UK’s Starmer hosts Israeli president for tense visit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with the visiting head of...
Geostrategy
Israeli strikes shake quiet Qatar, strain US ties
It also cast serious doubt on Qatar-mediated Gaza ceasefire talks and undermined security reassurances to the Gulf from key ally...
Geostrategy
Business
Alibaba quarterly revenue up 14 percent
Alibaba's revenue amounted to 234.1 billion yuan ($32.5 billion).
- Alibaba's net profit was up 51 percent on-year, reaching 34.3 billion yuan ($4.76bn) during the April-June period
- Alibaba is a key player in China's expansive digital economy and the operator of a major online shopping platform
Geostrategy
Tunisia, Libya collaborate to help stranded migrants at border
In a collaborative bid to address the migrant crisis, Tunisia and Libya have announced a shared responsibility for hundreds of...
- Tunisia and Libya agree to share responsibility for hundreds of migrants stranded at their border
- Tunisia will take charge of 126 migrants, including children, with Libya accommodating the remaining 150-200
Arts & Culture
Kuwait bars Barbie movie from theatres citing ‘public ethics’
Kuwait City, Kuwait - Kuwait has barred hit film Barbie from cinemas over concerns about "public ethics", officials have said, also...
- "Barbie" and "Talk to Me" both "promulgate ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order", said an official
- If a film contains alien concepts, message or unacceptable behavior, the Kuwaiti cinema committee bans the movie, he said further
Disney streaming service sees subscribers fall again
Disney+ finished the quarter with 146.1 million subscribers, compared with just shy of 158 million in the first three months...
- Disney shares were up more than 2 percent to $90 in after market trades despite the drop in streaming service subscriber numbers
- The unusual quarterly loss for the company was due to charges related to ending licensing agreements and yanking content from its streaming platforms
Economy
Oil prices surge to multi-month highs, mixed day for global stocks
Production limitations set by the OPEC + exporters "are continuing to offset concerns over demand," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst...
- China slipped into deflation for the first time in more than two years in July, official data showed
- Despite the anemic China figures, crude oil prices vaulted higher with European benchmark Brent futures jumping 1.6 percent
Saudi League starts, as world watches after a year of high-profile transfers
The world's biggest oil exporter has thrown hundreds of millions at sports deals including Ronaldo's capture, Formula One in Jeddah...
- Clubs in the oil-rich Gulf state have drawn global stars, with Karim Benzema, Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane among those following in Cristiano Ronaldo's footsteps
- Last month Al-Hilal made a $328 million bid for Kylian Mbappe, though the Paris Saint-Germain striker reportedly refused to meet with officials from the club
Economy
Iraq’s extreme temperatures a ‘wake-up call’ for world: UN
It has been experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought, and temperatures in the country have been around 50 degrees...
- In Iraq's far south, high salinity has harmed fishing in the Shatt al-Arab waterway, where the Tigris and Euphrates converge
- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani has vowed that battling climate change would be one of his priorities
41 migrants missing after new Mediterranean shipwreck
The metal boat overturned in bad weather during the night of Thursday to Friday after setting off from the Tunisian...
- A Frontex plane on Tuesday morning spotted "a metal boat with four people on board" in waters covered by Libyan search and rescue, the agency said
- IOM press officer said the migrants' boat would have been ill-equipped for the kind of bad weather seen in the Central Mediterranean in the past week
Arts & Culture
Lebanon to ban Barbie film for allegedly promoting homosexuality
BEIRUT, LEBANON - Lebanon's culture minister said on Wednesday he had asked authorities to ban hit movie "Barbie" for purportedly "promoting...
- The film, which has topped $1 billion in global revenues, was due to be screened in Lebanese cinemas from August 31.
- Though it was widely anticipated by LGBTQ communities worldwide, the film does not contain any overt references to same-sex relationships.
Business
World’s largest cruise ship all set to sail
TURKU, FINLAND - With cruise bookings seeing a resurgence after the Covid pandemic caused luxury liners to mothball, a Finnish shipyard...
- Royal Caribbean's luxurious new vessel Icon of the Seas is nearing completion in the Turku shipyard on Finland's southwestern coast.
- Resembling a village more than a ship, the mammoth vessel boasts colourful waterparks, more than 20 decks and can carry nearly 10,000 people.
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UK’s Starmer hosts Israeli president for tense visit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with the visiting head of...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Turkey protesters defiant despite nearly 1,500 arrests
The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest of Istanbul opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu as part of a graft...
Geostrategy
Israel releases Palestinian Oscar winner after West Bank detention
Jerusalem, Undefined - Israeli police on Tuesday released Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, detained a day earlier for "hurling rocks"...
Arts & Culture
Russia, Ukraine agree to halt Black Sea strikes in US-brokered talks in Saudi Arabia
With President Donald Trump pushing for a rapid end to the war that has killed tens of thousands of people,...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Houthi PC small group’ leak: Probe underway after sensitive info exposure
The breach became public on Monday after The Atlantic magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg published an article recounting how he was...
- On March 14, messages in the group indicated that a US strike was being prepared against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
- The militant group has been trying to interrupt trade via the Red Sea and have targeted US military vessels several times in recent months.
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia draw with Japan to keep World Cup hopes alive
Saitama, Japan -- Saudi Arabia battled to a 0-0 away draw with already qualified Japan on Tuesday to keep their...
- The Saudis went into the game in Saitama in third place in Asian qualifying third round Group C, one point behind Australia.
- The top two teams qualify directly for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with those placing third and fourth going into another qualifying round.
Arts & Culture
Palestinian behind Oscar-winning documentary arrested by Israeli army
Jerusalem, Undefined - The Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary "No Other Land" was attacked by settlers and arrested by...
- The incident took place in the southern West Bank village of Susiya, according to the anti-occupation NGO Center for Jewish Nonviolence
- "No Other Land", which was directed by Israeli-Palestinian activists, won best documentary at this year's Academy Awards