From Summit to Strategy: Qatar Builds Global Investment Hub
This year’s edition is expected to welcome more than 30,000 participants from over 120 countries, including 1,500 startups, 700 investors...
Economy
Prone to conflict, displacement, climate shocks, investing in cities is a strategy for global stability
Addressing fragility in cities is, therefore, not only a social imperative; it is also a crucial economic consideration. It is...
Economy
Business
Counterfeit products cost Europe $13 billion, 200,000 jobs a year
Paris, France - Counterfeit products -- mainly clothes -- cost the European economy 16 billion euros a year and result in...
- The findings, based on data from 2018 to 2021, show that fakes take the biggest toll on the clothing sector, costing 12 billion euros ($13.1 billion) annually
- The bulk of the counterfeiting occurred in just five EU members, with Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Austria accounting for half the yearly losses
Opinion
AI revolutionizes UAE’s life sciences & healthcare
"By leveraging advanced data analysis techniques to process extensive datasets from diverse sources, including genomic data, scientific literature, and clinical...
- AI is transforming drug discovery, diagnostics, and personalized treatments, marking a new era in medical research.
- The UAE, especially Abu Dhabi, is setting global standards in longevity and healthcare integration for better future.
Geostrategy
Iran, India reach final agreement on Chabahar Port
Tehran, Iran – Iran and India on Monday finalized an agreement for the development of the strategic Chabahar port in...
- Chabahar Port, Iran's sole oceanic port on the Gulf of Oman, holds strategic importance both strategically and economically
- In May 2016, India, Iran, and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement for the Chabahar port, facilitating New Delhi's access to Kabul and Central Asia
Economy
Saudi authorities reduce fee for recruiting domestic help
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) announced on Monday that it has cut...
- The ministry had previously directed licensed recruitment companies and offices to set the upper limit for the costs of recruiting domestic worker services from some nationalities
- The decision comes within the framework of the ministry’s effort to develop all services, improve the labor market environment and enhance its attractiveness
World Economic Forum
IMF chief at Davos: AI holds risks, opportunity for global economy
Artificial intelligence poses risks to job security around the world but also offers a "tremendous opportunity" to boost flagging productivity...
- "We must focus on helping low-income countries in particular to move faster to be able to catch the opportunities that artificial intelligence will present," Georgieva told AFP.
- Georgieva said 2024 is likely to be "a very tough year" for fiscal policy worldwide, as countries look to tackle debt burdens accumulated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Economy
Saudi inflation rate declines slightly to 1.5 percent in Dec: GASTAT
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia’s inflation declined to 1.5 percent in December 2023, compared with 1.7 percent in November, according to recent...
- The cost-of-living index for December rose to 110.15 points, according to the base year 2018, from 108.53 points in the same month a year earlier.
- Inflation is measured by the percentage change in the cost of living between the current period and the corresponding period of the previous year.
Geostrategy
World’s five richest men doubled their fortunes since 2020: Oxfam
A report from the charity, published as the global elite hobnob at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week,...
- Billionaires are today $3.3 trillion richer than they were in 2020, despite many crises devastating the world's economy since this decade began, including the Covid pandemic.
- With riches among the world's wealthiest increasing the way they are, Oxfam predicted that within a decade the world will see its first "trillionaire".
World Economic Forum
Top economists warn global economy will weaken in 2024
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland--Global economic prospects remain subdued and fraught with uncertainty, according to the latest Chief Economists Outlook released today, as...
- Around 56% economists expect the global economy to weaken this year, while 43 percent foresee unchanged or stronger conditions
- In the MENA region, US the outlook is weaker too, with about six in 10 respondents foreseeing moderate or stronger growth this year
Business
Saudi govt exposes violations in expatriate partnerships
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi National Program to Combat Commercial Concealment has exposed various instances falling under the umbrella...
- The government identified cases of cover-up, including scenarios where a Saudi citizen transfers ownership of a commercial establishment to a non-Saudi individual
- A key point of differentiation stressed by the program is between commercial cover-up and the concealment of labor violations
Economy
AI to impact 60% of advanced economy jobs: IMF’s Georgieva
The IMF sees an important opportunity for policy prescriptions to help address these concerns, Georgieva told AFP. "We must focus...
- The IMF report notes that half of the jobs impacted by AI will be negatively affected, while the rest may actually benefit from enhanced productivity gains due to AI
- AI will initially have a lower impact on developing economies and they are also less likely to benefit from the advantages of the novel technology, according to the report
From Summit to Strategy: Qatar Builds Global Investment Hub
This year’s edition is expected to welcome more than 30,000 participants from over 120 countries, including 1,500 startups, 700 investors...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Lebanon on bumpy road to public transport revival
Beirut, Lebanon - On Beirut's chaotic, car-choked streets, Lebanese student Fatima Fakih rides a shiny purple bus to university, one...
Economy
Oil under $65 a boon for consumers, but a burden on producers
London, United Kingdom -- US President Donald Trump's tariffs, his call to "drill baby drill" and especially a decision by...
Business
How social media can ‘trigger’ eating disorders in young people
Paris, France -- Social media can push vulnerable young people towards developing eating disorders by glorifying thinness and promoting fake,...
Science
Most Read
Business
Google makes case for keeping Chrome browser in US court
Washington, United States - Google on Friday urged a US judge to reject the notion of making it spin off...
- US government attorneys have called for divesting Google of Chrome browser, contending that AI is poised to ramp up it's dominance
- They also want Google barred from agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools
Interview
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...
- Marcus's criticism centers on a fundamental belief: generative AI, the predictive technology that churns out seemingly human-level content, is too flawed to be transformative.
- The large language models (LLMs) that power these capabilities are inherently broken, he argues, and will never deliver on Silicon Valley's grand promises.
Economy
Chief Economists warn global growth under strain from trade policy shocks and AI disruption
The global economic outlook has worsened since the start of the year, as rising economic nationalism and tariff volatility fuel...
- The report reveals that 79% of surveyed economists view the current geoeconomic developments as signs of a significant structural shift for economy than a temporary disruption
- Nearly all the chief economists (97%) place trade policy among the areas of highest uncertainty, followed by monetary policy (49%) and fiscal policy (35%)