US AI firm Palantir announces joint venture in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- US software firm Palantir launched a joint venture with the Dubai government's investment arm on...
Business
‘Hindu nation’: Religion trumps caste in India vote
Agra, India - Born at the bottom of the Hindu faith's rigid caste system, voters like Anil Sonkar will determine whether...
- More than two-thirds of India's 1.4 billion people are estimated to be on the lower rungs of a millennia-old social hierarchy that divides Hindus by function and social standing
- Politicians of all stripes have courted lower caste Indians with affirmative action programmes, job guarantees and special subsidies to mitigate long-standing discrimination
Geostrategy
Arab League calls for UN peacekeepers in Palestinian territories
In a concluding statement following a meeting in Manama, the 22-member grouping called for "international protection and peacekeeping forces of...
- The league also separately, called for an "immediate" ceasefire in Gaza and an end to forced displacement in the Palestinian territory
- Abbas told the summit his rival Hamas gave Israel "pretexts and justifications" to wage war on Gaza with its October 7 attack
Geostrategy
Despite international appeals, Israel to ‘intensify’ Rafah assault
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said "additional forces will enter" the Rafah area and "this activity will intensify". "Hundreds of targets...
- Israel's top ally the United States has joined other major powers in appealing for it to hold back from a full ground offensive against Hamas in Rafah.
- The 22-member Arab League, meanwhile, called for UN peacekeepers to be deployed in the occupied Palestinian territories until a two-state solution has been implemented.
Business
ADX gains $1.90bn on strong performances from bank stocks
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) extended its gains at the close of trading today, adding...
- The total market capitalization of listed shares reached AED 3.49 trillion at the end of Thursday's trading session.
- Local stocks attracted over AED1.5 billion in liquidity at the end of the session, distributed as follows: AED 1.12 billion on the ADX and AED396.3 million on the DFM.
Geostrategy
Bahrain calls for Mideast peace conference at Gaza-focused Arab League
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was addressing fellow heads of state and government at the 22-strong grouping in Manama,...
- King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was addressing fellow heads of state and government at the 22-strong grouping in Manama, more than seven months into the conflict
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the war in Gaza as "an open wound that threatens to infect the entire region"
Geostrategy
Israel says more troops to ‘enter Rafah’ as operations intensify
Israeli forces took control earlier in May of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing with Egypt, in a push...
- The operation "will continue as additional forces will enter" the Rafah area, Gallant said
- Israel's top ally the United States has warned that it had not seen any credible Israeli plan to protect civilians in Rafah
Geostrategy
Hamas chief says group to decide on post-war Gaza rule with Palestinian factions
Ismail Haniyeh on Wednesday said the movement will be involved in deciding post-war rule in Gaza along with other Palestinian...
- Haniyeh also said the fate of truce talks was uncertain because of Israel's "insistence on occupying the Rafah crossing and on its expansion of the aggression."
- His comments came after Netanyahu said any discussion on who rules Gaza after the war was just "empty talk" as long as Hamas remains in the territory
Israel PM says no ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Rafah as almost 500,000 evacuated
The United Nations said Tuesday that nearly 450,000 people had been displaced from Rafah since Israel first began issuing evacuation...
- The international community, including Israel's top ally Washington, had urged Israel to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Rafah
- But Netanyahu insisted that "the humanitarian catastrophe that was spoken about did not materialise, nor will it"
Business
As international gas demand grows, Qatar eyes more long-term deals
Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi, who is also chief executive of QatarEnergy, said the state-owned giant had secured sales of 25...
- "It's just agreeing on terms and conditions and pricing... but I think there's a huge demand out there, whether it's from Asia or Europe," Kaabi told the Qatar Economic Forum.
- "I think even Europe is realizing now they have to do something different to secure long term," he added.
Geostrategy
Hezbollah commander among two killed in Israeli strike: source
Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike on a car in the country's south killed two people Tuesday, with a...
- Hezbollah said that one of its fighters, a field commander, Hussein Makki, was "martyred on the road to Jerusalem'
- At least 413 people have been killed in Lebanon in seven months of cross-border violence,
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US AI firm Palantir announces joint venture in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- US software firm Palantir launched a joint venture with the Dubai government's investment arm on...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Jordan says to host Syria-US meeting on reconstruction
The meeting, which will be attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack,...
Geostrategy
Salah criticizes UEFA for ‘Palestinian Pele’ tribute: ‘Tell us how he died’
Obeid, 41, was killed on Wednesday when Israeli forces "targeted people waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip", the...
Geostrategy
Saudi Falcons Club launches interactive pavilion for young enthusiasts
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- The Saudi Falcons Club has dedicated an interactive pavilion titled "Falconer of the Future" as part...
Arts & Culture
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Arts & Culture
Walking sharks, bombing crocodiles: Italian Brainrot memes only kids know
Shouty, crude and often nonsensical Italian voiceovers feature in many of the clips made by people in various countries that...
- The dozen-plus cartoonish AI creatures have fast become memes, inspiring a stream of new content such as "Brainrot Rap", viewed 116 million times on YouTube.
- A YouTube Short titled "Learn to Draw 5 Crazy Italian Brainrot Animals" -- including a cactus-elephant crossover named "Lirili Larila" -- has also been watched 320 million times.
Geostrategy
Russia cautious on Armenia-Azerbaijan deal, Iran reject border corridor
Russia cautiously welcomed a US-brokered draft deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Saturday, but Moscow's regional ally Iran rejected the...
- The two former Soviet republics signed a peace deal in Washington on Friday to end a decades-long conflict, though the fine print and binding nature of the deal remained unclear
- The US-brokered agreement includes establishing a transit corridor through Armenia to connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan, a longstanding demand of Baku
Science
UN plastic pollution treaty talks floundering, with countries wildly at odds
Geneva, Switzerland - Talks on forging a groundbreaking treaty to combat the scourge of plastic pollution were floundering Saturday, with...
- The negotiations, which opened on Tuesday, have four working days left to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem choking the environment
- But in a blunt mid-way assessment, the talks chair warned the 184 countries gathered at the United Nations in Geneva that progress so far was well off track