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
Passenger air traffic has reached pre-pandemic levels, says ICAO
MONTREAL, CANADA – In the first quarter of 2024, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) projected that passenger air traffic...
- ICAO’s latest analysis also reveals new insights into aviation industry for the year 2023.
- It said that air traffic on most routes had reached or surpassed pre-pandemic levels by end of 2023.
Geostrategy
OPEC Fund provides US$50m loan to support agriculture in quake-hit Türkiye
VIENNA, AUSTRIA – The OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) is extending a US$50 million loan to Türkiye to...
- The Development and Investment Bank of Türkiye (TKYB) will on-lend the funds to small and medium-sized enterprises.
- This will help efforts to overcome the calamity’s impact and to promote a more resilient and sustainable agriculture sector.
Geostrategy
Iraqi PM to visit Washington for troop talks
Washington, US – President Joe Biden will welcome Iraq's prime minister on April 15 for talks on the US troop presence,...
- The visit will mark the first trip to Washington by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, who took office in October 2022.
- Sudani in the past has called for an exit of US forces, redeployed nearly 10 years ago as part of a campaign to defeat the Islamic State
Geostrategy
US, Israel hold talks as Gaza truce plan fails at UN
Israel plans to send troops into Gaza's Rafah even without US support, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Antony Blinken, as...
- US has repeatedly blocked ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council but tried to pass a text mentioning an "immediate ceasefire as part of a hostage deal".
- World leaders including staunch allies of Israel backed the renewed diplomatic push.
Geostrategy
Poorer countries need money before raising climate targets, says COP29 head
Copenhagen, Denmark - Developing countries should not have to set stricter targets for cutting their carbon emissions before funds are available...
- Addressing the meeting, Azerbaijan's Mukhtar Babayev said "there is a growing gap between the needs of developing countries and what's available.
- This year, "finance will lie at the heart of climate diplomacy", said Babayev, the ecology and natural resources minister of Azerbaijan, host of COP29 climate summit.
Business
Lamborghini sales up in 2023
The deliveries sped up 9.5 percent to 10,112 vehicles.
- 2023 was the best year ever recorded," the brand said in a press release, with sales up 12.1 percent to US$2.9 billion
- Operating profit reached $785 million, up 17.8 percent, with operating margins widening to 27.2 percent, said Lamborghini
Business
EGA to acquire Leichtmetall
EGA is to buy 100 percent of firm from Leichtmetall Holding.
- The transaction is expected to close during the first half of 2024, subject to obtaining regulatory approvals.
- Leichtmetall’s production mainly consists of hard alloy billets up to 1,150 millimetres in diameter
Business
Russia not in danger of trading oil at a loss, says Lavrov
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russia does not see the risk of trading oil at a loss due to the redistribution of...
- Lavrov expressed confidence that Moscow is not frightened of relying on countries that will buy Russian oil and gas.
- OPEC+ regulates the market and prices in an equitable manner, taking into account the interests of consumers, the minister said.
Geostrategy
S.Africa says Israel war undermining top UN court
South Africa's top diplomat accused Israel of setting a precedent for leaders to defy the top UN court, as she...
- South Africa has again petitioned the court in The Hague to order measures for Israel to stop "widespread starvation".
- Israel hit out as the South African plea as "outrageous" and "morally repugnant," pointing to its initiatives, including humanitarian pauses in fighting.
Science
Google’s new AI for corner kick tactics gets Liverpool approval
PARIS, FRANCE – Liverpool football analysts have given their seal of approval to a new artificial intelligence tool from Google that...
- Many clubs across the world already deploy experts to comb through video and data to carefully plan corner kick scenarios ahead of matches.
- Google DeepMind, the AI arm of the US tech giant, also targeted corners for its new TacticAI system in research.
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
Liberty Media buy MotoGP
Business
Latest News
Global football stars choose Red Sea destination for holiday
TABUK, SAUDI ARABIA – A few days ago, the Red Sea destination hosted several international football stars from Saudi Pro...
Business
Death toll in Israeli strikes on Syria climbs to 52, says monitor
Beirut, Lebanon - The death toll in Israeli air strikes on Syria has risen to 52, including 38 government soldiers and...
Geostrategy
Turkey says Erdogan to meet Joe Biden at White House on May 9
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with US counterpart Joe Biden at the White House on May...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Economy
US Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge ticks up as fuel costs rise
WASHINGTON, US – The US central bank's favored measure of inflation edged higher last month on the back of rising fuel...
- The personal consumption expenditures price index rose at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in February.
- Much of the February increase in the cost of goods came from energy prices, which rose 2.3 percent from January.
Geostrategy
Russia says ‘evidence’ links Ukraine to Moscow attack
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russia said on Thursday it had evidence the perpetrators of last week's massacre at a concert hall outside...
- Russian officials alleged the suspects had received "significant amounts of money and cryptocurrency from Ukraine".
- The officials said that said another man "involved in financing the terrorists" had been identified and detained.
Economy
Rise in remittances hikes demand for Jordanian dinar, says chamber of commerce
AMMAN, JORDAN – Rising remittances from the Kingdom’s citizens working abroad has contributed to increasing demand for Jordanian dinar. Exchange...
- There are positive indicators suggesting a stabilization in Jordan’s economy.
- Presently the currency exchange sector comprises 250 firms across Jordan.