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Sajeev K Peter

Members of Magdeburg's fire department stand at a makeshift memorial outside the Johanniskirche (Johannes Church), near the site of a car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg, eastern Germany, on December 22, 2024. -AFP

Angry questions in Germany after market attack

BERLIN: The German government faced growing questions Sunday about whether more could have been done to prevent the Christmas market car-ramming attack that killed five people and injured over 200. The Saudi suspect, 50-year-old psychiatrist and anti-Islam activist Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen, had made online death threats against German citizens and had a history of quarrelling with state authorities.News magazine Der Spiegel, citing security sources,...

NEW YORK: Traders work on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) floor in New York City. -- AFP

Investors hope for ‘Santa Claus’ rally as stocks lose steam

NEW YORK: With December so far delivering Scrooge-like returns in an otherwise stellar year for US stocks, investors hope the tail end of 2024 offers some holiday cheer, but warn of potential headwinds.The benchmark S&P 500 is up more than 23 percent for 2024, even after a major stumble this week, and Wall Street has historically often enjoyed a strong annual close. Since 1969, the last five trading days of the year combined with the first two of...

NOVATO, California: Customers shop for groceries at a Costco store in Novato, California. -- AFP

US consumer spending remains solid

WASHINGTON: US consumer spending increased in November amid strong demand for a range of goods and services, underscoring the economy’s resilience, which saw the Federal Reserve this week projecting fewer interest rate cuts in 2025 than it had in September. There was also good news on inflation last month after a series of warmer readings. The report from the Commerce Department on Friday showed moderate monthly rises in prices, with a measure...

Nuns hold up Nativity Scene figurines of baby Jesus during the traditional blessing of figurines as part of the pope's Sunday Angelus prayer before Christmas in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican on December 22, 2024. -- AFP

Pope again condemns ‘cruelty’ of Zionist entity’s strikes on Gaza

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis doubled down Sunday on his condemnation of Zionist entity’s strikes on the Gaza Strip, denouncing their “cruelty” for the second time in as many days despite Zionist entity accusing him of “double standards”.“And with pain I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty, of the children being machine-gunned, of the bombings of schools and hospitals. What cruelty,” the pope said after his weekly Angelus prayer.It comes...

Haitham Hassan Al-Nada, 28, poses before a destroyed apartment building in the Yarmuk camp for Palestinian refugees south of Damascus.-- AFP

In ruined homes, Palestinians recall Assad regime’s torture

YARMUK, Syria: School lessons ended in Syria’s biggest Palestinian refugee camp on October 18, 2012, judging by the date still chalked up on the board more than a decade later.“I am playing football”; “She is eating an apple”; “The boys are flying a kite” are written in English. Outside, the remaining children in the Damascus suburb of Yarmuk now play among the shattered ruins left by Syria’s years of civil war. And as the kids...

Hindu devotees sit at Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka. -- AFP

Minorities fear targeted attacks in post-revolution Bangladesh

DHAKA: For generations, the small Hindu temple outside the capital in Muslim-majority Bangladesh was a quiet place to pray—before arsonists ripped open its roof this month in the latest post-revolution unrest. It is only one of a string of attacks targeting religious minorities since a student-led uprising toppled long-time autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina in August.“We don’t feel safe,” said Hindu devotee Swapna Ghosh in the village of...

This photo taken on March 7, 2015 shows Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik creating a sand sculpture of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Puri beach in eastern Odisha state. -- AFP

Malaysia agrees to resume hunt for flight MH370

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has agreed to resume the search for the wreckage of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, its transport minister said on Friday, more than 10 years after it disappeared in one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries. Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.“Our responsibility and obligation and commitment is to the next of...

Boursa Kuwait’s 2023 Sustainability Report has been recognized as the Best Sustainability and ESG Report at the MEIRA Awards.

Boursa Kuwait’s Sustainability Report crowned the best in the Middle East

KUWAIT: Reaffirming its position as a leading institution in corporate sustainability, Boursa Kuwait’s 2023 Sustainability Report has been recognized as the Best Sustainability and ESG Report at the Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA) Awards. Held annually to celebrate excellence in investor relations across the Middle East, this year’s awards ceremony, which was organized in Abu Dhabi on December 11-12 in collaboration with...

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The Family Office expands its legacy in wealth management to Kuwait

KUWAIT: The Family Office, a leading wealth management company in the GCC, is proud to announce the expansion of its operations to Kuwait. Licensed and regulated by the Kuwaiti Capital Market Authority (CMA), the firm is bringing its legacy of expertise and innovation closer to Kuwaiti investors. With its local office set to open soon, The Family Office is committed to delivering tailored wealth management solutions and exclusive private market...

CALIFORNIA: In an aerial view, shipping containers are stacked on a dock at the Port of Oakland in Oakland, California. -- AFP

EU deal and Trump tariff threats boost Mercosur trade talks

BRASILIA: Brazil expects the South American trade bloc Mercosur to speed up more free trade negotiations after clinching a deal with the European Union, as the threat of US tariffs when Donald Trump takes office as president forces countries to diversify their options for exports, diplomats say.Topping the list of Mercosur’s most likely new trade pacts next year are deals with the European Free Trade Association of four non-EU nations and with...

Soldiers take a selfie on the plateform at a metro station in Ho Chi Minh City on December 22, 2024. -AFP

‘Finally, we made it!’: Ho Chi Minh City celebrates first metro

HO CHI MINH CITY: Thousands of selfie-taking Ho Chi Minh City residents crammed into train carriages Sunday as the traffic-clogged business hub celebrated the opening of its first-ever metro line after years of delays. Huge queues spilled out of every station along the $1.7 billion line that runs almost 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the city centre—with women in traditional “ao dai” dress, soldiers in uniform and couples clutching young...

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Global markets digest mixed signals on growth and policy

KUWAIT: In the week ending on the 22nd of December, global markets witnessed major developments, as economic data continues to shape the economic outlook. In the US, inflation, as measured by core PCE, increased by 0.1 percent month-over-month and 2.8 percent year-over-year in November, maintaining stable inflation expectations. Personal spending rose 0.4 percent, while disposable income grew 0.3 percent. The US dollar showed resilience, reaching...

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Britain's King Charles III (L) welcomes Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, during an audience at Buckingham Palace, in London, on October 25, 2023. (Photo by Jordan Pettitt / POOL / AFP)

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Maha Al-Sager performs, representing Kuwait during a gymnastics competition.

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