Jane Birkin’s Hermes handbag up for auction in Abu Dhabi
Paris, France -- A Hermes handbag once belonging to Jane Birkin will be auctioned in Abu Dhabi on December 5,...
Business
Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with...
Geostrategy
Turkey’s 5,000-year-old bread finds new life
Arts & Culture
Geostrategy
Israelis unsure of ‘absolute victory’ in Gaza, finds poll
Jerusalem - Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence the Gaza war will end with Israel achieving "absolute victory", a majority...
- The Israel Democracy Institute think tank said only 38.3 percent of Israelis polled believed there was a "very high" or "fairly high" likelihood of an "absolute victory" in war.
- Some 55.3 percent of respondents conversely said there was a "fairly low" or "very low likelihood" of such an outcome. Just over six percent of the 612 respondents were undecided.
Geostrategy
As truce talks resume in Cairo, people in Gaza suffer from hunger
Heavy fighting rocked besieged Gaza as aid agencies warned of looming famine and new talks were held in Cairo towards...
- Combat and chaos again stalled the sporadic aid deliveries for desperate civilians in Gaza.
- The UN World Food Program said it was forced to halt aid deliveries in north Gaza because of "complete chaos and violence".
Business
‘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...
- OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, said in its announcement that Sora was not yet available to the public.
- The announcement did not specify use cases but said "a number of visual artists, designers and filmmakers" had been chosen to help test it.
Geostrategy
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...
- "What type of world do we live in when hospitals must close because there is no more power or medicines to help save patients, and they are being targeted by military forces?"
- "We need a ceasefire now. We need hostages to be released. We need the bombs to stop dropping and we need unfettered humanitarian access. Humanity must prevail," Tedros said.
Market Report
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...
- In the eurozone, the Frankfurt and Paris stock markets edged higher in afternoon deals.
- Hong Kong and Shanghai bourses jumped after Beijing's latest measures to boost China's stuttering economy.
Geostrategy
US urges UN court not to order Israel out of Palestinian lands
The International Court of Justice is holding a week of hearings after a request from the UN, with an unprecedented...
- "The court should not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory," said Richard Visek, US State Department advisor.
- "Any movement towards Israel withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration of Israel's very real security needs," he argued
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
Business
HSBC posts record profit of US$30.3bn
The bank would initiate a share buyback of up to US$2 billion.
- HSBC reported pre-tax profits of $30.3 billion, up from $17.1 billion the year before, in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange
- The bank said the profits included a "favorable year-on-year impact" of $2.5 billion due to the sale of its French retail banking operations
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
Jane Birkin’s Hermes handbag up for auction in Abu Dhabi
Paris, France -- A Hermes handbag once belonging to Jane Birkin will be auctioned in Abu Dhabi on December 5,...
Business
Company News
Hajj pilgrimage to begin on June 4: Saudi state media
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Turkey’s 5,000-year-old bread finds new life
Arts & Culture
Almost half of Europe and Mediterranean basin hit by drought
Paris, France - Europe and the Mediterranean basin has been hit by a long-lasting drought covering over 45 percent of...
Economy
UN experts warn of torture risk as US deports migrants to third countries
Geneva, Switzerland -- UN experts decried Tuesday the US resumption of migrant deportations to third countries, including to war-torn South...
Geostrategy
Trump says ‘no extensions’ to Aug 1 tariff deadline
While Trump imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on goods from almost all trading partners in April, higher rates customized...
Geostrategy
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Business
Algeria’s Sonatrach and Italy’s ENI sign $1.35 billion deal
Algiers, Algeria - Algeria's state-run hydrocarbon company Sonatrach and the Italian energy company Eni on Monday signed a production sharing...
- The 30-year contract covers the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Zemoul El Kbar contract area, in the Berkine Basin, 300 km east of Hassi Messaoud
- The total investments planned for exploration and exploitation in this area are approximately $1.35 billion, including $110 million allocated to research and exploration
Geostrategy
US to send ‘more weapons’ to Ukraine, after last week’s halt to shipments: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, after the White House announced...
- "We're going to have to send more weapons -- defensive weapons primarily," Trump told journalists at the White House
- "They're getting hit very, very hard," he said of Ukraine, while saying he is "not happy" with President Vladimir Putin
Geostrategy
Trump hosts Netanyahu in push for Gaza deal, says Hamas too willing to end the conflict
Netanyahu's third visit since Trump's return to power comes at a crucial time, with the US president hoping to capitalize...
- Netanyahu's third visit since Trump's return to power comes at a crucial time, with the US president hoping to build on the momentum from a recent truce between Israel and Iran
- "I don't think there is a hold up. I think things are going along very well," Trump told reporters at the start of the dinner when asked what was preventing a peace deal