US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in face of Trump criticism
Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank would make better decisions if it waited a few months to...
Economy
Khamenei vows Iran will never surrender, warns US of ‘irreparable damage’
Khamenei's speech came six days into the conflict, with US president Donald Trump saying he may or may not intervene...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israel president heads to Greece to calm ally ahead of Turkey visit
Relations between majority-Muslim Turkey and the Jewish state froze over after the death of 10 civilians in an Israeli raid...
- Israeli will revive its diplomatic relations with Turkey that were frozen since 2010 when 10 civilians died in an Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla
- Turkey aired objections in 2020 as Israel, Greece and Cyprus signed the EastMed deal for a huge pipeline to ship gas
Economy
IMF official urges ‘deep reforms’ to Tunisian economy
Tunisia's debts have soared to nearly 100 percent of Gross Domestic Product.
- Tunisia's debts have soared to nearly 100 percent of Gross Domestic Product
- Its GDP plunged by almost nine percent in 2020, the worst rate in North Africa
Business
Meta lays out moves being made to build the metaverse
The metaverse is a 3D virtual world where people will be able to interact using sensors, head gear and other...
- The metaverse is a 3D virtual world where people will be able to interact using sensors, head gear and other gadgets
- Formidable rivals such as Apple, Google and Microsoft seem poised to compete with Meta on the new virtual terrain
Business
Petrobras 2021 profit hits $20bn
Debt dropped to $47.62 billion in 2021 from $63.17 billion in 2020.
- Net profit for the final quarter last year came in at $5.64 billion, bringing 2021's total to $19.88 billion
- Petrobras said this was a stark contrast to 2020's total of just over $1 billion due to effects of the pandemic
Arts & Culture
Lebanon turns to public libraries for entertainment as crisis drains joy
Weekly storytelling events are one of the last affordable pleasures in Lebanon, where a crashing local currency has rendered books...
- The cost of printing and buying books has soared in Lebanon, while the monthly minimum wage is currently valued at $32
- All new books were priced in dollars, and therefore hit by the fluctuating exchange rate of the Lebanese pound
Geostrategy
Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine as US vows ‘support’
Russian air strikes hit military facilities across the country and ground forces moved in from the north, south and east,...
- Weeks of intense diplomacy to avert war failed to deter Putin, who had massed more than 150,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine.
- Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel, and could boost that with up to 250,000 reservists. But Moscow's forces are much larger.
Geostrategy
Oil price break $100 on Russian ‘military operation’ in Ukraine
According to the UN, a full-scale Russian invasion on Ukraine would have a devastating global impact that would likely spark...
- The crisis comes as governments struggle to contain runaway inflation fueled by demand as life returns after recent Covid-19 lockdowns,
- World Markets have been hammered since a week as the Kremlin recognized Ukraine's rebellion and said it would provide "peacekeepers" to the regions
Geostrategy
US declares Russia’s prized Nord Stream 2 pipeline ‘dead’
Although the pipeline is seen as an efficient way to supply energy to the European Union, which depends heavily on...
- Built to funnel Russian natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, Nord Stream 2 has long been controversial
- The pipeline is completely built, but has not been put in use and for now at least it won't be
Business
UAE to buy 12 Chinese fighter jets to bolster defense
The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday it plans to buy a dozen Chinese L15 aircraft, as it seeks to bolster...
- In December, the UAE threatened to scrap its mega-purchase of US F-35 fighter jets, protesting stringent conditions amid Washington's concerns over China
- The value of the deal was not disclosed
Economy
Workers go on strike in Turkey as inflation sinks lira deeper
Soaring inflation in Turkey has propelled a wave of strikes unlike any the country has seen since the 1970s, as...
- Supermarket warehouse worker Bekir Gok was sacked this month -- alongside 256 of his colleagues -- for demanding an extra four Turkish liras (30 US cents) per hour
- Turkey's annual inflation rate officially reached 48.7 percent in January, and workers have struggled to keep up with the sky-rocketing cost of living
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
US Fed keeps interest rates unchanged in face of Trump criticism
Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters the central bank would make better decisions if it waited a few months to...
Economy
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Gaza medics say Israeli forces raid Khan Yunis hospital
Hospitals are granted special protection under the laws of war, but they have been repeatedly hit in Gaza over the...
NATO chief calls on Europe to ramp up arms production
Ahead of a key meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels and the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war, Jens...
Pakistan must move from ‘anarchy and polarization’ after election: army chief
"The nation needs stable hands and a healing touch to move on from the politics of anarchy and polarization, which...
Most Read
Moody’s downgrades Israel’s credit rating due to Hamas conflict
Fitch -- which is the last of the big three US ratings agencies -- placed Israel on negative watch over...
- In a statement, Moody's said it had done so after assessing that "the ongoing military conflict with Hamas, its aftermath and wider consequences."
- Moody's also lowered its outlook for Israel's debt to "negative" due to "the risk of an escalation" with the far more powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah
Geostrategy
Palestinian group says Israeli troops raid Gaza hospital
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the army to prepare to "evacuate" hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from Gaza's...
- "The occupation (Israeli) forces stormed Al-Amal hospital and started searching it. We're finding it difficult to communicate with our crews inside the hospital," the group said
- Al-Amal has been caught in fierce fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas fighters, with the Red Crescent reporting "intense artillery shelling and heavy gunfire"
Science
World’s biggest flying lab comes to Asia on air pollution mission
Clark, Philippines - NASA has kicked off a series of marathon flights in Asia with the world's biggest flying laboratory, in...
- Starting this week in the Philippines, the US agency's DC-8 is flying for up to eight hours at a time, sometimes just 50 feet from the ground, to swoop up air particles for study.
- Millions of deaths each year are linked to air pollution, and improving the ability to identify its sources and behavior can lead to more accurate warning systems for the public.