Author: Steven Sahiounie

NEW DELHI: Oil prices slipped in Asian trading on Monday after a survey on Friday showed weaker US consumer demand and as May crude production rose in China, the world’s biggest crude importer, according to Reuters.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate held steady at 1.6 percent for the third consecutive month in May, driven by rising housing rents, according to official data. 

Qatar’s foreign trade surplus amounted to QR17.4bn in May 2024 with as much as 60% of exports going to the Asian region, according to the official data.

The Asian country’s automakers sold over 13 million new vehicles globally in 2023, according to researcher JATO Dynamics

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has been reelected for a second term by lawmakers, following a historic coalition agreement between his African National Congress (ANC) of the late Nelson Mandela and the Democratic Alliance (DA), setting aside their long-standing rivalry. Ramaphosa secured the late Friday vote with 283 votes, defeating Julius Malema, leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who received 44 votes. Earlier, the DA, which pushes a liberal, free-market agenda, announced it would support Ramaphosa as part of an agreement with the ANC, the party that led the anti-apartheid struggle, to form a unity government. Critics argue…

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi arrived in Jeddah on Friday to perform Hajj as the first day of the annual pilgrimage got underway. El-Sisi arrived in the Kingdom on Thursday and later prayed at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. Wearing the ihram, the president was seen off by the governor of Madinah Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz earlier on Friday at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport. Source: Arab News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Italy, Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on Friday. “The meeting addressed relations between Türkiye and Brazil, Israel’s atrocities in Gaza and what must be done to stop them as well as global developments,” the directorate said in a statement on X. Underlining that Tel Aviv “has become increasingly isolated lately,” Erdogan said “the pressure on Israel must be increased and sustained in order to end the oppression,” the statement added. Israel has faced international condemnation for its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since Hamas’ attack…

Senior Iranian and Saudi diplomats talked about various issues regarding the Hajj pilgrimage and its rituals, which are underway in Saudi Arabia. On the eve of the Iranian pilgrims’ departure to the land of Arafat and the days of Tashreeq (the 11th, 12th and 13th of the lunar month of Dhul-Hijjah), Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and Caretaker Foreign Minister of Iran Ali Baqeri held a telephone conversation on Thursday. Appreciating the officials responsible for organizing the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, Baqeri referred to the Iranian pilgrims’ departure to the sacred sites and expressed hope that…

G7 leaders said the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA must be allowed to work unhindered in Gaza, in the draft of an end-of-summit statement seen by AFP Friday. “We agree it is critical that UNRWA and other UN organisations and agencies’ distribution networks be fully able to deliver aid to those who need it most, fulfilling their mandate effectively,” the Group of Seven nations said. They called for all parties to facilitate “rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need” in Gaza, particularly women and children. “Securing full, rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access in all its…

Russia today makes another true peace proposal to Kiev, which envisages the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, as well as the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as Russian territories, the consolidation of Ukraine’s non-aligned and nuclear-free status, its demilitarization and denazification, and the lifting of anti-Russian sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with senior diplomats. “Today we are making another concrete, real peace proposal [to Kiev],” he said. Putin went on to list Russia’s terms for a settlement. “As soon as Kiev agrees to these conditions, agrees to completely withdraw its troops from the DPR,…