Almost half of Europe and Mediterranean basin hit by drought
Paris, France - Europe and the Mediterranean basin has been hit by a long-lasting drought covering over 45 percent of...
Economy
US to send ‘more weapons’ to Ukraine, after last week’s halt to shipments: Trump
US President Donald Trump said Monday the United States will send additional weapons to Ukraine, after the White House announced...
Geostrategy
Arts & Culture
Gentrified Cairo has no room for homes on Nile
Dozens of vibrantly colored floating homes have for decades dotted the banks of the River Nile, rare havens of leafy...
- Residents of the 30 or so houseboats that remain moored on the banks of the Nile last week received eviction orders
- Barely a week after the eviction order, some boats have already been towed off and impounded in a state marina, despite petitions and campaigning
Business
Taliban and US to discuss release of frozen funds after quake
The United States and the Taliban plan talks Thursday in Qatar on unlocking some of Afghanistan's reserves following a devastating...
- White House said it is working "urgently" on the effort to release Afghan's frozen funds
- Washington at the time froze $7 billion in reserves and the international community halted billions in direct aid to Afghanistan
Business
OPEC meeting expected to stick to oil output boost
Major oil producers led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are expected to stick to a previously decided output boost at...
- The 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, chaired by Saudi Arabia, and their 10 partners, led by Russia, drastically slashed output in 2020
- But several OPEC+ members have been failing to meet the output quotas, while Iran and Venezuela -- and now also Russia -- are blocked by sanctions
Business
Recession fears drag down European, Asian stocks
Asian and European stock markets nursed losses Wednesday on resurgent fears that sharp interest rate hikes aimed at tackling runaway...
- Bourses in Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo, and Hong Kong all lost around one percent or more, taking their cues from Tuesday's rout on Wall Street
- Updated first quarter US GDP data released Wednesday chopped the personal consumption growth figure to 1.8 percent, from 3.1 percent
Arts & Culture
Young Arab artists dream of freedom in unique talent show
The show was performed under the stars at a seaside theatre in the resort of Hammamet and broadcast across the...
- The show was performed under the stars at a seaside theatre in the resort of Hammamet and broadcast across the region
- The show, the fourth of its kind, also served as a showcase for up-and-coming talent, such as Ahmed al-Qrinawi from Gaza
Geostrategy
Iran-US talks in Qatar fail to make progress on nuclear deal
Indirect talks in Qatar's capital between Iran and the US on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal have concluded with "no...
- The negotiations in Doha were an attempt to reboot long-running European Union-mediated talks on a return to the 2015 agreement between Tehran and world powers
- But by Wednesday night, a US State Department spokesperson said the "indirect discussions in Doha have concluded"
Geostrategy
Israel’s Bennett won’t run in next election as parliament set to dissolve
Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Wednesday he would not stand in upcoming elections, as parliament postponed a vote to...
- Bennett's motley alliance formed with Lapid in June 2021 offered a reprieve from an unprecedented era of political gridlock
- Bennett said the final straw was a failure to renew a measure that ensures the roughly 475,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank live under Israeli law
Business
US stocks on defensive amid inflation and slowdown anxiety
Wall Street stocks were mixed early Wednesday, treading water after the prior session's pullback that came amid worries over soaring...
- After last week's rally, stocks were back on the defensive Tuesday, falling hard after downcast consumer confidence reading.
- The broad-based S&P 500 added 0.1 percent at 3,825.61, while the Nasdaq Composite Index dipped 0.1 percent to 11,173.57.
Business
World Bank approves $130m loan for Tunisia to ensure food security
The loan approved Wednesday aims to ensure "affordable bread for the poor, barley for livestock, and agricultural inputs for domestic...
- The package is aimed at lessening the impact of the Ukraine war by financing vital soft wheat imports.
- Tunisia is dealing with heavy public debt, a low credit rating and steep inflation, which worsened because of Ukraine war.
Geostrategy
Syria seizes record 2.3 tons of stimulant captagon: Ministry
With a kilo of captagon estimated to amount to around 6,000 pills, the cumulated number of pills seized tops 14...
- Law enforcement officers had earlier discovered 249 kilos of captagon hidden in steel machinery inside containers ready to leave the Mediterranean port of Latakia.
- The haul would be the largest recorded this year and bring the total of pills seized in the first half of 2022 to more than 145 million a across the region.
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Almost half of Europe and Mediterranean basin hit by drought
Paris, France - Europe and the Mediterranean basin has been hit by a long-lasting drought covering over 45 percent of...
Economy
Company News
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Gaza aid port plans ‘sign of international weakness’: Amnesty
Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty, said nobody was holding Israel to account over the delays to deliveries by land...
Geostrategy
Despite post-Covid development rebound, rich-poor gap widens: UN
The rebound follows two years of decline, when, in 2021 and 2022, the global Human Development Index fell twice in...
Geostrategy
European Parliament approves ‘pioneering’ rules to govern AI
Senior European Union officials say the rules, first proposed in 2021, will protect citizens from the risks of a technology...
Business
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Israeli troops kill two Palestinians in West Bank hospital
Asked about the reported deaths, the Israeli military said soldiers "fired toward armed suspects identified in the area" and that...
- The killings before dawn took place on the compound of the government hospital in Jenin, in the north of the West Bank, the hospital's director, Wissam Bakr, told AFP
- The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry says at least 430 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli troops and settlers since Oct 7.
Geostrategy
Germany joins operation to airdrop humanitarian aid into Gaza
"The people in Gaza are lacking the most basic necessities. We want to do our part to ensure that they...
- The defense ministry said it would deploy the German part of a joint German-French air transport squadron to participate in the mission
- The operation, initiated by Jordan, already has the participation of several other countries including France and the United States
Geostrategy
Scores wounded as UN aid agency’s warehouse ‘hit’ in Gaza
The incident comes amid mounting concern about worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where Israel has carried out relentless military operations...
- Cumbersome Israeli security checks on all cargoes entering the territory slow down the delivery of aid, and some trucks are sent back when they are found to contain forbidden items
- Gaza health ministry said four people were killed in the bombing. As of March 4, a total of 162 UNRWA employees had been killed since the beginning of the war.