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This picture shows a team photograph of the 1953 Mount Everest expedition which placed Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on the summit of the world's highest mountain, on the eve of International Everest Day, at Namche Bazar in Solukhumbu district, northeast of Kathmandu.--AFP photos
70 years after first summit, Everest keeps giving
When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa first climbed Everest 70 years ago, they paved the way for thousands of foreign climbers to try to follow in their footsteps. The eight-day trek to the Everest base camp is among the most popular multi-day hikes in Nepal, with tens of thousands of tourists making the journey every year. What were small agrarian villages when the British expedition passed through in 1953 have since been transformed...
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets the audience as he attends a meeting of non-governmental organizations (NGO) and mukhtars at Taha Akgul Sports Hall on May 24, 2023. – AFP
Erdogan pays homage to Menderes
ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid homage to his executed Islamic predecessor on Saturday in a last-gasp attempt to rally his conservative base on the eve of a historic runoff election. Erdogan’s visit to Istanbul’s Adnan Menderes mausoleum took him back to the man he cited when he called early polls for May 14 in a bid to ease his way to an unprecedented third decade of rule.Menderes was tried and hanged one year after the...
WASHINGTON: The US Capitol is seen in Washington, DC. President Joe Biden said he is ‘hopeful’ for a resolution within hours to the US debt ceiling standoff between Democrats and Republicans, raising hopes of an imminent end to the threat of default by the world’s biggest economy. - AFP
What happens if US fails to lift debt limit by June 5?
WASHINGTON: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has updated the date for a possible US debt default to June 5 if Congress fails to raise the ceiling on borrowing, pushing back a previous estimate of June 1. This gives negotiators for President Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy a little breathing room as they work to find a bipartisan solution to lift the current spending cap, known as the debt ceiling. But though murmurs of a possible...
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NBK named ‘Best Bank in Kuwait’
KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) was named “Best Bank in Kuwait” for 2023 by Global Finance, in its annual survey for the Best Banks in the Middle East, based on the input from a large panel of experts, analysts, corporate financial executives, bankers and banking consultants worldwide. Global Finance mentioned that this year’s Awards recognize the financial institutions that offer the broadest range of services as well as the...
LONDON: People from different campaign groups gather in Parliament Square, central London, on May 27, 2023 for the ‘Not My Bill protest’ to demonstrate against government’s anti-protest laws, anti-strike laws, anti-traveler laws and the illegal migration bill. – AFP
TotalEnergies shareholders back climate strategy despite protests
PARIS: TotalEnergies shareholders have backed the French oil giant’s climate strategy as it faces pressure from both environment activists and the government to speed up its switch to renewable energy. Protesters tried to prevent investors from attending the group’s annual general assembly in Paris, but police early in the morning used tear gas to disperse those who had managed to sit in front of the concert hall where it was being held. The...
NEW YORK: Traders work the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City. - AFP
Global stocks climb on debt deal hopes
NEW YORK: Global stock markets advanced on hopes of progress in negotiations to avert a calamitous US debt default and a continued rally in tech stocks over enthusiasm for firms involved in artificial intelligence. On Wall Street, the broad-based S&P 500 rose 1.3 percent to 4,205.45, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a more modest 1.0 percent gain to finish the week at 33,093.34.“The market is rising on the hope that they probably...
DETROIT: Members of the People Republic of China delegation at the table before the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade meeting in Detroit, Michigan.- AFP
US and China wrangle on trade in rare talks
WASHINGTON: The United States and China sparred over trade issues but promised to keep lines of communication open as Beijing’s commerce minister paid a rare visit after a period of soaring tensions. Minister Wang Wentao met US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade meeting in Detroit, a day after he saw his counterpart Gina Raimondo in Washington. Tai “discussed the importance of the...
SIEM REAP: Crocodiles rest at a reptile farm on May 26, 2023 after a 72-year-old man was killed by the animals in the enclosure. – AFP
Cambodian killed by 40 crocs after falling in enclosure
PHNOM PENH: About 40 crocodiles killed a Cambodian man on Friday after he fell into their enclosure at his family’s reptile farm, police said. Luan Nam, 72, was trying to move a crocodile out of a cage where it had laid eggs when it grabbed the stick he was using as a goad and pulled him in. The main group of reptiles then set about him, tearing his body to pieces and leaving the concrete enclosure at the farm in Siem Reap awash with blood....
RAWALPINDI: Activists of ruling party Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) throw shoes at a poster of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party members on May 27, 2023. – AFP
Pakistan establishment closes ranks in crackdown on Khan
ISLAMABAD: With military courts, intimidation of the press and mass arrests, Pakistan’s rulers are seeking to destroy former prime minister Imran Khan’s support ahead of elections, analysts say. Khan’s brief arrest earlier this month sparked days of street protests freighted with anger at the powerful army perceived to have orchestrated his downfall. Islamabad has labelled the violence “anti-state”, justifying huge roundups and the...
Canadian singer Celine Dion arrives for the Alexandre Vauthier Women's Fall-Winter 2019/2020 Haute Couture collection fashion show in Paris.-AFP
‘So sorry’: Celine Dion cancels 2023-2024 shows over health
Pop icon Celine Dion on Friday cancelled all her remaining shows scheduled for 2023-2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour as she battles a rare neurological disorder. The 55-year-old Canadian revealed last year that her condition - Stiff-Person Syndrome - was affecting her singing. “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again... and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to...
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Lina Bakir Music Academy holds candlelight concerts at Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Center
By Abdellatif SharaaLina Bakir Music Academy held candlelight concerts at Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Cultural Center theater that included four performances, one on Thursday and three on Friday. The night was amazing as children as young as three let their tender fingers run over the piano keys as an orchestra played in the background.The event by advanced students on Thursday was for a private audience, where a young child came on stage and...
AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Titans’ Shubman Gill celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 second qualifier cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium.- AFP
‘Superstar’ Gill’s ton powers Gujarat Titans into IPL final
AHMEDABAD: Shubman Gill called his 129 his “best innings” in the Indian Premier League after he powered champions Gujarat Titans into the final with a 62-run thrashing of Mumbai Indians. Gill’s 60-ball knock - his third ton in four IPL innings - fired Gujarat to 233-3, a total they defended by bowling out five-time winners Mumbai for 171 in 18.2 overs in the final playoff which started late due to rain in Ahmedabad. They will play Chennai...