UK withdraws Tehran embassy staff as Trump weighs Iran strikes; JD Vance says “no chance” of long war
Reports suggest some of Trump’s advisers would prefer Israel to initiate any strike, calculating that American public opinion would be...
Geostrategy
US-Iran talks set for Geneva amid military buildup
The renewed diplomacy comes as Washington has deployed two aircraft carriers, additional jets and ships, and reinforced air defenses across...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
White House says $100,000 H-1B visa fee to be one-time payment
Washington, United States -- The White House issued a major clarification Saturday to its new H-1B visa policy that had...
- H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills to work in the United States, initially for three years but extendable to six.
- Such visas are widely used by the tech industry. Indian nationals account for nearly three-quarters of the permits allotted via lottery system each year.
Geostrategy
Landmark shift: Britain to recognize Palestinian state today
The United Kingdom has historically been a staunch supporter of Israel but has shifted position as Israel has intensified the...
- The small Palestinian territory has since suffered vast destruction, death and lack of food that have resulted in a major humanitarian crisis.
- Starmer said in July that Britain would formally recognize the State of Palestine if Israel did not take "substantive steps" towards a ceasefire with Hamas.
Geostrategy
Floating wind power sets sail in Japan’s energy shift
Still heavily reliant on imported fossil fuels, Japan has declared offshore wind energy a "trump card" in its drive to...
- That's despite rising project costs and fears over inadequate infrastructure to produce turbines en masse.
- Floating turbines are particularly well suited to Japan as its deep coastal waters make fixing them to seabeds tricky.
Geostrategy
With cash and aid, Saudi Arabia pursues soft power push in Syria
Saudi Arabia has spent months courting Syria's new leaders, aiming to draw closer a country long dominated by Iran and...
- Syria was a battleground for outside powers throughout the conflict, with Iran and Russia backing Assad, and Turkey and the United States supporting various armed groups.
- In May, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman convinced visiting US President Donald Trump to promise to lift Syria sanctions.
Geostrategy
Hamas warns hostages face fate of missing pilot if Israel assault continues
Hamas' armed wing published Saturday "farewell" photographs of most of the remaining hostages in Gaza, warning that Israel's assault on...
- Of the 251 people seized by Palestinian militants during their attack on Israel in October 2023, 47 remain in Gaza, including 25 the Israeli military says are dead
- Israel launched a ground assault on Gaza City on Tuesday, following weeks of heavy air strikes that continue on the territory's largest urban centre
Geostrategy
Macron risks Israeli backlash with Palestinian recognition, yet seizes historic chance to reshape Middle East diplomacy
France and the UK will be the first permanent UN Security Council members to recognise a Palestinian state and, along...
- The recognition marks the growing international frustration with Israel over its assault and aid blockades on the Gaza Strip launched in October 2023
- France and the UK will be the first permanent UN Security Council members to recognise a Palestinian state and, along with Canada, the first G7 members to do so
Geostrategy
Trump speaks with Xi, sees progress on TikTok, says will visit China early next year
US President Donald Trump hailed Friday what he called progress with Chinese President Xi Jinping including on selling blockbuster app...
- The leaders of the world's two largest economies spoke by telephone for the second time since the return to the White House of Trump
- Trump told reporters ahead of the call that he hoped it would finalize a deal to take out of Chinese hands TikTok, the social media hugely popular with young Americans
Geostrategy
UN Security Council votes to reimpose Iran nuclear sanctions
Britain, France and Germany are signatories to a 2015 deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intended...
- Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's envoy to the UN, told the UN Security Council described the vote as the "politics of coercion."
- "Today's action is hasty, unnecessary and unlawful. Iran recognizes no obligation to implement it," he said.
Geostrategy
Israel army says will use ‘unprecedented force’ in Gaza City
Israel has pummeled Gaza City with air strikes and tank fire in its bid to seize it, nearly two years...
- The assault comes ahead of a planned move by several Western governments, including Britain and France, to recognize a Palestinian state at a UN summit next week.
- Israeli fire killed at least 33 people across the territory on Friday, 18 of them in Gaza City, according to a tally of figures given by Gaza hospitals contacted by AFP.
Geostrategy
US again vetoes UN Security Council Gaza ceasefire call
The United States on Thursday again wielded its veto and thwarted a UN Security Council call for a ceasefire in...
- The 14 other members of the Council backed the resolution, initiated in August in response to the UN's official declaration of famine after nearly two years of Israel's war
- The vote came as Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major new ground offensive, forcing Palestinians to flee south
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UK withdraws Tehran embassy staff as Trump weighs Iran strikes; JD Vance says “no chance” of long war
Reports suggest some of Trump’s advisers would prefer Israel to initiate any strike, calculating that American public opinion would be...
Geostrategy
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Yemen separatists say Saudi air strikes will not deter them
A Yemeni military official said around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were amassed near the Saudi border -- but were not given...
Geostrategy
14 countries condemn Israel’s expansion of West Bank settlements, say actions ‘violate international law’
Fourteen countries, including France, Britain, and Germany, condemned on Wednesday Israel's recent approval of new Jewish settlements in the occupied...
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia urges Yemen separatists to cede seized territory
The Kingdom said the military movements in the governorates of (Hadramawt and Al-Mahra), recently conducted by the Southern Transitional Council,...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Israel to invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own independent arms industry
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel would invest $110 billion over the next decade to develop its own...
- In a controversial speech, Netanyahu said Israel was becoming increasingly isolated and had to adopt a "super-Sparta" approach
- In 2026, Israel will allocate about 16 percent of its public budget to defence -- around $35 billion out of an overall budget of $208 billion
Geostrategy
Libyans united in grief for army chief killed in plane crash
General Mohammed al-Haddad and his four aides died on Tuesday after a visit to Ankara, with Turkish officials saying an...
- "It will be hard to find a man of his calibre," Nasreddine al-Maghribi told AFP at a cafe in Libyan capital Tripoli.
- Until a successor is selected, Haddad's deputy, General Salaheddine al-Namroush, will stand in for him, according to the presidential council.
Geostrategy
Palestinian Authority says Israel tightening control over West Bank with new settlements
The Palestinian Authority condemned on Tuesday Israel's recent approval of 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing it of...
- On Sunday, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the authorities had greenlit the settlements
- The latest move brings the total number of settlements approved over the past three years to 69, Smotrich's office said