Qatar ready to invest $21 bn in DR Congo: Kinshasa
Kinshasa, DR Congo -- Qatari investment firm Al Mansour Holding hopes to invest $21 billion in the Democratic Republic of...
Business
Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs
Security chief Ali Larijani said Tuesday that Iran was open to nuclear talks with the United States but ruled out...
Geostrategy
Economy
Iraq approves budget granting Baghdad upper hand over Kurdish oil
The new bill earmarked 12.7 percent of the budget to the oil-rich autonomous Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. It follows...
- The 198.9 trillion dinar ($153 billion) budget -- valid for three years though subject to future amendments -- also sets out record spending on public wages
- Lawmakers approved the bill after days of voting and months of wrangling over its articles in a country long accustomed to budget delays
Homework will ‘never be the same’ says ChatGPT founder
ChatGPT has captured the world's imagination with its capacity to generate human-like conversations, writing and translations in seconds. But it...
- Sam Altman was in the Japanese capital as part of a world tour where he is meeting business and political leaders to discuss possibilities and regulations for AI
- The ChatGPT founder said he felt "positive" about new regulatory frameworks for AI after meeting world leaders, without offering details, but reiterated his fears
Economy
Pakistan gets first Russian crude under discount deal: PM
Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last year, economic sanctions have seen a significant cut in its oil and...
- Pakistani State Minister for Petroleum previously said shipments will be paid in currencies of "friendly countries", with Pakistan's US dollar reserves dangerously low
- Local media reported the cargo of 100,000 metric tons of oil left Russia a month ago and was split across two smaller ships in Oman before sailing to Karachi
Rise of AI voice scams causes alarm in the US
The biggest peril of Artificial Intelligence, experts say, is its ability to demolish the boundaries between reality and fiction, handing...
- In a global survey of 7,000 people from nine countries, including the United States, one in four people said they had experienced an AI voice cloning scam
- US officials have warned of a rise in "grandparent scam" -– where an imposter poses as a grandchild in urgent need of money in a distressful situation
UBS set to complete its takeover of Credit Suisse today
The coming months are likely to be "bumpy", warned UBS chief Sergio Ermotti on Friday, adding the integration will come...
- The merger of Switzerland's two biggest banks will be complex both technically and politically, resulting in a megabank unlike the Swiss have ever seen
- "If the takeover by UBS hadn't succeeded, there would have been an international financial crisis", said Thomas Jordan, chairman of the Swiss National Bank
Geostrategy
EU offers Tunisia more than $1bn to boost economy, reduce migrant flows
The EU is ready to offer Tunisia a 900-million-euro package plus 150 million euros in immediate support, European Commission head...
- EU governments, under pressure to reduce migrant arrivals, last week agreed on steps to fast-track migrant returns to their countries of origin or transit countries deemed "safe".
- Tunisia lies less than 150 km from the Italian island of Lampedusa, and has long been a steppingstone for migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries.
Geostrategy
Iran’s supreme leader urges cooperation with IAEA
Iran's supreme leader urged continued cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, while warning against succumbing to "bullying" based on "unfounded...
- Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said agreements could be reached in certain fields, but "the existing infrastructure of the nuclear industry should not be touched".
- Iran's Atomic Energy Organization "need not succumb to the pressure of unfounded claims and demands based on bullying", Khamenei said.
Geostrategy
Three Iraqi soldiers killed in country’s north, says military official
Three Iraqi soldiers were killed and four others wounded in a pre-dawn attack in the country's north blamed on the...
- The attack occurred in an area disputed between Iraq's federal government, which holds Kirkuk, and the country's autonomous northern region of Kurdistan.
- IS groups seized swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014, declaring a "caliphate" which they ruled before their defeat in late 2017.
Economy
Divided Fed expected to rally around a US interest rate pause
Members of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee remain divided going into the meeting on June 13-14, with a minority...
- Some officials may vote to hold the benchmark lending rate at the next meeting of the Fed's rate-setting committee, while leaving the door open to a hike in July if necessary.
- The data points to a mixed economic picture, with slowing growth, a tight labor market, and inflation still well above the Fed's two percent target.
Geostrategy
Donald Trump terms indictment ‘fake’ in address to supporters
The 37 counts of the indictment -- released on Friday and focused on his alleged mishandling of classified materials --...
- In Columbus, Georgia, Trump railed against Biden and the Department of Justice and what he called a "fake indictment"
- Trump has already responded to the indictment with a string of posts on his Truth Social platform calling Smith "deranged"
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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
Qatar ready to invest $21 bn in DR Congo: Kinshasa
Kinshasa, DR Congo -- Qatari investment firm Al Mansour Holding hopes to invest $21 billion in the Democratic Republic of...
Business
Company News
Tunisian Muslim community turns to AI to save heritage
Arts & Culture
Latest News
Israeli strike in South Lebanon kills one
Geostrategy
‘A matter of pride’: Saudis rejoice as World Cup bid approved
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Fireworks and drones depicting the iconic golden World Cup trophy lit up the sky in Saudi Arabia's...
Arts & Culture
54 journalists killed in 2024, a third by Israel: media group
Fifty-four journalists were killed worldwide while carrying out their work or because of their profession in 2024, a third of...
Transition in Syria: New PM says will ‘guarantee’ rights of all religious groups
With Assad's overthrow plunging Syria into the unknown, its new rulers have sought to assure religious minorities that they will...
Geostrategy
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Geostrategy
Crunch time for Saudi-hosted drought, desertification talks
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Landmark talks on desertification are set to conclude in Saudi Arabia this week amid doubts that pledged funds...
- The 12-day UNCCD COP16 meeting has announced billions in funding for drought response and land restoration.
- The UNCCD said 1.5 billion hectares (3.7 billion acres) of land must be restored by decade's end and that at least $2.6 trillion in global investments were needed.
South Korean police raid president’s office
#South #Korean police raided President #Yoon Suk #Yeol's office as part of the investigation into his declaration of #martial law....
- The deeply unpopular Yoon is already under a travel ban
- Yoon survived an impeachment motion in parliament on Saturday
New Syrian rulers pledge stability, accountability, and reconstruction after Assad’s ouster
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the Islamist leader who headed the rebel offensive, had previously announced talks on a transfer of power...
- The rebels appointed Mohammad al-Bashir as the transitional head of government to run the country until March 1, a statement said
- Assad fled Syria as an Islamist-led opposition alliance swept into the capital Damascus over the weekend, bringing to an end five decades of brutal rule by his clan