Israel’s recognition of Somaliland ‘threat’ to regional stability: Somali president
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has for decades pushed for international recognition. A self-proclaimed republic, it enjoys...
Geostrategy
China’s high-speed rail network passes 50,000km mark
Beijing, China -- China's sprawling high-speed rail network passed 50,000 kilometers (31,000 miles) in total operating distance with the opening...
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Geostrategy
Israeli strikes kill 10 including six civilians in Syrian city of Homs
"Ten people, including six civilians and two Hizbollah fighters, were killed in Israeli strikes on a building in the Hamra...
- Three students and a woman were among the dead, two of whom have yet to be identified, an official said
- Two Hizbollah fighters were also among the dead, a source to the Iran-backed Lebanese group confirmed to AFP
Geostrategy
Blinken in Israel voices hope for Gaza truce deal to free hostages
"There's a lot of work to be done, but we are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully...
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that if Israel presses into Gaza's far-southern Rafah, it "would exponentially increase what is already a humanitarian nightmare".
- AFPTV footage showed frantic scenes of Palestinians running for their lives, many screaming, as gunfire rang out from advancing Israeli forces in a Gaza City neighborhood.
Geostrategy
New round of Gaza negotiations to start in Cairo: Egypt source
Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt and Qatar are sponsoring a new round of negotiations to start Thursday in Cairo aimed at achieving...
- A Hamas source with knowledge of the matter confirmed the Palestinian group had agreed to the talks, with the goal of "a ceasefire, an end to the war and a prisoner exchange deal".
- The Egyptian official said Cairo was urging "both parties to show the necessary flexibility" to achieve a truce in Hamas-run Gaza.
Business
Gaza solidarity boycott hits global food chains
As customers in the Middle East shun international restaurants, local businesses report they have benefited from the boycott.
- Starbucks sales grew at their slowest pace in a year, and profits fell short of Wall Street estimates as a spending slowdown took its toll.
- McDonald's shares declined for the second day after the company failed to achieve targeted sales for the first time since 2020 due to the war in the Middle East.
Geostrategy
US lawmakers reject US$17.6 billion Israel aid bill
Republicans in the House of Representatives scheduled the vote after the Democratic-led Senate released a bipartisan bill Sunday pairing billions of dollars for...
- The standalone Israel bill would have provided $17.6bn in military aid for the country
- 167 Democrats voted no after Biden had threatened to wield his veto
Geostrategy
Canada announces sanctions against Hamas leaders
The move comes two weeks after Britain and the United States unveiled new coordinated asset freezes and travel bans on...
- The 11 individuals targeted by the Canadian measures include Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and its military chief Mohammed Deif
- All the sanctioned individuals were said in a statement to be "integral to the planning, funding and execution of the October 7 attacks
Geostrategy
Israel says studying Hamas response to truce deal
Last week, a Hamas source said the truce deal calls for a six-week pause to fighting as Hamas frees hostages...
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his fifth tour of the region since the war broke out, arrived in Israel to discuss an "essential" agreement
- Hamas confirmed it delivered its response to proposals hammered out a week ago in Paris between Qatar and other mediators
Geostrategy
Israeli air strikes on Syria’s Homs kill five people
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that five people have been killed including three civilians, and seven others were...
- The monitor said the identities of the two non-civilian casualties were unknown
- Israeli strikes last Monday near Damascus killed eight people, including pro-Iran fighters
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia to US: No Israel ties until Palestinian statehood within 1967 borders
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia on Tuesday explicitly conveyed to the United States its stance on diplomatic relations with...
- The announcement comes amidst ongoing discussions between Saudi Arabia and the US regarding the Arab-Israeli peace process
- The spokesperson for the US National Security Council had recently commented on these discussions, further emphasizing their significance
Geostrategy
EU seeks 90 percent drop in greenhouse emission by 2040
Strasbourg, France - The EU on Tuesday urged a 90-percent cut to its greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, even as the...
- The 27-nation European Union is already working towards an interim target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030.
- However, rising discontent could deal it a tougher time in trying to get the 2040 goal of 90 percent cuts adopted.
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Israel’s recognition of Somaliland ‘threat’ to regional stability: Somali president
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has for decades pushed for international recognition. A self-proclaimed republic, it enjoys...
Geostrategy
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Iran vows stronger response if attacked again by US, Israel
It remains unclear how much damage was caused by the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which came after Israel...
Geostrategy
Putin stresses Syrian ‘territorial integrity’ in call with Netanyahu after Druze unrest
Russia, a close ally of Syria's former long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly fled to Moscow with his family, still...
Geostrategy
Food arrives in Gaza after Israel pauses some fighting
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories -- Truckloads of food reached hungry Gazans on Monday after Israel promised to open secure aid...
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Syria sets date for new transitional parliament, local bodies to elect two-thirds of lawmakers
Syrian autorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- dissolved the former longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's rubber-stamp legislature and adopted a...
- In June, a presidential decree established a 10-member committee to supervise the formation of local electoral bodies to select a new batch of lawmakers
- State news agency SANA reported on Sunday that committee head Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad had met with Sharaa to discuss the process
Geostrategy
The UN, the Palestinians, Israel and a stalled two-state solution
Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked...
- In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 dividing Palestine - which was then under British mandate - into Jewish and Arab states
- Israel declared independence in May 1948, triggering the Arab-Israeli war which was won convincingly by Israel the following year
Geostrategy
Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel says opening aid routes
UN's World Food Programme said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 people...
- Since Israel imposed a total blockade on aid entering Gaza, the situation inside the territory has deteriorated sharply. More than 100 NGOs warned this week of "mass starvation".
- Humanitarian officials are deeply skeptical airdrops can deliver enough food safely to tackle the hunger crisis.