Israeli attacks kill 7 Palestinians in Gaza as France and Qatar call for two-state solution
Gaza's health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed 1,534 Palestinians and wounded 5,486 since the ceasefire began. Rescue teams had...
Geostrategy
Financial frauds cost global economy over $442bn in 2025: INTERPOL
AI-enhanced fraud is 4.5 times more profitable than traditional methods. “Agentic AI” systems can autonomously plan and execute complete fraud...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Angola departure a blow for OPEC+ as cartel tensions rise
Despite slashing oil production for months on end and announcing new cuts in late November, the Organization of the Petroleum...
- Prices are sitting at their lowest level in nearly six months despite the cartel's announcement in November to further cut output.
- Angola is far from the first small country to quit the cartel. Indonesia left in 2009, Qatar in 2019 and Ecuador in 2020.
Economy
UAE consumer spending expected to rise by 5% in 2024: Mastercard report
Dubai, UAE -- Consumer spending in the UAE is expected to increase by 5 percent in 2024, while consumers and...
- Expansionary fiscal policy is set to continue to support growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, the report said.
- GCC’s strong push to grow its tourism sector have made the region one of the world’s fastest-growing destinations.
Economy
UAE central bank raises 2024 economic growth forecast to 5.7%
The bank stated in a report released today that the overall GDP for the country is expected to grow by...
- The bank said that the UAE economy recorded a 3.8 percent year-on-year (YoY) growth in the second quarter of the current year, compared to 8 percent recorded in Q2 2022.
- It mentioned that the non-oil GDP growth accelerated to 7.3 percent YoY in the second quarter of the current year, up from 4.5 percent YoY in the previous quarter.
Arts & Culture
7,000 digital marriage contracts delivered in Abu Dhabi since Oct
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department has introduced a new service that allows marriage contracts to be...
- This is the first service of its kind and it enables the marriage contract to be sent directly to the spouses during the contract session.
- Customers can review the available times of the authorized officiants and receive the results of the suitors' medical examination automatically.
Geostrategy
Rights group slams Meta for silencing pro-Palestinian voices
"Meta's censorship of content in support of Palestine adds insult to injury at a time of unspeakable atrocities and repression...
- HRW pointed to "systemic online censorship", reporting more than 1,050 "takedowns and other suppression of content" on Instagram and Facebook from over 60 countries in Oct and Nov.
- Of the 1,050 cases reviewed, 1,049 involved "peaceful content in support of Palestine that was censored or suppressed, while one case involved removal of pro-Israel content.
Business
UAE central bank cash deposits up by 10.2% in Oct to $187 billion
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) said Thursday cash deposits surged to AED 687.2 billion...
- The Central Bank's cash aggregates statistics reveal a monthly increase of 0.19 percent, or AED 1.3 billion, compared to around AED 685.9 billion in September 2023.
- During the first ten months of this year, cash deposits increased by 8.12 percent compared to about AED 635.6 billion at the end of last year, an increase of AED 51.6 billion.
Business
Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasuries up $399 million in Oct 2023
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasuries reached $117.5 billion in October 2023, up $399 million month-on-month...
- The Kingdom kept the 17th place among the largest holders of US Treasuries for the month, Argaam reported.
- Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasuries were distributed among long-term bonds worth $102.3 billion.
Business
ADIB, Aldar close $272m financing deal
Aldar's total ESG financing facilities reach $1.30 billion.
- Aldar intends to utilize the proceeds to finance sustainable projects such as green buildings, property upgrades to enhance energy efficiency.
- The company also intends to use the proceeds to finance sustainable water management, pollution control measures and renewable energy sources.
Business
ADNOC signs LNG delivery agreement
The 15-year agreement was inked wit ENN LNG (Singapore).
- The LNG will primarily be sourced from ADNOC’s low-carbon Ruwais LNG project, currently being developed in Al Ruwais Industrial City, Abu Dhabi.
- The Ruwais LNG project is set to be the first LNG export facility in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to run on clean power.
Economy
Qatar expects 11.4% revenue dip in 2024 budget on lower oil prices
Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari attributed the decrease in revenues to the adoption of an average oil price...
- Expenditures are expected to increase by 1 percent from 2023 to reach QR 200.9 billion, due to a rise in the allocations for salaries and wages.
- Allocations for both current expenditures and secondary capital expenditures also increased by 6.4 percent and 27.5 percent respectively, compared to 2023.
Israeli attacks kill 7 Palestinians in Gaza as France and Qatar call for two-state solution
Gaza's health ministry said Israeli attacks had killed 1,534 Palestinians and wounded 5,486 since the ceasefire began. Rescue teams had...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Qatar’s ‘Hit Show’ wins $12 million Dubai World Cup
Arts & Culture
Mubadala Energy enters US energy market
Acquires a 24.1% interest in US firm Kimmeridge’s SoTex
Business
Iraq signs deal with US firm to produce 24,000 MW of electricity
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani oversaw "the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding as part of a strategic cooperation framework...
Economy
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Geostrategy
Russia to hold talks with US in Riyadh Monday: Kremlin
Donald Trump spoke to both Russia's Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky this week and the US is also due...
- "From the Russian side, they will be attended by Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Senate's committee on international affairs, and Sergei Beseda, advisor to the head of FSB.
- Ushakov said he had confirmed this after talks with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. Both agreed to send "expert groups" for the talks, he added.
Business
Saudi table egg production crosses 8 billion, achieves 100% self-sufficiency
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's poultry sector has reached complete self-sufficiency in table egg production, with output surpassing 8...
- Saudi agriculture ministry said the kingdom's egg production not only meets domestic demand but also generates a surplus, reinforcing national food security.
- The ministry also emphasized its commitment to enhancing food quality, safety, and availability across local markets.
Arts & Culture
West Bank eviction film ‘No Other Land’ wins best documentary Oscar
Jerusalem -- No Other Land, a documentary about Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, has won the best documentary award...
- Shot in Masafer Yatta near the West Bank city of Hebron, the documentary follows a young Palestinian struggling with forced displacement.
- After a long legal battle with Palestinian communities, an Israeli supreme court ruling in 2022 paved the way for the eviction of the area's more than 1,000 residents.