Walking sharks, bombing crocodiles: Italian Brainrot memes only kids know
Shouty, crude and often nonsensical Italian voiceovers feature in many of the clips made by people in various countries that...
Arts & Culture
Economy
UN blames Myanmar military coup for boost in opium farming
The area of land used for opium poppy cultivation expanded by a third to just over 40,000 hectares in 2021-22...
- The UNODC estimates Myanmar's opium economy is worth around $2 billion -- the equivalent of up to three percent of the country's GDP in 2021
- A combination of the pandemic and the aftermath of the coup hammered Myanmar's economy with an 18 percent contraction in 2021, according to the World Bank
UAE astronaut says not required to fast during Ramadan on ISS
Asked at a press conference Wednesday how he will observe the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims typically fast from...
- Sultan al-Neyadi will become the first Arab astronaut to spend six months in space when he blasts off for the International Space Station next month aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9
- Neyadi, NASA's Stephen Bowen and Warren Hoburg and Russia's Andrey Fedyaev are scheduled to fly to the ISS on February 26 as members of SpaceX Dragon Crew-6
Economy
Israeli broadcast staff protest planned budget cuts
"We are all KAN," read placards at the demonstration, referring to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), as employees were...
- Israel's new Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi warned earlier this month of potentially hefty budget cuts to KAN
- Karhi has also taken aim at journalists, whom he said "should please the public" rather than working "to please their milieu"
Economy
Libya signs US$8bn deal with Italy to develop offshore sites
Looking to develop offshore hydrocarbon sites, Libya's National Oil Corporation has signed an $8-billion deal with Italian energy company ENI....
- Libya sits atop Africa's biggest oil reserves but has been engulfed by conflict since the 2011 revolt that toppled longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi
- Italy has been scrambling to find alternatives to Russian energy since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to visit Tripoli
Business
Boeing posts Q4 loss of US$634m
Firm confirmed its 2023 outlook amid strong aviation demand.
- Boeing said its commercial plane business was dented by "abnormal costs".
- It said "labor instability and supply chain disruption" weighed on its defense, space and security unit.
Geostrategy
Lebanon top prosecutor charges Beirut blast judge
Investigative judge Tarek Bitar crossed all red lines earlier this week by daring to charge several powerful figures over the...
- The judicial arm-wrestling is the latest of crisis-torn Lebanon's mounting woes, as the value of the national currency hit a new record low against the US dollar on Wednesday.
- Bitar resumed work on the investigation this week after a 13-month hiatus, charging eight high-level officials over the blast, including Prosecutor General Ghassan Oueidat.
Geostrategy
Iraqi PM to visit France for energy and security talks
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will travel to France on Thursday for energy and security talks with...
- Sudani said he wants to "activate the agreements" between oil-rich Iraq and France "particularly in the transport, energy and investment sectors".
- French giant TotalEnergies in 2021 signed a $10 billion contract with Baghdad, but work on the multiple projects is yet to begin.
Geostrategy
Israel forces kill Palestinian in alleged knife attack
Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian in the West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, in what the army described...
- The Israeli army said that the Palestinian "attempted to carry out a stabbing attack" near the Jewish settlement of Kdumim.
- Last year, 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank, the highest annual toll since United Nations records began in 2005.
Geostrategy
Chris Hipkins replaces Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand PM
Ardern said last week she no longer had "enough in the tank" after steering the country through natural disasters, its...
- The 44-year-old is now tasked with reversing the government's sagging popularity, which has been hampered by a deteriorating economy and a resurgent conservative opposition.
- Ardern, a global figurehead of progressive politics, has been credited with raising New Zealand's profile on the world stage.
Geostrategy
Lebanese protest as local currency hits new low
Lebanese protesters blocked roads and burnt tires near the central bank in Beirut as the local currency plummeted to a...
- Lebanese banks have imposed draconian restrictions on withdrawals since the country's economy collapsed three years ago.
- Dozens of protesters gathered Wednesday near the central bank headquarters amid heavy deployment of security forces.
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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
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Lufthansa profit spikes in 2023
Business
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Iran’s Khamenei formally grants Pezeshkian presidential powers
In a message read by the director of Khamenei's office, he said: "I endorse the vote (for) the wise, honest,...
Geostrategy
AI startups swap independence for Big Tech’s deep pockets
Washington, United States -- It's the case of the vanishing startup: some of Silicon Valley's most promising names in the fast-developing...
Business
Israel vows retaliation after rocket kills 12 youths in occupied Golan Heights area
Israel's security cabinet on Sunday authorized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to decide on the "manner and timing" of a...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Gaza mediators, Israel spy chief to meet in Rome: Egypt media
"A four-way meeting between Egyptian officials and their American and Qatari counterparts, in the presence of Israel's intelligence chief, will...
- Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been involved in months of mediation efforts aimed at ending the Israel-Hamas war
- The proposed truce deal would be linked to the release of hostages held by Gaza fighters in exchange for Palestinian captives held in Israel
Economy
Asian markets battle to recover from tech rout after reassuring US data
Asian traders struggled to fight back Friday after a tech-fuelled sell-off, taking heart from forecast-beating US growth data that reassured...
- Figures showing the US economy expanded far more than expected in the second quarter
- Attention now turns to personal US consumption expenditure figures, due later today
UAE urges ‘temporary international mission’ for post-war Gaza
Washington has said repeatedly that it opposes post-war government of Gaza by either Israel or Hamas and has called for...
- It came after Arab heads of state called at a summit in May for the deployment of UN peacekeepers across the occupied Palestinian territories, an idea strongly opposed by Israel
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said little about his plans for post-war Gaza, but he wants Israel to retain control of security matters