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Kim Kardashian pays $1.26m fine for paid Instagram crypto post

Kim Kardashian has promoted everything from appetite-suppressing lollipops to melon-flavoured liqueur to toilet paper, but it was her foray into the murky world of cryptocurrencies that got her into hot water. The reality television star and influencer has agreed to settle charges of unlawfully touting a crypto security and to pay $1.26 million in penalties […]

French cities to ban Qatar World Cup fan zones

Several major French cities including Lille, Strasbourg and Bordeaux said they will not organise fan zones or put up giant outdoor screens to show Qatar World Cup soccer matches in protest against ecological and humanitarian issues. Leftist and ecologist mayors in those cities said the loss of immigrant workers’ lives during construction of the stadia […]

Booking.com adds safety advisory for West Bank properties

Online travel agency Booking.com has added safety labels to listings in the occupied West Bank, which Israel, having initially opposed the move, welcomed for not singling out Jewish settlements. The move was rebuked by Palestinian officials, who said the advisory should only be used for Israeli settlements. The company now posts an advisory on its […]

Egypt’s import squeeze hobbles economy as US dollars run short

Christeen Aiad from eastern Cairo had been hoping to buy a small automatic car this year, but rules preventing importers trading in scarce dollars put paid to that and she is having to get around on her bicycle instead. The war in Ukraine has deepened Egypt’s economic woes. It sent the import-reliant nation’s bill for […]

Elon Musk says activating Starlink for Iranians after Blinken’s tweet

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that he would activate the firm’s satellite internet service, Starlink, in response to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s tweet that the United States took action “to advance internet freedom and the free flow of information” to Iranians. The US Treasury Department on Friday issued guidance expanding internet […]

IATA warns demand may weaken if China stays shut next year

The strength of the overall recovery in global airline passenger demand will be impacted if China continues to enforce tight border restrictions next year, the head of airline body IATA said on Wednesday. International Air Transport Association Director General Willie Walsh told a conference in Doha that China’s zero-COVID policy had “devastated” Hong Kong, and […]

Tie, Accessories, Accessory

Elon Musk’s satellite firm seeks exemption from Iranian sanctions

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Monday that the company will ask for an exemption from sanctions against Iran to provide the firm’s Starlink satellite broadband service in the country. Musk made the statement on Twitter at a time of widespread protests in Iran over the death of a woman in police custody. Some people […]

Israel’s El Al will begin Tel Aviv to Tokyo flights in March

El Al Israel Airlines will start direct flights from Tel Aviv to Tokyo next March, it said on Monday – two years after the launch was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Israel’s flag carrier has been looking to expand eastbound flights since its second-quarter results showed a rebound from the slump in travel during […]

Turkish florists rush to meet surge in UK demand after Queen’s death

Turkish florists are resorting to cargo planes instead of trucks as they rush to send as many flowers as they can to the United Kingdom to meet a deluge of orders after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Orders for cut flowers have soared by 90 percent since the queen died, said Selcuk Celebi, a member […]

Person, Human, Shoe

Tunisia’s labour union agrees to wage deal amid IMF talks

Tunisia’s government and a powerful labour union have agreed a public sector wage increase over the next three years, part of their talks on wider economic reforms aimed at securing a foreign bailout for state finances. UGTT union officials and a state news agency said on Wednesday the agreement would lift wages for state employees […]

Marvel anti-heroes steal the show at Disney’s D23 fan convention

The anti-heroes stepped into the spotlight Saturday at Walt Disney Co’s D23 Expo fan convention, as Marvel Entertainment announced casting for “Thunderbolts.” Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige announced that actors Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour and Julia Louis Dreyfus will join the cast of the new film, whose team of villains is akin to […]

Elephant, Mammal, Animal

Streaming to survive: Thailand’s out-of-work elephants in crisis

In the northeastern village of Ban Ta Klang in Thailand, Siriporn Sapmak starts her day by doing a livestream of her two elephants on social media to raise money to survive. The 23-year old, who has been taking care of elephants since she was in school, points her phone to the animals as she feeds them […]

Clothing, Apparel, Hat

The world mourns Queen Elizabeth II: 1926 – 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, has died aged 96. She acceded the throne on February 6, 1952 after the death of her father King George VI, and became an iconic and highly-respected figure to billions of people across the world during her 70-year reign.  A statement from Buckingham Palace […]

Building, Housing, Plant

Qatar’s green own goal as World Cup fans set to jet in from Dubai

The Middle East’s first ever soccer World Cup promises boom time for Dubai hotels this November, with thousands of fans expected to descend on the Gulf city due to limited accommodation in neighbouring host nation Qatar. But the environmental costs of transporting those visitors nearly 400 kilometre (249 miles) for match days, overwhelmingly by plane, […]

Gulf states demand Netflix pull content deemed offensive

Gulf Arab states have demanded that US streaming giant Netflix remove content deemed offensive to “Islamic and societal values” in the region, Saudi Arabia’s media regulator said on Tuesday. It did not specify the content, but mentioned that it included content aimed at children. Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya TV, in a programme discussing the issue, […]

Person, Human, Crowd

Music, acting and activism: Life Lessons with Stevie Van Zandt

It is rare enough to have one career that becomes part of a pop-culture phenomenon. Stevie Van Zandt has two. As a musician, including as a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and as an actor with “The Sopranos,” Van Zandt has bottled lightning twice. For the latest in Reuters’ Life Lessons series, Van […]

Qatar to allow beer at World Cup three hours before kick-off

Qatar will permit ticketed fans to buy alcoholic beer at World Cup soccer matches starting three hours before kickoff and for one hour after the final whistle, but not during the match, a source with knowledge of plans for the tournament said. Budweiser, a major World Cup sponsor with exclusive rights to sell beer at […]

Shoe, Footwear, Clothing

Amazon says ‘Lord of the Rings’ prequel sets viewership record

Amazon.com Inc said on Saturday that its pricey “Lord of the Rings” prequel series was watched by more than 25 million viewers around the world on its first day, a record debut for a Prime Video series. “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” premiered on Amazon’s streaming service on Friday in more […]

Banks battle back-to-office fatigue with ping pong, indoor gardens

Finance bosses are offering more incentives, including free meals, ping pong and “contemplative spaces” as they battle to get staff back to the office, while concerns about the cost and value of commuting to work weigh on attendance worldwide. Hybrid working policies were introduced across the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, but data seen by […]

Russia’s Ozon opens Turkish office to help cross-border orders

Russian e-commerce firm Ozon said on Tuesday it would open a local office in Turkey and make it easier for consumers to make cross-border orders, helping Russian shoppers to buy goods directly from Turkish sellers on its platform. As Western sanctions have rained down on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, commercial ties between Moscow […]

Mobile Phone, Cell Phone, Electronics

Fintech fined $360,000 by Abu Dhabi regulator

The regulator of Abu Dhabi’s free zone financial centre said on Tuesday it had fined the local subsidiary of fintech firm Wise $360,000 for breaching anti-money laundering (AML) requirements. Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) “found that Wise did not establish and maintain adequate AML systems and controls to ensure full compliance […]

Person, Human, Shoe

China to promote fiscal, monetary policies to support labour market

China will focus on creating jobs and promote fiscal, monetary and industrial policies to stabilise its labour market, Li Zhong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said on Thursday. As the Chinese economy struggles to recover from a COVID-induced slump, the youth unemployment rate has surged to a record high […]