Trump says no reason to meet Xi, threatens ‘massive’ China tariffs
US President Donald Trump said Friday he no longer feels the need for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping...
Economy
OpenAI signs multi-billion dollar chip deal with AMD
OpenAI signed a multi-year partnership Monday with chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices as the ChatGPT-maker continues an investment spree to secure...
Business
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.
Trump says no reason to meet Xi, threatens ‘massive’ China tariffs
US President Donald Trump said Friday he no longer feels the need for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Bitcoin hits record high above $124,000 before retreating
Tokyo, Japan - Bitcoin hit a record high on Thursday during early Asian trading, surpassing $124,000, driven by favourable US...
Economy
Plastic pollution treaty talks in disarray as dozens of countries reject draft text
Geneva, Switzerland - Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on...
Economy
Most markets rise as China-US tariff truce extended, US inflation data in focus
In an executive order, the White House reiterated its position that there are "large and persistent annual US goods trade...
Economy
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Economy
Gold futures hit record on US tariff shock; mixed day for stocks
Gold futures hit a record high Friday following reports of an unexpected tariff on the precious metal as global stocks...
- Wall Street enjoyed a sunny Friday led by the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index, which posted a second straight record
- Investors are growing confident that President Donald Trump's constantly-changing US trade policy won't derail the surge in investment around artificial intelligence
Business
OpenAI releases ChatGPT-5 as AI race accelerates
San Francisco, United States -- OpenAI released a keenly awaited new generation of its hallmark ChatGPT on Thursday, touting "significant" advancements...
- ChatGPT-5 is rolling out free to all users of the AI tool, which is used by nearly 700 million people weekly, OpenAI said in a briefing with journalists.
- Co-founder and chief executive Sam Altman touted this latest iteration as "clearly a model that is generally intelligent."
Economy
Average US tariffs now highest since 1910s: WTO and IMF
The figure, calculated by the two organizations, stands in contrast with the 2.4 percent rate in force at the time...
- A trade "truce" brought down sky-high tariff levels that the United States and China had imposed upon one another, but that is set to expire next week.
- The new figure by the WTO and IMF takes into account the trade deals the US negotiated with the EU, Japan, South Korea and other nations that have now come into force.

