Gulf sovereign wealth funds face a strategic test amid escalating conflict
The escalating conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States is emerging as a major test for the Gulf’s sovereign...
Economy
We are witnessing the rise of a maturing Web3 world: Nicole Valentine
The world has known the Middle East for its oil. But a new fuel is taking the main stage: knowledge,...
Interview
Economy
Trump’s tariffs on allies, China could shrink global merchandise trade volumes 1% in 2025, warns WTO
After Trump on Wednesday unveiled a blitz of harsher-than-expected levies aimed at countries around the globe, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned the measures...
- Trump slapped 10 percent import duties on all nations and far higher levies on imports from dozens of specific countries including China
- Trump's tariffs come just over a year and a half before US midterm elections, in which the party of the US president is often hammered on the economy
Economy
Trump stings friends and foes alike in his tariffs war, countries eye trade talks
The tariff announcements rattled stock markets while safe haven gold hit a new record high, oil prices fell and the...
- China demanded that the tariffs be "immediately cancelled" and vowed "countermeasures", while France and Germany warned that the EU could hit US tech firms.
- But EU and other countries also showed willingness to negotiate as they refrained from immediate retaliatory measures, with almost a week until the harsher US levies take effect.
Economy
China says opposes new US tariffs, vows ‘countermeasures’
China on Thursday said it "firmly opposes" sweeping new US tariffs on its exports and vowed "countermeasures to safeguard its...
- US President Donald Trump has ignited a potentially ruinous global trade war after imposing 10 percent levies on imports from around the world
- Beijing responded to those tariffs with levies of up to 15 percent on a range of US agricultural goods including soybeans, pork and chicken
Science
World’s tiniest pacemaker is smaller than grain of rice
Paris, France -- Scientists said Wednesday they have developed the world's tiniest pacemaker, a temporary heartbeat regulator smaller than a...
- While still years away from being tested in humans, the wireless pacemaker was hailed as a "transformative breakthrough" that could spur advances in other areas of medicine.
- Millions of people across the world have permanent pacemakers, which stimulate hearts with electrical pulses to ensure they beat normally.
Economy
Trump puts world on edge as ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs loom
Trump kept rivals and allies alike guessing about who would be targeted and by how much, but promised to be...
- A fan of tariffs for decades, Trump said that he had "settled" on a plan but kept the world in suspense as he refused to reveal the details.
- He would only say that the tariffs would be lower than what other countries would be charging the United States, adding that "we sort of have a world obligation perhaps."
Economy
Morocco ‘water highway’ averts crisis in big cities but doubts over sustainability
Morocco is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on tapping northern rivers to supply water to parched cities farther south...
- Morocco has spent $728 million so far on what it dubs a "water highway" to redirect the surplus flow of the Sebou River to meet the drinking water needs of capital Rabat
- Officials say the project has been a success in heading off the immediate threat to the water supply of the country's most populous region
Business
Automakers lead market losses after Trump tariffs on imported vehicles
Wall Street's main indexes opened in the red, with General Motors sinking more than nine percent in early trading while...
- Among European auto firms, Volkswagen shed 2.4 percent, Porsche was down around 3.5 percent, Mercedes lost four percent and BMW fell 2.7 percent.
- In Mumbai, India's Tata Motors, which exports Jaguar Land Rovers to the United States, lost more than five percent.
Geostrategy
From cars to champagne: Trump’s expanding tariffs trigger trade war fears
Paris, France -- From champagne to steel and now cars: it is getting harder to keep up with US President...
- In early March, Trump imposed a 20 percent tariff on products from China, which has a huge trade surplus with the United States and was already his top target during his first term
- Trump announced earlier he would slap 25-percent tariffs on imports from countries buying oil and gas from Venezuela, a punitive measure that could hit China and India.
Geostrategy
Lebanon cabinet appoints Karim Souaid central bank governor
Born in 1964, Souaid officially takes over after embattled former chief Riad Salameh's term expired in July 2023 with no...
- First vice-governor Wassim Manssouri had been acting head of the bank, a post that is traditionally reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.
- Souaid is the founder and managing partner at Gulf-based Growthgate, according to his biography on the private investment firm's website.
Economy
Trump announces 25% tariffs on foreign-built vehicles
US President Donald Trump has announced steep tariffs on auto imports and parts, provoking threats of retaliation from trading partners...
- The duties take effect at 12:01 am (0401 GMT) on April 3 and impact foreign-made cars and light trucks while key automobile parts will also be hit within the month
- But the White House added that vehicles entering under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) can qualify for a lower rate depending on their American content
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Gulf sovereign wealth funds face a strategic test amid escalating conflict
The escalating conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States is emerging as a major test for the Gulf’s sovereign...
Economy
Company News
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Iraq bans Roblox game platform citing ‘moral values’
Iraq has banned US gaming platform Roblox over what it described as sexual content, blasphemy and risks of online blackmail...
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US soliciting new bids for Moon mission amid SpaceX delays: NASA chief
The US space agency's Artemis program hopes to return humans to the Moon as China forges ahead with a rival...
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OpenAI big chip orders dwarf its revenues – for now
New York, United States - OpenAI is ordering hundreds of billions of dollars worth of chips in the artificial intelligence...
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Non-Human Identities: How Agentic AI is creating a new, unseen frontier in enterprise cybersecurity risk
Adept at grasping context, planning and adaptive problem-solving, the agentic AI execute complex, multi-step processes with minimal human intervention or...
- In order to interact with different systems on our behalf, agentic AI has given rise to non-human identities (NHIs)
- The proliferation of NHIs in security blindspots, including leveraging cryptography assets, vastly increases the attack surface for malicious actors
Geostrategy
OpenAI halts MLK videos as deepfakes spark outrage
Washington, United States -- OpenAI has suspended its Sora 2 artificial intelligence tool from creating videos of civil rights icon...
- The slain civil rights leader's estate and OpenAI said the company would pause generations depicting King while it "strengthens guardrails for historical figures."
- Videos reanimating other dead figures including Malcolm X, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Amy Winehouse have flooded social media since Sora 2's launch on September 30.
Geostrategy
Building a secure future: Key takeaways from WEF’s Dubai meetings
The Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity, held jointly with the Global Future Councils, focused on strengthening global cooperation to enhance digital...
- It convened over 500 experts from government, business, civil society and media, together with 150 of the world’s foremost cybersecurity leaders.
- Participants identified key innovations, policies and business models that could drive meaningful and sustainable economic growth.