BP pulls out of Riyadh energy congress after airport attack
Saudi Arabia pressed ahead with its five-day energy gathering, signing cooperation agreements with Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt despite travel disruption...
Geostrategy
GCC secretary general says start of Schengen visa waiver process ‘very close’
Speaking to the Arab Views podcast hosted by Faisal J. Abbas, Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi said visa-free travel would apply to...
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Geostrategy
Israel’s security cabinet approves 19 new settlements in West Bank, a move to scuttle ‘a Palestinian state’
The decision brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, according to a statement...
- The latest approvals come days after the UN said the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank had reached its highest level since at least 2017.
- Excluding east Jerusalem, which was occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967, more than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank.
Geostrategy
Macron meets UAE leaders to deepen strategic partnership, discuss defense, AI, trade and drug trafficking
Macron is due to meet with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss "strengthening the strategic partnership" between...
- The French president traditionally celebrates the end-of-year holidays with troops deployed abroad, of whom there are more than 900 in the UAE.
- France cooperates with the UAE on areas including artificial intelligence and trade, and now wants to secure the Gulf state's support in its war on drug trafficking.
Geostrategy
China’s rare earths El Dorado gives strategic edge
Ganzhou, China -- Buried in the reddish soil of southern China lies latent power: one of the largest clusters of...
- The hills of Jiangxi province are home to most of China's rare earth mines, with the materials used in a range of products, including smartphones and missile guidance technology.
- The flourishing industry is closely protected by Chinese authorities and media access is seldom granted.
Geostrategy
Gazans mourn six killed in Israeli shelling on shelter
Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, initially said on Friday that the Israeli...
- Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal updated the toll to six, including children, on Saturday, adding that two people were unaccounted for under the rubble.
- The director of Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital, Mohammed Abu Salmiya, told AFP the victims were a four-month old infant, a 14-year-old girl, two men and two women.
Geostrategy
German wheelchair user flies into space, a first
Houston, United States -- A German woman engineer on Saturday became the first wheelchair user to blast into space, taking...
- Benthaus suffered a spinal cord injury after a mountain biking accident and now uses a wheelchair.
- "After my accident, I really, really figured out how inaccessible our world still is" for people with disabilities, she said in a video released by the company.
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Zelensky says US mooted direct Ukraine-Russia talks on ending war in Miami
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Washington had proposed the first face-to-face negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in...
- The last time Ukrainian and Russian envoys held direct talks was in July in Istanbul, which led to prisoner swaps
- Russian and European involvement marks a step forward from when America held separate negotiations with each side
Geostrategy
US vows Hamas disarmament in talks on next Gaza phase as regional officials met
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching...
- Hamas's Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said on Sunday the militant group had a "legitimate right" to hold weapons
- Rubio acknowledged difficulties in achieving peace in Gaza, saying that the ceasefire amounted to a "miracle".
Geostrategy
Hamas official says Miami talks must end Israel’s truce violations in Palestinian territory
A top Hamas official said Friday that talks in Miami to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must...
- The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said that at least 395 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the ceasefire came into effect
- Israel also accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire, with the Israeli military reporting three soldiers killed since the truce entered into force
Geostrategy
Lebanese, Israeli officials discuss Hezbollah disarmament, security in border areas: PM office
Israel said a Friday meeting involving civilian and military representatives from both Lebanon and Israel was part of broader efforts...
- Earlier this month, Lebanon and Israel agreed to send civilian representatives to the committee's meetings
- It was the second time civilian representatives from both countries had taken part in a meeting as part of the committee
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Netanyahu says to visit New York despite Mamdani arrest threat in compliance with ICC warrant
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he still planned to visit New York despite incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani's threats...
- Mamdani has vowed to send the NYPD to enforce arrest warrants against leaders wanted by the ICC, including Netanyahu
- Despite Mamdani's statements, an arrest of Netanyahu is considered unlikely, and it is debatable if the mayor-elect has the authority
BP pulls out of Riyadh energy congress after airport attack
Saudi Arabia pressed ahead with its five-day energy gathering, signing cooperation agreements with Kuwait, Qatar and Egypt despite travel disruption...
Geostrategy
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Dubai establishes media committee to unify official narrative
Dubai, UAE -- Dubai has established a new committee to oversee and coordinate the emirate's official media narrative across government,...
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Projectile hits cargo vessel in Hormuz as Trump renews warning to Iran
Trump said negotiations with Iran were underway despite Tehran's denials and described the current moment as a "last chance before...
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Trump says US will hold off Iran strikes if Hormuz, nuclear deal reached
Meanwhile, eight Palestinians, including two children, were killed in overnight Israeli strikes in Gaza. The killings came despite Trump's announcement...
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Dubai population rises 7.5 percent to 4.58 million in 2025
Dubai's population grew 7.5 percent to more than 4.58 million by the end of 2025, fuelled by economic expansion and...
- Dubai's daytime population reaches 6.392 million as commuters, tourists and temporary visitors significantly increase demand for public infrastructure daily.
- Real-time census replaces traditional population counts using government records, artificial intelligence and continuously updated administrative data for planning.
Geostrategy
US pounds Iran as regional conflict reignites after attacks on American forces
Iranian authorities reported strikes in several southern provinces, including Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Bushehr and Fars, while residents reported explosions on the...
- Iranian officials said a residential building on Qeshm Island was hit, trapping several members of a family beneath the rubble.
- The strikes followed increasingly forceful warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump after Iran targeted American military facilities in Jordan earlier this week.
Geostrategy
US and Saudi Arabia strike Iraq paramilitary strikes as Trump meets Netanyahu
Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) confirmed that several of its headquarters had been targeted, reporting casualties and damage to its...
- Axios, citing a US official, reported that Iran launched ballistic missiles towards a US military base in Jordan.
- Iran rejected accusations that it was behind attacks launched from neighbouring countries against Saudi Arabia.