Who will staff Trump’s Govt? A look at top contenders, with Elon Musk among the likely picks
Tesla CEO Elon Musk could head a new "Department of Government Efficiency," promising $2 trillion in federal budget cuts and...
Geostrategy
What impact will Donald Trump have on the world economy?
Paris, France -- Donald Trump's return to the White House with his protectionist policies poses threats for the global economy, with...
Geostrategy
Business
McDonald’s profits up 7%
The quarterly profits increased despite weak Middle East sales.
- "The continued impact of the war in the Middle East more than offset positive comparable sales in Japan, Latin America and Europe," McDonald's said of the division.
- Earlier this month, McDonald's agreed to acquire Alonyal, which owns 225 McDonald's restaurants in Israel which have been hit by calls for a boycott over Gaza onslaught.
Geostrategy
Activists occupy Columbia building as US campus protests flare
Demonstrators vowed to remain at the hall until their demands are met, including that Columbia divest all financial holdings linked...
- Protests have swept through US higher education institutions, with many erecting tent encampments on campus grounds after around 100 protesters were first arrested at Columbia.
- UN human rights chief Volker Turk voiced concern at the heavy-handed steps taken to disperse the campus protests.
Geostrategy
Hopes rise for possible truce deal between Israel and Hamas
Jerusalem, Undefined - Hopes rose on Monday for a long-sought-after truce and hostage release deal after almost seven months of war...
- Washington's top diplomat said he was "hopeful" Hamas would accept the offer, which his British counterpart said could see the release of thousands of Palestinian captives
- For months, meditators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to broker a new agreement between the combatants
Geostrategy
European, Arab ministers meet in Saudi to jump-start two-state solution
Earlier on Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters he would encourage Arab leaders to put forward...
- The meeting took place on the sidelines of a two-day World Economic Forum special meeting in Riyadh that was largely devoted to the grinding war in the Gaza Strip
- Israel's offensive has killed at least 34,488 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory
Business
QatarEnergy signs $6 billion deal with China shipbuilder
The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is set to deliver eight Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) vessels in 2028 and 2029,...
- Last month, QatarEnergy announced it had signed deals for a total of 104 smaller, conventional-size vessels.
- Qatar is one of the world's top LNG producers alongside the United States, Australia and Russia.
Geostrategy
Blinken promotes Gulf Arab defence in sign to Israel and Iran
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Monday for tighter defence integration among Gulf Arabs in response to Iran, part...
- Blinken said the United States would hold defense talks in the coming weeks with the six-nation bloc
- Blinken: 'US-Saudi security pact for Israel normalization nears 'completion'.
Arts & Culture
Palestinian prisoner in Israel wins top fiction prize
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Palestinian writer Basim Khandaqji, jailed 20 years ago in Israel, won a prestigious prize for...
- The award of the 2024 International Prize for Arabic Fiction was announced at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi
- The prize was accepted on Khandaqji's behalf by Rana Idriss, owner of Dar al-Adab, the book's Lebanon-based publisher
Geostrategy
Hamas says no ‘major’ issues, as Gaza truce effort builds
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate a new truce ever since a one-week halt to...
- A delegation from the Islamist movement will arrive in Egypt on Monday to deliver the group's response to Israel's counterproposal, a senior Hamas official told AFP
- Israel's government has come under intense pressure from global allies to reach a ceasefire in the war that humanitarians say has brought Gaza to the brink of famine
Business
Dubai begins construction of ‘world’s largest’ airport terminal
"We approved the designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, and (are) commencing construction of the...
- Once fully operational, the airport will "handle a passenger capacity of 260 million annually", the government said in a statement.
- Sheikh Mohammed said it will have "the world's largest capacity" and be "five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport", one of the world's busiest air hubs.
Geostrategy
Blinken to Saudi as window shrinks on Middle East mega-deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Riyadh comes nearly seven months after the eruption of war in Gaza...
- The US State Department said that Blinken will discuss "a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel."
- As fighting drags on and mediators struggle to lock in a truce, Saudi officials have reiterated their insistence on recognition of an independent Palestinian state
Who will staff Trump’s Govt? A look at top contenders, with Elon Musk among the likely picks
Tesla CEO Elon Musk could head a new "Department of Government Efficiency," promising $2 trillion in federal budget cuts and...
Geostrategy
Company News
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‘Beautiful thing’: hijab-wearing singer looks to inspire
Arts & Culture
OECD raises growth forecast, calls for higher property taxes
Paris, France -- The OECD on Wednesday slightly raised its world economic growth forecast for 2024 but called for higher property...
Economy
Diplomacy fails Lebanon: Biden hints all-out-war while Israel plans ground invasion
Israel's army chief told troops on Wednesday to be prepared for possible entry into Lebanon as Israeli fighter jets bombarded...
Putin expects Türkiye’s Erdogan to attend BRICS summit in Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday he expected his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to attend a BRICS summit in...
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Geostrategy
Biden warns at UN against ‘full-scale war’ over Lebanon
Biden also pushed again for an elusive ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, telling the global body it was time to...
- The UN General Assembly, the high point of the diplomatic calendar, comes as Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes killed 558 people -- 50 of them children
- "Full-scale war not in anyone's interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible," Biden said in his farewell address to the global body
Economy
No peak oil demand ‘on the horizon’, phaseout a ‘fantasy’: OPEC
Paris, France - OPEC said Tuesday that phasing out oil was a "fantasy", as the Saudi-led cartel forecast that demand would...
- The oil cartel's prediction runs counter to the assessment of the Paris-based International Energy Agency, which sees demand for fossil fuels peaking this decade
- In the group's annual World Oil Outlook (WOO), OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said oil and gas make up well over half of the energy mix today
Business
UAE’s e& bends to European Union foreign subsidy rules
Brussels, Belgium -- The European Commission gave the green light Tuesday for an Emirati group to acquire the assets of a...
- The European Commission approved Emirates Telecommunications' acquisition of PPF Telecom's assets after securing concessions to avoid competition distortion.
- The deal, scrutinized under new EU rules on foreign subsidies, ensures fair competition by limiting future state aid and financing in the EU.