OpenAI valuation soars to $500 bn in private share sale: reports
If confirmed, OpenAI workers' sale of a reported $6.6 billion in shares to investors would make the company the world's...
Business
Israel issues ‘last’ warning for Gazans to flee main city as Hamas weighs truce plan
Israeli forces killed at least 46 people, including 36 in Gaza City. The deceased include two aid workers southwest of...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Asian countries score high in keenly watched PISA education survey
Paris, France - Asian countries dominated the top spots in a keenly watched survey of education capabilities published Tuesday, while levels...
- Singapore took top ranking in the latest assessment, which was carried out in 2022 and involved 690,000 students in 81 participating countries and economies
- Five other Asian education systems -- in Macao, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea -- came next in mathematics, and also scored near the top in reading and science
Geostrategy
Gaza situation approaching humanity’s ‘darkest hour’, says WHO
Richard Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, said that since the start of the war, there had...
- Eighteen of the Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals are still functioning in any capacity: three are providing basic first aid only, while the rest are delivering partial services
- UNICEF spokesman James Elder said that with the population on the move, in two hours "there are 5,000 people where there was no-one previously".
Science
Vaping: lighting up, stubbing out
Developed in 2003 by the Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik, concerns are growing over the risk of teens becoming hooked on...
- The birth of vaping comes in the year that Ireland bans smoking in workplaces, including pubs and restaurants, sparking a global clampdown on smoking indoors.
- Many doctors welcome the devices, which are tar-free, as a potential lifesaver in the fight against cancer, heart disease, strokes and other diseases.
COP28 UAE
COP28 draft agreement includes option to do nothing on fossil fuels
The fate of oil, gas and coal is the thorniest issue being thrashed out at the COP28 UN climate talks...
- The draft of global climate agreement forms the basis of negotiations that will unfold in coming days, with a final text expected in theory by December 12
- It is a formal response to the "global stocktake", a damning report card published in September that highlighted how little the world had done to confront the climate crisis
Geostrategy
US envoy to promote Yemen peace despite Houthi attacks
Since the Gaza war, the Houthi rebels have seized an Israeli-linked cargo vessel and fired ballistic missiles at various targets....
- Houthi rebels, who have ties to Iran and control much of Yemen, have targeted Israeli-linked vessels in avowed solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war
- State Department spokesman told reporters that the "provocative and dangerous attacks" by the rebels have "threatened almost two years of progress to end Yemen war
COP28 UAE
‘Unintended consequences’: friction at COP28 over green trade
Inside the negotiating rooms and on the sidelines of the COP28 climate talks, simmering tensions over wealthy countries' "green trade"...
- WTO has received about 18,000 complaints over green policies yet trade was still often overlooked by climate policymakers, director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said
- Concerns have also been raised that these kind of climate policies may make it harder for another nation to sell their goods or access clean energy technology
COP28 UAE
Saudi Arabia spurns fossil fuel phaseout push at COP28
A tentative "phasedown/out" was included in a first draft of an agreement on climate action that delegates are haggling over...
- UN chief called for a total phaseout of fossil fuels, warning "complete disaster" awaits mankind
- Saudi Arabia has revamped its energy sources, invested in renewables and improved energy-efficiency
Geostrategy
Hamas refutes accusations of sexual violence in Israel attacks
Hamas statement comes days after UN Women said it was "alarmed by the numerous accounts of gender-based atrocities" during the...
- Israeli police say they have gathered evidence of sexual violence by Hamas fighters
- Hamas rejected claims by women and advocacy groups as part of "a series" of Israeli "lies"
Geostrategy
UN warns of ‘hellish scenario’ as aid to Gaza stalls
According to Lynn Hastings, UN humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories, the conditions required to deliver aid to "the people...
- Expressing his regret, the UN official said "nowhere is safe in Gaza and there is nowhere left to go"
- Hastings rejected the idea of "safe zones" urged upon Israel by the US government
COP28 UAE
We respect climate science, says COP28 head
DUBAI, UAE - The Emirati president of the UN's COP28 talks said on Monday he respects climate science, after a leaked...
- Sultan Al Jaber also repeated his past statements that a phase out of fossil fuels was "inevitable".
- He acknowledged that global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 43 percent by 2030.
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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
OpenAI valuation soars to $500 bn in private share sale: reports
If confirmed, OpenAI workers' sale of a reported $6.6 billion in shares to investors would make the company the world's...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Generative AI’s most prominent skeptic doubles down
Vancouver, Canada -- Two and a half years since ChatGPT rocked the world, scientist and writer Gary Marcus still remains...
Interview
Musk to exit US government role after rare break with Trump
Washington, United States - Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday announced he was leaving his role in US government, intended to...
Business
OPEC+ ministers, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, meet as oil output hike looms despite falling prices
The 22-nation group began a series of cuts in 2022 to prop up crude prices, but Saudi Arabia, Russia and...
Economy
Most Read
Geostrategy
US suspends student visa processing in fresh swipe at foreign applicants
President Donald Trump's administration is seeking unprecedented control over leading US universities, including revoking foreign student visas and deporting some...
- The government plans to ramp up vetting of the social media profiles of international applicants to US universities, the cable said.
- Rubio earlier rescinded hundreds of visas and the Trump administration has moved to bar Harvard University from admitting non-Americans.
Arts & Culture
Hajj pilgrimage to begin on June 4: Saudi state media
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday that the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage to Mecca would begin on...
- The date was announced by the supreme court in a statement carried by the Saudi press agency.
- Last year, 1.8 million Muslims took part in the hajj, according to official figures
Science
UN says 70% chance that 2025-2029 average global warming will exceed 1.5C threshold
The planet is therefore expected to remain at historic levels of warming after the two hottest years ever recorded in...
- The planet is therefore expected to remain at historic levels of warming after the two hottest years ever recorded in 2023 and 2024
- The WMO forecasts that the global mean near-surface temperature for each year between 2025 and 2029 will be between 1.2C and 1.9C above the pre-industrial average.