Syria sets date for new transitional parliament, local bodies to elect two-thirds of lawmakers
Syrian autorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- dissolved the former longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's rubber-stamp legislature and adopted a...
Geostrategy
Urgent need for ‘global approach’ on AI regulation: UN tech chief
Geneva, Switzerland -- The world urgently needs to find a global approach on regulating artificial intelligence, the United Nations' top...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
The Red Sea islands caught between Egypt, Saudi and Israel
As US President Joe Biden visits the Middle East this week, one issue on the table will be the status...
- The two barren desert islands Tiran and Sanafir are home only to some soldiers of a decades-old multinational peacekeeping force
- The islands have been fought over in the past, thanks to their key location at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia-US: A crisis-peppered partnership
On February 14, 1945, the two countries' partnership is sealed during a historic meeting between king Abdel Aziz bin Saud...
- On February 14, 1945, the two countries' partnership is sealed during a historic meeting between king Abdel Aziz bin Saud and president Franklin D Roosevelt
- The 2015 nuclear agreement with rival regional power Iran -- signed by the US and other world powers -- further undermines Riyadh's confidence in the Obama administration
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia opens airspace to ‘all carriers’, including Israeli airlines
Saudi Arabia announced Friday it was lifting restrictions on "all carriers" using its airspace, an apparent gesture of openness towards...
- The decision was made "to complement the Kingdom's efforts aimed at consolidating its position as a global hub connecting three continents"
- Israel has been pushing for the overflight rights to shorten links to destinations in Asia.
Geostrategy
How Saudis receive US presidents: A hug for Biden?
King Abdullah greeted Bush warmly at the airport in May 2008, showing no signs of the tensions that had roiled...
- King Abdullah greeted Bush warmly at the airport in May 2008, showing no signs of the tensions that had roiled their 2002 meeting at Bush's Texas ranch
- When Trump came, Saudi rulers lavished the his family with gifts, a sword dance and a fly-past of air force jets
Geostrategy
Do signs point to an Israel-Saudi normalisation deal?
Despite the recent signs of a US-Saudi rapprochement, analysts say it is improbable Riyadh will agree to diplomatic ties with...
- Despite the recent signs of a US-Saudi rapprochement, analysts say it is improbable Riyadh will agree to diplomatic ties with Israel
- The king's official policy is that there should be no peace with Israel until it withdraws from occupied territories and accepts Palestinian statehood
Geostrategy
Biden holds joint investment talks with UAE, Israel and India
US President Joe Biden held joint investment talks Thursday with Israel, India and the United Arab Emirates, as Washington seeks...
- The multilateral summit was convened in Jerusalem where Biden is on his first Middle East tour as president.
- During the summit the UAE announced it would invest 2 million euros (dollars) in agricultural projects in India.
Geostrategy
US pledges to stop Iran from making nuclear weapons
The US will use "all elements of its national power" to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, President Joe Biden...
- The United States "is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome", said US President Joe Biden.
- Israel Prime Minister Lapid has said that countering Iran would be the "foremost" issue during bilateral talks.
Economy
ADFD, ADEX to give US$92m loan for Bahrain water supply project
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and the Abu Dhabi Exports Office signed two loan agreements with the Electricity and Water...
- AED will provide US$ 41mn to the Electricity and Water Authority in Bahrain to finance a water supply network project
- ADEX will provide US$ 51 million for the project which aims to enhance the capacity of the water transmission networks
Geostrategy
Libya’s state oil company chief resists move to replace him
Libya's Tripoli-based government has named a new head of the state oil company to replace veteran technocrat Mustafa Sanalla, who...
- Farhat Bengdara and four others will from now on make up the "board of directors of the National Oil Corporation".
- Mustafa Sanallla has led the National Oil Corporation since 2014,. The Corporation has largely managed to remain neutral in the face of political wrangling.
Geostrategy
Jordan, Greece discuss cooperation in construction, energy, agriculture
The two sides signed several agreements to implement double taxation and the Cultural and Technical Cooperation Program 2022-2025.
- The two sides signed several agreements to implement double taxation and the Cultural and Technical Cooperation Program 2022-2025
- They decided to work for increased cooperation in the economy and commerce, as well as higher education, transportation, energy and agriculture
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Syria sets date for new transitional parliament, local bodies to elect two-thirds of lawmakers
Syrian autorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa -- dissolved the former longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad's rubber-stamp legislature and adopted a...
Geostrategy
Company News
Oil prices rise following Red Sea attacks
Market Report
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Hizbollah fires new barrage of rockets at Israeli air base
Beirut, Lebanon--Lebanon's Hizbollah said it launched a salvo of rockets at an Israeli air control base on Tuesday in retaliation for...
Geostrategy
US welcomes Palestinian Authority reform after PM quits
The Palestinian leadership has been divided since 2007, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited power in the West Bank. Blinken...
US targets Houthi vessels, missiles in latest attack
Yemen's Houthis have been targeting shipping for months and their attacks have persisted despite repeated US and British strikes aimed...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Hizbollah fires rockets after deadly Israeli strikes on east Lebanon
Hizbollah announced several other attacks on Israeli sites and troops on Monday, with local media also reporting Israeli strikes on...
- The Israeli army told AFP that "dozens of rockets" had been launched from Lebanon but there were no immediate reports of casualties
- Earlier Israel targeted Hizbollah "aerial defence" sites in retaliation for the group's downing one of its drones in south Lebanon
Geostrategy
Two Hizbollah members killed by Israeli strike in Lebanon
Baalbek, Lebanon - Israeli strikes near the Hizbollah-dominated city of Baalbek killed two group members on Monday, two security sources told...
- "Two Hizbollah members were killed in the Israeli strikes near Baalbek," a security official told AFP, with another security source also confirming the toll
- Earlier Monday, one of the sources had told AFP that "an Israeli strike hit a building housing a Hizbollah civilian institution" in a Baalbek suburb
Geostrategy
Palestinian PM resigns over ‘Gaza aggression, West Bank escalation’
The resignation of the government in the West Bank comes as several countries, including the United States, have called for...
- He called for inter-Palestinian consensus and the "extension of the (Palestinian) Authority's rule over the entire land of Palestine".
- "We will remain in confrontation with the occupation ... and will continue to struggle to establish a state on the lands of Palestine," he said.