Insurance giant Allianz signals job cuts in AI shift
Frankfurt, Germany -- German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with...
Business
Fake AI videos have a new generation loving 1980s life
New York, United States - "The 1980s are calling," a teenager with a throwback hairstyle tells viewers as "Everybody Wants...
Arts & Culture
Geostrategy
Post-Assad Syria seeks peace; Erdogan pushes anti-terror agenda, US warns on Kurdish conflict
Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa of the "critical need to...
- On a recent tour to the region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had stressed the need to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State group (IS) jihadists
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who backed Assad's opponents, has stressed reconciliation and restoration of Syria's territorial integrity and unity
Geostrategy
UAE says will not arm Sudan paramilitary RSF: White House
Washington, United States -- The United Arab Emirates has informed the United States that it will not arm paramilitaries in Sudan's...
- Two US lawmakers said the UAE pledged to address their concerns and that, as a result, they would drop their attempt to block $1.2 billion in arms sales.
- The UAE has long denied arming the RSF, with which it has fought Yemen's Houthi rebels. Trump has shown a greater willingness to sell weapons to the UAE
Geostrategy
Biden cancels $4.28 bn more in student debt before leaving office
Washington, United States -- US President Joe Biden said Friday he was canceling student loans for an additional 55,000 Americans, which...
- The beneficiaries include teachers, nurses, service members, law enforcement officials, and other public service workers who have given back to their communities.
- In the United States, colleges can often cost anywhere between $10,000 and $70,000 a year, leaving some graduates with crushing debt as they enter the workforce.
Business
Honda and Nissan in merger talks as electric vehicle competition intensifies
Tokyo, Japan --Japanese auto giant Honda and its struggling rival Nissan will reportedly begin talks on a merger to boost their...
- At the same time, Taiwanese electronics behemoth Foxconn has approached France's Renault to buy its large stake in Nissan.
- A merger between Honda and Nissan would not be a marriage of equals. Honda's market capitalization is around $41.2 billion, while Nissan's is around $10.5 billion.
Geostrategy
Turkey, Iran leaders at Cairo summit urge action to address Gaza, Syria crises
Cairo, Egypt -- The leaders of Turkey and Iran were in Egypt on Thursday for a summit of eight Muslim-majority countries,...
- The gathering of the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation, also known as the Developing-8, was being held against a backdrop of regional turmoil.
- The organization includes Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia besides Turkey, which historically backed the opposition to Assad, while Iran supported him.
Business
Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines says to buy 200 Boeing 737 aircraft
Istanbul, Turkey -- Turkey's Pegasus Airlines said Thursday it would buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft in its largest-ever order...
- "The first 100 aircraft, for which we have placed firm orders, will begin joining our fleet starting in 2028," said Pegasus CEO Guliz Ozturk.
- Established in 1990, Pegasus Airlines operates 109 international routes to 53 countries as well as flying to 35 destinations within Turkey, its website says.
HRW accuses Israel of ‘acts of genocide’ for restricting Gaza water access
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israel of committing "acts of #genocide" in the Gaza Strip by damaging water infrastructure and...
- "Systematic nature" to deprive Gazans of water has "likely caused thousands of deaths"- HRW
- Israel also cut electricity supplies, attacked repair workers and blocked imports of repair materials
Geostrategy
UN urges ‘free and fair’ elections in Syria post-Assad ouster amid ongoing challenges
Turkey's Foreign Minister warned Syria's new government to address Kurdish militancy, signaling potential intervention if unresolved with tensions rising with...
- UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called for a massive aid boost by donor countries to respond to "this moment of hope" for Syria
- Years of civil war have also left the country heavily dependent on aid, deeply fragmented and desperate for justice and peace
UN envoy warns Syria conflict not over yet
United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, referring to fighting between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and...
- Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syrian military assets since Assad's overthrow
- Large-scale returns of refugees to Syria could destabilize the country further
Geostrategy
TikTok under fire: Espionage claims, election influence campaigns and controversies
The platform faces accusations of espionage in the United States, while the European Union has launched an investigation into claims...
- The United States in April passed a law obliging TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell off the platform by January 19 on the grounds it allowed China to access data on US users.
- Its editing features and powerful algorithm have kept it ahead of the game, attracting an army of creators and influencers as well as creating many of its own.
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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
Insurance giant Allianz signals job cuts in AI shift
Frankfurt, Germany -- German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Hamas says US ‘accomplice’ in Israel Qatar attack as funerals held
"This crime was... an assassination of the entire negotiation process and a deliberate targeting of the role of our mediating...
Geostrategy
Robot dogs, flying cars: five takeaways from the Munich auto show
Companies including Germany's Holon and Estonia's Auve Tech displayed small self-driving buses, designed for routes where larger buses with drivers...
Business
EU lawmakers back push for action against Israel over Gaza
The EU chief said Wednesday in her keynote annual address to the European Parliament that she would propose those steps...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Russian drones in Poland put NATO to the test
The intrusion of Russian drones into Poland -- whether deliberate, as Ukraine's European allies contend, or accidental -- is a...
- The overflights came as Russia unleashed a barrage of strikes across Ukraine overnight, including in the western city of Lviv, around 50 miles (80 kilometres) from Polish border
- Poland's airspace was violated 19 times, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Wednesday, and at least three drones were shot down after Warsaw and its allies scrambled jets
Science
Martian rocks offer clues that might indicate ancient life
Washington, United States - Colorful, speckled rocks found on the surface of Mars have offered among the most encouraging evidence...
- The Perseverance Mars rover collected the "Sapphire Canyon" rock samples in July 2024 from what's thought to be an ancient lakebed
- If the features resulted from microbial activity that created minerals in the way they do on Earth -- well, that might point to life on Mars
Business
Musk’s title of richest person challenged by Oracle’s Ellison
New York, United States - Billionaire Elon Musk is at risk of losing his title of world's wealthiest person to...
- Ellison, 81, amassed more than $100 billion in additional wealth Wednesday as Oracle shares skyrocketed after the nearly 50-year old company forecast massive revenue growth
- That rise lifted Ellison's overall wealth to about $406 billion compared with Musk's roughly $440 billion, according to a Forbes real-time billionaire's index