Israel, Hamas reject bid before ICC to arrest leaders for war crimes
Israel and Hamas, engaged in heavy fighting in the Gaza Strip, both angrily rejected on Monday moves to arrest their...Geostrategy
Prayers and concern in Iran as President Ebrahim Raisi’s helicopter remains missing
Search and rescue teams are looking for the crash site in the remote mountain area, says Iranian state media, adding...Geostrategy
Grain deal talks ongoing after Russian proposal, says UN
Consultations to prolong Ukrainian grain exports deal are continuing, the UN said, after a Russian proposal for just a 60-day...Russia had agreed to extend the deal which is due to expire on Saturday, for 60 days.
Ukraine said that "contradicts" the original agreement but did not reject the proposal.
‘Morocco economy robust, 80% of exports manufactured products’
The country managed to restrict inflation to 6 percent and sustain jobs despite challenges, the North African nation's Industry and...The country managed to restrict inflation to 6 percent and sustain jobs despite challenges, the North African nation's Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour tells TRENDS.
Moroccan automotive industry produced 700,00 cars in 2022 and we expect the production to hit 1 million in the next three years, adds Mezzour during the interview
EU and Algeria look to consolidate energy, security ties
The 27-country bloc would like to develop the partnership with Algeria "looking at the future, by prioritizing European investments in...Borrell said the EU and Algeria had agreed to "relaunch high-level security dialogue", with the first meetings planned before the end of the year
He said the EU and Algeria could "do better" on trade relations, calling for a solution "to obstacles (Algeria) introduced since June 2022 to commerce with Spain"
‘US role in Middle East is stabilizing but diminishing’
The world is facing a new environment where powerful global leaders and corporate leaders are creating uncertainty and risk, Eurasia...Putin is becoming the most powerful rogue actor on the global stage in a way that Iran is the most powerful rogue actor in the Middle East, says Ian Bremmer
The bigger issue is that the Russians are now in a hot war with the West and they’re performing very badly and their economy is deteriorating, he adds
Video: Key takeaways from World Economic Forum
This year's event, held in the Swiss resort of Davos, was an intense and inspiring, and had brought together prominent...This year's event, held in the Swiss resort of Davos, was an intense and inspiring, and had brought together prominent leaders from government, business, and social institutions
The discussions and insights shared during the World Economic Forum in Davos provided a unique opportunity to address global challenges and identify innovative solutions
Tunisia swears in new defanged parliament
State television broadcast the proceedings and only official media were permitted to cover the session, with representatives of Tunisia's private...The new assembly was elected in two rounds in December and January, with a voter turnout of just over 11 percent
It has 161 members but only 154 seats have so far been filled - with just 25 female representatives among them
Lebanon central bank chief summoned in European probe
A Lebanese judge has asked central bank chief Riad Salameh to appear before visiting European investigators, a judicial official said...Lebanon central bank chief Riad Salameh denies all accusations against him and has rarely appeared before the judiciary.
If he shows up, it would be the first time Salameh, 72, appears before European investigators probing suspected financial misconduct.
UAE, Qatar least corrupt Arab nations
The 2022 Corruption Perception Index says corruption is undermining democratic processes and fueling violence in the Middle East and North...The CPI ranks180 countries and territories around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
With a score of 90 and 87 respectively, Denmark and Finland top the CPI, while Somalia and Syria hit rock bottom with a score of 13 and 12 respectively.
Russia agrees to grain export deal extension for 60 days
Russia has agreed to extend the Ukraine grain export deal following talks with the United Nations - but only for...The grain export deal has helped ease the global food crisis triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The invasion saw Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by warships until a deal signed in July allowed for the safe passage of exports of critical grain supplies.
Enforcement alone is no fix for cross-channel migration woes: UN
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron last Friday agreed a new pact worth over 500 million...More than 3,000 migrants have arrived in Britain in small boats across the Channel so far this year, and the backlog of asylum claims now exceeds 160,000.
The deal will see Britain step up funding to France to allow hundreds more French police to patrol the Channel and also establish a new detention cent as a further deterrent.
