India, Pakistan and threats of a water war: what we know
India, furious after a deadly attack, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Islamabad warning any attempt to...
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...
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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".
Geostrategy
Qatar to invest $2 billion in Indonesia sovereign wealth fund
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Qatar is set to invest $2 billion in his country's new sovereign...
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is on a five-nation tour of the Middle East, visiting the UAE, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan to boost bilateral ties with the region.
- He said Sunday he had a "productive" meeting with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and that the country would invest in the Danantara Indonesia fund.
Geostrategy
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...
- The figure was more than double the 4.6 percent predicted in a Bloomberg survey, though imports during the same period fell 4.3 percent
- China's top leaders last month set an ambitious annual growth target of around five percent, vowing to make domestic demand its main economic driver
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...
- "I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it's a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing," Trump told
- Asked to clarify what he meant by a "mistake," Trump said that "they made a mistake... you're gonna ask them" -- without specifying who or what he meant
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...
- Netanyahu was addressing Macron's remarks earlier this week in which he said that France could recognise a Palestinian state within months.
- Macron, in an interview to France 5 broadcast on Wednesday, stated that France could take the step during a UN conference in New York in June
Geostrategy
Iran says talks with US will remain ‘indirect’, to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, along with...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a first round of talks on Saturday in Muscat
- Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme
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.
India, Pakistan and threats of a water war: what we know
India, furious after a deadly attack, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Islamabad warning any attempt to...
Geostrategy
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US defense chief shared sensitive information in second Signal chat: US media
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information on forthcoming US air strikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group...
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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...
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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...
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Lebanon president says disarming Hezbollah ‘delicate’ as two dead in strikes
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Sunday that disarming Hezbollah group was a "delicate" matter whose implementation required...
- "We will implement" a state monopoly on bearing arms "but we have to wait for the circumstances" to allow this. "Nobody is speaking to me about timing or pressure."
- Hezbollah, long a dominant force in Lebanon, was left weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel, sparked by the Gaza war.
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.