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In-person Berlin film fest stands up to pandemic, streaming

The 72nd Berlin film festival opens Thursday, bucking a trend of pandemic on-the-couch streaming with a packed program of live premieres featuring a stable of European screen legends. Just as the coronavirus outbreak roars toward its peak in Germany, Berlinale organizers have opted for an 11-day, in-person celebration of new movies and a gala ceremony to award its Golden Bear top prize.The festival said it was crucial to give cinemas a boost when...

An Omani tailor displays a Dishdasha at a shop in the Omani capital Muscat. — AFP photos

Dishdasha crackdown as Omani men face fines for rogue robes

A wave of foreign imitations and alternative styles has prompted Oman to take tough action to preserve its unique national dress, threatening thousands of dollars in fines for men who wear the wrong sort of dishdasha. Dishdashas, the long, elegant robes that are a hallmark of the Gulf sultanate, have fallen prey to rising hemlines and elaborate embroidery, with some wearers also going for multicolored designs.The ministry of commerce and industry...

In this file photo taken on April 28, 1999 singer Lata Mangeshkar answers questions at a press conference in Mumbai. — AFP photos

Lata Mangeshkar: ‘Nightingale of India’ dies aged 92

Bollywood superstar Lata Mangeshkar, known to millions as the “Nightingale of India” and a regular fixture of the country’s airwaves for decades, died yesterday morning at the age of 92. She passed away in a Mumbai hospital after being admitted to its intensive care unit on January 11 with Covid-19 symptoms. Mangeshkar’s high-pitched melodies were an instantly recognizable feature of Indian cinema, with her work appearing in more than...

DUBAI: The Burj Khalifa is the tallest structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m (2,722 ft) which is three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower and almost twice as tall as the Empire State Building.

Over 7m visited Dubai in 2021 tourism turnaround

DUBAI: More than seven million foreign tourists visited Dubai last year, marking a “remarkable turnaround”, the government of the Gulf city state hosting the Expo world fair announced. The figure was up 32 percent on 2020, the first full year of the coronavirus pandemic, Dubai’s economy and tourism department said in a statement. It hailed the recovery as “a remarkable turnaround amid continuing global challenges”.This year, however,...

NEW YORK: Amazon reported its profit doubled to $14 billion in the crucial holiday quarter

Amazon holiday quarter profit doubles

NEW YORK: Amazon reported its profit doubled to $14 billion in the crucial holiday quarter, giving a boost to jittery markets that expected less due to higher labor, sourcing and delivery costs. The e-commerce colossus said its net sales climbed to $137 billion, and its profit benefited greatly from a return on investment in electric vehicle maker Rivian, which went public in November. Amazon shares were up some 14 percent in after-hours trading...

Meta adds ‘personal boundary’ tool after virtual harassment

MENLO PARK: Facebook parent Meta began rolling out Friday a minimum distance between users’ avatars in its virtual reality Horizon network after reports of harassment, one of the thorny issues for its metaverse vision. The “personal boundary” function in the immersive platform, where people can socialize virtually, puts a ring of space around users’ digital proxies. “A personal boundary prevents anyone from invading your avatar’s...

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden speaks about the January jobs report from the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Friday. —AFP

US saw surprisingly robust hiring despite COVID surge

WASHINGTON: The US economy brushed off a spike in COVID-19 infections to add 467,000 jobs in January, far better than expected and a potential sign that the pandemic’s days of disrupting businesses are numbered. Labor Department data released Friday also showed major industries hiring, overall employment gains for 2021 revised higher, and more people entering the workforce, which pushed the unemployment rate up slightly to four percent. The...

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica: Aerial view of El Erizo (left) low-income neighborhood and the modern neighborhood of Ciruelas, in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. —AFP

Costa Rica: Central America’s green pin-up

ALAJUELA, Costa Rica: Costa Rica, which elects a new president today, is a small country thriving on ecotourism. Its neutrality, strong democracy and political stability have earned it the nickname of Central America’s Switzerland. Here are four facts about the country of more than five million people: Beacon of peaceIndependent since 1821, Costa Rica is considered a model of democracy in Central America. A short civil war in 1948 led to...

WASHINGTON: Lisa DeNell Cook, nominated to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing. — AFP

NIreland court orders post-Brexit port checks to resume

LONDON: Northern Ireland’s High Court on Friday issued an interim order suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to stop post-Brexit checks on agri-food moving to and from mainland Britain. The ruling, made by judge Adrian Colton, will stand until a judicial review against the unionist minister’s decision can be heard in full.The checks on trade between the province and mainland Britain are mandated by a post-Brexit EU...

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Italy’s biggest bank promises share-holders $25.2 billion

ROME: Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s biggest bank, said Friday it would pay its shareholders 22 billion euros ($25.2 billion) between now and 2025 as part of its new strategic plan. The bank announced a 27.7 percent increase in net profit to 4.18 billion euros in 2021, slightly above expectations although less than predicted several years ago due to the coronavirus pandemic. For 2022, Intesa Sanpaolo expects a net profit of more than five billion...

WASHINGTON: Lisa DeNell Cook, nominated to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing. — AFP

Lisa Cook, expert on racism’s economic scars, Biden's Fed pick

WASHINGTON: A researcher focused on how discrimination has harmed the American economy and the damage downturns do to the poor, Lisa Cook would bring a new perspective to the US central bank. If confirmed by the Senate, Cook would be the first Black woman to serve on the powerful Federal Reserve Board of Governors, a seven-member body which guides the country’s monetary policy and throughout its 108-year history has largely been a domain of...

Photo shows what they report to be a Blue whale awaiting slaughter at the Hvalur hf whaling station in Hvalfjordur Iceland.

Iceland to end whaling as demand dwindles

Iceland, one of the only countries that still hunts whales commercially, said Friday it plans to end the practice from 2024 as demand for whale meat dwindles. For the past three years, Iceland’s whalers have barely taken their boats out into the North Atlantic despite the country’s large quotas. Demand for Icelandic whale meat has decreased dramatically since Japan-Iceland’s main market, especially for fin whale meat-returned to commercial...

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Crackdown on visa violators

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Kuwait expands ‘open door’ policy to virtual domain

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Minister of Municipal Affairs Dr Noura Al-Mashaan and Head of the Municipal Council Abdullah Al-Mahari inspect the Darwazat Abdulrazzaq project. – KUNA photos

Darwaza Abdulrazzaq project set to reopen

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HATHRAS, India: Policemen carry a person who died in a melee during a sermon in Uttar Pradesh state on July 2, 2024. - AFP

Stampede at India religious event kills 116

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Interior cracks down on residency violators