Palestinians rally in West Bank to celebrate statehood recognition
Crowds of people rallied in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, waving flags and holding posters of president Mahmud Abbas...
Geostrategy
Israel says will not allow Gaza-bound aid flotilla to break its blockade
The Global Sumud Flotilla, also carrying prominent pro-Palestinian advocates including Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, set sail for Gaza earlier...
Geostrategy
Videos
GCC banking’s tech shift saves time, money
GCC banks started adopting online and mobile banking, and ATMs, in the 1990s and 2000s. More recently, they've integrated advanced...
- As of 2019, there were over 5,000 bank branches in the GCC region, catering to a population exceeding 50 million.
- On average, customers spent about 30 minutes in these branches to avail themselves of banking services.
Geostrategy
Lebanon lawmakers fail to elect president at 12th attempt
The vote for the presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's delicate sectarian power-sharing system, pitted the Hezbollah-backed Sleiman...
- Lebanon is facing a double power vacuum, with the country governed by a caretaker cabinet with limited powers for more than a year.
- France and the US have renewed calls for Lebanese lawmakers to cooperate and elect a new president.
Saudi Crown Prince set to meet Macron in France
Mohammed bin Salman has left for a state visit to France where he will meet President Emmanuel Macron, a statement...
- Saudi Crown Prince will take part in the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris next week, the Royal Court statement said
- In December 2021, Macron became one of the first Western leaders to meet Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia since 2018
EU lawmakers to back world’s first rules on AI systems like ChatGPT
The EU's plans date back to 2021, the draft rules took on greater urgency when ChatGPT exploded onto the scene...
- Once adopted by the EU parliament, officials say negotiations for a final law with the bloc's 27 member states will begin almost immediately, starting later Wednesday
- The EU law will regulate AI according to the level of risk: the higher the risk to individuals' rights or health, for example, the greater the systems' obligations
Geostrategy
Saudi Arabia announces international conference on Sudan aid
Saudi Arabia announced that it would jointly lead a conference on the humanitarian response to the war in Sudan next...
- Saudi Arabia and the United States have been mediating in the eight-week conflict.
- The kingdom played a leading role in evacuating thousands of foreigners from Sudan early in the war.
Geostrategy
Iranian nuke expert, EU officials review Tehran’s atomic program
A landmark deal in 2015, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), gave Iran sanctions relief in...
- Germany's foreign ministry said the meeting took place on Monday and that discussions broached topics concerning Iran's nuclear program.
- Iran's nuclear program has long been the subject of scrutiny from Western powers, resulting in sanctions that have hit the country's economy.
Geostrategy
Palestinian dies as fresh violence hits West Bank
Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in a West Bank raid while four Israelis were injured in a separate shooting incident,...
- Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said it had treated five Israelis wounded by gunfire close to the northern West Bank city of Jenin.
- Since the start of the year, at least 158 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in Israel-Palestine violence.
Business
Which country leads Arab world in business ease?
Arab nations have implemented several reforms to improve the ease of doing business. TRENDS take a look to determine the...
- Arab nations have implemented several reforms to improve the ease of doing business. TRENDS takes an in-depth look to determine the most business-friendly country in the region
- Business reforms have led to a significant increase in foreign direct investments, contributing to the growth of both the public and private sectors in the Arab countries
Geostrategy
UN calls on Libya to treat migrants, asylum seekers with dignity
War-torn Libya is regularly criticised for its handling of migrants, with rights groups alleging horrific treatment by smuggling gangs and...
- Libyan authorities have arrested thousands of men, women and children from the streets and their homes or following raids on alleged traffickers' camps
- Libyan authorities must grant United Nations agencies and aid organizations "unimpeded access to detainees in need of urgent protection", UNSMIL added
Economy
UN working to renew Ukraine grain export deal
That crucial accord granting safe passage for Ukrainian grain to be exported via Black Sea ports despite Moscow's invasion was...
- Grain deal helped alleviate food shortages triggered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a major grain exporter, and its blockade of Ukrainian ports
- The resumption of Russia's ammonia exports through the pipeline is one of Moscow's conditions to continue with the grain export deal
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
Palestinians rally in West Bank to celebrate statehood recognition
Crowds of people rallied in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, waving flags and holding posters of president Mahmud Abbas...
Geostrategy
Company News
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Netanyahu tells Israel parliament ‘some progress’ on Gaza hostage deal, defence minister admits to killing Haniyeh
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Netanyahu said, however, said he was not going to agree...
Geostrategy
Post-Assad Syria seeks peace; Erdogan pushes anti-terror agenda, US warns on Kurdish conflict
Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa of the "critical need to...
Geostrategy
HRW accuses Israel of ‘acts of genocide’ for restricting Gaza water access
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Israel of committing "acts of #genocide" in the Gaza Strip by damaging water infrastructure and...
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UN envoy warns Syria conflict not over yet
United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, referring to fighting between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and...
- Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syrian military assets since Assad's overthrow
- Large-scale returns of refugees to Syria could destabilize the country further
Geostrategy
UN envoy warns Syria conflict persists as rebels seek international ties post-Assad ouster
The UN migration chief expressed concerns about large-scale refugee returns destabilizing Syria further, particularly affecting religious minorities who fled violence...
- The United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Tuesday "there have been significant hostilities in the last two weeks, before a ceasefire was brokered."
- Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syrian military assets since Assad's overthrow in what it says is a bid to prevent them falling into hostile hands
Syria since Assad’s overthrow: latest developments
HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani said that all rebel factions in Syria would "be disbanded and the fighters trained to...
- Assad denounced the country's new leaders as "terrorists"
- President Elect Trump said Turkey did an unfriendly takeover, without a lot of lives being lost