tag

Designer Giorgio Armani, who helped to put Italy at the forefront of global fashion and dressed Hollywood stars, has died at the age of 91, the company that he founded and led for five decades said Thursday. Armani combined the flair of a designer with business acumen as he directed a company generating some €2.3bn ($2.7bn) in annual turnover.The designer had been unwell for some time and was forced to drop out of his group's shows at Milan's Men's Fashion Week in June, the first time he had missed one of his catwalk events.

HE the Governor of the Qatar Central Bank, Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud al-Thani met Global Finance & Technology Network Group Chief Executive Officer Sopnendu Mohanty in Doha Thursday. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in global finance and investment.

HE Director of the Government Communications Office (GCO) Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor Al-Thani met with a delegation from Meta led by Head of Service Industries for the Middle East and Africa Joachim Marciano.Discussions during the meeting focused on strengthening cooperation to develop national talent, on the sidelines of a training program organised by the GCO on digital advertising strategies in collaboration with leading global digital platforms.

Beyond the TarmacAn improvement in both passenger and cargo volumes in the global air transport industry during July suggests renewed economic momentum, stronger global trade, and growing travel demand clear signs of resilience and confidence in the global air transport sector.Data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed global passenger demand measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), was up 4% in July compared to the same period in 2024.Similarly, total demand in global air cargo, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), rose by 5.5% in July compared to July 2024 levels.Industry analysts see increased passenger and cargo activity in July reflecting restored international mobility, expansion of route networks, and better global connectivity between markets.In the passenger segment, the July load factor was 85.5% (-0.4 ppt compared to July 2024).International demand rose 5.3% in July compared to July, 2024. Capacity was up 5.8% year-on-year, and the load factor was 85.6% (-0.4 ppt compared to July 2024).Domestic demand increased 1.8% in July compared to the same month in 2024. Capacity was up 2.3% year-on-year. The load factor was 85.2% (-0.4 ppt compared to July 2024).In the global air cargo segment, capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), increased by 3.9% compared to July 2024 (+4.5% for international operations).IATA Director General Willie Walsh noted, “Air cargo demand grew 5.5% in July, a strong result. Most major trade lanes reported growth, with one significant exception: Asia–North America, where demand was down 1.0% year-on-year.“A sharp decline in e-commerce, as the US 'de minimis' exemptions on small shipments expired, was likely offset by shippers frontloading goods in advance of rising tariffs for imports to the US. August will likely reveal more clearly the impact of shifting US trade policies.“While much attention is rightly being focused on developments in markets connected to the US, it is important to keep a broad perspective on the global network. A fifth of air cargo travels on the Europe–Asia trade lane, which marked 29 months of consecutive expansion with 13.5% year-on-year growth in July.”According to IATA, several factors in the operating environment should be noted.First, the global goods trade grew by 3.1% year-on-year in June.The July jet fuel price was 9.1% lower year-on-year and has remained below 2024 levels so far this year, easing airlines’ operating costs. However, it was 4.3% higher than in June.Global manufacturing contracted in July with the PMI falling to 49.66, the second dip below the 50-mark growth threshold since January.Also, new export orders also remained negative at 48.2 for the fourth month, reflecting waning confidence amid US trade policy uncertainty.“It has been a good northern summer season for airlines. Momentum has grown over the peak season with July demand reaching 4% growth. That trend appears across all regions and is particularly evident for international travel, which strengthened from 3.9% growth in June to 5.3% in July. Moreover, with flight volumes showing a 2% year-on-year increase for September after five months of decelerating growth, airlines are positioned to take advantage of this market momentum into the coming months,” Walsh noted.Rising cargo volumes typically reflect growth in international trade, manufacturing, and supply chain demand. Passenger growth points to higher consumer confidence, business travel recovery, and robust tourism.July is usually a peak travel season in the Northern Hemisphere, but stronger-than-usual growth suggests that the industry may be moving beyond past slowdowns triggered by pandemic aftereffects, geopolitical disruptions, or supply chain constraints.Sustained improvements in both segments signal that stakeholders (governments, investors, airports, and logistics firms) see the industry on a stable growth trajectory, supporting investment and fleet expansion.Clearly, the improvement in passenger and cargo volumes in July highlights a rebound in the global air transport industry. Higher passenger traffic reflects strong travel demand, while increased cargo volumes point to healthy global trade flows.The dual rise in passengers and cargo confirms that the industry is on a path of resilience and long-term growth, supported by both consumer demand and global economic activity.Together, they indicate renewed economic momentum, rising consumer and business confidence, and a continued recovery in international connectivity.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, at the centre of a row at the 2024 Paris Olympics, has turned to sport’s top court to attempt to overturn the introduction of a gender test, the court said Monday.The Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement that Khelif was challenging the global boxing federation’s decision “that disallows the athlete’s participation in upcoming World Boxing events without a preliminary genetic test”.Khelif was one of two boxers who sparked a gender eligibility furore at the Paris Games. The other was Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting, who has been entered to compete at the world championships that start this week in Liverpool.Both fighters won Olympic gold medals, but Khelif’s opening bout, when she left her Italian opponent in tears, sparked criticism from a range of commentators including now-US Vice-President J D Vance and “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling.Khelif last month denied claims made by her former manager that she was putting her career on hold. “I would like to make it clear to the public that the reports of my retirement from boxing are false,” the 26-year-old wrote on Facebook.She accused her former manager, Nasser Yesfah, of “betraying (her) trust and (her) country with his false and malicious statements”. “This person no longer represents me in any way,” she said.Former heavyweight Bugner, who fought Ali twice, dies at 75Three-time European heavyweight champion boxer Joe Bugner, who fought Muhammad Ali in a world title bout, has died at the age of 75, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) said Monday.Bugner, who won the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles twice, fought Ali and Joe Frazier in back-to-back fights in 1973, and faced Ali again for his WBA and WBC world championships in 1975.“Joe Bugner has passed away at his care home in Brisbane, Australia,” the BBBoC said in a statement. “The British Boxing Board of Control passes on its condolences to Joe’s family.”Bugner’s professional boxing career spanned 32 years and 83 bouts, of which he won 69, including 41 by knockout. He turned professional in 1967, and won the European, British and Commonwealth titles by beating Henry Cooper in 1971.Hungary-born Bugner lost his titles six months later but won eight fights straight in 1972 before facing Ali and Frazier the next year, who both won decisions against him.Ali again beat him by unanimous decision in their rematch for the world championship in Malaysia.Bugner moved to Australia in the 1980s and won the Australian heavyweight title in 1995, before retiring in 1999.

A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, left Barcelona on Sunday vowing to try to "break the illegal siege of Gaza", organisers said.Some 20 vessels set off from the port city on Spain's east coast just after 3.30 pm (1330 GMT) pledging to "open a humanitarian corridor and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people", said the Global Sumud Flotilla -- sumud being the Arabic term for "resilience".The group defines itself on its website as an independent organisation with no affiliation to any government or political party.The flotilla, flying Palestinian flags, has hundreds of people aboard, among them activists from dozens of countries including Irish actor Liam Cunningham and Spain's Eduard Fernandez.Also aboard were European lawmakers and public figures including former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau.The flotilla is expected to arrive at the war-ravaged coastal enclave in mid-September."The question here today is not why we are sailing. This story is not at all about the mission that we are about to embark upon," Thunberg told reporters."The story here is about Palestine. The story here is how people are being deliberately deprived of the very basic means to survive. The story here is how the world can be silent," she added.For Cunningham, "the fact that you guys are here, and the flotilla is happening, is an indication of the world's failure to uphold international law and humanitarian law, and it is a shameful, shameful period in the history of our world. And we should be collectively ashamed."Organisers said that dozens of other vessels are expected to leave Tunisian and other Mediterranean ports on September 4 to join the aid mission.Activists will also stage simultaneous demonstrations and other protests in 44 countries "in solidarity with the Palestinian people", Thunberg, part of the flotilla's steering committee, wrote on Instagram."This will be the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined," Brazilian activist Thiago Avila told journalists in Barcelona last week."We understand that this is a legal mission under international law," Portuguese lawmaker Mariana Mortagua, who will join the mission, told journalists in Lisbon last week.Israel has already blocked two attempts by activists to deliver aid by ship to Gaza, in June and July.In June, 12 activists on board the sailboat Madleen, from France, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands were intercepted by Israeli forces 185 kilometres west of Gaza.Its passengers, who included Thunberg, were detained and eventually expelled.In July, 21 activists from 10 countries were intercepted as they tried to approach Gaza in another vessel, the Handala.The Spanish government says it will "deploy all of its diplomatic and consular protection to protect our citizens" sailing with the flotilla, the country's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Saturday.Madrid last year recognised Palestine as an independent state.The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened in recent weeks.The United Nations declared a state of famine in the territory this month, warning that 500,000 people face "catastrophic" conditions.

Qatar’s GDP growth will more than double in 2026-2027, with both the energy and non-energy sectors contributing positively this year and beyond, according to Oxford Economics.The researcher’s 2025 GDP growth forecast is unchanged at 2.4%, similar to the pace of expansion last year. However, trade-related uncertainty will remain a headwind to global demand, it said in a country report.Oxford Economics thinks growth in Qatar’s energy sector will remain modest this year, following a 0.6% expansion in 2024, before picking up strongly in 2026-2027.According to Oxford Economics, Qatar isn't involved in the OPEC+ pact on production quotas and its oil output has been relatively flat in recent years, at around 600,000 barrels per day.Last year, the authorities doubled down on the North Field gas expansion project, which will have a positive medium-term impact. Qatar raised its liquefied natural gas capacity target to 142mn tonnes per year by end-2030.This is up nearly 85% from the current 77mtpy, and up 13% on the intermediate target of 126mtpy by 2027. The first production boost will come from the North Field East project by mid-2026, followed by the North Field South phase of the expansion.The North Field West phase is in its early stages, with construction likely to begin in 2027.Qatar is also making progress in contracting future gas output. The government has signed long-term supply contracts with India, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Kuwait, and Taiwan, and is negotiating a deal with Japan.Output data (reported in April this year) showed the non-energy economy expanded by 3.4% last year, and the researcher projects the same pace of growth in 2025.The 2025 budget targets a deficit of QR13.2bn (1.6% of projected GDP). The authorities plan to raise spending by 4.6% relative to last year's budget and 1.2% relative to realised expenditure, with a strong focus on development in education and healthcare. The bill assumes an average oil price of $60/barrel.It projects a surplus of QR23bn (2.8% of GDP), larger than the surplus of QAR5.6bn (0.7% of GDP) realised in 2024. The researcher sees the balance improving to 5.7% of GDP next year amid the LNG production boost.Oxford Economics also noted tourism has provided significant support to non- energy growth and will remain a driver of future activity and employment.Qatar welcomed 5.1mn overnight arrivals in 2024, a 25% increase on 2023 and 138% higher than 2019 levels. The launch of the pan-GCC visa will likely help extend the positive performance and we forecast arrivals to increase to 5.3mn this year, it said.

For years, Egyptian jasmine picker Wael al-Sayed has collected blossoms by night in the Nile Delta, supplying top global perfume houses.But in recent summers, his basket has felt lighter and the once-rich fragrance is fading."It's the heat," said Sayed, 45, who has spent nearly a decade working the fields in Shubra Balula, a quiet village about 100 kilometres north of Cairo and a key hub for Egypt's jasmine industry.As temperatures rise, he said, the flowers bloom less and his daily harvest has dropped from six kilograms to just two or three in the past two years.In this fertile pocket of the delta, jasmine has sustained thousands of families like Sayed's for generations, but rising temperatures, prolonged dry spells and climate-driven pests are putting that legacy at risk.From June to October, families, including children, traditionally head into the fields between midnight and dawn to hand-pick jasmine at peak fragrance.With yields shrinking, some are leaving the trade entirely and those that have stayed now work longer hours.More children are also being pulled in to help and often stay up all night to pick before going to school.Child labour remains widespread in Egypt with 4.2mn children working in agriculture, industry and services, often in unsafe or exploitative conditions, according to a 2023 state study.This year, Sayed has brought two of his children -- just nine and 10 years old -- to join him and his wife on their 350-square-metre (3,800-square-foot) plot."We have no other choice," Sayed said.TOO HOT TO BLOOMAccording to the country's largest processor, A Fakhry & Co, Egypt produces nearly half the world's jasmine concrete, a waxy extract from the plant that provides a vital base for designer fragrances and is a multi-million dollar export.In the 1970s, Egypt produced 11 tonnes of jasmine concrete annually, according to the International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades.Now, A Fakhry & Co says that's down to 6.5 tonnes.Ali Emara, 78, who has picked jasmine since the age of 12, said summers used to be hot, "but not like now".Mohamed Bassiouny, 56, and his four sons have seen their harvest halve from 15 to seven kilograms with pickers now taking over eight hours to fill a basket.The region's jasmine is highly sensitive to heat and humidity, said Karim Elgendy from Carboun Institute, a Dutch climate and energy think tank."Higher temperatures can disrupt flowering, weaken oil concentration and introduce stress that reduces yield," Elgendy told AFP.A 2023 report by the International Energy Agency found Egypt's temperature rose 0.38C per decade (2000-2020), outpacing the global average.The heat is affecting the strength of the jasmine's scent, and with it the value of the oil extracted, said Badr Atef, manager of A Fakhry & Co.Meanwhile, pests such as spider mites and leaf worms are thriving in the hotter, drier conditions and compounding the strain.Alexandre Levet, CEO of the French Fragrance House in Grasse, France's perfume capital, explained that the industry is facing the effects of climate change globally."We have dozens of natural ingredients that are already suffering from climate change," he said, explaining that new origins for products have emerged as local climates shift.VILLAGES AT RISKWith the Nile Delta also vulnerable to the rising Mediterranean water levels, which affect soil salinity, jasmine farmers are on the front line of a heating planet.The labourers are left "at the mercy of this huge system entirely on their own," said rural sociologist Saker El Nour, with "no stake" in the industry that depends on their labour.Global brands charge up to $6,000 per kilogram of jasmine absolute, the pure aromatic oil derived from the concrete and used by perfumeries, but Egyptian pickers earn just 105 Egyptian pounds ($2) per kilogram.A tonne of flowers yields only 2-3 kilograms of concrete and less than half that in pure essential oil -- enough for around 100 perfume bottles."What's 100 pounds worth today? Nothing," said Sayed.Egypt's currency has lost more than two-thirds of its value since 2022, causing inflation to skyrocket and leaving families like Sayed's scraping by.Last June, pickers staged a rare strike, demanding 150 pounds per kilogram. But with prices set by a handful of private processors and little government oversight, they only received an increase of 10 pounds.Every year farmers earn less and less, while a heating planet threatens the community's entire livelihood."Villages like this may lose their viability altogether," Elgendy said.

The Qatar chess team is competing in the 1st Fujairah Global Chess Championship, which runs until September 2, with approximately 600 players from both genders, hailing from 75 countries, competing across three main categories.With a total prize fund of $125,000, the contests feature the superstar division for players rated 2560 and above, including 44 grandmasters within the FIDE circuit, the world’s strongest ranked events, the master division for players rated above 2200, with around 330 participants, as well as the open division for players rated below 2200.The Qatar team includes International Master (IM) Hussein Aziz, Khaled al-Jumaat, Hamad al-Kuwari, Turki al-Kuwari, Fahad al-Mansouri, Ibrahim al-Janahi, Saif Ahmed, Layan al-Qassabi, and Rawda al-Qassabi.In addition, International Arbiter (IA) Sara al-Mahmadi is set to participate in the International Fair Play Seminar on the margins of the tournament from August 28-31.The Qatar News Agency (QNA) spoke with Qatar Chess Association (QCA) president Mohammed al-Mudahka, who asserted that hopes are high for the national team to achieve incredible results throughout this participation, which is set to yield significant gains amid the presence of a contingent of players ranked among the world’s top 100 in chess.Al-Mudahka further indicated that all preparations are fully primed for those players, describing the tournament as one of the most powerful globally in terms of the average rating of the participating players, with some 600 players coming from a wide swath of countries.He noted that these competitions receive tremendous global interest and are directly broadcast on FIDE’s website, as well as other renowned global platforms.

Silawi made his class tell with a strong front-running performance in the Gr.3 Weatherbys Global Stallions App Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor on Saturday, 23 August late evening. Run over 2000m for 3yos and older, the race brought together a field of five.Trained by Hamad Al Jehani, ridden by Cieren Fallon and racing in the silks of Wathnan Racing, the 5-year-old gelding was already proven at the track, having won the Thorn Plant Hire Ltd Handicap on the same course in May. He arrived for this assignment on the back of a fifth-place effort in the Coral Chesterfield Cup Handicap over the same trip, but stepped up to Group company with authority, becoming a Gr.3 winner.Quickly into stride, Silawi took the lead from the outset, tracked closely by Devil’s Advocate (Too Darn Hot) while the strongly fancied Military Order (Frankel) raced behind. Travelling comfortably down the back straight, Silawi soon had his rivals off the bridle as the pace lifted approaching the final bend.The favourite Military Order began to close and looked the only danger, but Silawi kept finding more in front. The pair fought out the finish for much of the straight, but the leader always looked in control, staying on strongly to win by three-quarters of a length. Military Order had to settle for second, with Royal Playwright (Lope De Vega) running on from behind to snatch third.Bred by Wertheimer et Frère, Silawi is out of Silasol, a dual Gr.1 winner over 1600m at two and 2000m at three. He is a half-brother to Fasol, twice runner-up at Gr.3 level over 3000m and 3100m at three and four, and a full brother to Silius, Listed winner over 1500m at three and three-time Gr.3 placed over 1400m and 1600m. He is also a half-brother to Silastar, a four-time winner between 1600m and 2400m.

From Pakistan’s historic neighbourhoods to stateless football teams and displaced communities, Northwestern University in Qatar’s (NU-Q) Global Undergraduate Fellows showcased student-led projects rooted in lived experience and global inquiry.NUQ put student voices, curiosity and field-based learning centre stage as it hosted the fourth cohort of the Global Undergraduate Fellows Presentations on January 28, with 16 students showcasing original research and creative projects developed over a year-long fellowship at its events hall. **media[410381]**The programme, run by NUQ’s Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South (IAS), enables selected undergraduate and graduate students to develop evidence-based storytelling and knowledge production through three tracks: academic research papers, multimodal or creative projects, and short documentary films. Fieldwork for this year’s cohort took place across 10 countries, engaging diverse methodologies and perspectives centred on the Global South. Speaking at the event, Marwan M Kraidy, Dean and CEO of NUQ and founder of IAS, described the fellowship as a platform for students to undertake graduate-level research while producing original insights “in words, images and sounds”**media[410382]**“What this fellowship allows our students to do is true graduate-level research,” Kraidy said. “They produce original insights about the world, whether through research papers, websites, multimodal projects or documentary films.”Kraidy emphasised the programme’s competitive nature, noting that fellows are selected through a rigorous proposal process. Once admitted, students receive intellectual, academic, technical, and professional mentoring from faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and staff while balancing their academic coursework. **media[410384]**“The classroom is just one place where education happens,” he said. “Going outside the classroom and pursuing projects driven by intellectual and creative curiosity is where real personal growth takes place.”This year’s fellowship was represented through a custom illustration that reflected the journey of the 2025 cohort. The artwork places the Global South at the centre, presenting it as an interconnected whole rather than isolated regions, with visual elements symbolising specific countries and shared histories, movement and dialogue. According to Clovis Bergère, director of the Institute for Advanced Study in the Global South, the fellowship is designed as a 12-month journey that mirrors the realities of professional research and storytelling.**media[410387]**“Students spend the spring refining their ideas, the summer in the field conducting research or filming, and the fall producing their final work,” Bergère explained. “Throughout the year, they face moments of doubt, challenge and uncertainty — but that struggle is essential to their growth.”  He added that the projects are united by personal passion. “These are questions students care deeply about. They’re the ideas that keep them up at night. Our role is to help them become better evidence-based storytellers.”**media[410386]**Among the student presentations was Mohammad Shayan Ahmad, a third-year journalism student, who presented a research paper titled Gentrified Time and Mismatched Clocks: Asynchronous Gentrification of Shahi Muhalla. His work examined urban change in Lahore, Pakistan, and its impact on local communities. “People enjoy the view, the food, the heritage — but they don’t see what’s behind the view,” Ahmad said. “I wanted to create awareness about those who are being neglected in the process.” **media[410385]**Ahmad described the challenge of building trust with residents and navigating climate-related disruptions during fieldwork, adding that the experience reshaped his understanding of journalism and research.Fourth-year journalism student Neel Shelat presented a multimodal project titled The Struggle for Sporting Recognition, focusing on stories from the 2025 CONIFA Asia Cup, which features teams excluded from mainstream international football.**media[410389]**“Football is global, political, social and cultural,” Shelat said. “These communities use the sport as a platform to tell their stories.” Despite logistical challenges, including venue changes and visa arrangements, Shelat said the project reaffirmed his belief in grassroots sport as an authentic expression of identity and resistance.Meanwhile, Isra Fejzullaj, also a fourth-year journalism student, presented a short documentary titled My Soil, My Soul, exploring displacement, memory and identity through the story of The Albanian Cham Plight / community.“It wasn’t just a film,” Fejzullaj said. “It was uncomfortable growth.” She described the difficulty of finding a compelling central character and navigating emotionally charged conversations around displacement and genocide. The project also connected deeply with her own family history, leading her to discover a personal dimension within the story she was telling. **media[410383]**“Through this process, I found my passion for documentary filmmaking,” she said.The event highlighted how experiential learning programmes, such as the Global Undergraduate Fellowship, allow students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world contexts while developing confidence, empathy and professional skills.As Kraidy noted, the programme showcases “the very best students and the very best projects” at NUQ — not only for their academic rigour, but for their ability to humanise complex global issues through storytelling grounded in lived experience.