Insurance giant Allianz signals job cuts in AI shift
Frankfurt, Germany -- German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with...
Business
Fake AI videos have a new generation loving 1980s life
New York, United States - "The 1980s are calling," a teenager with a throwback hairstyle tells viewers as "Everybody Wants...
Arts & Culture
Geostrategy
Ukraine scrambles for energy with power generation at ‘zero’
Kyiv, Ukraine -- Ukraine was scrambling to turn lights and heating back on Sunday after Russian attacks targeting energy infrastructure...
- launched hundreds of drones at energy facilities across the country overnight into Saturday.
- The attacks interrupted electricity, heat and water supplies in several cities, with state power firm Centerenergo warning generating capacity "is down to zero".
Economy
China’s consumer prices rose in Oct, reversing stagnation
Beijing has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, as it fights a debt crisis in its...
- The consumer price index, a key measure of inflation, rose 0.2 percent year-on-year last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
- Consumer prices were stagnant in July followed by two months of decline.
Geostrategy
Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure
Tunis, Tunisia - Prominent Tunisian opposition figures including Rached Ghannouchi said Friday they would go on hunger strike in solidarity...
- Jawhar Ben Mbarek, co-founder of the National Salvation Front, Tunisia's main opposition alliance, launched a hunger strike last week to protest his detention since February 2023
- In April, he was sentenced to 18 years behind bars on charges of "conspiracy against state security" and "belonging to a terrorist group" in a mass trial criticised by rights group
Geostrategy
Turkey issues genocide arrest warrant against Netanyahu, senior officials in his govt
The announcement was met with a firm rebuttal from Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel "firmly rejects, with contempt"...
- The Istanbul prosecutor's office said in a statement that a total of 37 suspects were targeted by the arrest warrants, without providing a full list
- The announcement was met with a firm rebuttal from Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel "firmly rejects, with contempt" the charges
Geostrategy
Chinese ship scouts deep-ocean floor in South Pacific
Beijing, China -- A Chinese research vessel docked in the Cook Islands Saturday as it probed the Pacific nation's deep-sea...
- Huge areas of seabed around the Cook Islands are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, lumpy rocks studded with rare earths and critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese.
- Fringed by sparkling lagoons, South Pacific nation the Cook Islands has opened its vast ocean territory for deep-sea mining exploration.
Geostrategy
At COP30, nations target the jet set with luxury flight tax
Rooted in the idea that a small elite of premium flyers should pay more for their outsized contribution to global...
- Diplomats from the coalition of more than 10 countries are pushing for more to come aboard.
- Countries that do not yet have such a tax would commit to imposing levies on business and first-class tickets as well as private jets.
Business
Pfizer poised to buy Metsera
The pharma giant improved its offer to $10bn.
- The Danish firm said Saturday that it "does not intend to make an increased offer to acquire Metsera."
- The company "will continue to assess opportunities for business development and acquisitions that... further its strategic objectives," it said.
Geostrategy
Kazakhstan to join Abraham Accords as Trump pushes Mideast peace
Washington, United States - Kazakhstan said Thursday it will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and mainly Muslim nations, in...
- The central Asian republic has had diplomatic ties with Israel for decades, unlike the four Arab states that normalized relations with Israel under Abraham accords
- But with Trump aiming to shore up his fragile Gaza ceasefire deal, Washington is pushing to get as much support as possible behind a wider peace initiative
Economy
UAE company inks $22 mn deal for stake in Latakia container terminal
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - AD Ports Group of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed a $22 million agreement Thursday...
- Abu Dhabi-based firm inked the deal with French shipping giant CMA CGM for a 20 percentage stake in the Latakia International Container Terminal, AD Ports Group said in a statement
- The Syrian government signed a 30-year contract in May with the French firm to run the Mediterranean port and modernise it, including developing the infrastructure
Economy
Qatari firm to invest $29.7 billion in Egypt coastal development
The project in the Alam al-Roum area, in Egypt's Matrouh Governorate, will span "4,900 acres... extending across a coastline of...
- Egypt, mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, is betting big on its 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) of coastline as a revenue source
- In 2024 the UAE said it would inject $35 billion in foreign direct investment into Egypt, including $24 billion that would go to developing the Ras al-Hikma area west of Alexandria
Insurance giant Allianz signals job cuts in AI shift
Frankfurt, Germany -- German insurance giant Allianz signalled Wednesday looming job cuts due to its adoption of artificial intelligence, with...
Business
Company News
Latest News
AMD, Cisco, and HUMAIN partner to build 1 GW AI infrastructure in Saudi
Washington, DC., US – AMD, Cisco, and HUMAIN, a PIF-backed company delivering full-stack AI solutions, have announced plans to establish...
Business
Meta to remove under-16 Australians from Facebook, Instagram on December 4
Australians younger than 16 will be removed from Facebook and Instagram on December 4, tech giant Meta said Thursday, as...
Business
Israeli strikes kill 27 in Gaza in spite of fragile truce, follows attacks targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon
The strikes were among the deadliest in Gaza since the truce entered into force last month, and came as Israel...
Geostrategy
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Business
Italy’s Leonardo launches joint venture with UAE defence firm
Milan, Italy -- Italian defense group Leonardo said Wednesday it had agreed to launch a joint venture next year with...
- Details of the sectors covered by the joint venture have yet to be announced.
- But it will cover a range of Leonardo's solutions "spanning sensors, system integration, and platforms", the Italian group said in a statement.
Business
Flydubai inks $13bn Boeing deal for 75 jets as city’s airlines build up
State-owned flydubai and its long-haul partner airline, Emirates, have been the chief deal-makers at this week's Dubai Airshow, the largest...
- Dubai, the UAE's commercial jewel, will soon start work on a new airport with capacity for a world-leading 150 million passengers a year, slated to open in 2032.
- Dubai's current international airport announced a record quarter of 24.2 million passengers. The facility has been the busiest for international passengers for the past 11 years.
Business
Nvidia, Microsoft invest $15 billion in AI startup Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot
Nvidia and Microsoft announced Tuesday investments totaling $15 billion in AI startup Anthropic, creator of the Claude chatbot, amid frenzied...
- AI chip powerhouse Nvidia committed up to $10 billion while Microsoft—which owns 27 percent of Anthropic rival OpenAI—pledged up to $5 billion to the maker of Claude AI models
- The deal was part of an agreement that saw Anthropic commit to buying $30 billion in Microsoft's cloud computing capacity and adopt the latest versions of Nvidia's chip technology

