Not all ‘A’s: Unconventional paths that led to Nobels
Stockholm, Sweden -- Some Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others AFP spoke to recounted how they...
Geostrategy
Hamas wants to amend disarmament clause in Trump plan: source close to group leaders
Hamas negotiators held discussions Tuesday with Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari officials in Doha, the source said, requesting anonymity to discuss...
Geostrategy
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
Geostrategy
Syria to reopen Tunisia embassy after more than 10 years
Tunisia's Saied had said last month he planned to restore diplomatic relations with Syria. Tunisia expelled Syria's ambassador in 2012...
- Syria's decision followed a similar move by Tunis on April 3, when Tunisian President instructed his foreign minister to appoint an ambassador to Damascus
- Since the quake, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has received calls and aid from Arab leaders, momentum analysts say he could leverage to bolster regional support
Geostrategy
Qatar, Bahrain to restore ties as Middle East’s push for peace gains pace
In 2017, Bahrain joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in imposing a diplomatic blockade on Qatar. The...
- Qatar's foreign ministry said that the neighbors "decided to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries" as per the UN's charter
- The two countries' relations have been more difficult to restore because of many thorny issues including their maritime border
Historic talks: Syrian and Saudi ministers discuss steps to resolve ongoing crisis in Syria
It's raining peace in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia has taken lead in normalizing ties with countries such as Turkey,...
- Saudi Arabia is also negotiating with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, eight years after launching a military intervention aimed at dislodging them from power.
- Riyadh broke off relations in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Not all ‘A’s: Unconventional paths that led to Nobels
Stockholm, Sweden -- Some Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others AFP spoke to recounted how they...
Geostrategy
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Israel and Hamas near ceasefire talks, spy chief heads to Qatar as truce momentum builds
Israel’s Mossad chief will travel to Qatar for ceasefire negotiations as Hamas signals readiness to halt fighting, contingent on Israel...
Geostrategy
Beirut’s suburbs ravaged by Israeli air raids as Blinken urges de-escalation with Iran
Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold destroyed six buildings in the deadliest assault since the war began, despite U.S....
Geostrategy
Updates: Israel confirms killing of Hezbollah leader’s successor as Blinken presses for Gaza truce
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, while Israeli airstrikes continued targeting Hezbollah's...
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Wealthy Israelis offer rewards for release of Gaza hostages
Jerusalem, Undefined - Frustrated with the dwindling prospect of reaching a ceasefire deal in the year-long Gaza war, some Israeli entrepreneurs...
- Former SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum said he received about 100 calls after offering $100,000 in cash or bitcoin for the safe delivery of a living Israeli prisoner from Gaza
- Birnbaum said most of the calls are pranks, threats or curses, but "10 to 20 could be legitimate" and were transferred to Israeli authorities for further verification
Geostrategy
Updates: Israel hits more targets in Lebanon as Blinken travels to Middle East to push for truce
Lebanon says four people were killed including a child in the latest Israeli strikes as Tehran says the United States...
- Four people including a child had been killed on Monday evening in Israeli strikes near the Lebanon's biggest public hospital
- Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa discuss bilateral cooperation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Manama
Geostrategy
In escalation, Israel bombs Hezbollah-linked finance group
-Israel began bombing Lebanese branches of an association accused of financing the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, Lebanese state media reported late...
- 11 Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs targeted Al-Qard Al-Hassan.centers
- UNIFIL, said an Israeli "army bulldozer deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position