WhatsApp, Twitch among sites that could face Australia under-16s social media ban
Tech companies including WhatsApp and Reddit as well as streaming giant Twitch and gaming firm Roblox could be among more...
Business
Nvidia to invest up to $100 bn in OpenAI data centers
San Francisco, United States - Nvidia said Monday it will invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, building infrastructure for...
Geostrategy
Business
Stocks surge on China spending plan as oil prices retreat
Traders tracked a rally on Wall Street that was helped by a strong set of earnings from big-name firms including...
- Hong Kong was the stand-out performer Wednesday, jumping more than two percent
- Traders were aware that the crisis in the Middle East could spiral out of control at any minute
Geostrategy
Israel bombs Syria’s ‘military infrastructure’ in air raids
According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), its jets hit military infrastructure and mortar launchers of the Syrian Army in...
- According to Syrian state media, Israeli strikes on Sunday put Syria's two main airports out of service
- Earlier in the month, Israeli strikes targeted Aleppo airport, wounding five people, a war monitor reported
Geostrategy
UN chief denounces Israel, calls Gaza shelling as violation of law
United Nations, - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday alleged violations of international law as Israel pounds Gaza, and urged...
- Guterres, who personally traveled to the crossing between Egypt and Gaza in a push to let in assistance, welcomed the crossing of three aid convoys
- "But it is a drop of aid in an ocean of need. In addition, our UN fuel supplies in Gaza will run out in a matter of days. That would be another disaster," Guterres said
Economy
China announces $137 bn sovereign bond issuance
Beijing, China - China announced on Tuesday a 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) sovereign bond issuance, state media said, in a...
- The funds will be distributed to local governments to support national disaster prevention and recovery, state news agency Xinhua said.
- Zhang Zhiwei of Pinpoint Asset Management said the move was "highly unusual" and "came to the market as a surprise".
Market Report
Markets up, oil down as investors eye Middle East situation
Oil slid but most world stock markets rose in anticipation of a raft of strong US corporate earnings, even as...
- Oil prices drifted down around two percent not least on concerns over where the conflict in the crude-rich Middle East is headed.
- Traders were on a welter of third-quarter earnings, with Microsoft and Alphabet among those due to unload after market close.
Geostrategy
‘They treated us gently’: freed Israeli hostage recounts Gaza captivity
Tel Aviv, Israel - Yocheved Lifshitz "went through hell" when abducted by Hamas, the 85-year-old Israeli said Tuesday, recounting her experience...
- Lifshitz said she had been left in a hall with about 25 other hostages and then taken to a separate room with four other people from Nir Oz
- "They treated us well," she told reporters, saying a doctor visited the hostages every two to three days and provided medicine
Business
General Motors Q3 profit surge
Revenues rose five percent to $44.1 billion, the company said.
- The big US automaker reported third-quarter profits of $3.1 billion, down seven percent from the year-ago period but better than analyst estimates
- GM notched higher vehicle sales in the United States amid still-strong pricing trends for popular truck and sport utility vehicles
Business
Stora Enso posts loss again
Stora Enso registered a loss of $272m euros in Q2 2023.
- The Finland-based company said it lost 34 million euros in the third quarter, down from the 367-million-euro net profit during the July to September period last year
- After experiencing sales growth in 2021 and 2022, Stora Enso saw sales tumble by 28 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, to 2.1 billion euros
Geostrategy
Iran’s Raisi says Muslim disunity enabled Israeli ‘aggression’
"A united and unified position in the Muslim world could have prevented the oppression and aggression of the Zionist regime...
- He made the remarks while receiving the credentials of the new Saudi ambassador to Tehran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anazi.
- Iran and Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties seven years ago, amid an escalating geopolitical rivalry, but in March they signed a China-brokered deal to restore relations.
Economy
Israel-Hamas war risks ‘serious’ economic damage: World Bank president
Ajay Banga was speaking at the annual Future Investment Initiative, often referred to as "Davos in the Desert". More than...
- While commenting on Israeli-Gaza war at FII summit, the World Bank president said, "we're at a very dangerous juncture"
- More than 5,000 Palestinians, mainly civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip in retaliatory Israeli bombardments
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WhatsApp, Twitch among sites that could face Australia under-16s social media ban
Tech companies including WhatsApp and Reddit as well as streaming giant Twitch and gaming firm Roblox could be among more...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Palestinian pottery sees revival in war-ravaged Gaza
Arts & Culture
Apple expects $900 million hit from tariff war
Apple on Thursday reported first-quarter profit above expectations but warned that US tariffs could cost the company and were disrupting...
Economy
Israel says intercepts missile fired from Yemen
The Israeli military said Friday it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, where Huthi rebels recently claimed responsibility for a...
Geostrategy
Israel strikes near Damascus presidential palace over Druze violence that kills over 100 people
Israel has since then attacked hundreds of Syrian military sites and on Friday announced its "fighter jets struck adjacent to...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Economy
Slower growth expected in MENA region in 2025: IMF
"Growth is still projected to increase in 2025 and 2026, but at a considerably slower pace than anticipated last October,"...
- The lender lowered growth projections from 4 percent to 2.6 percent for 2025, and from 4.2 percent to 3.4 percent for 2026.
- In 2024, average growth in the region slowed to 1.8 percent -- from 2.1 percent the year before -- due to "ongoing conflicts and extended voluntary oil production cuts".
Geostrategy
UAE to lift three-year Lebanon travel ban: statement
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The United Arab Emirates will lift a ban on its citizens travelling to Lebanon that...
- The decision was announced a day after Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with his UAE counterpart Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi.
- In 2021, the UAE imposed a travel ban on its citizens and withdrew diplomats from Beirut in solidarity with Riyadh after a Lebanese minister criticized Saudi intervention in Yemen.
Economy
US reaching out to China for tariff talks: Beijing state media
United States officials have reached out to their Chinese counterparts for talks on vast tariffs that have hammered markets and...
- Punishing US tariffs that have reached 145 percent on many Chinese products came into force in April, while Beijing has responded with fresh 125 percent duties on US imports
- Beijing has vehemently denied any talks are taking place while repeatedly urging the United States to engage in dialogue in a "fair, respectful and reciprocal" manner