DAMASCUS, (ST)- Syria is to take part in the 72nd World Health Assembly (WHA) due to be held next week in Geneva, Switzerland.

The debate is expected to"...

Once global regulators clear Boeing Co’s 737 MAX to fly again after deadly crashes, airlines, which have put their fleets into mechanical hibernation since March will scramble to begin the biggest ungrounding effort in history.

Quickly reintegrating Boeing’s 737 MAX, a fast-selling model because of its fuel efficiency, longer range, and passenger capacity, is crucial for optimizing airlines’ routes and improving margins after having to cancel thousands of flights.

Global airlines have warned of a major hit to profits due to the mid-March grounding of the MAX following two fatal crashes.

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China struck a more aggressive tone in its trade war with the United States on Friday, suggesting a resumption of talks between the world’s two largest economies would be meaningless unless Washington changed course.

The tough talk capped a week that saw Beijing unveil fresh retaliatory tariffs, US officials accuse China of backtracking on promises made during months of talks and the Trump administration level a potentially crippling blow against one of China’s biggest and most successful companies.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang, asked about state media reports suggesting there would be no more"...

Some of the world’s leading fashion houses have pledged to stop working with models who are under the age of 18.

Gucci, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen are among the brands owned by French luxury group Kering, which will impose new guidelines from 2020 ensuring all models it works with are 18 or over.

The ban will apply to both campaigns and fashion shows, the company’s chief executive Francois-Henri Pinault said.

“As"...

For Munga Aaron Nkombou, entrepreneurial instinct first kicked in when, having moved to Dubai as a young professional, he found it difficult to transfer money to his native Cameroon.

While Western Union had branches in that country's capital Yaounde, the rest of the nation remained inaccessible, with fellow Cameroonians relying on trusted persons to physically hand over money when visiting their relatives in rural areas.

That was in 2014 and the e-payments sector in Africa has changed considerably"...

Global airlines body IATA expects increasing trade tensions and higher costs will mean a cut in 2019 industry profit forecasts.

The International Air Transport Association trimmed its 2019 global airline industry profit forecast to $35.5 billion in December, from $38bn, after it hit $32.3bn in 2018.

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director general, gave a strong steer on Friday that the industry group would trim its widely watched forecast again when it meets in Seoul next month.

“We"...