Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel ‘will happen’: Trump
"Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham accords," Trump said, referencing the historic agreement struck at the end of his...
Geostrategy
Abbas urges Hamas to free Gaza hostages as Israeli strikes kill 25
"Hamas has given the criminal occupation excuses to commit its crimes in the Gaza Strip, the most prominent being the...
Business
Geostrategy
WHO countries strike landmark agreement on tackling future pandemics
Geneva, Switzerland -- Years of negotiations culminated early Wednesday with countries agreeing the text of a landmark accord on how...
- Negotiators stumbled over the agreement's Article 11, which deals with transferring technology for pandemic health products towards developing nations.
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, poorer states accused rich nations of hoarding vaccines and tests.
Geostrategy
US approves $825 mn Stinger missile sale to Morocco
The United States on Tuesday announced the approval of an $825 million sale of up to 600 Stinger anti-air missiles...
- The proposed sale will improve Morocco's capability to meet current and future threats, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a statement
- This will contribute to the Moroccan Army's goals of updating capability and further enhancing interoperability with the US and other allies, the statement added
Geostrategy
Netanyahu visits Gaza as Hamas warns hostages may die amid continued Israeli offensive
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited northern Gaza Tuesday, his office announced, as the military kept up the offensive it...
- Hamas said on Monday it had received a new truce offer from Israel that foresees the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for a 45-day ceasefire
- Another Hamas official said Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war, but said this crossed a "red line."
Geostrategy
Trade war to cut global oil demand: International Energy Agency
Paris, France -- Global oil demand will be lower than previously forecast this year as rising trade tensions weigh on...
- It lowered its forecast for growth in oil demand by 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) -- down from just over one million bpd in its March report to 730,000.
- Trump imposed global tariffs of 10 percent this month but paused higher levies on scores of countries for 90 days.
Geostrategy
Syria, Lebanon leaders in Qatar for first official visits
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha. Qatar has been a key backer...
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, accompanied by foreign minister Youssef Raggi, also touched down in Doha as delegations of two countries held talks.
- Beirut and Damascus have been seeking to improve relations since the overthrow of Assad, whose family dynasty exercised control over Lebanese affairs for decades.
Geostrategy
Disarming Lebanon’s Hezbollah no longer inconceivable: analysts
Beirut, Lebanon - The once unthinkable disarmament of Hezbollah could finally be within reach, as the United States pushes Lebanon...
- Hezbollah was left badly weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel, beginning with the group's campaign of rocket fire at its arch-foe in support of ally Hamas
- Israel was meant to withdraw its troops, but it still remains in five points it deems "strategic" and conducts regular strikes on what it says are mostly Hezbollah targets
Geostrategy
Iran’s top diplomat to visit Russia after US nuclear talks
Iran's foreign minister is to visit ally Russia this week to discuss nuclear negotiations with the United States, ahead of...
- On Saturday, Abbas Araghchi held talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman -- the highest-level discussions since the 2015 nuclear accord collapsed
- Russia, a close ally of Iran and party to the 2015 deal, and China have engaged with Tehran in recent weeks over its nuclear programme
Geostrategy
Trump envoy says Putin open to ‘permanent peace’ deal with Ukraine
US President Donald Trump's special envoy said Monday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was open to a "permanent peace" deal...
- Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin
- Despite a flurry of diplomacy, there has been little meaningful progress on Trump's main aim of achieving a Ukraine ceasefire
Geostrategy
Israel offers 45-day ceasefire if Hamas releases half of remaining Gaza hostages
Hamas has informed the mediators that it is willing to agree to any proposal that includes a permanent ceasefire, a...
- A Hamas official told AFP that Israel had also demanded that the Palestinian militants disarm to secure an end to the Gaza war but that this crossed a "red line".
- "The proposal includes the disarmament of Hamas and all Palestinian armed factions in the Gaza Strip as a condition for a permanent end to the war," the official added
Geostrategy
Qatar plans direct investments worth $7.5 billion in Egypt
"The two sides emphasized the importance of strengthening economic cooperation... they agreed to work toward a package of direct Qatari...
- Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation, has taken tentative steps to emerge from its worst-ever economic crisis with prices for consumer goods rising by the day.
- The two countries, which have also led mediation efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza, "emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian cause as the foremost Arab issue".
Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel ‘will happen’: Trump
"Saudi Arabia will go into the Abraham accords," Trump said, referencing the historic agreement struck at the end of his...
Geostrategy
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From tariffs to deportations, Trump’s first 100 days signal imperial shift in US leadership
Trump has also stepped up the sense of an endless reality show in which he is the star, as he...
Geostrategy
Gaza rescuers say Israeli air strikes kill 25 and injure dozens of Palestinians
Gaza City, Palestinian Territories -- Gaza's civil defense agency reported that Israeli air strikes since dawn on Sunday have killed...
Geostrategy
US aid cuts strain response to health crises worldwide: WHO
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The United States slashing foreign aid risks piling pressure on already acute humanitarian crises across the...
Geostrategy
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Business
Global tax plans targeting super rich and tech giants stall under Trump
Paris, France -- Global tax plans targeting billionaires and multinational companies are running aground, with the United States torpedoing reforms...
- Countries have accused Amazon, Microsoft, Google owner Alphabet and Facebook's parent company Meta of sidestepping local taxes.
- Trump issued a warning on February 21 to countries that would hit big tech and other US companies with fines or taxes that are "discriminatory, disproportionate".
Geostrategy
‘Resist Tyranny’: Another round of anti-Trump demonstrations hit major US cities
Many took aim at Trump's deportations of undocumented migrants, chanting "No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," a reference...
- In New York, people gathered outside the city's main library carrying signs targeting the US president with slogans like "No Kings in America" and "Resist Tyranny."
- In Washington, protesters voiced concern that Trump was threatening long-respected constitutional norms, including the right to due process.
Geostrategy
US Supreme Court intervenes to pause Trump deportations
Washington, United States - The US Supreme Court, in a dramatic nighttime intervention Saturday, paused President Donald Trump's unprecedented use...
- The emergency ruling, delivered in two terse paragraphs, noted that two of the most conservative of the nine justices had dissented
- The order temporarily prevents the government from continuing to expel migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act