A deal allowing Ukrainian grain exports to pass through the blockaded Black Sea has been extended for 120 days, Ukraine announced Saturday, but Russia again griped that it would only assent to a full rollover if its own exports of food and fertilizer are freed up. Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov thanked “all our partners for … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. There aren’t many places on Earth as far removed from the political scheming of the European Union’s rain-soaked headquarters in Brussels as Chile’s Salar de Atacama. Its rugged, otherworldly landscape to the west of the Andes mountains spans 1,200 square miles of salt flats, … Read more
The French Senate voted in favor of the controversial pension reform overnight, paving the way for a potential final adoption of the law on Thursday, as thousands of people continue to demonstrate across the country. The widespread opposition to the retirement overhaul is a political test to French President Emmanuel Macron, whose liberal party has … Read more
President Biden is planning to approve an $8 billion oil drilling project on federal land on Alaska’s North Slope next week, according to multiple reports. His expected authorization of ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project, the largest proposed oil project in the country, would be a marked change from his previous insistence that the US transition away from … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. Europe is on track to kick its addiction to Russian fossil fuels, but can’t seem to replicate that success with nuclear energy a year into the Ukraine war. The EU’s economic sanctions on Russian coal and oil permanently reshaped trade and left Moscow in … Read more
Russia’s year-long war in Ukraine has led to thousands of casualties, millions of refugees and billions of dollars in damages to the country’s economy, environment and infrastructure. At home, Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing the narrative of a just war against the West and crushing dissenting voices, while his country’s economy feels the bite … Read more
LONDON — Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss argued the U.K. should have “done more earlier” to counter Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric before he invaded Ukraine, and said the West depended on Russian oil for too long. Truss — the U.K.’s shortest-serving prime minister who resigned amid market turmoil last year — was speaking in a … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. The EU’s energy war with Russia has entered a new phase — and there are signs that the Kremlin is starting to feel the pain. As of Sunday, it is illegal to import petroleum products — those refined from crude oil, such as diesel, … Read more
Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. The EU was quick to hit Russia with sanctions after Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine — but it took time and an escalation of measures before Moscow started to feel any real damage. Since the war started in late February last year, … Read more
JEDDAH: After several years in the making, Jeddah’s Islamic Arts Biennale is offering visitors from across the Kingdom and around the globe ‘eye-opening’ access to Islamic art. Themed “Awwal Bait,” or “The First House,” the event is taking place at the 1983 Aga Khan award-winning Western Hajj Terminal, which began accepting guests on the Jan. … Read more