UN chief condemns attacks on civilian infrastructure

SEOUL, September 19 (AJP) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of preventing civilian infrastructure from being weaponized after a series of deadly explosions in Lebanon. These blasts, which occurred on Tuesday, targeted wireless communication devices used by Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group. The explosions killed 12 people, including two children, and injured nearly 2,800. Guterres, speaking from UN headquarters in New York, urged governments to

September 19, 2024

Bahrain to host 2025 F1 pre-season testing as calendar adjusts for Ramadan

SEOUL, September 18 (AJP) - Bahrain has been chosen again to host Formula 1's pre-season testing in 2025, even though it won’t hold the first race of the season next year. Since 2021, the Bahrain International Circuit has been the place for pre-season testing, having exclusive rights for the last two years. To reduce costs, F1 has shortened pre-season testing to just one session over three days for the past two years, and this format will continue in 2025. That

September 18, 2024

Blinken heads to Egypt for new cease-fire proposal

SEOUL, September 17 (AJP) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Egypt on Tuesday to push forward a new cease-fire proposal for Gaza. The U.S. is working with Egypt and Qatar to finalize this plan, which seeks to establish a truce between Israel and Hamas and secure the release of hostages taken by Hamas. No specific date has been set for the proposal's release. While in Cairo, Blinken will also co-chair the U.S.-Egypt Strategic Dialogue alongside Egyptian Foreig

September 17, 2024

Dubai princess launches perfume after making a bold statement

SEOUL, September 16 (AJP) - A Dubai princess who made headlines for her Instagram divorce has returned to the platform to launch her new perfume, “Divorce.” Princess Mahra bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, daughter of Dubai ruler and UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has shared several photos of herself holding the perfume bottle over the past two days. This follows a teaser post five days earlier, promoting her perfume brand Mahra M1, along with

September 16, 2024

WHO leads largest Gaza medical evacuation to UAE

SEOUL, September 13 (AJP) - World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Wednesday that 97 critically ill and injured individuals from Gaza were airlifted to Abu Dhabi, UAE, for urgent medical treatment. This large-scale evacuation, the biggest since October 2023, was conducted amidst heavy Israeli attacks. In a statement, Tedros explained that WHO, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, successfully evacuated the patie

September 13, 2024

Biden's military aid to Egypt faces backlash over human rights record

SEOUL, September 13 (AJP) - The Biden administration has decided to release $320 million in military aid to Egypt, despite the funds being previously linked to the country's human rights improvements. This brings the total U.S. military assistance to Egypt for the year to $1.3 billion, making Egypt the second-largest recipient of such aid after Israel. The decision, announced to Congress, was made after Secretary of State Antony Blinken used his authority to approve the aid, inc

September 13, 2024

Saudi Arabia, China push for deeper collaboration in energy and trade

SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman met in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss cooperation in key sectors including energy, investment, and trade. Premier Li also pushed for progress on free trade negotiations between China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE. GCC Secretary General Jasem al-Budaiwi stressed the importance of completing these trade discussions soon. However

September 12, 2024

Gulf stocks slide due to weaker oil and US inflation concerns

SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - Most Gulf stock markets declined on Wednesday, weighed down by falling oil prices and investor anticipation of key U.S. inflation data that could impact the Federal Reserve's potential interest rate cut next week. OPEC revised its global oil demand growth forecast for 2024 downward on Tuesday, citing data from this year. This marked the second consecutive reduction in OPEC's outlook. A significant factor behind the revision was China, with OPEC cu

September 12, 2024

Egypt's urban inflation hits 26.2% in August

SEOUL, Sept. 11 (AJP) - Egypt's annual urban inflation rate rose unexpectedly to 26.2 percent in August, up from 25.7 percent in July, according to CAPMAS data. On a monthly basis, prices increased by 2.1 percent, a sharper rise compared to the 0.4-percent growth in July. Food prices, which had decreased by 0.3 percent in July, jumped by 1.8 percent in August and were 29-percent higher than the previous year. Analysts had forecasted inflation to ease to a median of 25.1 perce

September 11, 2024