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The Standard
3 days ago
- General
- The Standard
China says it will strengthen approval of rare earths export licenses
Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China October 31, 2010. Picture taken October 31, 2010. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Qatar Airways passengers on diverted flights all put on new flights within 24 hours, CEO says
FILE PHOTO: People sit at Hamad International Airport after Qatar reopened its airspace following a brief closure in the wake of Iran's missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base on Monday, in Doha, Qatar, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Qatar Airways passengers on diverted flights all put on new flights within 24 hours, CEO says DUBAI - Qatar Airways said on Wednesday that all of the roughly 20,000 passengers who were on flights that were diverted on Monday night after Iran fired missiles towards a U.S. military base in the Gulf country were put on new flights within 24 hours. Iran launched a missile attack on Al Udeid Air Base in Doha after the U.S. joined Israel's attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, threatening a further escalation in regional tensions before a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced. The attack forced Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain to shut their airspace temporarily while Dubai's two airports in the United Arab Emirates briefly halted operations. The closures created a backlog of thousands of passengers at Doha's Hamad International Airport who queued for hours, facing long delays and flight cancellations. "All passengers from diverted flights — approximately 20,000 in total — were cleared within 24 hours," Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said in an open letter posted on X. "More than 11,000 resumed their journeys during the morning wave on 24 June, with the remainder departing through the evening wave and morning bank on 25 June. As of today, there are no passengers from diverted flights left stranded." Traffic at the airport on Wednesday was regular with minimal delays and no crowds, according to a Reuters witness. Al-Meer said that at the time of the attack, over 90 Qatar Airways flights heading to Doha "were forced to divert immediately" while more than 10,000 passengers were already in transit at Doha's airport. The airline, which carried just over 43 million passengers in the year to the end of March, activated its business continuity plans, increasing capacity to destinations with high volumes of displaced passengers, in response to the turmoil following the attack, he added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Barnama
5 days ago
- Business
- Barnama
Dubai Attracts 8.68 Million Tourists in First Five Months of 2025
Passengers queue at Dubai International Airport, following Iran Monday's attack on a U.S. military base, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer DUBAI, June 25 (Bernama-WAM) -- Dubai welcomed 8.68 million international tourists between January and May this year, marking a 7 per cent increase compared to the 8.12 million visitors recorded during the same period in 2024, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported. According to the Tourism Performance Report January-May 2025, released Tuesday by the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), the city received 1.53 million international visitors in May alone. Western Europe remained the leading source market, contributing 1.917 million tourists or 22 per cent of total arrivals. This was followed by Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Eastern Europe with 1.396 million visitors (16 per cent). bootstrap slideshow South Asia ranked third, accounting for 1.242 million visitors (14 per cent), while the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region contributed 1.275 million visitors (15 per cent). The Middle East and North Africa region followed with 989,000 visitors (11 per cent), ahead of Northeast and Southeast Asia with a combined 771,000 visitors (9 per cent). The Americas accounted for 601,000 visitors (7 per cent), while Africa contributed 346,000 (4 per cent) and Australia 141,000 (2 per cent) during the five months. As of end-May 2025, Dubai's hotel inventory had expanded to 825 establishments with a total of 153,356 rooms, up from 822 hotels offering 150,202 rooms during the same period last year. The average hotel occupancy rate rose to 83 per cent, compared to 81 per cent in 2024, with total occupied room nights increasing by 4 per cent to 19.09 million, up from 18.34 million. The average length of stay was 3.8 nights, while the average daily room rate reached AE$620, a 5 per cent rise from AE$590 last year.
GMA Network
5 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
US to give $30 million to Gaza aid operation despite violence concerns
A Palestinian child lies inside the tent he took shelter in with his family after being displaced, in Gaza City May 25, 2025. Aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread in Gaza amid Israel's blockade and bombardment. REUTERS/ Stringer/File WASHINGTON - The United States is giving $30 million to a controversial humanitarian group delivering aid in war-torn Gaza despite concern among some US officials about the month-old operation and the killing of Palestinians near food distribution sites, according to four sources and a document seen by Reuters. Washington has long backed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation diplomatically, but this is the first known US government financial contribution to the organization, which uses private US military and logistics firms to transport aid into the Palestinian enclave for distribution at so-called secure sites. A document reviewed by Reuters showed that the $30 million US Agency for International Development grant to GHF was authorized on Friday under a "priority directive" from the White House and State Department. The document showed an initial $7 million disbursement had been made. The United States could approve additional monthly grants of $30 million for the GHF, said two of the sources, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity. The White House referred questions about the matter to the State Department. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation declined to comment on the US funding or the concerns of some US officials about the operation. Israel's embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the $30 million US grant. In approving the US funding for the GHF, the sources said the State Department exempted the foundation, which has not publicly disclosed its finances, from an audit usually required for groups receiving USAID grants for the first time. Such an audit "would normally take many, many weeks if not months," said one source, who is a former senior US official. The GHF also was exempted from additional vetting required for groups supplying aid to Gaza – ruled by Iran-backed Hamas militants – to ensure that there are no links to extremism, the sources said. The GHF is working in Gaza with a for-profit logistics firm, Safe Reach Solutions, headed by a former CIA officer, and its security contractor, UG Solutions, which employs armed US military veterans. Violence concerns Reuters reported this month that US ally Israel had asked President Donald Trump's administration to give $500 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Sources said the money would come from the US Agency for International Development, which is being folded into the State Department. Some US officials opposed giving any US funds to the foundation over concerns about violence near aid distribution sites, the GHF's inexperience and the involvement of the for-profit US logistics and private military firms, said the four sources. Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid from both the UN and GHF operations. "The majority of the casualties have been shot or shelled trying to reach US-Israeli distribution sites purposefully set up in militarized zones," said senior UN aid official for the occupied Palestinian territories, Jonathan Whittall, on Sunday. "Others have been killed when Israeli forces have fired on Palestinian crowds waiting for food along routes," he said. "Some people have also been killed or injured by armed gangs." In response, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said on Tuesday that it had so far delivered 40 million meals in Gaza but that the UN and other groups were having difficulty distributing aid due to looting of their trucks and warehouses. A GHF spokesperson said none of the group's trucks had been looted. "Bottom-line, our aid is getting securely delivered. Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome the UN and other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza. We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need," a GHF spokesperson said. Earlier this month it halted aid deliveries for a day as it pressed Israel to boost civilian safety near its distribution sites after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. It says there have been no incidents at its sites. The UN has long described its aid operation in Gaza as opportunistic - hindered by Israel's military operation, access restrictions by Israel into and throughout Gaza, and looting by armed gangs. The UN has stressed that when people know there is a steady flow of aid, the looting subsides. —Reuters
GMA Network
5 days ago
- GMA Network
Chaos for thousands of passengers stranded at Doha airport, long queues in Dubai
Passengers queue at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, following Iran Monday's attack on a US military base in Qatar, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/ Stringer DUBAI/DOHA — Operations at two of the world's busiest airports in Doha and Dubai slowed to a crawl on Tuesday as thousands of travelers queued for hours, facing long delays and flight cancellations after the temporary closure of airspace a day earlier. Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait shut their airspace late on Monday after Iran's strike on a US military base in Qatar's capital Doha, forcing airlines to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights and creating a backlog of stranded passengers. Airports across Dubai in the United Arab Emirates briefly halted operations. US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was in place and asked both sides not to violate it, raising hopes of an end to the 12-day war, but hostilities continued, with deadly attacks reported in both countries. "I haven't slept for 19 hours. And I've been in this line over nine hours," said Lily Rogers, 21, who was in an around 200-meter-long queue in Doha's Hamad International airport. The psychology student, en route to a holiday in Southeast Asia, said those in line were only given water during the wait. Virgin Australia estimated that over 25,000 passengers were stranded at Doha airport. Lines were so long that arguments broke out as some passengers jumped queues, according to a Reuters witness. Around 250 flights were cancelled at Hamad airport, while another 238 were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24. Long queues formed also at Dubai International, the busiest airport in the world, where about 145 flights were cancelled and over 450 delayed, FlightRadar24 data showed. Qatar Airways said it was "making progress in restoring its schedule" with possible disruptions until June 26. Dubai Airports and the Dubai government media office were not immediately available for comment. Busy hub Airports in the Middle East are some of the busiest in the world, covering an area stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean and serving as a connecting hub for flights between Europe and Asia. The region has also taken on a more important role since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, which has forced airlines to avoid airspace over both countries. Dubai transported 92.3 million passengers last year, with a daily average of over 250,000. Israel's strikes against Iran on June 13 already prompted airlines from British Airways to Lufthansa to halt flights to some Middle East destinations due to air space closures and safety concerns. Following the US attacks on Iran on Sunday, many have also cut flights to typically resilient hubs such as Dubai. The restrictions and closures have created ripple effects beyond the region, as most passenger traffic transits through Hamad airport to other destinations, said Asia-based independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie. Only 22% of passengers traveling through the airport had Qatar as their final destination in 2024, airport data shows. On Monday, Air India suspended flights to and from the US East Coast, Canada and Europe, which involve a tight corridor between those destinations and the Indian subcontinent. That poses a challenge for Indian carriers because they do not have access to Pakistani airspace, analysts say. The two neighbors blocked access to each other's airspace in April after a brief military conflict. Air India said on Tuesday it would resume those flights as soon as airspaces reopen, while other carriers such as flydubai warned that delays would persist due to airspace congestion. "It's very frustrating," said Julien Moutte, a Paris-bound passenger who had been stuck at Doha's airport for around 15 hours. — Reuters
