As Trump heads to the region for peace summit, Hamas, Israel set for hostage and prisoner exchanges
Trump's lightning visit to Israel and Egypt aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week's ceasefire and hostage release...
Geostrategy
UAE edge closer to World Cup after beating Oman
Doha, Qatar -- The United Arab Emirates moved to within a match of their second World Cup appearance with a...
Arts & Culture
Geostrategy
UN reports Israel arrested thousands in Gaza since war
Thousands of Gazan men may have been detained by Israeli forces since war erupted on October 7, often facing conditions...
- The UN official said testimonies of detainees were consistent with reports that the UN human rights office has received on the detention of Palestinians on a broad scale.
- He added that Israel had an obligation to ensure that everyone detained was treated in line with international norms on human rights and humanitarian law.
Geostrategy
Gaza internet, telephone blackout passes one-week mark: NetBlocks
Internet services in the Gaza Strip have been constantly disrupted throughout the war, with telecom firms blaming Israel's bombardment of...
- The United Nations has warned that the blackouts are worsening the Palestinian territory's already dire humanitarian situation.
- At least 24,762 Palestinians, about 70 percent of them women, young children and adolescents, have been killed in Israeli bombardments and ground assaults.
Business
Tata Steel to slash 2,800 UK jobs
Tata Steel employs about 8,000 staff in the United Kingdom.
- The company confirmed the closure of two blast furnaces at the Port Talbot steelworks in Wales, according to a statement.
- The Mumbai-based conglomerate had threatened to shut the plant unless it received state aid to help decarbonize production and cut emissions.
Business
France flooded with applications for electric car leasing scheme
Paris, France - The French government has been flooded with applications from low-income households to lease a subsidized electric car from...
- Some 90,000 people have applied to the scheme since the start of the month, French Environment Minister Bechu said.
- President Emmanuel Macron unveiled the plan on social media in December as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions in France.
Business
15 million tons of Lithium deposits found in Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand - Thailand has discovered nearly 15 million tons of lithium deposits, a government spokesman said Friday, a boost for...
- The 14.8 million tons of lithium are distributed between two separate sites in the southern province of Phang Nga, a government spokesperson said.
- The find means Thailand has the third largest lithium resources, behind Bolivia and Argentina, but it is not yet clear how much can be exploited commercially.
World Economic Forum
In Davos, AI excitement persists but fears over managing risks
A recent IMF report said AI would affect nearly 40 percent of jobs around the world, and some 60 percent...
- Over the course of the week, more than 3,000 policy makers, business executives, academics and innovators discussed some of the world's most pressing issues at the annual meet.
- The Forum announced it will hold a special meeting, hosted by Saudi Arabia, on “Global Cooperation, Growth and Energy for Development” on 28-29 Apr 2024 in Riyadh.
Geostrategy
Complaint against Israeli President received: Swiss prosecutors
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has been targeted with a criminal complaint during a visit to Switzerland, Swiss prosecutors said, amid...
- The Federal Prosecutor's Office said that it had received a criminal complaint against the Israeli president.
- South Africa launched the emergency case at the ICJ, arguing that Israel had breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Business
Sony to decide on Zee merger
The tie-up is aimed at helping both firms compete with streaming rivals.
- The merger was first agreed in 2021, with Zee chief executive Punit Goenka saying that the new outfit would be worth close to $10 billion with annual revenues approaching $2bn.
- But closing the deal has been beset by problems, most recently because Sony reportedly does not want Goenka to run the combined entity.
Business
Middle East only region to overcome pre-Covid tourism levels: UNWTO
"International tourism is expected to fully recover pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with initial estimates pointing to 2.0 percent growth above...
- Europe, the world's most visited region, also saw a strong performance with tourism reaching 94 percent of its 2019 figures, with African figures reaching 96 percent.
- In relative terms, the Asia-Pacific region was the weakest with just 65 percent of pre-pandemic levels, despite China's lifting of health restrictions a year ago
Geostrategy
Strange calls may precede Israeli attacks in Lebanon
BEIRUT, LEBANON - "Good morning, madame. This is the bank calling. Are you at home?" Since the Israel-Hamas war broke...
- Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out, residents of southern Lebanon have been receiving strange phone calls from Lebanese numbers.
- Lebanese security officials and the Iran-backed Hizbollah group, a Hamas ally, believe the strange calls are in fact from Israelis.
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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
As Trump heads to the region for peace summit, Hamas, Israel set for hostage and prisoner exchanges
Trump's lightning visit to Israel and Egypt aims to celebrate his role in brokering last week's ceasefire and hostage release...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Israeli army chief warns of ‘prolonged campaign’ in Iran
"We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history to remove a threat of such magnitude, against such...
Geostrategy
IAEA warns of nuclear disaster if Israel attacks Iran’s Bushehr plant
Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the UN Security Council that he has not yet...
Geostrategy
More microplastics in glass bottles than plastic
For water, both flat and sparkling, the amount of microplastic was relatively low in all cases, ranging from 4.5 particles...
Science
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Geostrategy
Iran appoints new Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the...
- Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC, appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division
- He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers -- Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri -- in an Israeli strike
Geostrategy
US military aircraft no longer visible at base in Qatar: satellite images
Dozens of US military aircraft are no longer on the tarmac at a major US base in Qatar, satellite images...
- Nearly 40 military aircraft -- including transport planes like the Hercules C-130 and reconnaissance aircraft -- were parked on the tarmac at the Al Udeid base on June 5
- The US embassy in Qatar announced Thursday that access to the base would be limited "out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities."
Geostrategy
European, Iranian diplomats to meet as Trump mulls joining Israel campaign
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to...
- Israel, claiming Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch-enemy a week ago, triggering deadly exchanges
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme