Japan’s Moon craft SLIM revives after lunar night
TOKYO, JAPAN – Japan's Moon lander has produced another surprise by waking up after the two-week lunar night, the country's space...
Science
American spaceship lands on moon, images expected soon
The first American spaceship on the Moon since Apollo is "alive and well" following a drama-packed touchdown, the firm that...
Science
Business
UN warns Internet shutdowns can have deadly consequences
Many governments refuse to acknowledge that they ordered any interference in communications, and sometimes put pressure on telecommunications companies to...
- The UN said "the dramatic real-life effects of shutdowns on the lives and human rights of millions of people are vastly underappreciated".
- The #KeepItOn coalition, which monitors shutdown episodes across the world, documented 931 internet shutdowns between 2016 and 2021.
Economy
Tunisia trade unions chief rejects IMF conditions for bailout loan
The head of Tunisia's powerful UGTT trade union confederation on Thursday rejected conditions set by the International Monetary Fund for...
- IMF's regional chief Jihad Azour has said Tunisia "needs to urgently tackle its fiscal imbalances", replace generalized subsidies with transfers targeting the poor.
- But Noureddine Taboubi, head of powerful UGTT trade union confederation, rejected "the painful options they're talking about".
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.
Business
Global personal luxury goods market hits US$300bn
The market benefited from an exuberant 2021 holiday shopping season across the regions, with a seven percent increase over the...
- Global personal luxury goods experienced a remarkable performance in the first quarter 2022
- Luxury brands enjoyed growth from a strong holiday shopping season, maintain momentum in the US
Business
Oil uncertainty may stay for next five years: ExxonMobil CEO
ExxonMobil has taken a 6.25 percent stake in the expansion of Qatar's North Field, which contains the world's biggest natural...
- Energy markets have been roiled by the Ukraine war as Russia has reduced some exports and faced sanctions.
- The CEO was speaking ahead of ExxonMobil's unveiling as the 4th global partner for Qatar's natural gas expansion.
Business
Air traffic to reach full capacity by 2023 despite uncertainty
Air passengers are expected to hit 83 percent of pre-pandemic levels this year and the aviation industry's return to profit...
- Industry losses are expected to drop to $9.7 billion in 2022, an improvement from $42.1 billion in 2021.
- The aviation industry was sent reeling by the pandemic, with passengers down by 50 percent in 2021.
Business
Germany declares emergency steps to meet energy demand
Berlin has managed to reduce the share of its natural gas supplied by Russia from 55 percent before the invasion...
- The move comes after Moscow turned up the pressure on Western allies, sharply reducing flows of natural gas.
- Germany is among several European countries that are highly reliant upon Russian gas for their energy needs.
Business
Italy’s Eni joins giant Qatar gas project after Russian cuts
Eni will own a stake of just over three percent in the $28 billion North Field East project, the world's...
- The project's LNG -- the cooled form of gas that makes it easier to transport -- is expected to come on line in 2026.
- It will help Qatar increase its liquefied natural gas production by more than 60 percent by 2027.
Economy
Bank of England hikes interest rate for fifth consecutive time
British economic output declined for the second month in a row in April, weighed down by rocketing prices that are...
- BoE policymakers agreed at a regular meeting to increase the cost of borrowing by a quarter-point to 1.25 percent.
- Pound fell 1 percent against the dollar following the announcement, one day after the Federal Reserve hiked US interest rates.
Japan’s Moon craft SLIM revives after lunar night
TOKYO, JAPAN – Japan's Moon lander has produced another surprise by waking up after the two-week lunar night, the country's space...
Science
Company News
Latest News
Trio wins physics Nobel for illuminating electrons
France's Pierre Agostini, Hungarian-Austrian Ferenc Krausz and Franco-Swede Anne L'Huillier won the Nobel prize in physics for research using ultra...
Science
Markets slump as US jobs data says labor market buoyant
The focus has been on US Treasury bond yields that have surged to levels not seen in over a decade,...
Market Report
Qatar begins construction on North Field gas expansion
RAS LAFFAN, QATAR - Qatar's state-owned energy giant began construction on Tuesday on a project to expand production from the world's...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Oil industry is an integral part of climate solutions, says COP28 head
President of the upcoming COP28 climate talks Sultan Al Jaber, also the head of UAE state-owned oil firm ADNOC, told...
- The president of the upcoming COP28 urged oil industry leaders to curb emissions associated with energy production.
- He also encouraged them to embrace "low carbon solutions" like carbon capture and storage,
Science
mRNA COVID vaccine experts awarded Nobel Medicine Prize
Kariko, 68, and Weissman, 64, longstanding colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, have won a slew of...
- While the prizewinning research dates back to 2005, the first vaccines to use the mRNA technology were those made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna against Covid-19.
- The mRNA vaccines, together with other COVID vaccines "have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease in many more," the jury said
Geostrategy
UN conference adopts plan to reduce harmful chemicals
PARIS, FRANCE - A new roadmap to reduce the environmental risks from chemicals and waste was adopted at a United Nations...
- The plan sets out 28 concrete targets and guidelines for key sectors across the entire lifecycle of chemicals, from production to waste.
- It calls for a transition to more sustainable chemical alternatives, responsible management of chemicals in industry, agriculture and healthcare.