Author: Steven Sahiounie

Italy and war-torn Libya on Saturday resumed commercial flights for the first time in a decade, authorities in the Libyan capital said.Flight MT522, operated by the Libyan carrier Medsky Airways, departed Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli for Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, according to Libyan airport authorities.A return flight was scheduled to land in Tripoli on Saturday afternoon, according to Mitiga International Airport. Going forward, there will be one round-trip flight between the Libyan and Italian capitals on both Saturdays and Wednesdays, according to the Mitiga airport announcement.The government of Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah in Tripoli lauded the resumed flights,…

Three Palestinian civilians sustained injuries this evening in an attack by Israeli settlers in the wilderness of Tuqu village, in the occupied West Bank province of Bethlehem, according to local sources. The Mayor of Tuqu, Taysir Abu Mufarreh, told WAFA that a group of Israeli settlers set up a roadblock and prevented Palestinians from accessing their lands. As soon as the latter approached the roadblock, the settlers attacked them, spraying them with pepper gas and physically assaulting them. The attack resulted in injuries to three Palestinian civilians, who suffered burns and suffocation as a result of the pepper spray. Of…

Significantly, a stronger influx of tourists this winter season is expected to boost the hospitality sector this year, according to ICAEW Oman’s non-oil economy is anticipated to grow an encouraging 2.5 per cent in 2023, boosted by investments in the renewable energy, as well as agriculture and fisheries sectors, according to a leading regional think-tank. ICAEW, a global professional organisation, said in its latest economic update for the Middle East that the projected uptick in non-oil activities will help offset, at least partly, a small contraction in the hydrocarbon sector — presently a pivotal engine of Oman’s economic development. “We…

The euro’s share edged up slightly in the second quarter to 19.9% in second quarter, from 19.8% in the previous three months NEW YORK – The U.S. dollar’s share of global currency reserves reported to the International Monetary Fund was 58.9% in the second quarter, unchanged from that of the first three months of the year, IMF data showed on Friday. The euro’s share edged up slightly in the second quarter to 19.9% in second quarter, from 19.8% in the previous three months. Source: Zawya

Spot gold rose 0.6% to $1,876.45 per ounce by 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT) Gold prices rose on Friday, helped by a retreating dollar and Treasury yields as data showed core price inflation slowed in August, but bullion was still on track for monthly and quarterly declines on prospects of higher U.S. interest rates. Spot gold rose 0.6% to $1,876.45 per ounce by 9:26 a.m. EDT (1326 GMT). U.S. gold futures gained 0.8% to $1,893.50. The core personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 3.9% on an annual basis in August, down from 4.3% in July. The headline index, however,…

Outlay will be used to set up a cloud centre, train developers, tech specialists Chinese tech giant Huawei is investing $430 million to unlock a huge potential in Africa for digitalisation and smart technologies.The investment, unveiled by company president Terry He during the recent Huawei Connect event in Shanghai, will be rolled out over a five-year period across 28 countries in the North Africa region and will go towards the setting up of a cloud centre and training digital professionals, including tech specialists and software developers.The company looks to integrate smart technologies, especially artificial intelligence (AI), into vital sectors, including…

The newly approved SWEDD+ brings the total World Bank investments toward women’s empowerment in Africa to $1.04bln WASHINGTON – The World Bank Board of Directors today approved $365 million in International Development Association (IDA) financing to increase girls’ and women’s access to learning, economic opportunities, and utilization of health services, and to strengthen the institutional capacity for gender equality in Western and Central Africa. The Sub-Saharan Africa Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend Plus project (SWEDD+) has the potential to directly benefit over 2 million vulnerable girls aged between 10 to 19 years old who are at risk of child marriage,…

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 158.84 points, or 0.47%, to 33,507.5 NEW YORK – MSCI’S global equities ended Friday’s choppy session slightly lower as investors prepared for a likely U.S. government shutdown and adjusted portfolios for the quarter’s end. Hardline Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday afternoon rejected their leader’s proposed bill to temporarily fund the government, making it all but certain that federal agencies will partially shut down beginning on Sunday. Underlying U.S. inflation pressures moderated in August, with the annual rise in prices excluding food and energy falling below 4.0% for the first time…

Vasily Nebenzya mentioned a series of tragedies, which occurred near the coast of Greece and Italy this year and claimed dozens of lives of people trying to get to Europe Instead of helping migrants, the European Union is waging an undeclared war on them, while the Mediterranean Sea remains the world’s most dangerous migration route, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council. “We must say that year to year, the Mediterranean Sea remains the most dangerous migration route with the highest mortality level that turns out a deathtrap for many desperate souls,” the Russian…

In response, Ramzan Kadyrov assured that the head of state’s order would be carried out 100% Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov conveyed his best wishes to the region’s soldiers, who continue to fight heroically on the front line during the special military operation. “Give my best wishes to the guys, my best wishes to their families. I know that you personally deal with these issues all the time, including supporting the families of our guys who are fighting on the front line, fighting confidently, well, courageously, heroically,” Putin said, adding that he was…