Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau, has revealed that South Africa’s membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) prevents it from terminating all coal exports to Israel. Tau, in reply to the EFF’s Carl Niehaus, said that South Africa exported 1.8-million tons of coal to Israel in 2025, equating to 2.6% of South…
GENEVA: The Middle East war is undermining wages and working conditions way beyond the conflict region, the UN’s International Labour Organization said Monday. The ILO predicted in a report that the conflict could cost millions of jobs and see real wages fall in 2026 and 2027 with a particular risk for migrant workers who send…
Israel’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged up to 2.9% in April 2026 from 2.8% in the previous month, marking the highest level recorded since January. The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also rose to 2.8% from 2.5% in March. At the same time, the number of unemployed individuals increased by 10,000 to reach 123,900. Meanwhile, the…
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is expected to be in a relatively stronger position compared with several other Asean economies in managing the impact of the US-Israel-Iran conflict, although global economic pressures are likely to intensify in the coming months. Malaysian Rating Corporation Bhd (MARC Ratings) senior economist Kamal Zharif Jauhari said Malaysia’s relatively low dependence on…
This is apropos a letter to the Editor titled “Iran shattered the dream of ‘Greater Israel’” carried by the newspaper on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and yesterday. Perhaps most importantly, the war transformed global narratives surrounding Israel itself. Around the world, criticism of Israeli policies intensified dramatically. Independent media, social platforms, academics, and even…
A major regional alert has been issued for the Middle East today, as Saudi Arabia leads the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Kuwait, Oman, and Jordan in deploying urgent defensive countermeasures. With reports suggesting that the United States and Israel are preparing potential military strikes against Iran as early as next week, regional capitals…
Israel’s economy contracted at an annualized rate of 3.3% in the first quarter of 2026, reversing a downwardly revised 2.9% growth in the fourth quarter of 2025. It was the first contraction in the economy since the second quarter of 2025, due to the impact of the war with Iran. Consumer spending dropped 4.7%, government…
A major diplomatic breakthrough has triggered widespread relief across the Middle East today, as Germany formally calls for a permanent and reliable Strait of Hormuz reopening. The strategic waterway, which serves as the central artery for transcontinental energy transport and maritime trade, has been a focus of high regional tension. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s decisive appeal…
A new Israel-focused private equity firm, David Group Capital Management Ltd., has launched in Herzliya with plans to invest in and scale mature Israeli and Israel-related companies. The firm, founded by Stella Cohen and chaired by former Goldman Sachs partner Raanan Agus, said it would focus on companies that are Israeli-founded or led, have significant…
A Chinese supertanker carrying two million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after being stranded in the Persian Gulf for more than two months due to the US-Iran war, LSEG and Kpler ship-tracking data showed. The very large crude carrier Yuan Hua Hu was seen heading to eastern China’s…
