Steep bread and diesel price hikes went into force in government-held parts of war-torn Syria on Sunday, bringing more pain for civilians in a long-running economic crisis. 

Pharmacies in crisis-hit Lebanon began an indefinite strike on Friday over medicine shortages as the cash-strapped state struggles to afford subsidies on key imports.

The assembly of gas station owners demonstrated on Wednesday during which they "the difficulties they are facing” warning that they might be “forced to sell our stocks and close.”

According to Rashad Msharrafiyeh, who spoke on behalf of the assembly, in a press conference, “the importing companies are unable to secure sufficient quantities,” and “have imposed on the stations to pay their bills in dollars.”

When the mercury soared to 52 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) this week in Iraq, Ali Karrar placed his baby for a couple of minutes in the fridge.

Egypt's Suez Canal Authority chief on Wednesday signed a final compensation deal with the Japanese owners of the megaship MV Ever Given which blocked the critical maritime artery in March.

Nissan Chief Executive Makoto Uchida told a Japanese court on Wednesday that the company's former chairman, Carlos Ghosn, had held too much power, failed to listen to others, and stayed on for too long.

Uchida said Wednesday that those were factors that led to financial misconduct charges for Ghosn. He was testifying as a witness for Nissan Motor Co., which as a corporate entity is standing trial on charges of having falsified securities reports in under-reporting Ghosn's compensation. It does not contest the charges.

An asthma patient in Lebanon was forced to plug in his oxygen concentrator at a mosque Wednesday, its imam said, as growing power cuts cripple life in the crisis-wracked country.

New York oil rose to near a seven-year pinnacle on Tuesday after OPEC+ crude producers failed to agree on lifting output, despite demand soaring along with the global economic recovery, sparking fresh inflationary fears.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for August delivery hit $76.98 per barrel, a level last seen in November 2014.

After failing last week to agree on crude oil output levels, the 23 members of the OPEC+ group of producers called off a meeting planned on Monday to overcome the impasse, a source close to the alliance told AFP. 

Saudi Arabia is engaged in a rare public spat with its Emirati allies over a critical oil output deal, escalating tensions ahead of another meeting of the OPEC+ alliance on Monday.

The United Arab Emirates has bitterly opposed a proposed deal by the alliance of oil producing countries to raise production, causing a stalemate that could derail efforts to curb rising crude prices amid a fragile post-pandemic recovery.