Lab-grown diamonds robbing southern Africa of riches
Johannesburg, South Africa -- Botswana and southern African peers that built much of their prosperity on diamonds are scrambling for...
Business
Russia says Ukraine peace talks with Kyiv on pause as NATO bolsters defences
Russia said Friday that peace talks with Kyiv were on "pause" as President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his Russian counterpart...
Geostrategy
Economy
Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur enters last 16 at US Open
Jabeur, who will now face China's Zheng Qinwen in the last 16 on Monday, said her punishing training regimen in...
- Tunisian fifth seed Jabeur, whose own US Open campaign has been disrupted by a flu virus, completed a 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory to subdue Bouzkova in 2hr 56min
- A contest of high drama on the Arthur Ashe Stadium saw Bouzkova play virtually half of the match on one leg after suffering a thigh injury midway through the second set
Geostrategy
Three killed in ethnic protests in Iraq’s Kirkuk
The curfew was imposed in the evening after rival protests -- between Kurdish residents on one side and Turkmen and...
- Two people were shot in the chest and a third in the head, Ziad Khalaf, director of the local health authority told media
- Those wounded, including Kurds, Arabs and three members of the security forces, were hit by gunfire, stones or glass, said Khalaf
Geostrategy
Iran receives first batch of Russian combat trainer jets
According to an Iranian media outlet, a batch of advanced Yak-130 training aircraft flew into the Shahid Babaei Air Base...
- Iran and Russia have ramped up military cooperation in the recent years despite international sanctions
- Many in the West have accused Tehran of supplying Moscow with weapons for use in its war against Kyiv
Geostrategy
Clashes hit Kurdish-held east Syria after curfew
BEIRUT, LEBANON - Sporadic clashes took place on Saturday in a Kurdish-held area of eastern Syria, a monitor said, after a...
- "Calm has been relatively restored, as the intensity of fighting has decreased due to the 48-hour curfew," an official said.
- The violence has so far killed 54 people, including six children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.
Geostrategy
Dozen injured after skirmish between Israeli police, Eritrean protestors
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL- A dozen Eritrean asylum seekers were wounded by Israeli police gunfire here on Saturday after a demonstration against...
- Clashes began outside a south Tel Aviv venue that was set to host a pro-regime event organized by the Eritrean embassy in Israel.
- Protestors "hurled rocks and wooden planks" at officers, who used riot dispersal means and mounted forces to clear the Eritreans.
Geostrategy
Nobel Foundation withdraws invitation to Russia, Belarus envoys
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko wrote on Facebook that the foundation should support efforts to isolate Russia and Belarus...
- In 2022, the Nobel Foundation decided not to invite the Russian and Belarusian ambassadors to the Stockholm award event because of Ukraine war.
- The Swedish foundation however said Thursday it was returning to its previous practice of inviting ambassadors from all countries represented in Sweden.
Business
China’s Country Garden wins vote on debt to avoid default, says media
BEIJING, CHINA - Chinese developer Country Garden has won approval from creditors to extend a deadline for a key bond repayment,...
- One of China's biggest builders, Country Garden had racked up debts estimated at 1.43 trillion yuan ($196 billion) by the end of 2022
- Country Garden's bondholders voted this week to delay repayment on a bond worth 3.9 billion yuan ($535 million), to give it time to recover financially
Geostrategy
Iraq-Iran rail link to facilitate travel, tourism and medical treatments
Iraq's prime minister inaugurated construction work on what is slated to become the first railway line connecting the country to...
- The project had been under discussion for years before an agreement was reached in 2021.
- The Iraqi PM thanked Iran for planned demining operations at the border to clear the way for the train line.
Geostrategy
Iran pilgrims among 18 dead in Iraq road accident
Baghdad, Iraq--A road accident killed 18 people, mostly Iranian pilgrims, north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad overnight, the state news...
- According to state media, the accident between Dujail and Samarra also injured 13 people, citing the toll from director of health services in Salaheddine province
- Every year millions of Shiite pilgrims, many of them from Iran, visit the holy shrine city of Karbala for Arbaeen, one of the world's biggest religious gatherings
Geostrategy
Iran FM rejects Macron remarks over Lebanon ‘interference’
Taking a dig at President Emmanuel Macron, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Macron should focus on "situation inside...
- For more than a year, Lebanon has been governed by a caretaker cabinet and without a president since late October
- On a visit to Beirut, Iran's foreign minister called on Lebanon to overcome its political deadlock and elect a president
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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
Lab-grown diamonds robbing southern Africa of riches
Johannesburg, South Africa -- Botswana and southern African peers that built much of their prosperity on diamonds are scrambling for...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Israel expands ground offensive in Gaza city, dozens killed as fighting engulfs Shujaiya neighborhood
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the army was dividing Gaza and "seizing territory" to force Hamas to free the remaining...
Geostrategy
Nations divided ahead of decisive week for shipping emissions
London, United Kingdom -- Members of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are divided over whether to approve a carbon tax on...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Business
Stocks, oil slump as China retaliates and Trump digs in heels
Despite the market turmoil, Trump insisted: "my policies will never change". Wall Street stocks fell more than two percent at...
- Beijing also imposed exports controls on seven rare earth elements, including gadolinium -- commonly used in MRIs -- and yttrium, utilized in consumer electronics.
- French President Emmanuel Macron has called for suspending investment in the United States until what he called the "brutal" new tariffs had been "clarified".
Arts & Culture
First footage of James Cameron directed ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ revealed
Las Vegas, United States - Evil Na'vi. Giant volcanoes. Airborne boats. The first-ever footage from "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the...
- The film "expands the beautiful world of Pandora and introduces two new clans," explained star Zoe Saldana
- More respected than loved by critics, the previous two "Avatar" films were unprecedented commercial hits
Economy
Trump defiant as tariffs send world markets into panic
Wall Street led a global markets bloodbath Thursday as countries around the world reeled from President Donald Trump's trade war,...
- Shock waves tore through markets in the United States, Europe and Asia after Trump's tariff bombshell
- Trump dismissed the turmoil, insisting to reporters as he left for a weekend at his Florida golf resort that stocks will "boom."