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...
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...
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Geostrategy
First orbital rocket launched from Europe crashes seconds after blast-off
Oslo, Norway -- The first orbital rocket launched from continental Europe crashed seconds after blast-off Sunday, in a closely watched...
- Isar Aerospace, which had said it did not expect to reach orbit with the launch, said the two-stage rocket fell into the sea, adding that "the launch pad seems to be intact".
- The 28-metre (92-foot) tall, two-meter diameter rocket has a one-ton carrying capacity, but was unloaded for the test flight.
Geostrategy
Hamas says agrees to new Gaza truce proposal received from mediators but warns its weapons a ‘red line’
The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if...
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed it had also received a proposal from the mediators and had submitted a counter-proposal in response
- The fragile truce that had brought weeks of relative calm to the Gaza Strip ended on March 18 when Israel resumed its bombing campaign across the territory
Geostrategy
Trump says Iran faces ‘bad, bad things’ if no nuclear deal after Tehran responds to a letter from him
"I sent them a letter just recently, and I said: you have to make a decision, one way or the...
- Trump in 2018 pulled the United States out of an agreement to relieve sanctions on Iran in return for curbs on its nuclear program
- Tehran has refused to negotiate directly with Washington under these circumstances, but has held out the possibility of indirect talks
Geostrategy
Pro-Palestine rallies held in many countries on Quds Day
Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations were launched in 1979 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic, which has...
- Crowds gathered in the streets of Tehran after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Iranian people to protest against "the enemies' tricks".
- Thousands also gathered in the Yemeni capital Sanaa in demonstrations described by the rebels' TV channel as "the largest in the Arab Islamic world".
Geostrategy
Iran says it has responded to Trump’s nuclear talks letter
Iran has sent a response to a letter from US President Donald Trump that called for nuclear talks and warned...
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asked by reporters on his plane over the Caribbean whether the US has received the letter, said: "I'm not going to comment on that yet."
- He said that the United States had expected there to be a response and "obviously at that point, the president will decide what steps if he any he wants to take next".
Geostrategy
Lawyer complains Turkish student held in US ‘abducted’
A lawyer representing a Turkish university student detained in the United States and facing deportation said Thursday that his client...
- Earlier this week, a video surfaced on social media showing 30-year-old Rumeysa Ozturk being detained by masked, plain-clothed figures near Tufts University in Massachusetts
- The video quickly went viral as a symbol driving the fear and anger gripping US campuses as President Donald Trump clamps down on students accused of holding extremist views
Geostrategy
Palestinian sources say Hamas, mediators in new talks to revive Gaza truce, hostage release deal
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Egypt along with Qatar and the United States, have been deadlocked for weeks...
- Talks are focusing on the possibility of implementing a truce during the Eid al-Fitr and Jewish Passover holidays
- A Palestinian source close to Hamas said that despite the discussions, "no breakthrough" had been achieved so far
Science
Firms and researchers at odds over superhuman AI
The belief that human-or-better intelligence -- often called "artificial general intelligence" (AGI) -- will emerge from current machine-learning techniques fuels...
- "Systems that start to point to AGI are coming into view," OpenAI chief Sam Altman wrote in a blog post last month.
- Such predictions help justify the hundreds of billions of dollars being poured into computing hardware and the energy supplies to run it.
Geostrategy
From cars to champagne: Trump’s expanding tariffs trigger trade war fears
Paris, France -- From champagne to steel and now cars: it is getting harder to keep up with US President...
- In early March, Trump imposed a 20 percent tariff on products from China, which has a huge trade surplus with the United States and was already his top target during his first term
- Trump announced earlier he would slap 25-percent tariffs on imports from countries buying oil and gas from Venezuela, a punitive measure that could hit China and India.
Geostrategy
Israel PM threatens to seize parts of Gaza over fate of hostages
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Wednesday to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, while the militant...
- Israel's resumption of intense bombardment and ground operations across Gaza shattered weeks of relative calm brought by a fragile ceasefire
- According to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, 830 people have been killed in the territory since Israel restarted its strikes on March 18
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...
Geostrategy
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Bridges in the Gulf: wealthy states mediate crisis after crisis
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - When US and Iranian negotiators meet in Oman on Saturday they will be just the...
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Trump warns of military option; Iran threatens to end UN nuclear inspections before Oman talks
Last month, Trump sent a letter to Khamenei, who has the final say in matters of state in Iran, calling...
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European Union and UAE agree to launch trade deal negotiations
Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "and I just decided to launch negotiations on an EU-UAE free trade agreement,"...
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Geostrategy
US reiterates support for Morocco on Western Sahara
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday renewed US support for Morocco's sovereignty and political plan for Western Sahara, a...
- Trump, during his first term in office, in 2020 recognized Morocco's claim to the vast desert territory after the kingdom normalized relations with Israel
- Morocco mostly controls the former Spanish colony but has been challenged for decades by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front
Geostrategy
Israel seizes Gaza territory as Macron signals imminent French recognition of Palestinian statehood
French President Emmanuel Macron meanwhile said that France plans to recognise a Palestinian state in the "coming months", a move...
- Israel's Defence Minister Katz said that "large areas are being seized and added to Israel's security zones, leaving Gaza smaller and more isolated."
- Katz emphasised that Israel would keep increasing pressure on Gaza "until the hostages are freed and Hamas is defeated."
Geostrategy
Saudi foreign minister in US to prepare for Trump visit
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's top diplomat is in Washington to lay the groundwork for US President Donald Trump's...
- Last month, Trump said he may visit Saudi Arabia as early as April in a reprisal of 2017, when the kingdom was the first destination of his first term in office.
- Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Washington on Tuesday, aiming to "prepare for Trump's visit to Riyadh", the source close to the Saudi government said.