Tech 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 […] September 25, 2022
Tourism 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 […] September 22, 2022
Tech 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 […] September 20, 2022
Tourism 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 […] September 19, 2022
Retail 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 […] September 18, 2022
Banking & Finance 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 […] September 15, 2022
Lifestyle 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 […] September 12, 2022
Tourism 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 […] September 9, 2022
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 […] September 8, 2022
Tourism 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, […] September 8, 2022
Media & Advertising 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, […] September 7, 2022
Lifestyle 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 […] September 6, 2022
Business of Sport 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 […] September 4, 2022
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 […] September 4, 2022
Lifestyle 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 […] September 2, 2022
Retail 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 […] August 31, 2022
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 […] August 30, 2022
Employment 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 […] August 25, 2022
Tourism Foreign tourist arrivals to Turkey soar 53% in July Turkey’s foreign visitors jumped 53 percent in July from a year earlier, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and paving the way for $37 billion in tourism revenues sought by the government in support of President Tayyip Erdogan’s unorthodox economy policy. Foreign visitors to Turkey leapt to 6.67 million in July, mostly on the back of wealthy Russian […] August 23, 2022
Tourism Wizz Air suspends relaunch of Russia-UAE flights amid criticism European budget carrier Wizz Air has suspended plans to resume flights from the Russian capital of Moscow to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, amid mounting criticism over the relaunch decision this month. In Friday’s statement deferring the flights until further notice, Wizz Air made no mention of the social media backlash, which included […] August 22, 2022
Tech China seeks ‘affectionate’ ties with domestic internet firms China’s cyberspace watchdog wants to build an “affectionate” relationship between internet enterprises and the government, a senior official said on Friday, the latest verbal assurance to an industry still on edge after a long and bruising regulatory crackdown. Niu Yibing, vice minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), told a news conference the agency […] August 19, 2022
Mubadala-backed AI firm G42 sets up $10bn tech fund Emirati artificial intelligence firm G42, chaired by the Gulf state’s national security advisor, today launched a $10 billion fund to invest in late-stage technology companies. G42, which also counts Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala as an investor, said the fund would operate as a private equity investor targeting a broad spectrum of technologies “that […] August 18, 2022