Category : News
WTO digital tariff deadlock clouds reform push
YAOUNDE: The World Trade Organization’s 14th ministerial conference ended early Monday without agreement on extending the long-running moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, a lapse that sharpened questions about the body’s ability to update trade rules and advance wider institutional reform. WTO officials said the moratorium had expired after ministers ran out......
Brazil summit flags urgent risks to migratory species
CAMPO GRANDE: Senior officials and delegates meeting in Brazil this week said migratory species that cross national borders face mounting threats from habitat loss, pollution, climate pressures and poorly planned infrastructure, as the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals opened in the......
US legal visa issuances fall as India and China lead drop
WASHINGTON: Newly compiled U.S. State Department data show the country issued about 250,000 fewer immigrant and nonimmigrant visas from January through August 2025 than in the same period a year earlier. That amounted to an 11% decline in permanent and temporary visas excluding tourist visas, which also fell during the period. The lower......
UAE Egypt talks focus on economy and regional security
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi held talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, focusing on bilateral cooperation and regional developments, according to official statements. The meeting took place during President El-Sisi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates. Discussions addressed ways to enhance cooperation, particularly in economic and......
Merriam-Webster joins Britannica in court fight with OpenAI
NEW YORK: Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster have sued OpenAI in Manhattan federal court, accusing the artificial intelligence company of using nearly 100,000 online encyclopedia and dictionary entries without permission to train ChatGPT. The complaint, filed on March 13 in the Southern District of New York, says OpenAI copied copyrighted reference material at scale......
Ethiopia starts mourning after landslides kill 80
ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has declared three days of national mourning after the death toll from heavy rain-triggered landslides in the country’s south rose to at least 80, with recovery teams still searching for people reported missing. The mourning period begins on Saturday, March 14, after lawmakers announced the measure in response to......
Ethiopia floods and landslides raise death toll to 70
ARBA MINCH: The death toll from floods and landslides in southern Ethiopia’s Gamo Zone has risen to 70, according to official reports issued on Friday, as rescue teams and residents searched muddy slopes and riverbanks for victims after days of heavy rainfall. Authorities said more than 120 people were still unaccounted for in......
Pakistan clears Murid base building footprint in Feb 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has demolished a building inside Pakistan Air Force Base Murid that was heavily damaged during India’s May 2025 Operation Sindoor air strike, according to commercial satellite imagery dated Feb. 28, 2026. The latest image shows the structure completely removed, leaving exposed earth and scattered rubble across the former building footprint.......
UAE Germany talks spotlight investment, industry, security
ABU DHABI: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, received Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, in Abu Dhabi on March 11 as the two sides reviewed bilateral relations and ongoing cooperation, according to an official UAE readout. The meeting formed part of continuing high-level......
Cyprus president hosts UAE foreign minister in Nicosia
NICOSIA: Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides received UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan during a working visit to the Cypriot capital, with Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos attending. The UAE foreign minister conveyed greetings from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and wishes of......