Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit, to pursue full peace accord
Prior to the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump...
Geostrategy
World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground....
Geostrategy
Business
Spotify adds 30 sec video in revamp to attract more creators
Spotify on Wednesday introduced new tools for artists and songwriters, with a particular focus on video formats that are seen...
- Spotify unveiled a significant revamp to offer a more interactive interface, including the option to hear song previews and provide more personalized recommendations using AI
- The Swedish-owned company, which said in January that it was cutting almost six percent of its workforce to reduce costs, posted a net loss of 430 million euros for 2022
UN election plan triggers backlash in split Libya
The pushback was "predictable", said Khaled al-Montasser, a professor of international relations at the University of Tripoli, as elections would...
- Senegalese diplomat Abdoulaye Bathily told the UN Security Council last month he planned to create a panel tasked with delivering presidential and legislative elections
- But his blunt criticism of the North African country's two houses of parliament for failing to agree on elections has sparked a backlash that threatens to derail Bathily's plans
Geostrategy
In UAE, Syria child quake victims unaware of heartbreak to come
Sham Sheikh Mohammed, who suffered severe crush injuries in a 40-hour ordeal under the rubble, has not yet been told...
- Sham's survival encapsulated the tragedy, hope and heartbreak of the 7.8-magnitude quake that levelled buildings across Turkey and parts of Syria last month
- After rescue of Sham, in Idlib province, captured global attention, the UAE dispatched a medical aircraft to fly her and Omar to Abu Dhabi from Istanbul
Economy
China consumer inflation drops to lowest level in a year
China's consumer price inflation last month fell to its lowest level in a year, official data showed Thursday, as the...
- February's consumer price index (CPI) - the main gauge of inflation - rose one percent, down from a 2.1 percent annual rise in the first month of the year
- NBS statistician Dong Lijuan said the drop was caused by a "decline in consumer demand after the holidays as well as sufficient supply in the market."
Economy
US president’s budget plan to cut country’s deficit by US$3trn
Washington, United States--President Joe Biden will unveil a proposed budget on Thursday that would reduce the US national deficit by $3...
- According to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, over the next ten years the budget plan will cut the deficit by nearly $3 trillion
- Republicans who will be under pressure have said they are preparing thier own alternative budget plan focusing on spending cuts and no tax increases
Economy
Cash-strapped Egypt offers citizenship to foreigners investors
According to state newspaper Al-Ahram, a decision by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli published in the official gazette, says the premier...
- It is the latest in a series of measures by the government to woo foreign investment into Egypt, which is sapped dry of dollars
- In 2018, parliament had passed a law allowing foreigners to apply for the Egyptian nationality with a bank deposit of around $400,000
Geostrategy
After widespread outcry, Tunisia’s president denies racism
Reacting to howls of condemnation his controversial comments have ignited, Tunisia's President Kais Saied on Wednesday denied racism. Last month,...
- The president claimed that migrants were behind most crime in the North African country
- Fearing attacks since Saied's remarks, hundreds of migrants have flown home from Tunisia
Business
ChatGPT could increase phishing and cybercrime risk, warns British firm
London, United Kingdom - British cyber security firm Darktrace on Wednesday warned that artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT may have increased the...
- Microsoft-backed start-up OpenAI in November launched Content creation bot ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT had "ignited a conversation about the implications of generative AI for cyber security," the firm said.
Economy
European Central Bank head pledges to tackle high inflation in Europe
Last week, Lagarde said that more interest rate hikes might be needed in the eurozone after the half percentage point...
- The ECB has raised interest rates at an unprecedented pace since last July to bring inflation back down to its two-percent target.
- And last week, Lagarde said that more interest rate hikes might be needed in the eurozone after the half percentage point hike it has already signaled will come later this month.
Business
US private sector employment surges by 242,000 jobs in Feb
"We're seeing robust hiring, which is good for the economy and workers, but pay growth is still quite elevated," said Nela...
- The employment in private sector increased by 242,000 jobs in February, almost twice the 119,000 figure in January.
- This follows a series of recent indicators showing that hiring remained strong, consumer spending resilient.
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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
Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit, to pursue full peace accord
Prior to the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
WTO says trade alone won’t bridge gap between economies
The WTO's 2024 report on global trade looked at the role that commerce has played to narrow the gap between...
Geostrategy
First step for Europe’s hyperloop vehicles with test launch
Veendam, Netherlands -- The dream of hurtling between European cities at speeds of more than 700 kilometers per hour moved a...
Science
Israeli army orders new evacuation in northwest Gaza
The vast majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced at least once during more than 11 months of...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Israel’s Gantz says military focus needs to shift to Lebanon
"We have enough forces to deal with Gaza and we should concentrate on what is going on in the north,"...
- Israel and Iran-backed Hizbollah have been trading near-daily cross-border fire, with the Lebanese militant group saying it is acting in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas
- Gantz said Israel had made a mistake in evacuating much of the north of the country as hostilities with Hizbollah flared following the October 7 Hamas attack
Algeria’s Tebboune re-elected president for second term
That year, Tebboune became president after widely boycotted elections and mass pro-democracy protests from 2019 that died out under his...
- More than 5.3 million people voted for Tebboune, accounting for "94.65 percent of the vote", ANIE head Mohamed Charfi told reporters
- Tebboune, 78, was heavily favoured to secure a five-year second term in the race against moderate Islamist Abdelaali Hassani, 57, who took 3.17 percent of the vote
Geostrategy
Iran’s president to visit Iraq on first foreign trip, sign MoU on security
Tehran, Iran -- Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit neighboring Iraq on Wednesday, state media reported Sunday, in what will be...
- Pezeshkian will head a high-ranking Iranians delegation to Baghdad to meet senior Iraqi officials.
- Since taking office, Pezeshkian has vowed to "prioritize" strengthening ties with the Islamic republic's neighbors.