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White House announces $20bn in grants, loans to boost Intel chip production
Washington, United States - The White House unveiled almost $20 billion in new grants and loans Wednesday to support Intel's US chip-making facilities, marking the Biden administration's largest funding announcement yet as it tackles China's dominance of the crucial technology. President Joe Biden's decision to make the announcement during a trip...
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Is Biden running again? He’s acting like it
The November midterm elections, in which Republicans failed to score their expected big win in the House while actually losing in the Senate, is being interpreted by Biden as a full-blown validation. And right as his foe Donald Trump gets his own 2024 election campaign off to a typically scandal-burdened... -
Iran begins work on new nuclear power plant
With talks suspended over a nuclear deal between Iran and the Western countries, Islamic Republic has begun the construction of a new nuclear plant in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. Estimated to cost between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, the plant will take seven years to complete. -
Twitter owner Musk signals new ‘war’ against Apple
A series of tweets fired off by Musk included a meme of a car with his first name on it veering onto a highway off-ramp labeled "Go to War," instead of continuing onwards towards "Pay 30%." The billionaire CEO also tweeted that Apple has "threatened to withhold Twitter from its... -
Journalists have much to lose if Twitter dies
Journalists have been tied to the platform for announcements by politicians and celebrities -- most famously the dreaded late-night and early-morning tweets from Donald Trump that left hundreds of journalists sleep-deprived throughout his presidency. By rewarding the most vehement voices, the platform tends to drown out the majority of the... -
Saudi firm partners with Trump Organization in $4 bn Oman project
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - A Saudi real estate firm has partnered with the Trump Organization on a $4 billion golf and real estate development project in neighboring Oman, according to a stock market filing published Sunday. The deal involving the Dar Al Arkan Global Company, a subsidiary of Dar Al... -
Musk reinstates Trump’s Twitter account after poll
Trump, who had more than 88 million users when his accounted was suspended, reveled in using Twitter as a mouthpiece during his presidency, posting policy announcements, attacking political rivals and communicating with supporters. -
Blinken thanks outgoing Israel PM, warns on West Bank violence
Blinken voiced "his deep concern over the situation in the West Bank, including heightened tensions, violence and loss of both Israeli and Palestinian lives, and underscored the need for all parties to urgently de-escalate the situation." The West Bank has seen near-daily army raids and an increase in clashes and... -
Restoring banned Twitter accounts may take some weeks: Elon Musk
Twitter users have been watching closely to see whether Musk will reinstate Trump, banned for inciting last year's attack on the Capitol by a mob seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and other de-platformed users. -
Israel riled as Australia stops recognising Jerusalem as its capital
Lapid described the move as a "hasty response", adding that Israel can only hope that the Australian government manages other matters more seriously and professionally. Jerusalem, he said, is the eternal and united capital of Israel and nothing will ever change that. -
Biden faces tough options with Saudis after OPEC+ oil price hike
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that Biden would "act methodically, strategically" in re-evaluating US-Saudi relations, adding that the US leader had "no plans" to meet the crown prince at a November G20 summit in Indonesia. Russell Lucas, a Middle East expert at Michigan State University,... -
Elon Musk intends to bring satellite internet to Iran
Musk had initially announced that the Starlink satellite internet service had been made available on every continent "including Antarctica" with the company planning to launch up to 42,000 satellites to boost connectivity. -
Iran takes battle of frozen US assets before UN’s top court
Iran wants billions of dollars in US assets to be unfrozen and returned to it, while the US says money must go to victims of terrorist attacks blamed on Tehran. Tehran took Washington to the Hague-based ICJ in 2016 after the US Supreme Court ordered some $2 billion in Iranian... -
US to persist with imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods
Paying heed to hundreds of requests from American companies, the US government confirms it will continue to enforce the tariffs on Chinese goods imposed by former president Donald Trump. President Biden had been considering whether to remove some of the tariffs, amid pressure to offer some relief to soaring US... -
Trump social network unwelcome in Google store over moderation issues
The internet giant made the statement after the Trump camp argued that it didn't know why its social network app had yet to be approved for the Google Play Store, which offers content for Android-powered smartphones. A Google spokesperson said the company notified Truth Social on August 19 that its... -
Israeli spy chief to meet US officials on Iran deal
Prime Minister Yair Lapid said that Israel's "diplomatic fight" against the deal included its national security advisor and defense minister holding recent meetings in the United States. -
Iran urges IAEA to end undeclared nuclear sites issue
The United States remains adamant that Tehran cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency to clear up suspicions about earlier work at three undeclared sites. In June, the IAEA's board of governors adopted a resolution censuring Iran for failing to adequately explain the previous discovery of traces of enriched uranium... -
Macron says revival of nuclear deal with Iran ‘still possible’
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi that reviving the landmark 2015 deal on Tehran's nuclear capabilities was "still possible" but must happen "as soon as possible". -
Biden to meet Palestinian leaders in Bethlehem
US President Joe Biden will meet Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the occupied West Bank Friday, with talks expected to focus on economic measures but without striking any major diplomatic breakthrough. Bethlehem marks the latest stop on Biden's Middle East tour, following meetings with Israeli officials and ahead of a... -
Reaching out without walking back? Biden begins delicate Saudi trip
Biden appears ready to re-engage with Saudi Arabia that has been a key strategic ally of the United States for decades. -
Nuke deal revival still possible despite fruitless Qatar talks: Iran
The talks aim to bring the United States back into a 2015 deal jettisoned by the Donald Trump administration in 2018. -
Biden trip: ‘More Arab nations to improve ties with Israel’
Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, said that the Biden administration was encouraging greater cooperation between Israel and the Arab nations. -
Israeli interior minister visits Morocco as cooperation grows
Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked arrived Monday in Morocco for a string of meetings with officials, a diplomatic source said, as cooperation grows between the two countries after they mended ties. Shaked is the fourth Israeli minister to visit the North African kingdom since the two countries re-established ties in... -
Mahmud Abbas receives US delegation ahead of Biden visit
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas hosted Saturday a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, ahead of an expected visit of President Joe Biden. -
Western powers to censure Iran amid stalled nuclear talks
Major European countries and the United States are expected to seek to censure Iran when the UN atomic watchdog meets this week amid stalled talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal. -
US Vice President leads large team to meet new UAE leader
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday led a high-level delegation to meet the United Arab Emirates' new president, who takes over after his half-brother's death, following months of strained ties between Washington and the oil-rich Gulf state. -
Twitter bans ads that defy climate change science
"Misleading advertisements on Twitter that contradict the scientific consensus on climate change are prohibited," says Casey Junod, Twitter global sustainability manager. -
US firm on nuclear accord as Iran casts blame
US officials warned that Iran's advances could eventually make a return to the JCPOA pointless. -
Iran says preliminary deal reached on frozen funds abroad
Tens of billions of dollars in Iranian money were blocked in many countries including China, South Korea and Japan. -
Accountants drop Trump, say records can’t be relied upon
Mazars informed the Trump Organization in a letter last Wednesday that it would no longer work for the company. -
Novel crisis: Iran’s booking shrink as US sanctions bite
The price of a book in Iran depends on the fluctuation of its currency as the country relies on paper imports for publishing which must be paid in foreign currency. -
US President under pressure as Iran nuclear talks resume
The subject of the Iran nuclear deal has been somewhat on mute in Washington after 10 months of indirect talks failed to achieve the breakthrough that US President Joe Biden hoped for and a revival of the 2015 nuclear deal repudiated by his predecessor Donald Trump. -
Talks to revive 2015 Iran nuclear deal to resume in Vienna
Parties to the deal have been negotiating in Vienna since last year with indirect US participation. Talks were most recently halted at the end of last month, and the negotiators returned to their capitals for consultations. -
‘Not time to give up’, says Biden on Iran nuclear talks
President Joe Biden is still bullish on being able to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. -
Turkey looks to revive frozen ties with Israel
Turkey's Erdogan said he was resurrecting talks with Israel on an old idea to bring Mediterranean gas to European clients via Turkey. -
UN’s new envoy of W.Sahara meets with Polisario head in Algeria
The Polisario Front took up arms in the 1970s to seek independence in the disputed Western Sahara while demanding an independence referendum. -
FB ad policy irks Iraq NGO
Facebook has been mired in global controversies for its ad policies. -
Twitter bans account linked to Khamenei for Trump video threat
The account, @KhameneiSite, this week posted an animated video showing an unmanned aircraft targeting former US president Donald Trump, who ordered a drone strike in Baghdad two years ago that killed top Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani. -
Extradition of row-hit mom, son puts Cyprus in politically-charged battle
The mother, 61, and her son, 39, were arrested on December 8 under a warrant issued by the Chinese authorities for alleged investment fraud in China between March 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014. The pair are due in court in the resort town of Paphos for the resumption of... -
UN envoy to West Sahara in Morocco for first regional tour
Staffan de Mistura, a veteran Italian, diplomat began his first visit to the region and landed in Rabat. -
Baghdad candle vigil honours slain Iran general, Iraqi deputy
On Sunday evening, hundreds of supporters of Hashed al-Shaabi, an Iran-aligned group, gathered at the site, to pay tribute to the slain men. -
What were the top geopolitical events of 2021?
The year 2021 was, despite the dampened activity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, chock-full of landmark events. -
Blinken says US still prepared to sell jet fighters to UAE
The $23 billion arms package was pushed through by former president Donald Trump in what was seen as a reward for the United Arab Emirates' recognition of Israel, but his successor Joe Biden has pledged greater oversight over the planes. The Gulf state threatened to dump the agreement Tuesday over... -
UN calls on US, Iran to return to terms of 2015 nuclear deal
The deal has been on life support since 2018, when former president Donald Trump pulled the US out of the accord. -
Iran to cut oil output, prioritize defense in new budget
The 2022-2023 budget allocates about $5 billion to boost "defense capacities and strategic research", up from $4 billion the previous year. -
Twitter gets new CEO
Parag Agrawal named to the post as Jack Dorsey resigns. -
Iran nuclear talks to resume November 29
The indirect negotiations in Vienna come amid mounting pressure on Iran, with Western nations warning that the clerical state's nuclear work is advancing to dangerous levels and Israel threatening to attack. EU envoy Enrique Mora, who led six rounds of talks earlier this year, will again chair the November 29... -
Iran looks east after China-led bloc okays entry
Iran has been trying to enter the SCO for years, and was close last year, but Tajikisatn objected to it. -
US arrests Trump aide Tom Barrack for being ‘agent of the UAE’
Tom Barrack, who worked for former US President Donald Trump, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly being an “agent of the UAE” -
US, France must take final decisions on nuclear deal: Iran
The 2015 deal saw Iran accept curbs on its nuclear capabilities Trump unilaterally withdrew three years later Iran on Friday said world powers must take any final decisions to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, after France and the United States suggested that time was running out. "The opposing sides are... -
How EB-5 Investor Program reform will boost GCC investment in US
The US Congress is likely to pass a long-term reauthorization of Employment-Based (EB-5) Investor Immigration Program in March before the program expires on March 23, 2018, that would reform and extend the popular immigration through investment program and help the US create more jobs, a top official said. “The US...