Death becomes a growing business in ageing, lonely South Korea
Busan, South Korea -- Rows of coffins line a university classroom in the South Korean port city of Busan, ready...
Geostrategy
Unexploded bombs haunt Gazans, posing deadly risk as fragile truce halts demining efforts in ruins
After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Trump issues stark warning to Israel over annexing West Bank as Rubio begins visit
"It won't happen," Trump said when asked about calls in Israel to annex the Palestinian West Bank which has been...
- Trump's remarks were made to Time magazine by telephone on October 15, just days after the Gaza ceasefire plan he spearheaded took effect, but were only published on Thursday
- "It won't happen," Trump said when asked about calls in Israel to annex the Palestinian West Bank which has been occupied by Israel since 1967. "It won't happen."
Geostrategy
Oil prices surge as Trump hits Russian crude with sanctions
The international benchmark contract, Brent North Sea crude, jumped 4.8 percent while West Texas Intermediate was up 5.1 percent. Trump on Wednesday announced...
- The move was joined by another round of punishments by the European Union as part of attempts to pressure Moscow to end its three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine.
- According to industry analysts the two companies account for just over half of Russia's oil output, and both also produce natural gas.
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia to host ATP Masters 1000 tennis event from 2028
Paris, France -- The ATP announced on Thursday the creation of a new Masters 1000 event which will take place...
- The new event will be played on hard courts and take place "at the start of the season" in a city yet to be determined, and will last "one week".
- The long-expected move marks the first ever expansion of the top-tier category of men's tennis since its creation in 1990.
Geostrategy
Rubio says Israel annexation moves in West Bank, settler violence ‘threatening’ Gaza peace deal
Israeli lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, barely a week after President Donald...
- Israeli lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance two bills on annexing the occupied West Bank, barely a week after President Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending 2-year war
- "I think the president's made clear that's not something we can be supportive of right now," Rubio said of annexation as he boarded his plane for a visit to Israel
Geostrategy
Norway’s wealth fund to enlist AI for managing climate risks
Oslo, Norway -- Norway's sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday that it would incorporate artificial intelligence tools into its investment analysis...
- The fund's head of active ownership, Wilhelm Mohn, said AI along with its own analysis tools would allow it to "streamline processes and enhance decision-making".
- The fund urges the more than 8,600 companies it invests in worldwide to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
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Global trade system ‘at risk of derailment’: UN chief
Geneva, Switzerland -- The rules-based international trade system is in danger, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned Wednesday, amid spiraling debt,...
- Guterres said too many countries were trapped in a debt crisis, spending more money on servicing creditors than funding health and education.
- The UN chief warned that developing countries "continue to be short-changed", with uncertainty rising, investment retreating and supply chains "in turmoil".
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ICJ says Israel obliged to allow aid into Gaza as Turkey, Qatar move to protect truce
The ICJ ruling came as aid groups scrambled to scale up much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza, seizing upon a fragile...
- Turkey has taken an active role in talks to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and voiced strong support for US President Donald Trump's peace plan.
- Erdogan has said Turkey was ready to join an international task force in Gaza, with its military also expressing willingness to participate if needed.
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JD Vance voices ‘great optimism’ for Gaza truce on Israel visit, meeting with Netanyahu today
Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would...
- Despite concerns in Israel that Hamas has seized on the pause to reassert itself in Gaza, Vance said Washington would not set a deadline for the group to disarm
- That came after US President Donald Trump warned that allied nations in the region would invade Gaza to wipe out Hamas if it failed to comply with the truce
Geostrategy
World Bank estimates Syria reconstruction costs at $216 billion
"The conflict has damaged nearly one-third of Syria’s pre-conflict gross capital stock, with direct physical damages to infrastructure, residential buildings, and...
- Among the categories assessed, infrastructure was the hardest hit, accounting for 48 percent of total damage, equivalent to $52 billion.
- The report estimates costs of physical assets to range between $140 billion and $345 billion, "with a conservative best estimate" of $216 billion.
Geostrategy
Saudi Crown Prince to meet Trump in Washington next month
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will meet US President Donald Trump during a three-day...
- The Crown Prince will arrive on November 17 and discuss political, economic and security files with Trump the following day, the source said on condition of anonymity.
- Some media reports suggest Saudi Arabia is hoping for a US security agreement after Trump's executive order this month pledging to defend its neighbor Qatar from attacks.
Death becomes a growing business in ageing, lonely South Korea
Busan, South Korea -- Rows of coffins line a university classroom in the South Korean port city of Busan, ready...
Geostrategy
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Iran proposes regional currency to boost trade
Tehran, Iran -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday proposed that Iran and its regional trading partners establish a shared...
Geostrategy
OpenAI says a million ChatGPT users talk about suicide
San Francisco, United States -- Data from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI suggest that more than a million of the people using its...
Geostrategy
Zohran Mamdani’s rise signals new hope for US democrats searching for a winning formula
Mamdani, a 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist, has developed a plan aimed at luring working-class people and young adults, for whom...
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Israel insists it calls shots in Gaza despite signing up to a US-brokered ceasefire
Under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire, as Israeli forces withdraw after the end of two years of brutal fighting...
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would decide for itself where and when to strike its foes and which countries would be allowed to send troops to police the trucehe
- "Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves by our own means and we will continue to determine our fate," Netanyahu said. "We do not seek anyone's approval for this."
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Long-shot socialist Mamdani in touching distance of becoming NY mayor
New York, United States - An unknown local lawmaker just a few months ago, leftist Zohran Mamdani has burst onto...
- Since his surprise victory in the Democratic Party primary in June, New Yorkers have become used to seeing his bearded, smiling face on television
- The 34-year-old election frontrunner was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was 7, becoming a naturalized US citizen in 2018
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China hails coming of ‘multipolar world’ ahead of key Trump-Xi talks to avert trade war
Global markets are watching closely to see if Thursday's planned meeting between the two presidents can halt a trade war...
- Global markets are watching closely to see if Thursday's planned meeting between the two presidents can halt a trade war sparked by the sweeping tariffs announced by Trump
- Speaking at a forum in Beijing on Monday, Wang Yi urged "an end to politicising economic and trade issues, artificially fragmenting global markets, and resorting to trade wars