“New Suez Canal on rails”: Egypt high-speed trains to connect Red Sea, Mediterranean
Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the...
Economy
Billionaire Ellison offers personal guarantee for son’s Warner Bros bid
Washington, United States -- Oracle tech tycoon Larry Ellison is offering a $40.4 billion personal guarantee to back Paramount's hostile...
Business
Geostrategy
Hamas says discussing Gaza ceasefire proposals from mediators
It said it sought "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israel from Gaza)...
- Qatar and Egypt have been mediating efforts to end the conflict that erupted in October 2023, when a deadly Hamas attack on Israel prompted a devastating Israeli offensive.
- The new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the (22) living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip.
Business
Microsoft laying off several thousand employees
San Francisco, United States -- Microsoft on Wednesday said it was slashing a little less than four percent of its...
- The cloud computing tech giant did not disclose the total amount of lost jobs but as of June 2024 it employed 228,000 people, bringing the latest layoffs to about 9,000 people.
- The job cuts follow a round in May that saw about 6,000 positions culled from its global workforce.
Business
Tesla Q2 sales down 13.5%
Shares rally after the disclosure, better than some forecasts.
- The sales figures released Wednesday, which are global, reflect the more contested nature of the EV market, which Tesla once dominated.
- Musk's political activism on behalf of right-wing figures has also made the company a target of boycotts and demonstrations, weighing on sales.
Science
‘Writing is thinking’: do students who use ChatGPT learn less?
Paris, France -- When Jocelyn Leitzinger had her university students write about times in their lives they had witnessed discrimination,...
- The ChatGPT users scored significantly worse than the brain-only group on all levels. The EEG showed that different areas of their brains connected to each other less often.
- And more than 80 percent of the ChatGPT group could not quote anything from the essay they had just written, compared to around 10 percent of the other two groups.
Geostrategy
US halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
The White House said Tuesday it is halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine that were promised under the Biden...
- Stopping the delivery of munitions and other military aid including air defense systems likely would be a blow to Ukraine as it contends with Russia's missile and drone attacks
- The curtailment of military aid signals a possible shift in the priorities of US President Donald Trump, who has pressed for Russia and Ukraine to speed up stalled peace talks
Geostrategy
Mamdani confirmed as Democratic candidate for New York mayor
Rising star of the American left Zohran Mamdani is now officially the Democratic candidate for mayor of New York City,...
- The 33-year-old self-declared democratic socialist defeated his nearest rival, winning 56% to former New York governor Andrew Cuomo's 44% in the third round of vote counting
- Born in Uganda to South Asian parents, New York state assembly man Mamdani would be the first Muslim mayor of the heavily Democratic city if he wins the election in November
Geostrategy
Macron, Putin discuss Iran, Ukraine in first talks since 2022
One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear programme, with...
- One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear programme
- Fighting still raged on the ground in Ukraine over three years after Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion of its neighbour
Geostrategy
Israel expands Gaza campaign ahead of Netanyahu’s US visit
The intensified operations came after days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump -- whom Netanyahu...
- The intensified operations came after days of mounting calls for a ceasefire, with US President Donald Trump -among those urging Israel to strike a new deal to halt the war
- Israel's campaign to destroy the Palestinian militant group Hamas has raged on unabated, however, with Gaza reporting Israeli forces killed at least 20 people killed
Geostrategy
Gaza mourns those killed in Israeli strike on seafront cafe
Once a bustling seafront spot where young people could hope for a rare respite from war, Gaza City's al-Baqa cafe...
- The strike triggered a fresh outpouring of grief in the Palestinian territory already devastated by more than 20 months of war.
- Tributes have also poured in for Ismail Abu Hatab, described by friends as a journalist and videographer.
Business
Eight-country coalition aims to tax luxury air travel
Seville, Spain -- Countries including France, Kenya, Barbados and Spain on Monday launched a coalition to push for taxes on...
- The coalition said it would work to increase the number of countries taxing plane tickets, including business-class travel, and private jets.
- Greenpeace welcomed an "important step" to raise more money from "the most elite and polluting form of travel", which has remained "undertaxed".
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Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
“New Suez Canal on rails”: Egypt high-speed trains to connect Red Sea, Mediterranean
Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Inside India’s RSS, the legion of Hindu ultranationalists
Brandishing bamboo sticks and chanting patriotic hymns, thousands of uniformed men parade in central India, a striking show of strength...
Geostrategy
Celebrities, AI giants urge end to quest for superintelligence capable of outsmarting humans
Signatories include the "Godfather of AI" and 2024 winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics Geoffrey Hinton; Computer Sciences Professor...
Science
Norway’s wealth fund to enlist AI for managing climate risks
Oslo, Norway -- Norway's sovereign wealth fund said Wednesday that it would incorporate artificial intelligence tools into its investment analysis...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
ICJ says Israel obliged to allow aid into Gaza as Turkey, Qatar move to protect truce
The ICJ ruling came as aid groups scrambled to scale up much-needed humanitarian assistance into Gaza, seizing upon a fragile...
- Turkey has taken an active role in talks to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and voiced strong support for US President Donald Trump's peace plan.
- Erdogan has said Turkey was ready to join an international task force in Gaza, with its military also expressing willingness to participate if needed.
Business
OpenAI unveils search browser in challenge to Google
San Francisco, United States - ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Tuesday announced an "Atlas" search browser, leveraging its artificial intelligence prowess in...
- "This is an AI-powered web browser built around ChatGPT," OpenAI chief Sam Altman said in a streamed presentation
- OpenAI has ramped up its challenge to Google, which has responded by rapidly building more AI capabilities into search and across its platform
Economy
Gold falls again as rally comes to halt, Asian markets drop
Gold and silver tumbled for a second day Wednesday, bringing a rally in the precious metals to a juddering halt,...
- Bullion has seen an eye watering run-up since the turn of the year, helping it climb more than 60 percent and hitting multiple records
- The rally has been built on a range of issues including a weaker dollar, expectations of interest rate cuts, falling bond yields and central bank buying