Generative AI’s most prominent skeptic doubles down
Vancouver, Canada -- Two and a half years since ChatGPT rocked the world, scientist and writer Gary Marcus still remains...
Interview
Trump fires new 50% tariff threat at EU, drawing stiff response
Washington, United States - President Donald Trump rekindled the US trade war on Friday, threatening to impose a 50 percent...
Economy
Economy
Oil, gas, and renewables: How global policies and markets are reshaping energy in 2025
The Trump administration’s trade tariffs and withdrawal from the Paris Agreement pose major risks to global economic growth and energy...
- Trump's trade and geopolitical plans are adding to energy price volatility
- Resolving outstanding administrative and infrastructure issues could allow renewables to boom
Analysis
The future is already here
Humanity is on a tech-fueled trajectory. Data and informed predictions are inspiring, showing how AI is reshaping economies, smart cities...
- The global travel and tourism industry is projected to contribute over $15 trillion annually to the world economy by 2030.
- By 2035, 60% of the city traffic and emissions can be reduced thanks to shared autonomous electric vehicles.
Business
China, Canada retaliate to Trump tariff war as markets fall
Washington, United States -- Mounting trade wars between the United States and its largest economic partners deepened Tuesday as huge...
- Trump had announced -- and then paused -- blanket 25 percent tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February.
- The duties will hit over $918 billion in US imports from both countries, and are set to hamper supply chains for key sectors like automobiles and construction materials.
Economy
China says will fight to ‘bitter end’ if US pushes trade war
Pressure from Trump could motivate Beijing to strengthen the kinds of support for the economy seen last year -- interest...
- China is grappling with a prolonged property sector crisis and high youth unemployment
- China plans to deal with an increasingly unpredictable United States, its largest trading partner
Geostrategy
Future of Humanity – TRENDS’ yearly Special Issue now online
Dubai, UAE -- TRENDS’ yearly Special Issue is out. This year’s edition, titled Future of Humanity, explores key global shifts...
- The edition delves into transformative themes such as GCC’s leadership in urbanization, smart cities, and logistics, as well as the role of AI in reshaping healthcare and finance.
- It also highlights cultural diplomacy, the evolving digital economy, and the power of travel in shaping the human experience.
Science
Microsoft retires Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer
San Francisco, United States - Microsoft on Friday announced it was retiring Skype, the online voice and video call pioneer...
- Skype was founded in 2003 by Scandinavians Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis in Estonia, revolutionizing internet communication by offering free voice calls
- Over the years, and as internet speeds improved, Skype evolved to include video calls, instant messaging, file sharing and group communication features
Economy
Saudi Arabia’s inflation rate 2 percent in Jan, rental prices main driver
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia's annual inflation rate in Jan 2025 reached 2 percent compared to January 2024, the...
- According to GASTAT, Saudi Arabia's inflation rate is considered the lowest among the G20 countries.
- CPI measures the prices paid by consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services consisting of 490 items.
Business
Stocks mostly rise, oil falls as Trump fans Ukraine peace hopes
London, United Kingdom -- Major stock markets mostly rallied and oil prices retreated Thursday on hopes for an end to the...
- London was a rare faller owing to sharp losses to share prices of big companies, including Unilever, Barclays and British American Tobacco.
- With Russia being a major producer of oil, crude futures fell heavily on easing supply concerns, while the dollar lost some of its safe-haven support.
Asian stocks rise as Powell rate warning taken in stride
Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell...
- New York Fed chief John Williams said the economy and consumer spending remained strong
- Wall Street ended Tuesday positively, despite tech stocks dragging the Nasdaq into the red
Economy
IMF projects 3.3% global growth for 2025, MENA to rebound to 3.6%
Dubai, UAE -- The International Monterey Fund (IMF) has projected global growth to remain at 3.3 percent this year and...
- IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that growth in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to rebound to about 3.6 percent in 2025.
- She warned that global public debt is projected to hit 100 percent of global GDP by 2030.
Generative AI’s most prominent skeptic doubles down
Vancouver, Canada -- Two and a half years since ChatGPT rocked the world, scientist and writer Gary Marcus still remains...
Interview
Company News
Latest News
US reaching out to China for tariff talks: Beijing state media
United States officials have reached out to their Chinese counterparts for talks on vast tariffs that have hammered markets and...
Economy
Global stocks mostly rise as Trump grants auto tariff relief
Stocks moved sideways on Monday after notching four straight positive sessions last week as Trump adopted a more conciliatory posture...
Economy
Saudi Arabia and Qatar to settle Syria’s World Bank debt
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia and Qatar announced on Sunday that they would settle Syria's debt to the World...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Economy
Tariff war: Xi says China must ‘overcome’ AI chip challenges
Beijing, China - President Xi Jinping said China must "overcome" the challenges of developing core AI technologies including high-end chips,...
- China aims to dominate the artificial intelligence sector, a goal complicated by the trade standoff with Washington
- Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, generative AI models have proliferated in the United States and China
Economy
IMF, World Bank welcome efforts for Syria to reintegrate globally
Washington, United States - The International Monetary Fund and World Bank's leaders said in a joint statement Thursday that they...
- The statement, issued with Saudi Arabia's finance minister, came as Syria's central bank governor and finance minister attended the IMF and World Bank's spring meetings
- Significant amounts of Syria's infrastructure have been destroyed by 14 years of war, beginning with a crackdown by president Bashar al-Assad on a pro-democracy movement
Geostrategy
Lebanon parliament approves changes to banking secrecy law
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, a key reform demanded by the International...
- The international community has long demanded major fiscal reforms to unlock billions of dollars in aid to restart the Lebanese economy in the wake of a five-year economic collapse
- The crash since 2019 has seen the local currency lose most of its value against the US dollar and has pushed much of the population into poverty.