MENA brief Jun 15: Erdogan warns of ‘devastating war’, Gaza internet restored
Iran announced it will scale back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressing deep dissatisfaction over what it...
Geostrategy
Israel warns ‘Tehran will burn’ after wave of Iranian missile fire hit Tel Aviv
Following decades of enmity and conflict by proxy, it is the first time that Israel and Iran have traded fire...
Geostrategy
Business
Boeing makes $450m air-taxi bet
The investment is in Wisk, which looks to make autonomous air taxis.
- Boeing has added $450 million to a venture that aims to commercialize autonomous electric air taxis
- Wisk envisions some 14 million annual flights serving more than 40 million people in five years
Science
Reducing poverty changes baby brain development: Study
The research team recruited 1,000 low-income mothers and their newborn babies in four US cities for the randomized control trial.
- Babies had more brain activity associated with thinking and learning when their low-income mothers receive monthly cash support
- Growing up in poverty puts children at risk for lower school achievement, reduced earnings, and even poorer health
Geostrategy
Iran ready for ‘direct’ nuclear talks with US
The US said multiple times it was ready to hold direct talks, and now Iran's foreign minister has also said...
- Iran open to direct nuclear negotiations with the US, which declared itself ready to hold talks "urgently" on 2015 nuclear accord
- Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier that negotiating with the 'enemy' does not mean surrendering
Economy
Kuwait projects $10 billion budget deficit for 2022-2023
Revenues are projected at $62.2 billion, up 72.2 percent from the current fiscal year's estimates.
- Revenues are projected at $62.2 billion, up 72.2 percent from the current fiscal year's estimates
- A new Kuwaiti government was sworn in on December 29, the oil-rich Gulf emirate's fourth in two years
Economy
Lebanon and IMF begin talks on rescue package
Lebanese officials began much-delayed talks with the International Monetary Fund Monday on support measures aimed at lifting the country out...
- Lebanon is hoping to obtain a financial rescue package to rekindle an economy that has been in free fall for two years
- The previous government held several rounds of talks with the multilateral lender, but was unable to secure a bailout
Economy
Pandemic causing education losses globally: UNICEF
School closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic have caused "nearly insurmountable" losses in education among children around the world, UNICEF...
- More than 616 million students are still being affected by full or partial school closures, the UN children's agency said
- UNICEF reported that learning losses to school closures have left up to 70 percent of 10-year-olds unable to read or understand a simple text
Business
Meta touts supercomputer
The device is up to 20 times faster than Facebook’s current systems.
- Meta said the machine, known as AI Research SuperCluster, was already in the top five fastest supercomputers
- It would apparently become the fastest AI machine in the world when fully built in the next few months
Business
Istanbul airport closes down as snowstorm hits region
Europe's busiest airport shut down in Istanbul while schools and vaccination centers closed in Athens as a rare snowstorm blanketed...
- The closure of Istanbul Airport affected flights stretching from the Middle East and Africa to Europe and Asia
- it dealt a major headache for the 16 million residents of Turkey's largest city, which ground to an effective halt
Geostrategy
Saad Hariri, former PM of Lebanon, quits politics
Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri announced Monday he would not run in upcoming parliamentary elections and was withdrawing from...
- The Sunni Muslim leader said he was "suspending his work in political life" and urged fellow members of his Future party to leave the political arena
- A tearful Hariri, who was first elected to parliament in 2005, also announced he would not run in the legislative polls due in May
Geostrategy
WHO chief says how World can end Covid emergency this year
The countries need to work harder to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatment, track the virus and its emerging...
- Since the Omicron strain was first detected in southern Africa nine weeks ago, Tedros said 80m cases had been reported to the WHO -- more than in all of 2020.
- Half of the WHO's 194 member states missed the previous target of vaccinating 40 percent of their people by end-2021.
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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
MENA brief Jun 15: Erdogan warns of ‘devastating war’, Gaza internet restored
Iran announced it will scale back cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressing deep dissatisfaction over what it...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
US retaliatory strikes hit Iran-linked targets in Syria, Iraq
"The United States does not seek conflict in the Middle East or anywhere else in the world. But let all...
Geostrategy
EU gives accent to landmark rules on artificial intelligence
Brussels, Belgium - The European Union's 27 member states on Friday approved landmark rules on reining in artificial intelligence, passing a key...
Business
Jordan defeats Tajikistan to reach first Asian Cup semi-final
DOHA, QATAR - Jordan set up a semi-final against South Korea or Australia after ending Tajikistan's fairytale Asian Cup run with...
Arts & Culture
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Business
Most markets advance after tech titans fuel Wall Street surge
Shares in Amazon, Apple and Facebook owner Meta all climbed during Thursday's session. All three companies were due to report...
- Shares in Amazon, Apple and Facebook owner Meta all climbed during Thursday's session. All three companies were due to report results after the market closed
- Wall Street's main indices -- the Dow, the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the broad-based S&P 500 -- had tumbled on Wednesday after the Fed's disappointing rate signal
Economy
China economic slowdown to continue for the next four years, says IMF
BEIJING, CHINA - China's economic slowdown is likely to persist in the coming years as the Asian giant struggles with sagging...
- The world's second-largest economy last year saw some of its slowest growth in decades
- A debt crisis in the property sector added to geopolitical tensions and weakening global demand.
Geostrategy
Iranian adviser among three killed in Israeli strikes on Syria
The targets included a site operated by Lebanese group Hezbollah on a road leading to the Sayyida Zeinab district and...
- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said "three members of pro-Iran groups, including an Iranian and an Iraqi" were killed in "Israeli air strikes".
- Iran's Mehr news agency said an Iranian adviser from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saeed Alidadi, was killed in the strikes