Author: ALJAZEERA

With national elections around the corner, the Indian government on Thursday announced an interim budget mostly along expected lines, with a few surprises rolled in both for investors and rural voters. The world’s fifth-largest economy, and its most populous nation, will vote between March and May to choose its next federal government. The final budget before the national vote is often the last chance for an incumbent administration to shower voters with promises and projects. Yet, while the budget announced by Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman includes references to key segments of voters who will be critical in the elections,…

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South Africa’s ambassador to the US talks to Marc Lamont Hill about the implications of the case and the court’s ruling.Last week, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered provisional measures in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. The ruling states that Israel must prevent and punish incitement of genocidal acts and allow civilians access to humanitarian aid. The decision comes after nearly four months of war in Gaza, which has killed more than 26,000 people and caused a major humanitarian crisis. While the interim ruling on South Africa’s case has been hailed as a legal win for Palestinians and…

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Taipei, Taiwan – Top carmakers, including General Motors, Toyota, Volkswagen, Tesla and BYD are at a high risk of using aluminium produced by forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province, a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found. China is the world’s largest car manufacturer as well as the largest producer of aluminium, which is used in tyres, windshield wipers, electric vehicle (EV) batteries and other automotive parts. As much as one-fifth of China’s aluminium is produced by smelters in Xinjiang, where human rights groups believe more than one million ethnic minority Muslims have been subjected to internment and other…

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As Dmytro Suslov walked his dog on February 24, 2022, just before five in the morning, he spotted the first missile strikes overhead marking the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His heart pounded with fear, as he contacted family and friends to learn their whereabouts. Since that day, “continuous explosions, air raid sirens, the sounds of missiles flying over the city, the gunfire of heavy-calibre weapons, the whistling of mines and horrifying news” have become part of the tech entrepreneur’s everyday life. However, leaving his home and family behind has never been an option – and that remains…

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Asian markets rally after US tech giants post stronger-than-expected financial results.Asian markets have rallied after the release of stronger-than-expected earnings results by Meta and Amazon sent the tech giants’ share prices surging. In Hong Kong, where stocks have slumped on weak economic indicators in mainland China, the Hang Seng Index on Friday rose around 2 percent in morning trading before paring their gains, while Japan’s benchmark Nikkei Index climbed 1 percent. India’s NSE NIFTY 50 Index rose more than 1.5 percent. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, on Thursday reported revenue of $40.1bn and a profit of $14bn for the…

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EXPLAINERBiden signed order to sanction West Bank settlers, Israeli siege on Gaza’s hospital continues.Here’s how things stand on Friday, February 2, 2024: Latest on human impact and fighting The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has reported that Israel’s siege of the al-Amal Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis has continued for an 11th day. PRCS also said Israeli forces stormed al-Amal hospital for the third time on Thursday. Gaza’s Health Ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qudra, released a statement on Thursday, warning that over 30,000 displaced people in schools near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis have no water, food or baby formula. Israel…

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