MEXICO CITY: FIFA has released about 40% of the hotel rooms it had blocked in Mexico City for the FIFA World Cup 2026, the city’s hotel industry group said, returning roughly 800 rooms to general availability over the past month about three months before the tournament opens in the capital. The block totaled about 2,000 rooms held for several weeks as part of FIFA’s operational needs for the…

    Business

    MUMBAI: India’s foreign exchange reserves rose to a record $728.494 billion in the week ended Feb. 27, according to data released by the Reserve Bank of India on Friday. The stockpile increased $4.885 billion from $723.608 billion a week earlier, reversing the prior week’s decline. India’s…

    BEIJING: China’s top economic and financial officials pledged expanded support for technology firms, a push toward more balanced trade and deeper capital market reforms during a news conference on the sidelines of the annual National People’s Congress. The briefing brought together leaders from the economic planning…

    RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has placed a temporary ban on imports of poultry meat and table eggs from Indonesia under updated health controls published by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, tightening access for Indonesian products to one of the region’s largest food markets. The restriction is…

    NEW DELHI: India and Canada issued a joint leaders’ statement on Monday after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during Carney’s official visit to India from Feb. 27 to March 2. The statement said the two countries agreed…

    ABU DHABI: Exus Renewables has signed an agreement with Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC, known as Masdar, to acquire a 60% stake in Masdar’s Portuguese wind portfolio, the companies said. The transaction covers nine onshore wind farms in northern and central Portugal. Masdar will…

    HARARE: Zimbabwe has suspended the export of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates with immediate effect, the  Ministry of Mines and Mining Development said, ordering the restriction to be observed “until further notice.” The ministry said the suspension applies to all minerals, including shipments already…

    Technology

    CUPERTINO: Apple on Tuesday introduced updated 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models powered by its new M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, positioning the laptops for professional workflows and expanded on-device artificial intelligence. Apple said the systems add faster storage, updated wireless capabilities and Thunderbolt 5 connectivity…

    Sports