Dubai Chambers saves water, works on sustainability agenda

• The savings were achieved as part of the chambers’ participation in Dubai Can, a sustainability initiative launched by the Crown Prince of Dubai.
• Dubai Can is aimed at educating and mobilising all segments of society to reduce waste and protect the environment.

Greek firefighters struggle to control wildfires for sixth day

• Threatening a national park, a huge blaze continued to burn on Mount Parnitha near Athens, in the largest forest adjoining the capital
• According to a government minister, Greece was going through the worst summer of fires since fire-risk maps were introduced in 2009

Egypt reports drop in unemployment rate in Q2 of 2023

• According to data, some two million Egyptians were without work, including 1.2 million men and 941,000 women
• The country's annual inflation rate jumped to 38.2% in July, up from 14.6% in the same month a year earlier

COP28 will provide a pivotal moment in climate action

• COP28 will focus on practical solutions, unifying global action, and fostering partnerships, says IUCN chairwoman
• The conference aims for a "human-centric" approach, emphasizing nature, food, health, and climate resilience, she adds.

Qantas posts bumper profit

AI startups set to rake in $10bn investments by 2026

• Half of new cloud deployments will be integrated cloud data ecosystems by 2024, while edge AI will see 55% of all data analysis by deep neural networks by 2025, says a report
• By 2024, data-centric AI will prioritize synthetic data, comprising 60% of AI data, while ChatGPT's popularity prompts 45% of executives to boost AI investments, adds Gartner

Iran’s steel production sees 4.1% growth in first 7 months of 2023

• In July 2023, Iran's crude steel production slightly decreased by 1.5% compared to the same month in the previous year
• China remains the top global steel producer, contributing 626.5 million tons, followed by India, Japan, the United States, and Russia

Suez Canal ship traffic normal after tanker collision

• According to ship tracking company MarineTraffic, the two tankers briefly collided in the canal citing eyewitnesses
• A media outlet quoting a Suez Canal official said that a ship that broke down in the canal was starting to be towed

Saudi Arabia and Germany discuss cooperation in industrial, mining sectors

• Both parties explored opportunities to collaborate with the University of Munich for Applied Sciences
• The focus was on reviewing the university's educational curricula and academic programs in various fields related to industries and mining

UAE, KSA optimistic as BRICS leaders weigh expansion

• South Africa revealed potential BRICS expansion plans at the Johannesburg summit, with keen interest shown by Middle Eastern nations, notably UAE and Saudi Arabia
• Analysts suggest that BRICS' potential expansion could strain relations with major powers, highlight the bloc's diverse appeal, but also raise concerns about diluted influence