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...Geostrategy
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...Business Geostrategy
Syrian, Israeli diplomats met in Paris to discuss ‘de-escalation’: report
Syria's foreign minister met with an Israeli diplomatic delegation in Paris on Tuesday to discuss "de-escalation and non-interference in Syria’s...Washington has been at work in recent weeks to try to resolve security issues in Syria and Lebanon, which its ally Israel says have prompted it to take military action
Despite a truce reached last November, Israel has continued to hit targets of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, and it has occupied territory and hit targets in Syriay
Indian PM Modi to visit China, security chief says
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit China later in August, his security chief said on Tuesday during talks with...Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit opening on August 31 in Tianjin, his first visit to China since 2018, Ajit Doval said in public comments
"History and reality prove once again that a healthy and stable China-India relationship serves the fundamental and long-term interests of both of our countries," Wang added
Netanyahu slams Macron for fuelling ‘antisemitic fire’ by move to recognise Palestinian state
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upbraided President Emmanuel Macron in a letter seen by AFP on Tuesday, blaming the French...Late last month, Macron said France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, drawing a swift rebuke from Israel
By announcing the move, France was set to join a growing list of nations to have recognised statehood for the Palestinians since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago
Ex-owner of world’s largest rhino farm arrested for trafficking
Johannesburg, South Africa -- South African police said they arrested Tuesday the former owner of the world's largest rhino conservation...Hume, in his mid 80s, owned the largest rhino farm in the world until 2023 when it was bought by the African Parks NGO.
The 7,800-hectare (19,270-acre) "Platinum Rhino" site in the North West province is home to around 2,000 animals.
Stock markets cautious with eyes on Ukraine talks, US rates
Markets were also waiting for a key speech by the US Federal Reserve chief this week for clues on interest...Defense stocks fell sharply as chances grew for a breakthrough in Ukraine peace talks, with Germany's Rheinmetall dropping 4.7 percent and France's Thales down 4.1 percent.
Traders hope Powell will provide more clues about a widely expected interest-rate cut at the Fed's September meeting, after data last week provided a mixed picture about inflation.
Israel demands release of all hostages after Hamas backs new truce offer
Mediators are awaiting an official Israeli response to the plan, a day after Hamas signaled its readiness for a fresh...Mediator Qatar expressed guarded optimism for the new proposal, noting that it was "almost identical" to an earlier version agreed to by Israel.
Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding "the ball is now in its court".
Syria commission says more than 300,000 may have gone missing since 1970s
The head of Syria's commission for missing persons said Monday the number of people who went missing during decades of...Mohammed Reda Jalkhi, head of the commission created in May, said the body's mandate ranged from 1970, the year Hafez al-Assad took power
"Our estimates of the number of missing range between 120,000 and 300,000 people, and it could be more," he told state news agency SANA
Under Rubio, US has revoked visas of 6,000 students deemed to counter US interests
Rubio, to the delight of President Donald Trump's right-wing base, has proudly moved against students using an obscure law that...The State Department did not break down the visas by nationality, even though Rubio has vowed to be aggressive in targeting students from China.
The top US diplomat in March told reporters that he was revoking visas daily, saying of activist students: "Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas."
Putin and Zelensky set for peace summit after Trump’s talks with him, alongside European leaders
Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday but the talks failed to yield any breakthrough on a...Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday but the talks failed to yield any breakthrough on a ceasefire
Though White House envoy Steve Witkoff said both leaders had agreed to provide "robust security guarantees" to Ukraine
Dubai police retrieve stolen diamond worth $25 million
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai police said on Monday they caught three thieves just hours after they stole a...A diamond trader who had brought the jewel from Europe was lured to a villa by a crime gang under the pretense of a viewing by a potential wealthy client, police said.
But the gem was stolen when the diamond dealer arrived for the bogus inspection, the statement added.
