Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for...
Geostrategy
Gaza mourns those killed in Israeli strike on seafront cafe
Once a bustling seafront spot where young people could hope for a rare respite from war, Gaza City's al-Baqa cafe...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Taliban declare day of Soviet exit from Afghanistan as holiday
The Taliban on Tuesday declared February 15 a national holiday to mark the anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan...
- Forty years of conflict has left Afghanistan one of the world's most impoverished nations, and the Taliban's return on August 15 plunged the country deeper into a crisis
- Thousands marched through Afghan cities on Tuesday to protest against President Joe Biden's decision last week to seize almost half the country's overseas assets -- about $3.5bn
Geostrategy
Israel President to visit Turkey to improve strained relations
Israeli President Isaac Herzog is preparing to visit Turkey, his office said Tuesday, in a rare trip following years of...
- A presidency statement said that a senior Turkish delegation, including a top aide to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was due in Israel this week
- Herzog's office had declined to comment on the prospective visit until Tuesday's statement, which gave no indication of a possible date
Geostrategy
US considers $1 bn loan guarantees for Ukraine
Europe's poorest country Ukraine's corruption-plagued economy has suffered from increased tensions over the possibility of an invasion by Russia.
- US could offer $1 billion in credit guarantees to support Ukraine, says White House official
- US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan repeated on Sunday that Russia could attack Ukraine "any day now"
Geostrategy
UAE, Turkey sign 13 agreements, MoUs in key areas
The signing of cooperation agreements and MoUs ‘mark the beginning of a new era in relations’ between the two countries...
- Erdogan visits UAE for first time in nearly a decade to revive relations that were long strained by regional disputes
- The two countries vow 'to confront a number of common challenges" through dialogue and diplomatic resolve
Geostrategy
Israeli PM starts first-ever Bahrain visit
The visit is the latest such initiative following the US-brokered 2020 Abraham Accords.
- Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates became only the third and fourth Arab states to establish ties with Israel
- Following Egypt and Jordan, they signed on to the pacts negotiated under former US president Donald Trump
Geostrategy
GCC states stress women’s rights to Taliban
Amir Khan Muttaqi, a key member of the Taliban leadership, met in Doha with ambassadors from the six-nation GCC on...
- The Taliban have been struggling to unfreeze billions of dollars of assets abroad and get sanctions lifted.
- Arab envoys emphasized the need to help Afghanistan's "urgent humanitarian needs" as the country confronts widespread hunger caused by drought.
Geostrategy
Islamic Development Bank sets up fund for providing aid to Afghanistan
The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) approved the establishment of the Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund (AHTF), which will channel humanitarian and...
- The Afghanistan Humanitarian Trust Fund will be administered by the bank and receive contributions from member states.
- For project financing, it approved $337.63 million for transport, agriculture, and human capital development projects in Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal.
Geostrategy
Erdogan arrives in UAE after a decade to revive bilateral relations
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reached Abu Dhabi on Monday for his first visit to the UAE in nearly a...
- Turkey and the UAE have backed opposing sides in the Libyan civil war and in a Gulf diplomatic crisis
- But those tensions eased after Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed traveled to Ankara in November
Geostrategy
US discusses transfer deal with Afghans in UAE
US officials in the United Arab Emirates met with Afghans after a protest in Abu Dhabi this week and discussed...
- The UAE was one of several Arab Gulf countries that assisted with the evacuation of Afghans fleeing the Taliban after the group seized power in August last year
- The US embassy said that it was aware of the "peaceful demonstration" to express "concerns about future resettlement and processing for onward travel"
Geostrategy
Iran says Vienna nuclear deal talks ‘complicated’ but ‘no impasse’
Iran is engaged in negotiations with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly and with the United States indirectly to...
- But the US unilaterally withdrew from deal in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed economic sanctions.
- Sanctions prompted Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments. The drive to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal resumed in late November.
Most Read
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
Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Wounded Gazans get medical care on French hospital ship
Israel responded with a military offensive that has killed at least 25,105 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to...
Trump closes in on Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire
Manchester, United States - Donald Trump aims to sew up the Republican presidential nomination after the contest narrowed to a two-horse...
Israeli strike kills Hizbollah fighter in south Lebanon
A Lebanese security official said the Israeli strike on a car in south Lebanon "killed a member of Hizbollah's protection...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Hamas says ‘some faults happened’ during Oct 7 attacks due to ‘chaos’
The group admitted in a 16-page report justifying the attack that "some faults happened... due to the rapid collapse of...
- "If there was any case of targeting civilians it happened accidently and in the course of the confrontation with the occupation forces," Hamas said in the report.
- The group said it wanted to "hold the Israeli occupation legally accountable" for the suffering it had inflicted on the Palestinian people.
Geostrategy
Hamas says Gaza deaths top 25,000 as Israel pushes offensive
"Dozens are still under the rubble," the Hamas government's media office said, adding that the dead and injured "could not...
- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees says about 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza, with about one million crowded into the Rafah area.
- Rising tensions and violence across the Middle East have also stoked fears of a wider conflagration involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Geostrategy
Hamas chief holds talks with Turkish FM: sources
Istanbul served as a base for Hamas political leaders before the October 7 attacks. Turkey asked the Hamas chiefs to...
- The two sides discussed increasing humanitarian aid, and a two-state solution
- The Turkey's foreign minister and Hamas's chief last had official contact in a phone call in October