Iran lawmakers back suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Tehran, Iran -- Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of suspending cooperation with the United Nations' atomic energy watchdog, state...
Geostrategy
China calls CIA videos ‘absurd’ attempt to recruit spies for America
China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) said the placement of what amounted to job advertisements on social media platform X...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Yemen truce brings a windfall, two fuel ships dock at a port
Two fuel ships have entered war-torn Yemen's port of Hodeida, the first shipment in months, the rebels who control the...
- Since 2016, the coalition has enforced an air and sea blockade, with exemptions for aid flights, accusing Tehran of smuggling weapons to the rebels
- Flights to and from Sanaa are to follow under the ceasefire deal
Business
HDFC Bank of India to merge with parent, forming $237bn company
India's largest private bank will merge with its largest mortgage lender to form a $237 billion financial giant, both companies...
- HDFC Bank will absorb its parent company, the Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), in what will be one of the country's biggest-ever merger deals
- The twin firms together manage assets worth 25.61 trillion rupees ($339 billion) and had a combined balance sheet of 17.87 trillion rupees at the end of last year
Geostrategy
Zelensky calls Russian troops murderers as outrage grows over ‘war crimes’
Despite Russian denials of responsibility, condemnation was swift, with Western leaders, NATO, and the UN all voicing horror at reports...
- 410 civilian bodies had been recovered from Kyiv's outskirts and 280 bodies were found buried in mass graves have been seeing as war crimes of Russia
- Peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to resume by video on Monday though Russian negotiator said it's too early for meeting between Zelensky and Putin
Economy
Russia invasion of Ukraine pushes Turkey inflation to record 61.1%
Inflation was up from 54.4% in February to 61.14% in March.
- The weakening lira and the rising cost of living has become a major source of discontent as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces election next year
- The Turkish currency was stable following the latest inflation data, trading at 14.7 lira against the dollar and 16.2 lira against euro
Arts & Culture
Players with disabilities score in the video game world
Hardware accessories are rare for players who have limited use of their hands.
- Mortal Kombat-maker NetherRealm Studios added audio to help blind gamers identify objects in the game
- Visual or audio features added in the recent release of Last of Us Part II and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy help players with disabilities
Geostrategy
Nearly 100 die in new Mediterranean boat tragedy: UN, MSF
Prior to the latest tragedy, the UN's International Organization for Migration had recorded 367 deaths in the Mediterranean so far...
- The commercial tanker Alegria 1 rescued four people from an overcrowded boat carrying hundreds of migrants through the Mediterranean sea
- 'Libya is not a place of safety,' said Doctors Without Borders while stressing that survivors 'are in need of urgent protection and care'
Geostrategy
Jordan’s Hamzah, accused in aborted coup plot, gives up title of prince
"I had the great honour of serving my beloved country and dear people in this capacity throughout the years of...
- "I had the great honour of serving my beloved country and dear people in this capacity throughout the years of my life," he wrote
- On March 8, the royal court said Hamzah had taken "responsibility for his actions and offences towards Jordan and His Majesty over the past years.”
Arts & Culture
Libyan artisans restore old Korans for Ramadan
Compared to the cost of a new Koran -- at more than $20 depending on the binding -- restoring costs...
- Compared to the cost of a new Koran -- at more than $20 depending on the binding -- restoring costs just a few dollars
- For Muslims, Ramadan is a month of spirituality, where a daily dawn-to-dusk fast is accompanied with prayer and acts of charity
Geostrategy
Scientists’ network plans civil disobedience to highlight climate crisis
The world has seen a crescendo of deadly extreme weather amplified by rising temperatures -- heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, storms.
- Their non-violent actions are timed to the release Monday of a landmark report from the UN's climate science advisory panel.
- Scientist Rebellion targets universities, research institutes and major scientific journals, prodding them and their staff to speak out.
Geostrategy
Algeria pardons over 1,000 convicts, releases 70 Hirak detainees
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday pardoned over 1,000 convicts and ordered "clemency measures" for 70 people detained over links...
- The 70 detainees linked with Hirak protest movement were provisionally released this week and are awaiting trial.
- Twice-weekly Hirak pro-democracy protests rocked Algeria, starting in early 2019, forcing longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to step down months later.
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Iran lawmakers back suspending cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog
Tehran, Iran -- Iranian lawmakers voted Wednesday in favor of suspending cooperation with the United Nations' atomic energy watchdog, state...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
‘It’s frightening’: YouTubers split over OpenAI’s video tool Sora
Paris, France -- US firm OpenAI debuted a tool last week that can generate highly realistic snippets of video from just...
Business
Gaza a death zone, its humanitarian situation inhumane: WHO chief
"What type of world do we live in when people cannot get food and water, or where people who cannot...
Geostrategy
Stock markets diverge before Nvidia results, Federal Reserve minutes
Stock markets diverged as traders awaited earnings from US tech darling Nvidia, in addition to minutes from the Federal Reserve...
Market Report
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Business
Glencore 2023 profit down 75%
The company said lower energy prices cut into its profits.
- Gross operating profit fell 50 percent to $17.l billion, "primarily reflecting the rebalancing and normalization of international energy trade flows," it said
- The commodities trading unit saw operating profit fall 46% to $3.5 billion, "with coal and LNG (liquefied natural gas), and to a lesser extent, oil prices materially declining"
Business
Boeing readies for competition with China’s first passenger plane
Singapore, Singapore - Boeing said Wednesday it was preparing to compete with China's first domestically produced passenger plane, which was showcased...
- Chinese C919 has been making commercial flights in China since May and was displayed for the first time outside mainland China in Hong Kong in December
- China is seeking to position C919 as a potential competitor to market-leading A320 of Airbus and 737 MAX of Boeing
Business
Europe’s gas demand at 10-year low, to peak in 2025: report
The invasion of Ukraine by Russia triggered a massive shift by European nations away from Russian natural gas delivered by...
- IEEFA said that European gas demand has declined by 20% since the start of the Russian invasion
- IEEFA noted that rush to build LNG terminals was continuing despite imports holding steady