KUWAIT: Zain Group, a leading mobile innovator with operations in seven markets across the Middle East and Africa, announced its consolidated financial results for the first quarter (Q1) ended March 31, 2021. Zain served 48.5 million customers at the end of the period.

DUBAI: African nations are attending this year’s Dubai Expo 2020 in force, hoping to project an image of a modern and ambitious continent and shed stereotypes of conflict and underdevelopment. The six-month mega-event, delayed by the COVID pandemic, is a milestone for the wealthy Gulf emirate. 

KUWAIT: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation yesterday denied reports that it has exempted some people from taking the PCR coronavirus test while arriving in the country. 

WASHINGTON: The United States added just 266,000 jobs in April – a quarter of the number expected – in a surprise setback for President Joe Biden’s efforts to revive an economy blighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook’s top executives set up an independent oversight board to avoid having to make tough decisions about explosive content – but the panel’s first major ruling on Donald Trump sent the ball right back into Mark Zuckerberg’s court. 

PORTO: The EU and India met at a virtual summit yesterday hoping to relaunch long-stalled trade talks and discuss how best to work together against the coronavirus pandemic battering the south Asian giant. 

NEW YORK: Talk about sticker shock: The $600 price tag for Joe Pohlen to rent a car for two days was twice as expensive as his plane ticket. The Michigan businessman was stunned, but the experience is becoming more common for US travelers, an unexpected consequence of the pandemic. 

LONDON: The Bank of England said yesterday the UK economy will enjoy a stronger than expected recovery this year as the country eases its coronavirus pandemic lockdowns quicker than earlier anticipated. 

NEW YORK: After a year of layoffs and uncertainty, data released showed the US service sector adding jobs and expanding in April, as the world’s largest economy bounces back from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.