105 missiles, 176 drones destroyed since start of Iranian attack: Bahrain
The Bahrain Defence Force General Command (BDF) announced that its air defence systems have continued to successfully intercept successive waves...
Geostrategy
Trump’s Gaza plan wins Netanyahu backing, but hinges on Hamas disarmament
The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli...
- Hamas had yet to give its judgment on the proposal that Trump unveiled at the White House alongside Netanyahu, leaving uncertainty swirling around the fate of the 20-point plan
- The plan calls for a ceasefire, release of hostages by Hamas within 72 hours, disarmament of Hamas and gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, followed by a transitional authority
Geostrategy
ChatGPT to get parental controls after teen’s death
Paris, France -- American artificial intelligence firm OpenAI said Tuesday it would add parental controls to its chatbot ChatGPT, a...
- Parents will also receive notifications from ChatGPT "when the system detects their teen is in a moment of acute distress," OpenAI added.
- The company had trailed a system of parental controls in a late August blog post.
Science
Human ancestor Lucy gets first European showing in Prague
Prague, Czech Republic --The 3.18-million-year-old bone fragments of human ancestor Lucy, which rarely leave Ethiopia, went on display in Prague...
- The ancient remains of the Australopithecus afarensis were discovered in Ethiopia in 1974.
- The find was, at the time, the most complete ever made and revolutionized the understanding of humanity's ancestors.
Geostrategy
Expectations high as Trump, Putin set to meet at Alaska: What each side wants
In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk,...
- For Putin, who has faced years of isolation from the West since the invasion, the summit is an opportunity to press Russia's hardline demands for ending the conflict
- In addition to territory, Russia wants Ukraine to ensure the "rights and freedoms" of the Russian-speaking population and to prohibit what it calls the "glorification of Nazism".
Business
ADNOC Gas signs LNG deal
Will supply 0.5mmtpa of LNG to India's HPCL.
- The LNG will be supplied from ADNOC Gas’ Das Island liquefaction facility, which has a production capacity of 6 mmtpa.
- As the world's third longest-operating LNG plant, Das Island has shipped over 3,500 LNG cargoes worldwide since starting operations.
Geostrategy
Chaos, Israel-aided gangs and gunfire: Gaza aid fails to reach most needy
Nearly 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip while waiting for aid since May 27, the majority by...
- The Israeli army is also accused of having equipped Palestinian criminal networks in its fight against Hamas and of allowing them to plunder aid.
- For more than 2 million inhabitants of Gaza the US-backed GHF has just four distribution points, which the UN describes as a "death trap".
Geostrategy
Eight OPEC+ countries raise production by 547,000 bpd to regain market share
Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman, along with the Saudis and Russians currently produce about 41-42 mbd.
- Analysts said there was unlikely to be a major impact on prices, with the Brent reference oil currently selling at about $70 a barrel.
- Oil prices have held up better than observers anticipated amid strong summer demand and a high geopolitical risk premium, notably owing to conflict between Iran and Israel.
Geostrategy
Turkey starts supplying Azerbaijani gas to boost Syria’s power output
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkey on Saturday turned on a supply of natural gas from Azerbaijan to Syria, whose infrastructure was...
- Syria's Islamist authorities, who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, are seeking to rebuild the battered country where power cuts can last for more than 20 hours a day
- A first phase of the Qatari scheme to fund gas supplies for power generation in Syria rolled out in March via Jordan and provided 400 megawatts of electricity per day
Geostrategy
UAE begins pipeline project to ease Gaza water shortage
Jerusalem, Undefined -- The United Arab Emirates has begun construction on a major pipeline to carry desalinated water from Egypt...
- Technical teams sent by the UAE have started transporting equipment needed for the project, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported.
- The project would link a desalination plant in Egypt to the Al-Mawasi area along Gaza's coast and could supply about 600,000 people daily, COGAT said.
Economy
Saudi Arabia, UAE rank among top 20 nations globally for AI talent density
With the goal of becoming one of the world’s top 10 countries in AI research and application by 2030, Saudi...
- King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) enters top 150 universities globally for producing AI talent, becoming the highest-ranked university in Middle East
- Saudi Arabia offers some of the most competitive compensation packages for AI talent globally, with top scientists earning a median annual salary of USD 420,000, tax-free
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
105 missiles, 176 drones destroyed since start of Iranian attack: Bahrain
The Bahrain Defence Force General Command (BDF) announced that its air defence systems have continued to successfully intercept successive waves...
Geostrategy
Company News
Latest News
Who has been invited to be on Trump’s Gaza boards?
The White House said there would be a main board, chaired by Trump himself, a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant...
Geostrategy
UAE is converting talent, trust, and technology into a Knowledge Nation
Dr. Lolowa AlMarzooqi, Associate Vice Provost at New York University Abu Dhabi, tells TRENDS that the UAE’s real competitive edge...
Interview
Trump threatens European nations with tariffs over Greenland
Trump aimed his ire at Denmark, a fellow NATO member, as well as several European countries that have deployed troops...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Economy
AI promise uneven as economists flag debt and market vulnerabilities
In its latest Chief Economists’ Outlook, the WEF said 53 percent of surveyed economists expect global economic conditions to weaken...
- Economists expect defence, energy and digital infrastructure spending to rise, while environmental budgets shrink amid difficult fiscal trade-offs.
- Survey respondents see South Asia leading growth, Europe lagging, and foreign investment favoring the United States over China.
Business
GCC’s quest for AI dominance has several hurdles to surmount
For governments and corporates across the Gulf, the immediate task is pragmatic: marry sovereign ambition with sustainable skills programs and...
- The AI market in the region is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.63 percent between 2024 and 2030.
- Analysts say the region’s real test will be turning pilots into production systems that deliver measurable economic and social outcomes
Geostrategy
Gaza ceasefire enters phase two despite unresolved issues between Israel and Hamas
The most contentious questions remain Hamas's refusal to publicly commit to full disarmament, a non-negotiable demand from Israel, and Israel's...
- Gaza, whose borders and access points remain under Israeli control, continues to face severe shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel.
- Under the second phase, Gaza is to be administered by a 15-member Palestinian technocratic committee operating under the supervision of a so-called "Board of Peace."