Syria has held ‘meetings’ with US: Assad
The United States was among the first to cut ties with Assad over the repression of anti-government protests that sparked...Geostrategy
Italy PM Meloni visits Tunisia for migration talks
Meloni's latest visit to Tunisia came as part of her so-called Mattei Plan, a program aiming to posit Italy as...Geostrategy
US aims to deploy troops on tankers to deter seizures by Iran
The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in...The US security forces would provide a further layer of protection for the tankers in addition to the warships and planes operating in the strategically vital area
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder and National Security Council spokesman John Kirby both declined to confirm reports of the planned deployment
Lebanon hands over alleged Italian mafia member, says judicial official
BEIRUT, LEBANON - Lebanon on Thursday handed over to Italian authorities an alleged member of Italy's notorious 'Ndrangheta mafia wanted for...Lebanese authorities handed over Bartolo Bruzzaniti, 48 ... to an Italian security delegation.
Bruzzaniti was arrested in early July in a restaurant in Jounieh, north of the capital Beirut.
Saudi Arabia extends voluntary 1mbpd oil cut to September
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia will extend the voluntary 1 million barrels per day cut, announced in July, to...Saudi Press Agency, quoting an official source from the Kingdom's Ministry of Energy, said the country's production for September 2023 will be approximately 9mpbd.
This cut is in addition to the voluntary cut previously announced by the Kingdom in April 2023, which extends until the end of December 2024.
Russian oil price cap under growing scrutiny as prices rise
The mechanism, a price ceiling of $60 per barrel on Russian oil, was agreed and introduced by the European Union,...It aims to restrict Russia's revenue as punishment for its invasion of Ukraine, while making sure Moscow keeps supplying the global market.
With oil prices on the rise after months in the doldrums, the cap's impact -- and limits -- could now come into clearer focus.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait reject Iran claims to disputed gas field
Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait renewed "their previous and repeated calls to the Islamic Republic of Iran to negotiate" the...The offshore field has long been focal point of contention between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran
Kuwaiti and Saudi authorities said that "they alone have full sovereign rights to exploit the wealth in that area"
Extensive war crimes being committed in Sudan: Amnesty
Amnesty said scores of women and girls, some as young as 12, have been subjected to sexual violence, including rape,...Amnesty International said that the crimes committed by the warring parties included sexual violence against girls as young as 12 and the indiscriminate targeting of civilians
For its report, Amnesty said it had interviewed more than 180 people, primarily in eastern Chad where refugees from Darfur have fled, or remotely via secure calls
UAE president and Jordan’s king renew resolve to boost ties
The talks between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and King Abdullah focused on ways to ramp up cooperation across key strategic...The meeting between the UAE president and Jordan's king took place at Basman Palace in Amman during the president's official visit to Jordan
The two leaders discussed various aspects of UAE-Jordan cooperation and opportunities to build on the deep, historic ties between both nations
Saudi Arabia detains US citizen’s relatives, says rights group
Dubai, UAE - Human rights groups have accused Saudi Arabia of detaining five relatives of a US citizen who pursued a...The five detainees appeared briefly on Monday at the Specialized Criminal Court in Riyadh, which was established in 2008 to try terrorism cases.
A judge read out the names of all five but did not disclose whether they had been charged with anything or set a date for a new hearing.
Iran guards launch naval drills near Gulf islands claimed by UAE
Tehran, Iran - Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched naval drills on Wednesday near strategic Gulf islands controlled by Iran but claimed by..."The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval exercise started Wednesday morning for the defense of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf," said reports.
The three islands are located near the Strait of Hormuz, the vital sea passage between the Gulf and the open ocean through which a fifth of world oil output passes.
In a warming world, is an air-conditioned future inevitable?
Washington, United States - They are ubiquitous in the United States, controversial in Europe and coveted in South Asia. As heatwaves...Air conditioning is responsible for the emission of approximately one billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The number of air conditioners in the world, about two billion today, is set to skyrocket as temperatures and incomes rise.