OpenAI signs $38 bn infrastructure deal with cloud giant AWS
Under the seven-year agreement, OpenAI, which is partly owned by AWS's archrival Microsoft, will gain access to computing resources including...
Business
Hundreds in south Lebanon mourn Hezbollah members killed in Israeli attacks
Nabatieh, Lebanon -- Hundreds of people gathered in south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh on Sunday to mourn five Hezbollah members killed in...
Geostrategy
Business
Dubai begins construction of ‘world’s largest’ airport terminal
"We approved the designs for the new passenger terminal at Al Maktoum International Airport, and (are) commencing construction of the...
- Once fully operational, the airport will "handle a passenger capacity of 260 million annually", the government said in a statement.
- Sheikh Mohammed said it will have "the world's largest capacity" and be "five times the size of the current Dubai International Airport", one of the world's busiest air hubs.
Geostrategy
Blinken to Saudi as window shrinks on Middle East mega-deal
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Riyadh comes nearly seven months after the eruption of war in Gaza...
- The US State Department said that Blinken will discuss "a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel."
- As fighting drags on and mediators struggle to lock in a truce, Saudi officials have reiterated their insistence on recognition of an independent Palestinian state
Geostrategy
Ship attacked by missiles off Yemen coast: UK agency
In the first attack "the vessel experienced an explosion in close proximity to the vessel which was felt by the...
- There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, which the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said took place southwest of the Yemeni port of Mokha.
- The latest incidents follow a lull in attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have launched dozens of missile and drone strikes targeting shipping since November
Arts & Culture
Saudi Arabia could get first Miss Universe contestant this year
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia could have its first Miss Universe contestant this year, organizers said this week, after a...
- Saudi model Rumy al-Qahtani said she was in "negotiations" about participation in Miss Universe but declined to provide further details.
- Qahtani told AFP she had previously participated in various pageants in the Middle East and Europe and posed with several sashes she said she obtained at the competitions.
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia to host top Arab, EU diplomats for Gaza talks: officials
The two-day World Economic Forum special meeting, scheduled to begin in Riyadh on Sunday, includes in its official program appearances...
- French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne is among European officials travelling to Riyadh during the summit for talks on Gaza.
- Saudi Arabia's neighbor Qatar hosts a Hamas political office and has served as a mediator in talks that have so far failed to secure a durable ceasefire.
Geostrategy
Ahead of feared Rafah invasion, Palestinians mourn bombardment dead
Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said Israel's war cabinet was meeting Thursday "to discuss how to destroy the last battalions...
- Global concern has mounted over the looming operation against Hamas in Rafah, where much of Gaza's population has sought refuge from more than six months of war
- Israeli officials have for more than two months vowed to enter Rafah, near the Egyptian border, but even before any ground operation the area has been regularly bombed
Business
Saudi oil giant Aramco agrees major FIFA sponsorship deal
The deal involves sponsorship rights for multiple events including the 2026 Men's World Cup and the Women's World Cup the...
- The deal is the latest high-profile investment in global sports for Saudi Arabia who have already been confirmed as the only bid for the 2034 World Cup.
- In a joint statement it was confirmed Aramco would become FIFA's Major Worldwide Partner exclusive in the energy category.
Geostrategy
Oman, UAE deluge ‘most likely’ linked to climate change: Study
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions "most likely" exacerbated the intense rains that lashed the...
- Extreme rainfall in El Nino years has become 10-40 percent heavier in the region affected, a study published by the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group found.
- Twenty-one people died in Oman and four in the United Arab Emirates, which was battered by the heaviest rainfall since records began for the desert Gulf state 75 years ago.
Geostrategy
Israel says forces carrying out ‘offensive action’ in south Lebanon
Israeli forces are carrying out "offensive action" across southern Lebanon, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Wednesday without specifying whether ground...
- The Israeli army said Hizbollah "has established dozens of terror means and infrastructures in the area" to attack Israel
- Cross-border exchanges of fire have flared between the Israeli army and Hizbollah since Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel triggered war in Gaza
Business
As ‘news deserts’ spread, US journalism fights on
Baltimore, United States - Baltimore Banner reporter Matti Gellman is first to leap in with questions during a recent press appearance...
- For more than two decades, since the internet upended the advertising and print model on which newspapers had been based, the industry has been in crisis
- Nearly half of US counties have just one news source, the report said, often a weekly newspaper. And 228 are on a so-called "watch list" at high risk of losing even that
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
OpenAI signs $38 bn infrastructure deal with cloud giant AWS
Under the seven-year agreement, OpenAI, which is partly owned by AWS's archrival Microsoft, will gain access to computing resources including...
Business
Company News
Tesla Q2 sales down 13.5%
Business
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A day after Hezbollah’s rebuff, Lebanon cabinet meets again on the group’s disarmament
With Washington pressing Lebanon to take action on the matter, US envoy Tom Barrack has made several visits to Beirut...
Geostrategy
Turkey, Senegal discuss defence industry, security cooperation
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he discussed defence and security cooperation with Senegal's visiting prime minister Ousmane Sonko on...
Geostrategy
Israel seeks full control of Gaza, won’t keep or govern it: Netanyahu
"We want to hand it over to Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us and giving Gazans...
Geostrategy
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Business
Electric ‘air taxis’ could debut in Japan from 2027
Tokyo, Japan -- Airline ANA said Thursday that, together with a US start-up, it hopes to have electric "air taxis"...
- ANA and California-based Joby Aviation said they will establish a joint venture with a view to deploying more than 100 of the five-seater aircraft.
- The project primarily envisages trips between Narita and Haneda airports and Tokyo, although the routes can diversify in the future.
Geostrategy
Tourists drawn to Oman’s giant sinkholes
The sinkholes are marketed as a tourist attraction in Dhofar, whose temperate climate draws many visitors from the Gulf during...
- One of the sinkholes is one of the world's biggest: the yawning Kahf Teiq, 211 meters (692 feet) deep and 150 meters wide.
- At the Tawi Atair sinkhole, tourists potter around on concrete paths and stairways.
Geostrategy
Lebanon’s Hezbollah rejects cabinet decision to disarm it, terms it a grave sin
Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did...
- The government said its decision came as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah
- Israel has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah and other targets despite the November truce, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group has been disarmed