Saudi Arabia condemns ‘dangerous’ UAE moves in Yemen after striking shipment
Riyadh also backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for Emirati forces to withdraw from the country within 24 hours,...
Geostrategy
Iraqis cover soil with clay to curb sandstorms
Samawah, Iraq -- Deep in Iraq’s southern desert, bulldozers and earthmovers spread layers of moist clay over sand dunes as...
Geostrategy
Vessel reports missile attack off Yemen’s coast: security firms
Another security firm, Ambrey, said the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier "was targeted by missiles in two separate incidents" within...
- The incident occurred before 0400 local time (0100 GMT) in an area where Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted Red Sea shipping in recent months, UKMTO said
- Houthis' attacks prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade
Israeli military says 2 hostages rescued in overnight Gaza operation
The military said in a statement that "during a joint IDF (military), ISA (Shin Bet security agency), and Israel Police...
- During the October 7 attacks, Palestinian fighters seized about 250 hostages, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Israel says around 130 are still in Gaza
- Dozens of captives taken on October 7 were released during a one-week truce in November that also saw the release of more than 200 Palestinian captives held in Israeli jails
Geostrategy
Iraq resumes talks with US on coalition forces exit
According to the military spokesman for Iraq's prime minister, the discussions aim to schedule a timeline for a pullout of...
- The US-led military coalition was set up in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group
- Since October, US and allied troops have been targeted more than 165 times in the region
Geostrategy
Hospitalized Pentagon chief hands duties to deputy
The latest health scare came weeks after it emerged that Austin, 70, had kept previous hospital stays secret and had...
- Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks "assumed the functions and duties" just before 5:00 pm (2200 GMT), Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said
- Austin was "admitted into the critical care unit at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for supportive care and close monitoring," the Pentagon said
Geostrategy
More than 50 people killed in Israeli strikes on Rafah
Witnesses heard an intense series of strikes and saw smoke billowing above the city, which now hosts more than half...
- Israeli military said that it had conducted a series of strikes in the Gaza Strip
- Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered his army to prepare a ground offensive on Rafah
Geostrategy
India says Qatar freed eight ex-navy personnel
"The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained...
- In October, India said it was "shocked" after a Qatari court had sentenced them to death, but the sentence was reduced in December
- The Hindu newspaper reported the men were spying for a "third country", while the Times of India has said that "they were accused of spying for Israel."
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia sends $250m to bolster Yemeni government
Saudi Arabia said it had disbursed $250 million in aid to the internationally-recognized government in Yemen. The money follows an...
- The Yemeni government relocated to Aden, a port city on the southern coast, after the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014.
- In 2015 Saudi Arabia mobilized an international coalition intended to oust the Houthis.
Geostrategy
IMF chief says Israel-Hamas war ‘devastating’ Palestinian economy
"The Palestinian economy's dire outlook is worsening as the conflict persists," managing director Kristalina Georgieva told the World Governments Summit...
- In the war-ravaged coastal territory, economic activity dropped 80 percent from October through December compared with a year earlier, the IMF chief said.
- The IMF now sees the economies of the region expanding 2.9 percent this year, a decrease of half a percentage point from its October forecast.
Geostrategy
UN’s IMO working ‘tirelessly’ to solve Red Sea crisis: head
Yemen's Houthi rebels, supported by Iran, have launched dozens of attacks against ships in the Red Sea since November, targeting...
- Secretary General Dominguez said IMO is working to ensure that "parties continue to talk so that the situation does not degenerate any further"
- Many shipowners have decided to stop operating in the Red Sea, instead sending their ships on the longer route around the south of Africa
Business
Climate change parches Morocco breadbasket amid policy pitfalls
Berrechid, Morocco -- Around this time every year, Moroccan wheat farmer Abderrahim Mohafid is usually preparing for his spring harvest, but...
- Morocco has seen only about half the rainfall it did during the same period last year, the country's water minister Nizar Baraka told AFP.
- The sector accounts for 14 percent of Morocco's exports, with exported produce seen as more profitable than that sold in domestic markets.
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Saudi Arabia condemns ‘dangerous’ UAE moves in Yemen after striking shipment
Riyadh also backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for Emirati forces to withdraw from the country within 24 hours,...
Geostrategy
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Israel says struck Hezbollah missile factory in Lebanon
Israel said it carried out strikes on Thursday on sites used by Hezbollah to manufacture and store missiles in Lebanon,...
Geostrategy
Trump’s envoy Witkoff holds talks in Israel on ceasefire as Gaza criticism mounts
Witkoff has been the top US representative in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas but the discussions broke down last...
Geostrategy
Trump’s global trade policy faces test, hours from tariff deadline
The last-gasp scramble to strike bilateral accords came as an appeals court in Washington considered the legality behind Trump's strategy...
Economy
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Geostrategy
Syrian, Israeli ministers to hold meeting in Baku on Thursday: diplomat
A Syrian-Israeli ministerial meeting is set to take place Thursday in Baku to discuss security matters in southern Syria, a...
- The meeting between Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer follows a similar meeting between them in Paris last week
- It will take place after an unprecedented visit by Shaibani to Moscow on Thursday, added the diplomat, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter
Geostrategy
France, 14 other nations urge recognition of Palestinian state, Canada may do so in September
The foreign ministers of 15 countries issued a joint statement following a conference in New York, co-chaired by France and...
- In the statement, 15 nations including Spain, Norway, and Finland affirmed their "unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution."
- Nine of the signatories which have not yet recognized the Palestinian state expressed "the willingness or the positive consideration of their countries" to do so.
Geostrategy
Gaza famine warning as Israel resists ceasefire calls, UNICEF says time running out
"We need to flood Gaza with large-scale food aid, immediately and without obstruction, and keep it flowing each and every...
- The World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organisation warned that time was running out and that Gaza was "on the brink of a full-scale famine."
- "We need to flood Gaza with large-scale food aid, immediately and without obstruction, and keep it flowing each and every day to prevent mass starvation," UNICEF said