Iran says cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog will take ‘new form’
Iran has blamed the IAEA in part for the June attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Israel says it launched...
Geostrategy
Israel PM wants Hamas to give up arms for lasting end to war in Gaza
Netanyahu said the Islamist militants must first give up their weapons and their hold on the Palestinian territory, warning that...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Vaccine supply outstrips demand, inequity remains
Many richer nations are now approaching oversupply. European Union and G7 countries had a surplus of 497 million doses at...
- More than 13 billion doses have been produced since the pandemic, 11 billion of which have been administered.
- Countries like South Africa and India have long called for the WTO to suspend intellectual property rights for vaccines and anti-Covid treatments, so they can boost production.
Geostrategy
Iran buries second cleric killed in shrine stabbing attack
Iran on Friday buried a second Shiite Muslim cleric killed in a suspected jihadist attack at a revered shrine in...
- Sadegh Darai, a middle-ranking cleric, died Thursday from wounds sustained in the stabbing attack earlier this week in Mashhad, Iran's second-largest city
- Another cleric, Mohammad Aslani, also died in the knife attack, while a third, Mohsen Pakdaman, is in a stable condition in hospital
Geostrategy
EU approves Russia coal embargo, proposes more arms to Ukraine
The European Union on Thursday said it had approved an embargo on Russian coal and the closing of the bloc's...
- That package also includes a 10 billion euro ($10.9 billion) ban on exports to Russia, including high-tech goods, and the freezing of several Russian banks' assets
- The EU also backed a proposal to boost its funding of arms supplies to Ukraine by 500 million euros, taking it to a total of 1.5 billion euros
Geostrategy
Spain’s Sanchez visits Morocco as tensions ease
The move came after Madrid reversed decades of neutrality on the Western Sahara conflict in a U-turn that has angered...
- Morocco lays claim to the Western Sahara as an integral part of it and sees it as a sensitive issue of security and national pride
- The desert territory boasts rich Atlantic fishing waters, phosphate resources and a route to lucrative markets in West Africa
Economy
Yemen president cedes powers to council as ceasefire holds
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam dismissed the move by President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi as ‘a desperate attempt to rearrange the ranks...
- A United Nations-brokered truce that started on Saturday has offered a glimmer of hope in the conflict amid the humanitarian crisis
- The truce came as peace talks were unfolding in Riyadh without the participation of the Houthis, who refused talks on ‘enemy’ territory
Geostrategy
Saudi sending envoy to Lebanon after Yemen war spat: State media
A diplomatic crisis broke out last October after the then-information minister George Kordahi was quoted criticizing the Saudi role in...
- The diplomatic row, which has also seen Saudi Arabia ban the imports of Lebanese goods, was a blow to a country already in the grip of economic crisis.
- We stress the fact that Lebanon is proud of its Arab allegiance and is adamant on maintaining the best ties with Gulf nations, PM Najib Mikati tweeted.
Economy
IMF reaches agreement on $3 billion deal for Lebanon
The country has been battered by triple-digit inflation, soaring poverty rates, and the collapse of its currency since a 2020...
- PM Najib Mikati said the deal is "a visa stamp for donor countries to begin co-operating with Lebanon and to put Lebanon back on the global finance map".
- The aid would be released only after the parliament in Beirut approves a 2022 budget and a new bank secrecy law to fight corruption.
Geostrategy
EU court rules in favor of Mubarak family on assets freeze
The European Court of Justice ruled Wednesday in favor of the family of late Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and confirmed...
- The European Union had decided in March last year to end sanctions it had imposed on Mubarak, his wife, two sons and their wives.
- The sanctions included a freeze on assets held in the EU and a ban on any citizens or entities from the 27-nation bloc making funding available to those on the blacklist.
Geostrategy
Dangerous stray dogs pose culling dilemma in North African cities
Authorities opened an inquest Friday into the death of a 16-year-old girl after she was mauled as she walked to...
- A similar tragedy struck in neighboring Algeria last month, when a 12-year-old was killed and half-eaten by dogs in the Blida area.
- Many stray dogs in the Maghreb region pose an additional threat: rabies, a virus that attacks the central nervous system and leads to a painful death.
Geostrategy
Civilians try to flee east Ukraine as Russia prepares attack
More than 11 million people in Ukraine have been displaced since Russia invaded on February 24, aiming to seize the...
- Russian troops have been withdrawing from around the capital and Ukraine's north, leaving a trail of destruction behind them
- The scenes of carnage left behind by retreating troops in towns like Bucha have led to a wave of fresh sanctions against Moscow
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Iran says cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog will take ‘new form’
Iran has blamed the IAEA in part for the June attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Israel says it launched...
Geostrategy
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Jordan’s EMRC grants approvals for EV charging infrastructure
AMMAN, JORDAN - The Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC) has issued over 300 authorizations for the installation of electrical...
Business
Parisians vote in anti-SUV parking and pollution referendum
Paris, France -- Parisians were voting on Sunday in a referendum on tripling parking costs for hefty SUV-style cars, a campaign...
Geostrategy
Number of visitors to Qatar rises 31.9 percent in December, says report
DOHA, QATAR - The total number of inbound visitors to the country reached about 519 thousand in December 2023, recording...
Economy
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Geostrategy
Turkey commemorates last year’s deadly earthquake
ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Turkey on Tuesday holds pre-dawn vigils for the loss of more than 50,000 people -- and parts of...
- Grieving Turks are still coming to terms with how a 7.8-magnitude tremor could upturn the lives of millions of people in a matter of seconds.
- An updated toll released on Friday showed that 53,537 people had died across 11 southeastern provinces officially designated as the disaster zone.
Geostrategy
Houthis vow response after US, UK strike dozens of Yemen targets
Saturday's strikes hit "36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen in response to the Houthis' continued attacks against international and commercial shipping...
- The joint air raids in Yemen late Saturday followed a separate wave of unilateral American strikes against Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria
- It is the third time that British and American forces have jointly targeted the Houthis, whose attacks in solidarity with Palestinians have disrupted global trade
Geostrategy
Tunisia’s Jabeur supports Saudi Arabia after criticism from tennis greats
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates--Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur on Saturday threw her support behind the potential staging of the WTA...
- She applauded the response of Saudi envoy to the US to criticism from two women tennis stars of the WTA's possible deal with the kingdom
- Jabeur said that it will be amazing to see not just women but also men to be inspired and that it is very important to support Saudi Arabia's bid