Musk’s megarocket faces crucial new test after failures
Washington, United States -- Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the next test of its Starship megarocket on Sunday,...
Geostrategy
Hamas demands opening of Gaza crossings after UN famine declaration
Hamas called on Friday for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and the lifting of the Israeli siege...
Geostrategy
Saudi top diplomat heads to Syria for first visit since war
Recent months have seen increasing Arab engagement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been politically isolated in the region...
- The visit of Saudi diplomat comes less than a week after Syrian Foreign Minister visited Saudi Arabia, also on the first such visit since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011
- Prince Faisal said in February that a consensus was building in the Arab world that a new approach to Syria requiring negotiations would be needed to address the conflict
Soaring prices challenge Morocco’s export-led agriculture model
Rabat has pledged that prices will soon fall, and announced several initiatives to tackle market speculation, but government spokesman Mustapha...
- Official figures from February put year-on-year inflation in the North African country at just over 10 percent - a figure that also included a 20 percent jump in food prices
- In March, the central bank of Morocco raised interest rates to 3 percent in an attempt to curb inflation which is impacting low-income and vulnerable households
Geostrategy
Kuwait dissolves parliament, to hold new general election
Seeing no way out of a political crisis that has prevented the country from having an effective government, Kuwait's emir...
- In 1962, Kuwait embraced a parliamentary system, but repeated political crises have caused state paralysis
- The rich country, unlike other Gulf Arab states, has a vigorous political life in which MPs and civil society regularly take the authorities to task
Geostrategy
G7 vows ‘severe costs’ for those helping Russia in Ukraine
After two days of talks in the bucolic Japanese mountain resort town Karuizawa, the top diplomats from leading economies unveiled...
- G7 foreign ministers also put Beijing on notice over its "militarization activities" in the South China Sea and insisted their Taiwan policy was unchanged.
- Their final statement sparked a furious reaction from China, which said it had been "maliciously slandered and smeared".
Economy
China’s economy bounces back after zero-Covid scrapped
Beijing, China--China's economy grew much better than expected in the first three months of the year as the country reopened after...
- Chinese people, after years of travel restrictions and quarantines, have finally returned in recent months to restaurants and begun to move around more freely
- There was more growth expected in April to June as China heads into another quarter in the sweet spot, according to Ting Lu, Chief China Economist at Nomura
Business
Elon Musk lays out plan to create ‘truth-seeking’ AI
Musk's founding of X.AI artificial intelligence corporation, a rival to OpenAI came several weeks before he joined experts in signing...
- The billionaire boss of Twitter voiced anew his concerns about the danger of AI, saying it has "the potential of civilizational destruction"
- Elon Musk has formed an X.AI artificial intelligence corporation based in the US state of Nevada, according to business documents
Geostrategy
UN chief calls for Sudan ceasefire as death toll in fighting touches 185
Calling on warring parties in Sudan to immediately cease hostilities, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that any further escalation...
- The UN's special representative to Sudan told reporters that the violence raged for a third day through Monday, with the death toll increasing to at least 185 people
- The fighting broke out between the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo
Science
Special glasses can slow down myopia in children
Developed by Japan's Hoya Corporation, the Miyosmart lenses, which also function as normal glasses to help the children see clearly,...
- Eyewear firm EssilorLuxottica claims its own Stellest lenses reduce myopia's progression by 67 percent when worn at least 12 hours a day.
- Research has suggested that the percentage of people affected by myopia worldwide could surge from 27 percent in 2010 to 52 percent by 2050.
Geostrategy
Air France, Airbus acquitted over 2009 Rio-Paris crash
PARIS, FRANCE - Air France and plane manufacturer Airbus were acquitted Monday over the 2009 crash of a Rio-Paris flight after...
- The two companies went on trial in October to determine their responsibility for the worst aviation disaster in Air France's history.
- If convicted, Air France, Airbus would have risked a fine of US$250,000 as well as significant reputational damage.
Business
Sega to buy Rovio
The deal is worth more than $770 million, the companies said.
- The deal would mark the end the independence of Finnish mobile game makers, which burst into the scene when Rovio launched its slingshot-bird game more than a decade ago.
- The bid by Sega, famous for its own animal character, Sonic the Hedgehog, is also the latest high-profile acquisition in the gaming sector.
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
Musk’s megarocket faces crucial new test after failures
Washington, United States -- Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up for the next test of its Starship megarocket on Sunday,...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
UN biodiversity conference in Colombia: what’s at stake?
Paris, France - The world's pledges to halt humankind's destruction of nature will be put to the test when the 16th...
Israeli attack kills 73 in north Gaza as Netanyahu says Hezbollah tried to kill him
War in the Middle East continues as Israeli attack kills 73 in northern Gaza while Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu says...
Geostrategy
Updates: Israeli attack kills 33 people in Gaza refugee camp as Hamas mourns Sinwar
As Israel continues to pound Gaza, Lebanon, and West Bank, Turkey's Erdogan conveys his condolences to Hamas officials over Sinwar's...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Drought forces Big Tech to rethink thirsty LatAm data centers
A prolonged drought in much of South America has forced tech giants Google and Amazon to rethink their plans for...
- Plans for a US$200 million data center project needed a cooling system that would consume 1.85 billion gallons of water yearly
- Google said the new facility would use air cooling technology, reducing its water use to a minimum
Economy
Gold breaks above $2,700 to record high as geopolitical uncertainty heightens
Hong Kong, China - Gold prices hit a record high above $2,700 on Friday as traders piled into the safe-haven commodity...
- Bullion hit an all-time high of $2,704.89 in early Asian trade, up from its previous record of $2,688.83 touched on Thursday
- Markets have been on edge over the crisis in the Middle East as Israel battles Hamas in Gaza and, more recently, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
Business
Netflix adds millions of subscribers but growth slows
San Francisco, United States - Netflix on Thursday said it added more than five million subscribers in the recently ended quarter...
- The streaming juggernaut said it ended September with 282.7 million subscribers, reporting a profit of $2.4 billion
- Netflix shares rose nearly five percent to $720.75 in after-market trades, trading at slightly more than double the price from a year earlier