Qatar to expand scheme to boost Syria power supply
Qatar is to expand its scheme to boost the power supply in Syria by paying for deliveries of Azerbaijani gas...
Economy
Business
Stocks rise, dollar slips as Fed signals softer rate hike pace
Wednesday's much-anticipated minutes showed most US central bank chiefs felt smaller increases would "likely soon be appropriate" as the economy...
- Bets were growing on officials announcing a 50-basis-point lift at their December gathering, down from four straight 75-point hikes
- Investors are keeping a close watch on China after it announced new Covid cases on Thursday as authorities worked to curb the spread with snap lockdowns
Business
China’s ‘iPhone city’ tightens Covid rules after violent protests
The curbs in Zhengzhou are part of China's national zero-tolerance approach to Covid, which involves grueling lockdowns, travel restrictions and...
- Hundreds of workers took to the streets around the vast iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, confronting hazmat-clad personnel wielding batons in a rare display of public anger in China
- In the wake of the unrest, Zhengzhou authorities ordered mass testing and an effective lockdown for several districts in the central Chinese city starting Friday
Business
Journalists have much to lose if Twitter dies
Journalists have been tied to the platform for announcements by politicians and celebrities -- most famously the dreaded late-night and...
- There has been fevered talk of the platform's imminent demise since billionaire Elon Musk took over last month and began firing vast numbers of staff
- End of the Twitter could spur a return to "more traditional ways of researching and reporting", said Mathew Ingram, digital media specialist at the Columbia Journalism Review
Economy
Air pollution killed 238,000 Europeans prematurely in 2020: EEA
Across the 27-nation bloc that year, "exposure to concentrations of fine particulate matter above the 2021 World Health Organization guideline...
- Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5 travel deep into the respiratory tract, worsening the risk of bronchitis, asthma and lung disease
- The EU wants to slash premature deaths related to fine particulate matter pollution by 55 percent in 2030 compared to 2005 levels
Geostrategy
Morocco king discusses Western Sahara with UN chief
The King of Morocco Mohammed VI has reaffirmed its position on the Western Sahara dispute to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres...
- The UN confirmed that Guterres and the monarch had discussed "the situation in the region and, in particular, in Western Sahara"
- Last year, Guterres appointed Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura as his personal envoy for Western Sahara, in an attempt to revive the stalled peace process
Geostrategy
Iraq to deploy forces along border with Iran and Turkey
Responding to Iranian calls for the deployment of border guards, Iraq will redeploy federal guards along its border with Iran...
- The initiative will be "in coordination with the government of the Kurdistan region and the peshmerga ministry", the statement added
- Ankara launched a campaign of air strikes targeting Kurdish forces across parts of Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Claw-Sword, following the Istanbul blast
Business
Iraqi furniture-maker carves up stereotypes
Nour al-Janabi, 29, designs, makes and mends in her south Baghdad workshop go from rustic style to Louis XV. She...
- In oil-rich Iraq, women make up just 13.3 percent of the labour force, according to the World Bank.
- Janabi said she receives comments from women and men telling her: "You make Iraq proud and you have accomplished something."
Geostrategy
One dead in twin Jerusalem bus stop attacks: medics
Jerusalem— At least one person was killed and 14 wounded in two separate explosions targeting bus stops in Jerusalem Wednesday,...
- The police said the twin blasts struck half an hour apart, noting that explosives experts were at the scene with police and forensic scientists
- Violence has flared this year, particularly in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli army has launched near-daily raids
UK probes Apple, Google over cloud gaming, browsers
Apple and Google "have an effective duopoly on mobile ecosystems that allows them to exercise a stranglehold over operating systems,...
- An overwhelming 97 percent of all mobile internet browsing in Britain took place using Apple or Google technology in 2021
- Many UK companies and web developers argue that the status quo is harming their businesses, holding back innovation and adding costs
Business
Tunisian village banks on cacti to bring in fortune
In a dry country where access to water is already far below the 1,700 cubic meters per resident per year...
- Used in moisturizing and anti-ageing products, the oil is a much-needed cash cow in a region where one third of people live in poverty
- The success of the prickly pear in Zelfen has prompted farmers in other regions such as Nabeul and Kairouan to take an interest
Most Read
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
Qatar to expand scheme to boost Syria power supply
Qatar is to expand its scheme to boost the power supply in Syria by paying for deliveries of Azerbaijani gas...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Gaza civil defense says new Israel strike kills 21 in West Rafah camp
Israel launched its controversial assault on Rafah earlier this month, dismissing concerns for the safety of the 1.4 million Palestinian...
Geostrategy
Saudi king chairs cabinet meeting after ‘recovery’
The meeting comes nearly 10 days since the royal court said the king had a lung infection and was undergoing...
Geostrategy
Egypt military says guard killed in ‘shooting’ at Rafah border
Al-Qahera News, which has links to Egyptian intelligence, quoted a defence official as saying an initial probe of the shooting...
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Business
Saudi PIF launches Neo Space Group to boost space industry
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF)on Monday launched the Neo Space Group to work on the kingdom's...
- The Neo Space Group or NSG is the "PIF's first investment focused on the space industry", the sovereign wealth fund said in a statement.
- It "aims to develop and enhance commercial space operations in Saudi Arabia, providing innovative satellite and space solutions locally and globally", the PIF said.
Geostrategy
Israel faces global outcry over Gaza strike that set ablaze tent city
The UN called on Israel to conduct a "thorough and transparent" investigation into the Rafah strike, as the Israeli military...
- Across the region, the Israeli attack sparked strong protests from mediators Egypt and Qatar as well as from Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "we will do everything possible to hold these barbarians and murderers accountable".
Geostrategy
Hamas armed wing says fired ‘large rocket barrage’ at Tel Aviv
Rocket sirens blared in Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with an AFP correspondent reported hearing at least...
- The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a post on Telegram that they had targeted Tel Aviv "with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist (Israeli) massacres against civil
- Israel's army said at least eight rockets were fired towards central areas of the country from Rafah, where its forces have been battling Palestinian fighters