World Bank lifts 2026 growth forecast, warns of softer demand
The bank expects world GDP growth of 2.6 percent this year, according to its latest global economic prospects report. The...
Economy
Iran president says ‘rioters’ must not disrupt society
Pezeshkian accused the United States and Israel of "trying to escalate this unrest with regard to the economic discussion and...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
COP29 climate hosts say they’ll keep expanding fossil fuels
Bonn, Germany -- The incoming president of the COP29 UN climate summit in Azerbaijan told AFP on Friday that his country...
- the COP29 organizers said they would also call for a "COP truce" and ask nations to observe a conflict ceasefire during the marathon negotiations in Baku in November.
- It is estimated that emerging markets and developing countries, excluding China, will need more than $2 trillion a year by 2030 to meet their climate and development needs.
Geostrategy
Unemployment rate nearly 80 percent in Gaza, says United Nations
Geneva, Switzerland -- The war in Gaza has seen the unemployment rate in the besieged Palestinian territory surge to nearly 80...
- The UN's labor agency said the war between Hamas and Israel had "caused loss of jobs and livelihoods on a massive scale".
- The average unemployment rate across the West Bank and Gaza combined stood at 50.8 percent, it said.
Geostrategy
Israel ‘prepared for very intense operation’ on Lebanon border
Jerusalem, Undefined -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel was "prepared for a very intense operation" along the...
- Almost eight months of exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah have intensified over the past week, with Israel striking deeper into Lebanese territory.
- "We are prepared for a very intense operation in the north. One way or another, we will restore security to the north," Netanyahu said during a visit to the border area.
Business
Qatar signs 27-year gas supply deal with Chinese Petroleum Corp
Qatar will supply four million tons of gas a year under the deal, QatarEnergy said in a statement, without disclosing the...
- Qatar is one of the world's top liquefied natural gas producers alongside the United States, Australia and Russia.
- In recent months, Qatar has inked LNG deals with France's Total, Britain's Shell, India's Petronet, China's Sinopec and Italy's Eni among others.
Opinion
Work-life imbalance, mental health hit women hardest
Despite widespread cultural and contextual differences, many women around the world are experiencing similar challenges in and out of the...
- Women are feeling the weight of misbalanced caregiving and domestic responsibilities.
- Nearly half of the women say they are worried about their personal safety at work or when commuting or travelling for work
Geostrategy
More than half of Gaza structures destroyed or damaged: UN
Geneva, Switzerland -- Some 55 percent of all structures in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed, damaged or possibly damaged since...
- The analysis showed more than 137,000 buildings affected, UNOSAT, the United Nations satellite analysis agency, said on X.
- Within Deir Al-Balah, the Nuseirat municipality suffered the greatest number of newly damaged structures during that period, at 1,216, UNOSAT said.
Business
Oil prices fall as OPEC+ plans to unwind output cuts later this year
Oil prices slipped after Saudi-led OPEC and its Russian-led allies said Sunday they would maintain output levels but begin to...
- European natural gas prices meanwhile jumped more than 10 percent after the closure of a pipeline linking key producer Norway with Britain.
- Stock markets, meanwhile, mostly rose on renewed hopes for US interest-rate cuts. Among stock markets, European indexes were broadly higher and Wall Street saw gains at the open.
Geostrategy
Gaza mothers search for milk as malnutrition hits amid Israeli siege on aid
Deir El-Balah, Palestinian Territories -- Amira al-Taweel scoured pharmacies in northern Gaza for milk to feed her child but could not...
- At least 32 people, many of them children, have died of malnutrition in Gaza since the war broke out on October 7 following an unprecedented attack by Hamas on Israel.
- On Saturday, the World Health Organization said that more than four in five children had gone a whole day without eating at least once in 72 hours.
Business
Saudi Aramco begins second share offering, may fetch $12bn
The firm last Thursday disclosed plans to sell 1.545 billion shares on the Saudi stock market, priced between 26.70 and...
- Meetings with institutional investors were set to run through Thursday while about 10 percent of the shares would be offered to retail investors from Monday.
- It is the firm's second listing after an initial public offering in December 2019 that raised $25.6 billion, the biggest flotation in history.
Geostrategy
WFP warns of ‘apocalyptic’ scenes in southern Gaza
"The exodus that we've seen in the past 20 days or so out of Rafah has been an awesome and...
- The public health situation was "beyond crisis levels", he said, adding: "The sounds and smells of everyday life are horrific and apocalyptic."
- In central areas of the Gaza Strip, where many people fled, the WFP is providing around 400,000 hot meals a day, and has kept six bakeries functioning.
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World Bank lifts 2026 growth forecast, warns of softer demand
The bank expects world GDP growth of 2.6 percent this year, according to its latest global economic prospects report. The...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Honda shares soar 16%
Business
Non-institutional foreign ownership in Tadawul-listed firms up slightly
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Non-institutional foreign investors increased their stake in Tadawul-listed equities, excluding Saudi Aramco, from 9.70 percent to...
Business
Cyber landscape complexity deepens cyber inequity, gap between organizations: WEF report
The complexity arises from the rapid growth of emerging technologies, prevailing geopolitical uncertainty and the evolution of threats, says WEF's...
Geostrategy
World economic growth to remain at 2.8 percent in 2025: UN report
The World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2025 report shows that despite withstanding a series of mutually reinforcing shocks, global...
Economy
Most Read
Opinion
The $480 billion creator economy revolution
We're likely to see more creators seeking alternatives to traditional gatekeepers, following in the footsteps of artists like Taylor Swift....
- Influencers are becoming increasingly important in shaping consumer behavior: Nearly 72% of young Americans follow digital creators.
- According to Chamath Palihapitiya, influencers are pioneering a non-mechanistic method of demand generation that could surpass traditional advertising.
Business
Qatar’s real estate department records weeklong deals worth $71 million
Doha, Qatar -- Real estate sales contracts worth 251.25 million qatari riyals were registered with the emirate's Real Estate Registration...
- During the Dec 29-Jan 2 period, the total sales contracts for the real estate bulletin for residential units reached QR 10.57 million.
- The properties traded for sale included vacant lands, residential homes, apartment buildings, shops, residential complex, and residential units.
Business
Saudi Industrial Production Index increases by 3.4 percent in Nov 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's Industrial Production Index (IPI) increased by 3.4 percent in November 2024, compared to Nov...
- This increase is driven by growth in mining and quarrying, manufacturing, water supply, sewerage, and waste management and remediation activities.
- The sub-index of mining and quarrying activity increased by 1.2 percent, and the sub-index of manufacturing activity increased by 7.2 percent.