At major settlement project ceremony in West Bank, Israel PM vows ‘there will be no Palestinian state’
"We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us," Netanyahu...
Geostrategy
UK’s Starmer hosts Israeli president for tense visit
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog for a contentious meeting Wednesday, with the visiting head of...
Geostrategy
‘Fuel of the future’: Gulf states bet on ‘green’ hydrogen
The investment in green hydrogen has not curbed expansion in oil and gas, with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia...
- In July the UAE, which will host the COP28 climate conference this year, approved a hydrogen strategy that aims to make it one of the top 10 producers by 2031
- According to Deloitte, Gulf nations will lead global clean hydrogen trade in the short-term, exporting around half of their domestic production by 2030
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia executes US national convicted of killing Egyptian father
The death sentence for Bishoy Sharif Naji Naseef was carried out in the Riyadh region, the official Saudi Press Agency...
- A court found that Naseef beat and strangled his Egyptian father to death and mutilated him after he died, and that he also used drugs
- The mode of execution was not specified, but Saudi Arabia has in the past often used beheading when implementing the death penalty
Geostrategy
Iran Foreign Minister stresses unity on first Saudi visit since ties restored
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also took the opportunity to reiterate the Islamic republic's support for the Palestinian cause at a time when...
- Ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran "are progressing in the right direction," Amir-Abdollahian told reporters at a press conference with Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
- Thursday's meeting in the Saudi foreign ministry's Islamic Solidarity Hall "will be a prelude to the meeting of the heads of the two countries", he added.
Geostrategy
Truce holds in Libya after deadly clashes leave 55 dead
Fighting raged from Monday night between the influential 444 Brigade and the Al-Radaa, two of the myriad of militias that...
- The clashes with rocket launchers and machine guns followed the detention of the 444 Brigade head, Colonel Mahmud Hamza, by the rival Al-Radaa Force on Monday
- During the fighting, 234 families were evacuated from frontline areas in Tripoli's southern suburbs, along with dozens of doctors and paramedics trapped while caring for wounded
Risk of renewed conflict in Yemen: UN sounds alarm
The poorest country on the Arabian peninsula, Yemen's economy has collapsed in the eight years of war between Iran-backed Houthis...
- UN special envoy for Yemen warned of "public threats to return to war" in the Middle Eastern nation while the US and UK warned of escalating attacks and threats from Houthi rebels
- US Ambassador said Washington "strongly" condemns "senseless" maritime attacks by Houthis "on maritime shipping which are also exacerbating the humanitarian crisis"
Economy
Syria doubles salary of civil servants, military personnel
In a separate statement late Tuesday, the commerce ministry announced the total lifting of subsidies on petrol and a partial...
- In two decrees issued late Tuesday, Assad doubled the salaries and pensions of those currently and formerly employed in the civil service and military
- Prior to the decision, the monthly salary of civil servants had been between around $10 and $25, depending on the Syrian pound's street value
Business
Tencent Q2 net income $3.6 bn
Tencent last year posted its first decline in quarterly sales since its listing.
- Tencent also announced an 11 percent increase in revenue during the second quarter, reaching 149.21 billion yuan ($20.46 billion).
- The Shenzhen-based firm is the world's largest video game company in terms of revenue, dominating the Asian market in particular.
Geostrategy
Syrians bank on smugglers on their treacherous journey to Europe
Twelve years after conflict broke out when President Bashar al-Assad repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests, Syrians are still trying to escape...
- Omar, 23, from Daraa province, borrowed $8,000 to be smuggled to Libya and then Italy this year, saying he was desperate to leave "a country with no future"
- More than 1,800 migrants of various nationalities have died crossing the central Mediterranean towards Europe this year, according to IOM
Geostrategy
US beefs up military presence in Gulf over Iran oil tanker ‘threat’
Three thousand additional US personnel on troop-landing warships have already passed through the Red Sea, and US-led maritime forces are...
- "There is a heightened threat, a heightened risk to regional mariners in terms of seizures" by Iran in the strait, said Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the US Navy's Fifth Fleet.
- Less than a week earlier, 3,000 US Marines and sailors arrived in the Red Sea on board the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall warships, which can ferry troops ashore by aircraft.
Social media app TweetDeck placed behind paywall
The social media firm, bought by billionaire Elon Musk last year, has been thrashing around for ways to make a...
- X announced in July that TweetDeck would be available only to "verified" account holders from August
- On Tuesday, users attempting to access the service were required to pay for X's blue checkmark verification for an annual fee of $84
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
At major settlement project ceremony in West Bank, Israel PM vows ‘there will be no Palestinian state’
"We are going to fulfil our promise that there will be no Palestinian state, this place belongs to us," Netanyahu...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Pro-Palestine rallies held in many countries on Quds Day
Quds (Jerusalem) Day commemorations were launched in 1979 by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic republic, which has...
Geostrategy
‘My entire life’: Saudi tailor keeps robe-making craft alive
Hofuf, Saudi Arabia - Saudi tailor Habib Mohammed's shop once made ornate, hand-woven cloaks for royals, a time-honoured craft he...
Arts & Culture
Iran says it has responded to Trump’s nuclear talks letter
Iran has sent a response to a letter from US President Donald Trump that called for nuclear talks and warned...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Palestinian sources say Hamas, mediators in new talks to revive Gaza truce, hostage release deal
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel, mediated by Egypt along with Qatar and the United States, have been deadlocked for weeks...
- Talks are focusing on the possibility of implementing a truce during the Eid al-Fitr and Jewish Passover holidays
- A Palestinian source close to Hamas said that despite the discussions, "no breakthrough" had been achieved so far
Science
Firms and researchers at odds over superhuman AI
The belief that human-or-better intelligence -- often called "artificial general intelligence" (AGI) -- will emerge from current machine-learning techniques fuels...
- "Systems that start to point to AGI are coming into view," OpenAI chief Sam Altman wrote in a blog post last month.
- Such predictions help justify the hundreds of billions of dollars being poured into computing hardware and the energy supplies to run it.
Business
Automakers lead market losses after Trump tariffs on imported vehicles
Wall Street's main indexes opened in the red, with General Motors sinking more than nine percent in early trading while...
- Among European auto firms, Volkswagen shed 2.4 percent, Porsche was down around 3.5 percent, Mercedes lost four percent and BMW fell 2.7 percent.
- In Mumbai, India's Tata Motors, which exports Jaguar Land Rovers to the United States, lost more than five percent.