West tells Iran to ‘stand down’ Israel attack threats; Tehran says ‘no way’
With tensions soaring in the Middle East, the United States says that Iran along with its proxies might attack Israel...Business Economy Geostrategy
Palestinian officials say 12 dead in Israel West Bank raids
Aqaba residents said Israeli troops arrived at dawn and surrounded the house of Amid Ghanam, leading to clashes between troops...Geostrategy
China’s investment rises 23% in BRI countries in Jan-July 2023
BEIJING, CHINA - Between January and July 2023, Chinese enterprises made non-financial direct investments totaling US$13.69 billion (RMB95.34 billion) in...This growth amounts to approximately US$13.69 billion, constituting nearly 20 percent of the overall investment in January-July 2023.
The value of newly signed contracts amounted to US$103 billion, indicating a marginal 0.6 percent year-on-year increase.
Turkish officials discuss scenarios around stalled Russia grain deal
Turkey’s top diplomat Hakan Fidan is planning to discuss the results of these discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov...Under another scenario, unilateral actions will be taken to set up alternative routes based on bilateral agreements, particularly for Ukrainian agricultural supplies via the Danube
The third, an only 'viable option', envisages a revival of the grain deal "as soon as certain Russian concerns are removed".
Turkey ‘warned’ Russia after Black Sea ship attack: Ankara
The Sukru Okan vessel was flying the flag of Palau when it was fired on by the Russian navy last...Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office came under criticism at home for saying nothing about the Russian attack
Erdogan's office pushed back against its critics on Thursday, arguing that it was technically up to Palau to respond to the incident
Putin discusses possibility of Iran joining BRICS in call with Raisi
Moscow, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Thursday, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi, the...South Africa is scheduled to host a summit of the BRICS countries on August 23 and 24, which is expected to be attended by heads of all BRICS member states
The two leaders also discussed ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries in all fields, especially in trade, transportation and logistics
Stocks dragged further by US rate worry, China gloom
Expectations of another Fed hike have pushed 10-year Treasury yields -- a gauge of future rates -- close to their...All three main indexes on Wall Street sank for a third straight session on Thursday, while London, Paris and Frankfurt also suffered heavy losses
Asian markets were well in the red, including Hong Kong, which was down for a sixth consecutive trading day, while European investors were also on the back foot
Parched Egypt struggles to contain water loss
In a country already suffering from severe water scarcity, official figures show that more than a quarter of clean water...Nationwide, official figures show 26.5 percent of Egypt's clean water in the 2021-22 fiscal year was lost - a conservative estimate, according to experts
The Suez Canal governorates of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia have the highest rates of water loss in the country, with over two thirds of clean water going down the drain
US concerned on hunger strike over Bahrain jail conditions
With support from a military force from neighboring Saudi Arabia, Bahrain crushed the 2011 protests which had demanded a constitutional...Prisoners at the Jau prison, which holds dissidents detained when authorities crushed Shiite-led protests in 2011, have been subjected to 23-hour cell confinement
Bahrain, whose Sunni monarchy has tense relations with Shiite cleric-led Iran, is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is at the forefront of the Gulf standoff with Tehran
Tunisia arrests bakery union chief for ‘monoply’ amid bread shortage
Tunis, Tunisia - Tunisian authorities have arrested the head of the national bakery owners' union, accusing him of a "monopoly" as...Bakeries' union chief Mohamed Bouanane was arrested on Wednesday "on suspicion of monopoly and speculation with subsidized foodstuffs".
Economists told AFP the current supply crisis stems from an inadequate reserve of subsidized flour held by the highly indebted Tunisian government.
Libya’s militia chief released after ceasefire pact with government
Videos circulated on social media on Wednesday night showed Mahmoud Hamza dressed in military fatigues and surrounded by his fighters...Hamza "was released on Wednesday night and returned to his headquarters south of Tripoli", an official at army headquarters in western Libya told AFP
"He was released under a government-sponsored ceasefire agreement" which also provides for the "withdrawal of fighters from the front lines", said the official
WHO’s maiden traditional medicine summit opens in India
"WHO is working to build the evidence and data to inform policies, standards and regulations for the safe, cost-effective and...Traditional medicines are a "first port of call for millions of people worldwide", the World Health Organization said.
The two-day WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit takes place alongside a meeting of G20 health ministers in India.
