Conflicts and related fatalities triple since 2000, fueling extreme poverty: WB
Washington, United States -- Conflicts and related fatalities have more than tripled since the early 2000s, fueling extreme poverty, the...
Geostrategy
UN climate chief warns ‘lot more to do’ before COP30
UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries on Thursday to accelerate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil as there...
Science
Arts & Culture
Muslim pilgrims pray at Mount Arafat in hajj apex
To make this year's pilgrimage safer, authorities have expanded infrastructure, deployed thousands of extra personnel and relied on an arsenal...
- Thousands of pilgrims gathered before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his last sermon
- While some arrived early to take advantage of the relatively cool morning, many pilgrims will remain for hours of prayers and Koran recitals until the evening
Business
Israel arms exports to UAE, Bahrain, Morocco rise sharply after 2023
Sales to countries considered part of the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco who signed groundbreaking...
- Israel's defense ministry said that its arms exports hit an all-time high of more than $14.7 billion in 2024, despite international criticism of ongoing Gaza onslaught.
- A majority -- 56.8 percent -- of the deals signed were "mega-deals" valued at at least $100 million each, the ministry said, adding that "operational achievements" in the Gaza war.
Geostrategy
Trinity College Dublin university to cut links with Israel over Gaza violations
Dublin, Ireland -- Ireland's prestigious Trinity College Dublin said on Wednesday that it would cut all links with Israel in...
- The university also said that it would "enter into no further mobility agreements with Israeli universities".
- The board also said that the university "should not submit for approval or agree to participate in any new institutional research agreements involving Israeli participation".
Geostrategy
Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep hajj pilgrims safe
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have...
- The technology has proven pivotal to track the overwhelming amount of footage from more than 15,000 cameras in and around the holy city of Makkah.
- Software is also used to help guide more than 20,000 buses deployed to transport pilgrims between holy sites during one of the world's biggest annual religious gatherings.
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.
Conflicts and related fatalities triple since 2000, fueling extreme poverty: WB
Washington, United States -- Conflicts and related fatalities have more than tripled since the early 2000s, fueling extreme poverty, the...
Geostrategy
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2,000-year-old Roman wall paintings unearthed
Arts & Culture
Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian marches in London and Berlin
Tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched in London and Berlin on Saturday calling for an end to the war...
Geostrategy
The new generation of blockbuster weight-loss drugs
After France on Friday became the latest country to allow all doctors, rather than just specialists, to prescribe these drugs,...
Science
Yemen’s Huthis threaten to attack US ships if it strikes Iran
Yemen's Huthi rebels threatened on Saturday to attack US vessels in the Red Sea, despite a recent truce, should Washington...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Israel says killed three Iranian commanders in fresh wave of strikes
Israel's military said a strike in Qom south of Tehran successfully targeted top Iranian official Saeed Izadi, in charge of...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday for a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the conflict.
- Top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany met Araghchi in Geneva on Friday, and urged him to resume talks with the United States that had been derailed by Israel's attacks.
Economy
Tesla to build first grid-scale power plant in China
New York, United States - Tesla announced Friday that it signed an agreement to build its first grid-scale energy storage...
- The project will help with the flexible adjustment of grid resources, and "effectively solve pressures relating to urban power supply," Tesla said
- Chinese media outlet Yicai reported that Tesla Shanghai, Shanghai authorities and China Kangfu International Leasing Co. held a signing ceremony Friday for the project
Geostrategy
Pro-Palestinian protest leader released from US custody
Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student who was one of the most visible leaders of nationwide pro-Palestinian campus protests,...
- Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who is married to a US citizen and has a US-born son, has been in custody since March facing potential deportation
- "This shouldn't have taken three months," Khalil, wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, told US media outside an immigration detention center in Jena, Louisiana