Amazon climate deal a ‘win’ for global unity but fossil fuels untouched
Nearly 200 countries approved the deal by consensus after two weeks of exhaustive negotiations on the fringes of the rainforest,...
Geostrategy
Frida Kahlo painting auctions for $54.6 mn, record for woman artist
New York, United States - A self-portrait by legendary Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold for $54.66 million in New York...
Arts & Culture
Divided G20 fails to agree on climate action, Ukraine war escalation dominates Rio summit talks
G20 leaders in Rio failed to resolve UN climate talks deadlock, merely stating funding for developing countries battling global warming...
- Ahead of the meeting, the UN had implored the leaders of the world's richest economies to rescue stalled climate talks in Azerbaijan by boosting funding for developing countries
- G20 members, who are divided on who should pay, did not make such commitments, saying only that the trillions of dollars needed would come "from all sources."
Geostrategy
UN climate chief at deadlocked COP29: ‘Cut the theatrics’
As the UN climate talks limp into a second week in Azerbaijan, the world is no closer to a finance...
- Nations have until Friday to break the impasse over how to raise $1 trillion a year for developing countries to cope with global warming.
- Climate-vulnerable countries want developed nations to commit to substantially raising their existing pledge of $100 billion a year.
G20 leaders to grapple with climate, taxes, Trump comeback
G20 leaders gather in Brazil on Monday to discuss fighting poverty, boosting climate financing and other multilateral initiatives that could...
- The main star of the show is expected to be Chinese President Xi Jinping
- Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East would be kept off the summit agenda to focus on the poor.
Economy
Egypt’s middle class cuts costs as IMF-backed reforms take hold
Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt's economy has been in crisis for years, but as the latest round of International Monetary Fund-backed reforms...
- The world lender has long backed measures in Egypt including a liberal currency exchange market and weaning the public away from subsidies.
- Foreign debt quadrupled since 2015 to register $160.6 billion in the first quarter of 2024. Much of the debt is the result of financing for large-scale projects.
Arts & Culture
Magritte’s ‘Empire of Light’ to fetch nearly $100m at New York auction
New York, United States -- With a Magritte painting estimated to sell for nearly $100 million, drawings by pop artist Keith...
- The seminal 1954 work is one of a series of paintings from the Surrealist master depicting the interplay of shadow and light.
- Its estimated price is $95 million, which would easily shatter the previous record for a Magritte, $79 million in 2022.
Israel escalates bombing in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires projectiles; UN warns of Gaza famine
Israel escalated strikes on Hezbollah in Beirut and Tyre, targeting strongholds, while Hezbollah launched retaliatory attacks on Haifa, hitting a...
- Israel has escalated its bombing of Lebanon since September 23 and has since sent in ground troops, following almost a year of limited, cross-border exchanges of fire
- Israel's military chief Hezbollah had already "paid a big price" but Israel will keep fighting until thousands of its residents displaced from the north can return safely
Geostrategy
With Trump’s presidency, expect pro-Israel policies to replace Biden’s nuanced approach in Middle East relations
Trump’s return could shift US policy on Israel, with his Republican Party's pro-Israel stance and his preference for "America First"...
- Trump, unlike every other recent president, has never committed to a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state
- He leads a Republican Party so pro-Israel that some local offices handed out Israeli flags alongside Trump yard-signs
Xi, Biden in Peru for APEC summit, pre-Trump face-to-face
uncertainty over Trump's next moves now clouds the APEC agenda -- as it does for the COP29 climate talks underway...
- President Vladimir Putin of APEC member Russia will not be present
- Trump has threatened tariffs of up to 60 percent on imports of Chinese goods
Business
TikTok makes AI driven ad tool available globally
San Francisco, United States - TikTok on Thursday began letting all marketers on its platform use an artificial intelligence-powered tool for...
- The news came with word that Getty Images will make its stockpile of pictures and video available to TikTok's AI‑powered video generation tool called Symphony Creative Studio
- Brands will be able to use Getty's licensed images and videos to create AI-generated ads, including marketing messages featuring characters resembling real people
Geostrategy
Lebanon economic losses top $5 billion in year of clashes: World Bank
Beirut, Lebanon -- More than a year of clashes that recently escalated into war have cost Lebanon more than $5 billion...
- The losses are "largely concentrated in the commerce and tourism and hospitality sectors... as well as in the agriculture sector", the Bank said in a report.
- "The final cost of damage and losses for Lebanon associated with the conflict is expected to significantly exceed those presented in this assessment," the report said.
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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
Amazon climate deal a ‘win’ for global unity but fossil fuels untouched
Nearly 200 countries approved the deal by consensus after two weeks of exhaustive negotiations on the fringes of the rainforest,...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
First India-Pakistan match since conflict fires up Asia Cup
New Delhi, India -- A blockbuster between India and Pakistan headlines the Asia Cup starting on Tuesday as they face...
Geostrategy
Catholic teen set to become first millennial saint
Vatican City, Holy See -- Tens of thousands of pilgrims are expected at the Vatican Sunday for the canonization of...
Arts & Culture
AI-powered meet-up apps fight ‘epidemic of’ loneliness
San Francisco, United States -- On a summer evening in San Francisco, JT Mason went to dinner with five complete...
Arts & Culture
Most Read
Science
AI giant Anthropic to pay $1.5 bn over pirated books
San Francisco, United States - Anthropic will pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a US class action lawsuit over...
- "This landmark settlement far surpasses any other known copyright recovery," said plaintiffs' attorney Justin Nelson. "It is the first of its kind in the AI era."
- San Francisco-based Anthropic announced this week that it raised $13 billion in a funding round valuing the AI startup at $183 billion
Geostrategy
Turkey opposition calls extraordinary congress for Sept 21
Turkey's main opposition party has announced it will hold an extraordinary congress on September 21 after a court ousted its...
- The decision comes amid growing political pressure on the Republican People's Party (CHP) after a court annulled the outcome of its Istanbul provincial congress in October 2023
- More than 900 CHP delegates on Friday submitted a petition to a local election board in the capital Ankara to authorise the congress, the source told AFP
Geostrategy
Israel flattens high-rise as it tells Gaza City residents to flee
An Israeli strike flattened a high-rise in Gaza City on Saturday -- the second in as many days -- after...
- Israel has stepped up air strikes and ground operations on the city's outskirts, sparking fears it could worsen already dire conditions
- On Saturday, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets on western neighbourhoods calling on residents to evacuate, witnesses and an AFP journalist said