Remains of 5,000-year-old noblewoman found in Peru dig
The woman's funerary trousseau, which was presented to reporters at the culture ministry, included a toucan's beak, a stone bowl...
Arts & Culture
European carmakers on China charm offensive as sales droop
Shanghai, China -- Once blithely dominant in China, European automakers are now launching full-fledged charm offensives at consumers in the...
Business
Geostrategy
Lebanon president says disarming Hezbollah ‘delicate’ as two dead in strikes
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Sunday that disarming Hezbollah group was a "delicate" matter whose implementation required...
- "We will implement" a state monopoly on bearing arms "but we have to wait for the circumstances" to allow this. "Nobody is speaking to me about timing or pressure."
- Hezbollah, long a dominant force in Lebanon, was left weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel, sparked by the Gaza war.
Economy
UAE foreign trade increases by 49% to reach $1.42 trillion in 2024
The UAE climbed from 17th to 11th globally in merchandise exports and from 18th to 14th in imports between 2021...
- The UAE accounted for 41.4 percent of the Middle East’s $1.5 trillion merchandise exports, with regional exports growing by 3.7 percent and services by 4.1 percent in 2024.
- Globally, the UAE contributed 2 percent to services exports and 1.3 percent to imports, with service exports of $176 billion and imports of $106 billion.
Business
Global tax plans targeting super rich and tech giants stall under Trump
Paris, France -- Global tax plans targeting billionaires and multinational companies are running aground, with the United States torpedoing reforms...
- Countries have accused Amazon, Microsoft, Google owner Alphabet and Facebook's parent company Meta of sidestepping local taxes.
- Trump issued a warning on February 21 to countries that would hit big tech and other US companies with fines or taxes that are "discriminatory, disproportionate".
Business
Anti-hero Star Wars series “Andor” heads towards its finale
Paris, France -- If "Andor" -- which returns from Tuesday for its second and final season -- has been received...
- For Disney, the success of "Andor" stands out as a new hope for a franchise that has become hit-or-miss with audiences in recent years.
- That is why it has banked heavily on the 12-episode story, which cost a staggering $645 million to make, according to Forbes magazine.
Geostrategy
‘Resist Tyranny’: Another round of anti-Trump demonstrations hit major US cities
Many took aim at Trump's deportations of undocumented migrants, chanting "No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here," a reference...
- In New York, people gathered outside the city's main library carrying signs targeting the US president with slogans like "No Kings in America" and "Resist Tyranny."
- In Washington, protesters voiced concern that Trump was threatening long-respected constitutional norms, including the right to due process.
Business
Tariffs could lift Boeing and Airbus plane prices even higher
New York, United States -- Commercial plane prices, already lifted in recent years due to pandemic supply chain shocks, are...
- The American and European aerospace giants have grappled with higher expenses for primary materials such as titanium, components and energy, as well as overall labor cost pressures
- To resolve a labor strike, Boeing late last year agreed to a new contract with its Seattle-based machinist union that lifted wages by 38 percent over four years.
Geostrategy
US Supreme Court intervenes to pause Trump deportations
Washington, United States - The US Supreme Court, in a dramatic nighttime intervention Saturday, paused President Donald Trump's unprecedented use...
- The emergency ruling, delivered in two terse paragraphs, noted that two of the most conservative of the nine justices had dissented
- The order temporarily prevents the government from continuing to expel migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act
Geostrategy
Putin announces ‘Easter truce’ in Ukraine set to last until midnight on Sunday
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday announced a surprise Easter truce in Ukraine, set to last until midnight on Sunday...
- The short-term order for Russia's troops to halt all combat activity comes after months of US President Donald Trump pushing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree a truce
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a social media post responded sceptically to the truce proposal, accusing Putin of attempting to "play with human lives."
Economy
McLaren duo in ominous show of force in Saudi final practice
Lando Norris pipped teammate Oscar Piastri in final practice in Jeddah with the McLaren duo streets clear of the chasing...
- McLaren are seeking their fourth win from five on Sunday, after Norris took the season-opener in Melbourne with Piastri winning in China and Sakhir
- Norris leads the drivers standings by three points from Piastri with Verstappen a further five points back ahead of this fifth round of the 24-race season
Geostrategy
Tunisia opposition figures get jail terms in mass trial
A Tunisian court has handed down jail sentences of up to 66 years to multiple defendants, including prominent opposition figures,...
- The trial, decried by a defence lawyer as a "masquerade", is of unprecedented scale with around 40 defendants including vocal critics of President Kais Saied
- Among those sentenced were well-known opposition figures, lawyers and business people, with some already in prison for two years while others were in exile or still free
Remains of 5,000-year-old noblewoman found in Peru dig
The woman's funerary trousseau, which was presented to reporters at the culture ministry, included a toucan's beak, a stone bowl...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Latest News
Sudanese journalists form union to safeguard press freedom
The journalists' syndicate held elections on Saturday, the first since ousted president Omar al-Bashir dissolved independent unions after rising to...
Morocco bus crash leaves 23 dead, scores injured
An average of 3,500 deaths and 12,000 injuries have been recorded annually in Morocco, according to the National Road Safety...
Tunisia train accident leaves nearly 100 passengers injured
A head-on collision between two passenger trains injured 95 people on Monday morning in the south of the Tunisian capital,...
Iranian jet fighter crashes, three killed, reports state TV
Jet fighter crashed in a residential area of the northwestern city of Tabriz.
Beyonce, Jay-Z, Grande, and Billie Eilish shortlisted for Oscar
Iran's Asghar Farhad is among a select group of auteurs to have won multiple foreign film Oscars previously again makes...
Trump to visit Saudi, Qatar, UAE in May amid tensions over Iran, trade, and security
Saudi Arabia's top diplomat held talks in Washington earlier this month to lay the groundwork for a visit by Trump...
Geostrategy
Trump, Zelensky to attend Pope Francis’s funeral Saturday
Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, the Vatican announced, as world leaders from US President Donald Trump to...
Arts & Culture
Iran says technical nuclear meeting with US postponed to Saturday
A technical, expert-level nuclear meeting between Iran and the United States will be held on Saturday, coinciding with the third...
Geostrategy
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Economy
Trump tariffs have increased financial stability risks: IMF report
The IMF's Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) was published as world financial leaders gather for meetings in Washington under the...
- GFSR's authors found that "global financial stability risks have increased significantly, driven by tighter global financial conditions and heightened economic uncertainty."
- The Fund also warned that geopolitical risk -- including military conflicts -- could raise risks to financial stability.
Arts & Culture
As world mourns, cardinals meeting to decide the date for Pope Francis’s funeral
Vatican City, Holy See - Cardinals will meet Tuesday to decide the date for Pope Francis's funeral, starting a process...
- Francis, the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, died at his home in the Vatican on Monday aged 88 after suffering a stroke
- Tributes have poured in from around the globe for Francis, a liberal reformer who took over following the resignation of German theologian Benedict XVI in 2013
Saudi Aramco, BYD form alliance to develop low-carbon automotive innovations amid EV growth
Saudi Aramco, the world's largest producer of oil, "is exploring a number of ways to potentially optimize transport efficiency, from...
- The Saudi oil giant is already a partner with Renault of France and the Chinese automaker Geely in a joint venture to produce thermal engines
- Saudi Arabia is working to diversify its economy, which is dependent on oil export revenue, and wants to set up 5,000 EV charging stations by 2030