Trump trade war pushes firms to consider stockpiling
Even if they don't all acknowledge it so openly, firms in many different sectors are stockpiling their products in the United...
Business
Trump, Zelensky meet on sidelines of pope’s funeral
US President Donald Trump on Saturday criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine in recent...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
UAE, France discuss bilateral ties, sign AI cooperation deal
Paris, UAE - UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French President Emmanuel Macron of France explored various...
- Both sides emphasized collaboration in AI, climate action, energy, and sustainable development initiatives
- They signed the UAE-France Framework for Cooperation in AI, including a 1GW AI Campus investment
Israel orders army to prepare Gaza exodus plan as Trump rules out US troop deployment in the territory
Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz ordered the military to prepare a plan for voluntary" departures from Gaza, saying Palestinians could...
- Trump proposes U.S. control of Gaza but rules out deploying American troops
- UN warns forced displacement of Palestinians would amount to ‘ethnic cleansing
World Economic Forum
UNFPA and corporate partners drive reproductive justice in workplaces
Mariarosa Cutillo, UNFPA Chief of the Private Sector and Civil Society Branch, says businesses need to provide adequate maternal health...
- UNFPA emphasizes that corporate strategies can empower vulnerable communities, particularly women, by driving positive change in workplaces, Cutillo said
- UNFPA's presence in 150 countries allows us to work with women and implement these targeted initiatives effectively, she added.
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia says no Israel normalization without Palestinian state
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia said Wednesday it will not formalize ties with Israel unless a Palestinian state is established,...
- Both US President Donald Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden have backed Israel and Saudi Arabia having diplomatic relations
- Riyadh paused tentative talks on the matter early in the Gaza conflict and hardened its rhetoric as the war continued
Geostrategy
Trump doubles down on Gaza shock plan, says Israel will turn over the territory to US
Trump said that by the time of the handover, Palestinians "would have already been resettled in far safer and more...
- Trump first made the stunning proposal to audible gasps during a joint press conference with Netanyahu on Tuesday, whom he was hosting at the White House for talks
- Suggesting "long-term ownership" by the US, Trump said he would make Gaza the Riviera of the Middle East, and that "this could be something that could be so magnificient".
Geostrategy
West Bank’s Jenin camp going in ‘catastrophic direction’: UNRWA
The Israeli military launched a major offensive in the West Bank on January 21 aimed at rooting out Palestinian armed...
- The operation has also seen troops levelling buildings in a refugee camp adjacent to Jenin, according to UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma.
- "Large parts of the camp were completely destroyed in a series of detonations by the Israeli forces. It is estimated that 100 houses were destroyed or heavily damaged," she said.
World Economic Forum
Risks are interconnected, need collaborative solutions, says WEF’s Mark Elsner
Davos, Switzerland – Mark Elsner, Head, Global Risks Initiative, World Economic Forum sat with TRENDS during WEF’s summit in Davos...
- The Global Risks Report 2025, with insights from over 900 experts, identifies state-based armed conflict as the most immediate risk for 2025.
- The report was circulated ahead of the Davos meeting, which serves as a platform for advancing dialogue, cooperation, and partnerships.
Geostrategy
Trump, Netanyahu to discuss Gaza ceasefire, regional stability in White House meeting
Trump has floated a controversial plan to relocate Palestinians to neighboring countries, but Egypt, Jordan, and ceasefire mediator Qatar have...
- Netanyahu is in Washington for talks with the new Trump administration on a second, longer-term phase of Israel's fragile truce with the Palestinian group Hamas
- Trump has meanwhile repeatedly touted a plan to "clean out" Gaza, calling for Palestinians to move to neighboring countries such as Egypt or Jordan
Business
OPEC+ sticks to oil output plan after Trump’s price demand
In a bid to boost prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headed by Saudi Arabia and Russian-led allies...
- In December, eight OPEC+ countries announced they would start phasing out 2.2 million bpd of voluntary supply cuts from April.
- The decision to stick to the alliance's timetable to unwind cuts comes after Trump said last month that he would ask Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower oil prices.
Geostrategy
Syrian President’s first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia signals Syria’s shift away from Iran’s influence.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, marking his first foreign visit and signaling...
- Al-Sharaa’s visit signals Syria’s pivot away from Iran and closer ties with the Gulf states
- Saudi Arabia is leading efforts to reintegrate Syria into the regional fold and push for sanctions relief
Trump trade war pushes firms to consider stockpiling
Even if they don't all acknowledge it so openly, firms in many different sectors are stockpiling their products in the United...
Business
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Trump says Russian strike on Ukraine ‘a horrible thing’
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy that killed at least...
Geostrategy
Israel PM says Macron ‘gravely mistaken’ in promoting Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron over his plans to recognise a...
Geostrategy
Iran says talks with US will remain ‘indirect’, to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, along with...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa makes first visit to UAE
Damascus, Syria -- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose war-devastated country seeks Gulf financial support, traveled to the United Arab...
- Nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad in Dec, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his government found the Islamist affiliation of Syria's new rulers "quite worrying'.
- But in mid-January Sharaa spoke by phone with the Emirati president about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region'.
Geostrategy
Gaza hospital damaged in Israeli strike: civil defence
There were no reports of casualties in the strike and the Israeli military told AFP they were looking into the...
- The airstrike came "minutes after the (Israeli) army's warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions", the agency said in a statement.
- Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Geostrategy
US-funded Arabic network ends broadcasts after Trump cuts
The network went on air in 2004, when US officials were complaining about coverage of the Iraq war from Qatar-backed...
- But it has faced stiff competition from Al-Jazeera as well as Al-Arabiya, which is funded by Saudi Arabia, and more recently UAE-backed Sky News Arabia.
- The Trump administration, in part of a sweeping cost-cutting drive led by Elon Musk, in March said it was ceasing all financial transfers for US government-supported media.