Some food preservatives linked to higher cancer, diabetes risk
Paris, France -- Eating some common food preservatives is linked to a slightly higher risk of eventually developing cancer and...
Research
Venezuelan parliament swears in interim president after Maduro’s ouster
Venezuela's parliament swore in Delcy Rodriguez as interim president on Monday, two days after US forces seized her predecessor Nicolas...
Geostrategy
Business
SoftBank lifts OpenAI stake to 11% with $41bln investment
Tokyo, Japan -- Japanese tech investor SoftBank said Wednesday that its stake in OpenAI is now around 11 percent after...
- Having made colossal profits as well as losses on previous investments, flamboyant founder Masayoshi Son has pivoted SoftBank towards artificial intelligence (AI).
- SoftBank had announced in April its planned investment of up to $40 billion in Open AI, and on Wednesday it said that the second tranche of $22.5 billion was completed.
Business
TSMC says started mass production of ‘most advanced’ 2nm chips
Taipei, Taiwan -- Taiwanese tech titan TSMC has started mass producing its cutting-edge 2-nanometre semiconductor chips, the company said in...
- TSMC is the world's largest contract maker of chips, used in everything from smartphones to missiles, and counts Nvidia and Apple among its clients.
- The chips will be the "most advanced technology in the semiconductor industry in terms of both density and energy efficiency", the company said.
Geostrategy
Israel to ban 37 organizations operating in Gaza, aid flow under threat
Apart from MSF, some of the 37 NGOs to be hit with the ban are the Norwegian Refugee Council, World...
- In a territory with 2.2 million inhabitants, "1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support," the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark and several other nations said.
- On Wednesday, the United Nations rights chief Volker Turk described Israel's decision as "outrageous", calling on states to urgently insist Israel shift course.
Economy
Syria reveals new post-Assad banknotes
Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa unveiled on Monday new banknotes replacing those showing ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and his family, hoping...
- Since the start of Syria's civil war in 2011, the pound has plunged from 50 to around 11,000 against the greenback
- The removal of the zeros, which does not impact the currency's value, was done to make transactions easier
Geostrategy
“Hell to pay”: Trump warns Hamas after Netanyahu talks, threatens Iran with fresh strikes
US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have "hell to pay" if it fails...
- Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu, Trump threatened to "eradicate" any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear program
- Trump also downplayed reports of tensions with Netanyahu over the Gaza ceasefire, saying Israel had "lived up" to its commitments
Business
Meta buys China-founded AI agent Manus
Singapore, Singapore -- Facebook owner Meta has agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded...
- However, analysts warned the deal could fall foul of regulators at a time of fierce technological rivalry between Washington and Beijing.
- Exceeding the capabilities of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, AI agents can autonomously perform complex tasks for users, and are seen as having huge potential.
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia condemns ‘dangerous’ UAE moves in Yemen after striking shipment
Riyadh also backed a demand from Yemen's presidential council for Emirati forces to withdraw from the country within 24 hours,...
- In recent weeks, separatists backed by the UAE seeking to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen have made sweeping territorial gains in a lightning offensive.
- The UAE said "the shipment in question did not contain any weapons, and the vehicles unloaded were not intended for any Yemeni party."
Geostrategy
Netanyahu to meet Trump in Florida for talks on Gaza peace plan, Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump in Florida on Monday, with the US president pushing to move...
- Netanyahu is also expected to try to shift some focus onto Iran, amid reports he will call for more US strikes on the Islamic republic
- He will bring up the "danger Iran poses not only to the region of the Middle East, but the United States as well," Israeli spokeswoman said
Geostrategy
Somali president to visit Turkey after Israeli recognition of Somaliland
Somalia's president is to visit close ally Turkey on Tuesday following Israel's recognition of the breakaway territory of Somaliland, Turkey's...
- Turkey denounced Israel's recognition of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, calling it "overt interference in Somalia's domestic affairs"
- Ankara, a close ally of Somalia, provides military and economic assistance to the country that has been devastated by civil war
Economy
China says to launch digital currency action plan
Beijing, China -- China will on January 1 launch an "action plan" for boosting management and operations of its digital...
- The "action plan" will see banks pay interest on balances held by clients in digital yuan -- a move to incentivize broader adoption of the currency.
- The plan also includes a proposal to establish an international digital yuan operations centre in the eastern financial hub of Shanghai, the report said.
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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
Some food preservatives linked to higher cancer, diabetes risk
Paris, France -- Eating some common food preservatives is linked to a slightly higher risk of eventually developing cancer and...
Research
Company News
Latest News
Biden demands assault-weapons ban after 8 killed in Texas mall rampage
Responders, distressed witnesses and police described scenes of panic and horror in Allen, where video footage shared online showed the...
Egypt ex-graft chief freed from prison, charged again: activist
A military court had found Geneina guilty in 2018 of "spreading information to harm the military", after he had said...
UN admits aid failure for Syria as quake toll hits 33,000
Supplies have been slow to arrive in Syria, where years of conflict have ravaged the healthcare system, and parts of...
At least 20 escape Syria prison holding IS inmates after quake
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said it could not verify whether prisoners had escaped, but confirmed...
Musk kicks Kanye West off Twitter for ‘incitement to violence’
West has made a series of anti-Semitic comments recently, as the one-time titan of fashion and music appears to have...
The US and Venezuela’s vast oil reserves: key questions amid sanctions, geopolitics and energy
After a US military operation that seized Nicolas Maduro, President Donald Trump said he wants to allow American oil companies...
Geostrategy
At least 80 Yemeni separatists killed in fighting, strikes since Friday
At least 152 members of the UAE-backed STC forces were wounded and 130 were taken captive, a military official from...
Geostrategy
Maduro now in New York jail as Trump says US to ‘run’ Venezuela
The US president's announcement followed a lightning pre-dawn attack in which commandos grabbed Maduro and his wife while air strikes...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Yemen separatists announce two-year transition towards independence in south
Yemen's UAE-backed separatists on Friday announced the start of a two-year transitional period towards declaring an independent state after their...
- The Southern Transitional Council (STC), whose forces came under fire from deadly Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Friday, said the process would include dialogue and a referendum
- SCT forces seized large swathes of Yemen's south, run by a fractious government with competing agendas, in a lightning and largely unopposed offensive last month
Geostrategy
Norway closes in on objective of 100 percent electric car sales
Oslo, Norway -- Norway came close to its objective of selling only zero-emission cars in 2025, with electric vehicles accounting...
- Although Norway is Western Europe's largest exporter of petroleum products, it has led the shift to electric vehicles.
- A record 179,549 personal vehicles were registered in 2025, beating the previous high set in 2021, the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV) said on Friday.
Geostrategy
Seven killed as Saudi coalition strikes UAE-backed forces in Yemen
Following the strikes, a military spokesman for the STC said it was in a "decisive and existential" war with Saudi-backed...
- Saudi Arabia and the UAE have for years supported rival factions in Yemen's government-run territories, but the STC's offensive has angered Riyadh and left them at loggerheads.
- The air raids came shortly after pro-Saudi forces launched a campaign to "peacefully" take control of military sites in Hadramawt.