LONDON: Unrest in OPEC+ member Kazakhstan has pushed up oil prices as investors fear supply interruptions, but the uranium market appears less affected despite the Central Asian country being the world’s second largest producer.

KUWAIT: Zain, the leading digital service provider in Kuwait, concluded its interactive promotional campaign ‘Score with Zain’, through which the company announced Duha Rashid Al-Huwaidi as the winner of the BMW 420i coupe grand prize. 

The CES tech show in Las Vegas closed its 2022 edition on Friday, after pushing ahead with a significantly downsized gathering despite surging COVID cases. Industry behemoths like Amazon and Google stayed away over the virus risk, but the more than 2,200 firms big and small in attendance still pitched their hopes for the next big thing. Here are some parting highlights from the show:

Mind control?

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has addressed significant safety concerns regarding its national carrier, the country’s aviation minister said Thursday, but the airline still needs authorities in Europe and the United States to lift a ban before it can resume flights to major Western destinations.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was barred from flying in Europe and the USA in 2020 months after one of its Airbus A-320s crashed while landing at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, killing all but two of the 99 passengers and crew.

LONDON: Restrictions imposed in the wake of the Omicron coronavirus variant have “wiped out” much of a recent recovery enjoyed by UK bricks-and-mortar stores, the British Retail Consortium revealed Friday. It comes as UK businesses and consumers face mounting fallout from surging inflation, including higher interest rates.

Much of the progress made in late 2021 “was wiped out in December as surging Omicron cases and new work-from-home advice deterred many from shopping in-store, particularly in towns and city centers”, said BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson. “Nevertheless, while UK footfall saw a moderate decline compared to previous months, it remained above levels of other major European economies, as the country avoided some of the more severe restrictions implemented elsewhere,” she added in a statement.

KUWAIT: In a ceremony attended by Minister of Commerce and Industry Fahad Mutlaq Al-Shuraian, the company’s board of directors, executive management and employees, as well as several distinguished personalities from the Kuwaiti financial scene, Boursa Kuwait reopened several of its renovated facilities, including its trading hall. 

Boursa Kuwait inaugurated on Thursday the Nasser Al-Kharafi and Jasem Al-Bahar trading room. 

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) throws open its doors to thousands yesterday in Las Vegas despite surging COVID-19 cases in the United States, as one of the world’s largest trade fairs tries to get back to business. After a series of high-profile companies like Amazon and Google cancelled over climbing virus risk, the return of the in-person convention was cast in doubt.

LONDON: OPEC and its allies decided yesterday to maintain their policy of modestly boosting oil output next month as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant has so far not heavily hit demand.