Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with...
Geostrategy
Publishers fight back against US book bans
Frankfurt, Germany -- Escalating attempts to remove works featuring themes such as LGBTQ lifestyles and race relations from US bookshelves...
Geostrategy
Business
Growing IT outlays intensify MENA’s transformation
The region's IT spending is set to rise by 4% to $183.8 billion in 2024, with software and IT services...
- The region's IT spending is projected to rise by 4% to $183.8 billion in 2024, with software and IT services witnessing double-digit growth
- This surge aligns with the MENA region's push for digital transformation, enhanced cybersecurity, and a focus on generative AI initiatives
Economy
EU seeks to protect sensitive tech from Chinese buyers
Brussels is creating a trade armory to protect the bloc from actions by rival countries, including a tool aimed at punishing...
- EU Commission will publish a list of critical technologies it believes Europe must not make easily available to others
- MEPs will also quiz the commission about the EU's relations with China after a visit by trade commissioner to China
Geostrategy
Second Israeli minister in Saudi Arabia amid talk of normalization
Amid mounting speculation that Saudi Arabia and Israel will normalize ties, the minister traveled to Riyadh for a meeting of...
- Shlomo Karhi is heading a 14-member delegation, including lawmaker David Bitan and representatives of the foreign ministry
- The White House said last week that Saudi Arabia and Israeli were moving towards the outline of a deal to normalize ties
Geostrategy
GCC FTA, tech MoU enhance Pakistan-Saudi relations
In landmark developments, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have taken significant strides to enhance their bilateral relations, especially in the economic...
- In landmark developments, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have taken significant strides to enhance their bilateral relations, especially in the economic and technological arenas.
- The GCC and Pakistan signed a historic Free Trade Agreement and MoU, deepening bilateral relations between the two nations from trade to digital transformation and defense
Geostrategy
Dubai must possess its distinct emblem, says new decree
Dubai, UAE - Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, issued Law No....
- The law says emblem can be utilized across various government facilities, documents, websites, and during government events
- Private entities may also utilize it, provided they obtain prior approval from the Dubai Ruler or his representative
Geostrategy
Oil industry is an integral part of climate solutions, says COP28 head
President of the upcoming COP28 climate talks Sultan Al Jaber, also the head of UAE state-owned oil firm ADNOC, told...
- The president of the upcoming COP28 urged oil industry leaders to curb emissions associated with energy production.
- He also encouraged them to embrace "low carbon solutions" like carbon capture and storage,
Science
mRNA COVID vaccine experts awarded Nobel Medicine Prize
Kariko, 68, and Weissman, 64, longstanding colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania in the US, have won a slew of...
- While the prizewinning research dates back to 2005, the first vaccines to use the mRNA technology were those made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna against Covid-19.
- The mRNA vaccines, together with other COVID vaccines "have saved millions of lives and prevented severe disease in many more," the jury said
Geostrategy
Iran says it opposes ‘geopolitical changes’ in Caucasus
Foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani, while voicing support for Azerbaijan's reclamation of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region last month, said Tehran...
- Relations between Baku and Tehran have been traditionally sour, as Turkic-speaking Azerbaijan is a close ally of Iran's historical rival Turkey.
- Nakhchivan does not share a border with Azerbaijan but has been tied to Baku since the 1920s -- and is located between Armenia, Turkey and Iran.
Geostrategy
At least 38 injured in police HQ fire in Egypt’s Ismailia
Flames raged through the multi-storey building that was completely obscured by a massive cloud of smoke before the blaze was...
- Interior Minister ordered an investigation into the causes of the fire, as well as a "structural safety review" for the building
- The health ministry deployed 50 ambulances to the scene, which were joined by military emergency services including two planes
Geostrategy
UAE Vice-President wishes China in Chinese on National Day
Dubai, UAE - Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday shared a...
- In a video message, Sheikh Mohammed, who is also ruler of Dubai, highlighted the historical connection between the region and China
- Recalling his visits to China, the UAE Vice President said: "I visited China three times in a year. I like the country and I like its people."
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Brazil greenlights oil drilling in Amazon region
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has come under fire from conservationists who argue his oil expansion plans clash with...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Huthis report U.S. strikes after missile hits Israel airport, Netanyahu vows revenge and future retaliation
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned of future retaliation, saying Israel had acted against Iran-backed Huthis before and “will act in...
US Fed expected to pause cuts again and wait for clarity on tariffs
Washington, United States -- The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to extend a recent pause in rate cuts this...
Economy
Trump’s solar tariffs could drive Asia transition boom
Bangkok, Thailand -- Massive planned US duties on solar panels made in Southeast Asia could be a chance for the...
Business
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Geostrategy
Global rice output in 2024/25 likely to expand by 1.5%: FAO
Rome, Italy -- The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released a new Cereal Supply and Demand...
- FAO’s latest forecast for 2025 wheat production is pegged at 795 million tons, on par with the previous year.
- FAO’s new forecast for world cereal utilization in 2024/25 stands at 2 870 million tons, a 1.0 percent increase over the 2023/24 level.
Geostrategy
Hamas armed wing releases video of apparently injured Israeli hostage
The armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, released a video Saturday showing an Israeli-Russian hostage who appeared to have...
- In the undated four-minute video, the hostage, wearing bandages on his head and left arm spoke in Hebrew, implying he had been wounded in a recent Israeli bombardment
- AFP and Israeli media identified the hostage as Russian-Israeli Maxim Herkin, who turns 37 a the end of May. His family urged media not to disseminate the video
Geostrategy
Murderer of Palestinian-American boy sentenced to 53 years
Washington, United States - An Illinois man was sentenced to 53 years in prison on Friday for the murder of...
- Joseph Czuba, 73, was convicted in February of fatally stabbing Wadea Al-Fayoumi and attacking the boy's mother, Hanan Shaheen
- Czuba was the family's landlord and the attack took place a week after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023