Day 4: Tehran residents flee Israeli attacks as casualties mount
Images verified by AFP, shot by a social media user from an overpass, showed near immobile traffic on a Tehran...
Geostrategy
Abu Dhabi state oil firm makes US$18.7 billion bid for Australia’s Santos
Sydney, Australia - Abu Dhabi's state-owned oil company is leading a takeover bid for Australian energy group Santos, valuing it...
Business
Geostrategy
Saudi Crown Prince, Egypt’s al-Sisi attend Xi Jinping’s banquet
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend the banquet hosted by Chinese President...
- Dozens of dignitaries were treated to musical performances and a traditional handicrafts display alongside the meal at the Great Hall of the People
- This week's meetings are a striking change for Xi, who has avoided traveling abroad or meeting foreign visitors face-to-face since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020
Economy
Former Bundesbank chief appointed to head IMF expert panel
The expert group will conduct an independent review with a view to identifying how the Fund can ensure it has...
- The expert group will conduct an independent review with a view to identifying how the Fund can ensure it has in place effective channels for complaint, dissent and accountability
- "This will include reviewing the framework for addressing complaints applicable to the Managing Director and Executive Board officials," the IMF statement went on.
Business
Meta debuts ‘personal boundary’ tool to curb harassment
Horizon's anti-harassment feature makes an avatar's hands vanish if it tries to inappropriately touch another virtual character.
- The "personal boundary" function in the immersive platform puts a ring of space around users' digital proxies to prevent invaders to enter your avatar's personal space
- Facebook parent Meta has opened its Horizon Worlds virtual reality platform to the public in December
Business
Rockstar Games confirms Grand Theft Auto 6
More than 230 million copies of Grand Theft Auto, referred to as GTA, have been sold overall.
- New York-based Rockstar Games did not say when Grand Theft Auto 6 would hit the street
- It also did not reveal how it would be different from the previous edition, released in 2013
Geostrategy
US waives sanctions for Iran civil nuclear program
The resumption of the waiver, ended by the Donald Trump administration in 2020, ‘would be essential to ensuring Iran's swift...
- The step came as talks to restore the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, were at an advanced stage
- The talks, being held in Vienna, include Iran, the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia
Geostrategy
UAE to receive help from France to secure its airspace
France said Friday it will help its ally the United Arab Emirates secure its airspace following drone and missile attacks...
- The UAE announced the interception and destruction on Wednesday of three "hostile drones", which follows three previous drone and missile attacks claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels
- The UAE's staunch ally the United States has deployed a warship and fighter planes to help protect the Middle East financial and leisure hub
Geostrategy
Beijing Olympics opens amidst rights concerns, Covid, diplomatic boycotts
China's President Xi Jinping declared the Beijing Winter Olympics open Friday as China tried to turn the page on a...
- The US, Britain, Canada and Australia are among countries staging a diplomatic boycott of the Games over China's rights record, particularly the fate of the Uyghurs.
- There are also environmental concerns about holding a Winter Games in one of the driest places in China and on almost entirely man-made snow.
Geostrategy
Denmark court convicts Iranians of spying for Saudi Arabia
A Danish court on Friday convicted three leaders of an Iranian Arab separatist group based in the Scandinavian country of...
- The three, aged 40 to 51 and one of whom is a Danish citizen, are members of the separatist organization ASMLA (Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz)
- Their sentencing will be announced in March. They face up to 12 years in prison
Business
Facebook looks for answers as user numbers fall
Founder Mark Zuckerburg has told investors that people have a lot of choices for how they want to spend their...
- The company has been battling regulatory issues, negative headlines around bullying and disinformation.
- It lost one million daily users in the last quarter of last year but still has almost 1.9 billion, figures that dwarf every other platform.
Business
Sanofi posts strong sales
French pharmaceutical group's overall sales rises 4.8% to $43.3bn in 2021.
- While Sanofi has yet to produce a jab against Covid, its Dupixent drug, which also treats eczema, has been a huge success
- The company posted overall sales of 37.8 billion euros ($43.3 billion) in 2021, a 4.8 percent increase
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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
Day 4: Tehran residents flee Israeli attacks as casualties mount
Images verified by AFP, shot by a social media user from an overpass, showed near immobile traffic on a Tehran...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Blinken heads to Egypt to seek ‘enduring end’ to Gaza war
Palestinian Territories - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to fly to Egypt on Tuesday as part of...
Geostrategy
China, Russia blame US for stoking Middle East tensions
The US forces targeted many positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a drone attack on a base in...
Geostrategy
OECD predicts rise in global economy amid Middle East ‘risk’
The OECD raised its 2024 world economic growth forecast Monday but warned that the Middle East conflict posed a risk,...
Economy
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Business
Vodafone Q3 revenue dips
Poor display across Italy, Spain is said to be the reason for loss.
- Revenues dipped 2.3 percent to 11.4 billion euros ($12.3 billion) in the three months to the end of December, compared with a year earlier.
- "We maintained... revenue momentum in the third quarter," said chief executive Margherita Della Valle, adding the group had made "good strategic progress".
Geostrategy
Spain to increase UNRWA funding after donors suspend aid
MADRID, SPAIN - Spain said on Monday that it would give an additional US$$3.8 million (3.5 million euros) in aid to...
- Over a dozen countries, including the US, Germany, Britain and Sweden, have suspended their funding to UNRWA.
- There are accusations that 12 UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7 attacks in Israel by Hamas.
Economy
Turkey’s inflation 65% in Jan, piles pressure on central bank
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey's annual inflation rate stayed stable in January at nearly 65 percent, but month-on-month consumer price increases jumped...
- The year-on-year inflation rate moved to 64.86 percent -- up a notch from 64.77 percent in December, the TUIK statistics agency reported
- The monthly inflation rate in January climbed to 6.7 percent, from 2.9 percent in December, following a 49-percent rise in the minimum wage in January