YAOUNDE: The World Trade Organization’s 14th ministerial conference ended early Monday without agreement on extending the long-running moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, a lapse that sharpened questions about the body’s ability to update trade rules and advance wider institutional reform. WTO officials said the moratorium had expired after ministers ran out of time in Yaounde, Cameroon, and conference chair Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana said negotiations would continue in Geneva. WTO officials said the…
CAMPO GRANDE: Senior officials and delegates meeting in Brazil this week said migratory species that cross national borders face mounting threats from habitat loss, pollution, climate pressures and poorly planned infrastructure, as the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation…
CHONGQING: China’s medical equipment market expanded 60.5% between 2021 and 2025, reaching 1.44 trillion yuan ($208 billion) last year, according to data released at the 2026 China Medical…
SEOUL: The Bank of Korea said on Friday that its 2025 net income climbed to a record 15.3275 trillion won, nearly doubling from the previous year as gains on…
DUBAI, March 28, 2026: American colt Magnitude won the 30th Dubai World Cup on Saturday night at Meydan Racecourse, delivering a commanding performance in the emirate’s flagship…
Business
CHONGQING: China’s medical equipment market expanded 60.5% between 2021 and 2025, reaching 1.44 trillion yuan ($208 billion) last year, according to data released at the 2026 China Medical Equipment Conference in Chongqing. The figures also showed medical equipment exports totaled $45.8 billion in 2025, up 62.4% from 2019. The China Association of Medical Equipment…
SEOUL: The Bank of Korea said on Friday that its 2025 net income climbed to a record 15.3275 trillion won, nearly doubling from the previous year as gains on foreign-currency assets and stronger securities prices lifted results. The total marked a 96.03% increase from 2024 and surpassed the central bank’s previous high of 7.8638 trillion…
SEOUL: South Korea posted an 11.3 trillion won managed fiscal surplus in January as stronger tax collection offset higher government spending, with value-added tax and income tax leading the increase in receipts. Finance ministry data showed tax revenue reached 52.9 trillion won in the month, up 6.2 trillion won from a year earlier, while…
Travel
ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways carried 2.2 million passengers in January 2026, the Abu Dhabi based airline said in its monthly traffic update, reporting a 29% increase from 1.7 million passengers in January 2025. The carrier also reported a passenger load factor of 89.9%…
HANOI: Vietnam recorded its strongest ever month for inbound tourism in January 2026, welcoming nearly 2.5 million foreign visitors, according to official statistics. The total was the highest monthly figure on record and marked a sharp rise from the end of 2025, underscoring…
WASHINGTON: The U.S. State Department will begin an indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries on Jan. 21, applying revised screening standards under the public charge provision of U.S. immigration law. The measure pauses the issuance of new immigrant visas…
Technology
NEW DELHI: India is preparing a new fund worth more than 1 trillion rupees, or about $11 billion, to support domestic semiconductor production, according to a report published Thursday. The report said the proposed funding would provide subsidies for chip design projects, manufacturing equipment and the development…
EuroWire, LEIPZIG: BMW Group has launched a pilot project using humanoid robots in production at its Plant Leipzig, marking the company’s first deployment of humanoid robotics on a factory floor in Germany. BMW announced the project on Feb. 27 and provided additional details on March 9, describing…
CUPERTINO: Apple on Tuesday introduced updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by its new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, positioning the laptops for professional workflows and expanded on-device artificial intelligence. Apple said the systems add faster storage, updated wireless capabilities and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity…
CUPERTINO: Apple on March 2 introduced the iPhone 17e, a lower-priced model in its iPhone 17 lineup that starts at $599 with 256GB of storage and is also offered with 512GB for $799. The company said the phone will be sold in black, white and soft pink…
NEW DELHI: Samsung India said its flagship Galaxy S26 smartphone series is available for pre-order in India from Feb. 25, led by the Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside the Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26. The company billed the lineup as its most advanced AI phone range to date,…
Sports
Entertainment
CALIFORNIA: Sony Interactive Entertainment and Santa Monica Studio announced on February 12 that the original God of War trilogy is being remade, reviving the series’ Greek era in a project the studio said is still in very early development. The announcement was made during a PlayStation State of Play presentation and was accompanied by…
Luxury
Rolex introduces the latest addition to its esteemed collection with the unveiling of the new Oyster Perpetual Rolex Deepsea model. Breaking tradition, this iteration marks the first-ever presentation of the divers’ watch in 18 ct yellow gold. Sporting a distinctive 60-minute graduated Cerachrom bezel insert in blue ceramic and…
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date, a beacon of horological prestige, marries the elegance of 18 ct gold or 950 platinum with groundbreaking innovation. Since its launch in 1956, it has stood out as the first wristwatch to display both the date and day of the week spelled out in full.…