Author: ALJAZEERA

Gaziantep, Turkey – When Elmas Abdulghani has a flashback, her body still shakes like the floor of her apartment on that early February morning a year ago. She was woken up by the screams of her husband, crying: “Elmas, wake up! Save your life!” “I just remember fear and confusion,” 35-year-old Abdulghani says, almost tearing up as her mind travels back in time. Abdulghani’s husband did not survive the first magnitude 7.8 earthquake, followed by a second magnitude 7.6 one later in the day and hundreds of aftershocks, that killed more than 50,000 people in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on…

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s interim budget last week marked nearly 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Sitharaman showcased the government’s achievements over the past decade, rather than shower freebies, ahead of national polls due in a couple of months. A careful analysis shows the changing patterns in the Indian economy. Sitharaman reduced the food subsidy by 3.3 percent to 2.12 trillion rupees ($25.5bn) in 2025 from 2.05 trillion rupees ($24.6bn) in the current fiscal year. The fertiliser subsidy was also reduced while keeping up capital expenditure at 1.3 trillion rupees ($15.6bn). Keeping such spending in check allowed…

Espen Barth Eide discusses Norway’s peace efforts in the Israel-Palestine conflict – from Oslo Accords to advocating Gaza truce.Tracing Norway’s diplomatic journey from Trygve Lie’s pivotal role as the first United Nations secretary-general to its instrumental part in the Oslo Accords, a landmark agreement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Norway has long been a beacon of international peace and neutrality. Its commitment to these principles faces new tests with the current war on Gaza, raising questions about its arms export policies and the indirect implications for regions in turmoil. Amid these complexities, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide talks to Al…

Sri Lanka seeks to foster growth after its economy contracted 3.8 percent last year, according to World Bank estimates.Thailand and Sri Lanka have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a move Sri Lanka hopes will help it emerge from its worst financial crisis in decades. “This move aims to enhance market opportunities, with negotiations covering various aspects such as Trade in Goods, Investment, Customs Procedure, and Intellectual Property Rights,” read a statement published on Saturday by the Sri Lankan president’s media department. The island nation has been renewing a focus on trade deals to foster economic growth and help its…

Jandaris, Syria – It was a party, a celebration of life for so many children and young people who survived one of the worst natural disasters in decades. The big white tent was decked out in balloons and streamers, with colourful games marked out on the floor and all manner of hula hoops changing hands. Among the people being celebrated at the World Vision party was little Afraa, the baby who was born as her mother died under the debris of the massive earthquakes that struck northwestern Syria and southern Turkey on February 6 last year, killing 4,500 people in…

Jakarta, Indonesia –  After spa therapist Murniyati survived COVID-19 on a sparse salary, she thought the worst was over. But after the Indonesian government’s announcement of a steep rise in taxes on entertainment services, she fears the salon where she works could be forced to close, leaving her unemployed. “My husband is just a taxi driver so our combined income is low. Our life, my life, depends on him and me,” she told Al Jazeera. Murniyati is just one of the countless workers across Indonesia who could be affected by the plans to apply a 40-75 percent tax rate to…

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NewsFeedThe US has warned of more strikes after bombing 85 alleged Iran-linked targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for an attack that killed American soldiers in Jordan amid Israel’s war on Gaza. Iraq says civilians are among the dead.Published On 4 Feb 20244 Feb 2024 Source link

The strikes have forced ships to change route, causing major disruptions in companies’ chains of production.Attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia. The strikes, which came in solidarity with Palestinians facing Israeli bombardments in Gaza, are targeting a route that accounts for about 15 percent of the world’s shipping traffic, forcing several shipping companies to reroute their vessels. The Houthi assaults have pushed several commercial vessels passing through the Suez Canal and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to take an alternative and much longer…

The World Aquatics Championships in Doha features the highest number of athletes and countries in the event’s history, swimming’s governing body World Aquatics said. The event, which started on Friday, hosts more than 2,600 athletes from 201 countries competing across 75 medal events in six aquatic sports, with qualification spots for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris up for grabs. “We are humbled that more athletes and more countries than ever before have opted to compete in these championships,” said Khaleel Al Jabir, the event’s director general. The championships continue until February 18 in different venues around the Qatari capital.…