Travel ban extension ‘a tit-for-tat move’ after Ankara backed Ukraine in its conflict with Kremlin
Considering that the number of daily COVID-19 cases in Russia is actually higher than the number of daily cases in Turkey, it is hard not to believe there are some political motives behind Moscow’s decision to extend the travel ban on Turkey
Updated 02 June 2021
June 02, 2021 01:07
ANKARA: Contrary to the expectations and moves of appeasement by the Turkish government, Russia has extended a flight ban to Turkey that was to expire on June 1 amid the tourism season.
The continuation of the travel ban to Turkey in effect since mid-April due to rising infection rates in the country is expected to last a further three weeks at the earliest and will seriously affect Turkey’s hospitality industry, which depends on visits by about half-a-million Russian holidaymakers who will now find alternative vacation spots.
RIYADH: Iraq generated oil revenues of about $5.9 billion in May while the average price of a barrel was $65.46, the energy ministry said on its website. May's exports were flat on the previous month at 2.9 million barrels, but with an average price of $62.5 per barrel. Iraq said last month that ExxonMobil was seeking to sell its 32.7 percent stake in the West Qurna 1 field,
Global stocks remain at record levels as economic rebound gains momentum Investors shift their focus to central banks’ reaction to faster-than-expected recovery from Covid-19 pandemic 02 June 2021 - 13:29 Tommy Wilkes Picture: 123RF/DANIIL PESHKOV
London Stock markets hovered near record highs on Wednesday as investors cheered the latest evidence of a sustained rebound in global economies and stronger oil prices lifted energy stocks.
The mood was less buoyant than on Tuesday, however, as traders waited for crucial US jobs data, due on Friday, to assess what the increasing evidence of a faster-than-expected economic recovery would mean for central bank policy in the US and Europe.
UNITED NATIONS: Iran and the Central African Republic are in arrears on paying their dues to the United Nations’ operating budget and will lose their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly, the UN chief said in a letter circulated Wednesday.
In the letter to General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said three other African countries - Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and Somalia are also in arrears. But he said the assembly passed a resolution saying they can still vote in the current session which ends in September.
The UN Charter states that members whose arrears equal or exceed the amount of their contributions for the preceding two full years lose their voting rights. But it also gives the General Assembly the authority to decide “that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the member,” and in that case a country can continue to vote.
PARIS: When French-born Laure d’Hauteville launched the Beirut Art Fair in 2010 it was because she had fallen in love with Lebanon and Middle East art. She was determined to contribute to the Mediterranean country that had become her second home. Due to the catastrophic port explosion on Aug. 4 last year and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Beirut Art Fair was