Abu Dhabi launches $500mn maternal health fund for Africa
Nairobi, Kenya -- A $500-million fund aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa was launched Tuesday in...
Geostrategy
UNFPA and corporate partners drive reproductive justice in workplaces
World Economic Forum
Risks are interconnected, need collaborative solutions, says WEF’s Mark Elsner
World Economic Forum
Over a billion pounds of Coke plastic waste to enter waterways: study
Washington, United States -- By 2030, Coca-Cola products will account for an estimated 1.33 billion pounds (602,000 metric tons) of...
Geostrategy
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 companies...
- There are positive indicators suggesting a stabilization in Jordan’s economy.
- Presently the currency exchange sector comprises 250 firms across Jordan.
Geostrategy
US defense chief tells Israeli counterpart that Gaza toll is ‘too high’
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant that civilian casualties in Gaza are "too high". A...
- A senior Pentagon official said that US Defense Secretary had discussed his hopes that negotiations would "soon produce the release of all hostages."
- The United States has backed Israel with both military and diplomatic support.
Geostrategy
Trump tells Israel media ‘you’re losing support’ over Gaza war
Former US president Donald Trump warned Israel in an interview that it was losing support over the war in Gaza....
- Trump frequently touts himself as a devoted ally of Israel, pointing to his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
- The former US President said he would have responded to Hamas's attack "very much the same way" Israel did.
Arts & Culture
World’s only Dragon Ball theme park launched in Saudi Arabia’s Qiddiya City
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Board of Directors of the Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) revealed on Sunday the launch of...
- Nestled within Qiddiya City, just 40 minutes from Riyadh, this never-seen-before anime theme park is set to become a spectacle.
- Inspired by the seven legendary Dragon Balls, visitors can navigate seven distinctively themed zones within the park.
Business
EU imports US$120.5bn worth of energy products in Q4 2023
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – In the fourth quarter of 2023, the EU imported US$120.5 billion (€111.3 billion) worth of energy products...
- Compared with the same period in 2022, imports decreased both in value (-34.2 percent) and in net mass (-11.7 percent).
- Comparing 2023 with 2022, the value of energy products dropped by 35 percent, while the volume dropped by 9.4 percent.
Geostrategy
Putin vows retribution on Moscow concert hall attacks, as toll rises
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to punish those behind a "barbaric terrorist attack" on a Moscow concert hall that killed...
- It is the deadliest attack on Russia in almost two decades and the deadliest in Europe to have been claimed by the Islamic State.
- Russian officials expect the death toll to rise further, with more than 100 injured in hospital.
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
Abu Dhabi launches $500mn maternal health fund for Africa
Nairobi, Kenya -- A $500-million fund aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa was launched Tuesday in...
Geostrategy
Company News
UNFPA and corporate partners drive reproductive justice in workplaces
World Economic Forum
Risks are interconnected, need collaborative solutions, says WEF’s Mark Elsner
World Economic Forum
Latest News
Diplomats say at least 550 pilgrims died during hajj, mostly Egyptians
"All of them (the Egyptians) died because of heat" except for one who sustained fatal injuries during a minor crowd...
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...
Pulitzer Prizes honor coverage of war in Gaza
New York, United States - The war in Gaza featured prominently in Monday's Pulitzer Prizes, which included a special citation for...
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Geostrategy
Top Europe rights court to issue landmark climate verdicts
STRASBOURG, FRANCE – Europe's top rights court will on Tuesday issue unprecedented verdicts in three separate cases on the responsibility of...
- In a sign of the importance of the issue, the cases have all been treated as priority by the Grand Chamber of the ECHR.
- All three cases accuse European governments of inaction or insufficient action in their measures against global warming.
Economy
Abu Dhabi’s private sector grows by over 35 percent in 2023
ABU DHABI, UAE – The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) organized, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Investment Office...
- Al Multaqa Meetings empower Abu Dhabi to accelerate economic growth, by providing a platform to support investment.
- Supported by private sector and family-owned businesses, Abu Dhabi’s non-oil sectors is going from strength to strength.
Geostrategy
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...
- According to a ruling by the Oslo District Court, Salwan Momika,was arrested on March 28 -- a day after he arrived.
- In the court's ruling it said "a deportation will take place as soon as the formal and practical arrangements are in place."