Israel army says 250,000 left Gaza City for their “safety” since stepping up operations
The United Nations estimated in late August that about one million Palestinians lived in and around Gaza's largest urban centre,...
Geostrategy
China urges ‘dialogue’ with US over TikTok: ministry
Beijing, China -- China urged the United States on Friday to address their TikTok dispute through dialogue, as top leaders...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Yemen prisoner swap starts as truce talks set for second round
The first plane departed Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, for government-controlled Aden hours after a Saudi delegation departed without a fresh...
- On Friday, 322 prisoners will fly on International Committee of the Red Cross planes between Sanaa and Aden, on the first day of an operation that will see 887 prisoners released.
- Among the prisoners to be released by the Houthis on Friday are Yemen's former defense minister, Major General Mahmud al-Subaihi.
Saudi team leaves Yemen but truce talks to continue
Houthi political leader Mohamed Ali al-Houthi said the talks were conducted in a "positive atmosphere", with plans for another round....
- Saudi delegation led by ambassador Mohammed al-Jaber, left Yemen late on Thursday, four days after he arrived seeking to stabilise a truce that lapsed last year
- Britain's ambassador to Yemen, Richard Oppenheim, said the talks were a "positive development and may be the start of a golden opportunity for peace"
Geostrategy
Syria’s return to Arab fold: Shifting Mideast diplomacy takes center stage in Jeddah talks today
Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah, the Red Sea gateway to Mecca, come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously...
- Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah, the Red Sea gateway to Mecca, come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously unannounced visit
- On Wednesday, an Iranian delegation landed in Saudi Arabia to pave the way for reopening diplomatic missions, following a trip by a Saudi team to Iran
Geostrategy
EU privacy watchdog sets up ChatGPT task force
The European Union's central data regulator said it was forming a task force to help countries deal with AI chatbot...
- ChatGPT can generate essays, poems and conversations from the briefest of prompts and is capable of passing exams.
- Chatbot can only function if it is trained on vast datasets, raising concerns about where OpenAI gets its data.
Geostrategy
Libyan security forces arrest second US citizen for ‘evangelism’
Tripoli, Libya -- Libyan security forces said Thursday they had arrested a second US citizen for alleged Christian proselytizing in...
- On Thursday, the Internal Security Agency said it had arrested the center's assistant director in Tripoli, identifying him by the initials "SBO".
- The arrest came a day after another US citizen, who was also teaching at the same private language school in the capital Tripoli.
Economy
IMF chief calls upon global community to avert a ‘second Cold War’
Countries must do more to avert the costly consequences of growing global trade fragmentation, and help avert a "second Cold...
- Multilateral institutions like the World Bank and IMF have an important role to play in preventing the world from splintering into different blocs.
- An IMF report said that growing trade fragmentation due to Brexit, US-China trade war and Russian invasion of Ukraine, could make the global economy.
Geostrategy
Russia to withdraw from grain deal if all conditions are not fulfilled
Russia delivered a new warning to the West over a grain deal with Ukraine, saying a number of conditions must...
- Russia, whose economy has been hit by a raft of Western sanctions, has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the agreement if obstacles to its own exports remain.
- There are no sanctions on Russian exports of food and fertilizers to global markets but the problems are related to sanctions on shipping, insurance companies and banks.
Geostrategy
Arab meet: Middle East peace, ending Syria isolation key issues
Friday's nine-nation talks in Jeddah come after Syria's foreign minister arrived on a previously unannounced visit -- the first since...
- Ministers and top officials from the six GCC nations -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE-- along with Egypt, Iraq and Jordan will meet in Jeddah.
- On the table is Syria's suspension from the Arab League, in place since President Bashar al-Assad's government launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.
Geostrategy
Tunisia recovers 14 more migrant bodies after shipwreck
Tunisia has recovered 14 bodies of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in the Mediterranean, bringing to 24 the number of dead...
- Dozens of migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, have drowned off Tunisia in recent weeks in desperate attempts to reach Europe.
- Tunisia's coastline is less than 150 kilometers from the Italian island of Lampedusa and is a favored spot for migrants attempting to enter Europe.
Economy
Tunisia farmers stare at poor harvest as drought imperils food security
Even before the roasting summer months, the soil is dry and dusty in the small Mediterranean country, whose water resources...
- At a time when the global cereals market has been disrupted by Ukraine war, Tunisia's domestic grain production has also withered under a lack of rainfall that has killed off crops
- UTAP has called on the government to urgently announce a drought and state of water "emergency" and has demanded a "clear strategy" to boost Tunisia's water reserves
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Israel army says 250,000 left Gaza City for their “safety” since stepping up operations
The United Nations estimated in late August that about one million Palestinians lived in and around Gaza's largest urban centre,...
Geostrategy
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Ceasefire calls mount as Israeli troops on alert for Lebanon incursion
International calls for restraint mounted Wednesday after Israel's army chief told soldiers to prepare for a possible ground offensive against...
Geostrategy
Diplomacy fails Lebanon: Biden hints all-out-war while Israel plans ground invasion
Israel's army chief told troops on Wednesday to be prepared for possible entry into Lebanon as Israeli fighter jets bombarded...
Putin expects Türkiye’s Erdogan to attend BRICS summit in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he expected his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend a BRICS summit in...
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Geostrategy
Biden warns at UN against ‘full-scale war’ over Lebanon
Biden also pushed again for an elusive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, telling the global body it was time to...
- The UN General Assembly, the high point of the diplomatic calendar, comes as Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes killed 558 people -- 50 of them children
- "Full-scale war not in anyone's interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible," Biden said in his farewell address to the global body
Geostrategy
UN chief warns Lebanon on ‘brink’ as world leaders gather
Top United Nations officials have expressed deep concerns over the violent Lebanon-Israeli situation that has resulted in the deaths of...
- Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes killed 558 people - 50 of them children
- "Lebanon is at the brink," UN Secretary-General said
Geostrategy
Nearly 500 dead in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon
Israeli air strikes on Lebanon killed at least 492 people on Monday, including 35 children, Lebanon's health ministry said, marking...
- Israel said it killed a "large number" of Hezbollah militants when it hit about 1,600 sites in southern and eastern Lebanon
- EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell warned that Israel and Hezbollah were "almost in full-fledged war"