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
Iran FM rejects Macron remarks over Lebanon ‘interference’
Taking a dig at President Emmanuel Macron, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Macron should focus on "situation inside...
- For more than a year, Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker cabinet and without a president since late October
- On a visit to Beirut, Iran's foreign minister called on Lebanon to overcome its political deadlock and elect a president
Geostrategy
Grain deal in focus as Putin, Erdogan all set to meet
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, the Kremlin said, amid...
- Russia pulled out from the UN-backed grain agreement that Turkey helped broker in July, effectively revoking safe navigation for civilian ships sailing through the Black Sea.
- Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on a visit to Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea was "critical" for food security.
Geostrategy
Iran’s non-oil export to ECO countries from Mar 21 to July 22 2023 reaches $3.6bn
TEHRAN, IRAN – Iran’s export of non-oil products to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states in the first four...
- In the four-month period, Iran exported 8.161 million tons of non-oil commodities to ECO member states.
- In the same period, Iran imported 1.394 million tons of goods, valued at $2.445 billion, from the ECO states.
Geostrategy
Gulf Federation for Electronic Sports formed, will develop regional talent
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Gulf Federation for Electronic Sports was established Thursday on the sidelines of the Next World...
- A total of 14 MoUs and agreements were signed at the Next World Forum, an event in Riyadh that brings together leaders and experts of the gaming and e-sports.
- The agreements included aspects related to federations, sponsorships, proposed values, and education.
Geostrategy
UAE, New Zealand discuss economic cooperation, free trade pact
DUBAI, UAE – Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade discussed deeper economic collaboration,...
- The UAE and New Zealand already share a productive trade relationship, with non-oil trade reaching US$805 million in 2022.
- UAE is New Zealand's leading trading partner in the Arab World, accounting for 2.5 percent of Wellington’s total foreign trade.
Iraq jails Iranian, 4 Iraqis for life for killing US citizen
No Iraqi officials or security sources have been able to tell AFP why the killing of Stephen Troell took place...
- Stephen Troell, who had been living in Baghdad with his family, was shot dead in unclear circumstances on November 7, officials said
- The five men had "confessed" to the murder and said that their intention had been to kidnap Troell for ransom, not to kill him, the source said
Geostrategy
Hong Kong’s Belt and Road summit expands focus to Middle East
Dubai, UAE - The annual Belt and Road Summit being held on September 13 and 14 in Hong Kong will...
- The Belt and Road Initiative, China's ambitious plan to boost international trade and connectivity, encompasses both the Middle East and Southeast Asia
- Hong Kong aims to leverage its strategic location and expertise to facilitate economic collaboration between these regions
Sudan refugees stranded without healthcare in Chad
The new arrivals in Adre may now be safe from the gunfire, but they soon learn they are still in...
- The risk of disease soars in the absence of clean water, for which people "begin lining up ... at 2:00 am" amid shortages in some camps, MSF reported
- In Sudan, even before the current conflict began in April, 78,000 children under five died every year "from preventable causes, such as malaria", UN says
UN renews Lebanon peacekeeping mission after dispute
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has criticized UNIFIL's inability to fully access certain areas, including sites belonging to a Lebanese environmental...
- The vote, which was originally scheduled for Wednesday but postponed for further negotiations, came only a few hours before the mission's authorization was set to expire
- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in place since 1978, is tasked with creating a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, which are technically at war
Geostrategy
Turkey asks Russia to renew grain deal for global food security
Moscow, Russia - Turkey's foreign minister said on a visit to Moscow on Thursday that reviving a deal to ship Ukrainian...
- "We underlined its critical role for global food security and stability in the Black Sea," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said
- Fidan was in Moscow to prepare an informal summit between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin in Russia
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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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
Trump confidant Steve Witkoff leads Iran talks amid nuclear tensions, Europe urged to rejoin diplomatic efforts
Witkoff, a businessman friend of Trump who has become his globe-trotting negotiator, last met Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday...
Geostrategy
India and Pakistan urged to have ‘maximum restraint’ after Kashmir attack
The United Nations urged India and Pakistan to show "maximum restraint" as the nuclear-armed rivals imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures over...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Lebanon parliament approves changes to banking secrecy law
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, a key reform demanded by the International...
- The international community has long demanded major fiscal reforms to unlock billions of dollars in aid to restart the Lebanese economy in the wake of a five-year economic collapse
- The crash since 2019 has seen the local currency lose most of its value against the US dollar and has pushed much of the population into poverty.
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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...
- Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim called Abbas's remarks "insulting". "Abbas repeatedly and suspiciously lays the blame for the crimes of the occupation on our people."
- Hamas's armed wing the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades later issued footage it said was of an Israeli hostage alive in a Gaza tunnel. He identified himself as 48-year-old Omri Miran.
Geostrategy
Germany, France, UK say Israel’s Gaza aid blockade ‘must end’
Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday called on Israel to stop blocking humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning of "an acute...
- After 18 months of devastating war and an Israeli blockade on aid since March 2, the UN has warned of a dire humanitarian situation for the 2.4 million inhabitants
- The heads of 12 major aid organisations warned last Thursday that "famine is not just a risk, but likely rapidly unfolding in almost all parts" of the coastal territory