IMF lifts 2025 global growth forecast, warns of ongoing trade ‘uncertainty’
In its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO) report -- compiled before the most recent US-China tariff spat -- the IMF...
Economy
Trump hails ‘tremendous day for Middle East’ as leaders sign Gaza declaration
As part of Trump's plan to end the Gaza war, Hamas on Monday freed the last 20 surviving hostages it...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Qatar ‘appalled’ at alleged criticism by Netanyahu
Israeli prime minister accused Qatar of financing Hamas at a meeting this week with the families of hostages held in...
- Qatar was one of the mediators of a truce deal in November that led to the release of 105 hostages
- Its foreign ministry spokesman said his country was "appalled by the alleged remarks"
Arts & Culture
Coach Mancini lays out Saudi’s plan at Asian Cup
Doha, Qatar - Roberto Mancini said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia fear no team at the Asian Cup and will not...
- "Our calculation is always to win all the games we play," said Mancini, who won the European Championship with his native Italy in 2021.
- Mancini has repeatedly played down Saudi Arabia's chances of winning the Asian Cup saying Japan, South Korea, Iran and Australia are favorites.
Geostrategy
Israeli shelling on UN shelter in Gaza kills nine Palestinians
Palestinian Territories - Tank shelling on a UN shelter on Wednesday killed nine people in Gaza's main southern city of...
- "Two tank rounds hit building that shelters 800 people - reports now 9 dead and 75 injured," Thomas White, UNRWA's Gaza director, said on X.
- Teams from UNRWA and the World Health Organization were trying to reach the shelter, which has been blocked for two days, White said.
Geostrategy
Yemen-based Houthis fire missiles at ships in Red Sea, says US
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired three missiles at two merchant ships in the Red Sea in their latest attack in...
- One missile missed its target and a US Navy destroyer shot down the other two, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
- The continuing Houthi action "means we're obviously still going to have to do what we have to do to protect that shipping," he said.
Geostrategy
NATO kicks off biggest military exercise since Cold War
The Western military alliance has said some 90,000 troops will take part in the months-long Steadfast Defender 24 exercise designed...
- The exercise -- the biggest since the 1988 Reforger drill during the Cold War -- comes as NATO has overhauled its defenses since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022
- The alliance has dispatched thousands of troops to its eastern flank and drawn up most extensive plans since collapse of the Soviet Union to protect itself from a Russian attack
Science
Deaf boy can now hear after gene treatment
The US hospital which carried out the treatment said the milestone represents hope for patients around the world with hearing...
- Aissam Dam was born "profoundly deaf" because of a highly rare abnormality in a single gene.
- Aissam, who was born in Morocco and later moved to Spain, may never learn to talk, as the brain's window for acquiring speech closes around the age of five.
Geostrategy
Israel destroys Palestinian home in occupied West Bank
Basil Shehadeh was arrested on suspicion of helping two other Palestinians carry out the deadly shooting at a petrol station...
- "The family were evacuated from the three-storey building, then the second floor of the building was blown up," village council secretary Adel al-Amer told AFP
- "This demolition followed the destruction of the residences belonging to other terrorists involved in the same attack," the army told AFP in a statement
Geostrategy
Thousands trapped as Israeli troops surround hospitals in Khan Yunis
"Heavy fighting is reported in proximity to hospitals in Khan Yunis, including Al-Aqsa, Nasser and Al-Amal, with reports of Palestinians...
- In Gaza City, people displaced by the war said they were stuck in a new conflict zone without provisions.
- "They besieged us in the camp and brought us here, and even here, the shelling continued," Umm Dahud al-Kafarna, originally from Beit Hanun, told AFPTV.
Geostrategy
QatarEnergy says Red Sea attacks ‘may impact’ gas shipments
The state-owned giant confirmed in a statement that "Qatar's LNG production continues uninterrupted, and our commitment to ensuring the reliable...
- Earlier this month, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said LNG shipments would be affected, like other merchant shipping, by the Houthi strikes.
- His intervention came amid reports of at least five LNG vessels operated by Qatar stopping en route to the Red Sea.
Two Tunisian teenage migrants die in shipping container
Last week, the national guard announced the disappearance at sea of about 40 Tunisians who left from Sfax province, on...
- The two minors were part of a group of four young people trying to migrate irregularly, spending around eight hours in the cold container
- The two surviving members of the group were hospitalized and are "in a stable condition", according to the director of civil protection for the Tunis region
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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
IMF lifts 2025 global growth forecast, warns of ongoing trade ‘uncertainty’
In its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO) report -- compiled before the most recent US-China tariff spat -- the IMF...
Economy
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Oil prices seesaw as investors await Iran response to US strikes
US stocks edged higher while European markets retreated and Asian equities were mixed, with markets keeping a close eye on...
Geostrategy
Oil prices spike after US strikes on Iran nuclear sites
Economists at MUFG warned of "high uncertainty of the outcomes and duration of this war", giving a "scenario analysis" of...
Economy
Netanyahu says returning Gaza hostages will take ‘a bit more time’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday insisted gains in the conflict against Iran would help with the country's war...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
UN’s Syria envoy outraged by Damascus church attack
The United Nations special envoy for Syria denounced Sunday's attack on a church in Damascus that killed at least 20...
- Syria's interior ministry said a member of the Islamic State jihadist group was behind the attack, in which dozens of people were wounded
- UN envoy Geir Pedersen "condemns in the strongest possible terms the terrorist attack at St. Elias Church... which killed and injured civilians who were attending mass."
Business
Japan’s high-tech sunscreens tap into skincare craze
Tokyo, Japan -- When YouTuber Hannah Price set out to compare Japanese and Australian sunscreen, she wasn't expecting her deep...
- Companies that have perfected their secret formulas want to capitalize on booming demand, including selling to Japan's record influx of foreign tourists.
- The global skincare market was worth more than $115 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to $194 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Geostrategy
Massive US bunker-buster bombs make combat debut in Iran strikes
The US military says the GBU-57 -- also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- is designed to penetrate up to 200...
- The 6.6-meter-long GBU-57 also has a specialized fuse as "you need an explosive that's not going to immediately explode under that much shock and pressure," Dahlgren said.
- The only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 is the B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber.