Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for...
Geostrategy
US halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
The White House said Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden...
Geostrategy
Business
Morocco ‘breathing again’ as tourists return after Covid curbs
Morocco this week reopened land borders with the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, two years after they were shut...
- The city of Marrakesh, famous for its views of graceful red buildings set against palm trees and snow-capped mountains, has long drawn visitors
- The city was hard hit by a two-year collapse in tourism that saw arrivals to the North African kingdom plummet to just a third last year from 2019
Business
IMF and Pakistan to discuss release of funds as economy falters
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who took power with a coalition that removed Khan in a no-confidence vote last month,...
- Pakistan has repeatedly sought international support for its economy, which has been hit by crippling national debt
- A six billion dollar IMF bailout package signed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2019 was never fully implemented
Business
Netflix lays off 150 employees
The growth of streaming service has slowed down in recent past.
- The move came just weeks after Netflix reported that it lost subscribers for the first time in more than a decade
- Netflix ended the first quarter of this year with 221.6 million subscribers, slightly less than the final quarter of last year
Economy
Japan economy shrank as Omicron wave hit
Japan's economy shrank slightly in the first quarter of 2022, official data showed Wednesday, hit by Covid-19 restrictions and higher...
- Economists expect the economy to recover again in the April-June quarter now that virus restrictions have been lifted, but caution there are some caveats
- Wednesday's data showed the economy's rebound in the last quarter of 2021 was 0.9 percent, slightly weaker than an initial estimate of 1.1 percent growth
Geostrategy
UN calls on Iraqi politicians to end seven-month stalemate
The UN envoy to Iraq on Tuesday urged Iraqi politicians to end a deadlock which has kept parliament from forming...
- Addressing the UN Security Council earlier in the day, Hennis-Plasschaert stressed "the importance of overcoming the political stalemate"
- More than seven months after legislative elections, Iraqi institutions are at a standstill over lawmakers' inability to elect a president
Business
Musk says no Twitter deal without clarity on spam accounts
Billionaire Elon Musk said Tuesday his bid to buy Twitter won't proceed unless he gets proof of the number of...
- This latest twist to his $44 billion move to acquire the key platform sparked speculation over whether the world's richest person was trying to shrink the price tag
- Musk last week tweeted his bid for the company was "temporarily on hold," pending questions over its estimates of the number of fake accounts, or bots
Economy
Stocks recover as Shanghai set to ease lockdown, reopen business
The impact of Beijing's zero-Covid strategy on the world's second-largest economy was revealed Monday when official data showed that retail...
- Much of the city of 25 million has been under lockdown since April as Beijing attempts to stamp out an Omicron-fueled virus surge.
- Tuesday's rally coincides with the third day in a row that Shanghai has recorded no Covid-19 cases outside of its quarantine facilities.
Geostrategy
Sandstorm disrupts life in Riyadh, likely to affect Makkah and Medina
A sandstorm engulfed Saudi Arabia's capital and other regions of the desert kingdom Tuesday, hampering visibility and slowing road traffic....
- A thick grey haze made Riyadh buildings such as Kingdom Centre nearly impossible to see from more than a few hundred meters.
- Saudi Arabia's meteorology center forecast "surface dusty winds" in the country's east and in Riyadh, "reducing horizontal sight".
Geostrategy
Russia may cut gas supplies to Finland over Ruble payment refusal
Russia may cut gas supplies to Finland soon over the Nordic country's refusal to pay Gazprom in rubles, Finnish state-owned...
- On Sunday, Russia suspended electricity supplies to Finland overnight after its energy firm RAO Nordic claimed payment arrears.
- Moscow has repeatedly warned Finland that any NATO membership application would be "a grave mistake far reaching consequences".
Geostrategy
Qatar emir visits Spain as European Union eyes gas alternatives
Qatar's emir began a state visit to Spain on Tuesday as Europe seeks to diversify its natural gas supply sources...
- Qatar, which has the third-largest natural gas reserves in the world, is currently Spain's fifth-biggest supplier of natural gas after the US, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt.
- The country accounted for 4.4 percent of Spain's total gas imports in April and the Spanish government hopes this share could increase.
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Netanyahu vows to uproot Hamas as ceasefire proposals are discussed
The Israeli leader had yet to comment on US President Donald Trump's claim that Israel had backed a plan for...
Geostrategy
Company News
Hyundai to sell Russian plant
Business
Latest News
Israel destroys home of Palestinian accused of killing settlers
Israel routinely demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out attacks, arguing that such measures act as a deterrent, while critics say it...
Geostrategy
UN says ‘delusional conspiracy theories’ behind global violence
Geneva, Switzerland - The pernicious "'great replacement' conspiracy theories" spreading in many countries are "delusional" and racist and are directly spurring...
Geostrategy
China’s annual political conclave starts as economy sputters
Proceedings kick off Monday at 3:00 pm with the opening ceremony of China's People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which will...
Economy
Most Read
Economy
Turkey’s inflation rises to 67.1% in February
On a monthly basis, inflation rose 4.5 percent in February, slower than the 6.7 percent rise logged in January. Erdogan...
- The Turkish central bank held its key interest rate at 45 percent last month, pausing after eight straight increases aimed at taming consumer prices
- Inflation remains a pressing issue for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government ahead of local elections in March
Science
SpaceX blasts off to ISS with US, Russia astronauts on board
Just minutes after the launch, as the rocket soared over the Atlantic, it was moving at a speed of 6,000...
- SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 10:53 pm (0353 GMT Monday) from the Kennedy Space Center, lighting up the night sky with a long, bright plume of orange flame
- Endeavour, the capsule that carried the three men and one woman into orbit, has already been launched four times by Elon Musk's SpaceX
Australian media hits back as Facebook scraps news deals
Meta said on Friday it would scrap the Facebook News tab in Australia and would not renew deals with news...
- News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller said Meta's decision put hundreds of jobs at risk and would expose Australians to more scams and misinformation
- "Australia must not surrender its leadership in being a country that is prepared to stand up to tech giants," he said in comments to one of the company's newspapers