Tourist coins pose giant problem at N. Ireland’s famous causeway site
Bushmills, United Kingdom -- Northern Ireland's Giant Causeway draws close to one million visitors a year but their habit of...
Arts & Culture
Syria’s new authorities to help locate missing Americans: US envoy
Damascus, Syria -- Syria's new authorities have agreed to help the United States locate and return Americans who went missing...
Geostrategy
Economy
US Fed expected to pause cuts again and wait for clarity on tariffs
Washington, United States -- The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to extend a recent pause in rate cuts this...
- Most economists expect the tariffs introduced since January to push up prices and cool economic growth, at least in the short run.
- Financial markets overwhelmingly expect the Fed to announce another rate cut pause on Wednesday, according to data from CME Group.
Business
Trump’s solar tariffs could drive Asia transition boom
Bangkok, Thailand -- Massive planned US duties on solar panels made in Southeast Asia could be a chance for the...
- Earlier this month, Washington announced plans for hefty duties on solar panels made in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia.
- Southeast Asia accounted for nearly 80 percent of US solar panel imports in 2024.
Geostrategy
UAE says citizens can again travel to Lebanon
The announcement comes after Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun met with his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on...
- UAE imposed the travel ban and withdrew diplomats from Beirut in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, after a Lebanese minister criticized the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen.
- Lebanese citizens were not banned from travelling to the UAE, although some experienced difficulties obtaining visas.
Business
Luberef net profit falls 7% in Q1
A fall in by-products sales leads to profit dip.
- This is in addition to a decrease in by-products crack margins, despite an increase in base oil crack margins.
- Total shareholders’ equity, no minority interest, stood at SAR 4.07 billion as of March 31, 2025.
Geostrategy
Global rice output in 2024/25 likely to expand by 1.5%: FAO
Rome, Italy -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a new Cereal Supply and Demand...
- FAO’s latest forecast for 2025 wheat production is pegged at 795 million tons, on par with the previous year.
- FAO’s new forecast for world cereal utilization in 2024/25 stands at 2 870 million tons, a 1.0 percent increase over the 2023/24 level.
Business
SABIC net loss $322 million
The company's net profit was $66m in Q1 2024
- Losses were driven by a SAR 1.05 billion drop in gross profit on higher feedstock prices.
- On a sequential basis, net loss shrank from SAR 1.89 billion in Q4 2024.
Business
Loyalty Lost: How brands need to adapt to the modern traveler
Dubai, UAE: As 2025 unfolds, travel brands are facing a significant challenge: customer loyalty. Traditional rewards programmes, often based on points systems,...
- To stay competitive, brands must move away from price-based rewards like discounts, which can boost short-term sales but impact profitability
- Instead, focusing on personalised offers, exclusive experiences, and tiered memberships is key to fostering long-term customer loyalty
Gen Z travellers in UAE seek purposeful, tech-enabled journeys: Wyndham study
Dubai, UAE - Gen Z travellers in the UAE are reshaping the future of tourism, prioritizing cultural immersion, sustainability, and...
- The study, conducted by YouGov, found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of Gen Z respondents prefer accommodations that reflect local culture
- Meanwhile, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are driving travel choices for 26% of them, with 79% already using or eager to use AI tools to plan their trips
Economy
The game of ‘chicken’ being played with the world economy can be brought to a cooperative end
A meaningful “G3” accord between the US, Europe, and China must include coordinated fiscal, monetary, development, and trade policies. From...
- The hardline positions of the US and China on trade and tariffs are putting the world economy at risk, writes Richard Samans
- Yet, Europe could broker a 'positive off-ramp' that fires on all of the cylinders of international cooperation
Economy
Morocco volunteers on Sahara clean-up mission as part Nomads Festival
M'HAMID EL GHIZLANE, Morocco - It may be the gateway to the vast Sahara desert, but that does not mean...
- Bottles, plastic bags -- "there are all kinds", noted one helper who has joined the initiative cleaning up the edge of a village bordering the Sahara
- The rubbish is "mainly linked to the massive production of plastic products, low recycling rates and atmospheric pollutants carried by the wind."
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Tourist coins pose giant problem at N. Ireland’s famous causeway site
Bushmills, United Kingdom -- Northern Ireland's Giant Causeway draws close to one million visitors a year but their habit of...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Latest News
Trump administration refocuses US-China chip war on AI and Huawei
Beijing, China -- The United States has taken aim at China's Huawei over the cutting-edge chips powering artificial intelligence (AI),...
Business
Global anti-malware crackdown leads to 20 arrest warrants, Europol says
Authorities took down more than 300 servers worldwide, neutralized 650 domains and seized 3.5 million euros ($3.9 million) in cryptocurrency,...
Geostrategy
Xiaomi launches new advanced in-house mobile chip
Beijing, China -- Tech giant Xiaomi unveiled a new advanced in-house mobile chip on Thursday, a significant milestone for the...
Business
Most Read
Business
Ads pressured to evolve as AI changes Google search
San Francisco, United States -- As Google races to lead in artificial intelligence, it faces the challenge of making sure...
- The internet giant is dabbling with ads in its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to fend off competition from ChatGPT.
- A new AI Mode enables conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs.
Business
Turkey says increasing energy exports to war-torn Syria
Damascus, Syria -- Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday in Damascus that his country would ramp up energy exports...
- Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, are seeking to rebuild the country's infrastructure and economy after almost 14 years of civil war.
- The conflict badly damaged Syria's power infrastructure, leading to cuts that can last for more than 20 hours a day.
Geostrategy
Iran-US nuclear talks set for Rome this week: Oman mediator
Iran and the United States will hold the next round of talks on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme in Rome...
- The arch-foes have held four rounds of nuclear talks since April 12, the highest-level contact between them since US President Donald Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal
- Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes