US, Russia negotiations on partial Ukraine ceasefire end after 12 hours in Saudi Arabia
The US-Ukraine and US-Russia talks were originally planned to take place simultaneously to enable shuttle diplomacy, with the United States...Geostrategy
Tens of thousands in France protest against racism and far-right
Tens of thousands of people in Paris and other French cities on Saturday rallied against racism and the rise of...Geostrategy
Lebanon approves sea border deal with Israel: President Michel Aoun
It comes after Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Wednesday said the agreement would make conflict with Lebanon's Iran-backed militant...The deal had faced hurdles, with a major source of friction being the Karish gas field, which Israel insisted fell entirely within its waters and was not a subject of negotiation.
Lebanon reportedly claimed part of the field and Hezbollah, which holds huge sway in Lebanon, threatened attacks if Israel began production at Karish.
5.3 billion cell phones to become waste in 2022
Defunct cell phones are just the tip of the 44.48-million-ton iceberg of global electronic waste generated annually that isn't recycled.Despite containing valuable gold, copper, silver, palladium and other recyclable components, these devices will be dumped or incinerated, causing environmental harm.
Studies show 46 percent of the 8,775 households surveyed considered potential future use as the main reason for hoarding small electrical and electronic equipment.
UN says half the world unprepared for disasters
The UN agencies for weather and for disaster risk reduction found countries with poor early warning systems on average see...Proper early warning systems for floods, droughts, heatwaves, storms or other disasters allow for planning to minimize adverse impacts
The number of people affected by disasters had doubled from an average of 1,147 per 100,000 per year between 2005 and 2014, to 2,066 from 2012 to 2021, the UN report said
Moroccan dissident on new hunger strike over travel ban
Known for his criticism of the authorities, Monjib was sentenced in January last year to 12 months in prison, after...The 61-year-old said security officials had prevented him from boarding a flight from Rabat airport to take part in a cultural event in Spain
Several journalists critical of Morocco's government have been imprisoned in recent years for sex crimes, accusations they have denied
Saudi Arabia dismisses statements critical of OPEC+ quota cut
A few days after US President Joe Biden said that there would be consequences for Saudi Arabia on its decision...The United States accused Saudi Arabia of kowtowing to Moscow, which objects to a Western cap on the price of Russian oil in response to its invasion of Ukraine
The Saudi foreign ministry statement stressed the “purely economic context” of the oil cut
13 die in clashes between rival factions in northwest Syria
Beirut, Lebanon— Thirteen people, mostly fighters, have been killed in two days of ongoing clashes between rival factions competing for power...According to reports, fighting between two pro-Turkish Syrian rebel groups began in the town of Al-Bab in northern Aleppo province before spreading to other areas
Syria's war has killed nearly half a million people and forced around half of the country's pre-war population from their homes
Biden to ‘re-evaluate’ Saudi ties after OPEC snub
The 13-nation OPEC cartel and its 10 allies headed by Moscow angered the White House last week with its decision...Saudi Arabia has defended the planned production cuts, saying the priority of OPEC+ was "to maintain a sustainable oil market"
Partnership between US and Saudi Arabia was sealed after World War II, providing the kingdom with military protection in exchange for American access to oil
Russia-Germany oil pipeline partly shut after leak: operator
The Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline network was started in the 1960s and now covers 5,500 kilometres, pumping oil from the Urals...The leak was detected late on Tuesday near the village of Zurawice about 180 kilometres (112 miles) to the west of Warsaw in central Poland
PERN spokeswoman Katarzyna Krasinska was quoted by PAP news agency as saying that the pipeline was mainly supplying two refineries in Schwedt and Spergau in Germany
Second Israeli soldier shot dead within days as violence surges
Violence has surged in recent months in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, amid near daily West Bank raids and an uptick in...The shooting was claimed by "The Lions' Den", a loose coalition of Palestinian fighters which has emerged in recent months
Defence Minister Benny Gantz vowed to "get our hands on the terrorist and those who helped him", writing on Twitter
Tunisian coastguard intercept about 200 migrants
Nearly 200 migrants attempting to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea were intercepted by Tunisian coastguards over the weekend. In...More than 22,500 migrants have been intercepted off the Tunisian coast since the start of the year, around half of them from sub-Saharan Africa
According to EU border agency Frontex, between January and July more than 42,500 migrants used the central Mediterranean route -- the world's most deadly
