Qiddiya City launches ‘Powered by Play’ after global play research
Dubai, UAE -- Qiddiya City launched "Powered by Play," a long-term initiative aimed at promoting play as a driver of...
Research
US strikes Iran again as Supreme Leader says breaches show Trump signature ‘invalid’
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest attacks targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces it blamed for the Jordan...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israel says Hamas ‘will be disarmed’ after group proposes weapons freeze
Israel said Thursday that Hamas "will be disarmed" as part of the US-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, after a top...
- Top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera that the militant group is open to a weapons "freeze", but rejects the demand for total disarmament
- Shosh Bedrosian, spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister's office, said "Israel will continue to follow the 20-point plan. There will be no Hamas inside of the Gaza Strip."
Geostrategy
Hamas proposes weapons ‘freeze’ in return for long-term truce: leader to Al Jazeera
A top Hamas leader told Qatari news channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the militant group is open to a...
- "This is the idea we're discussing with the mediators, and I believe that with pragmatic American thinking... such a vision could be agreed," top Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said
- As for the international peacekeeping force, Meshaal said the group was open to its deployment along Gaza's border with Israel, but was against its operation inside Gaza
Geostrategy
UNRWA chief denounces Israeli police’s seizure of agency’s Jerusalem assets
The compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem has been empty of UNRWA staff since January, when the law banning its operations...
- "Today in the early morning, Israeli police accompanied by municipal officials forcibly entered the UNRWA compound in East Jerusalem," Philippe Lazzarini said on X
- Lazzarini has been declared persona non grata by Israeli authorities, who banned his agency from operating inside the country early this year
Geostrategy
US-Israel-Qatar meeting seeks to salvage Gaza peace deal amid strain over Israeli strike on Doha
Axios also reported White House envoy Steve Witkoff hosted the meeting, with Mossad spy chief David Barnea representing Israel and...
- Two sources told US news outlet Axios it was "the highest level meeting between the countries since the deal to end the war in Gaza, for which Qatar served as a key mediator."
- Axios also reported White House envoy Steve Witkoff hosted the meeting, with Mossad spy chief David Barnea representing Israel and an unnamed senior Qatari official in attendance
Geostrategy
Trump says Putin wants to end war, US to hold new talks with Ukraine
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner huddled into the early hours with Putin in the Kremlin but reached...
- Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner huddled into the early hours with Putin in the Kremlin but reached no breakthrough on halting Europe's worst conflict since World War II
- The Kremlin said afterward it found parts of the US plan to end the war unacceptable, even though the proposal includes Ukraine ceding parts of the eastern Donbas region
Geostrategy
If Europe wants war with Russia, ‘we are ready,’ says Putin as he meets US envoys over Ukraine deal
Washington has presented a 28-point draft to end the conflict, later amended after criticism from Kyiv and Europe, which viewed...
- The comments came as US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner were in Moscow for high-stakes talks on ending the nearly four-year war
- "They have no peaceful agenda, they are on the side of war," he added, repeating his claim that European leaders were hindering US attempts to broker peace in Ukraine
Geostrategy
Trump warns Israel not to ‘interfere’ in Syria, days after deadly operation killed 13 people
"It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that...
- "It is very important that Israel maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria, and that nothing takes place that will interfere with Syria's evolution into a prosperous State,"
- Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and invited him for another White House visit, Netanyahu's office said shortly after Trump issued the warning
Geostrategy
Trump says US freeze on asylum decisions will last ‘a long time’
US President Donald Trump said Sunday his administration intends to maintain a pause on asylum decisions for "a long time"...
- "We don't want those people," Trump said. "You know why we don't want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn't be in our country."
- The Trump administration issued the pause in the aftermath of the shooting in Washington on November 26, that left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom dead and another guardsman wounded
Geostrategy
Trump optimistic after Ukraine talks as Rubio says ‘more work’ needed to end war
US President Donald Trump said Sunday there was a "good chance" of a deal to end the war in Ukraine...
- An initial 28-point US proposal -- drafted without input from Ukraine's European allies -- would have required Kyiv to withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region
- A source close to the Kyiv delegation in Florida told AFP on Sunday that "the process is not easy because the search for formulations and solutions continues."
Geostrategy
The tiring task of repairing Gaza’s tattered banknotes
Nuseirat, Palestinian Territories - With a pot of glue, a blade and a keen eye, Manal al-Saadani repairs tattered banknotes...
- As Gaza remained blockaded for much of the Israel-Hamas war since October 2023, basic supplies were depleted, including banknotes, with no new ones supplied to its banks
- The Bank of Israel's first Series C notes featured the portraits of prominent Hebrew poets, with the 20 note in red, the 50 in green, the 100 in orange and the 200 in blue
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Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Qiddiya City launches ‘Powered by Play’ after global play research
Dubai, UAE -- Qiddiya City launched "Powered by Play," a long-term initiative aimed at promoting play as a driver of...
Research
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Oil prices fall to lowest levels since March on Hormuz opening expactations
Questions over shipping fees, sanctions relief and regional security persisted even as negotiators prepared for a formal signing ceremony in...
Geostrategy
Vance says Hormuz reopening details pending as Israel vows to stay in seized territories
Fresh questions emerged over implementation of the US-Iran agreement as negotiators grappled with security guarantees, territorial disputes and unresolved nuclear...
Geostrategy
GCC youth population tops 23.5m as workforce presence expands
Dubai, UAE -- More than 23.5 million people aged between 15 and 34 lived across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Trump predicts Iran accord to be signed soon, Hormuz to open
Mediators voiced growing optimism that weeks of negotiations were nearing completion, while competing narratives from Washington and Tehran underscored lingering...
- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said a signing date had not yet been determined and indicated an accord would not be signed on Sunday.
- Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X that the agreement was closer “than ever before” and expected to be finalised within 24 hours.
Geostrategy
Iran says draft accord to end the war could be signed within days
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the proposed framework would address issues including the U.S. naval blockade and the future...
- Araghchi said Tehran wanted any agreement to allow Iran to charge ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz for what he described as services provided during passage.
- Iran introduced a toll system during the conflict, a move the United States and several other countries have argued violates international law.
Geostrategy
Middle East conflict slows global growth outlook, World Bank says
Most economies saw forecasts downgraded as rising energy costs, inflation and borrowing expenses create fresh challenges for growth and development...
- World Bank is making up to $60 billion available immediately through existing instruments to support affected countries.
- More than 30 countries are working with the institution to strengthen preparedness and enable rapid crisis responses.