Sometime in the next few days or even hours, the "miners" who chisel bitcoins out of complex mathematics are going to take a 50% pay cut — effectively slicing new production of the world's largest cryptocurrency in half.

That could have a lot of implications, from the price of the asset to the bitcoin miners themselves. And, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict.

Long-haul carrier Emirates said Friday it would again halt local check-in for passengers traveling on its flights as the wider United Arab Emirates tries to recover from record-setting rains this week.

Emirates said the order would go through the entire day into early Saturday.

Lebanon is at a crossroads. With a growing demand for clean energy solutions and a booming clean energy sector, the country is primed to lead the way in a sustainable future. At the heart of this movement is the Middle East Clean Energy exhibition & conference, returning for its much-anticipated 3rd edition on May 8th to 10th, 2024, in Beirut.

This landmark event, established as Lebanon's first and only Clean and Renewable Energy Trade Fair, offers a unique platform for businesses, innovators, and industry leaders to come together, showcase their expertise, and forge a path toward a greener tomorrow.

European markets opened lower and Asian stocks tumbled Friday, with Japan's Nikkei slumping 2.7% on heavy selling of semiconductor-related shares and other market heavyweights.

Tensions in the Middle East were weighing on sentiment, with the future for the S&P 500 down 0.6% and that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 0.5%.

Economies in the Middle East and North Africa face a "shadow of uncertainty" from ongoing tensions in the region, a senior IMF official told AFP on Thursday.

"We are in a context where the overall outlook is cast into shadows," the International Monetary Fund's director for the Middle East and Central Asia department, Jihad Azour, said in an interview in Washington.

A California lawmaker wants to require business owners and landlords to disclose their identities under legislation aimed at cracking down on opaque ownership structures that have enabled some companies to skirt state laws without facing consequences.

Limited liability companies and similar corporations in the United States are often formed to protect a business owner's personal assets. In California, the world's fifth largest economy, such businesses are already required to register with the Secretary of State and share information including the name of the business, its address and the names of its executives or representatives.

The Biden administration has reimposed crushing oil sanctions on Venezuela, admonishing President Nicolás Maduro's attempts to consolidate his rule just six months after the U.S. eased restrictions in a bid to support now fading hopes for a democratic opening in the OPEC nation.

A senior U.S. official, discussing the decision with reporters, said any U.S. company investing in Venezuela would have 45 days to wind down operations to avoid adding uncertainty to global energy markets. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss U.S. policy deliberations.

Europe wants two things from China: First, a shift in its relatively pro-Russia position on the war in Ukraine. Second, a reduction in the trade imbalance — Chinese goods exports to the EU exceeded its imports from the 27-nation bloc by 291 billion euros ($310 billion) last year.

It's not clear if it will get very far on either front.

European Union leaders on Thursday debated a new "European Competitiveness Deal" aimed at helping the 27-nation bloc close the gap with Chinese and American rivals amid fears the region's industries will otherwise be left behind for good.

In a volatile geopolitical landscape redefined by the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and increasing tensions in the Middle East that create new economic challenges, EU leaders believe there is an urgent need for action.

Inside the barn on the flat fields of the northern Netherlands, Jos Ubels cradles a newborn Blonde d'Aquitaine calf, the latest addition to his herd of over 300 dairy cattle.

Little could be more idyllic.