Hamas says ready for peace talks, Trump urges Israel to halt Gaza bombing
Trump's peace proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a halt to hostilities in the nearly two-year...
Geostrategy
Carrefour name disappears from Arab stores as Israel boycotters claim victory
Dubai, United Arab Emirates -- The Carrefour name has disappeared from storefronts in some Arab countries, with pro-Palestinian shoppers and...
Geostrategy
Chinese mourners use AI to digitally resurrect the dead
Several companies specialising in so-called "ghost bots" have emerged in the United States in recent years. But the industry is...
- Some Chinese firms claim to have created thousands of "digital people" from as little as 30 seconds of audiovisual material of the deceased
- They range from those who have died to living parents unable to spend time with their children and -- controversially -- a heartbroken woman's ex-boyfriend
Geostrategy
US shows signs of strained patience with ally Israel
President Joe Biden while expressing his frustration with rightwing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred this week to "indiscriminate bombing"...
- However Washington has been careful not to openly criticize its ally
- US diplomats have expressed dissatisfaction with Israel's conduct of the war
Geostrategy
Tunisian villages grapple with severe water scarcity
Ouled Omar, Tunisia - Tunisian villager Ounissa Mazhoud ties two empty jerry cans to a donkey and cautiously descends a stony...
- The World Bank predicts that by 2030 the Middle East and North Africa region will fall below the "absolute water scarcity" threshold of 500 cubic meters yearly per person.
- Tunisia, already the 33rd most water-stressed country according to the World Resources Institute, has dropped to 450 cubic meters per inhabitant
Geostrategy
Gaza government runs out of children’s vaccines, warns of ‘catastrophe’
The announcement came more than two months into the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza as international aid organizations have warned about...
- The Gaza health ministry called on international institutions to deliver urgently needed vaccines "to prevent disaster"
- The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian territories, Lynn Hastings, said that UNICEF was looking into the issue
Geostrategy
UNICEF warns of terrible results on children due to Lebanon crises
Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanon's compounding crises are having a "devastating" impact on children and their education, a United Nations agency said...
- UN children's agency UNICEF said more than a quarter of households surveyed last month reported children not attending school, compared to 18 percent in April.
- For four years, Lebanon has been gripped by a crushing economic crisis that has pushed most of the population into poverty
Business
OpenAI to pay Axel Springer to use journalism in ChatGPT
Berlin, Germany -- Axel Springer said Wednesday it was partnering up with the maker of ChatGPT, OpenAI, which will pay the...
- The chatbot's answers would include material otherwise kept behind a pay-wall and offer "links to the full articles for transparency and further information," they said.
- Axel Springer CEO Matthias Doepfner has previously warned that AI threatened to "replace" journalism, while the group has been pursuing its own AI-driven ventures.
Geostrategy
Israeli army opens fire at hospital wards: Gaza health ministry
"The occupation (Israeli) forces have tightened the siege and the targeting of Kamal Adwan hospital, firing at patient rooms and...
- The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Philippe Lazzarini warned that the people of Gaza were "running out of time and options".
- Israel's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that the war in the Gaza Strip would continue "with or without international support".
Economy
UNICEF exhorts donors for US$9.4bn in funding
The agency said the funding would allow it to reach 17.3m children in need of measles vaccinations, 7.6m children with...
- Afghanistan was the most expensive project listed, with UNICEF calling for $1.4 billion for 2024
- The agency is aiming in 2024 to reach 48 million women, girls and young people across 58 countries
Geostrategy
Gaza journalists must be protected from harm: Blinken
AFP and other international media groups had written to Blinken in late October urging his help in protecting journalists on...
- At least 63 journalists and media workers have been killed since the war began in October
- French lawmakers urged their PM to call for all efforts to secure the exit of journalists stranded in Gaza
Business
Pfizer set to acquire Seagen
The drugmaker will complete its US$43bn buyout this week.
- Pfizer Chief Executive Albert Bourla said the buyout of Seagen is "good for patients in the battle against cancer"
- Based in Washington state, Seagen came to major drugmakers' attention with its work on antibody-drug conjugates
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
Hamas says ready for peace talks, Trump urges Israel to halt Gaza bombing
Trump's peace proposal, backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calls for a halt to hostilities in the nearly two-year...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Hey chatbot, is this true? AI ‘factchecks’ sow misinformation
Washington, United States -- As misinformation exploded during India's four-day conflict with Pakistan, social media users turned to an AI chatbot...
Geostrategy
Airlines less optimistic for 2025, facing ‘headwinds’: IATA
New Delhi, India -- Airlines on Monday revised down their traffic and profit forecasts for 2025, citing "headwinds" for the...
Business
Qatar table tennis says ‘prepared to escalate’ after chaotic vote
Doha, Qatar -- Qatar's table tennis association has warned of possible legal action as it disputes the result of a...
Arts & Culture
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Geostrategy
Russia, Ukraine head to Istanbul for fresh peace talks
Russian and Ukrainian officials will meet Monday in Istanbul to exchange their plans for how to end the three-year war,...
- Urged on by US President Donald Trump, Moscow and Kyiv have opened direct negotiations for the first time since the early weeks of Russia's invasion
- Russia says it will present a "memorandum" of its peace terms, having resisted pressure by Ukraine to send its demands in advance
Arts & Culture
Snakes on a plane: Indian smuggler caught with venomous vipers
Mumbai, India - A passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers was stopped after flying into the financial capital Mumbai from...
- Mumbai Customs issued photographs of the seized snakes, including blue and yellow reptiles squirming in a bucket
- Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate
Geostrategy
Gaza rescuers say 31 killed near a US-backed aid site, Israel denies involvement
Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where the United Nations has warned...
- Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip
- UN has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine after no aid was allowed to enter for more than two months