Global coal demand expected to hit record in 2025: IEA
In its annual report on the coal industry, the International Energy Agency said demand was on course to rise by...
Geostrategy
First European Union airline flight in 35 years lands in Baghdad
Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq's transport ministry said Tuesday that a flight operated by Greece's Aegean Airlines had been the first...
Geostrategy
Arts & Culture
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...
- About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the multi-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means
- Authorities have ratcheted up anti-heat measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C (125.2F)
Geostrategy
27 killed as Israeli army opens fire near Gaza aid point
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable", and the world body's rights...
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable."
- Israel has stepped up its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war
Geostrategy
Israel army says shelling Syria after projectiles launched
The Israeli military said it was shelling targets in Syria on Tuesday in response to a pair of projectile launches,...
- Syria's foreign affairs ministry denied firing the projectiles and said the country "has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region".
- Israeli media said Tuesday's strikes were the first fired from Syria into Israeli territory since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December
Economy
World Economic Forum unveils framework highlighting transformative technology convergences across key industries
Agentic AI, spatial intelligence and robotic advancements in manipulation and adaptive control are enabling autonomous systems to make intelligent decisions...
- The 3C framework – combination, convergence and compounding – identifies standout technology combinations such as cognitive robots and digital twin ecosystems
- The framework can help industry leaders drive systemic change across infrastructure, energy, transportation and healthcare by investing in ecosystem readiness
Geostrategy
Saudi hosts urge pilgrims to stay indoors during hajj high point
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the hajj to remain in their tents for several hours...
- Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday.
- The "Day of Arafat" traditionally marks the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah.
Business
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...
- Inbound travel from outside the region is set to grow by 13 percent annually up to 2030, while outbound business travel will surge at 9 percent per year.
- China ranks third by value in leisure spending, expected to increase by 130 percent by 2030.
Business
Meta secures nuclear energy in 20-year Illinois plant deal
Washington, United States -- Facebook owner Meta announced Tuesday a 20-year nuclear energy agreement with US-based Constellation Energy to secure...
- The investment marks big tech's latest move to meet surging electricity demand from AI, with Microsoft, Google and Amazon also turning to nuclear power as an energy source.
- Under the deal, Meta's unspecified investment will replace state government subsidies to keep the Clinton Clean Energy Center operating beginning in 2027.
Economy
Lebanon on bumpy road to public transport revival
Beirut, Lebanon - On Beirut's chaotic, car-choked streets, Lebanese student Fatima Fakih rides a shiny purple bus to university, one...
- Lebanon's public transport system never recovered from the devastating 1975–1990 civil war that left the country in ruins, and in the decades since, car culture has flourished
- Even before the economic crisis that began in 2019, the country was running on empty, grappling with crumbling power, water and road infrastructure
Arts & Culture
In Cairo, the little indie cinema that could
Cairo, Egypt - In the heart of Cairo, a small cinema has for over a decade offered a unique space...
- Zawya was born in the post-revolutionary artistic fervour of the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak
- Egypt,long known as the Hollywood of the Arab world, has now largely been restricted to crowd-pleasing blockbusters
Geostrategy
Erdogan proposes new Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting in Turkey, Trump ready to attend
Trump, who wants a swift end to the three-year war, is "open" to a three-way summit "if it comes to...
- Putin has so far refused such a meeting, but Zelensky has said he is willing, underlining that key issues can only be resolved at leaders-level
- Trump is "open" to a three-way summit "if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together.'
Most Read
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
Global coal demand expected to hit record in 2025: IEA
In its annual report on the coal industry, the International Energy Agency said demand was on course to rise by...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Trump says no reason to meet Xi, threatens ‘massive’ China tariffs
US President Donald Trump said Friday he no longer feels the need for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping...
Economy
Lebanon, Syria seek reset on ties as FM visits Beirut
Lebanon and Syria on Friday committed to turning a new page on ties as Damascus's foreign minister visited Beirut, with...
Geostrategy
Israel declares ceasefire, begins troops pullback and Gazans start returning home
After two years of brutal war, the families of Israel's remaining hostages in the territory were also hoping the truce...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Business
Abu Dhabi awards contract for mega solar project
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Abu Dhabi, the capital of leading oil producer the United Arab Emirates, said Friday it...
- The 1.5-gigawatt Khazna Solar PV plant, expected to have nearly three million solar panels, will avert more than 2.4 million tons of carbon emissions per year,
- Engie and Emirati renewable-energy company Masdar won the contract to build the plant and sell EWEC the electricity.
Geostrategy
Top conservation group meets in UAE on growing threats to nature
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates -- The world's top conservation body kicked off its world congress Thursday in the Emirati...
- The congress, held every four years, sheds light on the dire state of the world's biodiversity.
- According to the United Nations's expert scientific panel on biodiversity (IPBES), biodiversity has declined every decade in the past 30 to 50 years.
Arts & Culture
Hungary’s ‘master of the apocalypse’ Krasznahorkai wins literature Nobel
Stockholm, Sweden -- The Nobel Prize for Literature was on Thursday awarded to Laszlo Krasznahorkai considered by many as Hungary's...
- The Swedish Academy honored him "for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art".
- The Academy highlighted Krasznahorkai's first novel published in 1985, "Satantango", which brought him to prominence in Hungary and remains his best-known work.