Hajj pilgrimage ends amid deadly Saudi heat spike
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Sunday that Saudi officials had committed "to provide everything that will serve those...
Sweden Quran burner arrested in Norway, faces deportation
OSLO, NORWAY – An Iraqi refugee in Sweden who stoked international outrage by repeatedly desecrating the Quran last year has been...
Geostrategy
Business
Air Arabia launches non-stop flights between UAE’s Sharjah, Egypt’s Giza
SHARJAH/ ABU DHABI, UAE - Air Arabia announced the launch of a new route operating between Sharjah and Giza city...
- The non-stop flights will connect Sharjah International Airport with Giza and will have a frequency of five weekly flights.
- British Airways announced that it will launch daily flights from London to Abu Dhabi next year.
Business
PIF announces pricing of inaugural $3.5bn global sukuk issue
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - The Public Investment Fund (PIF) on Thursday successfully priced its first dollar-denominated Shariah-compliant trust certificates (sukuk)....
- The issuance will be listed on the London Stock Exchange’s International Securities Market (ISM).
- The sukuk issuance was more than seven times oversubscribed, with orders exceeding $25 billion,
Business
Emirati investments in Turkey reach $5.6 billion in 2022
ABU DHABI, UAE – Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, Head of the Investment Office of the Turkish Presidency, said that the cumulative...
- UAE currently stands as Turkey's 13th largest trade partner for exports and the 15th largest for imports.
- From 2014 to 2022, the total foreign direct investment from Turkey to the UAE amounted to approximately $1.1 billion
Market Report
Markets fall as Biden set for Middle East diplomacy drive
US and European stock markets mostly fell and oil prices rose as US President Joe Biden prepared for a trip...
- Wall Street opened in the red, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq shedding more than one percent, while Frankfurt and Paris fell 0.6 percent afternoon deal.
- "Understandably, not many people are in the mood to put their hard-earned cash at risk in these uncertain economic times," said an expert.
Geostrategy
World leaders try to contain Israel-Hamas war
As Israel prepares for a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip, the international community has mobilized to try to protect...
- Among the most active international players is the United States, whose Secretary of State Antony Blinken started a tour of six Arab countries.
- The US, like its European allies, is concerned to avoid the opening of a second front with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
Geostrategy
Egypt, Israel to allow US citizens to leave Gaza via Rafah crossing
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Egypt and Israel have agreed to let US citizens leave the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing...
- The official said that 500-600 US citizens in the Gaza Strip had reached out for information on leaving the hemmed in territory.
- US officials earlier had voiced interest in letting people flee to Egypt but backtracked after seeing limited support in the region.
Geostrategy
IMF agrees on rise in funding, extra Africa board seat
The IMF announced member nations agreed to increase their contributions to the global lender and give sub-Saharan Africa a third...
- The quotas, which are based on the size of a country's economy, determine how much funding a nation should provide to the IMF.
- IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva and World Bank President Ajay Banga used this week's meetings to urge members to step up funding.
Iran says US ‘can not renege’ on deal to transfer $6bn via Qatar
Tehran, Iran-- Iran said the United States "can not renege" on an agreement to transfer $6 billion in frozen funds through...
- Tehran has come under intense scrutiny since Hamas stormed across Israel's border.
- Iran has insisted it was not involved, but celebrated the Hamas attack as a "success".
Economy
Disasters cause crop losses worth $3.8trn over 30 years, says FAO
PARIS, FRANCE - Natural and man-made disasters have caused $3.8 trillion in crop and livestock loses over 30 years, the UN's...
- Floods, droughts, insect infestations, storms, disease and war caused about $123 billion per year in lost food production between 1991 and 2021.
- This loss is the equivalent of five percent of total production or enough to feed up to half a billion people per year, the FAO said in a report.
Business
Delta posts Q3 profits of $1.1b
The company’s revenues rose 11 percent to $15.5 billion.
- Delta and other US carriers have pointed to pent-up travel demand as a driver of strong results in recent quarters.
- The company described overall demand as "strong," domestic demand as "steady" and international strength as "extending through fall."
Hajj pilgrimage ends amid deadly Saudi heat spike
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Sunday that Saudi officials had committed "to provide everything that will serve those...
Company News
Goldman Sachs, Mubadala ink pact
Business
Latest News
European Union slaps $1.9bn fine on Apple over violation of rules
Brussels, Belgium - The EU on Monday hit Apple with a more than 1.8-billion-euro fine ($1.9 billion) for violating the bloc's...
Business
Western countries shelve plans to censure Iran at UN nuclear meet
Western powers will not censure Iran over its lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog at its Board of...
Geostrategy
UNRWA head seeks General Assembly support after backlash
The head of the UNRWA is set to defend his organization's work at the General Assembly, after crippling backlash over...
Geostrategy

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Geostrategy
US military begins dropping aid into war-torn Gaza
Israel's top ally the United States said it began air-dropping aid into war-ravaged Gaza, as the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry...
- It also comes as negotiations continue for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
- US Central Command said the operation was conducted together with Jordan and saw planes drop “over 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza.”
Geostrategy
Hamas team heads to Cairo for new truce talks
Palestinian Territories - A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a truce in...
- The source said the delegation would submit Hamas's "official answer" to a proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late last month.
- A Hamas source told AFP that under the proposal, a truce would last for six weeks, with Hamas releasing 42 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Business
Apple’s changes contradicts European rules, 34 firms complain
Brussels, Belgium - Changes Apple is making to its services in the European Union "make a mockery" of new antitrust rules...
- Companies have expressed doubts about how much Apple's changes would ultimately broaden consumer choice and digital competition.
- Apple in January announced it was modifying how its iOS operating system, Safari browser and App Store operate in the 27-nation EU.

