Startup airline Riyadh Air phases in cargo operations

Startup airline Riyadh Air phases in cargo operations

Riyadh Air, a startup airline owned by Saudi Arabia’s PIF sovereign wealth fund, has established a cargo division to manage goods transport in the lower hold as it gears up to start flights for the general public this quarter. The national carrier began daily service from Riyadh to London Heathrow airport in late October for…

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The 2026 Oscar Nominations and What Should Have Been Picked

The 2026 Oscar Nominations and What Should Have Been Picked

Wes Anderson (“The Phoenician Scheme”) Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”) Kleber Mendonça Filho (“The Secret Agent”) Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”) First, the legally required boilerplate: by definition, the best movie of the year is the one that’s directed the best. Last year, I made the case for separating the two honors for the pleasure of spreading the…

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Germany alarmed by reports of IS militants escaping Syrian prisons

Germany alarmed by reports of IS militants escaping Syrian prisons

Reports of militants from the Islamic State escaping from prisons in Syria are causing concern among Germany’s security authorities. In recent days, Syria’s transitional government has advanced further into areas in the country’s north-east that were previously under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), prompting the SDF to withdraw from several camps…

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‘Last plane to leave Tehran’: Mossad’s final Iran chief Eliezer Tsafrir dies at 92

‘Last plane to leave Tehran’: Mossad’s final Iran chief Eliezer Tsafrir dies at 92

Eliezer “Geizi” Tzafrir, former Mossad chief for Iraqi Kurdistan and last before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, poses for a Maariv interview back in 2022. (photo credit: YOSSI ALONI/MAARIV) Tsafrir, a veteran Mossad and Shin Bet official and Israel’s last station chief in Tehran before 1979, played a central role in Israel’s early regional…

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EU Parliament sends Mercosur deal for court review

EU Parliament sends Mercosur deal for court review

The European Parliament has voted to refer the long-negotiated EU-Mercosur trade agreement to the bloc’s highest court, a move that could delay a final decision on the pact for at least a year. In a closely split vote, 334 MEPs backed a resolution requesting a legal opinion from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on…

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South African police not yet able to defeat gangs, minister says

South African police not yet able to defeat gangs, minister says

South Africa’s Police Minister Firoz Cachalia has said that the security forces are not yet able to defeat deadly criminal gangs, in a stark admission that underscores the scale of the country’s crime crisis. Gang violence, alongside robberies, accounts for many murders in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Cachalia…

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