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
Despite public anger, Lebanon vote set to entrench status quo
Lebanon's elections Sunday won't yield a seismic shift despite widespread discontent with a graft-tainted political class blamed for a painful...
- The small country's political system has long distributed power among its religious communities, entrenching a ruling elite that has treated politics as a family business
- By convention, the Lebanese president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shiite
Geostrategy
Jordan king to meet Biden in Washington on Friday
The meeting will cover the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States as well as the latest regional and...
- The meeting will cover the strategic partnership between Jordan and the United States as well as the latest regional and international developments
- The White House meeting is slated to follow a number of meetings with senior administration officials and Congress leadership
Business
Nintendo profits rise as demand booms
The rise is also attributed to the popularity of the Switch.
- The company, which has benefited from a string of popular titles including "Pokemon Legends: Arceus", posted a 2021-22 net profit of 477.7 billion yen.
- Uncertainties linked to the global chip shortage and potential production and transport delays caused by Covid-19 lockdowns could hit future profits.
Economy
Food delivery drivers launch rare strike in UAE, demand pay rise
Food delivery drivers in the UAE went on strike Tuesday to demand better pay, the second such incident this month...
- Many workers for Talabat, part of Germany's Delivery Hero, did not show up for their shifts, calling for a pay increase amid the global rise in fuel prices.
- The latest protest comes after drivers for Deliveroo, another popular food delivery app, went on strike earlier this month after company plans to cut their pay.
Arts & Culture
Egypt’s ‘zar’ ritual puts exorcism on stage
Zar is one of the ceremonies among the few cultural practices in which women take center stage. Traditionally, the zar...
- The music and dance ritual known as "zar", with centuries-old roots in Ethiopia and Sudan, is traditionally performed to ward off or exorcise jinn or evil spirits.
- At Cairo's Makan Cultural Centre, a group of singers and Sufi practitioners performs to the delight of foreign and local guests.
Geostrategy
Russia FM visits Algeria as EU steps up push for alternative gas
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited gas-producing ally Algeria for talks Tuesday as a European drive to secure alternative supplies...
- Algeria is a major gas supplier to Europe, providing 11 percent of its imports, compared with 47 percent for Russia.
- Italy, Spain and other European Union member countries have looked to Algeria as they have sought to cut their dependence on Russian oil and gas after Ukraine invasion.
Geostrategy
Red Cross chief Mardini on Iran visit talks Afghans’ plight
More than one million Afghans have sought refuge in Iran since the Taliban returned to power in August, according to...
- More than one million Afghans have sought refuge in Iran since the Taliban returned to power in August, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA
- Thousands of Afghans daily try to cross into neighboring Iran in search of work, or in a bid to reach Europe in the hope of asylum
Business
All that glitters: How the money-spinning IPL turned cricket into gold
IPL teams receive a share of television rights, around 15 percent of ticket sales and sponsorship money as well. They...
- IPL expanded to 10 teams this year from the original eight. Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans are the new franchises
- Disney paid $2.55 billion for a five-year television and digital rights deal to broadcast IPL tournaments on Star India
Geostrategy
France says EU deal on Russia oil embargo possible this week
The embargo on Russian oil, which is part of a sixth package of EU sanctions under discussion, is being resisted...
- New discussions on the Russian oil embargo are expected to be held between European leaders by telephone on Tuesday
- It will involve French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban
Arts & Culture
Warhol portrait of Marilyn Monroe fetches $195m
The painting beat the previous record for a 20th-century work, Pablo Picasso's Women of Algiers, which sold for $179.4 million...
- Shot Sage Blue Marilyn was produced in 1964, two years after the death of the glamourous Hollywood star
- It sold for exactly $195.04 million in just four minutes in a crowded room at Christie's headquarters in Manhattan
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
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
Latest News
Asia’s richest man takes global rich to the zoo
The three-day gala -- which saw "Umbrella" singer Rihanna perform on Friday for the first time since last year's Superbowl...
Biden announces US aid air drops in Gaza
Biden had been planning air drops for some time but Thursday's incident "certainly underscored for the president" the need to...
WTO talks end with no major win, throwing trade body into ‘crisis’
Speaking at the closing press conference, the Emirati chair of the so-called MC13 gathering, Thani Al Zeyoudi, acknowledged the shortcomings. "Despite...
Most Read
Geostrategy
Hamas says Israeli military action kills 7 hostages in Gaza
Hamas said that seven more hostages seized during its unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 had died because...
- Hamas seized around 250 Israelis and foreigners during the October 7 attack on southern Israel.
- A spokesman for the UN agency OCHA told reporters that "if something doesn't change, a famine is almost inevitable" in Gaza.
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia formally launches bid for 2034 World Cup
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia formally launched its bid to host the 2034 World Cup on Friday, nearly four months...
- The bid comes two years after neighboring Qatar hosted the first World Cup in the Middle East.
- The campaign is under the slogan "Growing. Together", the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) revealed its bid logo, website, as well as a short bid film.
Geostrategy
Leftist Galloway wins MP seat in UK amid anti-Semitism allegations
London, UK- Controversial left-wing firebrand George Galloway was elected to the UK parliament on Friday after tapping into anger over the...
- Galloway, 69, first became an MP in 1987 and will return to the House of Commons for the first time since 2015 after winning the seat of Rochdale.
- Galloway put the Gaza conflict front and center of his campaign in Rochdale, north of England, which has a 30 percent Muslim population.