Microsoft holds 27% of OpenAI in revamped partnership
San Francisco, United States - Microsoft and OpenAI announced Tuesday a sweeping overhaul of their landmark artificial intelligence (AI) partnership,...
Business
Business
Olympics tech firm Atos posts huge loss
The company posted a net loss of US$3.7 billion for 2023.
- The company reported a net loss of 3.4 billion euros ($3.7 billion) for 2023 due to asset writedowns and said it was aiming for a debt restructuring by July
- Atos, the International Olympic Committee's technology partner since the Salt Lake City winter games in 2002, is in charge of managing more than 300,000 accreditations
Geostrategy
Hamas leader Haniyeh visits Iran: state media
Haniyeh's visit comes after a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on Monday called for an "immediate ceasefire" for...
- Hamas chief will meet with Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian and other senior officials
- Haniyeh's last visit was in early November when he met Iran's supreme leader
Ten years from home World Cup, Saudi sizes up ‘huge challenge’
As the only bidder, Saudi Arabia was anointed host of the 2034 World Cup last October by FIFA. Infrastructure is...
- To host the 48-team World Cup, the country needs 14 all-seater stadiums capable of holding at least 40,000 people, according to the bid document
- Saudi sports ministry is preparing to issue tenders worth 10 billion riyals ($2.69 billion) to build and expand football venues, according to domestic media
Economy
Regulated dollar transactions on the rise in Iraq, says central bank
With dollars dominating the country's economy, Baghdad has imposed a series of restrictions on the use of American greenbacks domestically....
- Transactions through the Central Bank electronic platform -- which ensures compliance with SWIFT -- have considerably increased, the bank's vice governor Ammar Khalaf told
- "At the beginning of 2023, transactions were at $50 million per day. Now, we have around $200 million, which is consistent with the size of Iraq's economy," he added
Geostrategy
No let-up in Gaza war despite UN ceasefire resolution
The resolution demanding an "immediate ceasefire" was adopted Monday after Israel's closest ally the United States abstained. Washington insisted that...
- Israel reacted furiously to the US abstention, as it allowed the resolution to go through
- The Israeli military said Monday it was battling fighters around two hospitals in Gaza
Geostrategy
Hamas-allied official escapes Israeli strike in Lebanon
According to a security source, who did not want to be identified, the target was Mohammad Assaf of Jamaa Islamiya,...
- A strike in January widely blamed on Israel killed Hamas's deputy leader Saleh al-Aruri in Beirut
- Since October the cross-border violence has killed at least 326 people in Lebanon
Market Report
Geopolitical tensions boost oil, weigh on equities
Geopolitical tensions sent oil prices climbing and weighed on equities as investors also continued to worry about prospects for interest...
- Moscow has escalated its aerial attacks on Kyiv, targeting key infrastructure in the wake of Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities.
- Russia is a key producer of oil, while the Gaza-Israel war has given rise to worries about Middle Eastern crude supplies.
Geostrategy
Trump tells Israel media ‘you’re losing support’ over Gaza war
Former US president Donald Trump warned Israel in an interview that it was losing support over the war in Gaza....
- Trump frequently touts himself as a devoted ally of Israel, pointing to his decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.
- The former US President said he would have responded to Hamas's attack "very much the same way" Israel did.
Geostrategy
UN expert accuses Israel of several acts of ‘genocide’ in Gaza
"The overwhelming nature and scale of Israel's assault on Gaza and the destructive conditions of life it has inflicted reveal...
- United Nations chief Antonio Guterres meanwhile defended the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, describing it as a "lifeline of hope and dignity".
- "In a darkening world, UNRWA is the one ray of light for millions of people. I see that hope here. Now more than ever, we must not take away that hope"
Geostrategy
UN adopts resolution on immediate Gaza truce as US abstains
All 14 other members voted in favor of the resolution which "demands an immediate ceasefire" for Ramadan. The resolution calls...
- "The bloodbath has continued for far too long," said Amar Bendjama, the representative of Algeria, the Arab bloc's current member of the Council and a sponsor of the resolution.
- The United States had repeatedly blocked Security Council resolutions that put pressure on Israel but has increasingly shown frustration with its ally as civilian casualties mount.
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Dubai International Airport logs record 46 million travelers in first half
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- Dubai International Airport welcomed a record 46 million passengers in the first half of this...
Business
Portugal’s Felix joins Ronaldo at Al Nassr in Saudi
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Portuguese forward Joao Felix has signed a two-year deal with Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr, where he...
Arts & Culture
IMF lifts 2025 global growth forecast on ‘fragile’ easing in trade tensions
Looking ahead, the IMF expects the world economy to expand 3.1 percent next year, an improvement from the 3.0 percent...
Economy
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Geostrategy
Iran vows stronger response if attacked again by US, Israel
It remains unclear how much damage was caused by the US strikes on Tehran's nuclear facilities, which came after Israel...
- The comments appeared to be in response to remarks by US President Donald Trump, who had threatened earlier in the day to "wipe out" the Islamic republic's nuclear programme
- "If aggression is repeated, we will not hesitate to react in a more decisive manner and in a way that will be IMPOSSIBLE to cover up," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said
Business
Palantir, the AI giant that preaches US dominance
Palo Alto, United States - Palantir, an American data analysis and artificial intelligence company, has emerged as Silicon Valley's latest...
- The company's reach spans the global economy, with banks, hospitals, the US government, and the Israeli military among its ever-expanding client roster
- "We want and need this country to be the strongest, most important country in the world," Alex Karp, Palantir's CEO, recently declared at a client conference in Palo Alto
Geostrategy
Putin stresses Syrian ‘territorial integrity’ in call with Netanyahu after Druze unrest
Russia, a close ally of Syria's former long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad, who reportedly fled to Moscow with his family, still...
- Israel launched strikes this month on Damascus and Druze-majority Sweida province, saying it was acting in support of the religious minority
- Putin "emphasised the importance of supporting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Syria, said a Kremlin statement