May 2025 Islamic Treasury Sukuk auction attracts bids worth $1.88bn

• The total bids received reached AED 6.93 billion ($1.88bn), reflecting an oversubscription rate of 6.3 times.
• The auction results highlighted competitive, market-driven pricing with a Yield to Maturity (YTM) of 3.99 percent for the May 2027 tranche and 4.06 percent for the May 2030 tranche

Ads pressured to evolve as AI changes Google search

• The internet giant is dabbling with ads in its new AI Mode for online search, a strategic move to fend off competition from ChatGPT.
• A new AI Mode enables conversational interaction with Google during search queries, providing answers in diverse formats, such as video, audio or graphs.

Turkey says increasing energy exports to war-torn Syria

• Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, are seeking to rebuild the country's infrastructure and economy after almost 14 years of civil war.
• The conflict badly damaged Syria's power infrastructure, leading to cuts that can last for more than 20 hours a day.

Iran-US nuclear talks set for Rome this week: Oman mediator

• The arch-foes have held four rounds of nuclear talks since April 12, the highest-level contact between them since US President Donald Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal
• Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes

Israeli ‘warning’ fire at diplomats sparks outcry amid Gaza pressure

• The Palestinian foreign ministry accused Israel of having "deliberately targeted by live fire an accredited diplomatic delegation".
• The incident came as international pressure intensified over the war in Gaza, where Palestinians were desperate for supplies after a two-month aid blockade was eased.

Cyberattack to cost UK retailer Marks & Spencer $404 million

• Marks last week revealed that some personal data of its customers had been stolen in a cyberattack that has crippled its online services for weeks.
• The news came as Marks on Wednesday reported operating profit before adjusting items of  £985 million for its financial year to the end of March.

Oil prices jump on report of Israel prepping Iran strike

• There are fears that such a sharp escalation could tip the Middle East into a war, with tensions already high over Israel's strikes on Gaza.
• While safe haven gold pushed higher, the news from CNN appeared to be having little detrimental effect on Asian equities, with most extending the previous day's rally.

Etihad Q1 profit $187 million

• Total revenue saw a 15 percent rise compared to Q1 2024, supported by both passenger and cargo business.
• With nearly 20 million passengers carried over the last 12 months, Etihad is the fastest-growing airline in the region.

Yalla Group Q1 revenue $83m

US asking countries for ‘voluntary’ Palestinian relocation: Rubio

• President Donald Trump has repeatedly mused about displacing Gaza's two million people to make way for reconstruction.
• Responding to a question in testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio said: "There's no deportation."