European powers plan fresh nuclear talks with Iran
Berlin, Germany -- Britain, France and Germany are planning to hold fresh talks with Iran on its nuclear programme in...Geostrategy
Ceasefire order fails to halt fighting in Syria’s Druze heartland
Sweida, Syria - Syrian Bedouin and their allies fought Druze fighters in the community's Sweida heartland for a seventh day...Geostrategy
Gaza situation approaching humanity’s ‘darkest hour’, says WHO
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, said that since the start of the war, there had...Eighteen of the Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals are still functioning in any capacity: three are providing basic first aid only, while the rest are delivering partial services
UNICEF spokesman James Elder said that with the population on the move, in two hours "there are 5,000 people where there was no-one previously".
COP28 draft agreement includes option to do nothing on fossil fuels
The fate of oil, gas and coal is the thorniest issue being thrashed out at the COP28 UN climate talks...The draft of global climate agreement forms the basis of negotiations that will unfold in coming days, with a final text expected in theory by December 12
It is a formal response to the "global stocktake", a damning report card published in September that highlighted how little the world had done to confront the climate crisis
US envoy to promote Yemen peace despite Houthi attacks
Since the Gaza war, the Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked cargo vessel and fired ballistic missiles at various targets....Houthi rebels, who have ties to Iran and control much of Yemen, have targeted Israeli-linked vessels in avowed solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war
State Department spokesman told reporters that the "provocative and dangerous attacks" by the rebels have "threatened almost two years of progress to end Yemen war
‘Unintended consequences’: friction at COP28 over green trade
Inside the negotiating rooms and on the sidelines of the COP28 climate talks, simmering tensions over wealthy countries' "green trade"...WTO has received about 18,000 complaints over green policies yet trade was still often overlooked by climate policymakers, director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said
Concerns have also been raised that these kind of climate policies may make it harder for another nation to sell their goods or access clean energy technology
Saudi Arabia spurns fossil fuel phaseout push at COP28
A tentative "phasedown/out" was included in a first draft of an agreement on climate action that delegates are haggling over...UN chief called for a total phaseout of fossil fuels, warning "complete disaster" awaits mankind
Saudi Arabia has revamped its energy sources, invested in renewables and improved energy-efficiency
Hamas refutes accusations of sexual violence in Israel attacks
Hamas statement comes days after UN Women said it was "alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities" during the...Israeli police say they have gathered evidence of sexual violence by Hamas fighters
Hamas rejected claims by women and advocacy groups as part of "a series" of Israeli "lies"
UN warns of ‘hellish scenario’ as aid to Gaza stalls
According to Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, the conditions required to deliver aid to "the people...Expressing his regret, the UN official said "nowhere is safe in Gaza and there is nowhere left to go"
Hastings rejected the idea of "safe zones" urged upon Israel by the US government
Masdar City to construct region’s first net-zero energy mosque
Abu Dhabi, UAE - Masdar City, an Abu Dhabi, UAE-based sustainability and innovation hub dedicated to making all cities a...The mosque’s total energy requirements were reduced by 35 percent compared to international baselines using passive design
Low-flow water fixtures, drought-resistant landscaping, and the use of recycled water for irrigation will reduce water use by 55 percent
Saudi, Turkish firms ink 8 deals to boost Riyadh-Ankara business
Istanbul, Turkey - Saudi and Turkish companies, part of the Saudi-Turkish Business Council, signed eight trade agreements to strengthen trade...The firms discussed investment opportunities in the two countries, especially those envisaged in the Saudi Vision 2030 and Turkish economy.
The volume of trade between Saudi Arabia and Türkiye reached SAR22 billion ($5,864,813,240) in 2022, recording a growth rate of 32.6 percent.
We respect climate science, says COP28 head
DUBAI, UAE - The Emirati president of the UN's COP28 talks said on Monday he respects climate science, after a leaked...Sultan Al Jaber also repeated his past statements that a phase out of fossil fuels was "inevitable".
He acknowledged that global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 43 percent by 2030.
