Slower growth expected in MENA region in 2025: IMF
"Growth is still projected to increase in 2025 and 2026, but at a considerably slower pace than anticipated last October,"...
Economy
Syria FM says wants to ‘strengthen relations’ with China
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed on Monday his government's willingness to build a "strategic partnership" with China, a key...
Geostrategy
Palestinian Authority suspends Al Jazeera broadcasts
The Palestinian Authority on Wednesday ordered the suspension of broadcasts by Qatar-based Al Jazeera across the Palestinian territories, accusing the...
- Militant group Hamas condemned the decision to ban the network
- Tensions between the two sides followed recent coverage of clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in Jenin
‘Numb’ New Orleans grapples with horror of deadly truck attack
New Orleans, United States - The celebratory atmosphere of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, long an American byword for indulgence and...
- A deadly truck attack on New Year's crowds in New Orleans' French Quarter left at least 15 dead, shaking the heart of the city's famed Bourbon Street
- Residents and visitors mourn the tragedy, calling for stricter security as New Orleans faces major upcoming events like Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl
Syria Foreign Minister in Saudi Arabia, hopes the visit opens ‘new, bright page’
Last week, in an interview with Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television, Sharaa said Saudi Arabia "will certainly have a large role...
- Syrian state media said the top delegation had come to the kingdom "at the invitation of the Saudi foreign minister", quoting a foreign ministry source.
- Saudi Arabia severed ties with Assad's government in 2012 and backed Syrian rebels seeking to overthrow him early in the country's civil war
Geostrategy
UN: Israel’s strikes on Gaza hospitals may constitute war crimes, urges independent probe
The UN's 23-page report, "Attacks on Hospitals During the Escalation of Hostilities in Gaza," documented 136 strikes on 27 hospitals...
- The world body's 23-page report, entitled "Attacks on hospitals during the escalation of hostilities in Gaza", looked at the period from October 7, 2023 to June 30, 2024
- The report said attacks on hospitals typically involved missile strikes on hospital buildings, the destruction of facilities, shooting of civilians, and sieges.
South Korea’s Yoon: from star prosecutor to president facing arrest
Yoon is under investigation for his martial law declaration and faces criminal charges of insurrection, which could result in life...
- Investigators sought an arrest warrant against Yoon which a court issued on Tuesday.
- If arrested, Yoon would become the first S.Korean president detained before impeachment procedures
Geostrategy
UN experts demand Israel face consequences for alleged Gaza war crimes and genocide claims
The experts called for urgent, independent and thorough investigations into alleged serious violations of international law, saying Israel's continued impunity...
- Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 45,500 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians
- The experts highlighted alleged crimes against humanity committed by Israel "including murder, torture, sexual violence.'
Former US president Jimmy Carter dies aged 100
Carter had been in hospice care since mid-February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia -- the same small town...
- Carter died "peacefully" at his home in Plains, "surrounded by his family," the Carter Center said in a statement
- Carter was the longest-lived US president -- an outcome that seemed unlikely back in 2015 when the Southern Democrat revealed he had brain cancer
Geostrategy
New Dawn over Damascus: Residents reclaim Mount Qasyun after years of curbs under Assad’s rule
Mount Qasyun, once closed due to war, reopens as a vibrant community space where Damascus residents gather to reclaim joy,...
- Through the long years of Syria's civil war, which began in 2011 with a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, people were not allowed access to the mountain
- When night falls, long queues of vehicles slowly make their way up a twisting road to a brightly lit corniche at the summit
Israeli strikes hit Yemen as Netanyahu fires warning
Israeli air strikes pummeled Sanaa's international airport and other targets in Yemen on Thursday, with Huthi rebel media reporting six...
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel's strikes would "continue until the job is done"
- Iran's foreign ministry condemned the strikes as a "violation" of peace and security
Syrian war monitor says 17 dead in clashes in Tartus province
17 people were killed Wednesday in clashes in Tartus province after security forces sought to arrest an officer under deposed...
- 14 interior ministry personnel were killed and 10 others wounded
- Clashes in Tartus province erupted after residents refused to allow their houses to be searched
Slower growth expected in MENA region in 2025: IMF
"Growth is still projected to increase in 2025 and 2026, but at a considerably slower pace than anticipated last October,"...
Economy
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Syria, Lebanon leaders in Qatar for first official visits
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha. Qatar has been a key backer...
Geostrategy
Disarming Lebanon’s Hezbollah no longer inconceivable: analysts
Beirut, Lebanon - The once unthinkable disarmament of Hezbollah could finally be within reach, as the United States pushes Lebanon...
Geostrategy
Iran’s top diplomat to visit Russia after US nuclear talks
Iran's foreign minister is to visit ally Russia this week to discuss nuclear negotiations with the United States, ahead of...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Israel offers 45-day ceasefire if Hamas releases half of remaining Gaza hostages
Hamas has informed the mediators that it is willing to agree to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a...
- A Hamas official told AFP that Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war but that this crossed a "red line".
- "The proposal includes the disarmament of Hamas and all Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip as a condition for a permanent end to the war," the official added
Geostrategy
Qatar plans direct investments worth $7.5 billion in Egypt
"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari...
- Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, has taken tentative steps to emerge from its worst-ever economic crisis with prices for consumer goods rising by the day.
- The two countries, which have also led mediation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, "emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian cause as the foremost Arab issue".
Geostrategy
Qatar to invest $2 billion in Indonesia sovereign wealth fund
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Qatar is set to invest $2 billion in his country's new sovereign...
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is on a five-nation tour of the Middle East, visiting the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan to boost bilateral ties with the region.
- He said Sunday he had a "productive" meeting with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and that the country would invest in the Danantara Indonesia fund.