Death becomes a growing business in ageing, lonely South Korea
Busan, South Korea -- Rows of coffins line a university classroom in the South Korean port city of Busan, ready...Business Culture & Society Geostrategy Health
Unexploded bombs haunt Gazans, posing deadly risk as fragile truce halts demining efforts in ruins
After two years of war, the ruined cities of Gaza, a densely packed territory home to more than two million...Geostrategy
Israel insists it calls shots in Gaza despite signing up to a US-brokered ceasefire
Under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire, as Israeli forces withdraw after the end of two years of brutal fighting...Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would decide for itself where and when to strike its foes and which countries would be allowed to send troops to police the trucehe
"Israel is an independent state. We will defend ourselves by our own means and we will continue to determine our fate," Netanyahu said. "We do not seek anyone's approval for this."
Long-shot socialist Mamdani in touching distance of becoming NY mayor
New York, United States - An unknown local lawmaker just a few months ago, leftist Zohran Mamdani has burst onto...Since his surprise victory in the Democratic Party primary in June, New Yorkers have become used to seeing his bearded, smiling face on television
The 34-year-old election frontrunner was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was 7, becoming a naturalized US citizen in 2018
China hails coming of ‘multipolar world’ ahead of key Trump-Xi talks to avert trade war
Global markets are watching closely to see if Thursday's planned meeting between the two presidents can halt a trade war...Global markets are watching closely to see if Thursday's planned meeting between the two presidents can halt a trade war sparked by the sweeping tariffs announced by Trump
Speaking at a forum in Beijing on Monday, Wang Yi urged "an end to politicising economic and trade issues, artificially fragmenting global markets, and resorting to trade wars
Trump starts key Asian tour with deals ahead of China meet
Trump rewarded Cambodia and Thailand with trade deals after co-signing their ceasefire pact, and saying he was confident of a...Trump met Qatar's leaders -- among the guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire deal he spearheaded -- during a refueling stop.
As he left Washington, Trump added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time since 2019 while on the Korean peninsula.
Nigeria refinery aims to be world’s biggest with expansion
Lagos, Nigeria -- Nigeria's Dangote oil refinery, already the largest in Africa, aims to become the biggest in the world..."We are more than doubling the barrels... to 1.4 million from 650,000," said Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian businessman who is Africa's richest person.
The Dangote refinery has sparked monopoly fears as it becomes a powerful player itself.
US treasury secretary signals deal to ease trade war with China
Washington, United States -- US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday signaled a tentative deal with China to de-escalate their...Scott Bessent said the US threat of a 100% tariff hike on Chinese goods had effectively been taken off the table in exchange for Beijing deferring curbs on its rare earth exports.
The secretary's remarks came as Trump kicked off an Asia tour in Kuala Lumpur that will culminate in a sitdown with Xi in South Korea.
TotalEnergies approves restart of $20-bn Mozambique gas project
Paris, France -- France's TotalEnergies said Saturday the consortium it leads to build a $20-billion liquified natural gas project in...The Mozambique LNG project, the largest private investment in Africa's energy infrastructure, is expected to generate thousands of jobs.
Work was frozen after militants launched a deadly attack on the site of the project near the Tanzanian border in March 2021, resulting in around 800 deaths.
Mamdani in touching distance of becoming NY mayor
New York, United States -- An unknown local lawmaker just a few months ago, leftist Zohran Mamdani has burst onto...The 34-year-old election frontrunner was born in Uganda to a family of Indian origin and has lived in the United States since he was seven.
He is the son of filmmaker Mira Nair ("Monsoon Wedding," "Salaam Bombay!") and Mahmood Mamdani, a professor and respected Africa expert.
US Fed will likely cut again despite economic murkiness from shutdown
The central bank's second-to-last rate meeting of the year is taking place against the backdrop of a weeks-long standoff between...Without these key insights into the US economy, Fed officials will be forced to set interest rates without the full spectrum of data they normally rely upon.
The US central bank has a dual mandate from Congress to act independently to tackle both inflation and unemployment.
The armed groups clashing with Hamas in Gaza
Shortly after a ceasefire took effect in Gaza, clashes erupted between armed groups, some backed by Israel and others loyal...Some of these groups are criminal gangs, others consist of members of historically influential Gaza families, and some combine both elements, experts told AFP
Armed gangs in Gaza are reportedly acting under Israeli protection, and allegedly loot aid convoys entering the territory, where shortages remain dire after Israel's blockade
