Lebanon - A UN official on Friday appealed for about $4 billion in humanitarian assistance for Syria, warning funding was...
- "In 2024, we are appealing for $4.07 billion to provide lifesaving aid to 10.8 million Syrians, out of 16.7 million people assessed to be in need of assistance," he said
- Abdelmoula also noted "Syria's vulnerability to climate shocks", exacerbated by conflict, warning of water scarcity and "heatwaves impacting agriculture and livestock"
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Iraqi PM to visit Washington for troop talks
Washington, US – President Joe Biden will welcome Iraq's prime minister on April 15 for talks on the US troop presence,...
- The visit will mark the first trip to Washington by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, who took office in October 2022.
- Sudani in the past has called for an exit of US forces, redeployed nearly 10 years ago as part of a campaign to defeat the Islamic State
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EU to tell big tech firms to curb election risks or face fines
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – The EU will put more pressure on the most popular online platforms, like X and TikTok, to tackle...
- The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is expected to adopt new guidelines.
- They will come under the EU's mammoth content moderation law, the Digital Services Act.
Geostrategy
US, Israel hold talks as Gaza truce plan fails at UN
Israel plans to send troops into Gaza's Rafah even without US support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Antony Blinken, as...
- US has repeatedly blocked ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council but tried to pass a text mentioning an "immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal".
- World leaders including staunch allies of Israel backed the renewed diplomatic push.
Geostrategy
Libya to continue Tunisia border closure till end of smuggling
Tripoli, Libya - Libya's shutdown of its main border crossing with Tunisia this week will remain in force until authorities put...
- Authorities aim to "ensure the security of the borders and combat crime and smuggling," Interior Minister Imad Trabelsi said.
- The crossing was shut down on Tuesday after clashes between armed groups and security forces on the Libyan side the night before.
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Israel seizes 800 hectares of land in West Bank on Blinken’s arrival
Israel's Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared as "state lands" the area in the northern Jordan Valley. Israeli settlement watchdog Peace...
- Settlements in the Palestinian territories are illegal under international law. Smotrich, who heads the extreme-right Religious Zionism party, lives in a settlement.
- They are now home to more than 490,000 Israelis, who live alongside around three million Palestinians in the territory.
Geostrategy
Finland to resume funding to UN agency for Palestinian refugees
Australia, Canada and Sweden, which were among those states, announced earlier this month they were resuming aid. Ten percent of...
- Finland suspended its yearly funding of five million euros in January, following Israel's allegations that 12 of the UN agency's 30,000 employees were involved in the Hamas attack
- Finland's minister Tavio said in a statement that preventing misconduct and initiating close monitoring give sufficient guarantees at this point for resuming the support
Geostrategy
Middle East oil policies not dictated by US, says Russia
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – US will no longer be able to dictate oil prices in the Middle East, Director of the...
- The US cannot dictate prices, although they would like to as the world is becoming a multipolar one, a Russian official said.
- "This multipolarity is expressed in particular in the existence of the group of countries known as OPEC+," he added.
Geostrategy
UK, Australia call for ‘immediate cessation of fighting’ in Gaza
Adelaide, Australia--Britain and Australia declared the need for an "immediate cessation of fighting" in Gaza, as diplomatic pressure built on Israel...
- The allies issued a statement that stressed the "urgency of an immediate cessation of fighting in Gaza to allow aid to flow and hostages to be released"
- The UK's call for an "immediate cessation of fighting" is a sign that Britain is also growing anxious about the toll of what Israel calls Operation Swords of Iron.
US expands Iran sanctions as pressure campaign intensifies
The U.S. Treasury said the sanctions cover 12 entities, including companies based in the Marshall Islands, the United Arab Emirates...
Geostrategy
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Israel forum says concerned for Gaza hostages after Doha strikes
The main Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza expressed "deep concern" following an Israeli attack...
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Israel strikes Hamas officials in Qatar, the first of its kind on Qatari territory
Qatar, which has been a key mediator in efforts to broker a truce in Gaza, said Israeli strikes targeted the...
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Ethiopia inaugurates Africa’s biggest dam, drawing Egyptian protest
Guba, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia inaugurated the continent's largest hydroelectric project on Tuesday in what Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called a...
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Israeli PM tells Gaza City residents to ‘leave now’ as military ramps up deadly assault
Israel has been intensifying its bombardment of the city in preparation for an operation to conquer it, despite repeated entreaties...
- Israel has been intensifying its bombardment of the city in preparation for an operation to conquer it, despite repeated entreaties from Western nations and aid agencies to stop
- On Monday, Israeli forces targeted a fourth high-rise building in Gaza City in as many days, with footage showing the Al-Ruya tower razed to the ground moments after being struck
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UK’s Starmer to meet Palestinian leader Abbas
Prime Minister Keir Starmer was due to meet Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas Monday, as the UK government edges towards...
- The meeting "is part of the prime minister's ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza," Downing Street said
- Several countries, including Britain have pledged to recognise a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly later this month
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UN rights chief denounces Israeli ‘genocidal rhetoric’ on Gaza
Volker Turk said "shocking and dehumanizing language" has been used by a number of high-level officials, stressing that "this is...
- In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk said the occupied Palestinian territory was already "a graveyard".
- The UN estimates nearly one million people remain in and around Gaza City, where it officially declared a famine last month.