Oman opens temporary Hormuz shipping corridor as efforts intensify to restore maritime traffic
Muscat said the measure was intended to safeguard freedom of navigation in accordance with international maritime law and without imposing...
Geostrategy
Digital Dubai’s contribution lifts Dubai in global city brand rankings
DUBAI, June 22 — Digital Dubai contributed an estimated AED31 billion ($8.5 billion) to Dubai’s overall brand value, helping the...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Netanyahu to brief army on Gaza war plan ahead of UN meet on hostages
His statement came after hundreds of retired Israeli security chiefs wrote to US President Donald Trump to urge him to...
- He told ministers that later in the week he would instruct the military on how "to achieve the three war objectives we have set".
- Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, 49 are still held in the Palestinian territory, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Geostrategy
Netanyahu seeks Red Cross help after hostage videos, Hamas says no special food privileges for captives
In response, Hamas's armed wing said it would allow the agency access to the hostages but only if "humanitarian corridors"...
- Hamas's armed wing said it would allow the agency access to the hostages but only if "humanitarian corridors" for food and aid were opened "across all areas of the Gaza Strip."
- The Al-Qassam Brigades said it did "not intentionally starve" the hostages, but they would not receive any special food privileges "amid the crime of starvation and siege" in Gaza
Geostrategy
Iran sets up new defence council after war with Israel, to be chaired by president
The new body - which will be chaired by the president and include top military commanders among other senior officials...
- The new body which will be chaired by the president and include top military commanders will be tasked with "reviewing defence strategy.'
- The move comes in the wake of a conflict with Israel that, according to official figures, left more than 1,000 people dead in Iran and 29 in Israel
Geostrategy
Israel says ground troops conducted raids in Syria in the latest border raid since Assad fall
Israel's military said Sunday ground troops had operated in southern Syria, seizing weapons and questioning individuals suspected of arms trafficking,...
- A military statement said that troops had completed overnight "a mission involving on-site questioning of several suspects involved in weapons trafficking in southern Syria
- In July, Israel bombed Syrian government forces in the capital Damascus and in Sweida province to force their withdrawal from the southern region amid a wave of sectarian violence
Arts & Culture
Tunisia’s Jaouadi pushes through pain for second world gold
Singapore, Singapore -- Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi added the 1,500m freestyle world title to his 800m crown on Sunday for a...
- Jaouadi won a thriller to grab gold in 14min 34.41sec, ahead of Germany's Sven Schwarz (14:35.69) and the American world record holder Finke (14:36.60).
- With three laps to go in the gruelling long-distance race, it was a three-way tussle between Jaouadi, Schwarz and Finke.
Geostrategy
Palestinians across major West Bank cities protest Gaza war
One of the largest marches took place in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority located just north of Jerusalem,...
- Many protesters carried photos of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel, as well as photos depicting the hunger crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip.
- Protests were held Sunday in other major Palestinian cities such as Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south, with many government employees receiving a day off.
Geostrategy
Filmmakers try to cash in on India-Pakistan battle
Mumbai, India -- Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned...
- The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
- The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire.
Geostrategy
Dormant Russia volcano erupts for first time in 450 years
Moscow, Russia -- A volcano erupted for the first time in 450 years in Russia's eastern Kamchatka region, the nation's...
- Pictures released by Russian state media show a towering plume of ash spewing from the Krasheninnikov volcano, which last erupted in 1550.
- The plume is estimated to have reached an altitude of 6,000 metres (19,700 feet), Kamchatka's Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a post on Telegram.
Geostrategy
Israel intercepts Huthi missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli military said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen on Friday, which the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said they...
- "Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted," the Israeli military said
- The Huthis targeted Israel's Ben Gurion airport "using a 'Palestine 2' hypersonic ballistic missile", their military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement
Geostrategy
Turkey starts supplying Azerbaijani gas to boost Syria’s power output
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey on Saturday turned on a supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria, whose infrastructure was...
- Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, are seeking to rebuild the battered country where power cuts can last for more than 20 hours a day
- A first phase of the Qatari scheme to fund gas supplies for power generation in Syria rolled out in March via Jordan and provided 400 megawatts of electricity per day
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Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Oman opens temporary Hormuz shipping corridor as efforts intensify to restore maritime traffic
Muscat said the measure was intended to safeguard freedom of navigation in accordance with international maritime law and without imposing...
Geostrategy
Company News
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US to work with current Venezuela leaders if they make ‘right decision:’ Rubio
The United States is ready to work with Venezuela's remaining leaders if they make "the right decision," Secretary of State...
Geostrategy
The US and Venezuela’s vast oil reserves: key questions amid sanctions, geopolitics and energy
After a US military operation that seized Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said he wants to allow American oil companies...
Geostrategy
At least 80 Yemeni separatists killed in fighting, strikes since Friday
At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, a military official from...
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Geostrategy
Bondi shooting responders honoured at Sydney Ashes Test
Sydney, Australia -- England and Australia's cricket teams honoured at the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney on Sunday emergency service...
- The on-field guard of honour ahead of the clash was accompanied by loud applause from the sold-out crowd.
- The biggest cheer came when hero Ahmed al Ahmed, who ran towards one of the attackers and wrestled the gun from him, walked out.
Geostrategy
Iran’s protests: What we know
Iran has been rocked this week by protests that started in Tehran and have spread to other cities, with at...
- The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where some shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation
- Iran's economy has been battered by years of crushing international sanctions over its nuclear programme, with raging inflation and a collapsing currency
Geostrategy
Yemen separatists announce two-year transition towards independence in south
Yemen's UAE-backed separatists on Friday announced the start of a two-year transitional period towards declaring an independent state after their...
- The Southern Transitional Council (STC), whose forces came under fire from deadly Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Friday, said the process would include dialogue and a referendum
- SCT forces seized large swathes of Yemen's south, run by a fractious government with competing agendas, in a lightning and largely unopposed offensive last month