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...
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...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Afghan embassy in India suspends operations
Most foreign nations -- including India -- do not officially recognize Afghanistan's Taliban government but acknowledge them as the de...
- India will take control of the Afghanistan embassy in a caretaker capacity, said an embassy statement posted on social media
- The unsigned statement said it had been "increasingly challenging" to continue operations due to cuts in staff and resources
Geostrategy
UAE and Barbados look to deepen trade, energy ties
Bridgetown, Barbados-- The UAE and Barbados have discussed prospects for bolstering bilateral cooperation, particularly in climate action and renewable energy,...
- The UAE foreign minister and Barbados PM discussed mechanisms of joint cooperation across various sectors of economy, tourism and trade
- Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed's tour looks to show UAE’s keenness to strengthen friendly relations with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean,
Geostrategy
Israeli forces kill Palestinian in West Bank: ministry
Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that Israeli forces had fired "live bullets and tear gas canisters at several young...
- The ministry identified the teenager as 16-year-old Milad Munther al-Raee who was killed at the entrance to Al-Arroub refugee camp
- The Israeli military said "terrorists hurled molotov cocktails" at soldiers who were at a military post adjacent to the camp
Geostrategy
China rejects US disinformation accusations, calls Washington ’empire of lies’
Beijing, China - China on Saturday accused the United States of being an "empire of lies", hitting back after a State...
- The report, released Thursday by the US State Department's Global Engagement Center, accused China of financing propaganda, disinformation.
- "It is the U.S. that invented the weaponizing of the global information space," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement.
Geostrategy
UN conference adopts plan to reduce harmful chemicals
PARIS, FRANCE - A new roadmap to reduce the environmental risks from chemicals and waste was adopted at a United Nations...
- The plan sets out 28 concrete targets and guidelines for key sectors across the entire lifecycle of chemicals, from production to waste.
- It calls for a transition to more sustainable chemical alternatives, responsible management of chemicals in industry, agriculture and healthcare.
Geostrategy
Libya resumes flights to Italy after nearly 10 years of EU ban
Tripoli, Libya - A Rome-bound aircraft departed on Saturday from Libya's capital, restarting flights to Italy after a nearly decade-long suspension...
- The European Union in 2014 halted flights operated by Libyan airlines and banned them from entering member states' airspace
- Restarting flights is "part of intensive government efforts to lift the European ban on Libyan civil aviation", said Libya's UN-recognized government
Economy
ADB capital reforms unlock $100bn to support Asia and the Pacific region
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved capital management reforms that unlock US$100 billion in new funding capacity...
- The expansion of available funds will be further leveraged by mobilizing private and domestic capital required to tackle the climate crisis.
- The reforms also create a Countercyclical Lending Buffer to support ADB developing member countries facing unexpected crises.
Geostrategy
At $75bn, Saudi defense budget beats several European countries in 2022
Last year, Saudi Arabia led the Middle East in military investments, ranking fifth globally with a defense budget of $75...
- Qatar's military expenditure reaches $15.4 billion, ranking close to the Netherlands
- The United States remains the global leader with $877 billion in military spending
Geostrategy
Rights group urges justice an year after Iran’s ‘Bloody Friday’
Paris, France - Campaign groups on Saturday demanded the perpetrators of the killing of dozens of protesters in southeast Iran one...
- Reportedly, Iranian forces used live fire to suppress a protest on 30 September. 2022 which resulted in death of 104 people.
- Also known as "Bloody Friday", the day is considered the single deadliest day of months-long protests that erupted in Iran last year.
Geostrategy
Fourth soldier dead due to Houthi attack, says Bahrain
Manama, Bahrain - A fourth Bahraini soldier has died after an attack this week on his country's contingent in the Saudi-led...
- First Lieutenant Hamad Khalifa al-Kubaisi had on Friday "succumbed to serious injuries as a result of the treacherous Houthi attack", Bahrain said.
- Bahrain had previously announced the deaths of three of its soldiers in Monday's attack near the Saudi border with Yemen.
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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...
Geostrategy
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Hamas armed wing releases video of apparently injured Israeli hostage
The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, released a video Saturday showing an Israeli-Russian hostage who appeared to have...
Geostrategy
Murderer of Palestinian-American boy sentenced to 53 years
Washington, United States - An Illinois man was sentenced to 53 years in prison on Friday for the murder of...
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Israel launches new Syria strikes amid Druze tensions
Israel launched more than 20 air strikes inside Syria late Friday, a war monitor said, following up an attack near...
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Geostrategy
Israel strikes near Damascus presidential palace over Druze violence that kills over 100 people
Israel has since then attacked hundreds of Syrian military sites and on Friday announced its "fighter jets struck adjacent to...
- Israel has attacked hundreds of Syrian military sites and on Friday announced its "fighter jets struck adjacent to the area of the palace" in the capital Damascus
- Israel sees the new forces in Syria as jihadists and has warned them to protect the Druze minority, with Defence Minister Israel Katz saying his country could otherwise respond."
Geostrategy
How much blood is enough to satisfy ‘political objectives’: WHO on Gaza
"We are breaking the bodies and the minds of the children of Gaza. We are starving the children of Gaza,...
- Israel strictly controls all inflows of international aid vital for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
- It halted aid deliveries to Gaza on March 2, days before the collapse of a ceasefire that had significantly reduced hostilities after 15 months of war.
Economy
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,"...
- The lender lowered growth projections from 4 percent to 2.6 percent for 2025, and from 4.2 percent to 3.4 percent for 2026.
- In 2024, average growth in the region slowed to 1.8 percent -- from 2.1 percent the year before -- due to "ongoing conflicts and extended voluntary oil production cuts".