Eight-country coalition aims to tax luxury air travel
Seville, Spain -- Countries including France, Kenya, Barbados and Spain on Monday launched a coalition to push for taxes on...
Business
‘In our blood’: Egyptian women reclaim belly dance from stigma
As belly dancing gains popularity internationally, young Egyptian performers are working to restore its reputation at home, pushing back against...
Arts & Culture
Geostrategy
US envoy says Hezbollah involvement in Iran-Israel war would be ‘very bad decision’
The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Thursday against getting involved in the...
- Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, is on his first visit to Beirut, where he met top Lebanese officials including parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally
- In a statement, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group will provide Iran "with all forms of support that contribute to putting an end to this tyranny and oppression
Geostrategy
Iran appoints new Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the...
- Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC, appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division
- He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers -- Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri -- in an Israeli strike
Geostrategy
US military aircraft no longer visible at base in Qatar: satellite images
Dozens of US military aircraft are no longer on the tarmac at a major US base in Qatar, satellite images...
- Nearly 40 military aircraft -- including transport planes like the Hercules C-130 and reconnaissance aircraft -- were parked on the tarmac at the Al Udeid base on June 5
- The US embassy in Qatar announced Thursday that access to the base would be limited "out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities."
Geostrategy
European, Iranian diplomats to meet as Trump mulls joining Israel campaign
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to...
- Israel, claiming Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch-enemy a week ago, triggering deadly exchanges
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme
Arts & Culture
2,000-year-old Roman wall paintings unearthed
The plaster, which was discovered on a construction site in 2021, once decorated around 20 internal walls of a high-status...
- The plaster was found dumped in a large pit, having been smashed into thousands of pieces during Roman demolition works that took place before AD 2000.
- MOLA Senior Building Material Specialist Han Li has spent the last three months laying out the fragments and reconstructing the designs.
Economy
Trade war worsens foreign investment outlook: UNCTAD World Investment Report
Presenting the annual report at a press conference, UNCTAD chief Rebeca Grynspan said it contained a "clear and urgent" message...
- After two consecutive years of decline, the FDI outlook for 2025 remains negative due to uncertainties triggered by the tariff war waged by Trump, the UNCTAD said.
- UNCTAD said that when adjusted to strip out volatile financial flows through several European economies, FDI fell by 11% last year to $1.5 trillion.
Geostrategy
21 Palestinians waiting for aid among 72 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that six people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza...
- In northern Gaza, Bassal said that nine separate Israeli strikes killed another 51 people, updating earlier tolls provided by his agency.
- At least 300 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach aid distribution points in Gaza, which is suffering from famine-like conditions.
Economy
US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in face of Trump criticism
Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank would make better decisions if it waited a few months to...
- For now, he expects to learn more "over the summer," while officials appear increasingly divided on whether they can cut interest rates at all in 2025.
- The Fed kept the benchmark lending rate between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent at the end of its two-day meeting, with officials penciling in two rate reductions this year.
Economy
Asian stocks drop after Fed warning, oil dips with Mideast in focus
Hong Kong, China - Asian stocks fell Thursday after the Federal Reserve warned Donald Trump's trade war would likely reignite...
- With Trump increasingly calling for the bank to slash rates, Powell said: "We'll make smarter and better decisions if we just wait a couple of months."
- Hong Kong led losses, falling more than one percent, while Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were also in the red
Geostrategy
Almost 3,000 Australians seek to flee Israel-Iran conflict
Australia has started evacuating almost 3,000 citizens caught up in the rapidly spiralling conflict between Israel and Iran, Foreign Minister...
- rescue efforts had been hampered by missile barrages that made it "too risky" for civilian aircraft to land in either country, Wong said
- Some 1,500 Australians had registered to be evacuated from Iran, while more than 1,200 were seeking to get out of Israel, she said
Eight-country coalition aims to tax luxury air travel
Seville, Spain -- Countries including France, Kenya, Barbados and Spain on Monday launched a coalition to push for taxes on...
Business
Company News
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Iran says IAEA chief request to visit bombed sites suggests ‘malign intent’
Iran on Friday rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and...
Geostrategy
China’s Xiaomi receives almost 300,000 SUV pre-orders in minutes
Beijing, China -- Chinese electric vehicle maker Xiaomi received almost 300,000 pre-orders within an hour for its first sport utility...
Business
Conflicts and related fatalities triple since 2000, fueling extreme poverty: WB
Washington, United States -- Conflicts and related fatalities have more than tripled since the early 2000s, fueling extreme poverty, the...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
UAE top court upholds life terms for 24 convicted in mass trial
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The UAE supreme court has jailed 24 people for life after upholding their convictions for...
- The 24 were originally convicted in a mass trial of 84 people in July last year, most of whom had been behind bars since a similar mass trial of 94 people in 2013.
- "Following yesterday's ruling... the total number of convicted individuals in this case has risen to 83 out of 84 referred to trial," WAM said.
Iran says no plan for new US nuclear talks, plays down impact of strikes
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was "speculation" that Tehran would come to the table and...
- Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shut down what he said was "speculation" that Tehran would come to the table and said it "should not be taken seriously."
- "I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement or conversation has been made to start new negotiations," he said on state television
Business
BBC launches US paid subscription to news website
London, United Kingdom - The BBC, Britain's public broadcaster that is struggling with strained finances, on Thursday launched a paid...
- For $49.99 a year, or $8.99 a month, users will have "unlimited access" to the BBC's news articles, feature stories and the BBC News television channel, a statement said
- The BBC, which broadcasts across television, radio and online, said in March that it faced "unprecedented" challenges to funding