Macron, Putin discuss Iran, Ukraine in first talks since 2022
One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear programme, with...
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia to host Italian Super Cup in December
Rome, Italy -- Next season's Italian Super Cup will be played for the fourth time in Saudi Arabia but in...
Arts & Culture
Business
Scarce French rainfall adds new cloud to global food market
World food prices hit an all-time high in March following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which accounted for 20 percent of...
- France is Europe's agricultural powerhouse, the biggest grain producer in the 27-country bloc
- The national weather service said France was in the grip of a hot spell with 20% less rainfall reported
Business
Iraq strikes deal with Iran to secure summer gas imports
Iraq has agreed to pay $1.6 billion in debt to Iran by June 1 to secure a steady gas supply...
- Chronic underinvestment through decades of war and sanctions has left Iraq dependent on imports from its eastern neighbor for a third of its gas needs
- But US sanctions on Iranian oil and gas have complicated Iraq's payments for the imports, leaving it in heavy arrears
Economy
Lebanon jobless rate almost triples since crippling economic crisis
The official unemployment rate in crisis-hit Lebanon jumped almost three-fold to reach 29.6 percent at the start of the year,...
- After years of corrupt practices and financial mismanagement, Lebanon's economy collapsed two years ago, stripping the national currency of 95 percent of its value.
- The issue of unemployment has not featured prominently in the campaigns led by the main parties fielding candidates in Sunday's parliamentary election.
Geostrategy
Palestinians honor ‘sister’ Shireen Abu Akleh, reject joint probe
In a sign of Abu Akleh's stature among Palestinians, she received what was described as a full state memorial at...
- The EU has urged an "independent" probe while the United States demanded the killing be "transparently investigated", calls echoed by UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.
- An initial autopsy and forensic examination were conducted in Nablus in the Israel-occupied West Bank hours after her death, but no final conclusions have been disclosed.
Geostrategy
Emir of Qatar arrives in Tehran to boost relations
Qatar's ruler met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran Thursday, state television reported, as talks falter on bringing Washington back...
- Washington unilaterally abandoned the nuclear deal under then-president Donald Trump in 2018 and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions
- Unlike some of its Gulf Arab neighbours, Qatar has maintained close relations with Iran and the two countries share the world's largest natural gas
Business
SoftBank posts record loss as tech shares nosedive
Japanese investment giant SoftBank Group on Thursday logged a record annual net loss after a bruising year that saw its...
- In the past six months, the tech-rich US Nasdaq index has lost more than 28 percent of its value
- The Japanese group's losses were deepened by the many shares it holds in Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and e-commerce group Alibaba
Economy
How will Lebanon vote impact the crisis-hit economy?
Here’s a look at the challenges that await incoming lawmakers in a country where there is little consensus on a...
- Starved of hydrocarbons, Lebanon’s power stations have scaled down operations to a near minimum
- Power cuts can last up to 23 hours a day, forcing residents to rely on expensive private generators
Geostrategy
Syrian refugees in Turkey: Political tool in crisis times
With the lira's value tumbles to historic lows and annual inflation runs at nearly 70 percent, the refugee question regularly...
- Political parties in Turkey spar over sending 3.7 million Syrian refugees back to their war-torn homeland while the refugees have no appetite to return
- Majority of the Syrian refugees have settled in Turkish society since 2012, and only 1 percent live in the shelter camps built for those who escaped civil war
Economy
Energy firms’ climate commitments lack credibility: report
The climate commitments of global energy giants lack credibility as they rely on costly technologies that have yet to be...
- The research found that so far only four of the firms have made pledges that include a reduction in the emissions generated by the use of their products
- And only four have set 2030 reduction targets, which are important in driving quick progress and being able to evaluate progress
Business
Siemens profits down in Q2
Russia sanctions have cut the company's earnings by 600m euros
- Sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine have cut Siemens' earnings by around 600 million euros
- The Munich-based conglomerate confirmed its full-year outlook, targeting growth in revenue of between six and eight percent
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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
Macron, Putin discuss Iran, Ukraine in first talks since 2022
One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear programme, with...
Geostrategy
Company News
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US military begins dropping aid into war-torn Gaza
Israel's top ally the United States said it began air-dropping aid into war-ravaged Gaza, as the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry...
Geostrategy
Hamas team heads to Cairo for new truce talks
Palestinian Territories - A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a truce in...
Geostrategy
Apple’s changes contradicts European rules, 34 firms complain
Brussels, Belgium - Changes Apple is making to its services in the European Union "make a mockery" of new antitrust rules...
Business
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Geostrategy
Three Hizbollah fighters killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon
An Israeli strike on a car in south Lebanon killed three Hizbollah fighters, a security source said, the latest in...
- Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that "an enemy drone targeted a car this morning on the road to Naqura".
- The cross-border violence has raised fears of all-out conflict between Hizbollah and Israel, which last went to war in 2006.
Geostrategy
AU head seeks probe into massacre of Gazans waiting for aid
Nairobi, Kenya - African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat on Saturday accused Israel of "the mass killing of Palestinians" and urged...
- "Mahamat strongly condemns an attack by Israeli forces, that killed and wounded more than 100 Palestinians seeking life-saving humanitarian aid," the bloc said.
- "The Chairperson calls for an international investigation into the incident to bring the perpetrators to account," the statement by the African Union said.
US designer, ‘geriatric starlet’ Iris Apfel dies age 102
New York, United States - Iris Apfel, centenarian style icon from the New York borough of Queens immediately recognizable by her...
- A flamboyant interior designer, she was a fixture on front rows of Paris fashion shows for more than half a century
- Her cropped white hair, massive glasses, bright lipstick, large-bead necklaces and bangles earned her kooky distinction among New York's glitterati