Cyprus fully supports the joint effort by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to get both sides of the war in Gaza to meet next week and resume talks on a ceasefire and release of hostages. President Nikos Christodoulides stated on Friday that he, “fully endorses (the statement by) Presidents Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi … Read more
Safe-haven flows dominate financial markets at the beginning of the week as investors react to the latest news surrounding the Israel-Iran conflict. S&P will release revisions to July PMI data for the Euro area, Germany and the UK on Monday, while later in the day, the ISM Services PMI report for July will be featured in … Read more
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) inched higher to near $76.50 per barrel in Friday’s Asian trading, with the price of crude oil finding support from supply risks arising from heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, despite ongoing global demand concerns. Markets are closely watching Iran’s reaction to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. According … Read more
Prices for US crude oil West Texas Intermediate (WTI) struggle to capitalise on the previous day’s strong move up and oscillating in a narrow range in early European trading on Thursday. The commodity currently trades around the $78.00 mark, with bulls awaiting a sustained strength beyond the 200-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) before positioning for … Read more
Debate beat: New Rules Helped Trump “Staged by CNN in an audience-free soundstage in which even competing reporters were banned, the Biden-Trump debate had more ground rules than an Ultimate Fighting match,” grumbles Politico’s Jack Shafer. In advance of the debate, “many assumed that these new rules would hurt Trump” given that “he feeds off live … Read more
A new agreement between Moscow and Tehran on comprehensive cooperation has been temporarily suspended due to problems that Iranian partners are facing, Russia’s RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday citing a Russian foreign ministry official.“This is a strategic decision of the leadership of the two countries,” RIA cited Zamir Kabulov, the foreign ministry official … Read more
Fact: President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran was killed in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan border along with his foreign minister and seven others.
Iran declared five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi, but the response was subdued compared to previous senior figure deaths. Despite prayers and mourning, most shops remained open. Raisi’s crackdown on anti-establishment protests in 2022-2023 led to opposition celebrating his death. Critics do not expect significant change in the regime after his passing. Raisi’s legacy is divisive, with supporters praising his work ethic and opponents condemning his role in past executions. Many Iranians believe another hardline figure will replace him, continuing the current regime’s policies.
The fact described in the text is that hopes are fading that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister have survived a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain and icy weather, as search teams located the wreckage and all passengers are feared dead.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken supports the protests at U.S. universities over the war in Gaza as a hallmark of American democracy. He criticized the “silence” about Palestinian militant group Hamas, urging critics to focus on them as the ones who sparked the conflict. Blinken met with Chinese officials to discuss their role in global crises, including calming tensions in the Middle East and discouraging Iran and its proxies from escalating the conflict. China is the main buyer of oil from Iran, which is under sanctions. They agreed to remain in regular contact on this issue.