UN watchdog chief says Iran ‘not far’ from nuclear bomb
The United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warned on Wednesday that Iran was "not far" from possessing a nuclear...
Geostrategy
Trade war to cut global oil demand: International Energy Agency
Paris, France -- Global oil demand will be lower than previously forecast this year as rising trade tensions weigh on...
Geostrategy
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
Geostrategy
Macron hosts European leaders to discuss Ukraine’s security amid ceasefire talks with Russia
The meeting is seeking to set out what security guarantees Europe can offer Ukraine once a ceasefire deal is agreed,...
- Speaking alongside Zelensky in Paris on Wednesday ahead of the talks, Macron said this was now a "decisive phase to put an end to the war of aggression"
- Macron also announced a new French two billion euro ($2.2 billion) military aid package for Ukraine, with Paris ready to rapidly ship existing hardware from its stocks
UN watchdog chief says Iran ‘not far’ from nuclear bomb
The United Nations nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warned on Wednesday that Iran was "not far" from possessing a nuclear...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Turkey accuses Israel of seeking to ‘dynamite’ Syria ‘revolution’
Ankara, Turkey -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel on Friday of sowing divisions in Syria in a bid to...
Geostrategy
Hamas armed wing releases video showing hostage alive
Hamas's armed wing released a video on Saturday showing a hostage alive in Gaza, whom Israeli media widely identified as...
Geostrategy
Diplomatic flashpoint: US-Iran nuclear talks amid sanctions, military warnings and mutual suspicion
Iran seeks a "real and fair" agreement with Washington on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
UN shipping body approves first global carbon pricing system
From 2028, all ships will be required to use a less carbon-intensive fuel mix, or face financial penalties -- but...
- Those who do not meet the guidelines will have to pay annually for every ton of greenhouse gas emissions that exceeds the targets set.
- A majority of members, 63 states, voted for the carbon pricing system, including the European Union, Brazil, China, India and Japan.
Geostrategy
In skies, as on land, European forces face gaps if US pulls back
Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Fighter jets from the United States, France, Finland and Germany roar into the skies from a Dutch...
- Since returning to office, US President Donald Trump has sowed doubt over Washington's commitment to underpinning European security
- But if Trump does decide to withdraw US forces, there are fears that could leave European militaries struggling to plug gaps in key areas
Geostrategy
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...
- Oman is a long-established venue for Iranian talks, while promoting peace is a pillar of Qatar's foreign policy and even enshrined in its constitution
- More recently Saudi Arabia has caught on, hosting Ukraine ceasefire talks including the latest round in a lavish hotel in Riyadh last month