“We are facing a global crisis”: Plastic pollution treaty talks open with ‘global crisis’ warning
Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench...
Economy
UN starts new bid to forge plastics treaty amid ‘global crisis’
Geneva, Switzerland -- Nations must resolve the global plastics crisis, the head of UN talks told negotiators from 180 countries...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Israeli troops kill Palestinian militant in West Bank clashes
Nablus has seen frequent clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants in recent months, as the army has stepped up...
- Palestinian health ministry said Ahmed Atef Daraghmeh, 23, a footballer from the nearby town of Tulkarem, sustained bullet wounds to the back and foot
- Members of the new governing coalition announced by Netanyahu late Wednesday have called for an even tougher crackdown on Palestinians
Economy
Suez Canal chief says waterway ‘not for sale’
Allaying fears over the future of the Suez Canal, its chairman said the waterway 'is not for sale. The fear...
- Many fear the fund would undermine the state's sovereignty over the waterway which accounts for roughly 10 percent of global maritime trade
- The proposed bill comes with Egypt's economy struggling under growing foreign debt, and the local currency plunging against the dollar
Economy
Japan inflation at 3.7% in November, highest since 1981
The November figure is well below the sky-high levels that have sparked concern in the United States, Britain and elsewhere,...
- Core consumer prices, which exclude volatile fresh food costs, climbed 3.7 percent last month compared to a year earlier
- Prices jumped the most for processed food items and were also higher for electricity and durable goods like air conditioners
Economy
Turkey raises yearly minimum wage for third time as inflation jumps
Turkey's latest economic crisis started when Erdogan -- a lifelong opponent of high interest rates -- pressured the central bank...
- Erdogan relied on support from the working classes to rise to power nearly two decades ago, and will need it again to secure re-election.
- On Thursday the Turkish leader said the country would boost the monthly take-home pay to a minimum of 8,500 liras ($455).
Economy
Lebanese PM urges sweeping reforms for reviving economy
Mikati said the economy had grown by nearly two percent in 2022 after two straight years of severe recession that...
- He said increased revenues from tourism and a rise in remittances from Lebanese living abroad were factors behind the modest growth.
- Mikati has led a caretaker government since a May general election failed to deliver a majority to either of Lebanon's rival power blocs.
France fines Microsoft 60 million euros over advertising cookies
The French regulator said that after investigations it found that "when users visited this site, cookies were deposited on their...
- CNIL said Microsoft's search engine Bing had not set up a system allowing users to refuse cookies as simply as accepting them
- Google and Facebook were sanctioned by French regulator with fines of 150 million and 60 million euros respectively for their use of cookies
Geostrategy
Huthi rebels tighten restrictions on Yemeni women: Activist
Dubai, United Arab Emirates--Yemeni student Abir al-Maqtari dreamt of studying abroad but amid a tightening of restrictions on women, Huthi forces...
- Yemeni society has traditionally allowed space for individual freedoms. But this is changing under the Huthi movement, which was founded with the aim of enforcing a theocracy.
- Recently the Huthis clamped down on women travelling without a "mahram" -- or male relative -- even within the country.
Economy
Asian markets join Wall Street advance as recession worries subdue
With dust settling after the Bank of Japan's surprise shift from ultra-loose monetary policy, investors embarked on a mini Santa...
- The global gains came after hefty selling since the Fed and European Central Bank signalled they would likely lift interest rates higher than expected to fight inflation.
- All three main indexes on Wall Street ended more than one percent higher, while European equities also barrelled along.
Business
US proposes $300 mn fine over huge robocall ‘scam’ campaign
The operation placed about 5.2 billion calls to more than 550 million wireless and residential phones between January and March...
- The Federal Communications Commission said the "auto warranty scam" campaign included "international cohorts" in Panama and Hungary
- Cox and Jones, who are both from the United States, were banned from making telemarketing calls under earlier US actions
Crypto firm Binance endures wild weeks in wake of FTX collapse
On Friday, accountancy firm Mazars, engaged by Binance to provide a "proof of reserves" report, abruptly halted work with all...
- After the collapse of its rival FTX in a hail of allegations of fraud and criminality last month, trust in the entire sector has crumbled
- Customers pulled more than $3 billion from Binance in a single day last week as part of a three-day frenzy that saw more than $6 billion withdrawn
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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
“We are facing a global crisis”: Plastic pollution treaty talks open with ‘global crisis’ warning
Plastic pollution is so ubiquitous that microplastics have been found on the highest mountain peaks, in the deepest ocean trench...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Gaza health officials say 24 killed in Israeli strikes
Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that at least 20 were killed in a strike on a...
Geostrategy
Arab-American mayor warns Biden has not ‘earned my vote’
Hammoud sidesteps the question of whether he could ultimately endorse Biden under the right circumstances, emphasizing that whatever he might...
UK’s richest family get jail terms for exploiting staff at Swiss villa
Geneva, Switzerland -A Swiss court handed jail sentences to four members of Britain's richest family on Friday, branding them "selfish" for...
Business
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Geostrategy
Saudi official defends management of hajj after hundreds die
"The state did not fail, but there was a misjudgment on the part of people who did not appreciate the...
- He said the government had confirmed 577 deaths for the two busiest days of hajj: Saturday, when pilgrims gathered at Mount Arafat and Sunday in Mina for stoning ritual
- "This happened amid difficult weather conditions and a very harsh temperature," the official said, while acknowledging that the 577 figure was partial and did not cover all of hajj
Geostrategy
Hajj death toll tops 1,000 after extreme heat: AFP tally
The new deaths reported Thursday included 58 from Egypt, according to an Arab diplomat who provided a breakdown showing that...
- The national meteorological center reported a high of 51.8 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) this week at the Grand Mosque in Mecca.
- A Saudi study published last month said temperatures in the area are rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade.
Geostrategy
Israel-Hezbollah tensions drive fears of widening Gaza war
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's group and Israeli forces have exchanged near-daily fire since Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel...
- Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets into northern Israel in retaliation for a deadly air strike in south Lebanon
- Experts are divided on the prospect of wider war