Author: ALJAZEERA

The Asian Cup quarterfinals pit regional giants against each other but also see underdogs take on the holders.The AFC Asian Cup has been a tournament is into the quarterfinal stage and the titans of the continent have made it relatively unscathed so far. They are all about to be pitted against each other though. Here’s our run down of the tournament’s last-eight stage, which is set to take place across Friday and Saturday: 1. Tajikistan vs Jordan: Friday, February 2 at 11:30 GMT Two underrated teams face off in the first quarterfinal. Jordan scrambled to third sport in their group…

Read More

Washington, DC – The United States has imposed sanctions on several Israeli settlers for attacking Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank, accusing them of undermining stability and security in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The announcement on Thursday comes amid increasing pressure on President Joe Biden over his unwavering support for Israel’s war on Gaza as he campaigns for re-election in November. The sanctions target David Chai Chasdai, Einan Tanjil and Yinon Levi, who are accused of assaulting and intimidating Palestinians. They also target Shalom Zickerman, who is accused of assaulting Israeli activists. The sanctions will freeze the individuals’…

Read More

Israel’s war on Gaza, now well into its fourth month, has taken a toll on its own economy with many industries pausing business even as a few continue to get new investments. Since October, Israel’s government has subsidised the salaries of reportedly 360,000 mobilised reservists deployed to Gaza – many of whom are high-tech industry workers in finance, artificial intelligence, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. In November, the Bank of Israel put the war’s “gross effects” on Israel at 198 billion shekels ($53bn) and pared back its estimates for economic growth to 2 percent per year for 2023 and 2024, down from…

Read More

There were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases in 2022, with more than 35 million new cases predicted by 2050.The number of new cancer cases globally will reach 35 million in 2050, 77 percent higher than the figure in 2022, according to predictions from the World Health Organization’s cancer agency. A survey conducted by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution as key factors in the predicted rise. “Over 35 million new cancer cases are predicted in 2050,” the IARC said in a statement, a 77 percent increase from the…

Read More

Hong Kong court orders developer to wind up after finding company has no viable restructuring plan.China’s troubled real-estate giant the Evergrande Group has been ordered to liquidate, a move that could deal a new blow to confidence in the world’s second-largest economy. A Hong Kong court made the ruling on Monday after the company failed to convince a judge it had a workable plan to restructure some $300bn in debts. “It would be a situation where the court says enough is enough,” judge Linda Chan said. “I consider that it is appropriate for the court to make a winding up…

Read More

The Iran-aligned rebel group has warned of more attacks against US and British warships.The United States military has carried out new strikes against 10 drones belonging to the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen as well as a ground control centre. On Thursday, US forces targeted a “Houthi UAV ground control station and 10 Houthi one-way UAVs” that “presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region”, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement referring to unmanned aerial vehicles. “This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and…

Read More

Aizawl, India – Joseph Haokip, an undergraduate student in Manipur, is excited at the thought of going to Israel. He is ready to join the Israeli army to fight Hamas in a war in which Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza has killed more than 26,000 people, mostly women and children. The 20-year-old and his family have recently returned to their home in the Kangpokpi district of Manipur after five months in the neighbouring state of Mizoram where they had fled when an ethnic conflict broke out in Manipur last year. “I stayed in a makeshift camp with the other members…

Read More

New Delhi, India – Demand for India’s Basmati, the long-grain aromatic rice, from traditional buyers in the Middle East, the US and Europe has dropped as it has become costly. The reason is the escalating tensions in the Red Sea, the shortest and most efficient trade route for ships moving from Asia to Europe. Attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen on commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea have forced shippers to avoid one of the world’s most crucial trade routes. The alternative longer route around the Cape of Good Hope on the southern tip of Africa has added more…

Read More

Saudi Arabia dominated for much of the last 16 Asian Cup clash but it was South Korea who emerged victorious on penalties.Education City Stadium, Qatar – It was a case of so near yet so far for thousands of Saudi Arabia fans, whose team faltered in the penalty shootout in their round-of-16 match against South Korea and were knocked out of the AFC Asian Cup 2023. South Korea booked a quarterfinal date with Australia as their dogged display saw them win 4-2 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 following extra time at the Education City Stadium on Tuesday night.…

Read More