Global support for refugees remains strong, but skepticism over asylum claims persists: Ipsos
Thirty-four percent of respondents in the Ipsos survey said genuine refugees should seek asylum in the first safe country they...
Geostrategy
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who put Qatar on world map, passes away
His death at the age of 74 closed a defining chapter in the country's modern history. During his 18-year reign...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with...
- Brazil will host COP30 climate talks in the Amazon city of Belem next month.
- Petrobras said drilling in the Foz de Amazonas region will begin immediately and will last for five months, after its five-year battle to get permission to explore the area.
Geostrategy
Southern EU countries call for ‘immediate release’ of Gaza aid
Countries of the so-called MED9 group -- Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain -- met on...
- "There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to block such humanitarian aid," Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said.
- The reopening of the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remains on hold despite calls from the UN and aid groups.
Geostrategy
Trial opens in Klarna’s $8.3 billion lawsuit against Google
Stockholm, Sweden -- A Swedish court began hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit brought by Swedish price comparison site Pricerunner,...
- The Swedish tech startup filed its suit with the Patent and Market Court in Stockholm in 2022.
- It filed the suit after EU General Court ruling that Google "breached EU antitrust laws by manipulating search results in favor of their own comparison shopping services".
Geostrategy
Trump says Gaza ceasefire still in force after Israeli strikes, suggests Hamas leadership didn’t violate truce
Asked by reporters whether the truce was still in effect, Trump said: "Yeah, it is". The US president, who helped...
- The dozens of strikes Israel carried out on Hamas positions in Gaza Sunday came after it accused the militant group of targeting its troops in "a blatant violation" of the truce
- The deal established the outline for hostage and prisoner exchanges, and proposed an ambitious roadmap for Gaza's future, but it has quickly faced challenges to its implementation
Geostrategy
Cash-strapped Gazans left disappointed as first banks reopen
Deir el-Balah, Palestinian Territories -- The Palestinians trying to rebuild their lives in the ruins of Gaza are short of...
- Food is purchased with cash or through bank transfers, which are often complicated due to power and communication outages.
- Gazans have lost a lot of savings and commissions on transfers can reach 40 percent.
Geostrategy
Publishers fight back against US book bans
Frankfurt, Germany -- Escalating attempts to remove works featuring themes such as LGBTQ lifestyles and race relations from US bookshelves...
- In 2020 just under 300 titles faced "challenges" -- demands to restrict access to them or remove them entirely -- across the United States.
- That number began surging the following year, and reached over 9,000 in 2023, said the NGO, whose office for intellectual freedom has been tracking challenges since 1990.
Geostrategy
13 killed in Gaza as Hamas says Israel devising pretexts to resume attacks
Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, reaffirmed the group's commitment to the ceasefire and said Israel "continues to...
- Palestinian witnesses told AFP clashes erupted in the southern city of Rafah in an area still held by Israel.
- Hamas had been fighting a local Palestinian gang known as Abu Shabab but the militants were "surprised by the presence of army tanks".
Geostrategy
Protesters out in force for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies across US
Organizers said seven million people attended protests spanning New York to Los Angeles, with demonstrations popping up in small cities...
- Trump's response to Saturday's events was typically aggressive, with the US president posting a series of AI-generated videos to his Truth Social platform depicting him as a king.
- In one, he is shown wearing a crown and piloting a fighter jet that drops what appears to be feces on anti-Trump protesters.
Geostrategy
China’s power paradox: record renewables, continued coal
Bangkok, Thailand -- Call it the China power paradox: while Beijing leads the world in renewable energy expansion, its coal...
- China accounted for 93 percent of new global coal construction in 2024, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clear Air (CREA) found.
- China wants 3,600 gigawatts of wind and solar by 2035, but that may not meet future demand, risking further coal increases.
Geostrategy
Iran says no longer bound by ‘restrictions’ on its nuclear programme
Iran said on Saturday that it was no longer bound by restrictions on its nuclear programme as a landmark 10-year...
- The 2015 deal -- signed in Vienna by Iran, China, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- saw the lifting of international sanctions against the Islamic republic
- But the pact had already been in tatters after Washington unilaterally withdrew during President Donald Trump's first term, with Iran later pulling back from its commitments
Most Read
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
Global support for refugees remains strong, but skepticism over asylum claims persists: Ipsos
Thirty-four percent of respondents in the Ipsos survey said genuine refugees should seek asylum in the first safe country they...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Meta, YouTube face trial over children harm
Geostrategy
US, Israel planned Ahmadinejad return in Iran regime change bid: report
Israeli and US officials had initially viewed former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a potential figure to lead Iran following...
Geostrategy
Trump warns of fresh strikes on Iran within days if negotiations fail
Iran, which said its proposals presented to Washington included sanctions relief, the release of frozen funds, warned it would “open...
Geostrategy
Pakistan encouraging US-Iran talks but says ‘time is of the essence’
Pakistan is continuing to play a behind-the-scenes diplomatic role between the United States and Iran as tensions remain high over...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Seizure of vessel anchored near UAE coast close to Hormuz raises Gulf tensions
The incident came hours after India condemned an attack on an Indian-flagged vessel off Oman’s coast, calling continued assaults on...
- Malaysia warned Iranian-linked “shadow fleet” oil transfers near its waters exploited maritime loopholes across major Asian shipping corridors.
- Iran staged a mass World Cup departure rally in Tehran despite continuing uncertainty surrounding travel and participation in the United States.
Geostrategy
Pentagon raises Iran war cost to $29 billion
The Pentagon on Tuesday revised the estimated cost of the war on Iran to nearly $29 billion, roughly $4 billion...
- The updated estimate emerged during back-to-back hearings on the Pentagon’s nearly $1.45 trillion budget request for the upcoming fiscal year
- Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst clarified that the new figure does not include the cost of repairing U.S. military facilities damaged in Iranian missile and drone attacks
Geostrategy
Donald Trump says US-Iran ceasefire deal on ‘life support’
Shipping disruptions, sanctions and worsening humanitarian fears deepen global anxiety as Washington rejects Tehran’s latest peace proposal over nuclear concessions.
- UK and France prepared new Hormuz defence coordination talks as regional governments feared prolonged disruption to energy and fertiliser shipments.
- Saudi Aramco warned continued Strait disruptions could delay global oil market normalization until 2027 despite rapid production expansion capability.