News
E-commerce helps drive Saudi consumer spending up 17. 5% in April
1+ hour, 4+ min ago (291+ words) RIYADH: Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia recorded'strong growth'during April, rising by about 17. 5 percent year on year to reach SR133. 9 billion ($35. 64 billion), marking the largest monthly growth rate since May 2021.' At the same time, point-of-sale data showed an expansion in spending across…...
Rent freeze takes immediate effect across Abu Dhabi
44+ min ago (420+ words) RIYADH: Abu Dhabi has imposed an immediate, temporary freeze on all rent increases, offering a financial lifeline to tenants across residential, commercial, and industrial properties. The measure, announced on June 2 by the emirate's Real Estate Center, means all tenancy contract…...
UN warns possibly strong El Nino could push global temperatures higher
1+ hour, 33+ min ago (381+ words) GENEVA: The United Nations weather agency on Tuesday forecast a moderate or possibly strong El Nino that could drive up global temperatures and increase the risk of extreme weather over the coming months. El Nino is a periodic warming of…...
Taiwan says 2 dead in military training plane crash
4+ hour, 41+ min ago (263+ words) TAIPEI: A Taiwanese military training aircraft crashed on Tuesday during a simulated engine failure exercise, killing the two pilots on board, the defense ministry said in a statement. The T-34 plane crashed at 8: 08 a. m. (0008 GMT) at the northern end of the runway…...
Trump drops f-bomb in tense call with Netanyahu about Lebanon
2+ hour, 20+ min ago (263+ words) DUBAI: President Donald Trump has had an expletive-laden call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Israel's escalation of military activities in Lebanon, according to the website Axios. The report, citing three sources, including two US officials, quoted Trump as…...
Pakistan businesses press for tax, energy relief as PM unveils pre-budget measures
4+ hour, 13+ min ago (714+ words) ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's business leaders on Monday pressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for tax and energy relief ahead of the announcement of the next fiscal year's federal budget, arguing that high production costs, complex tax rules and elevated energy tariffs are…...
US in talks to expand nuclear weapons deployments in Europe, FT says
4+ hour, 12+ min ago (88+ words) Arab News US in talks to expand nuclear weapons deployments in Europe, FT says - US officials have signaled openness to additional deployments beyond the existing six countries hosting nuclear-capable bombers The US is discussing whether to deploy nuclear weapons in…...
Sweet success meets harsh realities for Syrian strawberry farmers
7+ hour, 35+ min ago (256+ words) HOMS: Strawberry farmers in western Homs are projected to harvest around 9, 500 tonnes of fruit this season from nearly 11, 800 greenhouses concentrated in the Talkalakh region, local officials said. According to the Homs Agriculture Directorate, roughly 5, 000 tonnes of the current yield have…...
Inside APP's Arabic newsroom shaping Islamabad's message for the Middle East
5+ hour, 15+ min ago (645+ words) ISLAMABAD: In a small corner of Pakistan's state news agency newsroom in Islamabad, editors spend their days translating headlines into Arabic, tracking developments across the Middle East and selecting stories they believe will resonate from Riyadh to Cairo. Pakistan has…...
Pentagon bars journalists from its press office, saying it has become a "classified space
4+ hour, 45+ min ago (429+ words) NEW YORK: In another of a series of moves restricting media access at the Pentagon, the Defense Department has declared that its press office is now a classified space inaccessible to journalists. On X, acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez…...