Air passenger numbers to top five billion for the first time in 2025: IATA
Geneva, Switzerland -- Air passenger numbers are forecast to top five billion for the first time next year and the sector's...
Business
ECB to cut rates again amid bleak eurozone outlook
The European Central Bank is expected to cut interest rates again this week amid a darkening outlook, with political turbulence...
Geostrategy
US shoots down four Houthi drones in Red Sea
In November, the Houthis launched a campaign of drone and missile strikes against vessels in the Red Sea, an area...
- US Central Command that its forces had "engaged and destroyed four long-range unmanned aerial systems" at around 2 am Sanaa time adding there were no injuries
- Actions against Houthis are taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels," CENTCOM added
Business
Crypto fraudster Bankman-Fried faces sentencing
Calling Bankman-Fried's seven-count conviction reflective of the defendant's "unmatched greed and hubris," the government's sentencing request argues for significant jail...
- US prosecutors are seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a jury found Bankman-Fried guilty
- His attorneys depicted their client as a diligent young man motivated by philanthropy
Arts & Culture
Jill Biden writes children’s book about ‘First Feline’ Willow
Washington, United States - The Bidens' dogs grabbed headlines with their bad behavior, but "First Feline" Willow is getting a book...
- First Lady Jill Biden has written a children's story about the short-haired tabby's journey from a farm in Pennsylvania to the White House in 2022
- "Willow the White House Cat" will come out four months before President Joe Biden faces a bitter political catfight for reelection with Donald Trump
China’s Xiaomi to enter EV market
China's EV sector has grown rapidly in recent years.
- Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun has promised that the SU7 EV will be "the best-looking, best-driving and smartest car" costing under $69,200
- Xiaomi is the world's third-biggest smartphone maker, and its experience in that sector has helped shape its EV strategy
Economy
Aramco CEO terms energy transition strategy a failure
Speaking at the CERAWeek conference in Houston, Saudi Aramco Chief Executive Amin Nasser said that the current transition strategy is...
- ExxonMobil Chief Executive said "we're not on the path" to reaching net zero emissions by 2050
- In November last year, COP28 conference included a call for a transition away from fossil fuels
Geostrategy
Cross-border fire between Hizbollah and Israel leaves 16 dead
Israeli rescue teams searching a damaged building in the border town of Kiryat Shmona "found a 25-year-old who was unconscious,...
- Hizbollah said it had fired a barrage of rockets into northern Israel after its neighbour carried out a deadly strike on southern Lebanon
- The pro-Iranian movement said four of its fighters and two rescuers were killed, while its ally the Amal movement said it had lost two members
Geostrategy
Israel backtracks on canceled Rafah talks: US official
Israel's prime minister cancelled the visit after the US abstained on the UNSC vote, allowing it to pass. But Israel backtracked,...
- Netanyahu last week agreed to a request by Biden to send a team to Washington to hear US concerns
- The United States also insisted its abstention did not represent a shift in policy on Israel
Geostrategy
Israeli troops shoot dead three Palestinians in West Bank
Residents told AFP that Israeli forces entered Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp just after midnight (2200 GMT on Tuesday)...
- Residents told AFP that Israeli forces entered Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp just after midnight (2200 GMT on Tuesday) and forced their way into several houses.
- The health ministry said two men, Muhammad Sabti and Hamza Harawi, were killed in an air strike, and Ayman Azouqa was shot dead by Israeli troops.
Geostrategy
UN expert faces threats after Israel Gaza ‘genocide’ remarks
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Palestinian territories, said this week there were reasonable...
- The pressure, she said, "pisses me off, of course it does. But it ... creates even more pressure not to step back."
- Israel last month announced a visa ban on Albanese over comments denying that Hamas's October 7 attack was "anti-Semitic".
Geostrategy
Quran burner Salwan Momika says leaving Sweden for Norway
Stockholm, Sweden - An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year said Wednesday...
- Salwan Momika, a Christian Iraqi who burned Qurans at a slew of protests in Sweden over the summer, told AFP that he had left Sweden and arrived in Norway.
- The Swedish Migration Agency revoked Momika's residency permit in October, citing false information in his original application.
Air passenger numbers to top five billion for the first time in 2025: IATA
Geneva, Switzerland -- Air passenger numbers are forecast to top five billion for the first time next year and the sector's...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Updates: Iran’s supreme leader says anti-Israel resistance will not back down
Ayatollah's rare address in Arabic follows Iran's second-ever direct attack on Israel; rallies held in Jordan and Bahrain in support...
Geostrategy
Israel’s hawkish Yoav Gallant driving war in Lebanon
Jerusalem, Undefined - Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, a former general who has shaped Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, is a...
Geostrategy
FIFA defers decision on Palestinian request to suspend Israel
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement: "The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter...
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Geostrategy
Updates: President Biden says ‘discussing’ possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
Oil prices shoot up as Biden suggests that Israel might target Iranian oil facilities, while GCC Arab states, including Qatar,...
- "First of all, we don't 'allow' Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today," says Biden.
- GCC Arab states, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE reassure Iran of neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel
Business
Samsung says planning job cuts
The layoffs could affect about 10 percent of the workforce.
- The world's largest memory chipmaker is modifying staffing levels in Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, a company spokesman told AFP
- The "routine workforce adjustments" are carried out "to improve operational efficiency," said Samsung Electronics in a statement
Geostrategy
Regional Updates: Iran “not looking for war” but will retaliate fiercely to any Israeli attack
Iranian leadership vows strong retaliation if Israel attacks Iran as Hezbollah kills eight Israeli soldiers and destroys 3 tanks while...
- Hezbollah said it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel reported eight soldiers were killed and 3 tanks destroyed
- US President Joe Biden rules out supporting an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear sites as Israel aims to garber support for an attack against Iran