US to deny visas to Palestinian officials at UN summit as France pushes statehood recognition
The extraordinary step further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which adamantly rejects a Palestinian state and has...
Geostrategy
Fed governor calls for rate cut at September policy meeting
A governor of the US Federal Reserve, Christopher Waller, said Thursday that the central bank should lower its key interest...
Economy
Switzerland: UBS merger with Credit Suisse raises job fears
Keeping the Swiss banking division as an independent unit appeals to many in Switzerland -- particularly as it could prevent...
- Investors are anxious to know whether UBS will integrate the Swiss banking division into its own domestic business, sell it, or even split it through a share offering
- Ethos, which represents pension funds in Switzerland, said splitting off the Swiss branch was best option to protect jobs and to avoid concentrating risks in one giant bank
Geostrategy
Iraqi Kurds hold their breath as key Turkish election draws closer
Iraqi Kurds are watching with anxiety the tightest electoral battle yet for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the outcome of which could...
- Iraq's Kurdish government scarcely reprimands Ankara, despite Turkey routinely bombarding its territory and causing civilian casualties
- Kurdish leaders have built relationships with Erdogan, if the president changes, the whole relationship between Arbil and Ankara changes,
Disney Plus stems financial loss but sheds subscribers for second straight quarter
Analysts had foreseen an increase in subscribers for the period, but a hike in prices sent customers turning away from...
- Total subscribers to Disney Plus fell to 157.8 million, the Burbank, California-based group said, with the company losing $659 million in its streaming unit
- Disney said that despite the fall in subscribers, revenue per customer had increased and added it believed the subscribers would again pick up
Geostrategy
Austria to stop TikTok use on government devices
Vienna, Austria - Austria said on Wednesday it will ban TikTok on federal employees' work phones, joining a growing list of...
- "The federal government has decided to ban the private use and installation of TikTok on work devices of federal employees," said Austrian government.
- Similar measures have recently been taken by the United States, Britain, Australia, France, the Netherlands and the European Commission.
Geostrategy
Global warming raises risk of heat-related deaths among workers
The Occupational Heat Stress conference in Qatar, which focused on climate change and how rising temperatures threaten workers' health, heard...
- There is no international standard for temperatures for outdoor working, but climate change has forced new scrutiny.
- Last year's World Cup in Qatar drew attention to workers toiling in temperatures that can top 50 degrees, prompting Qatar to ban outdoor working from 10am to 3.30pm.
Rare Hebrew Bible, Rousseau up for sale in New York
At Christie's, the star lot is Henri Rousseau's "Les Flamants," which is set to smash the record price at auction...
- Codex Sassoon, the most expensive historical document to ever go under the hammer and is tipped to fetch up to $50 million at Sotheby's on May 17
- Other Sotheby's highlights include Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1985 ode to jazz "Now's the Time," which is predicted to achieve more than $30 million
Video and audio calls coming to Twitter, says Musk
Since buying Twitter for $44 billion late last year, Musk has made changes in seemingly impulsive ways, sometimes causing chaos...
- Twitter boss contended that the WhatsApp messaging service operated by Meta "cannot be trusted"
- He added that Twitter will start direct messages on the platform, scrambling contents to safeguard privacy
Geostrategy
Saudi diplomats to return to Damascus to restore broken ties
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was politically isolated in the region since the conflict began, but a flurry of diplomatic activity...
- The kingdom would seek to develop joint Arab action, Saudi foreign ministry said, two days after Syria was readmitted to the Arab League
- The move comes weeks after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met in Damascus with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan
Geostrategy
Ukraine peace talks seem a remote possibility, says UN chief
CUACOS, SPAIN - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peace negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine were "not possible at this...
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped it was possible "in the future" to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table.
- The UN chief's statement came as the leaders of Russia and Ukraine called for victory during events commemorating the end of World War II.
Geostrategy
Israel defends Gaza attacks even as its rights record criticized
Israel told the UN it was justified in carrying out strikes on Gaza, even as its overall human rights record...
- The Israeli army said that in its Gaza air strikes, it had targeted three leaders of Islamic Jihad, which it considers legitimate target.
- Gaza health ministry said four children were among those killed and 20 people were wounded, some of them in serious or critical condition.
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US to deny visas to Palestinian officials at UN summit as France pushes statehood recognition
The extraordinary step further aligns President Donald Trump's administration with Israel's government, which adamantly rejects a Palestinian state and has...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Amazon triples quarterly profit
Business
Egypt’s middle class cuts costs as IMF-backed reforms take hold
Cairo, Egypt -- Egypt's economy has been in crisis for years, but as the latest round of International Monetary Fund-backed reforms...
Economy
Magritte’s ‘Empire of Light’ to fetch nearly $100m at New York auction
New York, United States -- With a Magritte painting estimated to sell for nearly $100 million, drawings by pop artist Keith...
Arts & Culture
Israel escalates bombing in Lebanon as Hezbollah fires projectiles; UN warns of Gaza famine
Israel escalated strikes on Hezbollah in Beirut and Tyre, targeting strongholds, while Hezbollah launched retaliatory attacks on Haifa, hitting a...
Most Read
Xi, Biden in Peru for APEC summit, pre-Trump face-to-face
uncertainty over Trump's next moves now clouds the APEC agenda -- as it does for the COP29 climate talks underway...
- President Vladimir Putin of APEC member Russia will not be present
- Trump has threatened tariffs of up to 60 percent on imports of Chinese goods
Business
TikTok makes AI driven ad tool available globally
San Francisco, United States - TikTok on Thursday began letting all marketers on its platform use an artificial intelligence-powered tool for...
- The news came with word that Getty Images will make its stockpile of pictures and video available to TikTok's AI‑powered video generation tool called Symphony Creative Studio
- Brands will be able to use Getty's licensed images and videos to create AI-generated ads, including marketing messages featuring characters resembling real people
Geostrategy
Lebanon economic losses top $5 billion in year of clashes: World Bank
Beirut, Lebanon -- More than a year of clashes that recently escalated into war have cost Lebanon more than $5 billion...
- The losses are "largely concentrated in the commerce and tourism and hospitality sectors... as well as in the agriculture sector", the Bank said in a report.
- "The final cost of damage and losses for Lebanon associated with the conflict is expected to significantly exceed those presented in this assessment," the report said.