Million-plus pilgrims to begin hajj under blazing sun
About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the multi-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam...
Arts & Culture
Middle East tourism projected to reach $350 billion by 2030: ATM report
Dubai, UAE – The Middle East’s tourism sector is poised for unprecedented expansion, with a new report predicting a 50...
Business
Business
Tamatem pushes Arabic games
This Jordanian firm is being praised for Arabic mobile games.
- Founded in 2013, Tamatem now has offices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia
- It has published more than 50 mobile games, which have been downloaded more than 100 million times
Geostrategy
Turkey orders expulsion of 10 ambassadors as Erdogan fumes
Several European countries said late on Saturday they had received no official notification from Turkey, while the US said it...
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the expulsion of the ambassadors of 10 countries, including Germany and the US
- These ambassadors had appealed for the release of jailed civil society leader Parisian-born philanthropist and activist Osman Kavala
Business
Qatar hopes to attract 1.2 million World Cup visitors
Organizers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar hope to attract 1.2 million tourists to the Gulf country, an official...
- "They will not (all) be in the country at the same time, as the event extends over a period of 28 days"
- Those include accommodation on cruise liners, hotel apartments, fan villages with an Arabian desert vibe
Science
Aramco sets 2050 net-zero target
The company acknowledged that this would have its challenges.
- Saudi Aramco chief Amin Nasser has said the company will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050
- He was speaking at the Saudi Green Initiative forum, where Saudi Arabia pledged to become net-zero by 2060
Geostrategy
IS says its fighters attacked Kabul power lines
The Islamic State militant group's Afghan branch on Friday said it was behind an explosion that brought down electricity lines...
- The power cut on Thursday was a further blow to Taliban efforts to stabilize Afghanistan two months after they seized control
- The explosion hit a high-voltage line supplying imported power to Kabul and some other provinces
Geostrategy
Algeria rejects Western Sahara talks
Algeria on Friday ruled out returning to roundtable talks over Western Sahara, days after the UN appointed a new envoy...
- Morocco sees the entire Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory and has offered autonomy there while firmly ruling out independence
- The International Crisis Group wrote this month that “Rabat considers Western Sahara a regional issue and the Polisario an Algerian proxy”
Arts & Culture
Award-winning Egypt film on poverty ruffles feathers
Feathers is a film about the struggles of a woman whose husband has been turned into a chicken.
- Feathers, the film, has been facing patriotic backlash for "presenting Egypt negatively"
- However, director Omar El Zohairy is also being praised for shedding light on a genuine social problem
Geostrategy
Al-Qaeda leader killed in US drone strike in Syria: Pentagon
A senior Al-Qaeda leader was killed in a US drone strike in Syria, the Pentagon said on Friday. The strike...
- “The removal of this Al-Qaeda senior leader will disrupt the terrorist organization’s ability to further plot and carry out global attacks”
- At the end of September the Pentagon killed Salim Abu-Ahmad, another senior Al-Qaeda commander in Syria
Qatar opens fifth 2022 World Cup venue
The 40,000-seat ground will host groups matches during Qatar 2022 up to the quarter-finals.
- The 40,000-seat ground will host groups matches during Qatar 2022 up to the quarter-finals
- It was designed by Qatari architect Ibrahim M. Jaidah to resemble the 'gahfiya' cap, traditionally worn by men in the region
Science
Saudi Arabia eyes zero carbon emissions by 2060
At the Saudi Green Initiative forum, the Gulf country has also vowed to join a global effort to reduce methane...
- Saudi Arabia has announced plans to reduce carbon emissions by 278 million tons annually by 2030
- The country is also taking the Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane emission
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Million-plus pilgrims to begin hajj under blazing sun
About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the multi-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam...
Arts & Culture
Company News
Ford lays off 300 US workers
Business
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Sonatrach sacks CEO
Business
Deal reached for Gaza hostages to receive medicines
Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari told QNA "the medications and aid will leave Doha tomorrow to the city of...
Geostrategy
Pakistan says two children killed by Iran air strike
The statement did not say where the strike took place, but various Pakistani social media accounts reported blasts in Balochistan...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Washington seeks ‘de-escalation’ in Middle East, says top US official
Davos, Switzerland - The United States wants a "de-escalation" in the Middle East despite its strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen,...
- "We seek to stop the spread of conflict and to create the conditions for de-escalation," Sullivan said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
- Sullivan said the course of the conflict with the Iranian-backed rebels depended on "those with influence in Tehran and influence in other capitals in the Middle East".
Geostrategy
WTO hopes to finalize fishing agreement
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The head of the World Trade Organization's fisheries talks voiced optimism on Tuesday about striking an agreement on...
- The 164 WTO members kicked off a month of negotiations this week at the global trade body's headquarters in Geneva.
- The draft text is intended to help members reach agreement on a so-called "clean text" for submission to ministers in Abu Dhabi.
Geostrategy
Shell halts Red Sea shipments over attack fears, say report
WASHINGTON, US - British oil giant Shell has paused transit through the key Red Sea shipping route indefinitely, over fears of...
- The worries of escalation grew after United States and United Kingdom strikes on scores of sites in rebel-held Yemen.
- The Houthis have been targeting what they deemed Israeli-linked vessels, but after the strikes, they declared US and British interests "legitimate targets."