Netanyahu sacks defense minister Gallant over differences on Gaza
Citing a “trust breakdown,” Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Gallant amid the Gaza conflict, sparking Tel Aviv protests, as new defense...Geostrategy
New Hezbollah leader says will accept ceasefire with Israel if terms ‘suitable’
Qassem replaces Hasan Nasrallah who was assassinated by Israel on September 27 after more than 30 years at the helm...Geostrategy
Turkey shows off drones at Azerbaijan air show
Looping in the air at lightning speed, Turkish drones like those used against Russian forces in Ukraine draw cheers from...Turkey's TB2 drones are manufactured by aerospace company Baykar Defence, where Erdogan's son-in-law Selcuk Bayraktar is chief technology officer
Turkey's drones first attracted attention in 2019 when they were used during the war in Libya to thwart an advance by rebel commander, General Khalifa Haftar
G7 nations to stop financing fossil fuel projects abroad by end 2022
Japan Friday for the first time joined fellow members of the Group of Seven industrialised nations in pledging to end...Ending subsidies for the international fossil fuel energy sector was already part of a series of commitments agreed to by around 20 countries at COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
Six of the G7 club of rich nations were among the signatories at the time -- Britain, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and the United States -- but Japan had resisted until now.
Iran protestors demand justice as toll rises in building collapse
Hundreds of people took to the streets in southwestern Iran demanding justice after a tower block collapse killed 24 people,...Images published by Fars news agency showed hundreds of residents marching along Abadan's streets on Thursday night
Abadan governor Ehsan Abbaspour, cited by ISNA news agency, said the number of people killed in the disaster stood at 24, up from 19 previously
Probe concludes journalist killed in ‘war crime’ by Israeli soldiers
An Al Jazeera journalist shot dead in the occupied West Bank earlier this month was murdered in a "war crime"...The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Al Jazeera have accused Israeli forces of killing Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 when she was covering an Israeli operation in the West Bank
The report said Abu Akleh was killed with a 5.56 millimetre armour piercing round fired from a Ruger Mini-14 rifle
UAE and India to expand ties in renewable power, sustainable finance
India was the second-largest trading partner of the UAE in 2021 as it accounted for 9 percent of the total...The UAE and India agreed to expand bilateral cooperation towards accelerated climate action and implementation of the Paris agreement.
The UAE’s cooperation with India in the area of climate aims to support India’s ambition to achieve 450 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy.
Saudi group at WEF calls for international cooperation
A Saudi delegation said Wednesday that the transformation march launched by it a few years ago contributed to enhancing the...The delegation participated in a panel discussion entitled "Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A Future Vision".
It highlighted kingdom's role in supporting the region's stability within the framework of promoting development.
Tunisian president decrees Jul 25 referendum, critics warn of autocracy
Tunisia will hold a constitutional referendum for a "new republic" on July 25, President Kais Saied has announced, in defiance...The vote will come exactly a year after Saied sacked the government and suspended parliament, moves his rivals called a coup.
Saied has since held a widely boycotted public consultation on a new constitution.
Western powers sound alarm on China plan for South Pacific
Western powers sounded the alarm Thursday over leaked plans to dramatically expand China's security and economic reach in the South...In a sign of the region's growing importance to Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi landed in the Solomon Islands Thursday
The package would offer 10 small island states millions of dollars in Chinese assistance, and prospect of a China-Pacific Islands free trade pact
One dead in ‘industrial accident’ near Iran military site
One person has been killed in an "industrial accident" near an Iranian military complex that has previously come under scrutiny...The site came under renewed scrutiny by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2015 when Tehran reached a landmark deal with major powers
Iran had previously denied the IAEA access to Parchin, insisting it was a military site unrelated to any nuclear activities
China offers South Pacific nations security, free trade agreements
The wide-ranging draft agreement and a 5-year plan will be the subject of discussion during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's...The wide-ranging draft agreement and a 5-year plan will be the subject of discussion during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's tour of Pacific nations
The "comprehensive development vision" is believed to be up for approval when Wang meets regional foreign ministers on May 30 in Fiji
