Yemen’s Houthis blew up stranded oil tanker: video
Rebel chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi on Thursday said his forces had "stormed" the tanker earlier this week. He added in...Geostrategy
Israel strikes Lebanon, says thwarted large-scale Hizbollah attack
The result was perhaps the biggest exchange of fire in 10 months of a war which began with a Hamas...Geostrategy
No India-Middle East trade corridor without Turkey: Erdogan
Ankara, Turkey - Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that India-Middle East trade corridor proposed during the G20 summit...Turkish president highlighted Turkey's significance as a strategic location bridging the gap between the Middle East and Europe
Turkey already supports another proposed corridor that connects the Gulf region to Turkey and Europe through a comprehensive transportation network
Bahrain prison inmates suspend strike after 36 days
According to some activists at least 800 inmates joined the strike, the biggest in Bahrain's history. But Bahraini authorities said...The strike was suspended on Monday, after a meeting between jail officials and a group of prisoners
The prisoners can now have extra family visits and some inmates have been released from solitary confinement
Red Cross warns death toll may surge as 10,000 missing in Libya floods
The death toll from freak floods in eastern Libya is expected to soar dramatically, with 10,000 people reported missing, the...World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris meanwhile described the situation in Libya as "a calamity of epic proportions".
In eastern Libya, the storm hit the coastal town of Jabal al-Akhdar especially hard, as well as Benghazi, where a curfew was declared.
WTO says era of de-globalization is closer than it appears
Geneva, Switzerland - The de-globalization of international trade is far from being a reality, but "the first signs of fragmentation" are...After this phase of slowing globalization, the question is "whether we are moving towards a phase of deglobalization", said WTO official Ralph Ossa.
"We're quite far away from deglobalizing, but at the same time, you start seeing... the first cracks in the system," the WTO official said.
Iraq asks Sweden to extradite accused in Quran burning incident
STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Baghdad has asked Sweden to extradite Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, who stoked international outrage by desecrating the Quran,...The Swedish government has condemned the desecrations of the Quran but upheld the country's laws regarding freedom of speech and assembly.
The accused in the Quran burning incident said that Iraq was seeking his extradition to try him according to Islamic law.
Normalization of Israeli-Saudi ties hit Palestine, security barriers
Despite Israel's strong determination and increasing US mediation efforts, the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv-Riyadh still face serious...The Chinese-mediated restoration of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran served as a catalyst for US efforts to advance Tel Aviv-Riyadh ties.
For Israel, the normalization of relations with Arab countries has remained an important strategic goal for years.
A third of the global population still without internet: UN study
Around 100 million more people are able to access the internet since last year's census by the International Telecommunication Union...That means 67 percent of the world's population, or 5.4 billion people, are now online. However, the other 2.6 billion people are still without access.
With the developed world already online, the biggest growth areas for connectivity are in low-income countries.
WFP warns fund cuts could push 24m people to brink of starvation
Geneva, Switzerland - The World Food Program said Tuesday that shrinking funding was forcing it to drastically slash rations in many...WFP said it had been struggling to meet growing global needs for food assistance while facing a funding shortfall of over 60 percent this year.
WFP estimates that 345 million people worldwide are facing acute food insecurity, at level three or higher on the UN's five-scale food insecurity classification.
Building less, repurposing more key to low construction sector emissions
The industry is responsible for 37 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and growing urbanization is spurring the construction of...Mushrooming urban environments -- which add new buildings in an area equivalent in size to Paris every five days -- damage life-sustaining ecosystems.
Building less and repurposing existing structures generates 50-75 percent fewer emissions than new constructions, a report said.
Red Cross seeks over $100m aid for quake-hit Morocco
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The Red Cross appealed on Tuesday for more than $100 million to provide desperately needed assistance in Morocco,...The Red Cross said the funds were needed for "health, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter relief items and basic needs".
Search and rescue teams from Morocco and abroad continued to dig through the rubble of homes, hoping for signs of life.
