Iraq bans Roblox game platform citing ‘moral values’
Iraq has banned US gaming platform Roblox over what it described as sexual content, blasphemy and risks of online blackmail...
Business
Trial opens in Klarna’s $8.3 billion lawsuit against Google
Stockholm, Sweden -- A Swedish court began hearing arguments Monday in a lawsuit brought by Swedish price comparison site Pricerunner,...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
World needs ‘trillions’ for climate action: COP28 president
Paris, France -- The world needs "trillions" of dollars to spur on the green transition and tackle global warming, the head...
- Sultan Al Jaber, who is also chief of the UAE's national oil company ADNOC, said finance was "the key enabler of positive change at the speed and scale" needed.
- "But not normal scale finance -- we need finance at every level," he said, at an event in Paris organized by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Business
Wind-powered Dutch chemical tanker sets sail for greener future
Rotterdam, Netherlands - The world's first chemical tanker ship fitted with massive rigid aluminium "sails" has left Rotterdam, its owner hoping...
- The MT Chemical Challenger, a 16,000-ton chemicals transporter set sail from Antwerp for Istanbul on Friday, and will undergo sea trials along the way
- "As an avid sailor myself, I have been thinking for a long time how we can make our industry more sustainable," said Niels Grotz, chief executive of Chemship
Geostrategy
Israeli apartheid against Palestinians worse than in S.Africa: Pretoria
"We as South Africans sense, see, hear and feel to our core the inhumane discriminatory policies and practices of the...
- The South African representative said, "It is clear that Israel's illegal occupation is also being administered in breach of the crime of apartheid."
- He said South Africa had a "special obligation" to call out apartheid wherever it occurs and ensure it is "brought to an immediate end"
Business
Walmart to buy TV maker Vizio
The acquisition of the TV maker is worth $2.3 billion.
- With the all-cash purchase, the US shopping behemoth gains access to Vizio's more than 18 million accounts.
- Vizio is known for what Walmart called "immersive entertainment" through a "customer-centric platform".
Geostrategy
US vetoes Security Council vote on Gaza ceasefire, pushes alternative
The resolution, which Algeria had been working on for three weeks, had demanded "an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be...
- The vote came as Israel prepares to move into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, where some 1.4 million people have fled.
- However, Israel is facing increased pressure to hold off, including from its closest ally the United States.
26 EU states demand ‘immediate’ halt in Gaza fighting: Borrell
The European Union has struggled for a united response on Israel's military operation following the October 7 attack by Hamas....
- EU countries also reiterated their calls for Israel not to launch an assault on the Gaza city of Rafah, which has become the main shelter zone in the stricken territory.
- Israel has warned that, unless Hamas frees all hostages, it will push on with its offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including in Rafah
Economy
China cuts key mortgage rate to boost economy
China last year recorded one of its worst annual growth rates since 1990, dampening hopes for a rapid economic recovery...
- China has struggled to kickstart growth as it battles a prolonged property sector downturn, soaring youth unemployment and a global slowdown
- The five-year loan prime rate (LPR) was lowered from 4.2 to 3.95 percent, the People's Bank of China announced, in the first cut since June
Geostrategy
Sudan refugees face agonizing wait in overcrowded camps
Renk is just 10 kilometers (six miles) from Sudan, where fighting broke out in April last year between army chief...
- Nearly 560,000 displaced people have taken refuge in South Sudan, according to the UN, which estimates that around 1,500 new arrivals turn up in the country every day
- UN says 25 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, while around 3.8 million children under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition
Business
Capital One to buy Discover for US$35.3bn
Its shareholders will own 60% of the combined company.
- Under the deal, Discover shareholders will receive 1.0192 Capital One shares for each Discover share, a premium of 26.6 percent over Discover's closing price on Friday
- Acquisition of Discover will help "build a payments network that can compete with the largest payments networks and payments companies," said Capital One founder and CEO
UN agencies warn of ‘explosion’ in Gaza child deaths
Twenty weeks into Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies warned that food and safe water had...
- At least 90 percent of children under five in Gaza are affected by one or more infectious diseases, according to a joint assessment by the UN agencies
- Seventy percent children had had diarrhea in the two weeks prior to the assessment, marking a 23-fold increase compared to the 2022 baseline
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
Iraq bans Roblox game platform citing ‘moral values’
Iraq has banned US gaming platform Roblox over what it described as sexual content, blasphemy and risks of online blackmail...
Business
Company News
Latest News
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...
Geostrategy
US revoking terrorist designation for Syria’s HTS
An armed coalition led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew then-Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in December, ending half a century...
Geostrategy
Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Pro-Kurdish MPs to meet Erdogan after Ocalan talks
Lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish DEM party were to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday for talks described by...
- DEM, Turkey's third biggest party, has played a key role in facilitating an emerging peace deal between the government and Ocalan
- On Sunday, the delegation travelled to Imrali island where Ocalan has been serving a life sentence in solitary confinement since 1999
Arts & Culture
Israel: Ultra-Orthodox conscription threatens Netanyahu’s coalition
Jerusalem, Undefined - The Israeli army announced Sunday that it would begin sending draft notices to 54,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men...
- Formed in December 2022, the coalition hinges on an alliance between Netanyahu's right-wing Likud, far-right parties and those representing the ultra-Orthodox
- Under an arrangement dating back to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi in Hebrew, have been effectively exempted from military service
Geostrategy
Hezbollah chief says won’t surrender under Israeli threats
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli...
- His speech came ahead of a visit Monday by US envoy Thomas Barrack during which Lebanese authorities are due to respond to a request to disarm Hezbollah by year's end
- "This (Israeli) threat will not make us accept surrender," Qassem said in a televised speech to thousands of his supporters in Beirut's southern suburbs