MANAMA: Bahrain and the United Kingdom said after meetings in Manama that they had reviewed regional and international developments, with both sides emphasizing the security and economic fallout from the current crisis and the need to support stability. King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa met British Prime…
ABU DHABI: United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Abu Dhabi on Thursday for talks focused on Middle East developments, regional security and the broader UAE-UK relationship. The meeting brought together two close partners at a time of…
BEIJING: China’s consumer inflation rose 1.0% in March from a year earlier, official data showed on Friday, easing from February’s 1.3% increase as spending cooled after the Lunar New Year holiday period. On a month-on-month basis, the consumer price index fell 0.7%, reversing February’s 1.0% rise. For the first quarter, consumer prices were up 0.9% from a year…
ISLAMABAD: Gold prices held steady on Thursday as investors weighed a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire, preparations for talks in Islamabad and a fresh round of U.S. inflation data that could shape the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates. The metal stayed range-bound after a volatile week in which easing fears over a wider regional conflict competed with renewed…
TOKYO: Japan’s Nikkei share average fell on Thursday as investors pulled back after a powerful relief rally, with renewed concern over Middle East tensions and higher oil prices prompting a more defensive tone across the Tokyo market. The Nikkei 225 closed down 0.73% at 55,895.32, while the broader Topix lost 0.9% to 3,741.47. The retreat ended a four-session…
TOKYO: Japan posted a current account surplus of 3.93 trillion yen, or about $24.8 billion, in February, as strong returns on overseas investments helped offset softer trade-related gains and a continued shortfall in services. Preliminary balance of payments data released by the Ministry of Finance showed the surplus was nearly unchanged from a year earlier, edging down…
BEIJING: China’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $3.3421 trillion at the end of March, official data showed on April 7, as a stronger U.S. dollar and weaker prices for major global financial assets weighed on the value of the country’s reserve holdings. The March total was down $85.7 billion, or 2.5%, from the end of February, reversing the…
MANILA: The Asian Development Bank has launched a new multi-partner trust fund with about $25 million in initial backing to accelerate preparation of cross-border energy and transmission projects in Southeast Asia. The new vehicle, called the Regional Connectivity Fund for Energy in Southeast Asia, is aimed at advancing the ASEAN Power Grid, the regional bloc’s flagship…
Health
KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has declared an end to the mpox outbreak that had remained under national emergency management for about two years, with Health Minister Roger Kamba saying the epidemic no longer met the threshold for that status. The announcement marks a major public health milestone for a country that carried the heaviest burden during the recent surge in Africa, as authorities said the response…
DUBAI: UNICEF, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) have launched a US$300 million partnership aimed at helping save 3 million children from malnutrition, the organisations announced on March 12. The partnership is tied to Dubai’s Ramadan humanitarian drive, known as 11.5: Edge of Life, which is seeking to mobilise large-scale funding for child nutrition programmes in vulnerable communities. The partners…
LYON: Nearly four in 10 cancer cases worldwide could be prevented by reducing exposure to known, modifiable risk factors, according to a new analysis from the World Health Organization and its cancer research agency released for World Cancer Day. The assessment estimated that 37% of new cancer diagnoses in 2022, about 7.1 million of 18.7 million cases, were linked to risks that can be reduced through public health measures…
MENA Newswire, WASHINGTON: U.S. regulators have classified a recall affecting more than 80,000 single serve coffee pods made for Keurig brewers after a labeling error raised concerns for consumers who avoid caffeine. The action covers McCafé Premium Roast Decaf Coffee K-Cup pods distributed by Keurig Dr Pepper, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recall listing. The FDA categorized the action as a Class II recall on Jan. 23, 2026.…