Hyundai to invest $50bn in South Korea
The automaker will make a bigger push to produce EVs.Geostrategy
US defense chief tells Israeli counterpart that Gaza toll is ‘too high’
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant that civilian casualties in Gaza are "too high". A...Geostrategy Global
All hands on deck as UN meets to protect high seas
Another two weeks of negotiations ended with no agreement in August last year, but advocates and officials have expressed cautious...After more than 15 years of talks, the meeting is the third time in less than a year that negotiators are gathering for what is due to be the last round
Ocean ecosystems produce half the planet's oxygen and limit global warming by absorbing a large part of the CO2 emitted by human activities
Quality finance crucial to deal with climate change
"We cannot neglect any element of the climate crisis, including its clear implications for international peace and security,” he adds....Majid Al Suwaidi, Director-General and Special Representative of COP28, calls for catalyzing greater and higher quality climate finance for fragile and vulnerable communities
The UAE will host COP28 in Dubai from 30th November to December 12, which will include the first Global Stocktake to assess progress toward implementation of the Paris Agreement
White House says ‘deeply dismayed’ by Israeli settlements plans
The White House said Thursday it is "deeply dismayed" by Israeli plans for a major expansion of settlements in occupied...The UN Security Council is considering a draft resolution that would demand Israel immediately cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory
The 15-member council is likely to vote on Monday on the text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates in coordination with the Palestinians, diplomats told Reuters
UN appeals for $1 billion in aid for Turkey quake victims
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the funds would provide humanitarian relief for three months to 5.2...Turkey's people have experienced "unspeakable heartache," the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in a separate statement announcing the flash appeal.
Some 47,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged across Turkey, with thousands of people having sought refuge in temporary shelters.
Iraq marshlands campaigner freed from kidnappers
Baghdad, Iraq---A leading campaigner for the preservation of Iraq's famed southern marshlands has been freed, two weeks after he was kidnapped...Jassim al-Assadi, 65, head of environmentalist group Nature Iraq, was seized on February 1 as he drove to the capital Baghdad on the main motorway from the south.
A hydraulic engineer by profession, Assadi has been involved in numerous initiatives since 2006 to restore the marshlands where he was born.
Repsol’s profit up on high oil prices
The oil firm posted a net profit of $4.55 billion in 2022.Repsol said gas and oil prices "rose sharply during the first half of 2022" due to sanctions imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine
It said the higher earnings had allowed it to boost investments in 2022 by 40 percent over the previous year to 4.18 billion euros,
Blinken to pledge quake support on first Turkey visit
Blinken will visit Incirlik air base, through which the United States has shipped aid, and then hold talks in the...US has flown in some 200 rescuers and contributed an initial $85 million in relief for Turkey, deploying Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters to bring supplies to worst-hi
The visit, which was being planned before the February 6 earthquake that has killed nearly 40,000 people in the country and Syria, will be the first by Blinken to Turkey
UN likely to vote Monday on call for Israel to stop settlements
The 15-member council is likely to vote on Monday on the text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates in coordination...The 15-member council is likely to vote on Monday on the text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates in coordination with the Palestinians
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has already expressed deep concern over Israel’s decision to authorize nine Jewish settler outposts in West Bank
US condemns Tunisia arrests of president’s critics
Washington, United States--The United States on Wednesday denounced Tunisia's arrest of critics of President Kais Saied and called for transparent legal...Police have arrested 10 public figures since Saturday, including the director of a popular radio station and a prominent businessman.
The opposition National Salvation Front said that the arrests were an act of vengeance without legal basis
US-GCC Working Group on Iran holds 3rd meeting in Riyadh
The meeting was co-chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hashel Al-Maskari, Head of the Omani Foreign Ministry's GCC Department.The meeting was co-chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hashel Al-Maskari, Head of the Omani Foreign Ministry's GCC Department
The meeting comes within the framework of the strategic partnership between the GCC and the USA