Israel hits dozens of targets as Gaza sees deadliest night since truce
Gaza's civil defense agency said more than 100 people were killed, including many children, but both US President Donald Trump...
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
Geostrategy
Jordan scuttles attempt to smuggle drugs from Syria
Amman, Jordan--Jordanian security forces have scuttled an attempt to smuggle narcotics from Syrian territories to Jordan. According to the Jordan...
- The kingdom's border guards swooped down on the border to foil a concerted attempt to smuggle captagon pills and hashish into Jordan
- Confiscating the big haul of drugs, the kingdom said it would respond with full force to any threats to its borders, security and stability
Turkey’s leader Erdogan in Hungary for NATO, energy talks
Hungary has still not voted to approve the Nordic country's entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, having aligned itself...
- The two countries have also discussed strengthening their energy cooperation, given that Hungary already receives a large proportion of its gas via the TurkStream pipeline
- Budapest and Ankara will also be deepening their "strategic partnership", an announcement due to be made official during a visit by Erdogan scheduled for December
Geostrategy
Syria’s economic challenges persist despite Arab League return: MEI
Damascus, Syria - Syria's reentry into the Arab League in May was anticipated to herald positive changes for the country's...
- The Syrian pound's value has plummeted by over 80% against the dollar since May, currently resting at an all-time low of 15,500 to the dollar
- The instability of the Syrian pound and the lack of investor confidence have raised concerns about the country's economic viability
Geostrategy
Iran-China bilateral relations moving forward in right direction: FM
Tehran, Iran--Iran-China bilateral relations and the 25-year strategic cooperation program between the two countries are moving forward in the right...
- The two foreign ministers discussed the latest developments in bilateral relations between the two countries in a telephone conversation
- The Iranian FM also gave his assessment on the comprehensive 25-year cooperation and how it was progressing in the right direction
Business
Rival branches of Central Bank of Libya reunite
Libya's central bank announced that its two rival branches in the west and east are reuniting after nearly a decade...
- Libya has seen 12 years of stop-start conflict since the 2011 NATO-backed revolt that toppled strongman Moamer Kadhafi.
- The Central Bank of Libya said it has "again become a unified sovereign institution", in a statement issued by the governor and his deputy.
Geostrategy
Japan prepares to hold foreign ministers meet with GCC nations in Sept
Tokyo, Japan -- Japan is preparing to hold a foreign ministers' meeting with the six member states of the Gulf...
- Japan relies on the six countries that make up the GCC -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- for over 90 percent of its crude oil.
- Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is expected to attend the meeting, with visits to Egypt and Jordan also under consideration, Kyodo News said.
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia’s football rise ‘long-term project’, says top official
The Saudi Pro League has a years-long commitment from the kingdom's rulers in its goal to become one of the...
- The Saudi league's rapid expansion has drawn comparisons with the Chinese Super League, which sucked in players for exorbitant sums until clubs hit financial problems.
- The no-expense-spared revamp is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious Vision 2030 project, which aims to reshape the economy of the world's top oil exporter.
Arts & Culture
25 teams attending Afro-Arab Esports League 2023 in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Afro-Arab Esports League, which opened Saturday in Saudi Arabia, will see participation from over 25...
- These teams will compete for three days in a variety of tournaments tailored for both men and women, covering popular games such as eFootball and Valorant.
- Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan said the arrangement of the Afro-Arab Esports League demonstrated of the sector's importance in both the Arab and African realms.
Geostrategy
Hungarian companies want to expand work in Russia, says PM Orban
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that companies from his country plan to expand their activities in...
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made the statement at a meeting with the head of Russia’s Tatarstan region Rustam Minnikhanov in Budapest.
- The head of Tatarstan came to Budapest at the invitation of Orban in connection with the Hungarian national holiday, St. Stephen's Day.
Economy
Widespread tree felling turns Syria’s forests into ‘barren land’
On a riverbank in war-ravaged Syria's north, felling has reduced what was once a lush forest to dispersed trees and...
- Fuel shortages and rampant poverty during the war have pushed many Syrians to chop the trees to sell or use for heating, dealing a blow to the nature surrounding Jaabar
- Latakia, Hama, Homs and Idlib provinces lost at least 36 percent of their trees in the decade following 2011, when the conflict erupted, according to PAX
Israel hits dozens of targets as Gaza sees deadliest night since truce
Gaza's civil defense agency said more than 100 people were killed, including many children, but both US President Donald Trump...
Geostrategy
Company News
Explosions reported near two ships off Yemen
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Israel says 30% of Gaza now buffer zone, escalates offensive and maintains aid blockade
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also ordered security chiefs and negotiators to keep pressing for the release of hostages held by...
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...
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...
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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