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OUAGADOUGOU: A woman carries out a pan of granite up the side of Pissy Granite Mine in the center of Ouagadougou. —AFP

‘No choice’: Burkina miners toil in Ouagadougou quarry

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso: Dust and toxic fumes billow from a cavernous, ashy granite quarry in the center of Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou. A giant crater located among the roads, houses and administrative buildings of the city’s Pissy neighborhood, the mine has been dug by hand over 40 years. Artisanal miners toil in the bowels of the earth, with men engaged in back-breaking labor as they smash rocks into smaller chunks with hammers...

FUYANG, China: women working on an assembly line producing speakers at a factory in Fuyang in China’s eastern Anhui province. Factory activity in China edged down in January, official figures showed yesterday. — AFP

China factory activity drops in Jan amid COVID outbreaks

BEIJING: Factory activity in China edged down in January, official figures showed yesterday, but slightly exceeded expectations as businesses struggled with sporadic disruptions due to coronavirus outbreaks. The Purchasing Managers’ Index-a key gauge of manufacturing activity-in the world’s second-largest economy inched down to 50.1, just above the 50-point mark separating growth from contraction. The data from the National Bureau of...

In this file photo a murmuration of starlings flies over pine trees and the equestrian statue of King Vittorio Emanuele II as the night falls over Piazza Venezia in central Rome.

Magical but messy: Rome scares off its starlings

As the sun sets over central Rome, five figures in white overalls move under the trees. They wave speakers emitting a mix of sharp cries, and the birds rise into the air. Every winter, the skies over Italy’s capital are filled with the mesmerizing sight of thousands of starlings swooping and diving in unison. But when they stop to rest on the trees, their droppings coat the pavements and cars below-prompting the city authorities, every year, to...

MUMBAI: An Air India aircraft prepares to land at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. — AFP

India’s Tata back in charge of Air India after 69 years

MUMBAI: Air India, India’s ailing national carrier, landed back in the hands of its founders on Thursday decades after it was nationalized and following years as a monumental burden on the public purse. Tata, a sprawling family-owned conglomerate with interests ranging from tea to software, is back in charge of Air India after concluding the 180 billion rupee ($2.4 billion) deal. The handover marked the end of a long search for a buyer by...

Dr Mohammad Y Al-Hashel

CBK to hold virtual event on enabling Kuwait’s banking and financial sector

KUWAIT: The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) will hold an event tomorrow (31 January 2022) to unveil the CBK’s enhanced capabilities in bolstering monetary stability and financial stability titled, “Stability and Enablement”. The presentation will highlight CBK’s efforts in enabling the digital advancement of the financial sector, driving innovation and leveraging fintech in the financial sector.CBK Governor Dr Mohammad Y Al-Hashel stated...

RAYONG, Thailand: Members of the Thai Navy gather at sunset after cleaning up crude oil on Mae Ram Phueng beach following a spill caused by a leak in an undersea pipeline owned by Star Petroleum Refining Public Company Limited (SPRC) in Rayong Friday. —AFP

Oil spill ‘nail in the coffin’ for COVID-hit Thai beach businesses

BANGKOK: Oil washing up on a beach on Thailand’s east coast could be the “nail in the coffin” for pandemic-hit hotels and restaurants, local hospitality businesses said yesterday. The Thai navy and pollution experts are scrambling to clean up Tuesday night’s spill in the Gulf of Thailand where at least 60 tons of crude leaked about 20 kilometers (12 miles) off the coast of Rayong province. Crews in yellow plastic protective suits were...

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference in Ankara. —AFP

Erdogan threatens to punish media over ‘harmful content’

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened Turkish media with legal action over content “incompatible with national and moral values,” in a move seen by critics as an attempt to stifle the dissent. He also sacked his justice minister and the head of the state of the statistics agency after it published official data showing last year’s inflation rate hit a 19-year high. The Turkish leader said in a decree that “it has...

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Australia pumps cash into Great Barrier Reef protection

SYDNEY: Australia unveiled a billion-dollar package to protect the climate-ravaged Great Barrier Reef on Friday, hoping to prevent the vast network of corals from being removed from UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Conservative prime minister Scott Morrison announced the Aus$1 billion (US$700 million) nine-year plan, months after narrowly avoiding the reef being placed on UNESCO’s “in danger” list. “We are backing the health of the reef...

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Photo released by the Argentinian Ministry of Economy of Argentinian Economy Minister Martin Guzman (right) delivering a press conference on an agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) next to Argentinian Chief of Cabinet Juan Luis Manzur, in Buenos Aires on Friday. — AFP

Argentina president announces new debt deal with IMF

BEUNOS AIRES: Argentine President Alberto Fernandez unveiled what he called a “reasonable” new debt repayment deal with the International Monetary Fund on Friday, the day a $700-million repayment was due. The South American country was due this year to pay back $19 billion of its $44-billion debt to the IMF. With a long history of loan defaults, Argentina had insisted it wanted to honor its commitments this time but without sacrificing...

Gold jewelry demand jumped by more than half in 2021 on strong buying in India and China, as celebrations including marriages postponed by COVID finally took place.

Gold demand soars on economic rebound, inflation surge: Industry

LONDON: Global gold demand soared in the fourth quarter of 2021 as inflation rocketed, helping to recoup much of the drop triggered by the pandemic, industry data showed Friday. Viewed as a haven investment in times of economic unrest, gold saw demand surge 50 percent in the final three months of last year compared with the October-December period in 2020, the World Gold Council said in a report.Overall last year, “demand recouped much of the...

Models present creations by Elie Saab during the Spring-Summer 2022 Haute Couture collection fashion show in Paris. — AFP photos

Elie Saab brings vibrant looks to Paris catwalk on return

Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab returned to the Paris catwalk after nearly two years, turning the page on a troubled period marked by the Beirut port blast and COVID-19, with a collection of vibrant, red carpet-ready looks. Saab sensed a need for release, he told Reuters in an interview ahead of the show. “I felt my clients are looking for release, they want things that are flashy, with colors, lively things - I see that this period has...

These pictures show creations of late French designer Yves Saint-Laurent displayed at the Louvre Museum as part of the exhibitions “Yves Saint-Laurent at the museums” in Paris. — AFP photos

Unique expo places Saint Laurent among Paris treasures

Tucked away like Easter eggs in the most prestigious Paris museums, a unique commemoration of designer Yves Saint Laurent cements his status among the greats of French cultural history. “I am utterly eclectic,” the designer once said, and the point is proven by how easily his clothes fit into museums covering very different eras and artistic styles. In the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre, alongside the crowns and jewels of French kings and...

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