Google infuses Gemini generative AI into home gadgets
Paris, France -- Google said Wednesday it was adding its Gemini generative AI assistant to its smart home devices, saying...
Business
Human skin cells turned into fertilisable eggs for first time
Paris, France -- Scientists said Wednesday they have turned human skin cells into eggs and fertilized them with sperm in...
Science
Business
Saudi Arabia’s PIF to buy 10 percent stake in London’s Heathrow airport
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is to buy 10 percent of London's Heathrow airport from Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, whose...
- Heathrow, which is one of the world's busiest airports, is owned by the consortium FGP Topco Limited.
- Ferrovial bought its stake in Heathrow in 2006 and initially held 56 percent of the hub, before reducing its interest.
Sweden says Turkey promised NATO approval ‘within weeks’
NATO's other 29 allies, outside of Turkey and Hungary, had hoped to formally welcome Sweden into the alliance at the...
- Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members yet to ratify Sweden's bid, more than 18 months after it applied for membership
- Turkish parliament this month started to debate Sweden's application to join after Erdogan launched the process following a deal at a NATO summit in July
Economy
Oil prices inch up on mixed day for US stocks
World stock markets have made robust gains in recent weeks on hopes that the US central bank had finished with...
- Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he was "encouraged" by recent progress on the economy
- Market analysts say the gain came "as expectations build on the prospect of another output cut"
Geostrategy
US military Osprey with 8 crew crashes off Japan
Tokyo, Japan--A US Osprey military aircraft with eight crew on board crashed on Wednesday off a Japanese island, the coastguard said,...
- The coastguard said one unconscious person had been found at the scene and transported to a nearby port
- The Osprey, developed by Bell Helicopters and Boeing, has suffered a string of fatal crashes over the years
Economy
SUV sales ‘offset’ carmakers’ electric gains: Greenpeace
The SUVs produced by Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai-Kia have all posted sales increases of more than 150% over the past...
- Greenpeace report said that SUVs emit approximately 12 percent more carbon dioxide than sedans
- Volkswagen SUV sales soared by 270% over the last 10 years, while Toyota SUV sales have risen by 158%
Amazon releases AI chatbot
"Q" will be available only to the company's AWS cloud.
- "Q" will be available only to Amazon's AWS cloud computing customers and will be in direct competition with ChatGPT as well as Google's Bard and Microsoft's copilots
- Costing $20 monthly per user, Amazon Q will perform a variety of tasks including summarizing uploaded documents and answering questions about specific data
G7 calls on Houthis to stop threats to shipping
On November 19, Huthis seized Israeli-linked cargo vessel the Galaxy Leader and its 25 international crew at the entrance to...
- Huthis have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since Hamas fighters poured over the border into Israel on October 7
- Gaza's Hamas government says that almost 15,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel's retaliatory ground and air operation
12 more Gaza hostages freed as mediators seek lasting truce
So far, 60 Israeli hostages have been freed from Gaza under the terms of the deal, with a Russian-Israeli, 20...
- The final 24 hours of the extended agreement begins later Wednesday, with one more exchange of hostages for civilians expected
- On Tuesday, Hamas and Israel traded accusations of truce violations, but Qatar's Ansari said the "minimal breaches" did not "harm the essence of the agreement."
Geostrategy
US, Israel intel chiefs in Qatar to explore ‘next phase’ of Gaza truce
The leaders of the US Central Intelligence Agency and Israel's Mossad were scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin...
- "The director of the CIA and the director of the Israeli National Intelligence Agency are in Doha to meet with the Qatari prime minister," a source told AFP
- Qatar has been engaged in intense negotiations, with support from Egypt and the United States, to further extend the truce in Gaza
Geostrategy
Climate crises drove 27 million children into hunger in 2022, says charity
Out of the 12, countries in the Horn of Africa were most affected, with Ethiopia and Somalia accounting for about...
- The figure represented a sharp 135 percent increase over 2021, the UK-based charity said in an analysis ahead of the COP28 climate summit opening in Dubai
- It said children made up nearly half the 57 million people pushed into crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse across 12 countries because of extreme weather in 2022
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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
Google infuses Gemini generative AI into home gadgets
Paris, France -- Google said Wednesday it was adding its Gemini generative AI assistant to its smart home devices, saying...
Business
Company News
Latest News
Trump slams ‘crazy’ Putin as Russia pummels Ukraine with massive drone attack
US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "crazy" on Sunday after Moscow launched a deadly barrage of...
Geostrategy
OPEC+ expected to open taps more despite price slump
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies - collectively known as OPEC+ - have justified their change...
Economy
Turkey, PKK must both change for peace: former militant
"When you try and explain peace to people, there is a very serious lack of trust," said Yuksel Genc, a...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Geostrategy
Syria hails US lifting of Assad-era sanctions
The move was formalised Friday after being announced by Trump on a Gulf tour this month during which he shook...
- Keen to reboot and rebuild after 14 years of devastating civil war, the new authorities in Damascus have hailed Washington's lifting of US sanctions
- The move was formalised Friday after being announced by Trump on a Gulf tour this month during which he shook hands with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa
Geostrategy
Iran-US nuclear talks: key points of contention hampering progress
Tehran, Iran - Long-time adversaries Iran and the United States held a fifth round of Oman-mediated nuclear talks on Friday...
- The United States and Western countries suspect Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but Iran denies having such ambitions
- American officials including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has led Washington's delegation at the talks, have spoken out against Iran's enrichment programme
Geostrategy
Syrian leader meets Turkish president in Istanbul
Syria's interim leader met with Turkey's president in Istanbul on Saturday, in an unannounced visit amid efforts by the new...
- Ankara is a firm supporter of Syria's new Islamist authorities, who toppled longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad in December
- The Syrian delegation included its foreign and defence ministers and would "discuss a number of common issues" with the Turkish side