Saudi, UAE startups join World Economic Forum’s global tech cohort
Saudi Arabia was represented by intella, which develops Arabic-language speech recognition and analytics tools, and Nommas Technologies, which provides AI-powered...
Geostrategy
Fresh Israel-Iran attacks overshadow ceasefire efforts across the region
Air raid alerts sounded across Israel, explosions were reported over Jerusalem, and Iranian state media reported blasts in Tehran, Tabriz...
Geostrategy
Geostrategy
Syria says Israeli strikes ‘aimed at undermining’ stability
Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani condemned on Wednesday Israeli strikes in retaliation for overnight rocket fire, saying they were aimed...
- Israel bombed southern Syria after the military reported that two projectiles were fired into Israeli territory
- Two unknown groups claimed responsibility for the launches, while Syrian authorities denied responsibility
Business
Israel arms exports to UAE, Bahrain, Morocco rise sharply after 2023
Sales to countries considered part of the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco who signed groundbreaking...
- Israel's defense ministry said that its arms exports hit an all-time high of more than $14.7 billion in 2024, despite international criticism of ongoing Gaza onslaught.
- A majority -- 56.8 percent -- of the deals signed were "mega-deals" valued at at least $100 million each, the ministry said, adding that "operational achievements" in the Gaza war.
Geostrategy
Trinity College Dublin university to cut links with Israel over Gaza violations
Dublin, Ireland -- Ireland's prestigious Trinity College Dublin said on Wednesday that it would cut all links with Israel in...
- The university also said that it would "enter into no further mobility agreements with Israeli universities".
- The board also said that the university "should not submit for approval or agree to participate in any new institutional research agreements involving Israeli participation".
Geostrategy
Saudis use AI, drones and thousands of cameras to keep hajj pilgrims safe
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Working day and night in front of maps, screens and seemingly endless data, Saudi officials have...
- The technology has proven pivotal to track the overwhelming amount of footage from more than 15,000 cameras in and around the holy city of Makkah.
- Software is also used to help guide more than 20,000 buses deployed to transport pilgrims between holy sites during one of the world's biggest annual religious gatherings.
Geostrategy
27 killed as Israeli army opens fire near Gaza aid point
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable", and the world body's rights...
- United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable."
- Israel has stepped up its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war
Geostrategy
Israel army says shelling Syria after projectiles launched
The Israeli military said it was shelling targets in Syria on Tuesday in response to a pair of projectile launches,...
- Syria's foreign affairs ministry denied firing the projectiles and said the country "has never been and will never be a threat to anyone in the region".
- Israeli media said Tuesday's strikes were the first fired from Syria into Israeli territory since the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December
Geostrategy
Saudi hosts urge pilgrims to stay indoors during hajj high point
Makkah, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi authorities have asked pilgrims performing the hajj to remain in their tents for several hours...
- Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah has requested that pilgrims refrain from leaving their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday.
- The "Day of Arafat" traditionally marks the high point of the hajj, when pilgrims scale Mount Arafat on the outskirts of Makkah.
Geostrategy
New WEF report reveals how tech convergence will reshape industries
Geneva, Switzerland – The World Economic Forum today released a new report examining how emerging technology combinations are reshaping industries...
- AI is a key enabler, making many emerging tech synergies commercially viable across industries.
- Digital twins, enhanced by AI and sensors, are expanding efficiency in sectors from aerospace to healthcare.
Geostrategy
Erdogan proposes new Putin-Zelensky-Trump meeting in Turkey, Trump ready to attend
Trump, who wants a swift end to the three-year war, is "open" to a three-way summit "if it comes to...
- Putin has so far refused such a meeting, but Zelensky has said he is willing, underlining that key issues can only be resolved at leaders-level
- Trump is "open" to a three-way summit "if it comes to that, but he wants both of these leaders and both sides to come to the table together.'
Geostrategy
Father of six killed ‘for piece of bread’ during Gaza aid distribution
Cries of grief echoed across southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital Monday as dozens came to mourn Hossam Wafi, after the father...
- Israel faces growing condemnation as famine looms and aid seekers are killed in Gaza
- The UN says the GHF-run aid centres contravene basic humanitarian principles and risk civilian lives
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Saudi, UAE startups join World Economic Forum’s global tech cohort
Saudi Arabia was represented by intella, which develops Arabic-language speech recognition and analytics tools, and Nommas Technologies, which provides AI-powered...
Geostrategy
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Palestinians recount ‘black hole’ of Israeli detention
Jerusalem, Undefined -- Denied contact with his lawyer for months, now freed Palestinian prisoner Shady Abu Sedo said he lost...
Geostrategy
Ukraine scrambles for energy with power generation at ‘zero’
Kyiv, Ukraine -- Ukraine was scrambling to turn lights and heating back on Sunday after Russian attacks targeting energy infrastructure...
Geostrategy
Tunisian opponents go on collective hunger strike to support jailed figure
Tunis, Tunisia - Prominent Tunisian opposition figures including Rached Ghannouchi said Friday they would go on hunger strike in solidarity...
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Geostrategy
Chinese ship scouts deep-ocean floor in South Pacific
Beijing, China -- A Chinese research vessel docked in the Cook Islands Saturday as it probed the Pacific nation's deep-sea...
- Huge areas of seabed around the Cook Islands are carpeted in polymetallic nodules, lumpy rocks studded with rare earths and critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel and manganese.
- Fringed by sparkling lagoons, South Pacific nation the Cook Islands has opened its vast ocean territory for deep-sea mining exploration.
Geostrategy
At COP30, nations target the jet set with luxury flight tax
Rooted in the idea that a small elite of premium flyers should pay more for their outsized contribution to global...
- Diplomats from the coalition of more than 10 countries are pushing for more to come aboard.
- Countries that do not yet have such a tax would commit to imposing levies on business and first-class tickets as well as private jets.
Geostrategy
Kazakhstan to join Abraham Accords as Trump pushes Mideast peace
Washington, United States - Kazakhstan said Thursday it will join the Abraham Accords between Israel and mainly Muslim nations, in...
- The central Asian republic has had diplomatic ties with Israel for decades, unlike the four Arab states that normalized relations with Israel under Abraham accords
- But with Trump aiming to shore up his fragile Gaza ceasefire deal, Washington is pushing to get as much support as possible behind a wider peace initiative