Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
Geostrategy
Netanyahu says Trump meeting could ‘advance’ Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of Doha talks
Speaking before boarding Israel's state jet bound for Washington, Netanyahu said: "We are working to achieve this deal that we...
Geostrategy
Economy
US Fed chair admits recession a ‘possibility’ after rate hikes
The US economy remains strong but a series of aggressive rate hikes meant to cool soaring inflation could eventually trigger...
- The Fed chair again stressed that policymakers understand the hardships caused by rising prices and are committed to bringing down inflation
- Last week, the US central bank announced the sharpest interest rate increase in nearly 30 years and promised additional similar moves to combat the price surge
Geostrategy
Biden trip: ‘More Arab nations to improve ties with Israel’
Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, said that the Biden administration was encouraging greater cooperation between...
- Barbara Leaf, the top US diplomat for the Middle East, said that the Biden administration was encouraging greater cooperation between Israel and the Arab nations
- The UAE, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020 became the first Arab states in decades to normalize relations with Israel as part of the so-called Abraham Accords
Geostrategy
Russia FM in Iran for talks on boosting cooperation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Iran on Wednesday for talks on boosting trade and energy cooperation as the...
- During his two-day visit, Russia's top diplomat is expected to discuss with Iranian officials the 2015 "nuclear deal, the situations in Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan
- Lavrov will meet with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday, official news agency IRNA said
Business
Oil prices and equities decline on recession fears
Oil prices fell Wednesday on worries over weakening demand in the slowing global economy as Federal Reserve Chief Jerome Powell...
- The S&P 500 finished just 0.1 percent lower, meaning it maintained most of the gains from Tuesday's heady session
- Oil prices were feeling the heat from recessionary fears, with both main contracts tanking more than six percent at one point
Business
Google first paying customer for Wikipedia’s commercial venture
Wikipedia, one of the world's most visited websites, is free to use, updated by volunteers and relies on donations to...
- Google said it had already made deals with hundreds of news outlets across Europe, Agence France-Presse among them.
- Google has previously given money to Wikipedia through donations and grants.
Business
Oil, stocks fall again as economic recession looms large
Surging energy costs are fueling global inflation, with official data Wednesday showing the British annual rate hitting a fresh 40-year...
- Oil prices were feeling the heat from recessionary fears, with both main contracts tanking more than five percent at one point.
- Crude and gas prices have soared in recent months after major economies lifted pandemic lockdowns and invasion of Ukraine.
Geostrategy
International coalition of journalists demands Assange release from UK jail
An international coalition of journalists, editors and publishers demanded Wednesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange be immediately released from a...
- Fifteen representatives of international journalist and publishers' unions and organisations gathered in Geneva for the "call to free Julian Assange in the name of press freedom".
- Assange's long-running legal saga began in 2010 after WikiLeaks published more than 500,000 classified US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Business
World Cup officials target ‘price-gouging’ as 1.2m tickets sold
Costs soar for the Qatari capital's limited accommodation. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said there were five million requests for tickets...
- Doha, with a population of about 2.4 million, is bracing itself for the huge influx of visitors. The 32-team tournament will be held at eight stadiums in and around the capital.
- Qatar says there will be 130,000 rooms in hotels, apartments, cruise ships and desert camps, where there will be 1,000 tents besides shared rooms for as little as $85 a night.
Business
A ‘small revolution’ in Iran’s pistachio trade
Abbas Emami, 88, Iran's oldest pistachio wholesaler, readies to hand his business to daughter Marjan in male-dominated trade.
- The pistachios are generally grown in the provinces of Kerman and Semnan.
- The exports brought in the equivalent of $900 million, making the industry a sizeable contributor to Iran's economy.
More than 100 killed in Afghanistan earthquake
Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the...
- In Paktika province of Afghanistan, local markets are closed as people have rushed to help earthquake affected areas
- Photographs and video clips posted on social media showed badly damaged mud houses due to the 5.9 magnitude quack that struck Afghanistan last night
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
Use of eco-friendly rice bricks surges in water-scarce Kyrgyzstan
Rice blocks require less cement, which is responsible for approximately eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to 2023...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Microsoft to train Philippine women in AI
It will partner with local schools to provide the training.
Business
US hits targets in Yemen as Houthis vow to step up attacks
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pinocchio in a statement early Tuesday, maintaining the missile strike "was...
Geostrategy
Xiaomi announces release date for EV
It will be its first foray into the electric vehicle sector.
Business
Most Read
Geostrategy
Gazans break fast without ‘joy of Ramadan’ as Israel-Hamas war grinds on
With the flow of food and other assistance slowed to a trickle, a UN report citing the territory's Hamas-run health...
- Aid groups have been warning of the risk of famine in Gaza for weeks, and the UN has reported particular difficulty in accessing the territory's north for deliveries of food
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Monday for "silencing the guns" during the Muslim holy month and said he was "appalled and outraged that conflict is continuing."
Business
Ford to pay US$365m in US tariff fraud case
It will settle a civil suit linked to the disguising of imported vans.
- Ford, which denies wrongdoing, is accused of using the scheme from 2009 to 2013 to avoid paying higher duties on Transit Connect utility vehicles
- The Justice Department alleged that Ford installed "sham rear seats and other temporary features to make the vans appear to be passenger vehicles
Musk says will ‘open source’ Grok chatbot, a rival to ChatGPT
Tech investors are increasingly in split camps on the development of AI and how the technology should advance. Companies such...
- The multi-billionaire unveiled Grok late last year as he attempts to catch up with OpenAI which he helped create in 2015 along with its CEO Sam Altman
- He left OpenAI a few years later and last week filed a shock lawsuit against the company for breaking its original non-profit mission to make AI research available to all