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
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...
Geostrategy
‘Fuel of the future’: Gulf states bet on ‘green’ hydrogen
The investment in green hydrogen has not curbed expansion in oil and gas, with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia...
- In July the UAE, which will host the COP28 climate conference this year, approved a hydrogen strategy that aims to make it one of the top 10 producers by 2031
- According to Deloitte, Gulf nations will lead global clean hydrogen trade in the short-term, exporting around half of their domestic production by 2030
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia executes US national convicted of killing Egyptian father
The death sentence for Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef was carried out in the Riyadh region, the official Saudi Press Agency...
- A court found that Naseef beat and strangled his Egyptian father to death and mutilated him after he died, and that he also used drugs
- The mode of execution was not specified, but Saudi Arabia has in the past often used beheading when implementing the death penalty
Geostrategy
Iran Foreign Minister stresses unity on first Saudi visit since ties restored
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also took the opportunity to reiterate the Islamic republic's support for the Palestinian cause at a time when...
- Ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran "are progressing in the right direction," Amir-Abdollahian told reporters at a press conference with Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
- Thursday's meeting in the Saudi foreign ministry's Islamic Solidarity Hall "will be a prelude to the meeting of the heads of the two countries", he added.
Geostrategy
Truce holds in Libya after deadly clashes leave 55 dead
Fighting raged from Monday night between the influential 444 Brigade and the Al-Radaa, two of the myriad of militias that...
- The clashes with rocket launchers and machine guns followed the detention of the 444 Brigade head, Colonel Mahmud Hamza, by the rival Al-Radaa Force on Monday
- During the fighting, 234 families were evacuated from frontline areas in Tripoli's southern suburbs, along with dozens of doctors and paramedics trapped while caring for wounded
Risk of renewed conflict in Yemen: UN sounds alarm
The poorest country on the Arabian peninsula, Yemen's economy has collapsed in the eight years of war between Iran-backed Houthis...
- UN special envoy for Yemen warned of "public threats to return to war" in the Middle Eastern nation while the US and UK warned of escalating attacks and threats from Houthi rebels
- US Ambassador said Washington "strongly" condemns "senseless" maritime attacks by Houthis "on maritime shipping which are also exacerbating the humanitarian crisis"
Economy
Syria doubles salary of civil servants, military personnel
In a separate statement late Tuesday, the commerce ministry announced the total lifting of subsidies on petrol and a partial...
- In two decrees issued late Tuesday, Assad doubled the salaries and pensions of those currently and formerly employed in the civil service and military
- Prior to the decision, the monthly salary of civil servants had been between around $10 and $25, depending on the Syrian pound's street value
Economy
Economists convened by COP28 lay out steps to reform global climate finance
ABU DHABI, UAE - A two-day meeting of world leading economists and finance leaders convened by the COP28 Presidency has...
- Particular areas of focus for the new framework will include addressing debt distress in vulnerable countries.
- Group said that private finance flows need to grow much faster to meet the $2.4 trillion investment estimated nnually.
Geostrategy
Caspian Sea water levels hit 30-year low
Estimates reveal a 9-meter decline in Caspian Sea water levels, shrinking the area by 24 percent, as the northern half...
- Estimates reveal a 9-meter decline in Caspian Sea water levels, shrinking the area by 24%, as the northern half witnesses a more significant drop than the southern part.
- The Caspian Sea supports a vital fishery, provides water for agriculture, and is home to several threatened species, including 90% of the world's last-remaining sturgeon.
Geostrategy
Russian defense officials meet Saudi Arabian, Iranian counterparts
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - The 11th Moscow Conference on International Security, held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center here, saw...
- The conference saw participation from over 800 delegates from 76 countries, including China, India, South Africa, Israel, Turkey, Mexico, the UAE, Saudi Arabia.
- Representatives from eight international organizations, including the UN, CSTO, SCO, ASEAN, Arab League, and the African Union took part in the conference.
Geostrategy
Syrians bank on smugglers on their treacherous journey to Europe
Twelve years after conflict broke out when President Bashar al-Assad repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests, Syrians are still trying to escape...
- Omar, 23, from Daraa province, borrowed $8,000 to be smuggled to Libya and then Italy this year, saying he was desperate to leave "a country with no future"
- More than 1,800 migrants of various nationalities have died crossing the central Mediterranean towards Europe this year, according to IOM
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
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China’s exports beat forecast in March despite trade war woes
China said Monday that exports soared 12.4 percent year-on-year last month, beating expectations as Beijing navigated mounting trade headwinds sparked...
Geostrategy
Trump says Russian strike on Ukraine ‘a horrible thing’
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy that killed at least...
Geostrategy
Israel PM says Macron ‘gravely mistaken’ in promoting Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron over his plans to recognise a...
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Geostrategy
US Pentagon chief says military ready to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear bomb
Washington, United States -- The US defense secretary reiterated Sunday that the United States hopes for a diplomatic solution to...
- US and Iranian diplomats opened indirect talks Saturday in Oman in an effort to resolve Western concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
- Trump said Wednesday that military action was "absolutely" possible -- in conjunction with Israel -- if the talks in Oman failed.
Geostrategy
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa makes first visit to UAE
Damascus, Syria -- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose war-devastated country seeks Gulf financial support, traveled to the United Arab...
- Nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad in Dec, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his government found the Islamist affiliation of Syria's new rulers "quite worrying'.
- But in mid-January Sharaa spoke by phone with the Emirati president about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region'.
Geostrategy
Gaza hospital damaged in Israeli strike: civil defence
There were no reports of casualties in the strike and the Israeli military told AFP they were looking into the...
- The airstrike came "minutes after the (Israeli) army's warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions", the agency said in a statement.
- Hospitals, protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.